HALLOWEEN OR HALLELUJAH - English & Spanish

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

HALLOWEEN OR HALLELUJAH?

(1 Th 5:5) You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.

Many Christians have questions regarding Halloween. Should Christians decorate their houses in this theme? Should we send our kids out trick-or-treating? Wow, what a loaded question! But let me give you some things to think about:

- Each Christian must make their own decision on how to celebrate any festive day whether it be Halloween, Christmas, Easter, etc. And we shouldn’t judge each other on this decision. Listen to the apostle Paul on this: One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. (Rom 14:5)

- We must ask ourselves, “Does it glorify God?” Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.(1 Cor 10:31)

- In regards to Halloween, we must keep in mind the scriptural prohibition of any kind of practice (and I might add symbolism) of witchcraft. (Deuteronomy 18:9-14)

- The Bible says we are sons of the light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Jesus is the Light and we are to shine His glory. We are to cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of the light. (Romans 13:12)

- Remember we have the Holy Spirit, not the unholy spirit represented in symbols of a devil, a witch, or a ghost. True power is from the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8) and we don’t need to be tapping into or even flirting with the power of darkness.

- Christians are into the theme of life, not death. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 6:23)

I hope this helps you to think along the lines of a transformed mind (Romans 12:2). Be led by His Spirit in all you do for yourself and for your children. Ask God for wisdom in all your decisions in regards to your family celebrations and plans. And remember, you are a child of the light!

Louie

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Del Pastor a Las Ovejas

(1 Tess 5:5) porque todos vosotros sois hijos de luz e hijos del día. No somos de la noche ni de las tinieblas.

Muchos cristianos tienen dudas con relación al Halloween. ¿Pueden los cristianos decorar sus casas en esta época? ¿Pueden mandar a sus hijos a pedir dulces? Wow, ¡son preguntas difíciles! Pero dejame darte algunas cosas para meditar:

- Cada cristiano debe tomar sus propias decisiones sobre como celebrar cualquier día festivo, ya sea halloween, Navidad, Pascua, etc. Y no debemos juzgarnos unos a otros en esta decisión. Escucha lo que el apóstol Pablo dijo sobre esto: "Uno juzga que un día es superior a otro, otro juzga iguales todos los días. Cada cual esté plenamente convencido según su propio sentir." (Romanos 14:5)

- Debemos preguntarnos, “¿Glorifica esto a Dios?” Entonces, ya sea que comáis, que bebáis, o que hagáis cualquiera otra cosa, hacedlo todo para la gloria de Dios. (1 Corintios 10:31)

- En cuanto al Halloween, debemos tener en mente las prohibiciones bíblicas en la práctica de (y debo agregar símbolos) de la brujería. (Deuteronomio 18:9-14)

- La Biblia dice que somos hijos de la luz y del día. No somos de las tinieblas o de la noche. Jesús es la Luz y nosotros debemos brillar con Su gloria. Debemos dejar las obras de las tinieblas y ponernos la armadura de la luz. (Romanos 13:12)

- Recuerda tque tenemos al Espíritu Santo, no el espíritu impío representado en los símbolos del diablo, una bruja, o un fantasma. El verdadero poder viene del Espíritu Santo (Hechos 1:8) y no necesitamos estar jugando ni coqueteando con el poder de las tinieblas.

-Los cristianos representan la vida, no la muerte. "Porque la paga del pecado es muerte, pero la dádiva de Dios es vida eterna en Cristo Jesús Señor Nuestro" (Romanos 6:23)

Espero que esto te ayude a pensar como debe hacerlo una mente transformada (Romanos 12:2). Se guiado por Su Espíritu, por bien tuyo y el de tus hijos. Pide sabiduría a Dios en todas tus decisiones en cuanto a las celebraciones y planes de familia. y recuerda, ¡eres un hijo de a luz!

Luis

Translation by Maura Cathey (Gracias Maura!)

