Mark 16:17-18: “And these...
Mark 16:17-18: “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover”
them that come was mostly early as it said on the sign outside the block building and then someone had managed a cross up above the double entrance doors, they come early for seats, not so much to sit up front, i think, but more to get a seat close to the end of a pew, or even towards the back in some instances. anyways, old pickups and beat down station wagons started showing aroung 11. folks, mostly men, as the women stayed out of site, and was busy bringing food into the church s well, mostly men, lingered and mingled amongst the vehicles, wearing what they had on from friday or saturday's work, mostly, some in coats and ties,mostly not though.
around 12, everyone moved towards the old block building, one corner of which was falling off the foundation, a large crack ran up the entire side of the building, hit the joist set, and then ran a bit down the top of the building. it could fall pretty easy if the creek come out of the banks one more time this spring
everyone gathered in the building and sat. up front was a drum kit and an old peavey amp, as well, some folks with instruments and a woman with hair all knotted up on top of her hair. everyone set and eventually a tall skinny man entered from a side door, in his right hand was what looked to be an old cat carrier or some kind of other box for to put an animal. he placed it up front, in front of the congregation, forgot about it as quick as he let it down. this man then went up to a makeshift pulpit, really just an old lecturn, and reached down on the floor into another box and pulled out an old bible, looked to be a king james, he opened it to the page he sought and began to read a little, slow and uneducated, really by memory, but the book held the power, and i reckon he wanted those in front of him to see the book as he red the words from one of the gospels.
the band began to play some scratchy electric music, haunt music is what we called it when it come drifting out of the old building and slowly filled up the parking lot of the drive through across the way. and we knew when the haunt music started, things were to follow
The fellow up front at the pulpit, his voice began to rise into a falsetto and gain in volume. he began to shake a bit and his hands got up over his head as the message arrived:
‘we should pray that god destroy all sinners’ is what come first, then her went on a tyrade enough to make the holy ghost drop his head in wonderment.By this time he was howling it out animal like. I Pray god to destroy the sinner, which is all of you which is wicked and full of evil. god hates sin, the man come again, but it is wrong to think he loves the sinner, the Bible tells this to me, I got the proof here in my hands.Proverbs tells me god hates lots of things: proud looks,the shedding of innocent blood,a wicked heart full of dirt and filth and a false witness! god hates these things! there’s more too, I’m tellin you folks so as to help you let god save you from yourselves. Don’t be a lukewarm Christian, he loves the born again only, are you truly born again? I’m tellin you the doctrine of this here book in my hand, it’s the true message, the way god taught it, the way jesus done. take a look at where God put hate on Esau, but loved his brother Jacob – come a stirring and nervous amens from the twenty or so folks up front.You go and find it, you read it! the man was now full blown hysterical.
now us across the street is sitting at them round cement tables in front of the dairy quean and fixing our plans for the day which is to head up to rock bottom and hike a bit to the ridge, maybe look for sign, as the first season of deer is comin in soon enough. we take turns off the jar and decide we might leave frank if he don’t get his ass here soon enough. most of us, at one time or another, have been to the church across the street, either with a family member or for a funeral, or some even as members of the congregation. some of us has been right there and seen it, and some has done it as well. Jed takes a fair swallow off the jar and mentions “that preacher is gonna burst a vein if he don’t slow up’. we just laugh soft, not to disrespect, but just to laugh. come again from across the street, the preacher is now on fire, the ladies, by now, are having fits in the lord and many shake their long hair down, some reaching to the floor; a sign of devotion or good spiritual health I reckon.
“god only loves those who fulfill the law of this here book!’ anyone who thinks not is our enemy, and shall be destroyed by the hand of god. if you love an enemy of god, God will take it out on you too, he knows wickedness and will find it out!’You can read it, David asks in psalms more times than there is fingers on my hand for god to destroy the wicked. Now brothers and sisters, let me say to you god does his destroying out of grace, grace for the pure of heart and the born again, so as those that are need not carry the burden of those that are not. god kills them that are against him, and there is more ways to be against god than there is cherries in a cherry tree. That is why God kills the sinner along with the sin, take an abortioner or a drug dealer, when god kills them, he is saving all of us the burden, he might be saving someone you know who ain’t come to him just yet, or someone who loves a person.
About this time, Frank shows up, slips the door open hops down and wanders over. frank says without shame, godam, he won’t shut up this moring now will he? frank’s wife and two kids are sitting in the front row, frank is one of the ones I was to say had been a member but then removed himself because of a sudden realization he refers to as seeing a thing for what it is and not what it claims to be. everyone laughs, but some a touch nervous like, and we pass the jar.
The preacher carries on – “if you have evil in you, you won’t learn God’s lessons!’ God puts his judgement on earthly things harsh!” look here at this book in my hands, it holds the word of god which is the only truth there is. you know what else god does, I’ll bet you a dollar you are wonderin’ about now, god don’t save no one out of love, people get saved to escape his mighty hand, fear of being destroyed is how god shows us the way.’look at the evil around you, think of those who have come down hard under god’s law. everyday you can count it out like a roll call. this here is god’s grace, he will spare you his wrath and protect you from evil by killin off the evil doer’
all along the band has been playing electric style music in the back of the room. the preacher looks over to them and gives a nod, and the volume comes up and the tempo comes up and some dark ecstacy begins to roll through the sound of the music. the preacher turns to face the folks again.
‘If you truly believe, you must believe everything the bible says, you can’t pick and chose which it is you like and which it is you don’t like about god’s law. no man is capable of such rubbish. firstly you must know and always remember god does not separate sin from the sinner. god hates both equally. them soft Christians will say to you something different and they will carry on about god’s love and charity. but they will not be here in the final hour, they will be on fire like the rest of them that practice ungodly things. God is angry everyday because of such wickedness!’
The preacher steps forward to the box he come in with, and raises it up. ‘if you have been saved from god’s mighty hand and believe in all his law, you can stand in the light and feel the spirit come into you. but god won’t take a simple word or prayer, god is angry at the soft Christian and the onbeliever, these are the final days, all mighty god wants to see us all practice acts of faith, true faith, not easy, comfort in god is for the wicked, we should serve and make ourselves known to god out of the fear his law confirms is unfailing and just’ the preacher opens the spring door on the box and dumps out a good ten or twelve snakes onto the floor out in front of the pulpit. the band has gone to a frenzied pace, women and men all the way to the back of the building are in full custody of the power, they wail and scream and cry, and then some of the men begin to jump and lurch about, out of their own control – people begin to move towards the fron of the church, some with eyes closed, some eyes open; hands up over head, and all and every sound imaginable coming from their lips. circles of women begin to gather around one another and the language of god commences and the practice of knowing and saying what the language of god is meaning commences, and the little church glows hot.
