28 Years Ago Today

28 years ago today, where were you? Hopefully you were in church, because 28 years ago today was a Sunday, okay, on October 30th, 1994. My wife and I, on that morning, morning a lot like this one, very clear, crisp morning, made our way to Finkbiner Park in Glendora, California, to the American Legion Hall. I'd been asked to preach to a group of people that would gather together in that location. I met Tom Mason on that day, 28 years ago today, and we're still friends, 28 years later. And Tom was ushering that day, and so that was the first time I ever met Tom Mason.

And I went to this church, or it wasn't really a church, it was just a gathering of people, because they'd asked me to come and to speak. They didn't ask me to be their pastor, they just asked me to come and speak. And the people that I gathered had left their previous church. And the church that they left happened to be the church that I had pastored for 14 months, not 14 years, you heard right, 14 months. And they left that church and asked if I would come and speak to a group of people, not knowing how many that would be at Finkbiner Park 28 years ago today.

So my wife and I loaded up our four children in our van. One was still in the womb, that was Anna. She had yet to be born, she would not be born until December of that year. And we made our way to the park in Glendora. And as we gathered together, we realized that there were a number of people who had gathered together on that day, some 300 plus people had gathered together on that day. And I preached a sermon entitled, What Every Church Needs. I wrote that sermon on the plane coming back from the East Coast on that Friday.

I had gone back because my mother was having a medical procedure, and I was writing this sermon, What Every Church Needs, knowing that I would just speak on that Sunday. They would ask me to speak the next four weeks because they had a total of five weeks at the American Legion Hall. They didn't know where they would be next, but they said, would you speak for these five weeks, we're not asking you to be our pastor, we're just asking you to speak. And I said, okay. It would not be until December that they would ask me to be their pastor.

By then we were in Stellars School in the city of Glendora, Stellars Elementary School. We were there for exactly one year. We moved from there to a church right down the road from Stellars School called New Hope Community Church. We were there for almost five years. And we left that church because they ended up kicking us out because we had outgrown the facility. And so we went from there to a church in West Covina, the First Baptist Church of West Covina on Cameron Avenue.

We were there for six months. And this church became available right here, 1432 West Fuente Avenue, came available because it was occupied by about 30 different Chinese people who decided to leave the church and go to China to be missionaries. And so they were going to sell the facility. So we purchased it from them in June of 1999 was our first service in this facility.

Each facility that we are in has its own unique story. Time does not permit me to tell you all the uniqueness of those places and all the things that God did. But what I want to share with you this morning is how it is we came to be Christ Community Church 28 years ago today. What was it that caused these people to leave the church that they were in? What was it that caused me to resign in that church and to begin a new church? And so 28 years ago today Christ Community Church began and God has done a unique and special thing over all these years and we are grateful for the work that He has done.

The short story is that this church began because of doctrinal and moral error at the previous church. That's just the short version. There's a long version. In the long version I'm not even permitted to tell you because there's not enough time in one day to tell you all the events surrounding why I left Church of the Open Door. But if I was to tell you all the things that happened you would have a hard time believing what I would say. Because it sounds so fictitious but it was all true. In fact one day I might even write a book on how it is everything went down because unless you experienced it you'd never believe it.

But God was at work. God had brought me to a church in Southern California in 1988. That's where I met Harold. Harold's still with us today. And yes we're still friends all these years later. And brought me to a mega church in 1988 and you know what? It's really easy to serve in a mega church. Did you know that as a pastor? You don't have to do any work. People just show up. Everybody's there. All the rooms are always filled. You don't have to do any work. It's kind of a cushy job. And when you have a church of 10,000 people you never lack for money, right?

Never lack for opportunity, right? Never lack for people, right? It's all right there. Mega churches are very easy to pastor. Smaller churches are more difficult to pastor. And so I was there and I was there almost five years. And I'd received a phone call from Church of the Open Door to ask me to be their or to candidate for the pastorate. I turned them down. I turned them down six times. For they called six different times over a period of three months. And so finally I said, you know what?

I will come and I will interview to show you that I'm not the guy you want to hire at your church. And so on one Saturday morning I made my way up to Church of the Open Door in Glendora. And there I interviewed for the job. And then when it was all said and done, I said, see? I'm not the guy you want. And the search committee said, nope, you are the guy we do want. And so we want you to come back next week. I said, okay, I'll come back next week and prove to you again that I'm not the guy you want to hire.

