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The
SermonCentral.com Weekly Newsletter - October 21, 2002
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Theme:
Halloween
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Dear
SermonCentral.com user,
We hope
you had a great weekend! The topic of
this week's newsletter is Halloween. We
know that it is sometimes complicated at
best to
deal with this subject in a way that is full of grace and truth. We hope these sermons and illustrations on
Halloween will
help
you find the best material fast!!
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In This
Issue
..............
1. Top
5 Sermons On Halloween
2. Top
5 Illustrations On Halloween
3.
SermonCentral.com News - Featured Illustrations on the PRO site
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1. Top
5 Sermons On Halloween
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SEVEN
SONS OF SCEVA by Damian Phillips: Acts
19:11-20
Is
everyone familiar with the Lordıs prayer? If so, can you recall the first verse
of the prayer?: "Our Father who art in heaven
hollowed
be thy name . . ." What word is used to describe what our Fatherıs name is
to be? The word "hollowed" is used. What does
this
word mean? It means "holy, sacred, consecrated, and revered." The
name "Halloween" comes from the word "hollowed." So what is
so holy
about Halloween?
Many
people think Halloween originated with the Christian holiday of All Hallowsı
Eve, which was to honor all the Saints that had
died in
the past
To view
the rest of this sermon click here:
http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=41376
.....
HALLOWEEN: PROBLEM OR POTENTIAL by Christopher
Roberts: Ephesians 5:11-11
The
culture in which we live challenges a Christian lifestyle daily. As Christians,
we often face tough choices of how we engage
the
culture with the Truth of Jesus Christ. October 31 will be no exception.
Halloween
is a major-moneymaking holiday that captures our lives this time of the year.
Every store is filled with Halloween candy,
costumes,
and decorations. TV, radio, schools, and more give attention to October 31.
Halloween is
To view
the rest of this sermon click here:
http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=50486
....
HALLOWEEN,
NOT THE DAY, BUT THE WAY by Joe Bedy:
Deuteronomy 18:9-14
Halloween
not the day, but it is the way that we handle it that can serve God or Satan.
The FBI
said Monday night that they have asked all law enforcement officials to be on
"high alert." (Oct 29 2001)
Sources
say Osama Bin Ladinıs network is poised to strike this week in the United
States in a major way, but no one knows when,
where
or how.
You see
if you are a true Muslim and one who follows the Quron and the Hadith- then you
agree with Mohammed that the Christian and
the Jew
are
To view
the rest of this sermon click here:
http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=40418
....
WHY A
CHRISTIAN SHOULD NOT CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN by Ronnie Thrower: Ephesians 6:12-12
Halloween
is an annual celebration, but just what is it actually a celebration of? And
how did this peculiar custom originate? Is
it, as
some claim, a kind of demon worship? Or is it just a harmless vestige of some
ancient pagan ritual?
In
North America, the yearly observance of Halloween amounts to a
multi-billion-dollar industry, second only to Christmas...selling
costumes,
candy and food items, party supplies, greeting cards, tours of so-called
haunted houses, and other forms of
entertainment.
But what is the history of this
To view
the rest of this sermon click here:
http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=40424
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OVERCOMING
THE CURSE OF HALLOWEEN by Timothy Lueking:
Philippians 4:8-9
Halloween
is a very controversial issue that every Christian is forced to deal with.
Every year at the end of October our countryıs
streets
and sidewalks are filled with young boys and girls that have one thing, and one
thing only in mind, CANDY. Many children
dress
up as their favorite cartoon or Disney character, their favorite animal, a
pirate, a princess, a police officer, a fireman,
or one
of their many heroes. I grew up in a family that saw no harm in dressing up for
Halloween and going trick-or-treating. We
even
used to have costume parties and would bob for apples and
To view
the rest of this sermon click here:
http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=40447
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2. Top
5 Illustrations On Halloween
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CHRIST
OVER DARKNESS
In his
book Celebration of the Disciplines, Richard Foster says, "Why allow
Halloween to be a pagan holiday in commemoration of the
powers
of darkness? Fill the house or church with light; sing and celebrate the
victory of Christ over darkness."
