Halloween: How should Christians respond

"Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good." Romans 12:21 NLT

Halloween is big business in the U.S. According to the National Retail Federation, "Halloween is the second-largest commercial holiday, with Christmas being the first." Halloween spending in the U.S. alone reached $9 billion 2018. Halloween is too big to ignore, and almost impossible to boycott. And it's not going to go away as long as commercial business continues to reap huge profits from sales during its observance. Halloween is celebrated in many other countries around the world.

Most people who celebrate Halloween, have no idea about its pagan roots; or for that matter, its Christian connection. To those who celebrate it, Halloween simply represents a fun time for kids as well as grown ups. There is certainly a counter-culture somewhere that worships the darker side of Halloween. But generally speaking, those folks are not the ones who come knocking at your door asking for treats.

Halloween is a divisive topic for Christians resulting in spirited debates over Halloween's flirtation with evil, and whether Christ followers ought to partake in this holiday. A Gallup Poll survey found that Christians are divided over religious objections to Halloween. Asan alternative, some Christian groups compromise by hosting counter celebrations that capture the fun but not the spirit of the holiday. Some just avoid any observance whatsoever preferring to wall themselves up behind closed doors when the kids come knocking. But what purpose does it serve for Christians to isolate and cut themselves off from a potential opportunity to witness to a ready pool of potential converts?

The biggest trick played on Halloween is Christian kids and adults being bottled up inside churches or homes all night. That’s right! Hiding from the devil in the family life center and surrendering the neighborhood to little Ghouls, goblins, and witches is a victory for old Beelzebub. He’s got the church right where he wants it: inside the four walls, hunkered down behind the stained glass. ---Andy Freeman, The Enemy's Victory

There's a better way. While Halloween in no way deserves the same stature as Christmas and Easter, it does provide opportunities that are unique to this holiday. For example, Halloween gives Christians an opportunity to engage with non-Christians—literally, right on their doorstep. But if some Christians can't see beyond the costumed ghosts, goblins and witches that show up, they will likely miss an opportunity to shine "light" into the dark world of Halloween.

Are some Christians trying to remove themselves from the world? Ignoring Halloween or celebrating it with believers only is not exactly an evangelical approach. Aren't we supposed to "become all things to all men so that by all possible means" we might save some? (1 Corinthians 9:22) Halloween brings our neighbors out into the streets. I can think of various creative ways to seize this opportunity for developing new relationships and sharing my faith. —Mary Fairchild, Christians and Halloween

Perhaps it's time the Christian community develop a more evangelistic strategy toward Halloween that goes beyond avoidance and isolation to focusing on sharing the gospel . Think of it as overcoming evil with good like Jesus did.

Christians should use Halloween and all that it brings to the imagination--death imagery, superstition, expressions of debauched revelry--as an opportunity to engage the unbelieving world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. —Travis Allen, Grace to You

It may mean keeping your door open for Trick or Treaters. And as you hand out candy, put a gospel tract or card in their bag. In other words, re-purpose Halloween by transforming it into an opportunity to let your light shine even brighter for Jesus. Jesus never ran from evil. Instead, he confronted it head-on exposing it for what it was.

 God commands his people to put on the shoes of the gospel of peace daily. Christians are to have evangelism on their minds every day and  look for those opportunities to witness Jesus Christ to a dark world.—Leftbehind.com

In the past, Halloween was mostly about costumes and candy. Today, it's still largely about that, but it can also be about reaching  neighbors who may never have another chance to hear the gospel.

(Updated 10/2019) 

Come out of your comfort zone

If there's one thing I hate more than anything it's moving. Packing up years of accumulated stuff and  moving it across town, across country, to another state or as in this most recent case, to another cubicle at my workplace just doesn't appeal to me. In the short time I've been on my job, I've been asked to move five times within the same large, open floor plan. Needless to say, I took this latest uprooting hard mostly because I was comfortable where I was.

I had got use to being there. I was friendly with my cubicle mate, liked the limited view from the nearby window and it was close to the bathroom. Then somebody got the bright idea to move us around...AGAIN! Reluctantly, I arrived at my newly assigned digs loaded down with boxes and determined not to like it. At this point I couldn't see any positives. And to make matters worse, I was thrown in with a new group of co-workers who I pegged as "younger, louder and most unfriendly." There was no way I had anything in common with this bunch, nor did I ever think I would. Right now, you're probably thinking that I'm a real SNOB without the "N." But wait, before you judge me prematurely, read on. It gets better.

