OCTOBER 2012 EDITION

Got a question for you…. 

What's up with the Zombie craze? 

The latest hit show on TV is "The Walking Dead", which, by the way, was filmed in Atlanta. 

This year, around Halloween, Atlanta has Atlanta Zombie Apocalypse, which is, and I quote:

"The Atlanta Zombie Apocalypse is an immersive Halloween attraction like nothing seen or experienced before. This isn’t a leisurely stroll through a haunted house. This will feel like you are in a Hollywood movie, running in and out of buildings, up and down stairs and covering a lot of ground as you flee from the undead who all want to eat your brains."

A reviewer says of this event: "The Holy Grail of Halloween zombie events." - deadburiedandback.com.
"The Holy Grail"…really??? Interesting choice for a description!

What is a Zombie? Wikipedia defines it this way: "A zombie is an animated corpse resurrected back to life by mystical means, such as witchcraft" 

Go to a Redbox or Blockbuster Movie Rental Machine and look at the list of titles. If you have not done so, I would commend them to you. It is frightening! What is our fascination with horror films? I must admit being scared out of my wits as a youngster by the first appearance of "The Creature FromThe Black Lagoon" when he bursts up from the depths to snatch a bird from its perch above the water. Frankenstein, Dracula and the Wolfman on the Friday Night Frights telelvision shows were a must see.  Violence, however, then was much more implied than actually portrayed. Since that time, movies have gotten more and more bloody and violent. There is a fascination with death and the undead.

So let me ask you this. "Was Lazarus, who is spoken of in the Gospel of John, Chapter Eleven, a zombie?"  He was an animated corpse resurrected back to life by mystical means!  Was Jesus a zombie? He was an animated corpse resurrected back to life by mystical means!  There is plenty of torture and blood in the crucifixion of Christ. Yet there is no real public fascination with these two historical events. Oh wait, there was no evil intent in their resurrection, no evil source behind their resurrection. There were only ultimate demonstrations of love. That will never sell, today!

Maybe, we are just not packaging the Gospel story in the right way to arouse public curiosity! Maybe if we explained that there are many people among us who are "walking dead." There are, you know, people who are "spiritual zombies." They are physically alive, but spiritually dead.  You could hang a sign on them, "Dead Man Walking." They appear like us, even attending our church services and saying the right things, but inside they are lifeless.

However, as my pastor, Charles Sineath, is fond of saying: "Good News, Good News, Good News."  We do not need a silver bullet or a stake through the heart to bring these folks to spiritual life.

 Here is where it gets interesting. He or she can be an animated corpse resurrected to a new life by mystical means…mystical in a good way. They can receive this new life by the animating force of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit a.k.a. "The Holy Ghost" as it was known in olden times sounds scary! Relax. The Holy Spirit is All Good, All Truth. It is also known as "The Comforter." As God moves in their lives, their spirit is quickened by His Holy Spirit to become a new creation by accepting what God's Son, Jesus Christ, has done for them by dying on the cross to take their sins away. The story does not stop with His dying on the Cross. Three days later, He rose from the dead! Over the next forty days, he appeared to over five hundred people. Then, as His followers watched, He ascended into Heaven. Wow! Talk about a great scene. Definitely was not a horror show!

People seem to be fascinated with the supernatural as evidenced by the choices of movies and TV shows that are popular. Well, there is good supernatural and supernatural that is saturated with evil. Which appeals to you more? Are you willing to open yourselves to the possibility of being possessed by a Spirit? Spooky sounding, isn't it? Not by a long shot! It is where a new life begins…a new life with the possibility of hope, peace, joy and love. 

Hang a new sign... "Man Fully Alive, Forever"

Blessings to each of you dear friends who make this ministry possible through your prayers, encouragement and support.