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Question: "Should Christians celebrate Halloween?"

Answer: We recognize that this can be a very controversial topic. Some Christians view Halloween simply as a day to dress up in a costume and have fun. Other Christians regard Halloween as a satanic holiday designed to worship evil spirits and promote darkness and wickedness. So, who is right? Is it possible for Christians to participate in Halloween without compromising their faith?

Halloween, no matter how commercialized, has almost completely pagan origins. As innocent as it may seem to some, it is not something to be taken lightly. Christians tend to have various ways to celebrate or not to celebrate Halloween. For some, it means having an “alternative” Harvest Party. For others, it is staying away from the ghosts, witches, goblins, etc., and wearing less evil or pagan costumes, e.g., little princesses, clowns, cowboys, super-heroes, etc. Some choose not to do anything, electing to lock themselves in the house with the lights off. With your freedom as a Christian, you are at liberty to decide how you react.

Scripture does not directly speak at all about Halloween, but it does give us some principles on which we can make a decision. In Old Testament Israel, witchcraft was a crime punishable by death (Exodus 22:18, Leviticus 19:31; 20:6, 27). The New Testament teaching about the occult is clear. Acts 8:9-24, the story of Simon, shows that occultism and Christianity don't mix. The account of Elymas the sorcerer in Acts 13:6-11 reveals that sorcery is violently opposed to Christianity. Paul called him a child of the devil, an enemy of righteousness and perverter of the ways of God. In Acts 16, at Philippi, a fortune-telling girl lost her demon powers when the evil spirit was cast out by Paul. The interesting matter here is that Paul refused to allow even good statements to come from a demon-influenced person. Acts 19 shows new converts who have abruptly broken with their former occultism by confessing, showing their evil deeds, bringing their magic paraphernalia, and burning it before everyone (Acts 19:19).

So, should a Christian celebrate Halloween? Is there anything evil about a Christian dressing up as a princess or cowboy and going around the block asking for candy? No, there is not. Are there things about Halloween that are anti-Christian and should be avoided? Absolutely! Parents, if you are going to allow your children to participate in Halloween, make sure you keep them from getting involved in the darker aspects of the day. If Christians are going to take part in Halloween, their attitude, dress, and most importantly, their behavior, should still reflect a redeemed life (Philippians 1:27). There are many churches who hold "harvest festivals" and incorporate costumes, but in a godly environment. There are many Christians who hand out tracts that share the Gospel along with the Halloween candy. The decision is ultimately yours to make. God's view on the subject is clear: "Be Holy, as I am Holy" (1 Peter 1:16). "God is light and in Him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5b).
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I am putting this question down here this week because I'd like to hear your comments on this subject.  I think almost everyone has an opinion on the pros and cons, the good and evil, to be or not to be of celebrating Halloween, so what say you?.....

I say avoid it completely. No dressing up, no going out. You can buy candy for you kids and maybe a party but nothing else. Candy wrappers can't have Halloween related stuff on it.

Our Pilgrim forefathers knew well of Halloween's occult roots. In fact they banned celebrating Halloween in America. Halloween was not celebrated in this country until 1845. At that time multiplied thousands of Irish emigrants flooded into New York because of the Irish Potato Famine of 1845-46. They brought with them an old Druid Holiday we call Halloween. Gradually celebrating this day spread throughout the rest of the country.

We must stay away from other practices associated with Halloween, the eve of the Celtic New Year festival. The Druid priests used to instruct their faithful to extinguish their hearth fires and lights and to gather around the fire of sacrifice to make their offerings and to pay homage to the Lord of Death. This sacred fire was the fire of the new year, to be taken home to rekindle lights and hearth fires. The sacred New Year=s fire developed into the practice of the Jack O= Lantern (in the U.S.A.; a pumpkin, in older days other vegetables were used), which was carved in imitation of the dead and used to convey the new light and fire to the home, where the lantern was left burning throughout the night. Even the use and display of the Jack O Lantern honors the Samhain, the Celtic god of death. Orthodox Christians cannot share in this Celtic activity, but must counter the secular customs by instead burning candles to the Savior, the Most Holy Mother of God, and to all the Holy Saints. They were idolaters, occult practitioners and witches of sorts. Let’s begin with the information found in the 11th edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Suffice it to say, at this point that the pagan worship day Samhain evolved into Halloween. But what of their Lord of Death? You probably have seen a modern day version of SAMAN without even knowing it. This pagan god was shown as a ghostly, skeleton holding a sickle in his hand. He later came to be known as THE GRIM REAPER.

