Redeeming The Time

What is the best way to respond to Halloween?

Many of the Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him) understand that Halloween is sick and twisted.  It celebrates death and serial killers.  It promotes Pagan myths like the living dead.  It has been instrumental in the rise of Neo-Paganism.  It is not hard to see that it glories the Father of Lies.

Yet, in America, there is no getting away from Halloween.  It is everywhere you go.  There are Halloween decorations in stores, schools, offices, yards, houses, and even churches!

So, the Children of Truth have struggled with the best way to respond to Halloween each year.

One response has been Halloween alternatives.

Once a church I went to for many years started out having a Bible dress up party on Halloween night.  Everyone had to come as a Biblical character.  One guy came as the Father of Lies (HaShatan aka Satan Aka The Devil).  Some people were upset at him, but he had not broken the rules.  The Father of Lies is mentioned frequently in the Book of Truth (The Bible).

Soon other people said, that they were going to come as Jezebel, Canaanite priests, Nebuchadnezzar, the Man of Lies (The Antichrist aka The Beast), Pharaoh, and the like next year.  After all, there are many wicked and scary things in the Book of Truth.

So the next year, the pastor changed the Bible dress up party to a Harvest Festival.  No one was allowed to wear anything that was scary.  People were to have costumes within certain themes.

This Harvest Festival was great fun, but people showed up wearing costumes that were out of theme like super heroes, for example.  Some people were upset when my daughter won the best Hillbilly contest.  They were really upset when they found out that we had just dressed her up in some of her normal clothes, because we were too poor to afford a costume.

So the next year, the Harvest Festival was changed to not have themes, and people could wear any costumes as long as they were not scary.  However, some people complained that it was on Halloween, because their kids wanted to go trick-or-treating with their friends.  So the Harvest Festival was moved to another date and became a Halloween supplement, instead of a Halloween alternative.

Another response has been to try to ignore Halloween altogether.  This is pretty easy to do now, because our city has created an ordinance that says if the front porch light is out, then trick-or-treaters are not to knock on those doors.  For the most part, people obey this ordinance.

However, this response did not work very well before this ordinance was passed.  Some very young participants could be quite persistent.  Eventually, I would have to open the door, and politely tell them that I did not have anything to give them.  Some of them would take it personal and cry.  The only way to avoid this trick-or-treat drama was to not be home.

Since trick-or-treaters were going to be knocking on my door and ringing my doorbell, I came up with another response to Halloween.  I decided that I was going to hand out Gospel tracts that explained what was wrong with Halloween.  So, a week before Halloween, I prayed for the Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost) to guide me to the best tract to give out, and then I headed to my local Christian bookstore.

When I got to the Christian bookstore, they had a fine selection of Gospel tracts explaining what was wrong with Halloween.  Some were like small graphic novels that would interest kids.  Still, I did not get that "this is the one" assurance from the Spirit of Truth for any of those tracts.  I was getting frustrated.

When I was about to leave the store empty-handed, I felt the leading of the Spirit of Truth to go to another section of Gospel tracts that I had not noticed before.  So, I went over there.  Immediately, I found a tract where I got that "this is the one" assurance from the Spirit of Truth.

I was very confused, because this tract said absolutely nothing about what was wrong with Halloween.  It simply told in a very easy to understand manner what was right with the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ).

Instead of talking about how evil Halloween was, it talked about how good the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) was.  Instead of telling about how people are influenced by the Spirits of Lies (devils aka demons aka unclean spirits aka gods) on Halloween to live wickedly, it told about how people are influenced by the Spirit of Truth to live holy.  Instead of telling about the sacrifices that Druids made in the wicker man, it told about the sacrifice that the Man of Truth made on the cross.

This was not at all what I had came to buy, and yet, the Spirit of Truth was making it very clear that I should buy a lot of these tracts.  So, I did and went home, awaiting further instructions.

When I got home to tell my wife what had happened, I learned that the Spirit of Truth had been talking to her as well, while I was at the store.  She told me what she had heard.  The Spirit of Truth was witnessing to my spirit to listen to my wife, so we started putting her plan into action.

