wiping the dust from your feet

[Rich]

.com friends,

The other day I listened to a very old sermon by a fellow who went to Africa decades ago. Among many of his fun stories of entire villages coming to the Lord, he told of visiting a large village of about a thousand people. The chief told him to get out or he would have him killed. He was accompanied by spear wielding wariors. While he tried to plead with the chief he realized he was in danger.

He went outside the furthest hut where he took off his boots and brushed off the dust. He said some of the wariors fell dead. They started dieing at the rate of fifty per week. Within two years the entire village was efeet.

Do you folks think God would do this kind of action to the group because the chief rejected His Son? Yes or No? What would you use to support your position; either way?

[Waidmann]

Well, it doesn' look like you're getting a lot of bites on this one, so I guess just for grins and giggles, I'll take a stab at it.

You wrote: "Within two years the entire village was efeet." Please, what does "efeet" mean? You got me stumped there. The closest I can come is "effete", which means "Lacking strength or vitality; feeble, powerless, impotent; decadent, self-indulgent, effeminate". That may be what your meaning, but somehow it doesn't sound right.

To answer the question: " Do you folks think God would do this kind of action to the group because the chief rejected His Son?" I'm going to answer "No". Why not? For a couple reasons.

Number 1: There is no documentation for these kinds of things outside of the testimony of the particular people involved. It sounds too much like an urban legend. Completely unverifyable. An un-named guy talking about events that happened decades ago in some nameless village in a distant land. Perfect. No possible way to verify any of it.

Number 2: There is nothing in my experience that would parallel this kind of stuff. My aunt and uncle spent most of their lives living in the bush in Bolivia as missionaries. My Uncle Ken was born in Puerto Suarez eighty years ago. I visited them for three months almost 40 years ago, and spent three delightful months in Bolivia with them. There is nothing I ever heard that was comparable to your story from either them or anyone else who ministered in the bush. My cousin (3rd generation missionary to the native Indians in Bolivia) recounts nothing like this.

Number 3: I spent well over a decade heavily involved in the Charismatic Movement. In all that time, I never saw a single thing that I could honestly call a miracle. There is a perfectly rational explanation for everything I saw. That leads to suspect very strongly that most of the "manifestations" of the Holy Spirit are nothing more than strongly held wishful thinking. People have a tendency to embelish their experiences in order to project credibility with an audience. I suspect your "old fellow" who went to Africa "decades ago" is doing more of the same. By now, he probably believes it.

Number 4: I think God is reconciled to mankind through the attoning death of Jesus. As a result, He no longer acts in history the way you described. IOW, that's not God's style.

Anyhow, that's my take. Your actual mileage may differ.

Waidmann

[Rich]

Efeet is when a people die. It is different than when a species becomes extinct. When I was a child I saw on T.V. the last of an ethinic group; an old woman. It would be like the last caucasion dying.



Number 3: I spent well over a decade heavily involved in the Charismatic Movement. In all that time, I never saw a single thing that I could honestly call a miracle. There is a perfectly rational explanation for everything I saw. That leads to suspect very strongly that most of the "manifestations" of the Holy Spirit are nothing more than strongly held wishful thinking. People have a tendency to embelish their experiences in order to project credibility with an audience. Waidmann

I am not involved with the "Charismatic Movement." I am filled with the Holy Spirit and occatioally get fantastic "Yes" answers to prayer. Therefore I have been accused of being demon posessed. If you would read And These Signs Will Follow you will read about real miracles witnessed by folks besides me. Instant healings. Instant stopping of severe enclemant weather and clear sky. Instant stopping of rain over the church during construction.

Something just came to mind. When I was falsely accused at church, I dusted off my shoes. Flies came on the church building and the sidewalk around the church. They were about 4" apart in all directions. As you walked by or toward the church they would fly up and immedately land when you past. This lasted about a week. Then the building burned to the ground. The pastor was not welcome in his denomination and became a buss driver.

Another time when I was falsely accused, I told Sue, "If I am a righteous man, someone is in trouble." The next day we received a phone call. The ring leader of the group accussing me was in the hospital. He died a few weeks later at age sthirty-two. Don't get me wrong. I didn't say I was a righteous man. I quoted Elijah. See 2 Kings 1. The results were about the same.

[Waidmann]

Rich,

Now, I have a question for you.

Did you ask that question in the hope that someone might respond the way I did specifically so you could recommend your book and tell about your experiences?

I think part of the reason you don't usually get much honest response to your questions is because people are figuring out that for the most part, they're leading questions. They're set ups. I was pretty sure you were going to say what you did, and, indeed, I could have written a pretty close approximation to what you wrote at the time I wrote my post.

Just some food for thought for you.

Waidmann

[Rich]

Waidmann,

You flatter me with the idea I can think that far ahead. The original post was for fun. The questions were an after thought. I had no idea where the thread would go, so I didn't have any thought about suggesting my book.

The part about my experiences was added a few minutes after the first part was posted. I had to use the edit feature.

[Rock Chuck]

Efeet is when a people die. It is different than when a species becomes extinct. When I was a child I saw on T.V. the last of an ethinic group; an old woman. It would be like the last caucasion dying.
Where did you find this word? I can't find it on any online or printed dictionary. I did find an efeet.com, though. It's a link to various porn sites.

[ncboman]

It's a link to various porn sites.

:D

fitting, considering what I've read in this thread. :o

[Rich]

Rock Chuck,

A few decades ago I read a book that used that word. I looked up the meaning at the time and used it in that manner in my post.

By the way, about the missionary and other "missionaries". When a friend of mine went to Africa as a missionary for the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ he preached, "Repent, accept Jesus, be baptized, grow in Grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." The other "missionaries" confronted him and asked why he was "trying to put these people under bondage." Never the less, he continued to exhort in sound doctrine and began to save souls. They built a church and spread the Gospel of God.

There are "missionaries" from lots of denominations, but they are not saved and not saving souls. Just the other day I met a fellow at work. He told me, "I am a Christian. My dad is a Baptist minister." When we have a repor established, I am going to try to help him understand God has no grandchildren.

I have included my experience. Should I mention my book for Waidmann?:)