Paganism, idolatry and Satan worship. How then did things so contradictory to the Faith gain acceptance among Christian people? The answers are spiritual apathy and listlessness, which are the spiritual roots of atheism and turning away from God. In society today, one is urged to disregard the spiritual roots and origins of secular practices when the outward practices or forms seem ordinary, entertaining, and harmless. The dogma of atheism underlies many of these practices and forms, denying the existence of both God and Satan. Practices and forms of obvious pagan and idolatrous origin are neither harmless nor of little consequence. The Holy Church stand against them because we are taught by Christ that God stands in judgment over everything we do and believe, and that our actions are either for God or against God. Therefore, the customs of Halloween are not innocent, but are demonic, precisely as their origins prove.

There are evil spirits, devils do exist. Christians must see that our greatest foe is the Evil One satan who inspires nations and individuals to sin, and who keeps them from coming to the truth. Until we know that satan is our real enemy, we can make little spiritual progress.

Ephesians 6:12  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the world rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Deuteronomy 12:31 Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.

Leviticus 18:21 And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.

There is absolutely no doubt that Samhain, Halloween, was a wicked pagan worship day. It is little wonder that even today Halloween’s focus is still on horror, mutilation, death, evil and the occult seeing that it is rooted in Baal worship! But, I come in contact with people regularly who protest, "That may have been true in the past, but that is not true today."

From about October 1st until October 31st, witches, vampires, Satanists and other occult minions can be seen and heard on TV and radio talk shows. There will be special features on witchcraft. Newspapers and magazines with be packed with occult related articles. Americans have been receptive to this over the years. But, what happens? That brings me to my next point. Children and even adults are conditioned to be receptive to occult doctrines and practices and are desensitized by the violence and death associated with it’s celebration.

Halloween is desensitizing our children by its glorification of violence, death, mutilation and gore. Standard television and video viewing fare this Halloween will be slasher/horror movies like Dracula, Scream, "Nightmare on Elm Street", "Halloween", and "Friday the 13th" film series and others. Jeffery Dahmer’s favorite was the Exorsist II.

He "watched this movie on almost a weekly basis, for approximately six months, and sometimes 2 and 3 times a week. He identified with the main character in the movie because he appeared to be driven by evil. Tracy Edwards (one who escaped from Dahmer) testified that Dahmer forced him to watch this video. He said that Dahmer identified with the possessed former preacher and he wanted to be demonized. Edwards went on to say that Dahmer began to chant, rocking back and forth. While he did this, it seemed like he was not even there."

Are you wondering why I am bringing Dahmer into this picture? I’ll tell you why. Many of the horror/slasher pictures are inspired by incidents like the Dahmer case and Dahmer was inspired by a demonic horror picture. I should say, that this is not just my "wild speculation." Consider actor (and I use the term loosely) Robert Englund. He portrayed razor fingered, mass murderer Freddy Krueger in the "Nightmare on Elm Street" series. Where do you suppose he got his inspiration to play his part? He drew his inspiration from the late Ted Bundy, who raped, brutalized, mutilated and murdered more than 28 women. Englund told Slaughterhouse magazine, "I just read an article on Ted Bundy, so a lot of my imagery is based on him."

I don't believe children should be exposed to such manufactured traumas. Why? Because exposing a vulnerable child can have harmful consequences that run the spectrum from nightmares to emotional damage. In fact, Dr. Grace Ketterman, M.D. says in her book, You and Your Child's Problems:

A tragic by-product of fear in the lives of children as early as preadolescence is the interest and involvement in supernatural occult phenomena.

1 John 4:18 "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love."

My final reason that Halloween is harmful is because…

It provides the opportunity to experiment with the occult to see if it works and an excuse to do evil

Many who are curious about the occult experiment with occult rituals and practices at Halloween. Some of those who were "just playing around" get hooked. Ouija boards, seances, casting spells and small animal sacrifices are among the most common avenues of experimentation.

Others cannot wait for Halloween. They believe it is the most powerful occult day of the year. Jack Roper, occult researcher with C.A.R.I.S. (Christian Apologetic: Research & Information Service) says "...the time of the year where you have the highest rate of satanic ritual crimes is Halloween." He went on to say, "Around Halloween, one of the things you see is graveyard desecration." Self-styled Satanists use human bones in their rituals. Graveyard vandalism is a common occurrence at Halloween.

