Cannibals, Cannibals!

John Patton pastored a growing Scottish church for ten years but, after that tenure, felt that God was calling him away to an island, off the coast of Australia, inhabited by canibals. Now they knew that the tribes of this island were canibalistic because one missionary couple had already gone there and died.

So, since his congregation loved him, you can imagine that the news that he was leaving them to go to a cannibal infested island frightened them for him . . . so much so that many took it upon themselves to give him advice. One elderly man in the church, up in his 80's took him aside one day to try to talk some sense into him. He exclaimed to Patton, “Cannibals, Cannibals, You will be eaten by cannibals!”

John replied to him, “Mr Dixon, you are advanced in years now and your own prospect is soon to die, be buried and, there, to be eaten by worms. I confess to you that if I can but live and die serving and honoring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by cannibals or by worms and in the Great Day, my resurrection body will rise as fair as yours in the image of the Lord Jesus.” Upon hearing that, the old man left the room exclaiming, “After that, I have nothing more to say.”