But I came back again and they said, you're the guy we want to hire. I said, okay. Now, if you know anything about Church of the Open Door, started by R.A. Torrey many, many years ago in the 50s, 1950s, great man of God, passionate by Louis Talbot, Talbot Seminary, guys like J. Vernon McGee, men who preached the Word, who were committed to the Word, who loved the Word and were true to that Word. But they hired a guy that wasn't that committed to that. And slowly but surely he turned the tide of Church of the Open Door.

And I say he wasn't committed to that simply because when the authority of God's Word is your authority, it truly is your authority, you submit to what it says. You do what it says. And this pastor had lived in immorality for at least seven years before they fired him. It was two years after that that they called me to come and to be their pastor. And so I went to Church of the Open Door. And I went there having been investigated all the way back to my junior high school years. They'd asked if they could investigate my life.

And the church had hired a private investigator to investigate my life. And I said, sure, I have nothing to hide. You can investigate anything you want. So they did. They went all the way back to my junior high school in Dover, Delaware. They had a booklet that was about this thick that they had gone through everything. Having done that, they finally asked if I would come and be their pastor.

And so I asked one question, only one question, before I was hired. And I asked each elder in the room, is there one thing in your life that if found out would bring a reproach upon Christ and His church? That's the only question I have. I'm not going to hire a private investigator to investigate the nine elders that are in the room. I'm just going to ask you one question. And I asked each elder the same question. Nine times. I went around the room. And they all said, no, nothing. I said, okay, I'll come.

And when I got there, I was there in August of 1993 when it started. And I went there with great excitement. The sermon I preached was based on 2 Corinthians 16 9. This was my personal message as your pastor on that very first Sunday in August of 1993.

2 Corinthians 16, verse number 9. For a wide door for effective service has opened to me and there are many adversaries. I did not know that that was prophetic at the time. I'm not a prophet. I don't prophesy. But it was prophetic. It was prophetic simply because there was a wide door that had opened unto me. So I told him this was a door that provided a wonderful, wonderful opportunity. But with that opportunity came a, listen carefully, a delightful opposition. This was my sermon in August of 1993.

There is a wonderful opportunity that God has provided for me, but within that wonderful opportunity there is a delightful opposition. Why do I say delightful? G. Campbell Morgan said these words, and I use this quote on that day. If you have no opposition in the place you serve, you're serving in the wrong place. If you have no opposition in the place you are serving, you are serving in the wrong place. And I added these words, or not standing on the right precepts. And so I began to preach that because I believe that there is opposition in every minister.

I believe that Christian leadership is based on four words. Creed, character, conduct, and crisis. Very important. Creed is what I believe. What I believe determines who I am, my character. Who I am determines how I behave, my conduct. And if my conduct is based on my character, which is based on the creed of God's Holy Word, there will always be a crisis. Always. Because the opposition will always be against you. So crisis isn't bad, you just need to know how to handle the crisis. So that's why I call it delightful opposition.

I shared with you last week that pressure is pleasure. Remember that? Pressure is always pleasure if God's treasure is your measure. You can mark that down. Pressure is always pleasure if God's treasure is your measure. In other words, what's God's treasure? It's the Gospel. It's His Word. Thy word I have treasured in my heart that I may not sin against thee. Timothy was called to protect the treasure that had been entrusted to him, right? The Gospel. If God's treasure is my measure, my standard for living, all pressure becomes a pleasure.

But if you can't handle the pressure, it's because God's treasure is not your measure. Mark that down as well. That is always true in every situation. Because God's Word means more to you than anything. And so therefore, when I preached this sermon the first Sunday in August, 1993, it was two weeks later that I realized, having asked the elder board one question, there was one man who had an unbiblical divorce who was serving on the elder board.

And I found that out because I was having lunch at a restaurant and somebody came up to me and told me. So I immediately went back to my office and I called him. Told him he had to come in, we needed to talk. And I asked him, why didn't you let me understand this?

Why didn't you let me know this? He didn't think it was important for me to know because it happened, you know, quite a few years ago. I said, no, you needed to tell me that. Not only that, it was just a few weeks after that that I realized that the elder that was in charge of youth ministry was an alcoholic. And then I realized a few months after that, that the individual in charge of one of our outreach programs was having an affair while on the elder board. And that one of the men on the elder board knew all that and had covered it up for them.