There are many different stories about how Halloween got it's start here in the U.S. Halloween is a pagan holiday but not all of it's roots came from just one place. The U.S. is a melting pot of people from all sorts of nations and different customs. As a result even Halloween is a conglomeration that comes from a bit of all of them. One example is the story of Sleepy Hollow that has become a large part of Halloween. It was first published in 1820 even before the large Irish immigration. It was based on a verbal story that Washington Irving got from schoolteacher named Jesse Merwin.

Witches actually originated with the Babylonian's around 2000BC not with the Druids and it was not the Druids that brought this to America but rather the settlers in 1692 at Salem, Massachusetts. All Saints Day sometimes called All Hallows Day was supposedly originated as early as 43AD which incorporated numerous pagan holidays with a Christian celebration by Pope Gregory III. This celebration was brought to the U.S. by the Catholics prior to 1775.

The door-to-door practice did not come from the Druids either. It was from a practice at a much later date that depicted the poor going door-to-door begging for food and wasn't originally done at Halloween but closer to the time of Thanksgiving. It was called "souling" when poor folk would go door to door, receiving food in return for promises of prayers for the dead.

The use of a pumpkin at Halloween is said by some to come from the Druids when it actually was imported to Europe from America much later after the Druids disappeared from Europe. The most likely origin of the practice was an imitation of the old moralistic folk story of Jack, the conniving drunk who tricks the devil into rejecting his soul and is forced to wander endlessly, not welcome in heaven or hell. The "jack o lantern" is the hollowed turnip he carries as a lamp, with a lump of hell's coal lighting his path as he wanders eternally.

I could continue on but it is easily seen that Halloween is a conglomeration of many different beliefs and celebrations by both pagans and various religious beliefs and we can clearly see that it is primarily a pagan celebration in what it has become today and is not something that we as Christians should participate in.

I just love the simplicity of Brother David's answer!  And I thank you all for the great information you gave too!  I have read a lot of Christian books on the occult and know that it is their favorite and most active holiday of the year.  Satanists still do human sacrafices and terribly abuse children all in the name of their god.  I have taken my grandson to church activities on Halloween, but I prefer to spend it at home praying that God will divert, interrupt, and thwart any satanic activity that night and protect the children from any evil.
Thank you to all that were brave enough to reply.

Other than how it got started there really is much to debate on this subject. It is indeed an evil celebration. That much all Christians should be unified on. The day itself is not evil as all days belong to God, just the celebration itself.

Yes, I like David's simple explanation also. My local church here doesn't celebrate it but they do have a get together for the kids on those days. There is no "dressing up" nor Halloween decorations. They hold a short age appropriate sermon as they have several groups according to age up through teens, have some things to eat including a few candies that are mostly homemade and some games for them to play.

As a teen I went to a church that held a hayrack ride with either a hotdog roast or a chili cookout on an open bonfire. Those of us with horses would ride them along with the hayrack. It was nothing to do with Halloween but gave the kids something to do to keep them from wanting to be in the Halloween celebrations.

I think this is another one for the "debate" section.....What say you?



Question: "Women pastors / preachers? What does the Bible say about women in ministry?"

Answer: There is perhaps not a more debated issue in the church today than the issue of women serving as pastors / preachers in ministry. As a result, it is very important to not view this issue as men versus women. There are women who believe that women should not serve as pastors and that the Bible places restrictions on the ministry of women - and there are men who believe that women can serve as preachers and that there are no restrictions on women in ministry. This is not an issue of chauvinism or discrimination. It is an issue of Biblical interpretation.

1 Timothy 2:11-12 proclaims, “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.” In the church, God assigns different roles to men and women. This is a result of the way mankind was created (1 Timothy 2:13) and the way in which sin entered the world (2 Timothy 2:14). God, through the Apostle Paul’s writing, restricts women from serving in roles of spiritual teaching authority over men. This precludes women from serving as pastors, which definitely includes preaching to, teaching, and having spiritual authority over men.

There are many "objections" to this view of women in ministry / women pastors. A common one is that Paul restricts women from teaching because in the first century, women were typically uneducated. However, 1 Timothy 2:11-14 nowhere mentions educational status. If education was a qualification for ministry, the majority of Jesus' disciples likely would not have been qualified. A second common objection is that Paul only restricted the Ephesian women from teaching (1 Timothy was written to Timothy, who was the pastor of the church in Ephesus). The city of Ephesus was known for its temple to Artemis, a false Greek / Roman goddess. Women were the authority in the worship of Artemis. However, the book of 1 Timothy nowhere mentions Artemis, nor does Paul mention Artemis worship as a reason for the restrictions in 1 Timothy 2:11-12.

