Chi Alpha

Harry Potter has become a phenomenal children’s literature and movie success. TV shows like The X Files, Charmed, Supernatural, and Lost are huge television hits. Millions of people turn to psychics to find out “how to cross over” and touch the mystical, the divine, and the paranormal.

How is a follower of Jesus to respond to our culture’s fascination with magic, the occult, and the paranormal? The answer from 1 John 4:1 is biblical discernment.

The Bible describes a supernatural universe in which good and evil wage war in the heavenlies (Ephesians 6:10-18, Revelation 12:7). The conflicts between God’s angels and Satan’s demons is usually kept out of sight from humanity. Yet human interest and participation in occult practices can open a door to interaction with evil spirits that humans are not equipped for. Scripture says these spirit beings often masquerade as “an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14), and can easily deceive humans.

That is why when occult leaders claim to contact the spirit world, talk “only” with good spirits, and practice white (or good) magic, they are revealing their own naivete. How does anyone “know” what they contact in the spirit world is good or bad? In the physical world in which we live, we utilize background checks, credit reports, and reviewer ratings (even a lie detector test), to figure out if a person is telling the truth and has dependable character. How do you accomplish those sorts of steps with a spirit being or entity?

When evil masquerades as light or good, it can cause serious harm and or confusion. Jesus commanded a demon (evil spirit) to release a man he forcefully controlled in Luke 4:33-37. In Acts 16:16-24, the apostle Paul was followed by a slave girl who had the ability to tell the future by occult power. The young woman’s words were confusing to those who heard her. One day Paul got fed up by how she was being used by evil for economic gain and said, “In the name of Jesus, I command you to come out of her.” An evil spirit masquerading as an angel of light was rebuked from her body and the girl was set free.

2 Corinthians 4:4 is accurate. He who is with us is greater than he who is in the world. What power there is in the name and person of Jesus. Experimenting with the dark forces of the occult, or engaging the spirit world is dangerous. It can only lead to darkness or bondage, because the enemy of our soul is committed to steal, kill, and destroy us (John 10:10). The contrast to darkness is the light and freedom available in God’s Kingdom - available by the way of obedience to God. Think theologically. Evil lurks in the occult’s false light. Do you know of people dabbling in the occult? How can you alert them to the danger of what they are doing? How can you pray them?

Love is a verb,

Mike Olejarz

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I met a student a few years ago who told me he once hacked his way into a mainframe computer and got an “A” for his efforts. He was a 4.0 student in his high school class and had to complete one of three projects to graduate. He chose the project that would test his skill and benefit his school as well.

Once he received permission from his principal and the teacher who served as project leader, he began hacking his way into their computer system. School officials knew he had been successful when they reviewed his records and saw his GPA dropped below 2.0.

The straight “A” student got a top mark for the project and graduated with honors. His high school also benefited as they learned how to improve security for the school system computer network. The High school had a problem but didn’t realize it. It took a young man, with some initiative and know how, to reveal weaknesses that needed to be addressed and fixed.

In the New Testament we are introduced to a man with great knowledge of Scripture and the Christian faith, helping a younger man overcome his spiritual weaknesses. Paul was assisting Timothy to gain a bolder, Scripture inspired faith.

In a letter to his student (1 Timothy 6:11-21), Paul challenged Timothy with action words like flee, pursue, fight, take hold of, keep, guard, and turn away. The mentor’s goal was to root and equip the younger man to become mature in the Christian faith - strong and secure in who he is in Christ - and how to follow Jesus and make His name more famous in the world.

Paul said in 1 Timothy 6:20, “Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge.” The student was receiving instruction and help to avoid the problems and pitfalls of wrong thinking and actions.

Do you have a mentor in your life (i.e, like Paul) that is helping you become more like Jesus? If not, look around and find a stronger believer in Jesus who can help you address the weaknesses in your life and help you learn and apply Scripture to your life. A true mentor (or discipler) will lovingly address your weaknesses while helping you establish a strong understanding of what you are supposed to believe as a Christian and why.

Seek out someone to help smooth the rough spots out of your faith - no hacking necessary.

Love is a verb,

Mike Olejarz

P.S. Some of you should also be thinking about who you can mentor in the faith. Who is your Timothy? Eric would be glad to offer training and coaching in how you can assist others to follow you as you follow Christ.

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Susan was excited about her date on Friday night. Raphael had asked her to go to dinner and a movie. Not only did she like the restaurant they were planning to go to, but the movie was one she hadn’t seen yet. And she was interested in Raphael, because they had spent time together in biology class and lab and seemed to have a lot in common. Susan wanted to make a good first impression (and you only get once chance), so she wore her favorite sweater, jeans and shoes, She looked and felt great.

After dinner, she excused herself to go to the restroom. She fixed her hair a bit and put on some lip gloss. Just right, she thought. Then she smiled in the mirror and saw a piece of green vegetable right between her two front teeth. She thought to herself, “Yikes, that looks bad. I should remove it, but nah, I’ll do it later. I’m having way too much fun. And besides, Raphael won’t notice.”

That episode may not happen in real life, but it does happen in our spiritual lives. The Bible says we should not only read and meditate on Scripture, but do what it says (James 1:22-25). Reading Scripture and walking away without doing anything about it, or allowing the Word to change us, is like walking away with food between our teeth.

Spending time in God’s Word daily and thinking about how we relate to God (and others) helps us see the sin in our life. The Word of God helps us “see” the green vegetable in our teeth. Then we realize that we cannot do anything to get rid of the sin without God’s help. We see the need for help because we honestly see the sin in us.

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you your sin and the remedy for forgiveness and change. That will require you to 1) admit your sin (even to a trusted friend), 2) be willing to forsake it, and 3) accept God’s forgiveness. God can cleanse you (1 John 1:9) and help you get back on the path to a more fruitful ad obedient life.

Grow devotionally this week. As you read Scripture, ask the Lord to reveal to you a greater sense of His holiness. You will find yourself not only reflecting on the purity of God, but yearning to be more like Him. Look into the Word of God and let it do its work.

Love is a verb,

Mike Olejarz

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An alumni of Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship - Boston introduced me to indoor rock climbing when she was a student at Boston University years ago. Celeste told me about this new sport, (which also has its own vocabulary), and helped me try it on a fall retreat in New Hampshire. I didn’t know a carabiner from a cantaloupe. I thought a hex was something that witches would utilize in their line of work. Now I know that a carabiner is a metal loop that you use to attach safety devices, and a hex is something you can put in a crack to keep you from falling when you are climbing outdoors.

Then there are the two key terms used in climbing: bouldering and belaying. Bouldering is climbing rocks freestyle - without a rope to stop you if you fall. Belaying means you are climbing with the help of a rope, and a companion is holding the rope for your safety. One is solo, the other is done with the help of others (or communal).

It seems to me that this is a good way to examine our spiritual lives. Are we using the bouldering or the belaying method? Are we trying to make it by ourselves in our walk with Jesus, or are we seeking and relying on the help of others? Before you answer, remember that it in rock climbing, the danger of falling is much greater if we are bouldering our way through life.

When you go it alone spiritually, you run the danger of coming up with some very bad ideas about the Christian life and the faith, not to mention the Bible. You also run the risk of growing tired and falling spiritually because you have no support system. Even if you have a lot of others bouldering with you, you are not connected and can’t really help each other.

The belaying method is the way to go. Find a trusted brother or sister in Christ to mutually support one another in life. Join a small group Bible study on campus to build and develop faith and friendship. Take initiative to live in community, like the picture of the first century church in Acts 2:42-47. Live communally.

It could make a difference between a successful climb, or a tragic fall.

Key: Going through life alone leads to a lonely end.

Love is a verb,

Mike O

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