As I sat there stewing in my own stubborn juices, the Holy Spirit spoke these words to my heart: "Jesus wasn't comfortable either when he hung on that cross for you. He wasn't comfortable when his accusers spit in His face...wasn't comfortable when the soldiers beat him with cords...wasn't comfortable when they forced Him to carry a heavy cross...wasn't comfortable when the people mocked him as He was dying... wasn't comfortable when the soldiers stabbed Him in his side...wasn't comfortable when his tongue swelled in his mouth from thirst...wasn't comfortable as he struggled to breathe his last breath for you and me." Wow, that really got my attention.

Suddenly, I was overwhelmed by guilt and shame realizing now that my present discomfort couldn't even compare to what Jesus had suffered not only for me, but for the whole world. The words of Isaiah 53:5 came back to me: "But because of our sins he was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did. We are healed by the punishment he suffered, made whole by the blows he received (GNV)."  Leave it to God to put things in their proper perspective, and us in our proper place...at the foot of the uncomfortable Cross of Calvary. Followers of Christ are not called to a life of ease but to a life of service, even if it means giving up some creature comforts.

The Big Lie

I told a lie. It slipped out my mouth so fast, I didn't have time to shut it. It was shocking. Can you believe it? Me, a born again Christian, telling a lie? God forbid. The instant that lie left my lips, two things happened—Satan cheered and heaven   groaned. Immediately, the Holy Spirit convicted me. There I was caught between that lie and what I knew would be its consequences.     The battle for my soul was just beginning to heat up.

I had Satan, in one ear telling me, “Oh come on now, it wasn’t even a big lie. Besides, it didn’t hurt anyone now did it? And the Holy Spirit in the other ear softly pleading, “The lie you just told wounded the heart of God, your Father. You must confess it.” I was crushed under the weight of my guilt at the very thought that my actions could possibly have hurt God.

This was major and not something I could easily dismiss, as Satan had tempted me to do. I knew that if I listened to Satan and just let it go, he would dig in even deeper, and establish a stronghold in my mind from which he could manipulate my thoughts. This little lie, as unintended as it was, was now beginning to take on huge proportions as the battle for my soul continued. Satan fired another shot, this time a direct hit at my pride: “You don’t want people to know that you, of all people, tell lies do you?

There goes your witness and your testimony. What will people think of you? You better keep it under wraps. It’ll just be our little secret,” Satan said with a wink. The thought was a tempting for a minute. But I knew that it was a lie straight from the pit of Hell. Imagine the father of lies trying to convince me that he could keep a secret.

The Holy Spirit countered Satan’s onslaught by bringing to this battle for my mind every scripture from the word of God that I'd ever memorized. I remembered that God hates liars. Revelation 21:8 says that liars will be judged and tossed into the lake of fire—a place especially prepared for them. Also in this fiery lake will be the cowards who have turned away from God, unbelievers, murderers, and persons who are corrupt, sexually immoral, who practice witchcraft and worship idols. Talk about being in bad company.

I was beginning to realize the enormity of what I had done. There was only one way to get Satan off my back and God back on my side—I had to confess. Without further delay, I dropped to my knees and prayed, “Father, forgive me, the lie I told was a sin. It was wrong and I am truly sorry.” Well, that was just the beginning of my restoration. Later, I went back to the one I told the lie to and confessed.

I guess the lesson in all this is that Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven. As long as we are on this earth, we will be tempted, and we may even succumb in a moment of weakness. Even Jesus was tempted but he handled it God's way. Rather than hide from our sin like Adam did or try to cover it up like King David did, we should confess it directly to God and ask for His forgiveness. He offers this promise in 1 John 1:9 to both Christians who sin and the unsaved sinner alike: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” It sure feels good to be forgiven.

If there is sin in your life that Satan has convinced you is just between you and him, he's lying. Sin is really between you and God. There’s no such thing as a white lie or a little sin. Big or small, it’s all sin. And God hates it. To add to sin's consequences, it blocks your blessings and hinders your prayers so that God will not hear you. Don’t let Satan fool you. For your own good, confess your sins and be set free. Jesus died for my sins and yours so that by believing in him, we can be forgiven and have eternal life. By the way, if you’re wondering if I made this story up, absolutely not. It’s a true story, no lie.

