What a Footwashing!!

     It happened in a rural community prior to electricity being installed in the homes.  Very few families had cars so they either rode in a wagon or walked to church each Sunday.  Following church the pastor of the Freewell Baptist Church always went home with a family for lunch and spent the afternoon with them. 
     This particular day the preacher was spending the afternoon with a family who had three boys and two girls.  Sunday afternoon, during this era, was spent leisurely relaxing.  Occasionally, a game of shoreshoes or washers might be played.  This was to be a special day for the members of the Freewell Baptist Church; they were going to have a footwashing at church that night.  You see, unlike most Baptist churches, who only have two church ordinances (baptism and communion), the Freewell Baptists have a third ordinance-- footwashing.  During the observance of the ordiance they would wash one another's feet.
     In anticipation of the upcoming event, the pastor took a pan of water to the back steps and proceeded to wash his foot.  While he washed his foot, one of the boys slipped the preacher's sock, carried it into the kitchen and put some suet into the sock.  He replaced the sock for the preacher without the preacher being aware of what had happened.
     Fast forward to the observance of the footwashing ordinance.  The preacher is seated in front of the congregation and removes his shoe and sock.  The newly washed foot is as black as the ace of spades.  There was an audiable gasp followed by an outburst of laughter.  Laughter is obviously uncommon during such a solemn occassion, but sometimes laughter can not be controlled, even in such a solemn situation.
     Everything that the preacher could possibly do to present himself in a pleasing manner, he did.  Yet in the moment of presentation, his appearance was totally unacceptable.  There is a day of judgement in which every person must appear before God.  I will not go  into a discussion of the various judgements, but just the fact that we all shall be judged.  Only those who have their name written in the Book of Life will be acceptable at the judgement.
     All attempts to make yourself presentable before God will leave a person as embarassed as the preacher at the footwashing.  Only this embarrasement will result in an eternity in hell.
     The old song says it best, "What can wash away my sin; nothing but the blood of Jesus, What can make me whole again, nothing but the blood of Jesus."

The Way of The Cross

The following is an excerpt from the book, So? Whatever!

The tent evangelist had just come into town and was setting up his tent.  A young boy watching the process was asked by the evangelist, “Do you know where the post office is?”  After the lad had given directions, the preacher said, “Son, come back tonight and I will tell you the way to heaven.”  The boy responded, “How can you do that when you couldn’t find the post office?”

Make no mistake about it, the boy had his priorities in the right order.  There are a lot of things in life you may not know, and because of the lack of information, life may be more difficult.  But the way to heaven is the most important piece of knowledge that you can obtain.  The way is well marked with a red thread that extends from Genesis thru Revelation, and that is the way of the cross.  When you come to a fork in the crossroad of life which way will you take -  the way of the cross or the way of the world?

Philippians 1:21    For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

 

An escort out of town is needed

     It happened during a  basketball game in Southeast Arkansas.  The home team thought they were being cheated by the officials and throughout the night the verbal abuse increased in volume and in content.  One large, burly guy was standing under one of the goals and was more vocal than anyone else in the entire gym.  Finally, one of the officials had all he intended to take.  He stopped the game and informed the superintendent that only after the removal of the fan would the game continue.  The fan was removed from the game.
     The rest of the crowd picked up the tempo in hurling abuse upon the official.  Mercifully, the game was finally over and the official made a hasty exit to the coach's office.  However, the crowd did not leave.  They continued milling around both in the gym and on the outside.  The referee said to the coach, "Do you think we might be able to get the sheriff to come and give us an escort out of town?"
     The coach responded, "I doubt it.  You see that was the sheriff that you had ejected."
     Now, the referee did not know he might need that large burly man when he had him ejected from the gum.  If he had. the ejection would never have taken place.
     After Jesus had cast out the legion of demons from the man in Gadera, the people asked him to depart from their coast.
     It is a sad day, indeed, when a country asks Jesus to depart from their coast.  I am so afraid that we have approached that point in America.  We bar his commandments from public places, prayer to him is forbidden in many numerous public places.  We would even bar him from our public schools.  He made us great as a nation in the past and we will need him if we are to remain great.
     Many an individual ejects him from most of the events in their life.  Take the referee's word--that is not a smart thing to do.  You will need him farther on down the road.