Whitesburg OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
PAGE 16
RESCUING
Ruby
In a dark corner of an orphanage in Uganda, a dying baby girl found hope.
PAGE 2
ADOPTED What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we’re called children of God! 1 JOHN 3:1 PAGE 20
Meeting her
A daughter’s journey to meeting her birth mother.
WHITESBURG BAPTIST CHURCH
2015 FALL CALENDAR
October
4 Discover Whitesburg Class AM (1 of 2) and PM 10 Singles’ Coffee House and Volleyball 11 Discover Whitesburg Class AM (2 of 2) 12 Senior Day at the ROC 16 Date Night 23 Family Night at Tate Farms 24 Singles’ 35+ BBQ and Bluegrass
December
5 Bethlehem Breakfast 6 Special Morning Schedule 9:30 Combined LIFE Groups 11:00 Hanging of the Green 6 Children’s Choir Christmas Musical 9 Global Prayer Dinner 12 Singles’ Christmas Banquet 13 Global Missions Service AM 13 Winterlude
November
1 Time Change - Fall Back! 1 Lord’s Supper in AM Services 1 Discover Whitesburg Class PM 6 LIFE Group Fellowship Night 7 Singles’ Community Service Project 14 Singles’ Thanksgiving Dinner 14 Ladies’ Night Out 19 DivorceCare - Surviving the Holidays 22 Baby Dedication 25 No Evening Services 26 Happy Thanksgiving 29 No Evening Services
14 Senior Day at the ROC 18 Date Night 20 No Evening Service 23 No Evening Service 24 Christmas Eve Vespers 25 Merry Christmas 27 Special Morning Schedule No LIFE Groups 10:00 Combined Worship 27 No Evening Service
For more details on these and other events, visit WhitesburgBaptist.org.
Inside
Whitesburg OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
PAGE 2 Adopted
2 Adopted By Dr. Jimmy Jackson
4 A New Name By Amber Siler
8 Trust in the Lord By Suzanne Crocker
12 Heart Strings Lyrics by Lisa Bevill & Erin O’Donnell 14 On the Bookshelf: Rescuing Ruby By Sherri Busk with Linny Lee Saunders
PAGE 4 A New Name
18 Meeting Her By Chrissy Curtis 23 Kid’s Space Word Search 24 The Impossibilities of Parenthood By Dr. Harold Fanning
Whitesburg magazine is a publication by Whitesburg Baptist Church, 6806 Whitesburg Dr., Huntsville, AL 35802-2299. (Permit No. 446) Publisher: Whitesburg Baptist Church Editor-in-Chief: Rev. David Dye Graphics & Publishing: Melissa Schuster, Ron Snyder Editorial Assistants: Karen Tidwell, Beverly Dishman, Jordan Busk
27 Adopted Through Jesus Christ By David Dye
Subscribe!
Receive Whitesburg magazine in your home or business by subscribing in one of these ways: • Visit WhitesburgBaptist.org/subscribe. • Email your name and mailing address to subscribe@wbccares.org. • Call the office at 256-704-5678, ext. 279.
PAGE 20 Meeting Her October/November 2015 | Whitesburg
1
Adopted
Adopted by Dr. Jimmy Jackson Our theme for this magazine is adoption. At first glance that might not seem to be a very involved subject. However, the teaching of the Bible on adoption is found both in the Old and New Testaments. A simple definition of adoption in today’s world can be found under the heading “Rights and Laws of Adoption.” Here is a typical explanation: “Adoption results in the permanent ending of the parental rights and responsibilities of the biological mother and father. It then permanently places these responsibilities and rights onto the adoptive parents.” Even that secular comment implies some powerful Biblical truths to a follower of Christ. In the Old Testament, God declares that He is the Father of Israel. The adoption metaphor is not as well defined in the Law and Prophets, but the root of meaning is there. When we come to the New 2
WhitesburgBaptist.org
Testament, we are taught that Jesus Christ is the only unique Son of God. The concept of adoption inspires us to praise God and to follow Him in a spirit of love. A helpful definition from Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology makes it very clear. “Adoption: The act of leaving one’s natural family and entering into the privileges and responsibilities of another. In the Bible, adoption is one of several family-related terms used to describe the process of salvation and its subsequent benefits. God is a Father who graciously adopts believers in Christ into His spiritual family and grants them all the privileges of heirship. Salvation is much more than forgiveness of sins and deliverance from condemnation; it is also a position of great blessing. Believers are children of God.” Adoption implies that the new child of God has the privileges of God’s Son, but with the invariable
condition that the adopted child must accept the obligations and religious duties of a real son. The present reality of a person’s adoption into the family of God means release from the slavery of sin and the law and a new position as a free heir of God. Thus, Paul declares that we are “heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ.” One final application of this great position as an adopted child of God—we are “joint heirs.” By
God’s amazing grace we will receive the same inheritance that our Lord receives—Heaven, perfection, peace, and eternal, personal worship and service. If we have Jesus, we have everything. May the Father be praised! Dr. Jimmy Jackson
is the Senior Pastor of Whitesburg Baptist Church in Huntsville, AL. October/November 2015 | Whitesburg
3
a new name by Amber Siler
4
WhitesburgBaptist.org
I always knew there was a possibility that my chemotherapy treatments could cause infertility. Add on the fact that David had chemo and radiation too, and - well - nothing is impossible, but I do not expect to ever give birth to a child. That realization was hard for me at first, but I have come to accept and even welcome the idea of mothering the orphaned or abandoned children already on this earth. We look forward to the day that we will bring a child into our home, though the journey for us will be longer and a bit more complicated than for many couples. As a young woman, I have an ever-changing list of baby names that I love, but it’s a list I’ll likely never get to use. When you adopt from other countries you often have the opportunity to rename the child with an American name, but we would like to try to adopt within the United States. We have discussed being foster parents and adopting older children out of foster care. We’ve jokingly said we could rename our American-born adopted children no matter what age they come to us.
