Halloween is the time of year where people often like to talk about ghosts, haunted houses, and other topics that they consider “spooky.” Most people have stories about things that have happened to them which cannot be easily explained away. Many people blame these unexplained situations on the existence of ghosts, or spirits of the dead which they believe still interact with the living in various ways. Ghost stories have been around for many years, and according to a very recent survey, 45% of Americans believe in the existence of ghosts. However, do ghosts really exist? Let’s consider what the Bible says on this subject. First of all, what happens to us after we die? We are made up of both soul and spirit. Our soul is eternal, and is either rewarded with Paradise or punished with Torment right after death until the Day of Judgment comes, when our souls will be sent to Heaven or Hell. Our spirits, or our “life force,” goes back to God. The soul and spirit of a person are very similar, but the Word of God separates the two. An example of this can be read in Hebrews 4:12; “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” In Ecclesiastes 9:5, King Solomon, through the inspiration of God said, “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.” This verse does not mean that a person who has died has no knowledge of anything, but that they have no knowledge of what is happening here on the Earth. The dead are very aware of their surroundings after death, just as the rich man was in Luke chapter 16. “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom (v.23). They have recognition as well as a memory of events and people here. Also, we have the ability to recognize people who we have not met while on the earth in eternity. It is also important to note in the story of the rich man and Lazarus, the rich man was not permitted to cross the “gulf” that was between the realm of torment and the realm of Paradise, nor was he allowed to go back to the earth due to this gulf. “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence” (Matthew 16:23-26). No one from the dead were permitted to go back to the Earth and warn the rich man’s brothers (verses 27-31). If the rich man was told that no one could pass from Torment to Paradise and vice versa due to a “great gulf,” and that no one from the realm of the dead would be allowed to go to Earth and warn the living, then why would souls of the dead be allowed to cross that gulf and enter back into the realm of the living today? The answer is, they simply cannot do this. The Bible is very clear that the dead no longer interact with the living in this life. If we are able to go to Paradise upon our death, we will see and interact with our faithful loved ones again, who have passed away, as well as those who have gone on before us that we did not know. Upon the Day of Judgment, those in the graves will be resurrected. On this day, we will either see these people in a joyous reunion in Heaven on the Day of Judgment or meet in a place of pain and agony in Hell. "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” (John 5:28-29). So how can I explain the strange occurrences that many people have witnessed during their lifetimes, or the things that go “bump in the night?” I can only say that there are indeed things that happen in our lives that we cannot explain, and that we are not meant to know in this life. If we were meant to know these things, God, would have told us about them. We do know however, that angels are spirits who are involved in our lives in ways that are not totally known by us, but this is in the providential realm. They do not appear to people today as the age of the miraculous has ceased, since we have all things that we need to know in this life in order to go to Heaven was completely given in the Holy Scriptures in the First Century (I Corinthians 13:8-10, II Peter 1:3, II Timothy 3:16-17). Miracles then fulfilled their purpose of giving the Word of God and of confirming it to be from God (Hebrews 2:3-4, Mark 16:20). What do angels do when they become involved in the lives of the faithful today? We do not know exactly! We do know that they have an interest in the lives of Christians today (I Corinthian 11:10, I Timothy 5:21). We do know that they are involved in our lives in some way from the verses given. All of what is entailed in the ministering to Christians by the angels is not revealed in Scripture, but is within God’s Providential work. Unaccountable children also have angels that help them in various unknown ways, “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 18:10). This is another verse to meditate upon when thinking of the possible work role of angels. “But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”(Hebrews 1:13-14). So whenever you hear a chilling ghost story, please remember what the Bible says about how souls of the dead can no longer interact with, nor have any knowledge of what is going on in anything done under the sun. If you, yourself, have had unusual things happen in your life that you might be tempted to blame on the existence of ghosts, please remember what the Bible has said on this subject. We cannot fall into the devil’s trap of believing that we will have another chance on this earth after our death. Some who believe in ghosts think that the souls of the dead remain on the earth to take care of “unfinished business.” This is the same as saying that a person will be given a second chance at doing the right thing before facing God’s Judgment. This, friends, is simply not true. “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” (Hebrews 9:27). I hope I have helped you understand how the belief in the souls of the dead roaming the earth as “ghosts” is a false one.
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Since our Gospel Meeting is coming up at Campaign church of Christ this Sunday (October 26th), I wanted to talk about the importance of supporting and attending Gospel Meetings. These meetings are designed to help “revive” our love of God’s Word and to make us even more excited about worshipping Him. It is also a great way to meet other church members and to hear new speakers. I have always loved attending Gospel Meetings! I remember telling my husband when we would attend these meetings together while we were dating, that going to Gospel Meetings was “like a field trip.” The only difference to me between a Gospel Meeting and a field trip, however, is that a field trip is only temporary fun, but a Gospel Meeting helps me feel happy here and helps me find Eternal Happiness through God’s Word.
