Sherwood Forest Faire - a Renaissance Fair - Infested with Paganism

The Faire 

On March 19th, 2016, I went to Sherwood Forest, a place just outside of Austin, TX, to enjoy a festival involving people dressed up and chatting in Renaissance fashion. I drove off the main road and followed the GPS to a gravel road, which eventually got us to the place out in the country. It was kind of neat--out in the middle of a forest, people dressed up, people greeting you in some-other-time-way-back-when clothing. We sat down and watched some jesters have fun with an unsuspecting onlooker. At one point in the skit, one of the jesters asked if it'd be okay to pray right before they were about to do something dangerous. The guy said it was okay and the jester started changing, "Om..." Om is a representation of the Hindu trinity, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva--who are actually demons. The jester made a joke out of it by saying, "Om...Om... Oh my God..." We need to be careful! These are real demons who respond when called. We should never play with such things!

I thought it had to be a weird coincidence. Anyway, we gave them a tip for the performance and a Jesus tract so they can come to know the Truth and be saved. Then, we walked around and visited many of the shops. I found myself looking at some interesting rocks and crystals--and then I saw them. "Wand." Want?! Surely not. I looked around more. I saw crystal balls, more wands, gems and medallions to "protect" you from various things. Then I saw various items with a pentagram with a circle around it, a Wicca symbol, a bunch of other pagan symbols. "Well, I guess the LORD has me here for a reason." We went from shop to shop, many of which sold these awful items. We came across a guy who was minting coins the old fashioned way--which was cool. Except that his menu was filled with the same demonic symbols! It felt spiritually dark--more than I remember anywhere else. I enjoyed the falconry show and the jousting. I thought the jousting was done well.
Anyway, we finally went home and went to sleep.

The Attacks

At 1:15 A.M. Sunday morning, I was spiritually attacked. I felt an intense presence of evil and started to suffocate. A pastor once told me that he had an experience like this and what he did. I had also had one attack like this before about a year ago. I struggled to say, "Jesus," three times. It immediately went away. And a little later, the same thing happened! I responded the same way, got up and went throughout the house commanding them to leave in the name of Jesus. I prayed that God would deploy some of His angels around our home to protect us from any more of this foolery. And the attacks stopped!

The Conclusion

Praise God! The name of Jesus is more powerful than any other name! Demons flee at the very sound of His name, giving me time to pray!! The reason I am writing this is to show how dangerous it is to fool around with false religion. I don't care how prevalent paganism was integrated in that time period--it's irresponsible to corrupt society with its destructiveness.  These people really need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I am quite thankful that I was used to help spread it to the dark parts of our society!
Moral of the story? The name of Jesus has power that sends terror into demons, sending them fleeing!
Remember, we have nothing to be afraid of in Christ.

The Call

If you're not in Christ, get in Christ. Turn from your sin and turn to Jesus to save you! Cry out to Him, "Lord, Save me!"  The day of judgement is coming when we will be judged.  If our names aren't written in the Book of Life, we will be thrown into the Lake of Fire.  Trust in Him like you would a parachute. Completely surrender your life to Him--especially your whole heart!  There has been no greater act of love in all history than what Jesus did to save you from your sins.  There is no other way to heaven.

Thank You, Jesus! This experience is yet more proof that You love and protect your own!

The Peace Solution

Jerusalem means "City of Peace," yet it is without peace.  Countries around the world are trying to force peace in a way that peace is impossible.  Sure, some ways may reduce conflicts for a short time, but the way peace is being sought is impossible.  In fact, the US is far from peace within itself and here's why.
The world is splintered into all kinds of factions.  These factions may have some things in common, but in general, they have conflicts for different reasons and of varying degrees.  Whether you see these factions as "nations" or "religions" or whatever, there is seldom peace in the way the greeting "Shalom" refers to, whose root denotes completeness, wholeness, and soundness.
Want me to stop blabbing and jump right to it?  Okay, here's the solution to peace.

Oneness and Peace in Christ

Ephesians 2:11-18 NLT
Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.  But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.

For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.

He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.