Contributed
by Andrew Chan. Citation: Richard Foster, Celebration of the
Disciplines, Harper & Row, 1978.
...
ALL IN
MY HEAD!
On
Halloween night my three-year-old grandson, Brian, couldnıt sleep because he
was convinced ghosts were in his room. "Itıs all in
your
head," his mother reassured him. "Now go to sleep." Before she
got down the stairs, his voice called out again. "Mom, the
ghosts
have left my head and are running around my room!"
SOURCE:
Ann C. Ayler, North, Virginia, Kids of the Kingdom, Christian Reader from
http://irsweb.com/
Contributed
by SermonCentral Pro
.....
JAMES
DOBSON ON HALLOWEEN
Mr.
Dobsonıs reply to the question: "What about Halloween?"
"Halloween
is a rather different story. Whereas it can be argued that Christmas is a
Christian holiday with Christian origins that
has
suffered the effects of growing secularism, Halloween can be traced to
distinctly pagan sources. It is reasonable, then, that
many
believers would find some aspects of its celebration disturbing. I agree with
them in that regard. The traditional emphasis
upon
the occult, witches, devils, death, and evil sends messages to our kids that
godly parents can only regard with alarm. There
is
clearly no place in the Christian community for this "darker side" of
Halloween.
Even
here, however, there is a place for some harmless fun. Kids love to dress up
and pretend. If the Halloween experience is
focused
on fantasy rather than the occult, I see no harm in it. Make costumes for your
children that represent fun characters, such
as
Mickey Mouse or an elderly grandmother, and then let them go door-to-door
asking for treats. This side of Halloween can be
thoroughly
enjoyable for the little ones.
Let me
add, again, that Iıve given you my personal opinion. I realize that the topic
is controversial among committed Christians,
and Iım
sensitive to the reasons for their misgivings. My final word to parents on the
subject would be ıStay true to your own
convictions.ı"
SOURCE:
Focus on the Family Website. http://www.family.org/docstudy/solid/a0003846.html
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LIGHT
THE NIGHT-
Itıs a
night of darkness. Itıs a night of evil. Itıs a night the Devil claims as his
own. Itıs called ³The Festival of the Dead,²
better
known as Halloween. Occultists honor this night. Christians abhor this night,
for it dishonors God and pays tribute to
Satan.
On the
other hand, have you ever considered Halloween to be one of the greatest nights
for evangelism? Pastor K. R. Mele, the
childrenıs
pastor at State College Assembly of God in State College, Pa., believes this to
be true. Mele points out, ³What other
night
do we have people knocking on our doors looking to receive something special?²
Rather
than hiding from the evil that surrounds Halloween, Mele believes that
Christians should use this night to meet neighbors
and
show them a glimpse of Godıs love and goodness.
SOURCE:
by Angie Batluck.http://www.renewingtheheart.com/articles/A0001357.html
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A REAL
MAGIC WAND
Laurie
Beth Jones tells in her book, Grow Something Besides Old. She talks about one
Halloween night when she had underestimated
the
number of children who would come to the door to trick or treat, and she ran
out of candy. In desperation, she began giving out
quarters,
nickels, and dimes.
One
little girl about 5-years-old dressed as a fairy princess came to her door. She
had the little crown and wand and everything.
Jones dropped
two quarters into the childıs sack, and said to her, "Iıve run out of
candy, but tomorrow you can take these coins to
the
store and turn them into real candy." The little girl stepped back, looked
up at her, and said, "Lady, this isnıt a real wand.
SOURCE:
"http://www.the-garden.org/Sermon%20Archives/10-29-00.htm
3.
SermonCentral.com News - Featured Illustrations
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The
holidays are upon us!! The busy-ness of
the season usually means less time to prepare your sermons. But, never fear, your
SermonCentral
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week we release 10 Featured Illustrations that will be suitable to the holiday
at
hand. One of the 10 illustrations is
also a Communion Meditation.
This
week's featured illustrations are about Hallowen. If you want to check them out, click here:
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