A third common objection is that Paul is only referring to husbands and wives, not men and women in general. The Greek words in 1 Timothy 2:11-14 could refer to husbands and wives. However, the basic meaning of the words are men and women. Further, the same Greek words are used in verses 8-10. Are only husbands to lift up holy hands in prayer without anger and disputing (verse 8- Are only wives to dress modestly, have good deeds, and worship God (verses 9-10)? Of course not. Verses 8-10 clearly refer to men and women in general, not only husbands and wives. There is nothing in the context that would indicate a switch to husbands and wives in verses 11-14.

Yet another frequent objection to this interpretation of women pastors / preachers is in relation to Miriam, Deborah, Huldah, Priscilla, Phoebe, etc. - women who held positions of leadership in the Bible. This objection fails to note some significant factors. In relation to Deborah, she was the only female judge amongst 13 male judges. In relation to Huldah, she was the only female prophet amongst dozens of male prophets mentioned in the Bible. Miriam's only connection to leadership was due to her being the sister of Moses and Aaron. The two most prominent women in the times of the Kings were Athaliah and Jezebel - hardly examples of godly female leadership.

In the Book of Acts, chapter 18, Priscilla and Aquila are presented as faithful ministers for Christ. Priscilla's name is mentioned first, likely indicating that she was more "prominent" in ministry than her husband. However, Priscilla is nowhere described as participating in a ministry activity that is in contradiction to 1 Timothy 2:11-14. Priscilla and Aquila brought Apollos into their home and they both discipled him, explaining the Word of God to him more accurately (Acts 18:26).

In Romans 16:1, even if Phoebe is considered a "deaconess" instead of a "servant" - that does not indicate that Phoebe was a teacher in the church. "Able to teach" is given as a qualification for elders, but not deacons (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:6-9). Elders / bishops / deacons are described as "husband of one wife," "a man whose children believe," and "men worthy of respect." In addition, in 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:6-9, masculine pronouns are used exclusively to refer to elders / bishops / deacons.

The structure of 1 Timothy 2:11-14 makes the "reason" perfectly clear. Verse 13 begins with "for" and gives the "cause" of what Paul stated in verses 11-12. Why should women not teach or have authority over men? Because - "Adam was created first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived." That is the reason. God created Adam first and then created Eve to be a "helper" for Adam. This order of Creation has universal application to humanity in the family (Ephesians 5:22-33) and the church. The fact that Eve was deceived is also given as a reason for women not serving as pastors or having spiritual authority over men. This leads some to believe that women should not teach because they are more easily deceived. That concept is debatable...but if women are more easily deceived, why should they be allowed to teach children (who are easily deceived) and other women (who are supposedly more easily deceived)? That is not what the text says. Women are not to teach or have spiritual authority over men because Eve was deceived. As a result, God has given men the primary teaching authority in the church.

Women excel in gifts of hospitality, mercy, teaching and helps. Much of the ministry of the church depends on women. Women in the church are not restricted to public praying or prophesying (1 Corinthians 11:5), only to having spiritual teaching authority over men. The Bible nowhere restricts women from exercising the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians chapter 12). Women, just as much as men, are called to minister to others, to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and to proclaim the Gospel to the lost (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 1 Peter 3:15).

God has ordained that only men are to serve in positions of spiritual teaching authority in the church. This is not because men are necessarily better teachers, or because women are inferior or less intelligent (which is not the case). It is simply the way God designed the church to function. Men are to set the example in spiritual leadership – in their lives and through their words. Women are to take a less authoritative role. Women are encouraged to teach other women (Titus 2:3-5). The Bible also does not restrict women from teaching children. The only activity women are restricted from is teaching or having spiritual authority over men. This logically would include women serving as pastors / preachers. This does not make women less important, by any means, but rather gives them a ministry focus more in agreement with how God has gifted them.

Looks like this might be one that no one wants to touch with a 10 foot pole.  I know.....lets get Mikey!  Otherwise known as Grammyluv in this instance.

