Affirming The Faith Seminar – 2010
“How Great Is Our God!” (Bill Watkins)

One day God spoke to a baby in his mother’s womb. And he said to that baby, “You’re going to have to leave here.” And the baby said, “Leave here, why would I want to leave here? This is the most wonderful place to ever exist. I hear my mother’s heart beat, its warm and its safe and its comfortable and I love it here.” And God says, “But if you don’t leave here you’ll never see the blue in your mother’s eyes, or the smile on your father’s face. And you’ll never see the distant mountains turning purple in the atmosphere. Or hear the wave crash on the ocean shore. You’ll never feel the wind in your face or knows love’s first kiss if you don’t leave here.” And the baby said, “What is blue? I don’t know want a mountain is, I can’t figure out what you mean by the word ocean. I don’t think I want to go. I’ll just stay here.” And God says, “But you have to leave.” And the baby says, “Will it hurt?” And God because he’s honest says “Yes. More then you’ve hurt in your entire existence.” And the baby said, “Then I just won’t go.” Then God smiled and said, “No, you’ll have too.” And the day came when the water broke and the pressure was intense and that baby cried out to God and said, “I thought you loved me? I thought you cared about me. If you really cared about me why am I hurting so badly?” And God says, “Hold on, trust me.” And a few moments later that baby was born into a world of sights and sounds and smells that were more then it could have possibly ever imagined. And it says to God, “Why didn’t you tell me it would be this wonderful?” And God said, “I tried, you just couldn’t understand.”

That baby grew up. And one day God said to that old man, “You’re going to have to leave here.” And the man said, “But I don’t want to leave here. I love looking at my wife’s eyes. Her face… is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. And I love the distant mountain peaks and the sound of the waves on the ocean shore. I have good friends here. And my eyes have not seen nearly enough of the magnificence of want you’ve made. I’ve never been able to take it all in and I want more time.” And God says, “But if you don’t leave here you’ll never know the streets pave with pure gold and the gates of single purl. You’ll not know want its like to have every tear wiped from your eyes and death is no more. There will be no more sorrow, nor crying, nor pain anymore. Where everything will always be fresh. Where no one will ever hurt you, or want to hurt you again.” And the man said, “I’ve lost my love for gold and purls a long time ago. And frankly I can’t imagine joy without sorrow. And wisdom has come to me through pain. I’m not sure I can understand what you’re talking about. And I really rather stay here.” And God says, “But you’ll just have to go because that’s the way it is.” And so the man asks God, “Will it hurt?” And because he’s honest God said, “Yes, maybe more then you’ve hurt in all your existence so far.”

And the day came, and the pain was great and the man cried out to God and said, “I thought you loved me?” And God said, “I do. Trust me, hold on.” And a few moments later that man was born into a world beyond anything he could have ever imagined. And he said, “Why didn’t you tell me it would be this beautiful?” And God smiled and said, “I tried, you just could understand.”

Affirming The Faith Seminar – 2008
“Erasing the Distinctives” (Phil Sanders)

I’m part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I’m strengthened in the lord and the power of his might. The pattern has been fixed. I’ve made the decision to call Jesus lord. I am a disciple and a soldier of Jesus Christ. I am his, body and soul, mind and sprit. I won’t look up, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. There’s a world lost in sin and only the one true gospel can make a difference. I’m not all I ought to be. I’m not all I want to be. And I’m not all I’m going to be. But thank God that by his grace I’m not want I used to be. I have no desire to go back to that. I’m finished with low living, side walking, blind eyes, smooth knees, lazy preaching, deaf ears, compromised beliefs, politically correct talking, and dwarfed goals. I’m finished with giving into human religion rather then embracing New Testament Christianity. I’m weary of scoffers who believe they have something better then the way of Gods will. I’m finished with the notion that the lord’s church has to change its doctrine or it can’t grow. I don’t believe it! I’ve seen with my eyes that the gospel still works and the blood of Jesus still cleanses and God still answers prayers and the promises of God holds true. I’m finished with foolish ways and I’ll do more then listen to the lord, I’ll carefully obey him. I’ll do more then to speak for what is right, I’ll speak against what is wrong. I’ll do even more then hold private beliefs, I’ll preach the truth without fear to anyone and I’ll preach to everyone. I’m finished with doubting. I will believe every word of every sentence of every verse of every chapter of every book is inspired of God, God breathed and utterly, utterly, utterly trustworthy and I’ll believe that with out apology. I’m finished being wise in my own eyes. I know I do not have a better way then Gods. I will not lean on my own understanding but will trust Gods word always to be true and to trust God who knows what I don’t know and can see what I cannot see. I’ll stand against the compromising of doctrine, and the tolerating of human traditions, the offering of false hope, and flirting with popular religion. I know there’s no way to heaven but the narrow way and I’m unwilling to endorse any church but the lord’s church any way but the lord’s way any gospel but the lord’s gospel and any baptism but the lord’s baptism or any teaching but the lord’s teaching. I no longer need permanence, prosperity, promotions, profits, or popularity. I have the love of Christ the grace of God and the gift of the Holy Sprit. My pace is set my gate is fast my goal is heaven my road is narrow my way is rough my companions few my guide reliable and my mission clear. I must not be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. There are too many souls at stake and my lord deserves better. I will not flinch in the face of heresy, hesitate in the presence of error, negotiate at the table of the enemy, pander to the popular, or meander in the maze of the muddy. I won’t give up, back up, let up, or shut up, until I have preached up, prayed up, stored up, and stayed up the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, and I must go until heaven returns. Serve until I drop. Preach until everyone knows. And work until Jesus comes and when he comes. He comes to get his own. And I pray, I pray hell say well done good and faithful servant.