Jeopardy!

Jeopardy is a popular television game show that rewards contestants when they guess the right question for a given answer. I used to be a Jeopardy fanatic. For years, I played along from the comfort of my living room, often guessing more right "questions" than I did wrong. I used to brag that if I ever got a chance to play for real, I could become Jeopardy champ and win a lot of money doing it. Then one day, I heard that the Jeopardy tryouts were coming to my hometown. This was my chance to go to Hollywood I told myself. So I signed up and reported for my big day.

The room was filled with a hundred other Jeopardy wannabees like me--BRAINIACS all. The tryouts were a process of elimination to determine who would ultimately get a chance to appear on the "real" show. The rules were read, and the game began. All I can say is, it was brutal. The answers were more difficult than any I'd ever had to face on the TV version. I didn't have a clue as to what the questions were. But neither did most of my competition. After about an hour when the cerebral dust had settled, one guy was left standing; and he only made it into the "second" round. I was deflated. It took a long time before I ever watched an episode of Jeopardy again.


Which brings me to the reason for this blog. Its about questions of a different sort. Did you know that there will be questions to answer in heaven? The bible tells us that everyone will have to give an account of himself or herself to God for the deeds done while in the body (Rom 14:12, Heb 4:13, 1 Peter 4:5). There's no escaping it. Like in a courtroom, every one of us will stand before God, the righteous judge, to be questioned by Him about what we did with our lives. And what you say, as well as not having anything to say, could very well put you in jeopardy.


If I had been able to get a hold of those Jeopardy answers in advance, I would have been better prepared to give the right questions. Unlike Jeopardy, God has given us the answers in advance, as well as, a lifetime to prepare. And not only that, He gave us a sinless role model in Jesus Christ to pattern our lives after; an infallible study guide, the Holy Bible, to help us clean up our lives; and a patient teacher, the Holy Spirit, to direct us. So, "[We] have everything we need for life and godliness," (2 Peter 1:3). How about it? Will you have the right answers when your turn comes before the righteous Judge? That's the question. What's your answer? Post a comment to share your thoughts.

Its Harvest Time

One of the joys associated with summer is plentiful crops of fresh fruits and vegetables. They remind me of visits with my grandmother, watching her till the soil in the small vegetable garden in her backyard. Everything we ate came straight from her garden. In those days, we didn't know what processed food was because grandma cooked everything from scratch. From her garden, she picked vegetables the moment they were ripe on the vine because as any good farmer knows, when the crops are at their peak, its harvest time.

Grandma's garden provides a nice segue into the harvesting of souls that Jesus talks about in the book of John. Perhaps the most evangelistic book of the four Gospels, John provides a blueprint for leading others to Christ. My personal favorite is the story of the Samaritan woman found in John 4: 4-41. I like Jesus' low keyed approach as he engages the woman in a conversation about which she is concerned and obviously knows a lot about---water. This approach both gets her attention and piques her interest in him. The conversation turns to things spiritual as she begins to ask questions pertaining to the "living water" comment that Jesus makes. But my objective is not to dissect word for word, line by line the actual conversation between Jesus and the woman; but rather to use this story to illustrate how every day encounters and conversations with people can become evangelistic opportunities.

Someone once told me that each day God has a divine appointment (assignment) waiting for us. Jesus alludes to this in John 4:35 ---" You know the saying, 'Four months between planting and harvest.' But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest (NLT)." The will of God for his "then and now" disciples (every Christian) is to finish the work Christ started by harvesting the lost souls that God desires to bring into his Kingdom. They are already waiting, and they are ripe for the picking. We cannot say that we are truly doing God's work if we are not engaged in winning lost souls to Christ, whether through organized evangelistic efforts at church or personal evangelism on our own. Nothing that we do means more to God than this. After all, Christ gave his life that men might be saved. Its our job to take the gospel to them. The Bible says that there is joy in heaven when [even] one sinner repents (Luke 15:10). That's awesome to know that by leading another to Christ we make the angels in heaven rejoice. Its a high calling and a privilege that God reserves only for us. The fields are white already. Its harvest time.