I happen to agree with this article.  I have never been comfortable with women being Pastors.  I've read my Bible and I believe that it's the UNCHANGING word of God.  If He meant something different or made exceptions, He would've made it clear.  I have been to churches where women were the Pastor and one of my good "girl"friends is ordained.  I still don't agree with it.
I also don't agree with the Pastor's wife being called the "First Lady".  I feel that is self-elevation for pride's sake.  My Bible says that we are "joint" heirs with Christ.  It also says that the first shall be last and the last shall be first.

So there you have my 2 cents worth.  Anybody else got an opinion?

In Christ,
Yvette

I've always got an opinion.   ;) :D :D

















 

God set things in a certain order and it is that order that He wants it to be. This is not because the woman is less than a man but rather that things are kept in that certain order. Just as you said we are all joint heirs, therefore one is not above another. Even when it is a man that is a pastor, he still is not above any others. As it is said many times by many ... God is not the author of confusion. He has given us all positions and scripture is quite clear on this.

Ummm.....you remind me of somebody.......
Oh yeah!  ME!

You guys have to admit that, unless someone does serious Bible study, the Bible does imply that women are merely helpers and of lower class.

It does seem that women are only named if they are carrying a child of great importance.

That might apply to someone that has never read a Bible or ever attended a church service. Next to Mary mother of Jesus and Eve the most preached on women is Ruth and Esther which even have their own books. Esther is mentioned 53 times in her own book and once is prophesied about in Isaiah. Sarah, the wife of Abraham, is mentioned 58 times. There were a number of women that were of great importance throughout the bible. Without women the gospel would not have been spread so quickly and easily. We can see the importance of women throughout the Bible and it doesn't take a whole lot studying to see it. All one needs to do is read the Bible instead of listening to those that attempt to denigrate it.

I guess we are going to have to agree to disagree.

While I know women are equal, I feel that without someone seriously studying the Bible, they will get the wrong impression

Question: "What is the gift of speaking in tongues?"

Answer: The first occurrence of speaking in tongues occurred on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-4. The apostles went out and shared the Gospel with the crowds, speaking to them in their own languages, “we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" (Acts 2:11). The Greek word translated "tongues" literally means "languages." Therefore, the gift of tongues is speaking in a language a person does not know in order to minister to someone who does speak that language. In 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14, where Paul discusses miraculous gifts, he comments that, “Now, brothers, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction?" (1 Corinthians 14:6). According to the Apostle Paul, and in agreement with the tongues described in Acts, speaking in tongues is valuable to the one hearing God’s message in his/her own language, but it is useless to everyone else – unless it is interpreted / translated.

A person with the gift of interpreting tongues (1 Corinthians 12:30) could understand what a tongues-speaker was saying even though he/she did not know the language that was being spoken. The tongues-interpreter would then communicate the message of the tongues-speaker to everyone else, so all could understand. “For this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says” (1 Corinthians 14:13). Paul’s conclusion regarding un-interpreted tongues is powerful, “But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue" (1 Corinthians 14:19).

Is the gift of tongues for today? 1 Corinthians 13:8 mentions the gift of tongues ceasing, although it connects the ceasing with the arrival of the "perfect" in 1 Corinthians 13:10. Some point to a difference in the language in prophecy and knowledge "ceasing" with tongues "being ceased" as evidence for tongues ceasing before the arrival of the "perfect." While possible, this is not explicitly clear from the text. Some also point to passages such as Isaiah 28:11 and Joel 2:28-29 as evidence that speaking in tongues was a sign of God's oncoming judgment. 1 Corinthians 14:22 describes tongues as a "sign to unbelievers." According to this argument, the gift of tongues was a warning to the Jews that God was going to judge Israel for rejecting Jesus Christ as Messiah. Therefore, when God did in fact judge Israel (with the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in A.D. 70), the gift of tongues would no longer serve its intended purpose. While this view is possible, the primary purpose of tongues being fulfilled does not necessarily demand its cessation. Scripture does not conclusively assert that the gift of speaking in tongues has ceased.

At the same time, if the gift of speaking in tongues were active in the church today, it would be performed in agreement with Scripture. It would be a real and intelligible language (1 Corinthians 14:10). It would be for the purpose of communicating God's Word with a person of another language (Acts 2:6-12). It would be in agreement with the command that God gave through the Apostle Paul, "If anyone speaks in a tongue, two — or at the most three — should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God" (1 Corinthians 14:27-28). It would also be in submission to 1 Corinthians 14:33, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”

God most definitely can give a person the gift of speaking in tongues to enable him/her to communicate with a person who speaks another language. The Holy Spirit is sovereign in the dispersion of the spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:11). Just imagine how much more productive missionaries could be if they didn’t have to go to language school, and were instantly able to speak to people in their own language. However, God does not seem to be doing this. Tongues does not seem to occur today in the form it did in the New Testament despite the fact that it would be immensely useful. The vast majority of believers who claim to practice the gift of speaking in tongues do not do so in agreement with the Scriptures mentioned above. These facts lead to the conclusion that the gift of tongues has ceased, or is at least a rarity in God's plan for the church today.