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THE GIFT OF HELPS

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

THE GIFT OF HELPS

(1 Cor 12:28) And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.

Have you ever wondered what you spiritual gift was and just never could figure it out? Not one thing came to your mind so you finally resigned yourself to just loving Jesus and helping out wherever you could. Others seemed to know what their gifts were but that was never a luxury for you. You just said the prayer, “Use me, Lord” and went on with your life. Guess what? You probably have the gift of helps!

The gift of helps in the Bible means to lay hold of something and to provide relief or aid. Those with this gift love to serve behind the scenes and become nervous when put out in front of people. They prefer to assist instead of being in charge. They enjoy freeing up others to do what God has called them to do. They would rather take orders than to give orders. They love to give credit and never take credit. This gift is usually accompanied with an attitude of humility and sacrifice and going the extra mile. These people tend to demonstrate a servant attitude, loyalty, attention to detail, and responsiveness to the initiatives of others.

Behind every leader are those with the gift of helps. Leaders are usually overwhelmed by their workload and are very grateful for assistants in the work. They are an answer to prayer! (Mat 9:37-38) Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

In Romans 16 the apostle Paul mentions thirty-five persons by name. Most of these individuals are not named anywhere else in the New Testament. They are the nobodies of this world and they represent the vast majority of the population. But the humble are very important to God. The world’s zeros are in reality God’s heroes! Many of these mentioned by Paul quietly served in the background. Here’s just two: (Rom 16:12) Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, who have labored in the Lord… Have you ever heard of Tryphena and Tryphosa? Sounds like they liked to TRY anything in serving the Lord! Just think of it…they silently assisted behind the scenes but God recorded their names for all of eternity!

I can’t tell you how many times someone has come up to me and said, “Pastor Louie, I don’t really know what my spiritual gift is or what needs to be done around the church. But if you need any help at any time, I am here for you so please let me know.” I just chuckle inside because I recognize the gift of helps in this person! And then I thank God because I know I could not do what I do if it wasn’t for many with this beautiful gift.
“Lord, thank You for those with the gift of helps. Let them know how appreciated they are!”

Louie

SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISM

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISM

In 1844 an itinerant preacher named William Miller predicted the world was to end with the Second Coming (advent) of Christ. Soon the “adventist” movement was born and grew rapidly. But Christ did not appear in 1844 and this resulted in what was called the “Great Disappointment.” But one group insisted the date of their original prediction had been correct and that what had really happened was Christ at that time entered into the Holy of Holies in the Heavenly Sanctuary and began His “Investigative Judgment.” By 1846 the group had adopted the view that the Saturday Sabbath must be observed by Christians.

Seventh Day Adventist early leaders were Joseph Bates, James White, and Ellen G. White. Ellen White came to occupy a particularly central role as her many visions and spiritual leadership convinced her fellow Adventists that she possessed the gift of prophecy. Today the church has a worldwide baptized membership of over 16 million people. It has a missionary presence in over 200 countries and operates numerous schools, hospitals and publishing houses worldwide.

In the past evangelicalism has had a hard time defining Seventh Day Adventism (SDA) because they appear to be both orthodox and heterodox (departure from accepted beliefs) in doctrine. Their orthodoxy includes: Inspiration of the Bible; The Trinity; Deity of Christ; Jesus' sacrifice was vicarious; Jesus rose physically; the literal, visible return of Christ. Some of their main heterodoxy teachings includes:

THE SABBATH: The SDA’s teach that the Sabbath should be observed on the seventh day of the week, specifically, from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. Refutation: Jesus fulfilled the law and our rest is now in the finished work of Christ on the cross. (Mat 11:28) Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (See also Heb 3-4)

HEALTH LAWS: Adventists recommend vegetarianism and expect adherence to the kosher laws in Leviticus 11. Refutation: (Col 2:16-17) So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. (See also Acts 10-11; Romans 14)

