Snakes in a casket

You've heard of the movie, Snakes on a Plane. In Appalachia, some people put snakes in a casket.

Once I talked about this with a pastor who is from the Appalachian region of Virginia.

"We've got snake handlers up where I'm from," he said.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yep, we've lost two preachers to snake-bites."

If you're not familiar with "snake handlers," they are Christians who interpret Mark 16:17-18 to mean that they should show their faith by handling venomous snakes in their worship services. Often accompanied by loud, rhythmic music, they have been known to put rattlesnakes and copperheads on their heads, wrap them around their necks, tread on them with bare feet, or toss them to other worshipers, to see who has the Holy Ghost.

The pastor from Virginia proceeded to tell me that one funeral director in his area went to conduct a funeral at a church, and the members told him he needed to get up from his seat, because the box of snakes was under his pew. At that moment the funeral director realized he was in a "snake handling" church. I don't think it took him long to move out of their way.

The church member reached into the box, grabbed a snake to hand to another fellow, and then grabbed a second one for himself. He told the funeral director that he was going to put one of the snakes in the casket with the deceased. The funeral director said, "Then you be sure that you close the casket yourself."

This story reminds me of an experience that Jesus had with the devil. Satan was tempting Jesus to perform a great miracle to show off his faith, by jumping off the pinnacle of the temple. Satan even quoted scripture to justify this act, saying Psalm 91 promised that the angels would catch him before he hit the ground. Jesus' reply was to quote Deuteronomy 6:16, saying, "It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God." (Matthew 4:7)

It's not our place to tell God how to work. It's our job to listen to God tell us how to work. So if somebody tells you to prove your faith with some daring action, or if they tell you to test God's will by telling God what hoops to jump through and telling God what deadline he has to do it, remember the snake handlers. If you're going to test God like that, then be sure that you close your casket yourself.

Copyright 2010 by Bob Rogers.

The day a snake visited church

I've heard of the squirrel that got loose in church, and I even saw a bat get loose in church. I've heard of snake handlers, but never before have I heard a story like the one I heard from a pastor's wife in Gulfport, Mississippi. It seems that this preacher's wife was also a preacher's kid. And one day when she was a child, they had a snake visit her father's church.

Her father was preaching with all of his might, when suddenly the serpent poked its head out of the ceiling, extended part of its body down, and looked at the congregation. The members responded by screaming, but the pastor thought they were shouting. Feeling the power of the Spirit, the pastor preached with even more fervor, as the congregation screamed all the more. Then the snake decided to ascend back into the hole in the ceiling. Whether it was all the noise, or the lack of anything to interest him, nobody knew. But thankfully, the serpent slithered away, the congregation calmed down, and the pastor finished his sermon.

On the way home, the pastor told his daughter, "Boy, I preached a good one today!" His girl didn't have the heart to tell her daddy that the people were moved more by fear than by the Spirit. In fact, she never did tell him. But she told me.

Satan himself dressed up like a snake one time (Genesis 3), and he still tries to slither his way into our churches with deception. Deuteronomy gives three tests to recognize whether a Satan is deceiving you: false words, false ways, and false worship. False words: Deuteronomy 18:21-22 says if a prophet says something and it doesn't come true, he's a false prophet. False ways: Deuteronomy 18:9-14 warned against "detestable ways" of the Canaanites, which included divination, fortune-telling, interpreting omens, sorcery, casting spells, and consulting with spirits and the dead. False worship: Deuteronomy 13:1-4 warns that even if a prophet's words come true, he is still a false prophet if he tells you to worship any other God than the Lord.

So the next time a snake slithers into your church, check to see if he speaks with forked tongue. You don't want to be moved by the wrong spirit.

Copyright 2009 by Bob Rogers