Dear Prayer Warriors, The first Halloween Blog was dedicated to evangelistic outreach to the younger set. Although the Gospel Pumpkin has applications for both teens and adults this blog supplies you with party tips and a trivia test which will engage Youth, College and Adults. (Answers will appear next week).
What to do about Halloween is always a problem for the modern evangelical parent. We chose to use this as a ministry or outreach opportunity. The parents in the neighborhood and the parents of our children would call and ask, “Are you having the Mahon Halloween Party again this year?” That is because we provided a safe environment both physically and spiritually for the children.
We began with a theme. To keep the goriest costumes out of the mix we would have a theme. Disney Characters, X Men, Historical Figures, Hollywood, Noah’s Ark, Disco/Retro, Star Wars, Hobbit, the list is endless but by doing the theme you keep out the scary stuff.
The time needs to be fast paced. The modern child has a very low toleration for dead space. One game or event must be followed immediately by another. The children – from pre-teen to single adult should leave the party saying, “Boy, that went really fast”.
Next the games need to be a mix of the traditional as well as contemporary. Get on top of this early and have more games than time allows. From the time they enter your home they need to be active and winning quality prizes. (For game ideas go to our website at http://gciweb.org/2011/07/holidays-resources/ This will give you an idea of the types of games you can play. Your Halloween Party should be a very real alternative to the ones the world is offering. The next day at school those who come to your party will have fun things to share.
There needs to be quality prizes. This depends on the social and economic group of the participants. The child though should respond, “WOW”. This is especially true with any games that entail the Bible.
There should only be one spiritual game in terms of the gospel. This way both child and parents will not feel tricked into a Sunday School class. If the spiritual game is quality and rewarding then there will be no complaints. If on the other hand they leave thinking their parents, church or authority figures are “of the devil” you probably will not see them again.
For the younger children, in addition to the traditional games, we did the Pumpkin of Salivation and each went home with a pumpkin. For the older we did the Halloween Trivia Test. This is featured in today’s blog. Jr Highers and Teens will really get into this as well as college students and yes, even adults. Thy Christian and secular apocryphal myths are so ingrown that the truth is captivating. We would put a pile of Bibles on the floor, give out the test, have them fill it out and then give the answers. There would immediately be an outcry as the truth collided with myth. Bibles would then be opened, passages read and debated. Remember - they key is to have prizes so good that the participants have a stake in winning.
Last but not least – FOOD. There needs to be plenty of food. God the Holy Spirit is very cognizant of the role of eating and spiritual relationships. This is either by design or reality. In the Garden the issue of fellowship with God turned upon eating, Jesus describes salvation with the visual picture of eating (Revelation 3:20) and our eternal relationship with God is pictured in terms of eating (Revelation 19:9) to name but a few. Make sure there is a festive atmosphere which makes a later invitation to church a real possibility. Halloween Trivia Test Separating Fact From Fiction The Bible says...
1. To find out about demons, spirits, the devil, we should command them to speak “In Jesus Name” and then use this power over them to learn all we can and pass this information on to others. I Timothy 4:1; John 8:44; Jude 1:8,9; Matthew 17:15-19
2. There are mummies, ghosts and zombies. Job 14:5, 11, 12; Hebrews 9:27; II Corinthians 5:10; Job 7:7-10; Luke 16:26
3. There are servants of the devil called sorcerers and there are people that the devil gives the power of divination? Exodus 7:11; 7:22; 8:7; Deuteronomy 18:10; Acts 16:16
4. The devil is the equal and opposite of God. Genesis 3;13 – 15; Romans 16:20; James 2:19; I John 3:8; Revelation 20:2, 10;
5. The night is ruled by the evil/ the devil and day by good / God. The night is a bad time, it is a fearful time, a time when satan and other devils are at work. Genesis 1:5 & 31; Psalm 42:8; 74:16; 139:12; 119:148;
6. Evil spirits can snatch children or get them. Job 1:10; Psalm 91:11; Matthew 18:10; Luke 18:15 & 16; I John 4:4
7. One of the reasons that satan is more powerful at Halloween is that his servants are all together. When you get satan’s servants together and all those demons together, satan is more powerful. I Kings 18: 20 – 35; I John 4:1 – 4; James 4:7; Romans 16:20; Hebrews 2:14
8. Hell is ruled by satan where he and his demons torture people and he can take people there. Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10 - 15; Revelation 14:10 & 11;
9. The devil is an ugly creature with pointed tail, horns and a wicked evil smile. Ezekiel 28:13-15, 17; Job 1:6; II Corinthians 11:14
10. We should be afraid of the devil. He is more spiritually powerful than us and we should gather together for protection and hope for the best. James 2:19; 4:7; Hebrews 2:14 – 16; I John 4:18;
11. The Devil and Hell are not real places, but just symbolic representations of evil on earth, therefore spirits and demons are all just in peoples' imaginations Job 1:1 – 12; Revelation 20:1 – 15; Matthew 8:28 – 34
12. The Devil is everywhere. When I am in a movie, or alone in the dark, or experiencing something scary and I sense something nearby, then it is the devil. Job 1:7, 10 – 12; I Peter 5:8
13. The number 13 is an unlucky number and should be avoided at Halloween. Deuteronomy 29:29; Revelation 22:18 & 19; I Timothy 4:7; II Timothy 2:16, 17 & 23; Ephesians 4:14; 5:6; II Corinthians 10:5; Genesis 3:1
14. Black cats are possessed by the devil on Halloween and are bad luck. Deuteronomy 29:29; Revelation 22:18 & 19; I Timothy 4:7; II Timothy 2:16, 17 & 23; Ephesians 4:14; 5:6; II Corinthians 10:5; Genesis 3:1
15. You should avoid cemeteries at night during Halloween because ghosts will be wandering and you might wake the dead. Job 14:5, 11, 12; Hebrews 9:27; II Corinthians 5:10; Job 7:7-10; Luke 16:26
16. The devil and his demons are afraid of the Bible. God supplies us with the Bible and other religious symbols to protect us. We can hold up the Bible and the devil will flee. We can sleep with the Bible under our pillow to keep us safe. We can also hang religious symbols around our neck and place them in strategic places to keep the devil and his demons away. Genesis 3:1-5; Luke 4:10-11; II Peter 2:1 – 3; I John 4:1 & 2; Leviticus 17:7; Revelation 13:14; Matthew 8:32
17. Now read I John 4:1-10, what can we learn about the Christian, his relationship with God and the power of the devil? What if a person is not a Christian? What about you?
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