What We Should Be Celebrating on October 31

What We Should Be Celebrating on October 31

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

As Christians, many of us have become so caught up in whether or not or how we should or shouldn’t celebrate Halloween that we have either forgotten or have never learned what is important about and worthy of celebration on October 31.

On Oct 31, 1517, Martin Luther (then a Catholic monk) posted his 95 Theses (or

statements) on the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. This act started

the  historical movement known as the Reformation. The Reformation was the great rediscovery of the good news of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV):

⁸ For  by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Although, Reformation Day is more commonly celebrated in the Lutheran Church,

Martin Luther should be celebrated as a hero of faith by all Christians. The Protestant churches that many of us worship in today are the result of Luther's efforts to restore the gospel, salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, to the hearts of Christians.  The Catholic Church, as well, went through a major reformation during the ensuing years. 

Therefore, Halloween is a time for us to war in the opposite spirit by celebrating our covenant in Jesus Christ and turning from the ugliness, the wickedness, the witchcraft that the world celebrates.  It is a time to celebrate life in Christ rather than death.  It is a time of walking in faith instead of seeking out fear.

May we, like Luther, courageously stand for the truth, light and life in the Body of Christ.  

Today, nearly 500 years since the time of Martin Luther, it is time for another Reformation.  Let’s boldly place these theses on the door of the Temple, the hearts of Christians:

Unity in doctrine; diversity in worship—Let’s stand together in the knowledge that our sin has separated us from God, that God the Father sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to the Cross to pay the penalty for our sin, that Jesus died, was buried and rose again and that He is coming back for those who have, by faith, accepted His sacrifice.  Let’s then allow believers to worship in spirit and in truth whether it is with pipe organs or guitars and drums, formal liturgy or flowing in the Spirit, or classical or contemporary music, or an eclectic, yet spiritual, mixture of all.

Repudiation of “progressive” Christianity—Progressive Christians believe that the Bible is no longer relevant and must be reinterpreted for our time.  Basically, progressive Christians do away with salvation by grace, the Ten Commandments, and the Cross, and become gods unto themselves.

Denunciation of Replacement Theology—Replacement Theology states the Church has replaced Israel in the heart of God so we can just forget that nation and its people.  Believers in Replacement Theology don’t understand that when the Lord makes a blood covenant with a people and pronounces that covenant as lasting forever that He means “forever.”  Those who choose Replacement Theology also choose to ignore Romans 11 which teaches us that we, as Christians, have been grafted into the olive tree that is Israel. 

October 31 is a day to celebrate the courage of a man who stood for the truth of the gospel.  It is, likewise, a day to reaffirm our commitment to biblical truth.