SOUL SLEEP: Soul sleep is the teaching that when a person dies, his soul "sleeps" in an unconscious state until the time of the future resurrection. Refutation: (2 Cor 5:8)…to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. (See also Luke 23:43; Phil 1:23)

On a personal note I have had wonderful fellowship with some SDA’s. For five years our church rented from a local SDA church and I had cherished times in Christ with the pastor. My only concern is that each SDA member realize we are under the grace of Christ and not the law! (John 1:17) …the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Louie

THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST

(2 Cor 5:10) For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

It is an awesome thing to go before a judge in a court of law. Whether it’s for a traffic violation or a major offense the atmosphere is intimidating knowing the judge can make a determination that will affect your life. But did you know that as believers in the Lord we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ?

Now you might say that you’re already saved and that you won’t be judged by the Lord because Jesus took your judgment for sin on the cross. You are correct on that. The redeemed of the Lord will never face the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev 20:11-15). Only the unsaved will face that judgment because they never repented of their sins and put their trust in the Lord and what He did in His death and resurrection. (John 3:16)

But there is a judgment we will face as Christians. The Word of God says we will all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. So what is that judgment in particular? First we must look at the word “judgment seat”. It is from the Greek word bema. It was the elevated place of judgment in a city where the accused had to stand before. Jesus appeared before Pilate at a bema seat (John 19:13) and Paul stood before king Festus before a bema seat (Acts 25:6). In the city of Corinth, a stone platform was constructed to support the bema seat of the local officials. The seat was used to give out awards to athletes for their competitive performances (usually a crown wreath of leaves), but also to address legal charges brought against individuals. This is where Paul was brought before Gallio, who was the proconsul of Achaia (Acts 18:12).

So yes, the Christian will be judged by Christ. But this judgment is not for salvation but evaluation. Each and every one of us will spend time with Christ after the rapture to evaluate what we did (or didn’t do) in our relation to the Lord while on this earth. Rewards will allotted for the good things done and there will also be a reproving of the bad things done.

1 Corinthians 3:10-15 speaks of building on the foundation of Christ with materials that are enduring (gold, silver, precious stones) and not with worthless materials (wood, hay, straw). It will all go under the fire of judgment and will either stand the test or will be destroyed. (1 Cor 3:14-15) If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

Are you ready to stand before the Lord right now and give an account of how you lived your life for Christ? Did you live for the Lord or did you live for self? Make every moment count for the Jesus and you will hear “well done, good and faithful servant!” (Mat 25:21; Rev 22:12)

Louie

REDEDICATION

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

REDEDICATION

(Rom 12:1) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

You hear so much from preachers and evangelists about the need for Christians to rededicate their life to the Lord after they have strayed. But if you think about it, rededication is something we must do every day! Paul said to present your body a living sacrifice to the Lord. It is an ongoing exhortation because as someone has said…the only problem with “living” sacrifices is that they have a tendency to crawl off the altar!

It is so easy to drift away from the Lord: (Heb 2:1) Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. Have you ever been in the water at the beach enjoying yourself when you finally look at the sand and find you drifted far away from your beach towel? That’s how it is in our relationship with the Lord. Little by little we drift away from our closeness with Him because we get caught up in a sea of details and lose our focus on Christ!

I find that every morning I must present myself to the Lord as a living sacrifice. I can’t rely upon yesterday’s blessings! (Phil 3:13-14) Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, {14} I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Today is a new day and I must look to the Lord for His mercies and faithfulness: (Lam 3:22-23) Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

That Bible study I had last night? That was good but what about today? My devotions were so sweet yesterday but I can’t live on that past meal. Today I need nutrition. If I don’t crack open that Bible in the present tense then I sure will be tense presently!: (Pro 19:27) Cease listening to instruction, my son, And you will stray from the words of knowledge.

