“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.  I and the Father are one” (John 10:27-30 ESV).

“I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5 ESV).

My son Jonathan has always liked to run. When he was a toddler, you really had to keep your eye on him because he would run off and leave you without ever looking back.

He once scared us nearly to death at the local grocery store. We had just gotten him out of the shopping cart and turned to load the groceries, when he took off running across the parking lot. I sprinted to catch him just before he ran in front of a car.

I wonder who people would have blamed if he had been run over? Would they have said, “Tough luck. The kid shouldn’t have run. He should have listened better to his father.”

No. I think they would have blamed me. I know that I blamed myself for even letting it be such a close call. From that day forward, I always kept my hand on Jonathan. Sometimes he would take both of his little hands and try and pry loose, but I held firm. He was not getting free of my grip.

Isn’t that what good fathers do? They hold firmly to their child’s hand. They won’t let anyone “snatch them” from their protective grip.

And isn’t our God a great father? The Word says that He will not let anyone “snatch” those of us who belong to Him out of His hand. He says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

I’ve never worried that God would leave me, but I have been concerned about myself. What if I decide to up and run off?

Well, God didn’t stutter when He said “never leave” and “never forsake.” The first means He won’t leave us. The second means that He won’t let go. He won’t forsake hanging on to us.

This is called the doctrine of eternal security. The idea is that the God who saved us by grace, keeps us by grace. For the Calvinist, this is the “P” in their “TULIP” (Perseverance of the saints). Although they are right to observe that those who are saved will persevere to the end, I think they are putting the emphasis in the wrong place. It isn’t the saint’s perseverance. It’s God’s. Eternal security puts the emphasis on Him, not us.

God just won’t let go of my hand.

“I will not leave you as orphans;I will come to you” (John 14:18 ESV).

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:15-16 ESV).

[Adoption] “is the highest privilege that the gospel offers; higher even than justification… justification is the primary blessing, so it is the fundamental blessing, in the sense that everything else in salvation assumes it, and rests on it– adoption included. But this is not to say that justification is the highest blessing of the gospel. Adoption is higher, because of the richer relationship with God that it involves… To be right with God the Judge is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the Father is greater” (J. I. Packer, Knowing God).

This photo hangs over the fireplace at my brother’s home. It captures a moment in time when our parents were still living and we were happily safe in their care. Only a couple of years later, my mother had another child, a daughter, and within a year my father died of cancer.

It’s amazing how life changes when a home becomes fatherless.

My mother didn’t handle my father’s passing very well, so we moved from Virginia to Michigan to live with my mother’s sister. At the age of eight, I left my third grade classmates, my own bedroom, our southern yard to play in and my collie dog for the cold climes and shared quarters of a small suburban home outside Detroit. We were all aching with grief.

Later that year, in Sunday School at a church in Wayne, Michigan, I made a public profession of faith. I had heard the gospel all my life, but now I saw the reality of death and eternity with greater clarity. I wanted to be sure that I was ready to meet God when I died. I also wanted to be with my Daddy again.

The following years of my life were marked by the absence of my father. As I grew into my teen years, I began to rebel against my mother and against God. I believed in God, but I didn’t trust Him. After all, He had allowed my father to die. I knew that I needed Christ to justify me before Him, but I didn’t think that He wanted my best in this life. So, I tried to walk a fine line between receiving Christ as Savior without following Him as Lord.

It was as a teenager that a youth leader asked me why I wasn’t more serious about my faith. He said that he could tell that I believed, but my life didn’t line up with my faith. He asked, “Have you made Christ the Lord of your life?”

I tried to change the subject, but he was persistent, so I finally acknowledged that I was afraid of God. I knew He existed. I had trusted Christ as Savior. But I certainly wasn’t ready to surrender control of my life to the God who took my father away.

Hearing my response, he asked, “If your father was still living and you told him that you loved him and wanted to obey him and to be just like him, would he grab you by the shoulders and shake you? Would he look you in the eyes and say that he was happy to have you as his slave because now he would make your life miserable?”

“No way! My Dad was my best friend!” I shouted. “In fact, I used to tell him all the time that I wanted to grow up to be just like him. And he would say that he loved me, that he was so proud of me and that he would do anything for me.” I responded.

“Well,” my youth leader continued, “Your Heavenly Father loves you even more than that! And He is waiting for you to call on Him as Father. If you ask for fish, he won’t give you a snake. And if you ask for bread, he won’t feed you rocks!”

