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CC1
07-20-2008, 10:03 PM
I just flew back home tonight from a business trip to Texas that included stops in both Austin and Ft. Worth.

I finally got to meet an esteemed AFFer who lives in the Dallas area and that meeting will be a thread in itself later this week when things calm down.

This morning I was able to zip across town and go to Randy Phillips Promise Land West second service (they have a 9 am and 11 am service on Sunday).

It was my first time visiting PLW as I normally go to the original Promise Land Church pastored by his dad Kenneth Phillips when I am in town.

During the annoucements they talked about something their youth department did with about 50 young people (teenagers I believe) about a week ago.

This was an all night event with the group first gathering for some fun and fellowship followed by a 3 am breakfast at IHOP.

They then headed to a place that deals with the homeless and served them breakfast, coffee etc.

More than that though they had a footwashing service and those young people washed the feet of those homeless men and woman.

They showed slides on the screen of them doing that and it was incredibly moving.

I think that was a wonderful lesson to teach those young folks in humility and serving others.

Especially since this church is in the more affluent part of town so I imagine most of those kids have had no exposure to those at the bottom of the socio economic scale.

Sam
07-20-2008, 10:36 PM
Thank you for posting things like that.

I retired from General Electric here in the Cincinnati area a little over 10 years ago. While working there I was familiar with a man who had a pretty important and responsible position. I'd been in a couple of meetings he had chaired and I was impressed by him, especially the way he would gather and sift facts and then arrive at a decision.

Several years ago I met him again at a fellowship service in the city of Cincinnati. At that time he was involved in a ministry that goes to shelters, where they wash the feet of the homeless, give them pedicures, and dress and bandage sores on their feet. They then give the homeless people new socks and pray for any of their needs.

I was again impressed by this man. He had a high position at GE and I'm sure was paid well and provided a very good retirement. He is now "serving" people.

Another man I only met once at GE had a pretty good job in military engine sales. After his retirement, he and his wife work in the downtown section of Cincinnati known as "over the Rhine." It is a dangerous, high-crime area. They operate a facility known as The Lord's Gym which ministers to folks who have addiction problems. They have another facility called the Lord's Pantry where they feed people and another facility called the Nicolas Hoyer House where children can come after school and hang out and receive love, affirmation, and are ministered to spiritually. They also work with ministries in Haiti. They have been given good press in the Cincinnati media because of their work and because of "success stories" where down and out people have had their lives changed. Their web site is
http://www.focas-us.org/

I'm not trying to hijack this thread or turn attention away from what was done by the youth group mentioned in the original post. I'm just agreeing with what those kids did and how they ministered to people in need. In my opinion, things like this are "real" Christianity and so much more important than debate, judging, and measuring. In my opinion, this is how we fulfill Matthew 25:31-46.

Sister Alvear
07-20-2008, 10:42 PM
need to see things like this more often. I am touched.

Kay B
07-20-2008, 10:47 PM
Wonderful..thank you for sharing CC1 and Bro Sam.

CC1
07-21-2008, 07:06 AM
Sam,

Your post reminded me that they did say they had given them new socks after washing their feet.

BrotherEastman
07-21-2008, 08:48 AM
Touching indeed!

the raven
07-21-2008, 09:12 AM
What good is washing the homeless feet if they are not saved nor part of the body of Christ.

This is nothing but feel good and believe nothing social gospel garbage. What is scary is when real apostolic/Pentecostals consider this type of stuff. Feed and clothe the homeless...fine. Wash their feet? Not without them having a relationship with God and evidencing repentance...what a load of baloney!

BrotherEastman
07-21-2008, 10:18 AM
What good is washing the homeless feet if they are not saved nor part of the body of Christ.

This is nothing but feel good and believe nothing social gospel garbage. What is scary is when real apostolic/Pentecostals consider this type of stuff. Feed and clothe the homeless...fine. Wash their feet? Not without them having a relationship with God and evidencing repentance...what a load of baloney!
Did Jesus wash the feet of his disciples because they had a relationship with him, or did Jesus wash their feet to show them humility? Please enlighten us and show us the errors of our ways.

Baron1710
07-21-2008, 10:40 AM
What good is washing the homeless feet if they are not saved nor part of the body of Christ.