We asked our pastor to make a bunch of labels, that told about when and where our church met.  These labels fit exactly in the blank space on the back of the tracts.  So, we started applying the labels.  When we ran out tracts, we found that we had also ran out of labels.

Next, we bought a bunch of small blue and pink zip-lock bags.  We also bought some whistles and bracelets.  Finally, we bought some full-sized chocolate bars - the really good kind.

About an hour before it got dark, we assembled our bags.  We put one of our tracts and a chocolate bar in each bag.  We then put the whistles in the blue bags and the bracelets in the pink bags.  We were now sat in anticipation of the first trick-or-treater.

Soon the doorbell rang.  They were here!  Children, who had never been to church, or heard about what the Man of Truth did for them, were coming to our door with the great expectations!

We gave each boy a blue bag, and each girl a pink bag.  These bags far outdid what was already in their containers.  Soon, word got out that our house was where the good stuff was.  It was a busy evening as lost children came to our house to get something great!

Late in the evening, we had a few very late stragglers.  We had just the right number of blue and pink bags left for them.  We gave them the last of our bags, and that was the end of children seeking us out.

However, the story does not end there.  Those tracts did what they were intended to do.  A number of those children came to our church the next Sunday.  One little boy particularly stands out.

This little boy convinced his parents to drop him off to attend the service that we had for children.  He came up to altar call at the end of the service.  From that moment on, his life was never the same.

His parents noticed the change in him, so they came to our adult service to see why.  Soon, they were also answering an altar call.  Their life began to change dramatically from that day on.

His father got sober and got a job.  He also quit beating him and his mother.  His mother got sober as well, and stopped spending the grocery money on lottery tickets.  Over time, they learned how to be a family.

The Spirit of Truth gave them the strength to live as the Father of Truth had intended families to live, because they surrendered control of their lives to the Man of Truth.  They surrendered control of their lives to the Man of Truth, because they finally understood how much the Father of Truth loved them.  They learned how much the Father of Truth loved them, because a Gospel tract that told them what was right with the Man of Truth, instead of what was wrong with Halloween.  They got that Gospel tract, because their little boy came to the house where the good stuff was.

Their little boy came to get a whistle and a good full size chocolate bar.  What he really got was healing for his broken family through surrendering control of their lives to the Man of Truth.  He got a better future in this world and a better eternity in the world to come.

The Children of Truth should not be afraid of Halloween, but rather take advantage of the opportunity that it gives us to bring people to the knowledge of the truth.  We should be redeeming the time, acting in wisdom, not fear, because we do live in evil days (Ephesians 5:15-17).

We need to be the real deal, so people can see the Man of Truth in us.  This will make us stand out in a world, where so many people are wearing a costume when they go to play church.

We need to let them know about the friendly ghost that will lead them into righteousness.  We need to let them know that the Man of Truth can deliver them from the monster within.  We need to let them know that the Father of Truth sent the Man of Truth to die in their place, because He does not desire that they go to the Chamber of Horrors.

The Great Commission is not for us to tell people how terrible Halloween is.  It is for us to tell people how wonderful the Man of Truth is (Mark 16:15-16).  People need to know how good the Father of Truth is, so that they will come to Him in repentance (Romans 2:4).

We are to overcome the evil of Halloween with good, instead of living in fear of being overcome by the evil of Halloween (Romans 12:21).  We have nothing to fear from Halloween, because greater is the Spirit of Truth that lives in us, than the Spirits of Lies that live in the world (1 John 4:2-4).  We have no fear of Halloween, when we learn to love people like the Father of Truth loves them (1 John 4:16-18).

Take advantage of the opportunity of Halloween!  When else are you going to have so many lost people seeking you out to give them something good?  What is there to give them that is better than the Good News?

