Guard Against the Dark Side
Church at Dragon Con is a unique experience but the faith is the same
This last weekend was the Labor Day holiday for us in the United States. For my family and me, that means Dragon Con in Atlanta. We are huge science fiction and fantasy nerds. My number one goal was getting George Takei's autograph to finish my set of the original cast of Star Trek. We also see friends who live in Tennessee, Alabama, and other regions of Georgia.
During this weekend, I fully expected to miss church and Sunday school. I had a lesson prepared, which I left in class, but I would miss church so my family could have this vacation. Well, God had other plans.
One of my friends mentioned Fans For Christ had a table set up in the Hyatt, and was I going to church on Sunday? It stopped me in my tracks. FFC has been absent from Dragon Con for a number of years, as far as I knew (it turns out they were there but under another name.) My friend told me when and where the service would be, so I planned to attend and did. This Monday Morning With Jesus is based on the service delivered at the convention by a science fiction fan and follower of Jesus Christ, Chad Sides. Chad is also one of the leadership team members responsible for rejuvenating Fans For Christ.
Who are Fans For Christ? Here is what they have listed on their website, which you can find HERE. The website doesn't have much yet because they are in the rebuilding stages and, frankly, don't have a lot of donations yet to afford such things.
About Fans for Christ
Fans For Christ (often referred to as FFC) is a group of Christians who are fans of entertainment generally considered to be nerdy or geeky. Sci-Fi, fantasy, anime/cartoons, games of all kinds (video, board, and card), comic books, superheroes, and horror are some of our most common. We profess Christ above all fandoms and bond over our enjoyment of geeky entertainment.
Theologically, Fans For Christ doesn't adhere to a single denomination. They minister, preach, and evangelize from a church-universal approach. This welcomes believers of all faiths without feeling exclusionary. If you fit into the About description and you love Jesus, I encourage you to check out their Facebook group as it is getting back on its feet. That will give you the best avenue of information about what conventions FFC plans to attend, where they need volunteer help, and a place to ask all the unanswered questions you might have. That's who FFC is. Let's get into the message Chad presented on Sunday.
The Fall of the Jedi: Don't Fall Away from Jesus
Chad Sides delivered the message. I’ll link to his site HERE if you want to know more about him. The service was simple with three musicians and Chad. We didn’t take an offering. There were a few other volunteers running sound, mics, and assorted other activities.
Chad opened by talking about Star Wars and the three new movies. Full disclosure: I didn't enjoy the first two and haven't yet even seen the third and last installment. Chad's message focuses on that last movie, which I will have to try to see now.
Chad opened up with the idea that he didn't like how the character of Luke was treated in the film. Luke trains Ben Solo in the ways of the force, but the Dark Side seduces the young Ben and becomes Kylo Ren, an evil Sith, out to destroy the rebellion. I'm not going to rehash the movies other than to connect the deconstruction of Luke as he withdraws from the world, which he sees as a noble act, with how some Christians withdraw from the church.
It's the idea of "deconstructing Christianity," which, for me, looked like this. My mother made me go to a Methodist church when I was younger. I participated in youth, went to services, etc. However, once I got to know the people in that church, it seemed it was all about who was driving what car, dating which boy or girl, breaking the rules, and who had the most expensive things. I didn't think that was what God was about, so I decided all churches must be like that, so I withdrew from organized religion altogether. Me and God could do this by ourselves. I even had scripture to back me up.
6But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Matthew 6:6 (KJV 1900)
Notice I've quoted a single verse out of context here, but that was my justification. Jesus wants us in a closet where no one can see us praying. I don't need to go to a church to be a faithful follower of Jesus. I'm going to make senior pastors across the world faint with my next statement. You really don't need the church to be a faithful follower of Jesus. You don't. The salvation of Jesus Christ does not revolve around any building, pastor, or congregation. Your personal salvation revolves around your profession of faith in Jesus Christ and nothing else. Anyone who says any differently hasn't read scripture.
6Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
7 "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him."
John 14:6–7 (NASB95)
Then why do we need church?
We need the church, the buildings, the pastor, and the members to help us grow in our faith. We need the church to help us better serve our ministry and the ministries of others. We need the church because we are stronger together, can accomplish more together, and can keep on the path of God better as a community. Can a single individual live their whole life by themselves without ever going to church and still go to Heaven simply because they walked with God on their own? Yes, but they will never mature in their Christian faith beyond a certain point. They one-hundred percent limit what they can do, who they are, and what they can accomplish for the Kingdom of God by going it alone.
You need the church if you are to grow
12For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
13For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.
14But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.