This is nothing but feel good and believe nothing social gospel garbage. What is scary is when real apostolic/Pentecostals consider this type of stuff. Feed and clothe the homeless...fine. Wash their feet? Not without them having a relationship with God and evidencing repentance...what a load of baloney!

I would say you give the term Apostolic a bad name with that attitude, but with that attitude you give all of Christendom a bad name.

deltaguitar
07-21-2008, 10:45 AM
Our youth has started doing things like this. While they don't wash feet, they routinely go to a drug rehab shelter and spend time with the guys there.

Once you get out of your comfort zone and try to do something for others you will start to have a burden for people and your spirit will change.

Of course there will always be those that think that they need to have a holy ghost shouting screaming prayer meeting in order to really meet those homeless folks needs.

the raven
07-21-2008, 10:45 AM
I would say you give the term Apostolic a bad name with that attitude, but with that attitude you give all of Christendom a bad name.



So be it! Foot washing was and is sacred to believers and believers only in the context of Jesus and the disciples and to inclusion into the kingdom of God.

Jesus nor the disciples were indiscriminate concerning apostolic practices.

Your judgmentalism is fine when one considers the warm and fuzzy theology present today in which giving handouts, clothes and now foot washing (pedicures also?) takes the place of obedience to God's word.

The apostles did not partake in a social gospel except in relation to the social construct of the new testament church.

the raven
07-21-2008, 10:50 AM
Our youth has started doing things like this. While they don't wash feet, they routinely go to a drug rehab shelter and spend time with the guys there.

Once you get out of your comfort zone and try to do something for others you will start to have a burden for people and your spirit will change.

Of course there will always be those that think that they need to have a holy ghost shouting screaming prayer meeting in order to really meet those homeless folks needs.

The poor you have with you always! They need to get a job and be responsible. Good grief...whatever happened to capitalism? Christianity is now defined by whether I provide bologna sandwiches...get real!

deltaguitar
07-21-2008, 12:13 PM
The poor you have with you always! They need to get a job and be responsible. Good grief...whatever happened to capitalism? Christianity is now defined by whether I provide bologna sandwiches...get real!

I think you miss the point, both the scripture and plain common sense.

I will pray for you.

CC1
07-21-2008, 12:24 PM
I think you miss the point, both the scripture and plain common sense.

I will pray for you.

The beauty of folks like Raven is that their posts speak for themselves. You don't even have to point out the obvious like you did here.

MissBrattified
07-21-2008, 12:41 PM
So be it! Foot washing was and is sacred to believers and believers only in the context of Jesus and the disciples and to inclusion into the kingdom of God.

Sounds like a good excuse to keep your hands clean to me. By the way, did Jesus only minister to the religious folks while He was on this earth? I seem to recall Him saying something along the lines of "the well folks don't need a doctor."

Jesus nor the disciples were indiscriminate concerning apostolic practices.

Your judgmentalism is fine when one considers the warm and fuzzy theology present today in which giving handouts, clothes and now foot washing (pedicures also?) takes the place of obedience to God's word.

Warm and fuzzy? Serving other people is hard. Perhaps that's why you have an aversion to it. :coffee2 It's much easier to get online and talk about other Christians. Perhaps you should be washing Bro. Tenney's feet.

The apostles did not partake in a social gospel except in relation to the social construct of the new testament church.

James 1:26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.
James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

Luke 6:32-35 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. ...And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.
...And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
...But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

Matthew 5:46-47 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? ...And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

Eze 16:49-50 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. ...And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.


You might want to be careful what company you place yourself in when you assert that ministry to the poor and homeless isn't important or even part of Christianity or piety.

Rico
07-21-2008, 12:45 PM
What good is washing the homeless feet if they are not saved nor part of the body of Christ.

This is nothing but feel good and believe nothing social gospel garbage. What is scary is when real apostolic/Pentecostals consider this type of stuff. Feed and clothe the homeless...fine. Wash their feet? Not without them having a relationship with God and evidencing repentance...what a load of baloney!

A load of baloney. That's exactly what I was thinking as I read your post. You're just filled to overflowing with hatred, aren't you? Good grief!

South of I 90
07-21-2008, 01:02 PM
The poor you have with you always! They need to get a job and be responsible. Good grief...whatever happened to capitalism? Christianity is now defined by whether I provide bologna sandwiches...get real!

You can't be serious?! :eek: