GHOSTS, VAMPIRES AND OTHER SUPERNATURAL BEINGS

In light of Halloween this month, and all the recent TV shows on ghosts, and movies about vampires, I felt the need to address our obsession with these supernatural issues.

So instead of reinventing the wheel, following is a blog from my pastor and friend, David Brown. He addressed the issues here so thoroughly that I couldn’t think of a way to improve on it.  Enjoy!

It came to my attention just this week that we’ve had a considerable amount of interest in ghosts of late.  People have called and wanted to know about them.  Some believe they’ve spotted one.  They sometimes seem a little puzzled by our lack of faith in Casper and his more sinister counterparts.

It’s true folks.  I don’t believe in ghosts.  Nor does any member of our pastoral staff…at least not as far as I know.  Why not?  Because the Bible doesn’t mention them…except to say that someone “thought” they saw one. 

One day, Jesus came walking on the water to meet his disciples in the middle of the Sea.  (A strange place to board a boat!)  Surprised by his sudden maritime approach, the Bible says that the disciples began to scream because they thought they were seeing “a spirit” (That’s King Jimmy for “a ghost” See Mark 6:49).  But it wasn’t a ghost.  It was Jesus.  It was a case of mistaken identity.  And so it is with every ghost sighting.  What people take for ghosts are really something else…or someone else.  It could be the wind, or their eyes playing tricks on them, or even their fear.  Then again, it could be a real supernatural being called “a spirit”.

There are spirits!  God is a spirit.  Satan is a spirit.  Angels and demons are spirits and you are a spirit as well.  Every human is a spiritual being.  Being spiritual beings ourselves, spirits can at times, contact us, affect us, or even communicate with us.  But these spirits aren’t ghosts.  They are not the disembodied souls of dead people.  When a person dies he immediately goes to either heaven or hell.  There is no purgatory, no limbo and no lingering spirits of deceased people who need to finish something or set something straight before finding rest.

Can a demonic spirit pose as a ghost?  Sure.  I’m convinced that while most séances are total fakery, there is the possibility of modern day necromancers actually making contact with demon spirits.  These demons have been around for thousands of years, have observed humans and their families making it possible to mimic dead relatives and to know facts that we assume only our loved ones could know.  Demonic spirits can become familiar with people, thus the term “familiar spirits” mentioned in Scripture.

So what am I saying?  Ghosts are a sham.  While a seemingly innocent ghost story being told around the campfire or seeing a movie about ghosts can provide a little entertainment value…the truth is there are no ghosts, just demon posers…and a lot of human imagination.

Good news!  Jesus gave us power and authority over all demon spirits.  (See Luke 10:19)  If you actually ever do run up on a genuine, bona fide, demon spirit in ghostly manifestation, just quote God’s word (See Jesus’ satanic temptation in the wilderness) and use the Name of Jesus on him (Mark 16:17)!  He will run away from you.  (See Mark 16:17 and James 4:7)

Oh yeah…and about those vampires.  They’re not real either.

How the Best Get Better

This blog is actually from an email I received from the Goals Guy, Gary Ryan Blair. Blunt, to the point, but eye opening. Learn. Grow. Change.

All around the world, a pervasive recession continues, but it is not universal.

It is an assault on mediocrity. Mediocre performers on a global scale are under attack and for good reason.

Mediocre performers demonstrate these common characteristics:

They are almost always late for work,

They are more than often unprepared,

They demonstrate an apathetic attitude,

They are undependable and inconsistent,

They focus on problems rather than solutions,

They do not innovate, take initiative, nor go the extra mile,

They choose to make excuses rather than take responsibility,

They do not add value; in fact they rob value form the customer,

They constantly make mistakes that cost time and money to be corrected.

The facts are simple, in today's economy these demonstrated behaviors put mediocre performers in a position of being unemployable.

The jobs they had are NOT coming back and they must raise their game.

There are NO OTHER OPTIONS.

Let me be perfectly clear on this point, there's never a good time to be mediocre, but a recession punishes those who are inflicted with this disease.

As far as employment opportunities are concerned, it's cherry picking time for smart managers and entrepreneurs.

Why?

Top performers are in high demand now, as they have always been and companies do not have to settle for knuckleheads.

They lead in the cone of innovation. They focus on solving customer problems. They invent and innovate to create a better experience for customers. The constantly go the extra mile as a discipline and they are committed to excellence and doing things right the first time.

In doing so, they provide their own companies with new solutions and offerings. These professionals and their companies are never at the mercy of a downturn.

They are highly sought after, because no matter what, they are devising solutions; they are providing answers.

Therefore commit your life, career and every effort to excellence as a commitment to excellence and a massive dose of self-reliance are mandatory success requirements for EVERY profession.

What Does It REALLY Mean to Follow Christ

Hypocrisy! You see it everywhere. People SAY one thing, but LIVE entirely different. No where is that more obvious (and damaging) than with those who claim to be followers of Christ. 

I shared the following scriptures with a friend from church who was frustrated with some of his co-workers. They all SAID they were believers, but they just didn’t see the relevance of going to church, tithing or doing other similar things most mature Christians consider a “normal” part of their walk with God. They were content to only believe. Their philosophy was as long as you believe in “the Man upstairs” everything is fine. Really? Is that ALL there is to it?

James 2:19 NLT says, “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.”

So obviously following Christ means more than just acknowledging the existence of a Divine Being.

Thus the inspiration for this blog.

The problem most people make is they don't truly understand the word believe. To believe in Jesus means to trust, to place confidence in and to be committed to Him. Commitment produces the byproduct of obedience. In other words, if I REALLY trust Him, then I will OBEY Him.

Matt. 7:21 NLT
Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.

Matt. 7:21 The Message
"Knowing the correct password—saying 'Master, Master,' for instance— isn't going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills.

Matt. 15:8
These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

James 2:14, 17 NLT
What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds (obedience), it is dead and useless.

Titus 1:16 NLT
Some people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live.

Titus 1:16 The Message
They say they know God, but their actions speak louder than their words.

I want to be clear, we are NOT saved by our good works or acts of obedience, but we are saved to do good works. Salvation is more than just a cheap prayer that doesn't impact our entire lives. True salvation revolutionizes the way we live. It prompts our obedience. That doesn't mean we're perfect, or we don't have issues or struggles, but salvation produces a heart change that desires to please and follow God no matter what the cost. IF that is NOT the heart of someone who professes to believe, they probably need to revisit the Cross.