🎃 HALLOWEEN: Should we as believers celebrate or participate?
This sermon addresses the controversial topic of whether Christians should participate in Halloween celebrations. We examines the pagan origins of Halloween, tracing it from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain through Roman adoption and Catholic Church integration to modern American celebrations. The message emphasizes that while many believers participate in Halloween with good intentions, the holiday's roots in darkness, witchcraft, and paganism are incompatible with biblical holiness. The sermon calls Christians to be set apart from worldly practices, not out of legalism or pride, but out of obedience to God's Word and love for His holiness. The pastor shares his own family's journey away from Halloween celebration and provides practical guidance for parents explaining this decision to children and others, while offering alternative ways to be a light during this season through prayer, worship, and testimony.
Key Points:
- Halloween originated from the pagan Celtic festival of Samhain, a celebration involving communication with the dead, animal sacrifices, and spiritual darkness
- The holiday evolved through Roman adoption, Catholic Church integration (All Saints Day/All Hallows Eve), and eventually came to America in the 1800s
- God's Word consistently commands believers not to learn or adopt the ways of pagan nations
- Scripture forbids practices associated with Halloween including witchcraft, sorcery, necromancy, and anything that glorifies darkness
- Christians cannot mix light with darkness or call evil good; syncretism (blending God's ways with worldly practices) is condemned
- Good intentions do not make unholy practices holy
- The spiritual realm is real, and Halloween opens doors to demonic influence and oppression
- Modern witches and Satanists view Halloween as their high holy day and mock Christians who participate
- Parents have a biblical responsibility to train children in righteousness and teach them to discern between light and darkness
- Believers can be a light during this season through prayer gatherings, worship nights, sharing testimonies, and teaching about true holiness
- Standing apart from Halloween is about protection, not restriction; God's commands lead to blessing
- Christians should respond with humility, love, and gentleness when explaining their convictions to others
Scripture References:
- Isaiah 5:20 - Woe to those who call evil good and good evil
- Proverbs 22:6 - Train up a child in the way he should go
- Jeremiah 10:2 - Do not learn the ways of the nations
- Deuteronomy 18:9-14 - Prohibition against witchcraft, sorcery, necromancy, and pagan practices
- Exodus 20 - The Ten Commandments (no other gods)
- Romans 12:2 - Do not be conformed to this world
- Ephesians 4:17-24 - Do not walk as the nations walk
- Ephesians 5:8-11 - Walk as children of light and expose works of darkness
- Ephesians 6:12 - We wrestle against spiritual forces of evil
- 2 Corinthians 6:14-15 - What fellowship has light with darkness?
- Galatians 5:19-21 - Works of the flesh including sorcery
- 1 Peter 5:8 - The devil prowls like a roaring lion
- 1 John 1:5-7 - God is light; in Him is no darkness
- Luke 6:46 - Why do you call me Lord and not do what I say?
- Matthew 5:14-16 - You are the light of the world
- Matthew 7:21-23 - Not everyone who says Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom
Stories:
- Worship leader Peter Perez III personal testimony of his family's journey away from celebrating Halloween after seriously seeking God and studying Scripture
- Historical account of Halloween's origins from the Celtic Druids through Roman conquest and Catholic Church adoption to modern American celebration
- Reference to online observations of witches and occult practitioners who openly celebrate when Christians participate in Halloween, stating Christians are doing their work for them
- Peter's experience of his children being frightened during Halloween season before the family stopped participating
- Mention of the church of Pergamum from Revelation as an example of a congregation that loved Jesus but allowed compromise to creep in
- Reference to Jesus potentially "flipping tables" in modern churches that blend light with darkness, as He did in the temple