It was on that day that I began to call on God as Father. I started trusting Him with control of my life. Since then, my father wound that hurt with an aching grief, has been replaced with the joy of knowing the Lord as “Abba, Father.”

I am so happy that Jesus died on the cross for my sins, offering Himself as a propitiation through His shed blood that justified me before the Judge of Righteousness. This is a great blessing. But I am forever changed by the even greater blessing of God’s adopting me as His own son. I am a co-heir with Christ. All that belongs to Him is mine and all that is mine is His.

And someday both my Dad and I, along with all of God’s children, will stand before our Heavenly Father together, worshiping Him forevermore.

“The Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

“Blessed are You, O Lord, our God, King of the universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth” (Traditional Hebrew blessing of the bread).

I’m sure the disciples were surprised by the words that Jesus said after he gave the traditional word of blessing over the bread. They had heard the blessing of the bread at every Passover celebration since their birth, but these new words that Jesus taught them gave new and deeper meaning to their tradition. For the Lord’s Supper represented the fulfillment of the Passover and the beginning of the New Covenant.

How do you respond to the remembrance of the Lord’s Supper?

When my daughter was about 5 or 6 years old, she would get so upset after we had a Lord’s Supper service. Returning home after church, she would say, “Daddy, when am I going to get to eat that bread and drink from that little cup?”

I would reply, “Honey, when you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior and get baptized, then we’ll let you start receiving the Lord’s Supper. You should be a baptized believer before receiving the Lord’s Supper. Understand?”

“OK Daddy.” She’d say. Then, after a while. “Daddy, when can I get bapatized?”

You see, there’s something powerful about the symbols of our salvation. Even little children are moved to ask questions when they encounter the two symbols of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Both help us remember and proclaim what Christ has done for us!

The unleavened bread represents the Lord’s body. Throughout the Bible leaven or yeast is seen as a symbol of unrighteousness or corruption. It only takes a little yeast to affect the whole loaf. Yeast is actually a living organism that feeds on the sugars and starches in bread dough. As a byproduct of this process, the yeast begins to release gas bubbles of carbon dioxide, and small amounts of ethanol alcohol. These bubbles, trapped in the bread dough, cause the rising action with which we’re familiar. The yeast organism dies in the heat of the oven, but it leaves a fluffy, airy texture to the bread. Unleavened bread is flat because it does not go through this rising process.

The unleavened bread reminds us that Christ’s body was sinless and that it did not experience corruption in the grave because of Christ’s resurrection on the third day. It also reminds us that Christ gave His body as a sacrifice for our sin.

The cup represents Christ’s blood which was shed for us. It also points to the Passover Lamb which was to be slain without any bones being broken.

These symbols engage our senses more than words alone could. As we eat the bread and drink the fruit of the vine, we remember how Christ has died for us. But we also proclaim that His spiritual life has now been imparted to us by faith in Him.

We should never stop being surprised and awed by what this remembrance means to us.

“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17 NKJV).

Do you have trouble asking for help? I do. I always have. But I’m trying to do better. I’m learning that help is there for the asking, if only we would ask.

I’ve also had trouble with taking time off. It’s not that I don’t need time off. I do. But I always feel that I’m getting behind or dropping the ball somewhere when I’m not at work.

The first three years of our church I was so consumed with the work that I didn’t take our family on a single vacation. I thought if I just worked harder and harder, then we would succeed (Whatever “success” means when you’re planting a church).

This week Robin and I have enjoyed taking a few days away in Williamsburg, Virginia. One of the dear families in our church insisted that we take a week of their time share and get away. As usual, I didn’t want to do it.

“It’s your time share. Don’t you want to take it yourselves?” I asked.

“No. We really can’t. We’ve already taken too much time off this year. And if we don’t use the week, we lose it. Besides, we really want you to take it.” They insisted.

So, we received their gift. And I’m glad we did. At least, I got glad after a couple of days of being in Williamsburg. I’m still learning to rest and receive.

When Jesus was about to leave the disciples to face crucifixion, the grave, the resurrection and ascension, he spent a lot of time preparing them for his departure. He wanted them to know that he would not leave them without help. He told them that he was going to give them the Helper, the Holy Spirit, to be with them and to live in them forever.