It may seem strange to do what my wife and I did that year, but the wisdom of the Man of Truth in reaching the lost, means doing what seems wrong to those with a religious spirit (Luke 7:30-35).  The Children of Truth need to follow the leading of the Spirit of Truth to find the best way to respond to Halloween each year (Romans 8:14-16).  They need to have the wisdom to be redeeming the time, by finding ways to tell people what is right with the Man of Truth (Colossians 4:5-6)!

This is the best way for the Children of Truth to respond to Halloween!

Do not complicate things by going into the evils of Halloween.  You can only give them head knowledge, but that will not convince them to abhor Halloween.

They have to have the second of the two kinds of knowledge, before they want nothing to do with Halloween from their hearts.  They are saved by faith, but grow by knowledge.  After people come into the House of Truth, they will grow to hate Halloween all on their own. 

So, give them the simplicity of the Gospel.

Let them know that, if they will surrender control of their lives to the Man of Truth, because they believe that the Father of Truth raised him from the dead, then they will come into the House of Truth (Romans 10:9).  After they renew their minds in the House of Truth, they start learning for themselves how to redeem the time, when Halloween comes around each year (Romans 12:2)!

Come into the House of Truth!

The Great Deception

Why does America have so many churches, but so few Christians?

Many American churches teach doctrines like eternal security and predestination.  Many people in American churches believe that they are part of the Chosen Few.  They have been taught, that they do not need to produce the evidence of faith to be saved, because salvation is an eternal possession that they cannot lose.

Does the Renewed Covenant (B'rit Chadashah aka The New Testament) really support these doctrines that can collectively be summed up as "once saved, always saved"?

People can believe the Good News for a little while, and then stop believing, when they fall into temptation (Luke 8:13).  People can believe the Good News in vain, if they do not continue to remember the Good News (1 Corinthians 15:1-2).

People can turn their hearts back to the place of sin, after the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) has saved them from it (Acts 7:36-39).  They can be destroyed for losing their faith in the Father of Truth, after they have been saved (Jude 1:5).

People can receive the grace of the Father of Truth in vain, by not immediately putting their faith into action (2 Corinthians 6:1-2). 

People can suffer in vain, if they start trying to get through their own efforts to keep the Law of Truth, what can only come from the Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost) through faith (Galatians 3:1-4).  People can swerve from faith, to turn aside to worthless words spoken by people, who do not understand the Law of Truth (1 Timothy 1:5-7).

People can make the efforts to others, to bring them into the House of Truth, to be in vain, if they return to observing the same holidays from idolatry, that they observed before they knew the Father of Truth (Galatians 4:8-11).  They can make these efforts to be in vain, if they give into the temptation of Father of Lies (HaShatan aka Satan Aka The Devil) to leave the House of Truth (1 Thessalonians 3:5-6).

People can fall from the grace of the Father of Truth, if they start seeking to be justified by the Law of Truth (Galatians 5:4). 

People can be robbed of what they have received, if human philosophies, deceit, and traditions, lead them towards the world and away from the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) (Colossians 2:8).  They can tricked out of their reward, if they let people lead them into bowing down in worship to angels (Colossians 2:18).

People can turn aside from following the Man of Truth, and go back to following the Father of Lies (1 Timothy 5:15).   They can turn away from the very Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him), who brought them the Good News (2 Timothy 1:13-15).  They can turn away from the sound doctrine, found in the Word of Truth, to follow after fables (2 Timothy 4:3-4).  They can turn from the truth, by giving heed to Jewish fables and the commandments of people (Titus 1:14).

People, who have come in the House of Truth, can turn so far away from the Man of Truth, that it becomes impossible to bring them back to repentance (Hebrews 6:4-6).  They can willfully return to sinning, after receiving the truth, to the point that there is no hope of escaping eternal punishment (Hebrews 10:26-27).  They can trod down the Man of Truth, treat the blood that he shed on the cross as unholy, and despise the Spirit of Truth, so that they come back under the wrath of the Father of Truth (Hebrews 10:28-31).

People can turn aside from following the Man of Truth, and not escape the judgment of the Father of Truth (Hebrews 12:24-25).  People can escape the pollution of this world through the Man of Truth, and then go back into that pollution, ending up worse than they were before they came into the House of Truth (2 Peter 2:20-21).