(Bolding in last sentence is mine--G.)

Excellent post Grammy.

Goes along with one I had posted a while back
http://forums.christiansunite.com/index.php?topic=12433.0

I am loving these questions, keep it up.

This has been mentioned numerous times on here and this article is in complete agreement with the truth. There are two words that pertain to this subject, Glossolalia and Xenoglossia. Glossolalia is the speaking of an unknown tongue. It makes absolutely no intelligent sense to anyone that hears it. Xenoglossia is the speaking in another language that is not originally known to the speaker but may be completely understood by someone else of that language.

Xenoglossia is what took place in the New Testament.

Act 2:7  And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
Act 2:8  And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?

What we hear being practiced today in most churches is glossolalia. This is not unique to just certain denominations but an occurrence that has taken place in numerous churches of a number of different denominations. Something that should be of great concern to Christians in these churches is that it is also not unique to just the churches. This is an occurrence that takes place in pagan religions.

Approximately 500 BC the Greek philosopher Plato demonstrated that he was well acquainted with the phenomenon as he referred to several families who practiced ecstatic speech, praying and utterings while supposedly possessed.

In the last century before Christ, Virgil described the phenomenon of tongues in the Sybilline priestess on the Island of Delos as the result of her being unified with the god Apollo. This happened while she meditated in a haunted cave amidst the eerie sounds of the wind playing strange music through the narrow crevices in the rocks.

Several of the mystery religions of the Greco-Roman world record the same phenomenon. Some of those most often listed are the Mithra cult of the Persians; the Osiris cult originating in the land of the Pharaohs, and the lesser known Dionysian, Eulusinian, and Orphic cults cradled in Macedonia, Thrace and Greece. Another indication comes from Lucian of Samosata (A.D. 120-198) who in De Dea Syria describes an example of glossolalia as exhibited by a roaming believer of June, the Syrian goddess, stationed at Hierapolis in Syria. It is also interesting to note that the term glossolalia used so widely today comes from the Greek vernacular which was in existence long before the day of Pentecost. It should be frightening to all Christians that what we see now in the Church today, resembles these occurrences of ecstatic tongues that took place in these ancient cults before the day of Pentecost and that what took place at Pentecost does not in any way resemble these occurrences. At Pentecost, it was undoubtedly and unarguably the speaking of foreign languages.

Brothers and Sisters,

It would be wonderful if all Christians understood the purpose for 1 Corinthians, who wrote it, and who it was written to. Answering these basic questions first helps the reader put the time and circumstances into perspective, and this is really a must for Bible Study. It's also important to NEVER isolate one or several Scriptures OUT OF CONTEXT and try to understand them. One would never try to read a novel in this way, but we are talking about something much more important than a novel.

The Apostle Paul spent considerable time and effort in establishing the church at Corinth, but Paul had a mission to move on and spread the GOSPEL OF THE GRACE OF GOD to many more and establish other churches. There were behavior problems at the church in Corinth, and the services were being disturbed by outbursts, many people talking at once, and people doing things for THEIR OWN VANITY. There were other problems also that Paul felt convicted to address. To put things bluntly, one of the primary purposes of 1 Corinthians was to discipline the Church at Corinth and restore order. 1 Corinthians 14 is one of the most clear Biblical references to speaking in tongues, so at least read the entire 14th Chapter of 1 Corinthians.

The Apostle Paul was a Bible Scholar and spoke many languages. He had to speak many known languages of the time to preach in the various places he ministered to. There were also GIFTS at the time for GOD'S Messengers to speak other languages they didn't know so that the GOSPEL OF THE GRACE OF GOD could be spread with the limited number of messengers GOD used. The ability to speak more than one language at the time was seen as a sign that all should stop and listen because it was probably from GOD. Others began to mimic this GIFT without ever being given it, and the only known purpose was for the personal vanity of the person making the utterance. It was nothing but gibberish and a disruption of the services. HOWEVER, Paul didn't rule out the possibility that the church would be visited by messengers who DID have the GIFT of speaking multiple known languages. SO, 1 Corinthians 14 were RULES Paul gave to Corinth to restore order in their services. There were now rules for how many could speak at once and rules for interpreters. Paul was very blunt, and it did amount to members of the church being chewed out for allowing disruption and chaos in solemn meetings that were supposed to be devoted to GOD - NOT THE VANITY OF MAN.