I want to be close to the Lord. (James 4:8) Draw near to God and He will draw near to you… But when you are close to somebody that means you are communicating with that person frequently. You always feel out of touch with someone if you haven’t talked with them in a while. Have we prayed today? Have we told the Lord we love Him? Have we given Him our concerns or are we allowing the worries of the day to crowd out our relationship with the Lord? (Mark 4:19) and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. (See Luke 9:23; 1 Cor 15:31)

Rededication is not just for those who have walked away. Rededication is for me today!

Louie

WHY SO MANY DENOMINATIONS?

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

WHY SO MANY DENOMINATIONS?

It is very common for those who are outside the household of faith to comment negatively about all the Christian denominations that exist. Perhaps the feeling is that they appear to be splinter groups working against each other and that they should be working in unity. Even believers can be confused on all the differences in Christendom and wonder how did it all get this way to begin with?

We know from the beginning there was one church. Jesus had his twelve apostles and the early church was all one in the faith (see Acts). Then as time went on the apostles died and this catholic (universal) church began to develop differences. The big divide happened in the eleventh century when the church split along doctrinal, theological, linguistic, political, and geographical lines. This fundamental breach has never been healed between East and West… Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic. As time went on the church needed reforming and the Protestant Reformation began headed by Martin Luther, John Calvin, and others. Later on the Protestants splintered into various groups according to doctrine and practice issues.

The bad part about all the various denominations is that too often there is a lack of unity and distrust of one another. Jesus prayed that his followers would always be one which would impact the world: (John 17:21) that they all may be one…that the world may believe that You sent Me. It must grieve the Lord to see His church divided and struggling to maintain its witness in an ungodly world that needs redemption through Him.

On the upside of multi-denominationalism is the variety it provides for different people. Not everyone is the same in their make-up. People will be attracted to a certain church because it’s a “fit.” They identify with the constitution of the church body and the way they worship. Some are attracted to the liturgical church. Others like a more casual approach. Some want more emotion and some want it more intellectual. Kind of like deciding at lunchtime what you are in the mood for. Down the street are many food choices. Instead of seeing all these offers as bad competition you actually see it as wonderful variety you can benefit from.

Yes, churches split over the dumbest reasons like the color choice of the sanctuary carpet, etc. But what if your church went liberal and threw out the Trinity and wouldn’t budge after they were challenged by you and a constituency of others? You would probably go across town and begin another church that is sound in doctrine. So it’s bad what happened but God can still use it for good. (See Acts 15 where Paul and Barnabas split over the John Mark issue)

Let us strive for unity, celebrate diversity, and remember the love that binds us together in Christ! (read 1 Corinthians 12-13). “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.”

Louie

9-11 ANNIVERSARY

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

9-11 ANNIVERSARY

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

It’s almost been a year since the terrorists struck America on 9-11-2001. Who will ever forget? Many friends and loved ones perished and think of the lives and families that will be changed forever. We’ve been picking up the pieces and trying to make sense of it all ever since. We’ve been hunting down terrorists all across this planet, pursuing them from their enclaves to their caves. We’ve been tightening security at the airports and public places. Ground zero is free from debris but forever it will be a memorial of lives lost but not forgotten, of the brave who risked all, and of the resolve of America to move on in spite of adversity.

Now here’s a question to ponder as we approach the first anniversary of 9-11. Where is our resolve to glorify God in it all? Do you remember how our churches were full after the 9-11 attacks? How people were reaching out to the Lord for answers to this national crisis? Pastors and Christian leaders were speaking the Lord’s comfort and declaring the soon return of Christ. People were returning to the Lord and pressing in as never before. But eventually we saw a cooling off and things quickly got back to “normal”. This has been discouraging to us as Christians! But we’re not giving up on America! We can’t give up on our country and the people that the Lord loves and died for. We have to keep holding out the answer for America . . . which is Jesus Christ! The Lord is there for people when they need Him and we have to be there for people when they’re ready to really give their lives to Christ. God is patient and will hold out to the end. Let’s keep praying for America and believing God for a great move of His Spirit in these last days before Jesus returns and takes us home!

Louie