So, according to the Bible, peace is achieved through being united in Christ, the Prince of Peace.  This peace is not just the lack of hostility.  Jews who are in Christ and Palestinians who are in Christ love each other because they are more brothers and sisters in Christ than they would've been if they had been born into the same natural family.  Don't get me wrong, being in Christ causes us to love our enemies--enough to share the Gospel with them because we know that is the only power that can bring peace between them and God and with those around them.  However, we are not at peace with our enemies.  We are united in Christ, but enemies to the unseen, demonic forces, which control those who are not in Christ.  So, while there is a division, we still reach out in love in hopes that they will repent of their sins and turn to Christ.  There is no other way.  All other ways will fail--even if they give the illusion of peace for a season.

Peace in the world will grow one soul at a time.  Share the Good News about Jesus with someone today!  We can't have meaningful peace with others if we aren't first at peace with God.

Are you in Christ?

John 3:18-21 NLT

“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him [Jesus]. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”

Romans 10:9-10 NLT

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.

You cannot be in Christ unless you repent of your sins (forsake your own ways and turn to God) and trust in Jesus as your sacrifice for sins--and that alone!  You can't do one modicum of anything to merit this salvation!  Any good works that you perform show that the faith you have is true faith.  You can only repent and believe.  If you have truly done this, the Bible affirms that you have the Holy Spirit working in you, which is how you are united to Christ and you will have been born again into a new creature with new desires (preferring righteousness over wickedness).

Friend, declare to someone that Jesus is Lord and believe in your *heart* that God raised him from the dead.

If you have done just that--let me be the first to welcome you into God's family.

Oh, and here's this for you to enjoy, too:

Luke 15:7 NLT

In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven't strayed away!

Shalom

A notable Spiritual experience for me

Father, use me to glorify Your name.
I had a spiritual experience about 6 months ago.  It was on a Sunday and the preacher let us know that the Long Island Medium was coming to town that Wednesday about 7:30 or so p.m.
He called us to set aside time to pray at that time.  Immediately, something like a rushing wind entered my heart (not the literal heart).  It felt like there was a rushing wind swirling around inside my heart--it was amazing!  I had never experienced anything like it before.   I have not experienced it since.  It was a constant, very persistent wind.  That's the only way I know how to describe this spiritual experience.  This lasted up and through the time we were called to pray.  I couldn't eat anything--I had absolutely zero desire to eat.  People brought food in at work for us to eat that is normally a temptation for me, but I could look at it and feel 100% content--no desire to eat it.
I called my pastor up about Tuesday and asked him what he did to me--my heart felt so different.  He was concerned that I should get to a doctor at first, but I explained that it wasn't anything like that and explained what I just wrote above.  I prayed, "my God--what are you calling me to do?"  It came to Wednesday about 7:00 and I sat down to pray.  I had fasted for several days now and prayer was an experience like none other before nor after.  It felt like I was connected to God in a way that I never felt before.  When I've told this experience to others, sometimes they say that I was "anointed" for this task by the Holy Spirit. I find it hard to put spiritual experiences to words, and it looks like the prophets also had a difficult time, but I know that for myself, that was not physical, though it affected the physical (no desire to eat).  I prayed against the demonic realm that is exercised by mediums.  Anyway, the point is that this is my experience.  I can think back to it and relive part of it without the breakdown in putting these experiences in words.  I thank God that I have this experience!  No amount of intellectual discussion about why we should discredit the Bible means anything.  God laid out promises.  I read some of those promises and took God up on them by telling Him, "You say this in this verse.  I want to claim this for myself.  Please help me meet the criteria so that you have to deliver on your promise."  I have followed through on reading the law and being smitten by it--it said not to do things that I had already committed.  It led me to Christ.  I told God that I was wrong.  I did these things, I watched pornography, I lied, I stole, ... etc.  The Bible said that Jesus paid for my sins and that I need to turn away from my sinful ways and confess that Jesus died for my sins, was raised by the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit on the third day, and now sits at God's right hand.  I believed this and accepted God's salvation from His wrath.  I received His Holy Spirit, as the Scriptures promise.  Yes, that void in my soul is gone--truly amazing!  I had been filling it with online games, pornography, the next big "geek toy."  Now I could finally appreciate what I had--appreciate life!  Appreciate a life that the Bible says will never end--eternal.  Laying claim on the Bible's promises requires humility and submission.  God created me--He knows how the world works best.  If I continue doing this bad stuff, it plays out in various ways and my sin finds me out.
I had accepted Christ before that call to prayer and fasting and after I was given an appreciation for the blood of Christ.  I received the appreciation for the blood of Christ while listening to the series "The Way of the Master."  I had missed looking into the perfect law of liberty to see my specific sins and what that would look like had I not had a savior.  Even though I claimed the name of Christ as my savior, I didn't have an appreciation for the blood it took to save me.  What an amazing breakthrough!  I really recommend watching that series!!
So, what's with the long introduction?
I simply encourage the following:  Pick a promise in the Bible and claim it for yourself.  Do what I did.  Tell God that you see this promise and want to meet every criteria for that promise.  See what happens.  I recommend starting with Luke 11:13.
Luke 11:13 NLT
So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