So I confronted all those things when I found out about them. And told them that they all had to resign. And they said, well, we can't resign because our Constitution says we have to be voted out. And I said, well, forget about the Constitution, God's Word says you're disqualified. And if God's Word's your authority, you've got to follow the authority, you've got to step out. They wouldn't do that. On top of all that, I realized about six months into the ministry that the previous pastor who had an affair, they had disciplined the young lady in the wrong way, in an unbiblical way.

So I confronted them on that as well. And I said, gentlemen, you have to go before the church and ask for forgiveness for the way you dealt with this young lady who had the affair with your pastor because you did it in an unbiblical way. They said, well, we can't do that. I said, what do you mean you can't do that? Well, we can't do that because we're in the midst of a multi-million dollar lawsuit by her. I said, wait a minute. Better to lose your money and maintain your integrity than lose your integrity and keep your money.

So you need to go before the church and ask for forgiveness because you didn't do it right even if it cost you millions of dollars. They would not do that. So literally, for 14 months, there was this delightful opposition. I say it that way because it truly was the most exciting 14 months of my entire life. There was a challenge every day. Every day there was a battle. There was a new battle that arose. There was a new conflict that came. And I had to face it head on. And I did. And so finally it came to a point where I said that these men would not resign from their position unless they were voted out.

So I said, okay. Alright. We'll take it to a vote to the church. But if you don't receive 51% of the vote, you will resign that day. Five men had to resign. I said, if one of you receives over 51% of the vote, I will resign. I will resign. Because you know we can't work together. Because God's Word is my authority and God's Word is not your authority. Because you're willing to stay in your position even though it violates the Word of God and therefore God's Word is not your authority. So we took it to a vote.

Now the interesting thing about this is that the church could vote out the elders. And a few weeks before that had happened, the church tried to do that. The church had gathered together to get a quorum that they might vote out the elder board. And believe it or not, the elders locked the gates to the entry to Church of the Open Door. So people were literally climbing the gates to get up the hill to the church to vote out the elders. Unbelievable. It really happened. They parked their cars on Sierra Madre and climbed the fence to vote out the elders.

They did not have a quorum so they could not do it. So the weeks leading up to the vote the elders asked if they could use every Monday night to tell the church how I was preaching heresy. Because I believed that repentance was essential to salvation. The elder board did not believe that. They believed that all you've got to do is just believe in Jesus. But that repentance was a work. And because I was preaching that you need to repent to be saved, I was preaching a works-based salvation. So I was a heretic.

So they would take my sermons that I was preaching through the Book of Mark at the time, and they would take my sermons and they would begin to prove that I was preaching heresy by the things I said and the people I quoted. And so the church would gather together on Sunday nights and listen to these men as they read their letters and then they would ask questions. That went on for three consecutive Sunday nights in October of 1994. And finally on the last Sunday I got up and I said, you know, you can ask me any question you want to ask.

I have no paper to read, nothing to say, but you can ask me any question you want to ask and all I have is my Bible and I'll answer your questions. So they did. They asked questions. And I answered them by what the Bible says.

And the next week there was a vote. Only one of the five men received 51% of the votes. Only one. So I resigned that night. Interesting that that night was the biggest attendance at Church of the Open Door since it moved to Azusa. And that was because they had gone back to all the people that had been members years ago and brought them. They brought one person on a gurney into the auditorium. They brought several people in wheelchairs hooked up to IVs to vote. And so I'm just doing what I always do.

I'm going around greeting people. I'm meeting all these people I've never seen before. And so I'm meeting this young lady and well, she was an old lady. I said, hey, how are you? What is your name? She told me your name. I said, why are you here? She goes, I'm here to vote out the pastor. She goes, who are you? I said, I'm the pastor. And so it was almost humorous. But this is exactly what happened. If you didn't experience it you'd never believe it. And the stories are innumerable surrounding the whole situation.

But when the very first person they read received 51% of the vote, the other four men did not. But they would stay on at the church. But because one received 51%, I resigned. So my wife was great with child. She was out to here with Anna. And I took her hand and we went up on stage. And we thanked the people for the 14 months of ministry. And I told them it was the most incredible, the greatest 14 months I would ever experience. And I thanked them for that opportunity to be their pastor. And I told them, let's all stand.

