Can I serve God and the ancestors?

1. A Christian belongs to Christ, and no longer to himself. He no longer belongs in the first place to his old family. He now belongs to the family of God, which is called from every tongue and tribe and nation. Therefore we must obey our Heavenly Father first of all (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Exodus 20:2).

2. The Lord Jesus explains in Luke 16:19-31 that the spirits of the dead cannot speak to us. They cannot help us or harm us.

3. The Bible warns us that Satan sometimes pretends to be an angel of the light (2 Corinthians 11:14). He may, therefore, sometimes pretend to be our ancestral spirit. His purpose is to lead us away from trusting in God alone. Therefore we sometimes see people healed after bringing a sacrifice to the spirits. Satan has a lot of power, but not nearly as much as God. By healing people Satan wants us to leave the true faith and to obey lying spirits and to follow the teaching of demons (1 Timothy 4:1).

4. God forbids us to consult the spirits of the dead (Leviticus 19:31; 20:6: 20:25; Deuteronomy 18:1011; Isaiah 8:19-20). So we read that God rejected and killed king Saul because he called up the spirit of Samuel (1 Chronicles 10:13-14).

5. We may not bring sacrifices to anyone except God (Exodus 20:3; Acts 15:28-29; 1 Corinthians 8:46). All other sacrifices are sacrifices to demons (1 Corinthians 10:20; Luke 4:8).

6. We must always remember that Jesus made us free from the spirits (John 8:36; Hebrews 7:25). He set us free from the worthless manner of life handed down by our ancestors (1 Peter 1:18-19).

7. We now belong to the family of Christ because we seek to do God’s will (Matthew 12:46-50). Our old family may not keep us back from obedience to God (Acts 7:3; Luke 14:26-27; Matthew 10:37). If we have to give up our family ties because of Christ, he promises to gives us a hundred times more in return (Mark 10:29-30). If I refuse to obey God, I remain part of the family of Satan (John 8:44).

8. It is dangerous to try to change your life without allowing the Holy Spirit to fill your life (Ephesians 5:18). If you try to walk two roads at the same time, you may become seven times worse than you were before (Matthew 12:45). You cannot serve God and the ancestral spirits at the same time (2 Kings 17:34-40; Matthew 6:24; 7:13-14).

9. The ancestral spirits cannot intercede for us with God. We have only one Mediator, Jesus Christ. Only he has the power to intercede for us (1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 7:25).

10. God tells us in his Bible to receive his new life with our whole heart. This new life is only received through Jesus (1 John 5:11-12). Don’t look back. This new life is much more wonderful than anything the spirits can offer us (Luke 9:23-26, 62). God wants to look after you (Philippians 4:6). Trust him.