Thread: They will pick up serpents ...

Originally Posted by FireBrand

An evangelist friend of mine was with his wife and friends walking in Kensington Park in southern Michigan which is crawling with snakes...

I've fished there at Kent Lake and don't think I've ever seen a snake, think I'll keep sticking to the water areas and stay away from the trails and woods!

Originally Posted by krystian

I've fished there at Kent Lake and don't think I've ever seen a snake, think I'll keep sticking to the water areas and stay away from the trails and woods!

Hands down worst for snakes among metroparks is Independance Oaks. Rattlers all over the place. Then, there are the scads of others like watersnakes and gigondous blue racers.

Originally Posted by FireBrand

Hands down worst for snakes among metroparks is Independance Oaks. Rattlers all over the place. Then, there are the scads of others like watersnakes and gigondous blue racers.

Have you ever been to Belle Isle? Its still one of my favorites places to spend some time at but I've heard that the first settlers to Michigan called it Snake Island...and do you know how that fixed that problem?

"...domestic hogs, well known for their tendency to kill snakes, have been used by people to eliminate rattlesnakes from certain areas. (According to local legend, Belle Isle, now a park in the Detroit River in southeast Michigan, was cleared of a once-abundant rattlesnake fauna, in the eighteenth century using this method.)

http://www.michherp.org/massasauga.html

Maybe some feral hogs in certain parks wouldn't be so bad after all.

Originally Posted by krystian

Have you ever been to Belle Isle? Its still one of my favorites places to spend some time at but I've heard that the first settlers to Michigan called it Snake Island...and do you know how that fixed that problem?

"...domestic hogs, well known for their tendency to kill snakes, have been used by people to eliminate rattlesnakes from certain areas. (According to local legend, Belle Isle, now a park in the Detroit River in southeast Michigan, was cleared of a once-abundant rattlesnake fauna, in the eighteenth century using this method.)

http://www.michherp.org/massasauga.html

Maybe some feral hogs in certain parks wouldn't be so bad after all.

Yes, I knew about that. Pretty funny to think about it, now. We have an island on the Beaver Island archipelago name Hog Island with legend attached about hogs released to eat all the snakes.

The point of Mark 16:17,18 was not that we could run out and drink poison, play with snakes, cast devils out of everybody, lay hands on everybody, or speak in tongues everywhere we go. But when these things do occur by the leading of the Spirit they can arrest the attention of unbelievers. It's just as wrong to look for demons under every rock and look for sick people to lay hands on everywhere you go as it is to intentionally drink hemlock or be a snake-handler. That's one reason I'm not into the whole Lifestyle Christianity thing. When God brings a situation to you to minister healing that's fine, but evangelizing by asking "do you have any pain or sickness?" to people on the street is error. It can put the "evangelist" in the position of feeling the need to perform, when the emphasis needs to be on the ministry of the word. Sorry to go off on a tangent, but this is a pet peeve of mine.

The guys at Lifestyle Christianity and the Last Reformation admit that many do not get healed and they never promise anything. It's just a way of making contact. Unless the gift of faith or a word of knowledge is involved, then anything is possible, as I have experienced myself many times.

"The need to perform" would be a matter of the minister's attitude rather than the method involved, please don't judge their motivations.

When someone actually does get healed, whatever the approach or method, then it's more likely that "the evangelist is put in the position of feeling" important or special and then self exaltation follows. There are always pitfalls.

I'm not judging motives. I'm questioning the judgment of people who feel compelled to go looking for sick people to heal. As I stated it's as unwise as snake handling.

Originally Posted by Jew and Greek

I'm not judging motives. I'm questioning the judgment of people who feel compelled to go looking for sick people to heal. As I stated it's as unwise as snake handling.

Why is that ?

Originally Posted by Jew and Greek

I'm not judging motives. I'm questioning the judgment of people who feel compelled to go looking for sick people to heal. As I stated it's as unwise as snake handling.

It’s not unwise to have compassion on those afflicted so much so that you would respond by asking a person that has been laid on your heart in the moment. I wouldnt shut that down, that needs to be stirred if anything.

Originally Posted by FireBrand

It’s not unwise to have compassion on those afflicted so much so that you would respond by asking a person that has been laid on your heart in the moment. I wouldnt shut that down, that needs to be stirred if anything.

I'm usually lead by the Spirit about what to do but I don't discount the practice of simply approaching various people until someone will interact. "We are Christians, we are out praying for the sick to be healed. Is there anyone here who has pain in their body ?"