Let's sing the doxology. Give praise to God. And my wife and I walked out the door. And that was it. Just that simple. No insurance. No severance. Nothing. Just had to trust the Lord to provide. The very next day I got on the plane, went back east. My mom was having a medical procedure. They called me on Wednesday of that week, asked me to speak. They said, you have no place else to speak. Just come speak to us. I said, okay. That's fine. So I did. And now we're here today, 28 years later. Interesting that God's Word has to be paramount in the church.

Everything that the church does. The church is the pillar and foundation of the truth. 1 Timothy 3.15 And once the church decides not to be what God designed it to be, it will compromise. It will compromise tremendously. And so it's very important to realize that the reason this church began is because of doctrinal and moral error. Why is that? Why is it these men, one having an affair, one an alcoholic, one in an unbiblical divorce, another man covering them all up, why do they believe they could stay on the elder board?

Because of what they believed the Bible said. Based on what their previous pastor had taught them as he lived in immorality for seven years. What you believe about the Scriptures determines how you live your life. And how you live your life determines, as your character, determines how you live. And if you don't have the conviction of God's Holy Word being your authority, that you're accountable to that, you can live any way you want. And they did. In other words, like those people in the book of Titus, they lived a life of licentiousness.

As if there was no law. They denied the fact that Christ was their king. And this is an historic church. A church that was based on the authority of God's Word. A church that had been pastored by great men of God over the years. Some of you still listen to J. Vernon McGee today on the radio. Great man of God. But the church had decided to set aside the authority to live the way they wanted to live. Because that's what their pastor had taught them. That's what their pastor had lived. And so you have to realize that when I came, I came to preach the Word and in preaching the Word to confront that which was in error.

So I did. Realizing the importance of the authority of God's Holy Word. That's why this church was born. That's why 17 people gathered together in a home in Glendora the week after I resigned and said we need to start a church. Most of those people are all dead now.

There are a few of them still alive. But they're not a part of Christ's Community Church today. But most of them all died. Because they were older people. And so we realize it's important to understand that God's Word is the standard. That the church is the pillar and foundation of truth. We are to, as Proverbs 23, 23 says, buy truth and never sell it. Do all you can to obtain it and never compromise it. That should be the benchmark for every person in the room. Every person. That we want to do all we can to obtain the truth and never compromise that truth.

No matter what. And so 28 years ago today when people gathered together that was their aspiration. That was their desire. That's what they wanted to see happen. And that's how Christ's Community Church began. It began because there was a group of people who were committed to the authority of God's Word and never wanted to compromise it. And wanted to make sure that those who led in the church led in a way that was honoring and glorifying to the Lord. Today, the 14 months that I was at Church of the Open Door, this is all in print by the way, it was the worst crisis in the history of Church of the Open Door.

The 14 months that Lance Sparks was the pastor at that church. Worst crisis. Worse than the previous pastor who had lived in immorality for 7 years. It was the worst crisis. Why? Because I dared to confront error in the church. Hypocrisy in the church. Sin among the leadership in the church. Because I preached the gospel of repentance. That you must repent in order to be saved. Preaching that it's a gift of God 2 Timothy 2 24 to 26. It's a gift that God gives. Repentance is a gift. It's not a work.

It's a gift. Like faith is a gift. Like belief is a gift. But no matter how many times you told them that, they didn't believe it. Because when a disciple is fully trained, he'll be just like his teacher. Is that true? Sure it is. And so this church was based on the authority of God's Word. And so when I became the pastor of Christ Community Church, I told them that I would serve the Lord. Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 1 verse number 3, I thank God whom I serve with a clear conscience the way our forefathers did.

A clear conscience. The word serve is worship. I will worship God the way my forefathers did. Because service in the ministry is worship. And how does the pastor serve by worshiping every day? If you've got your Bible, 2 Timothy is our text. Long introduction. But most of you have no idea about how Christ Community Church came to where it is today. But God has done a great work in many people's lives. And we are grateful for His faithfulness to us. So Paul tells Timothy that you need to worship God.

I do, you do. And as a pastor, you worship God in six particular ways. First is this, that you portray the Word of God consistently.

2 Timothy 1 verse number 13. Retain the standard or hold to the example of sound words which you have heard from me in the faith. There's a standard, Timothy, that you must hold as an example. In other words, you must portray the Word of God consistently throughout your ministry. You must let others see that God's Word is your authority by submitting to that authority. That's why Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 4.12, set yourself up as an example in your life, in your love, in your faith, in your purity, in your speech.

