As the result of a colleague's illness I was invited to help run a stall at the Royal Cheshire show today. It was a lovely day and I really enjoyed the trip down from Liverpool to Cheshire. The sun was shining and believe it or not the M6 was not a carpark. The journey was quite smooth and I arrived within 40 minutes, which is a miracle in itself.
On arriving at the Showground I parked up and made my way to the plot where the stall was located. I could hardly believe it on arriving, to discover, that we were beside an exhibition stand called 'Scare Woods'.
'Scare Woods' is a new venture that aims to attract people to an event which will be held in woods. The whole emphasis of the event is to frighten people, hence the name 'Scare Woods'. There were displays of coffins, ghouls, skulls, skeletons and a lot of other grotesque caricatures of disgusting creatures.
It seemed highly inappropriate that a tent promoting the gospel of God concerning his son Jesus Christ should be placed beside a display such a 'Scare Woods' - but it was!
I had a discussion with one of the men who was running their stand. He assured me that his displays had nothing to do with spiritism or the occult but I fear that he did not really understand what he was depicting and what he was promoting. Satan (the devil), is described in the Scriptures as the God of this age. He is also depicted as the one who has blinded the minds of them which believe not. The general population are on unaware of the seriousness of the occult and of spiritism. They are blind to the fact that the spirit world is real and the devil is determined to delude, deceive, confuse and trick people into thinking that the spiritual realm is unreal and just a figment of the imagination.
It seemed highly inappropriate that a tent promoting the gospel of God concerning his son Jesus Christ should be placed beside a display such a 'Scare Woods' - but it was!
I had a discussion with one of the men who was running their stand. He assured me that his displays had nothing to do with spiritism or the occult but I fear that he did not really understand what he was depicting and what he was promoting. Satan (the devil), is described in the Scriptures as the God of this age. He is also depicted as the one who has blinded the minds of them which believe not. The general population are on unaware of the seriousness of the occult and of spiritism. They are blind to the fact that the spirit world is real and the devil is determined to delude, deceive, confuse and trick people into thinking that the spiritual realm is unreal and just a figment of the imagination.
For the five hours that I was helping run the stall we were privileged to give out 55 copies of the New Testament ( the second part of the Bible). In addition to this we handed out around 500 leaflets explaining the gospel of Jesus Christ.
God and His son, Jesus, are real. So is the devil, evil and death. Sin and wickedness are impregnated into every heart and mind. The Scriptures are still true when they teach that ‘the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know it,’ Jeremiah 17. 9 and that 'all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God,' Romans 3. 23. The Bible teaches that 'the whole world lies in the wicked one,'1 John 5. 19. However the wonderful truth of the gospel is that the Lord Jesus Christ by dying “destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the devil' and the Lord Jesus will 'deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage!” Hebrews 2. 14,15.
Well, it was an interesting and enlightening day. When you stop and think about how many people wanted to discover what 'Scare Woods' was all about, it was staggering. I am extremely challenged by the mentality of the modern world! Their desire for what is dark, spooky and blatantly evil is unbelievably strong. Their contrasting lack of desire for things that are wholesome, good, of God, and concerning the Bible is quite depressing. Thankfully I understand that God is greater than the darkness of this age and that God is also patient and has the deepest of desires for the salvation of the individuals in this world. Peter, one of the early disciples, apostles and personal friend of the Lord Jesus Christ stated that God 'is. . . not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance,' 2nd Peter 3. 9.
As I close I am reminded of the words of Joshua, one of the leaders of God ancient people, Isreal. Said to his people one-day 'choose you this day whom you will serve,' Joshua 24. 15.
That is a choice that everyone of us need to make!
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