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TruthTalks on www.truthistheword.com by Dr. Chris Peppler

TruthTalks: The Righteous Among the Rogues – A Reflection on Psalm 37

TruthTalks on www.truthistheword.com by Dr. Chris Peppler

The very first line in Psalm 37 is: “Do not fret because of those who are evil…”

Well I’m already feeling inadequate because I fret, stress and get horribly angry over those who are evil! In this TruthTalks podcast, Dr Christopher Peppler breaks down Psalm 37 for us in a manageable way and shows us how to use it to enhance our lives and put the wisdom written here into practice. If you would prefer to read the post this is based on, please click HERE. By the way, if you read Psalm 37, you will be pleased when you get to verse 17 and further, as it shows us how many delights WE have to look forward to and live in as children of God.

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Halloween

It is better to wean than to hallow

Halloween is relatively new to South African society. It has no roots in our traditions or heritage yet some folk embrace it because it seems ‘fun’ and the children like it.

The purpose of this little tract is to provide parents with some background to this pagan celebration, the implications of engaging in its activities, and suggestions for alternative approaches to what is in reality a potentially ‘evil’ celebration.

Halloween has its genesis in an ancient Celtic festival to honour the ‘lord of the dead’ , Samhain. The Celtic year began on the 1st November and on the last day of their year, 31st October, the spirits of the dead were said to return to their homes. To ward off these spirits the Celts used to perform rituals, sacrifice animals and humans and light bonfires on nearby hill tops. It was also a time when practitioners of the magic arts attempted to contact the dead and to divine the future because this day was seen as a ‘conjunction’ of the dark spirit world with our material world.

The early Roman Catholic church tried to ‘Christianise’ this ancient pagan festival by proclaiming 1st November as a festival for honouring the church saints. They called it ‘All saints day’ and referred to the night preceding it as the ‘hallowed eve’; hence the name ‘hallow–een’ was applied to 31st October.

The colours associated with Halloween are orange and black. These symbolise the orange of the bonfires and the black of night. Today we call these festive fires bonfires but they were originally designated as bone-fires because the bodies of the sacrifices were burned in them. The Celts used to dance around and jump through the flames as the bodies burned. They believed that by doing this they would be purified and protected from the evil spirits abroad that night.

Another device they used for warding off evil was a candle within a hollowed out turnip or pumpkin. They called these ‘Jack-o-lanterns’ and carried them during the night of Samhain (Halloween).

Sometime in the 16th century witches and goblins were added to the mix. The witches were pictured as riding on broom sticks and the goblins were portrayed as black cats. These witches and their tiny companions were believed to move from house to house offering protection from the evil dead in return for favours. If no ‘treat’ was offered they would play a mean ‘trick’ on the house owners.

Halloween, the 31st October, is today one of the two great high days in the occult world. The first high day is April 30th and is called ‘Walpurgisnacht’, the ‘witches Sabbath’. The second high day is Halloween, the gateway between Hell and Earth! On these nights sacrifices are still made, blood is spilled and devotees walk through the glowing coals of the bone fires.

Now, tell me, do you want your children involved, in any way, with this sort of thing? Some argue that it is just a fun time for the kids and that if one doesn’t believe in it then it can’t do any harm. This, in my opinion, is a very naive view; in the spirit world colours, clothes, occasions and activities have significance and impact. Participation in any way is, by implication, association and carries with it real spiritual danger.

Of course the children put a lot of pressure on parents; “EVERYONE is going trick-or-treating so why can’t I?” You have three options – to shun, to Christianise or to sanitise. To shun is to have nothing to do with it at all; in other words, to forbid your children from participating – but don’t be surprised if they ask to sleep over with a friend on that night. To Christianise would be to try and put the events into a Christian context. For instance, have the Halloween party on the church premises and try to explain the pagan elements or put a Christian ‘spin’ on them. This is not really a good idea because in all probability you will be tacitly sanctioning Halloween and making it appear respectable. The final option is to sanitise it by removing the harmful elements. For instance, you could hold a party in your own home and control the activities. This could also be seen as embracing the spirit of Halloween.

My best advice is that you explain to your children why it is not a good idea for them to participate in Halloween and then to ensure that you have some good, non Halloween, activities planned for that night. A visit to the ice rink, dinner at a steak house, a movie, or something like that would do the trick – your children’s best friends included of course. In other words, explain it, shun it and replace it.

Deuteronomy 18:10-13 is helpful.

May God BLESS you and give you both discernment and wisdom.

 

 

 

 

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The Rose Among the Thorns

In my day, the gallant thing to say to a woman who found herself seated between two men was, “Ah, my dear, you are surely a rose between two thorns.”

