It was late October.
The interior lights of the van were flickering.
My feet on the vans floor felt like there were being pushed then pulled.
Dad?
Girls it’s alright.
But I saw his hand pumping on the steering wheel..
By a miracle our jerry rigged mini van managed to rattle off the highway.
Dad pushed and I got to steer the last bit.
I gottah see if I salvage this before it gets too dark. How do you feel about going in town and do our usual, without me?
Why don’t we stay here and learn about what’s wrong with van and how to fix it?
What’s more important vechicle or spiritual battles?
Can we stay together and do both?
I want to spend time with you too. At some point that option might come to an end, and I rather you know how to spread the message than follow along a YouTube repair video.
We pulled our bikes off the bike rack and peddled into town, and found the biggest church building.
Like usual we weren’t long in there, the nearest church was an older building with a sign out front that was not flashing but still used by hand changeable letters. The current arrangement was a form of invitation to get people back in
The front door was locked. We rang the bell, and a middle aged woman let us in.
We had done the talking before, but this was the first time, without our dad behind us.
Welcome girls, I don’t recognize your faces, is this about halloween we will be giving out candy then, but I could get some now?
Thank you, but what we really want is talk about the nightmare Gospel.
I”m not sure what, where are your parents?
Our dad is fixing or van.
Fixing your van, where at?
I don’t the name, but it’s a parking lot at of what looks like a boarded up restaurant.
And he sent you to get help?
No, we don’t need help, we want to tell you about the nightmare gospel..
I’m just trying to get this correct, you had vechile trouble, your dad is working on that, and you came right here to this church to tell us about a halloween story? Not something I hear everyday.
We stopped at that huge church first.
Oh, to tell them about your halloween story?
It’s from the Bible, but yes.
Ok I’d love to hear this Bible story. Do you want some candy?
We are naturally born into a nightmare realm, the devil is running it, most people are unknowingly enslaved by him, but the good news is if you trust in Jesus Christ you become born again of the spirit, you will be with Jesus when he returns to wake everyone up, and right the world, even lions and wolves will no longer hunt but play and lay with lambs.
Oh my goodness. I’m not sure what to say to that, what did the huge church say?
We just meet and you are talking about the devil?
Which we replied
How long did Genesis wait to introduce the serpent? How long did the gospels wait to get into Jesus being tempted by the devil in the desert?
They said we had a dark lense of the hopefell message of the gospel,
We said we are just reading the words from the Bible, and if they think those words from the Bible are dark, that’s their human judgment not Gods.
My goodness, I’m shocked, I gotta admit I was not prepared to be talking about this, when I saw you two standing out there. You got this story this from the Bible?
Yes
Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4
4Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe.
Galatians 1:4
“Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live.”
2 Timothy 2:25-26
Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.”
Ephesians 2
“Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.
Does that not soon nightmarish? An evil world, filled with evil beings, sinners under the devils spell?
I don’t know what to do with all this. My mind is racing. I don’t know where to begin, But for starters the Gospel means good news, that sound terrifying?
If true you’re in a burning building, it might be scary to hear that, but at least you know the truth and you can use it to escape.
That’s still doesn’t sound like the good news. For example did you see our sign out front? I try to think of inviting messages to bring in people, I would not think to post, most likely you are under the devils mind control, and so is everyone around you.
All the Bible verses i quoted are front the episitles. So what does that mean?
I’m not sure, I’m still shocked to be having this conversation with someone so young.
The epistles were written to people who already repented and put their faith on Jesus, The epistles explain things. Yes the devil is running things according to the apostle Paul, but that’s not what Paul lead off with, when he was witnessing in Athens to unrepentant non believers.
Ok that I hear that, but I’m not still not sure, this all sounds still oddly confusing to me, The gospel is all about love. Not fear,
Proverbs Fear of the lord is the beginning of knowledge.
Perfect love cast out fear.
Sure if you put your faith in the love that Jesus laid down his life for the payment for the penalty of your sin, than yes that perfect love, no greater love than to lie ones life for another, than you don’t have to fear the judgment of God, it’s cast out. If you haven’t you should fear the judgement of God, Jesus warned people about the danger of the road is narrow and few find it. Was Jesus a fear monger by saying there would weeping and gnashing of teeth? Was he spreading fear by saying 5 of the virgins wouldn’t bring enough oil, away from me I don’t know you?
Yes i can that’s what the gospel is, that sinners can put their faith in Jesus who paid for our sins on that cross. On that cross jesus said it was finished.