The Original Covenant (Tanakh aka The Old Testament) refutes these doctrines as well.

The Spirit of Truth can come upon people to carry out the will of the Father of Truth (1 Samuel 11:6-7).  The Spirit of Truth can then depart from them, for turning from obeying the Father of Truth (1 Samuel 16:14).  The Spirit of Truth can be taken from people, who return to committing sin (Psalm 51:9-11).

The Children of Truth can turn from the path of righteousness, and die in their sin (Ezekiel 3:20).    They can turn from righteousness, and die for committing iniquity (Ezekiel 18:26).

The righteousness of the Children of Truth can be forgotten, if they turn from the path of righteousness (Ezekiel 18:24).  Their righteousness cannot deliver them, if they turn to the path of transgression (Ezekiel 33:12).

So, the Book of Truth makes it plain that it is how you end that matters.  People must answer the call of 9-11 in Romans with repentance to be saved.  They must heed the message of the Sermon on the Mount to keep the Law of Truth from their heart, as the Father of Truth always intended.

The Children of Truth can only avoid falling into sin, by being constantly on guard against falling into sin (1 Corinthians 10:11-13).  They must constantly examine themselves to be sure, that they are still following the Man of Truth (2 Corinthians 13:5).  They have to work out their salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12).

People must carryout the command of the Father of Truth, to separate themselves from those, who do not worship Him, if they want to be His children (2 Corinthians 6:14-18).  They must not let themselves be deceived into believing, that they can keep company with evil people and not be dragged into sin (1 Corinthians 15:33).

People cannot be saved by a dead faith, that does not produce the evidence of faith (James 2:14-17).  They cannot continue in faith, without continuing to produce the evidence of faith (James 2:18-20).  They cannot have justification by faith, without producing the evidence of faith (James 2:21-24).  The faith that people have, can become dead, if they stop producing the evidence of faith (James 2:25-26).

The Children of Truth must not cast away their confidence, but patiently endure, until they receive what the Father of Truth has promised them (Hebrews 10:35-36).  Those, who draw back from continuing to believe the Word of Truth, will be destroyed, instead of being saved (Hebrews 10:38-39).

These doctrines that make up "once saved, always saved" are at complete odds with the Book of Truth (The Bible).  These doctrines are the work of the Partial Deception used by many religious professionals to deceive people.  These doctrines teach that people can follow the Man of Truth, without following his instructions.  This is The Great Deception (1 John 3:7-8).

The Great Deception has people believing, that they should ease out of sin slowly through programs like Celebrate Recovery or Alcoholics Anonymous, instead of abandoning sin immediately through the One Step Program.

The Great Deception keeps the Children of Truth apathetic in carrying out the commandments of the Man of Truth, which will determine their permanent job in his kingdom.  This apathy is why, so many of the American Children of Truth feel like they are drowning in a lukewarm sea.

The Great Deception is the result of the Spirit of Truth no longer being the American Spirit.  The Great Deception has kept many Americans, who attend church week after week, from knowing what a Christian is.  The Great Deception is why, America has so many churches, but so few Christians.

The Great Deception is contrary to the Great Commission.  

Part of the Great Commission is to teach everyone to obey the commandments of the Man of Truth (Matthew 28:19-20).

The Great Deception is contrary to having a relationship with the Man of Truth.  

There is no loving the Man of Truth, without obeying his commandments (John 14:15).  There is no seeing the Man of Truth, without obeying his commandments (John 14:21).  There is no living in the love of the Man of Truth, without obeying his commandments (John 15:10).  This no being the friend of the Man of Truth, without obeying his commandments (John 15:14).  There is no knowing the Man of Truth, without obeying his commandments (1 John 2:1-4).

The Great Deception is contrary to the epistles of the Apostles of Truth.  

The commandments in these epistles are the commandments of the Man of Truth (1 Corinthians 14:37).  The commandments in these epistles are from the Man of Truth (1 Thessalonians 4:2).