Of course if I said that today to anyone under fifty she would probably think that I was strange to say the least. In the Song of Solomon the young woman refers to herself as a rose of Sharon (SS 2:1). Some commentators understand the Song of Solomon to be an allegory of Christ and the church and so, in this context, they see the rose as representing the Lord Jesus. Certainly, when Jesus was nailed to a cross between two criminals He was the epitome of a rose between two thorns.

The Apostle Paul uses the illustration of a thorn in his flesh to describe a troublesome condition that the Lord made use of to keep him humble and grounded; ‘To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh…’ (2 Corinthians 12:7). Paul pleaded with the Lord three times to have it taken from him but Jesus’ answer was, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (Verse 9).

There is no end to the theological debate that has ensued over the centuries as to what Paul meant when he wrote that his ‘thorn’ was a messenger of Satan sent to torment him, but I won’t attempt to deal with that in this short article. My view is simply that Paul had some sort of affliction that God used redemptively to keep him humble, and the devil used to torment him. There has also been endless speculation as to the exact nature of Paul’s thorn in the flesh. Some say anxiety over his pre-Christian past; others claim it represented his critics such as the ‘super apostles’ of Corinth; yet others claim that Paul was an epileptic or that he suffered from migraines. It is all just speculation, but I believe there is reasonable evidence to show that Paul was probably suffering from deteriorating eye sight (GalatiRoseans 4:!3, 15 6:11).

Perhaps it is best that we do not know for sure what the thorn in the flesh actually was because it allows us all to relate to Paul in his affliction. If we are struggling with relationship problems or physical illness or infirmity we can relate both to Paul’s problem and also to Jesus’ prescription. When Paul asked for relief the Lord simply said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9). When Kenneth Taylor produced the original Living Bible he translated the first part of this verse as; “No. But I am with you; that is all you need.”

Here’s the thing – afflictions have the potential of drawing us closer than ever to Jesus. Often, it is only when we are experiencing a severe thorn in the flesh that we realise our need for the Lord and admit our dependence upon Him. We cry out to Him and ask Him to heal or release us, but sometimes He simply says, “No….. but I am with you and that is all you need.”
About a year ago a member of my congregation was living through the final stages of a long struggle with cancer. One Sunday after the church service I sat with her and asked her how she was doing. She told me that she knew she only had a short time left in this world. She expressed her concern for her family and confessed her moments of doubt and fear. Then she looked me in the eyes and said, “It has been hard Chris, but I would not swop this experience for anything because it has drawn me so close to Jesus.” She was not trying to be pious or religiously correct; she was expressing a profound and sincere truth – His grace was sufficient for her.

When times of affliction overtake us, as they surely will, we have but three possible responses. Some people become angry with God and cry out, if only in their hearts, “Why me? I don’t deserve this! Why don’t you do something God!” This is not a good response. God does not afflict his dearly loved children. If we think that He has sent our affliction upon us then it is likely that our anger will simmer in defensive resentment and any redemptive value in the ‘thorn’ will be lost. Other folk see their afflictions as an attack by the devil and focus their time and energy on fighting him to the death. As a pastor I have sometimes seen people reacting aggressively to their condition and putting themselves, and their families, through a pseudo-military campaign to combat the devils attack on their health and welfare. So often this yields very little other than strained relationships and the loss of valuable time, energy and resources. The third option is to see the affliction as an opportunity to draw closer to Jesus. He becomes the first priority for time and effort; other key relationships become the second priority; and then together with the Lord and our loved ones we utilise all the resources of medical science, society and church to journey together through the time of affliction. If we do this we will find the Rose among the thorns – we will find Jesus in the midst of our affliction.

 

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About Me

My name is Christopher Peppler and I was born in Cape Town, South Africa in 1947. While working in the financial sector I achieved a number of business qualifications from the Institute of Bankers, Damelin Management School, and The University of the Witwatersrand Business School. After over 20 years as a banker, I followed God’s calling and joined the ministry full time. After becoming a pastor of what is now a quite considerable church, I  earned an undergraduate theological qualification from the Baptist Theological College of Southern Africa and post-graduate degrees from two United States institutions. I was also awarded the Doctor of Theology in Systematic Theology from the University of Zululand in 2000.

Four years before that I established the South African Theological Seminary (SATS), which today is represented in over 70 countries and has more than 2 500 active students enrolled with it. I presently play an role supervising Masters and Doctoral students.

I am a passionate champion of the Christocentric or Christ-centred Principle, an approach to biblical interpretation and theological construction that emphasises the centrality of Jesus

I have been happily married to Patricia since the age of 20, have two children, Lance and Karen, a daughter-in-law Tracey, and granddaughters Jessica and Kirsten. I have now retired from both church and seminary leadership and devote my time to writing, discipling, and the classical guitar.

If you would like to read my testimony to Jesus then click HERE.