The Apostle Paul probably did speak more languages than any of his contemporaries, but he was speaking in the language known to the people he was preaching to - NOT SOME UNKNOWN TONGUE. It's almost impossible to read 1 Corinthians 14 without visualizing an angry Apostle Paul who considered the disorder and disruptions to be disrespectful to GOD. Likewise, other issues made the Apostle Paul angry, and he addressed those issues very bluntly. GOD didn't send the Apostle Paul to establish just one church, rather many churches. He mentored others to take his place when he continued HIS MISSIONARY JOURNEYS. Read it carefully and you'll see that it WAS a disciplinary matter that Paul was trying to handle in a stern manner.

The Apostle Paul talked about the value of SPEAKING IN REAL TONGUES GIFT and compared it to other GIFTS that he clearly stated were more important. 1 Corinthians 14 couldn't be more clear, and the last Verse of the Chapter repeats the PURPOSE.

1 Corinthians 14:20-40 NASB  Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.  21  In the Law it is written, "BY MEN OF STRANGE TONGUES AND BY THE LIPS OF STRANGERS I WILL SPEAK TO THIS PEOPLE, AND EVEN SO THEY WILL NOT LISTEN TO ME," says the Lord.  22  So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophecy is for a sign, not to unbelievers but to those who believe.  23  Therefore if the whole church assembles together and all speak in tongues, and ungifted men or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are mad?  24  But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all;  25  the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you.  26  What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.  27  If anyone speaks in a tongue, it should be by two or at the most three, and each in turn, and one must interpret;  28  but if there is no interpreter, he must keep silent in the church; and let him speak to himself and to God.  29  Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment.  30  But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, the first one must keep silent.  31  For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted;  32  and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets;  33  for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.  34  The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says.  35  If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church.  36  Was it from you that the word of God first went forth? Or has it come to you only?  37  If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord's commandment.  38  But if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.  39  Therefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues.  40  But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner.


Regardless, people still TRY to speak in tongues who have NO GIFT at all, and they make fools of themselves. They simply achieve disorder, disruption, and disorder for no other purpose than their own VANITY. It's gibberish that nobody understands. The missionaries of today still go all over the world, and their first major task is the learn the language of the people they are going to serve. This is hard work but desperately needed. The same is true for translators of written materials into known languages so the GOSPEL can be distributed to the entire world. The TONGUES GIFTS CEASED when the "PERFECT" CAME. The "PERFECT" is the completed written WORD OF GOD. In other words, many  of the sign GIFTS, including TONGUES, CEASED with the completed Canon of the New Testament.

There are still many who speak KNOWN TONGUES today, but they labored long and hard in school to learn that language. That which is usually called "Speaking in Tongues" today is gibberish, and monkeys could do just as well. The Apostle Paul had the same problem almost 2,000 years ago and called it what it was. He also knew that some would still be determined to do it, so he gave them rules for their games of vanity. If some want to continue playing this vanity game today, they need to at least respect the RULES of 1 Corinthians 14. A church service should be orderly, reverent, and for the purpose of GLORIFYING, PRAISING, and WORSHIPING GOD. There is NO PLACE for the vanity of man.

Love In Christ,
Tom

1 Corinthians 14:9-13 NASB  So also you, unless you utter by the tongue speech that is clear, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air.  10  There are, perhaps, a great many kinds of languages in the world, and no kind is without meaning.  11  If then I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be to the one who speaks a barbarian, and the one who speaks will be a barbarian to me.  12  So also you, since you are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the edification of the church.  13  Therefore let one who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret.


P.S. Interpretation is of a KNOWN LANGUAGE - not gibberish.

Yes, and it is because of the false teaching that you need to speak in tongues in order to show that you have received the Holy Spirit and if you don't "display" this gift then you haven't received the Holy Spirit. It is a sad thing when people are falsely influenced in this manner.

Good Morning Pastor Roger,

If there is a spirit involved, there would be another sad fact to deal with:  it wouldn't be the Holy Spirit.

