Waynesboro Church Of Christ

Welcomes You!

A pasted message from Matthew!

Past Message From Matthew

Posted Date: September 12, 2006

Australian scientists recently discovered what’s killing thousands of Tasmanian Devils on the island state of Tasmania. The scientists initially believed the deaths were caused by a virus; however, their research ultimately uncovered a rare, fatal cancer. They named it the Devil Facial Tumor Disease, or DFTD.

What is strange, according to cytogeneticist Anne Marie Pearse, is that the abnormalities in the chromosomes of the cancer cells were the same in every tumor. That means the disease began in the mouth of a single, sick devil. That individual facilitated the spread of DFTD by biting its neighbors when squabbling for food, which according to Pearse, is a natural devil behavior: “Devils jaw-wrestle and bite each other a lot, usally in the face and around the mouth, and bits of tumor break off one devil and stick in the wounds of another.”

Over the course of several years, inflicted devils continued to inflict deadly wounds with their mouths. Consequently, DFTD spread at an alarming rate, ultimately wiping out over 40 percent of the devil population.

A similar fate threatens the church if its members persist in the devilish behavior of wounding their neighbors with their mouths. In fact Paul warns in Galatians 5:15 “But if you bite and devour one another, take care lest you be consumed by one another.” The tongue can release toxins that will destroy the entire community of God. Once the poison of an unguarded tongue is released, the poison will blow throughout the congregation. James warns of the destructive nature of the tongue. “So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. Behold, how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell…But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.” The next time one is tempted to use the tongue for hurtful intentions, remembers the story of the Tasmanian Devils.