Because ministry is all about example. It's about leading. It's about influence. And you must set the example for those around you. So you must retain the standard. You must portray the Word of God consistently. And then you must protect the Word of God carefully. It says in verse 14, guard through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us the treasure which has been entrusted to you. Guard it. Protect it. Over in 1 Timothy 6, verse number 20, O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Guard it. Protect it.

Jude 3, contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. If the church is going to be the pillar and foundation of the truth, you've got to protect the truth. You've got to protect it at all costs. So not only do you portray the Word of God consistently, you must protect the Word of God carefully. Very carefully. Why? Paul told the Ephesian elders in Acts chapter 20 that after my departure, savage wolves will come. And they're going to come from within. Paul was concerned that the church of Ephesus would be destroyed from within, not from without, but from within.

That savage wolves will rise up from within and they had to be careful to protect the truth of the Word of the Lord. So Paul tells Timothy, make sure you portray the Word consistently because this is your service. Make sure you protect the Word of God carefully. And then make sure you present the Word of God correctly. Present the Word of God correctly. 2nd Timothy 2 verse number 15 says, Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be shamed, accurately handling the Word of truth.

In other words, you need to make sure that you cut a straight line when it comes to the truth. You must present it accurately. You must present it correctly. You must present it specifically. It's a marketplace word in terms of making tense. You've got to cut a straight line. People need to know where to go. People need to know which way to go. And you must cut it straight, Timothy. Because if not, they're going to be confused. So if you're the kind of person who patterns and portrays the Word and protects the Word, you can then accurately present the Word to people so they know correctly how to live their lives.

This is how you serve the Lord, Timothy. Portray the Word consistently, protect the Word carefully, present the Word correctly, and persevere in the Word convincingly. 2 Timothy 3 verse number 14. Paul says this to Timothy, You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Timothy, you need to persevere in that which is true. You need to keep on keeping on. You've got to continue in the Word no matter what. Why? Because God's Word is profitable, as he goes on to say, for all things it's the inspired Word of God that presents the man perfect and complete that he might be able to be used by his God in a mighty way. Make sure, Timothy, that you persevere in that Word convincingly. Then 2 Timothy 4 verse number 2. Timothy, you've got to preach the Word continually. Preach it in season and out of season.

Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and patience. And lastly, you must pass on the Word of God compellingly. 2 Timothy 2 verse number 2. The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Pass on that Word to others. The whole book is written in a passing on kind of style. Because Paul's about to die, right? And he has served the Lord with a clear conscience. He wants Timothy to serve the Lord.

But the only way he can do that is if God's Word is paramount and preeminent in his life. That is the essential nature of the ministry of the church. That's where it stands. That's why we buy truth and never sell it. That's why truth is the, the church is the pillar and foundation of that truth. We stand on the Word of the living God. This is why 17 people gathered together in a home in Glendora. They believed that God's Word could never be compromised. They believed that they were a part of a church that did compromise that Word.

Because it allowed men to be leaders in the church that were disqualified to lead. Yet they would not resign because they loved their position more than they loved the truth of God's Holy Word. So those 14 months that I was at Church of the Open Door, they were fabulous months. Because it was an opportunity to experience the pressure that God brings into your life. And God was so good to me, my family, to birth this church. It wasn't started by me, it was started by 17 people. About 8 years into the ministry, no it wasn't even 8, about 5 years into the ministry, one of the pastors from Church of the Open Door wanted to have lunch with me.

Of course you know me, I'm always up for a free lunch. So I said, sure, we'll gather. He asked me why I started a church in Glendora. I said, I didn't start a church in Glendora. 17 people started a church in Glendora, not me. But why would you do that, so close to Church of the Open Door? I said, listen, it's very obvious. Maybe you missed this. We preach a different gospel. We don't preach the same gospel. He said, what do you mean? I said, you say that I preach a gospel of works. I don't. I preach a gospel that demands man repent.

I've had people go into all the world and preach the gospel, going to Luke 24, preaching repentance so men will receive the forgiveness of sins. That's what I do. But you see it as a work, I see it as a gift. So you see the gospel that I preach different than the gospel you preached. One of us is wrong. And it's not me. It's you. And that would mean that you're the heretic and not me. If God's Word is true, and I hold to that truth. So no matter where the church is started, does it make a difference?