The Great Deception is necessary for the return of the King.  

The Man of Truth will return to rescue the people of Jerusalem from the Man of Lies (The Antichrist aka The Beast) (Zechariah 14:2-4).  The Man of Lies cannot rise to power, unless first many fall away from following the Man of Truth (2 Thessalonians 2:2-4).  The Man of Lies cannot deceive people without The Great Deception (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12).

The Great Deception is necessary for this falling way from the Man of Truth.

The love of people for the Man of Truth has grown cold near the end of this age, because of The Great Deception (Matthew 24:11-14).  In these days leading up to the Man of Lies, many are breaking the commandments of the Father of Truth, while pretending to be His Children, because they deny the power of the Man of Truth to turn them from sin (2 Timothy 3:1-5).  In these latter days, many have departed from following the Man of Truth, because the Spirits of Lies (devils aka demons aka unclean spirits aka gods) have seduced them with the Great Deception (1 Timothy 4:1-2).

People are falling away, because they do not obey the commandments of the Apostles of Truth (2 Thessalonians 3:4-6). Many are falling away, because they will not endure the sound doctrine found in the Book of Truth, but gather around teachers, who tell them fables that they want to hear, like The Great Deception (2 Timothy 4:3-4).  They are falling away, because The Great Deception has convinced them, that they do not need to obey the Man of Truth for all of their days (Hebrews 3:12-14).  They are falling away from the Man of Truth, and being lead into The Great Deception, because they have not studied the Book of Truth for themselves (2 Peter 3:16-17).

The Great Deception is necessary for deceivers to lead people away from the Man of Truth.

These deceivers use The Great Deception to get people to follow them, instead of the Man of Truth (Acts 20:30).  These deceivers have caused sinful behavior among the Children of Truth with The Great Deception, in order to deceive the undiscerning, because they serve themselves, instead of the Man of Truth (Romans 16:17-18).  These deceivers lure people away from the Man of Truth with the Great Deception (2 Peter 2:18-19).

These deceivers teach The Great Deception, because they are not obeying the commandments of the Man of Truth themselves (1 Timothy 6:3-5).  These deceivers teach The Great Deception to avoid being persecuted for teaching people to obey the commandments of the Man of Truth (2 Timothy 3:12-14).

These deceivers are Apostles of Lies, who have made themselves appear to be Apostles of Truth, just as The Father of Lies can appear as an Angel of Truth (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).  These deceivers do have the Spirit of Truth living in them (Jude 1:17-19).

These deceivers tell people, that all they need to do to be saved, is come down to the altar, admit that they are sinning against the Father of Truth, and pray by repeating the words that an altar worker tells them to say.

The truth is, that saying the magic words is not enough.

It is not enough to recognize that the Man of Truth is the Messiah, for even the Spirits of Lies recognize this (Luke 4:41).  It is not enough to believe that the only god is the Father of Truth, for even the Spirits of Lies believe this (James 2:19).

It is not even enough to call the Man of Truth, "Lord".

The Man of Truth says, that calling him "Lord" is not enough, because only those, who do the will of the Father of Truth, will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 7:21).  Some of those, who will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven, will have once operated in the power of the Spirit of Truth, but did not continue in the obedience to the Man of Truth required to know him (Matthew 7:22-23).  He says, that anyone, who does not obey his commandments, is going to have a great fall (Matthew 7:24-27).

The Man of Truth says to not call him, "Lord", without doing what he commands (Luke 6:46).  He says, that people must do the things which he commands, to avoid coming to ruin (Luke 6:47-49).

People must obey the Man of Truth, in order to be saved!

The Man of Truth is going to reward everyone according to their works, when he returns to this Earth (Matthew 16:27).  He is only going to reward those, who obeyed his commandments, with eternal life (Revelation 22:12-14).

The Father of Truth has raised the Man of Truth from the dead, to let people know that it is certain, that He will be judge everyone by the Man of Truth (Acts 17:31).  The Man of Truth has already brought judgment upon some among the Children of Truth, who refused return to obeying his commandments, to let the Children of Truth know for certain, that he will judge them according to their works (Revelation 2:20-23).

