Halloween with Paul McDonald and Britt Mooney

Oct 29

Paul McDonald and Britt Mooney talk about the classic slasher film Halloween starring Jamie Lee Curtis. Evil exists, and will always target horny teenagers. As followers of Jesus, we are targets of Satan’s fierce hatred, and doing God’s will puts us in the crosshairs. Our only hope is to stay close to God, humbly submitting to His plan, even when it looks all wrong. Don’t throw away your knife, and let’s explore God’s truth in this movie.

Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Quotes

Evil always targets horny teenagers.
Evil is a force, but it’s also personal.
Evil targets us when we do the will of the Father.
Just because you believe the devil doesn’t exist to attack you doesn’t mean you’re safe.
We spend years trying to make sense of the world as a dark and broken place without accounting for the existence evil.
The ultimate work of God is redemption and reconciliation, so that we can become His children.
It’s love to expose the existence of evil.
Satan is not on God’s level.
You want a world with no evil. You want heaven. But there’s only one way to get there.
The core work of God is the redemption of our heart. And the focus on the enemy’s attacks is on our hearts, to prevent that restoration from happening, and to doubt the heart of God for us.
God is after the redemption and renewal of our hearts, and Satan is vehemently opposed to that.
Evil wears a mask because the enemy is a liar. Unmasking evil removes the power because the deception is removed.
We were powerless to change our fate, but God entered in and changed it for us.
In order to change your destiny, you have to change your source. Source determines end. How you begin is how you can end. We came from earth, and we are destined to return. But He changes our source—we can be born from heaven so we go back to heaven. Our destiny is changed.
Salvation is a call to adventure.
Doing the will of the Father will put us in the crossfire.

Themes

Evil exists and we have to be ready. And not just evil, but absolute, unreasonable, unrelenting evil. And it’s personal. Don’t underestimate it. Satan’s work is to thwart the work of God. We are powerless against absolute evil. Satan is inhumanely patient.
Names of Satan: The Accuser, The Destroyer, The Deceiver, The Adversary, murderer, the Tempter, Prince of the Power of the Air, Ruler of this World. He works to thwart the purpose and work of God. You can trust him to try to kill you, to lie to you, and to accuse you.
Satan uses the law to torment and threaten, tempts us to break God’s law, and then beats us over the head when we give in.
What the world calls crazy and paranoid is actually the truth. Denying and minimizing what is really happening is what is ridiculous.
When we see evil, we can respond with, “If God is good, He is not God (powerless to stop evil).” Or “If God is God, then He is not good (for allowing bad things to happen when He has the power to stop it.”
If evil exists, and we are powerless against it, our next question should be, “Who can help me?”
We want the perfect world, but most people use education to accomplish it (or work, or striving). What it actually looks like is the world in your image. Utopia is a world we have designed to fit our needs in our ways.
Followers of Jesus are targets of the enemy, one who knows us and tempts us achieve a desired good through the doing of wrong.
When we feel frustrated with the world, when bad things happen that we don’t understand, our response should be humility and submission to God.
There’s only one person who can reveal the deception of the enemy. The Holy Spirit leads us into all truth.
The power of the gospel is our fate has changed, and we know the fate of evil. Satan loses.
Evil is persistent, personal. Evil wears a mask. It’s out to get you, it’s out to kill. And although we might be victorious today, the battle starts again tomorrow.
The discipline of relationship

Resources

For more fun talking about Halloween, check out the Rewatchables podcast, also released this week: https://www.theringer.com/2021/10/26/22746154/halloween-with-bill-simmons-and-chris-ryan. (Also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts—just like us!).
“One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.” -Job 1:6-12 (NIV)
“On another day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. And the Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.” “Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has for his own life. But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.” The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.” -Job 2:1-7 (NIV)
“The greatest lie the devil ever told is that he doesn’t exist.” -Kaiser Soze, The Usual Suspects
“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” -Ephesians 6:12 (NLT)
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” -Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV)
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” -1 Peter 5:8 (ESV)
“The enemy uses chaos as a customized force, or weapon, that is specifically designed to take us out in the places we are most vulnerable. And Jesus counters that, offering to fill us with life instead. That’s why so much of the chaos in your world seems personal. Because it is.” – Allen Arnold, Chaos Can’t: Overcome What Comes Against You in This Shaken World
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” - Proverbs 4:23
“Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.” -2 Corinthians 2:10-11
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” -James 4:7
“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” -C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory
“Put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” -Ephesians 5:13-17 (NLT)

Questions

What if evil existed?
What if what you think is crazy is actually the truth?
What if evil spirits were around the world, tormenting humans and thwarting the kingdom of God? Spirits of fear, anger, isolation?
What is the work of God? How has Satan tried to thwart that in your life? What trauma, wounds, pain, and loss have you experienced?
Where do you feel angry at God for the evil that occurs? Be honest, and be specific.
When you look at the world, what makes you the most upset? What injustice or harm causes the most emotional response? How does that reflect God’s heart?
How do you think the perfect world can be achieved?
How have you been tempted to achieve a desired good in a wrong way?
How have you doubted the heart of God?
Where have you felt, “If God really loved me, this thing would or would not have happened?”
How often do you ask God to interpret what’s going on? If you haven’t, when the enemy attacks, pause and take a moment to ask God for His wisdom and His interpretation, and He will unmask the enemy.
Where are you tempted to give up?

Paul McDonald