Hebrews 5:12–14 (NASB95)
All of that comes from the idea that deconstructing Christians are walking away from buildings and people but not God. They need those buildings and people to grow. It is on us, the occupants of those buildings, to be better people so they turn around and walk back into church instead of away from it.
How do we do that?
First of all, the truth is not afraid of questions. If you walk into a church building and people in positions of authority aren't willing to let you question their biblical positions, you need to walk out of those buildings. Truth isn't afraid of being questioned. Truth only needs a fair hearing, and it will reveal falsehood on its own. In fact, we don't need to champion it like waving a flag and picking fights. We simply need to carry truth with us and reject lies whenever and wherever we see them, but we must be able to have the conversation about the truth and the lies so people can see we really are standing on the Rock of Truth in Jesus.
In Chad's message, he began listing how he'd seen people hurt others and drive them out of the buildings. Hurt by congregations, which is on those other people, but also hurt by individuals like ourselves. That one, I am sad to say, I have done in my immaturity, thinking I alone had a corner on the market of understanding scripture. How do we resist this? First, we make sure we aren't supporting a "Man-Made Religion." What is that? That is when what we say and espouse in church doesn't match what we do out in the world. This happens when our words and actions do not match up with what God says we should say and do in scripture. We become hypocrites in the eyes of those who see us and no longer reflect the light and love of Jesus to a fallen world.
23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.
24 "You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!
25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.
26 "You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.
Matthew 23:23–26 (NASB95)
Everyone has problems. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Where I am strong, others are weak, and where I lack the ability to resist something, someone else does not care about it. Our immature failing is to see the world and try to force everyone to accept it the way we see it. Perception from someone else's viewpoint who grew up differently will make the world look absolutely different to that person or people. We need to adjust our perception first before we lean in to whisper corrections and solutions to problems we've never experienced to someone else.
How does that look in churches?
That is where modern churches fail and excel at the same time. They fail because they want to create a "Modern Jesus" that "appeals more to modern people" rather than letting the truth of Jesus in scripture do that job for them. Because they fail to understand the Jesus of scripture, they think they must invent a "New Jesus" out of distortions, half-truths, and lies. The challenge for us as Christians is distinguishing ourselves from these false depictions of Christ because worldly people think we are all the same.
24 "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.
25 "Behold, I have told you in advance.
26 "So if they say to you, 'Behold, He is in the wilderness,' do not go out, or, 'Behold, He is in the inner rooms,' do not believe them.
27 "For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
Matthew 24:24–27 (NASB95)
I will neither predict we are in the end times nor venture a prediction about when it will come. I will say we live in a time when false prophets abound, and we would do well to read scripture for ourselves to discern on our own when we have met one. That reading is important because, as Chad pointed out, scripture has answers to who we are, who God is, and what God has for us to do. Scripture also has reassurances when doubt creeps in because, as Chad said earlier in the message, the truth doesn't mind being questioned. God isn't worried about your doubts.
That's the tie-in to the Star Wars movies. Ben Solo, who became Kylo Ren, an evil Sith Lord, was mistreated by Luke. Ben Solo deconstructed the Jedi, leading him to the Dark Side as he fell away from Luke's Jedi teachings. That happened because Ben Solo failed to guard his heart and because a frail human being was Ben's teacher. We have an example of how to both teach and be a student in scripture.
Jesus had His own betrayer in Judas. However, Jesus didn't treat him badly but instead fed him and washed his feet, knowing he would betray Him to the authorities. Jesus knew this would lead to His execution on the cross, and still, He treated Judas kindly anyway. This is the example of what Romans 13 means.
5Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake.
6For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.
7Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.
8Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
9For this, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
10Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Romans 13:5–10 (NASB95)
Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17; Leviticus 19:18
Don't let other people's failure to follow and understand the love of Jesus drive you out of the building or away from the faithful. That's Chad's point. Where do we find these things that threaten to drive us out of the church? Chad suggested the following places that we can use to identify areas and places that divide us rather than unite us.
Political discussion
This one is obvious or should be. If it isn't obvious, begin a conversation with anyone you like with a statement about why you like any political candidate. You'll understand quickly why politics divides us. Scripture has nothing to do with which political party you or I support. Scripture isn't about politics. It is about truth, what God has done, and what we should do in response to God's actions.
Lack of faith in the Bible
There are several great books out there that explain both sides of this. You'll have to do your own research, but Lee Strobel's book Case for Christ is a great source to understand why the King James Version of the scripture can be trusted as having been preserved from Jesus' time to ours. Chad brought up the Dead Sea Scrolls, and there's a lot of good information there that provides evidence that we can trust the scripture. There are also many, many articles out there that explain the other side of why you cannot trust scripture. This begins the education of what faith truly is. The bottom line is that if you do not allow the Bible to be God's Word to speak change or reassurance into your life, it is no better than any other book touted on the New York Times best-seller list.