Paul wrote that the devil ran the world, after jesus ascended from the grave and rose to heaven. Did the world become a utopia after Jesus said it’s finished. Were their no more wars after that, no one else died a martyr after that?
Just because someone believes the world is going to hell in a hand basket doesn’t make them right with God. There are plenty of conspiracy theories about evil secret societies running things, and that alone is not saving anyone. My brother thinks that all religion is a conspiracy theory, his hope is that there will be a revolution not Jesus returning.
Amen. You can’t just think that your neighbor or leader, has splinter in their eye, you have acknowledge the evil inside you too. After all the devil is the accuser, but he is not right with God.
Than so... we agree on that. Girls I’m sorry if I lose my composure a little bit normally I don’t talk like this, this is so unexpected not in just a bad way.. What do you want to come from coming here?
Just like Paul wrote these nightmarish truths in the epistles, to help Chrisitians know their environment
Is it possible what Paul wrote was true for their their day, but since the gospel has gone out, the world is not as evil today? We have modern medicine and social security?
Not trying to be mean but lots of people bodies don’t look that healthy today, there’s no social security for all the aborted babies which was the leading cause of death in the USA last year.
They didn’t have churches all over, and a rich history of scholarly work on the scriptures like we do today
Paul had a direct experience with Jesus and wrote his epistles to churches, the kind where people didn’t come just to be entertained or motivated, but were willing to be imprisoned, or martyred for participating.
So what I am to do with this, post this on sign out front, or social media, that facebook, is run but the devil, they ban you for posting anything mildly condemning of others, let alone of themselves. If I post it on a sign out front the neighbors will get the police to take it down, if I post it on social media, our church will get banned from using it.
That’s a door to a related topic. Jesus said the world hates me because I testify against it, that its ways are evil, we are warned by his brother James that loving the world is adultery.
Ok so the world is a nightmare, and it hates Jesus, because he said it was evil, and his brother said, don’t love the nightmare, I don’t see the link, or I can’t think straight what I’m missing?
One it’s evidence that the world being evil and this evil world hating being called out, are just as real today. Two it makes easier not to be seduced by the world, when you see it as a nightmare. Isn’t it to easier to help other and sacrifice for them, when u accept that this world is a short nightmare and it’s going to be so much better when Jesus returns. Three you don’t have to feel you have to evangelize with this, it’s more of once your on the team heres some insights to what we are up against.
But can’t non believers knew this is what the Bible says, the Bible is not a secret society manual?
Yes they could knew this is what we ought to believe, but they are usually too busy committing adultry with the world’s temptations to fact check are creeds. And
We are not to be afraid of what we believe or of unbelievers. After all we hope that they too will one day repent of their sins accept Jesus’s grace and believe like we aught to. Like Morpheus in the matrix ix walking with neo down the street training scene the very minds we are trying to unlock can be overrun by the devils agents to attack us, but we still try to tame the mouth that can bite us.
I get that this is true that this is more of a lesson to believers than an outreach method but with the Pandemic craziness all the pressure and fears already swirling around I think we not add to that but should emphasize faith over fear.
All the more reason to.
Fear is inevitable fear god you fear one thing your judgement.
don’t fear god now your fear everything else. Lose of job lose of romantic interest. Loss of health. Loss of family. loss of attractiveness. fear of a Plauge fear of persecution fear of the apocalypse fear of the anit Christ fear of the devil.
If you fear God it’s the beginning of knowledge and it eclipses all other fear. People who say that’s silly why fear God, wind up fearing all those other idols instead.
Jesus said “Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s consent. But even the hairs of your head have all been counted. So don’t be afraid therefore; you are worth more than many sparrows. “Therefore, everyone who will acknowledge Me before men, I will also acknowledge him before My Father in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven. Don’t assume that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household. The person who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; the person who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And whoever doesn’t take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Anyone finding his life will lose it, and anyone losing his life because of Me will find it.”
2 Corinthians 4
4Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe.
Galatians 1:4
“Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live.”
Galatians 1:4 NLT
https://www.bible.com/116/gal.1.4.nlt
Ephesians 2:1-6
“Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.”
Ephesians 2:1-6 NLT
https://www.bible.com/116/eph.2.1-6.nlt
“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”
Ephesians 6:12 NLT
https://www.bible.com/116/eph.6.12.nlt
“so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.”
Philippians 2:15 NLT
https://www.bible.com/116/php.2.15.nlt
“Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.”
2 Timothy 2:25-26 NLT
https://www.bible.com/116/2ti.2.25-26.nlt