Because there's a different gospel being preached at the church that you pastor and the church that I pastor. It wasn't always that way. It began with R.A. Torrey even wrote a book on repentance and the importance of repentance in salvation. That's how that church began. And it went a different way. And I said, my job is to preach the truth of God's Holy Word. That's all I'm supposed to do. And to maintain that standard that God has set. So 28 years ago today, Christ Community Church began. And all the stories surrounding that, people would bring their chairs to Finkbinder Park because there were no chairs in the American Legion Hall.

They brought their chairs. How many people in this room today were there 28 years ago today? Stand up. Just stand up. 28 years ago today, you were there. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. 28 years ago today, and they're still here. Figure that. But you know what, that's really unique because to stay in a church for 28 years is such an anomaly. Most people jump from church to church to church to church, never trying to figure out where they're going to stay or how long they're going to be there. But these people have endured 28 years and they have shown faithfulness in the ministry.

And you know what? All those people who stood have all been faithful in serving in the ministry for 28 years because they were here not to consume but to serve. They came to serve. And that's why people stay in the church, by the way. They go because they realize they're gifted and God has gifted them and they will serve for the glory and honor of God. And 28 years later, the eight that stood this morning are still here because they came to serve not to be served. That's what the Lord Jesus came to do, right?

He came not to be served but to serve and to give His life for ransom for ministry for many. And so they follow the example of their Lord. How great is that? And so if you're here today, you're the recipient of people who 28 years ago said we need to start a church where the Word of God will never be compromised. Where the Word of God will always be the standard. Whoever leads in the church will protect the Word, persevere in that Word, make sure that they portray that Word, they preach the Word, making sure that they pass that Word on from generation to generation.

Because if not, you cease to be the church and what God has called the church to be. I am without a doubt the most blessed pastor in the world. I firmly believe that. I have no greater joy than to see that my children, spiritual children, walk in truth. There is no place I'd rather be than right here. Every day is like game day. Every day. Every Sunday, every Wednesday, game day. It's all preparation for what happens in that hour, right? Because I coach for so many years. Every day that I preach is like game day.

Marlene said to me, said to me, when you said that you came to die, she said, I never believed you. But 28 years later, I've come to realize that you're here till death. Yep, I'm here to death. I'm here and gonna stay here until I die. I love Christ Community Church because Christ Community Church is you. You're the people that make up the church. And it's so, so marvelous to watch how God moves in your lives and how you respond to the truth of the Word of God. That is so great. It doesn't mean that everything is hunky-dory every day.

It's not. There are many oppositions. There are many difficulties that come our way. But I serve among men who will not compromise. I serve among men who are one in mind, one in soul, one in thought. I serve among men who are elders who are totally committed to making sure that God's Word is the standard for every decision that we make. There's no greater place to be than that. And I count it a great privilege to be your pastor. I want to thank you for the opportunity to serve you week after week after week.

It truly is my greatest joy. And so I want to end by just saying that as I give thanks to God on this day, I give thanks to God for each and every one of you who are here. To the eight that have stayed all these years, to the one that's only been here eight minutes, I'm glad you're here. And my prayer is that you would grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ every single day. Let's pray together. Father, we thank you, Lord, for today and for the 28 years that you've kept this church together.

It's you who have done it. No one man or one person does it. You do these things. And Lord, you have brought many people to this church over the years. Some have stayed and many have gone. But Lord, we are grateful for the ones that you've brought through the door. You've always supplied our needs. You've always given us a place to worship. You've always been true to the word that you've spoken. Our prayer, Lord, is that we would be the people who honor you. And your Bible says that he who honors me, I will honor.

And I want to thank you, Lord, for the ministry that you've entrusted to me. I am so grateful to be here. I thank you, Lord, that I have the opportunity to study your word, to preach your word. My prayer is that I would always live your word. And I thank you for this opportunity because, Lord, it is the most blessed opportunity I could ever have. It's been 28 years of pure joy. And, Lord, if you tarry, I'll be here for another 28 years until you take me home because I'm here to stay as long as I have breath because I want to preach the truth of your word.

So, Lord, as we leave this day, may we leave encouraged, knowing that you are God, we are your people, and we serve only you. In Jesus' name, amen.