TRICK-OR-TREAT

 

TRICK-OR-TREAT

The Devil has many TRICKS .....

• He says, "Don't believe in God." But, don't be fooled , the Bible says, "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God'." (Psalm 14:1)
• He says, "Wait until you're older to become a Christian." But the Bible says, "Now is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 6:2)
• He says, "Christians don't have any fun." But the Bible says, "I (Jesus) have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly (fully)." (John 10:10)
• He says, "You don't need Jesus."" But the Bible says, " I (Jesus) am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father, except through Me." (John 14:6)
• He says, "God would never send anyone to hell" But the Bible says, "He who believes in Him (Jesus) is not condemned (judged); but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (Jesus)." (John 3:18)

 

JESUS has many TREATS.....

• JESUS LOVES YOU. "God is Love. In this the love of god was manifested toward us, that God sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him. We love Him because He first love us." (1John 4:8,9,19)
• JESUS DIED FOR YOU. "Greater love has no man than this, than to lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)
• JESUS INVITES YOU INTO HIS FAMILY. " As many as received Him (Jesus), to them He gave the right to become the sons (children) of God." (John 1:12)
• JESUS WILL FORGIVE YOU. Jesus promises those who turn to Him: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins." (1John 1:9)
• JESUS WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU. If you will receive Him as your Savior, He promises, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5)

 

Why don't you make this a real Hallow--e"en (a hallowed evening) by accepting the best treat of all -- Jesus Christ as your Saviour. Then you can smile like the happy Halloween pumpkins. They have candles inside that glow and show up for blocks around. How much more then will your light (in Jesus) so shine before men.

"Let your light shine before men... You (Christians) are the light of the world." (Matthew 5:14,16)

 

 

The custom of Trick or Treat

 

Trick or Treat

       ( I tried to find on the internet where this came from.  It may have been from several sites.)

“Trick or Treat" is thought to have come from a European custom called "souling". Beggars would go from village to village begging for "soul cakes" made out of square pieces of bread with currants. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors. At the time, it was believed that the dead remained in limbo for a time after death, and that prayer, even by strangers could guarantee a soul's passage to heaven.

 

In John 14:6 Jesus said:
"I am the way the truth and the life;
no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

"For by Grace are you saved through faith.
It is a gift of God not of works lest any man should boast."
~Ephesians 2:8-9~

 

Another version:

In the Middle Ages there was a superstition that those who had died the previous year without being forgiven by you might rise to haunt you, appearing as will-o’-the-wisps or ghosts. They would jar you so you would release them by prayer and forgiveness. You might also appease them with "soul cakes"—cookies, fried cakes, "treats"—so they wouldn’t do you any mischief with their "tricks." Soon those who were living began to use the occasion for reconciliation. To wipe the slate clean for the coming year, they came, masked and unrecognizable, and boldly bargained for treats.

The connection between trick or treat and forgiveness deserves to be reclaimed, don’t you think?

Avoiding costumes and decorations that glorify witches and devils goes without saying.

 

"For God has not given us a spirit of FEAR but of power
and of love and of a sound mind."
~~~2 Timothy 1:7~~~

What is Halloween?

 

Halloween is the holiday that takes place on October 31.  In the United States, children wear costumes on Halloween and go trick-or-treating. Many carve jack-o'-lanterns out of pumpkins.

Hallow is the same word for "holy" that we find in the Lord’s Prayer, and e’en is a contraction of "evening." The word Halloween itself is a shortened form of "All Hallows Eve," the day before All Saints Day.

The truth is that Halloween's deepest roots are decidedly pagan, and unlike Christmas and Easter, it has kept those pagan roots, despite its now Christian name. Through the centuries, Christians of most persuasions have tried to transform this pagan holiday into a Christian one, from a festival of fear to one of joy.

The Bible says every true Christian is a saint.  All Hallow's Day (November 1) was a celebration of all "the holies" - those people who had died faithful to Christ.  That means if you had a brother or sister or grandparent who loved God and died, you'd remember that person. You'd celebrate the joy those loved ones are experiencing in heaven and remember the good times you had with them when they were alive.

In the early years when Rome persecuted Christians, so many martyrs died for their faith, that the Church set aside special days to honor them.

The same way people gather today at the site of a tragedy on its anniversary to talk to each other and to reporters, the first Christians gathered on the anniversary of a martyr’s death to remember it the way they knew best: with the "breaking of the bread." They retold the stories to inspire each other at a time when faith meant persecution and more martyrdom. Not even death could break the unity in Jesus which Paul had named "the Body of Christ."

By the mid-fourth century a feast of "All Martyrs" appeared on local calendars. As persecutions grew less frequent, the feast was extended to include non-martyr "witnesses," Christians whose lives were "the gospel in action.”

In the 16th century at the time of the Reformation, most Protestants discarded both the doctrine of the communion of saints and the practice of praying for the dead. All Hallows Eve became "hollow" for them, the vigil of an empty feast day.

Death is not cute. Halloween began with martyrs, after all.  At Halloween we need to use discernment to separate the symbols, to protect our children from very real dangers, to cut through the customs that contradict our relationship with God, including occult practices.

Most of all, be free from fear. We who are in Christ have nothing to fear, and we should be ready with an answer to those who act as if the devil were the equal and opposite of God. There is no "equal and opposite" of God.

 There is a supernatural world. We're fascinated by it, and there's nothing like a graveyard story to scare us awake! But evil does exist. That's why stories like the "The Wizard of Oz" and "The Chronicles of Narnia" ring true. Temptations. Evil spirits. A lot of horrible things happen in this world. Evil powers are nothing to fool around with! But the Bible teaches us that 'God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love….'

 The Celts believed the dead would harm them. But we know that Christians who die are happy with Jesus Christ. Our loved ones aren't nasty ghosts. Don't forget: when Jesus rose from the dead, He had a real body. He walked, talked, touched things, and even ate fish!

It's good to remember our loved ones who have died. But they're not sad; they're alive with Christ, awake in a different world.

That's one reason it's so important to let Jesus take charge of our lives now. Christ has conquered the forces of death and evil."  

Amazing Grace says:

"When we've been there then thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We've no less days to sing God's praise Than when we've first begun.”

 

......This is from my Sunday School lessons written in 2016.)

57 Love scriptures

1.      ­ (Gen 29:20 KJV)  And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.

 

2.      (Deu 6:5 KJV)  And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

 

3.      (Deu 10:12 KJV)  And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,

 

4.      (Prov 8:17 KJV)  I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.

 

5.      (Prov 10:12 KJV)  Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.

 

6.      (Prov 15:17 KJV)  Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.

 

7.      (Prov 17:9 KJV)  He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.

 

8.      (Eccl 3:8 KJV)  A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

 

9.      (Zep 3:17 KJV)  The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

 

10.  (Mat 5:43 KJV)  Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

 

11.  (Mat 5:44 KJV)  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

 

12.  (Mat 5:46 KJV)  For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

 

13.  (Mat 19:19 KJV)  Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

 

14.  (Mat 22:37 KJV)  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

 

15.  (Mat 22:39 KJV)  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

 

16.  (Mark 12:30 KJV)  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

 

17.  (Mark 12:31 KJV)  And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

 

18.  (Mark 12:33 KJV)  And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

 

19.  (Luke 6:27 KJV)  But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,

 

20.  (Luke 6:32 KJV)  For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.

 

21.  (Luke 6:35 KJV)  But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

 

22.  (Luke 10:27 KJV)  And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

 

23.  John 3:16 (KJV)  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

24.  (John 13:34 KJV)  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

 

25.  (John 13:35 KJV)  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

 

26.  (John 14:15 KJV)  If ye love me, keep my commandments.

 

27.  (John 14:21 KJV)  He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

 

28.  (John 14:23 KJV)  Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

 

29.  (John 15:9 KJV)  As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

 

30.  (John 15:12 KJV)  This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

 

31.  (John 15:13 KJV)  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

 

32.  (John 15:17 KJV)  These things I command you, that ye love one another.

 

33.  (Rom 5:8 KJV)  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

 

34.  (Rom 8:35 KJV)  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

 

35.  (Rom 8:39 KJV)  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

36.  (Rom 12:10 KJV)  Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

 

37.  (Rom 13:10 KJV)  Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

 

38.  (Gal 5:14 KJV)  For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

 

39.  (Gal 5:22 KJV)  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

 

40.  (Eph 5:2 KJV)  And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

 

41.  (1 Th 4:9 KJV)  But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.

 

42.  (1 Th 5:8 KJV)  But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

 

43.  (2 Tim 1:7 KJV)  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

 

44.  (Heb 13:1 KJV)  Let brotherly love continue.

 

45.  (James 2:8 KJV)  If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:

 

46.  (1 John 3:11 KJV)  For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

 

47.  (1 John 3:23 KJV)  And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

 

48.  (1 John 4:7 KJV)  Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

 

49.  (1 John 4:8 KJV)  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

 

50.  (1 John 4:18 KJV)  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.

 

51.  (1 John 4:19 KJV)  We love him, because he first loved us.

 

52.  (1 John 4:20 KJV)  If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

 

53.  (1 John 5:2 KJV)  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

 

54.  (1 John 5:3 KJV)  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments

 

55.  (2 John 1:3 KJV)  Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

 

56.  (2 John 1:6 KJV)  And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.

 

57.  (Jude 1:2 KJV)  Mercy unto you, and peace and love, be multiplied.