Having Fellowship with Demons

I just listened to a message by Pastor Rick Renner addressing the topic of Christians participating in Halloween activities. In “How Did the Early Church Respond?” Pastor Renner referenced the Apostle Paul’s message to the Corinthians. In which Paul explained that by hanging around pagan temples and eating meat offered to idols, the Corinthian believers were inadvertently having fellowship with the demons behind the idol worship. (1 Corinthians 10:20)

Classical demons …

We know that an idol is nothing but a hunk of wood or metal (1 Corinthians 10:19). (Or wood, or clay, and can neither hear nor see nor walk – Rev. 9:20. – Ed.) Yet there were demons inspiring men to worship the idols in those temples. And just as bad company corrupts, hanging around those temples and the demons in them exposed the believers to some seriously bad company. Therefore, Paul instructed them to “flee from idolatry.” (1 Corinthians 10:14)

Pastor Renner makes the case that if Paul thought we should flee from pagan temples where demons hang out, then Paul would probably urge believers to steer clear of activities with demonic, pagan origins as well. Even if the ghosts and goblins displayed on people’s front lawns are fake, the demons behind the origins of the observance are real. So why would we want to even pretend to have fellowship with them?

Pastor Renner and the Apostle Paul’s comments prompted me to consider another application of the same principle.

… and doctrines of demons

Idols, temples, and pagan festivals aren’t the only places demons hang out. The Bible talks about doctrines of demons (1 Timothy 4:1). It also describes a form of wisdom that is earthly, sensual, and demonic (James 3:15). Evil spirits influence people with twisted wisdom and false knowledge. This results in doctrines, or “concepts” that in turn get spread to others.

This can be more dangerous than a pagan temple full of demons. If you walk into a temple where people are worshiping idols, you’ll probably be aware of a demonic presence. You can then guard yourself against the influence. However, doctrines of demons can show up in places where you’re not guarding against them, taking you unawares.

Evolution, gender fluidity, and secular humanism

One example of a demonic doctrine is the theory of evolution that denies the Creator as the source of creation. It thus twists our perception and perverts our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

Another demonic form of wisdom is the concept of gender fluidity. Which opens the mind to entertaining demonically inspired thoughts that one might be of a gender other than their biological sex. Yet both of these demonically inspired concepts are prevalent in government schools. Where children’s minds are open to instruction, and thus, susceptible to demonically inspired doctrines.

When we sit down to watch the six o’clock news, we tend to open our minds to a picture of the world the reporters paint for us. However, over time, I have observed that the dominant news media reports on the affairs of the day as viewed through a Godless, secular humanist worldview.

Secular humanism is a belief system that excludes the Creator and substitutes human reason as the highest source of knowledge. Thus, a secular humanist worldview tells us what the world looks like when viewed through the eyes of mortal man unenlightened by his Creator and unbounded by the context of objective truth. This of course leads to a false perception of the world around us and of human affairs.

Another, uglier side of fake news

Letting the news media put a picture before our eyes of a world where God is not a part of the equation, subtly undermines a Biblical worldview and gradually teaches us to view God as irrelevant to the affairs of man. This is the work of secular humanism, which makes secular humanism just one more of the doctrines of demons.

I’m not telling you to never watch the news. But I am telling you to be cautious. Temper what you hear with a strong dose of Biblical worldview to counterbalance it. Just because you don’t see any idols being worshiped doesn’t mean you’re not in the company of demons subtly teaching you their doctrines.

Political compromise

And what about the political parties, power brokers, and pundits who teach Christians that we have to compromise our values to elect the guy who can beat the other guy? Only a demon would teach the doctrine that you have to compromise your principles to obtain the power necessary to implement your principles. Yet for decades now I’ve observed Christians hanging out in places where such things are taught. They then unwittingly have fellowship with the demons behind the corrupt political entities that teach such things.

While I certainly agree with Pastor Renner’s reasons for not participating in Halloween, I find government schools, the news media, and certain political entities to be an even greater danger than the ghosts and goblins on people’s front lawns. For these are mere cardboard cutouts of the actual demons whose doctrines we often unwittingly have fellowship with.