Love In Christ,
Tom

That is another sad but true statement. I do believe that we will be seeing much more of that spirit in the days to come.

Amen!

And Amen to the whole thing.  Thank you.

Acts 2

1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues [a] as the Spirit enabled them.

    5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.

Ummm....can't get much clearer than that.

Amen Grammyluv,

Sister, could you imagine being there? It's hard to believe that Israel is still waiting for their Messiah and King.

Love In Christ,
Tom

I don't think any of us will have much longer to wait!  I would like to see a HUGE revival across the whole world first, but either way, I'm ready!  The whole world and it's circumstances have become a very depressing place.

I would have to answer no. the bible teach that we are not to have anything to do with darkness and holloween is a celibration of exactly that. Beside why would you want to glorify death and distruction. We have been told to do everything for the edifacation in 1 corinthians.
Also I don't see hiw it would bring glory to God to glorify death for He is the God of life. Jesus said that He was/is the way the truth and the life. and that God is the God o the living and not the dead when He rebuked the saducess.

Amen, an excellent answer straight from the Bible.

as to the latter statement about tongues I have to admit that it is one thing that I have some difficulty with butat the same time I know that it is still active in the church body today. Just as healing and all the other gifts that are mentioned are. do I say that everyone that claims to speak such is telling the truth, no. unfortunatly there are a lot of people that try to fake the gifts and that is a sad thing. nor am I going to say that the only evidence of the infilling of the Holy Spirit is tongues. I believe that another use for tongues that has not been mentioned above is in romans 8 where the Spirit helps us to pray when we know not what to pray for. This is for edifacation of self as mentioned in 1 corinthians 12.4. also tongues are ment as a sign to the unbeliever. Paul did go on to give instruction in this though so that things would not be done in a caotic way. as mentioned in 1 corinthians 14.22.

Halloween.

It is quite apparent that Satan is all into our holidays.  Look how toned down or secularized Christmas and Easter are, but then how glamorous and popular Halloween is becoming.

There are some excellent Bible studies on this subject in addition to the information already given in this thread that is here on the forums that I think would be of an excellent aid to you.

http://forums.christiansunite.com/index.php?topic=21667.0

http://forums.christiansunite.com/index.php?topic=21648.0

http://forums.christiansunite.com/index.php?topic=19886.0

I need help answering this question: what is so evil about going out and getting candy?

it isn't about going out and getting candy. there is nothing wrong with that which is one of the reasons that the church will give out candy as part of a replacement for the community as an outreach. the problem is more in the area of princible...do you want to promote the celibrationand glorification of death and decay on a satainic high sabath or would you rather use that time to actively combat that and get people saved at that time. I had actuall been thinking of giving out candy with tracks and I am going to be praying that some people get saved that day.

I have given out tracts with an invitation to church and church events before and will do so again. Many of them do simply get thrown away but there is always a few that do accept the invitation and show up at church.

Brothers and Sisters,

I'll just say that I firmly believe that GOD owns every second - 24/7/365. Every new day is a day that the LORD has made - "Let us be glad and rejoice in it." We can and should have multiple celebrations and thanksgivings every day. The devil doesn't own one second, nor has he made one second. As Christians, our celebrations and thanksgivings are obviously different than the world's.

This is a topic of debate for many Christians, and it should be. I'll just say that our local assemblies can take advantage of many situations and use them for the GLORY OF GOD. We have many more reasons to celebrate and give thanks than the world does, and our celebrations can be wholesome and uplifting - not just for ourselves, but also for the lost. I didn't mention these things to argue with anyone, rather to point out that Christians have more reasons for joy than anyone else. I don't think that Christians should allot a single second for the devil - give the devil NOTHING. In one manner of speaking and thought, we can take the devil's time away from him and use it for something more wholesome that will bring GLORY TO GOD. SO, when is Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving? - EVERY DAY! The same can be true for anything that the world or the devil thinks they own. They own NOTHING! THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE - ALMIGHTY GOD - OWNS EVERYTHING! Further, HE has POWER that no force can stand against, and GOD will do as HE Pleases in Heaven and on Earth. The time will come soon when HE will CRUSH evil and reserve it for the eternal fires of HELL. In the meantime, Christians can and should serve GOD every day - AND HE has given us the means to do just that - even if we die in the attempt.

Love In Christ,
Tom

I get my candy from the store anytime or day of the week. I do not fellowship with halloween.

peace and love
kainos_ktisis

Couldn't have siad it better myself.  AMEN