Numbers 6:24-26 NLT
‘May the Lord bless you
    and protect you.
May the Lord smile on you
    and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favor
    and give you his peace.’

Are you going to Heaven or Hell?

Wow, isn't that a sobering question?
As I wrote the headline, I felt a great sense of soberness come over me.  Ultimately, this is the most important question for each of us and one I think we all need to ponder from time to time.

Perhaps this question comes to mind: Can we know now where we will be after we die?
The short answer is, "yes."  But wait a minute, isn't there such a thing as deception?  Can't a person think they're going to heaven when in fact they will not make it?  The answer to this question is also, "yes."

Before we can answer a definitive "yes" or "no," we need to know the criteria by which we enter Heaven.
This seems to be the biggest hangup and source of deception.  We all know that we have rules here on earth.  Those rules are generally made available to everyone so we don't have any excuses when we break them.  If there are rules, punishment is also implied.

What would happen if you got pulled over by a police officer for breaking the law and you told her, "sorry, officer, I didn't know it was illegal to exceed the speed limit?"  Are they required to let you go because of ignorance?  Nope.  That's one of the first things they taught us in Senior Political Science in the US--Ignorance is no excuse.  If you break the law, they have every right to enforce punishment.

Have you broken any of God's laws?
The short answer is Romans 3:23 NLT
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

This brings us to question, "what are God's laws and what is the punishment for breaking them?"

Have you ever told a lie, no matter how small?  Have you ever stolen anything, no matter how insignificant?  Have you ever looked at another person and lusted after them?

Here is what the Bible says in Revelation 21:8 NLT (I added emphasis to some sections)
“But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

James 2:10 NLT
For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws.

Yikes!!

So, now we know some of God's rules and have seen that we've broken at least one of them--which is just as bad as breaking all of them!  And, we find that our punishment is an unhappy one in a lake of fire!

If this is all there is, then it is clear that every one of us is going to Hell--no exceptions.
There is, however, a great promise of hope!  There is a person who has paid this punishment for us--and his name is Jesus Christ.  The Bible tells us that if we repent of our wrong-doings (sin), turn to God and believe in God's Son, Jesus, that we will be saved!

Romans 10:9-10 NLT:
If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.

Romans 3:21-22 NLT
But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

What does it mean to believe?

Simply agreeing with the Bible will not save you.

James 2:17-20 NLT

So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”

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. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?

What I think James is saying is that if you really believe, your actions will show it.  Now realize this: you will never earn salvation through works!  You definitely don't want to go down that path!

Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Also, don't think that you can go on living in sin.

1 John 5:18 NLT

 We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them.

So, keeping the above in mind: Are you going to Heaven or Hell?

If you know that you're going to the lake of fire or you don't know, please pray the following prayer from your heart--don't ever pray something you don't mean:
Dear God, I am so terribly sorry for my rebellion against you!  I'm a sinner and need your forgiveness.  I know that without your help I am going to Hell--there's no questioning that.  I place my life in your hands from this day forward and believe in my heart 100% that Jesus died for my sins and that you raised him from the dead.  I invite your Son, Jesus Christ to come into my heart as my personal Savior.  I trust that you will change my heart so that I desire all good things and to hate all that is evil in my life.  Thank you so much for sending Jesus to die on the cross for my sins and to pay for them in a way that I could never do on my own!

