WALK TO EMMAUS, TUESDAY NIGHT COMMUNION, AND OTHER MATTERS
by Royce Williamson
Via an e-mail sent to me (Valente Rodriguez) by brother
Bill H. Reeves
It is with great sadness that this article MUST be written.
Tuesday night, October 5, 1999, the once sound Highland Church of Christ in Abilene, Texas publicly proclaimed its ecumenical ties. In the Saturday,
October 2, 1999 religious section of the Abilene Reporter News this once rock solid congregation, announced that the "Walk to Emmaus" video would be shown, and that "the remainder of the meeting will include singing, preaching, and Communion." Yes, you read it correctly.
WHAT WAS SEEN AND HEARD
Due to a prior obligation, I was not able to attend this meeting to see for myself. However, brother Michael Light of the Bangs church of Christ did attend. His report, backed up by audio tapes, was absolutely sickening. This article will but touch the hem of the garment, but faithful brethren will still believe that we must expose error, need to know what took place on that sad evening at 425 Highland Ave. In Abilene.There was a full blown band on stage. There was an all woman quartet entertaining the audience. Added to this there was hand clapping, and hands raised in the air with arms, and bodies swaying back and forth.Some may say that this was not the formal worship assembly, and that we should not make a big deal about it. But remember, they were treating it as such when they offered, and partook [erroneously] of the communion.
And don't forget where all of this started years ago. Just prior to the split of the churches of Christ with the Christian church, "members?" of the Lord's church insisted that they just wanted to use the piano or melodeon outside of the services. You know the rest of the story! Indeed, "A little leaven, leaveneth the whole lump."
The sad story of October 5, 1999 at Highland does not end with the above. The speaker at this event was Eddie Sharp of the University Church of Christ here in town. First, he read from a book supplied for this "Walk to Emmaus," and then the audience would then respond from the book. This sounds exactly like Catholic and denominational liturgical nonsense. What was the gist of the rest of his speech to these Emmaus walkers? Church and religious heritage and tradition does not matter. In essence, you can be a member of a denomination, and that is acceptable in God's eyes. Just let Jesus lead you to a church that is right for you. Does that even remotely sound like what we read in the New Testament about one body, one Lord, one faith, and one baptism (Eph. 4:1-4)? NO! That is ecumenism, and denominationalism pure and simple. How many churches did Jesus build, and die for? ONE (Matt. 16:18; Acts 20:28).
Let's not forget that they partook of the communion. Listen to this. The communion was administered by Eddie Sharp, and another man. Mr. Sharp would break the bread, and give it to the participant who would go to the next man, and there dip it into a large cup of the fruit of the vine, and then partake of the soaked bread. That is Catholicism through and through!
Friends, my Bible still says that the early church met and
partook of the Lord's Supper on the first day of the week (Acts 20:1-7) not Tuesday, and that Jesus first blessed and broke the bread and give it to His disciples, and then gave thanks for the cup and then gave it to His disciples [distinctly separate acts, not a dipping combination] (Matt. 26:26-29).
WHAT MUST HAVE BEEN SAID
What did the leadership of the church tell the membership, for them to accept such goings on? Or by now, in their indoctrination of the membership to accept anything they are told, do they need to tell them anything at all? Aren't these wolves in sheep's clothing, leading them to the slaughter? You decide for yourself. How long can "knowledgeable" people stay on and support/condone such with there monies and attendance, and still be truly faithful?
FINAL THOUGHTS
Rest assured, we have not heard the last of this digression (I wish this had not taken place, but it did). To those in this congregation I make an urgent plea. If you have friends still involved with congregations such as these GO TO THEM NOW and plead, urge, yes, even beg them, for their soul's sake, to get out now without delay. If you need help, call me and I will go with you. These are soul's on the very verge of eternal
destruction. Do we really love them enough to tell them the truth?
In some ways I am glad that I did not see this with my own eyes, nor hear it with my own ears. I fear that I would have been sickened to my stomach, and not slept at all that night. Yet, for all those who are in denial or think that we can just ignore such as this, I wish we all could have been there to see it, and hear it.
For all such departures from the Lord's body that are causing innumerable souls to be lost, I can but expose the error, and warn the brotherhood, and then echo the words of the psalmist, and Jeremiah. "Rivers of water run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law" (Psa. 119:136). "Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people" (Jer. 9:1)!Yes, we should weep for lost souls.