The idea of Jesus wasn't real
Very few people hold this, but one of the arguments against Christianity is that Jesus wasn't real. Josephus and his books, as well as Roman writings, admit, if nothing else, that Jesus was a real person. You can find those sources online, but reputable historians accept the sources that cite Jesus as real. I no longer have discussions with people who come at me with this absurd notion that Jesus wasn't real. They aren't serious people to me, and I don't spend any time trying to change their minds. I'll let that one fall on the Holy Spirit because I can't change them.
Was scripture changed?
I did considerable investigation on this. The basis comes from Lee Strobel's book and suggests that the manuscripts behind the King James Version of the Bible is accurate to what was seen, done, and said over 2000 years ago, and it has been faithfully handed down to us. The people who want to claim the Bible is a book written by men to control a geopolitical, socioeconomic group of people haven't done the research I have and aren't aware of the painstaking processes the hand copiers went through to ensure what they were given is what they gave back. Those monks copying scripture took the threat at the end of Revelation seriously.
19and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.
20He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
21The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
Revelation 22:19–21 (NASB95)
Was Jesus coopted from another religion or a conglomerate of faith stories?
The people making these claims participate in the lie of omission in that they never tell you the whole story. Much of what they need to be true for their claim to be true simply isn't. If you've already accepted Josephus and Roman sources attributing that Jesus was a real man, this claim is stopped before it starts.
Why are these topics important to understand and have been researched beforehand? Because the Truth doesn't mind questions, but lies can't hold up under scrutiny. Those who make these wild claims never answer questions that question their sources, motivations, or reasons for making their claims. We can save ourselves a lot of energy and worry if we see these people for what they are, and that is that they are peddlers of lies seeking to draw believers away from our Lord.
So, how do we "avoid the Dark Side," as Chad put it, and not fall away from Jesus?
For starters, when "the Dark Side" is identified, resist it. Start with questions. Most people instinctively know a lie when they hear it. It draws their hackles up and makes them hesitate for a moment. How do we do that? First, we read the Bible for ourselves. You do that by finding a translation you like and actually opening it regularly. You can pray and listen to God's answers, which can come through reading scripture. We can temper our personal desires and thoughts with discernment through the lens of scripture because the truth isn't afraid of questions. Test the answers you get to see what spirit puts those answers in front of you.
1Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;
3and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.
4You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
5They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.
6We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
1 John 4:1–6 (NASB95)
Read scripture, but also find a local church. You and I need corporate worship. We need the company of other believers. We need the building. It isn't how we get salvation. It isn't a theology of works. It is a support structure as we move through life so that we grow, mature, and walk the path God has for us.
24and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,
25not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
26For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
27but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.
Hebrews 10:24–27 (NASB95)
Isaiah 26:11
Serve
Chad said, "It's hard for the devil to lead you astray when you are helping others." I would add that it's hard to do things you shouldn't be doing when you're schedule is full of activities helping others.
9Be hospitable to one another without complaint.
10As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
11Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 4:9–11 (NASB95)
Giving and Tithing. Our giving isn't about God needing our money. Our giving is God's way of helping us learn to give in all things for the betterment of those in need. If we hold onto our monetary wealth tightly, we demonstrate where our heart is. If we learn to let it go to aid someone else in need, we learn to open our hearts to others, and that's where Jesus was, working to help other people. Our gifts enable someone with talents we don't have to go and serve others, especially when we are unwilling or ill-suited to evangelize to other people. This is a very personal one that looks like it isn't. It is personal because where our treasure is is where our heart is. If we claim to love Jesus but aren't willing to release our grip on our personal treasures, there isn't much room for Christ in there. In addition, giving is how we say Thank You to God.
19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
20 "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;
21for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 "The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.
23 "But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
Matthew 6:19–24 (NASB95)
Chad closed by bringing the message back around to Star Wars and how Luke treated Ben Solo. What might Luke have done differently? What outcome would the story have had if Luke had treated Ben Solo better? Would Ben still have fallen away? Would all those planets have been destroyed? Would all those people have died? Or, would the story have taken a turn to tell us how the Jedi rebuilt their order and brought safety and security to the galaxy once more?
The good news is that God isn't giving up on you or me. More good news is that God already proved He isn't giving up on you or me. We just need to make sure we guard our hearts, don't give up, and guard against the Dark Side. God bless and Godspeed.
12 "If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
13 "No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man.
14 "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up;
15so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.
16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
17 "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
18 "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
20 "For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
21 "But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."
John 3:12–21 (NASB95)