It is important to attend Gospel Meetings for several reasons. Two big reasons are to edify ourselves and others. By attending a Gospel Meeting, Christians can “recharge their batteries” through listening to God’s Word during the week. A typical week can become overwhelming at times, so getting a chance to hear a good sermon is an effective stress reliever! It allows the mind to focus on our Eternal Reward rather than the small issues we have here on Earth. It is easy to become discouraged when we face challenges in life. Attending a Gospel Meeting helps us remember that the real reason we are here is to serve the Lord, rather than focus on day to day problems that really do not matter at all. One does not have to wonder why they are here or the “meaning of life.” The meaning of life is to glorify God and to keep his commandments. Leviticus 22:31 states; “Therefore shall ye keep my commandments, and do them: I am the LORD.” A Gospel Meeting is a wonderful reminder of this fact! “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:9). Not only can we edify ourselves, but we can also edify others. Just as others can be a source of comfort for us during trying times, we can be a source of comfort for them as well. Gospel Meetings typically draw a large attendance, and a person can see many people they usually do not see on a regular basis. Since we do not always have the ability to know what is going on in another person’s life, we should always make a point to be cheerful and friendly to others when attending a Gospel Meeting. This is especially true for women, who are usually seated while some of the men are standing at the entrance to the church building as visitors come in. Women should greet both men and women, but make a point to focus on making visiting women feel welcome. Women enjoy talking to other women, and I know that I always feel even more welcome when women from a congregation I am visiting talk to me. When a person walks into a Gospel Meeting, he or she may be facing many challenges in life, and have come to find comfort. We, as women, are nurturers by nature, so we should be willing to show ourselves to be friendly. Who knows, but ours may be the only smile a visitor sees that day! “Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Being hospitable to others not only means being pleasant and friendly but also attending to their physical needs as well. A visiting preacher always enjoys good fellowship and a good meal so he can feel energized and able to keep preaching the Word. Many congregations either have fellowship meals at the church building each night of the Gospel meeting, or individual members help feed the visiting preacher. This shows the Gospel preacher that he is welcome and appreciated by the congregation. When I was a child, my grandparents would let a visiting preacher and his wife stay at their house the entire week of the Gospel Meeting. The visiting preacher and his wife would eat breakfast and lunch at my grandparents’ house, and on each night of the Gospel Meeting, the church would hold a fellowship meal. This is the way visiting preachers were often treated years ago, and some congregations and its members still hold to this tradition. I think it’s a great way to show the visiting preacher the love that Christians should have for one another. “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10). Another reason to attend Gospel Meetings is to teach others. The Gospel preacher holding the Meeting teaches us about the Bible and helps us keep our mind focused on God. We, too, can teach others how to be better Christians through our examples. We should invite as many as we can to the Gospel Meeting! Phone calls, cards, and handing out flyers are great ways of doing this! If we invite others to attend a Gospel Meeting, we are showing them that living the Christian life is very important to us. If we do invite others to the Meeting, we must be sure to attend ourselves. I have seen cases where visitors will come to a Gospel Meeting and say that a certain person invited them, but that person was not there. This does not leave a good impression on those who are either not baptized or just babes in Christ. By attending regularly scheduled church services, supporting your home congregation’s Gospel Meeting, and Meetings held at other congregations, we are showing our love for God and for each other Let’s all help ourselves and each other by attending Gospel Meetings! We do not have to attend every meeting held at every church of Christ, but we should want to at least support our home congregation! In doing so, we are helping ourselves and each other reach our reward in Heaven! Everyone is invited to Campaign church of Christ's 2019 Gospel Meeting being held beginning next Sunday, Oct 27th! and lasts through Wednesday Oct 30th. Please see flyer below for more details. Hope to see you all there! I have been blessed by God to have my third book published, and I give Him all of the Glory for this! It is entitled, A Quiver Full of Arrows: Accepting the Blessing of Children. This book discusses how children are viewed as blessings by God, rather than how they are viewed by some in society today, which often is negative. In this book, I use the Bible to discuss how children are gifts from God, as well as how to raise children up in the Lord. This book was published by Cobb Publishing, which is a church of Christ affiliated publishing company. It can be purchased through the publisher's website, www.cobbpublishing.com, or from Amazon. Amazon also offers a Kindle ebook edition of this book.
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