The disciples learned how to depend on the Helper just as they had depended on Christ. They didn’t turn the world upside down with their self-effort. They worked out of a place of rest. Their effort was the result of their abiding in Christ and His Spirit abiding in them.

Today, I’m thankful for the help of friends. I’m even more thankful that I’m learning to lean on the Helper that Jesus has given to all of us as believers. I’m learning that the best results in life come out of not my own self-effort, but out of my abiding (resting, leaning) on Him.

“Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.'” (Luke 14:23 NIV84).

After 19 years of being the portable church, we closed on the former Regal Cinema property on September 30, 2010. Today, marks the one year anniversary of that miraculous purchase. After only seven months of work, we moved in and made it the new home of Wilson Community Church.

We are thankful to God for all that He has done. The long wait for having a place to call home has made it all the sweeter.

The years of being portable not only makes finally having a home sweeter, but it also trained us that the church is not the building. As we’ve said for years, “The church is the people, not the steeple.”

I think God gave us those 19 years as preparation for the work He has for us in this city. We are not to be the church that stays indoors. Sure, we’re going to use the building for everything we can, but we are going to keep going out into the city to touch people for Christ’s sake.

This time a year ago we were looking at a rundown property in the middle of the city. We were hoping that we could make it our home. We saw God perform numerous miracles in our church to clear the way.

We have worked hard getting the property cleaned up and remodeled. A lot of our focus and effort has rightfully been on this. Those of us that are gifted in such things should continue to work on maintaining and improving our new home.

But let’s not become myopic in our mission for this city. Let’s keep taking it to the streets, telling people about Jesus!

That’s why we have two events planned this Fall for outreach. One, is the Trunk or Treat event which we’ll have in the parking lot on Halloween. We’re praying that this event will draw 1,000 visitors. The other event is the Whirligig booth that we’ll run the first weekend of November in downtown Wilson. Over 20,000 people attend this event every year. We want to be in the middle of this opportunity, telling people about Jesus and also raising money for the Hope Station (A homeless shelter and food pantry in Wilson).

If we don’t keep going out, then it’s like we wasted the 19 years of training. Let’s keep going out and doing everything we can to “make them” come in to God’s kingdom!

“Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3 NIV84).

Theology. The word finds its origin in the two Greek words: theos and logos. Theos means “God” and logos means “word.” Together they mean “the study of God.” Theology used to be considered the “Queen of the Sciences.” Pursuit of the knowledge of God was once thought to be one of the loftiest and most primary of all studies, but these days it is usually relegated to the dusty halls of philosophy. With the broad acceptance of secularism and relativism, theology has become a bad word in most circles.

But theology is gaining in popularity these days. The younger generation is especially interested in the study of God. It’s like the pendulum that swung to the far left with the baby boomer generation is swinging back with those born in the new millennium. These “Millennials” are the latch-key children of the boomers and they are sick and tired of all the moral uncertainty and lack of absolute truth that they’ve inherited from their parents. They want something more.

With this in mind we’re starting a new sermon series this Sunday entitled “Faith Foundations.” Don’t tell the boomers, but really this is a 10-week theological series.

Why study theology? Let me offer four reasons (borrowed from Charles Ryrie’s, Basic Theology) :

1. It leads to the possibility of eternal life. As in John 17:3, knowing God through Jesus Christ leads to eternal life. Knowing and believing are connected.

2. It encourages Christian growth. The study of theology involves the consideration of God’s works, His attributes, His names, HIs revealed words, His doctrines and laws, and His person. Since we were made in His image, it is appropriate and encouraging to study God in order to pursue being like Him. Of course, this requires a new birth and a new nature, but assuming that, we are able to study our God like a child studies his father in order to grow up to be like him.

3. It warns of the coming judgment. The study of God reveals that He is both sovereign and judge. He will one day judge all that He has created. This study leads us to prepare for His coming judgment by receiving His Son as Savior and provokes us to tell others about this future.

4. It inspires true worship of God. When we study God, we find ourselves caught up in the wonder and beauty of His character and overcome with joy by His work of grace through Jesus. Having real biblical knowledge of God enlarges our understanding and expands our capacity for true worship. We become the kind of worshipers that God seeks, true worshipers that worship God in spirit and truth (John 4:24).