The Father of Truth is going to reward or punish people, based on their obedience to the Word of Truth (Romans 2:6-11).  The Children of Truth must live their lives striving to obey the commandments of the Father of Truth, because He is going to judge every person based on their actions (1 Peter 1:15-17).  Every person, who ever lived, is going to be judged by the Father of Truth based on their works, to either receive eternal life or eternal damnation (Revelation 20:12-15).

The Father of Truth is going to judge what people do in secret, by the Man of Truth (Romans 2:16).  Every deceiver will be given what they deserve for teaching The Great Deception (2 Corinthians 11:15).

So, the Children of Truth must avoid the Great Deception!

The Children of Truth must avoid deceivers, who lead people into doing things that are contrary to the Word of Truth (Romans 16:17-18).  They must not let deceivers convince them, that they can continue to do what the Father of Truth says is evil, and still be saved (Ephesians 5:5-7).

The Children of Truth must not deceive themselves into believing, that they can defile themselves with sin, and not be destroyed by the Father of Truth (1 Corinthians 3:16-18).  They must not deceive themselves into believing, that they can be saved by hearing the Word of Truth, without doing what it says (James 1:21-25).  They must not deceive themselves into believing, that their religion will save them, if they do not show real love to other people, AND keep themselves separated from the world (James 1:26-27).

The Children of Truth must not let themselves be deceived into believing, that they can continue in sin and still be saved (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).  They must not let themselves be deceived into believing, that they can keep doing what the Father of Truth says is evil, and still be saved (Galatians 6:7-8).

The Children of Truth must not deceive themselves, by denying that they have sinned, but confess their sin to the Man of Truth, so he can cleanse them from their sin (1 John 1:7-9).

The truth is, that you must come into the House of Truth and stay in the house to be saved.  This does not mean that you will instantly know every commandment of the Man of Truth and obey it.  It means that you will strive to do so, and continue to become more like the Man of Truth day by day.  After all, he became like us, so we could become like him (1 John 3:2).

You will stop knowingly breaking the commandments of the Father of Truth, because you will no longer be deceived by The Great Deception (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).  You will be able to do this, because you will be a new person (2 Corinthians 5:17). 

You will be able to do this, as you read the Book of Truth, because we are saved by faith, but grow by knowledge.  You will be able to do this, as you learn how to rightly divide the Word of Truth.

I know, because I have been there.  

Growing up, I had only heard The Great Deception in churches, but it did not make sense to me.  So, I started reading the Renewed Covenant for myself.  In it, I found a very different teaching regarding following the Man of Truth than the teaching of The Great Deception.  I realized that religious professionals, who claimed to have studied the Book of Truth, had sought to deceive me.  

Yet, I found that I could not obey the commandments of the Man of Truth, because I was still being terrorized by the monster within.

Then my cousin told me something I had never heard in seventeen years of weekly church attendance.  He told me, that if I would come to the Man of Truth in total surrender, then the Spirit of Truth would change me on the inside.  Once the Unchanging Law was written on my heart, then I would no longer find it tempting to disobey the Man of Truth.  When I stopped finding it tempting to disobey the Man of Truth, then I would be able to obey the commandments of the Man of Truth.

I wanted to free.  So on November 13, 1982 AD, I took the deal.  I came into the House of Truth.

The Good News is, that it was all true!  I made a commitment to obey the Man of Truth in everything, so he made the truth known to me, and I was set free (John 8:31-32).  When the Man of Truth sets you free, then you are free indeed (John 8:34-36)!

You have to start somewhere.  You have to just take that first step of making a commitment to obey the Man of Truth in everything, and then never go back on that commitment.  That is the simplicity of the Gospel.

So, make a commitment to obey the Man of Truth in everything, because you believe that the Father of Truth raised him from the dead, and you will be saved (Romans 10:9).

Come into the House of Truth!