Did you just receive Jesus?  If you did, I want to be the first one to congratulate and welcome you into God's family!  I encourage you to read the Bible a little bit every day--maybe start with the Gospel of John and work your way through to the end.  I also want to encourage you to find a Bible-believing church to fellowship with other believers, where you can be baptized, worship, and serve with other Christians.  Write today's date down!  It's your new birthday--you've been born again!!  There will be no other day as great as this one in your history on this earth!  Oh, and don't forget to tell others about how Jesus saved you from going to Hell!  Remember, everyone is guilty of breaking God's law and the punishment is stiff.  Good for you!  Now, go out and celebrate your freedom in Jesus Christ with someone!

1 John 5:13 NLT
I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.

I will ask this question one more time:

Are you going to Heaven or Hell?

Is Jesus God? 21 Verses to help you decide

In this post, I will intentionally refrain from much commentary, because I think the verses tell the answer so powerfully that it needs no help.
I personally believe that the answer to this question is so powerful that it will change your whole outlook on the Gospel to the point where you have a thankfulness that was never possible before.

I'd like to allow you to read the Scriptures that mention truths about Jesus and decide for yourself.  I encourage you to look up these verses in your own Bible and contemplate what they mean so that you may know for sure what you believe.  If you see any reference text in bold, that is me emphasizing those words.

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list--only enough to get the point across.

Verses proclaiming something about Jesus

Isaiah 9:6 (NLT)
⁶  For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Colossians 2:9 (NLT)
⁹  For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.

John 14:6-7 (NLT)
⁶  Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
⁷  If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”

John 1:1-5 (NLT) 
¹  In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 
²  He existed in the beginning with God. 
³  God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. 
⁴  The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. 
⁵  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

John 1:14 (NLT) 
¹⁴  So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

What does Jesus say about worship?

Matthew 4:10 (NLT)
¹⁰  “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the LORD your God and serve only him.’”

Luke 4:8 (NLT)
⁸  Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the LORD your God and serve only him.’” 

Jesus Receiving Worship

Matthew 2:11 (NLT) 

¹¹  They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Matthew 14:33 (NLT)
³³  Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.

Matthew 15:25 (NLT)
²⁵  But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, “Lord, help me!”

Matthew 28:9 (NLT)
⁹  And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him.

Matthew 28:16-17 (NLT)
¹⁶  Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.
¹⁷  When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!

Luke 24:52 (NLT)
⁵²  So they worshiped him and then returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy.

John 9:38 (NLT)
³⁸  “Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus.

Hebrews 1:6 (NLT)
⁶  And when he brought his firstborn Son into the world, God said, “Let all of God’s angels worship him.”

1 Peter 3:15 (NLT)
¹⁵  Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.

Revelation 5:14 (NLT)
¹⁴  And the four living beings said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped the Lamb.

Revelation 15:4 (NLT)
⁴  Who will not fear you, Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous deeds have been revealed.”

Revelation 22:3 (NLT)
³  No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him.

Misc.

John 10:33 (NLT)
³³  They replied, “We’re stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God.” 

Conclusion

Now, before I end it here, I want to make sure that you don't think that the Bible is claiming that Jesus is God the Father.  Neither do I want you to take away that there are thee gods.  There's a whole bunch of other Scripture that handles each of those questions, but they are for other posts. :)
Here's a neat way to see all of these verses listed out on biblegateway.com where you can change the version, do a parallel study, and all of the excellent features that site offers.

How does this affect you?

Now that you've looked over these verses, meditate on them.

What do they mean?

Now I encourage you to consider how this impacts your life and service to God.

1. How does this encourage you?
2. How do you feel about Jesus, knowing what you do about Him now, that He came down from Heaven and died for you, specifically, so that you can be with Him for all eternity?
3. What practical ways can this play out in your daily life and to your worship to God?

Thank you for taking the time to consider the evidence!  May your life be ever more blessed as a result!
Peace and Grace from Jesus Christ, the Lord!