Since God is infinite, the study of God is of infinite value and delight. If you’ve ever starred wide-eyed at a sunset or gazed at a star-filled night, then you have caught a glimpse of God’s beauty as revealed through His creation. Many spend their whole lives in the study of nature, but this created world provides only a glimpse of God. We could spend eternity in contemplation of God and never plumb His depths nor tire of trying. I suppose that gives us one more reason for the study of theology…

… it’s good practice for heaven.

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received” (1 Corinthians 15:3 ESV).

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word” (John 17:20 ESV).

The Apostle Paul told the Christians at Corinth that the gospel they had received from him was exactly what he himself had received. In other words, he was passing on the eye-witness testimony of Jesus crucified, buried and risen.

Taken with what Jesus prayed in John 17 about those “who will believe” in him through the word of his followers, it got me to thinking about the unbroken chain of witnesses that have carried the gospel across the centuries. At first I thought of how long 20 centuries is, but then I started naming witnesses and I noticed that really there are only about 38 people between me and those who were eye-witnesses.

Consider this. The Apostle John was the last living apostle. He wrote the Gospel of John probably towards the end of his life. It has that kind of feel and perspective to it. It is like a Magnus Opus to Christ. Among his disciples was Ignatius who was martyred in the Colosseum in 108 AD. Among Ignatius’ followers was Polycarp who may have also studied under John. Polycarp was martyed in Smyrna in 155 AD. One of the followers of his preaching was Irenaeus who wrote the famous work Against Heresies, a work against gnosticism that had all the markings of one who had been a student under one who studied under John. Irenaeus died in 202 AD.

Notice that it only took three witnesses to pass on the gospel across 169 years (33 AD to 202 AD). If we just round that off to 150 years, then it takes a witness for every 50 years.

Looking back at who brought me the gospel, the most influential were my mother and grandmother. My grandmother was born in 1912 and I was born in 1958 (46 years between us, or rounded, 50). Her grandfather, Rev. Campbell H. Barker, was born in 1858 and died in 1931. He was a farmer and a church planter. He actually planted and built the Willow Branch Baptist Church where I was baptized at age eleven (This plaque about him hangs in the church). I’m sure he had a great influence on my grandmother’s coming to faith.

I find it ironic that my great, great grandfather was born exactly 100 years before me (1858-1958) and that we both became baptist preachers and church planters. I look forward to meeting him someday.

I also look forward to being reunited in heaven with all 38 links of the unbroken chain of witnesses between me and Jesus someday. If we all held hands in a line, we could only stretch across 200 feet or so, but as each handed off the gospel to the next generation, 20 centuries went past. I’m thankful for every link in that unbroken chain.

Now, Lord help me to do my part and pass on what I’ve received.

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42 ESV).

This week Robin and I started visiting different WCC Community Groups. Our plan is to visit all of our groups over the coming weeks. We want to start the Fall season off by encouraging all of our groups and reminding them of the importance of being “devoted” to one another.

Last night, we visited the Minter CG. Man, do they have a bunch of kids in that group! It was a little chaotic, but it was a sweet chaos. The kind that you experience in healthy families.

We had a wonderful time of food (tasty lasagna and Mrs. Agee’s cake balls for dessert, yum), fellowship and prayer. Robin and I left feeling that we had been to a family reunion. That’s what community groups are, God’s family meeting together regularly to keep the four devotions.

What are the four devotions?

• Apostle’s teaching – WCC’s community groups unpack the same text that the pastor preached that weekend. In this way they can work on deepening the learning together and move the teaching from head to hearts to hands.

• Fellowship – The Greek word here is koinonia, which can also be translated communion. This implies more than just hanging out together. We believe that true fellowship takes place when God’s people gather and invite the Holy Spirit to be present in their midst. This allows for a spiritual communion to take place as the Spirit knits us together.

• Breaking of bread – Something special happens when people sit knee to knee and eye to eye breaking bread together. It lowers walls and allows for relationships to blossom. Breaking of bread may also imply the remembrance of the Lord’s Supper, which we encourage our CGs to practice regularly together.

• Prayers – Bringing our prayer needs together weekly and lifting them up together is powerful. Providing updates to one another, we see God’s hand at work. And we obey the Scripture’s teaching to “bear one another’s burdens.

The Minter Group is keeping the four devotions. As one member of their group said, “I don’t know what I’d do without this group. As a new WCC member, I really didn’t know anyone when I first started coming. Now, I feel like I have a family!”

Robin and I are looking forward to visiting all the groups in the coming weeks. Will we find you there?