How strange it would be to live your whole life with one name and then to essentially become a different person. David said, “Well, Jesus renamed people all the time!” Ah, yes, He did. And I venture to say that He still does! Abram to Abraham. Jacob to Israel. The name change that I find most meaningful was when Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter. The name Simon means “reed like” or “easily swayed,” inferring that Simon was easily influenced by his environment, bending to please the world around him. But then Jesus changes his name to Peter, which means “Rock.” What a statement! At that point in time “Peter” wasn’t even used as a name. It literally meant rock. Jesus was saying of Simon, “Once you were easily swayed, but I will make you firm and unmoving.” That got me thinking: What
October/November 2015 | Whitesburg
5
A NEW NAME was my name before He called me? And what did He change it to? Amber means “a precious jewel.” I think my struggle has always been to believe that about myself. I AM a precious jewel! God has been transforming my life in little ways. Refining me, purifying me, and making me sparkle. He has changed my life and my heart. He continues to inspire and create in me new desires that line up with His. Adoption is one of those desires. After all, I have been adopted. Every child of God has been adopted. “God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are His sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are His child, God has made you also an heir.” Galations 4:4-7 What a privilege to be a child of God! He changed my name from “slave” to “heir”. My inheritance in Him is great. “For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His 6
WhitesburgBaptist.org
Once I was a nobody, but now I am royalty. I am God’s special possession. God CHOSE me. sight. In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will.” Ephesians 1:4-6 He looks at me in love and sees not my inclination to gravitate toward my former self, but sees me as holy and blameless. He sees a daughter with whom He is pleased. I look forward to the day that I can express my love to a child who has not known this kind of love before. I pray that I will love them with such a fierce and unconditional love that they will never question my motives or whether or not I am pleased with my decision to bring them into my home. “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God.” 1
Peter 2:9-10 This passage of scripture literally gives me chills. Once I was a nobody, but now I am royalty. I am God’s special possession. God CHOSE me. One of the most beautiful things about adoption is the opportunity to take a child without a family and specifically choose that child to be a part of YOUR family. The choice to love a child that was not necessarily your responsibility is
such an amazing picture of what God has done for each of us. I do not know when I will become a mother, but I pray for my children who could quite possibly already be out there somewhere waiting for me. I pray that they would not lose heart. I pray that God protects them from the horrors of this world. I pray that in our time of waiting, we will anticipate with hope the day that we become family.
Amber Siler is passionate about life. She loves God, her husband David, their dogs Hailey and Sam, all things Scrabble, and fun. Amber is active in raising awareness of Childhood Cancer and the needs of orphan/foster children.
Help build your family’s foundation by God’s design with resources for adoptive families.
WhitesburgBaptist.org/HomePoint
October/November 2015 | Whitesburg
7
Trust in the Lord by Suzanne Crocker
8
WhitesburgBaptist.org
I could hear her crying in the other room. I knew that was our daughter. Why wouldn’t they let us meet her? Our hearts sank when the social worker came back in the room after a few hours and said, “I’m sorry. You need to go back home. The birthmother isn’t going to sign the relinquishment papers so the baby is going back to foster care.” Tears filled my eyes. This simply wasn’t possible! The birthmother had promised to sign the papers today. We were supposed to meet her, she would sign and then we would get to carry our baby girl home. Now we were facing a heartbroken ride home with an empty car seat. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:56. Over and over as I agonized and prayed, these verses kept coming to mind. I did trust the Lord and knew He would grow our family in His time and His way, but I had been so sure in my heart of hearts that this baby
girl was meant to be our second daughter. Even while trusting and walking in His ways, grief and disappointment were very real as I mourned the loss of this baby girl. After two weeks, the adoption agency called again. They said that the birthmother had decided that we were the right parents for her baby and we could come to Jackson the next day to pick her up. We made the four hour drive again and when we got to the adoption agency, the foster parents placed a precious one month old baby girl in our arms. Our precious Rebekah was going to join our family. After we had some time with Rebekah we were ready for the adoption ceremony. Karen, our social worker, said, “I’m sorry. Everything is not ready yet for the adoption ceremony. Why don’t you go out to lunch and come back around two?” This simply couldn’t be happening! I had already held my precious
October/November 2015 | Whitesburg
9
TRUST IN THE LORD daughter in my arms. They couldn’t take her back! Little did we know that the only reason they were delaying the ceremony this time was that my mother-in-law was frantically driving to be there for the ceremony. At 2:00 pm we came back to the adoption agency and the adoption ceremony went off without a hitch. As Karen read 1 Samuel 1:27, ”For this child I
prayed and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him.” I thought, truer words have never been spoken. Trust, walk, pray and wait to see how God can work. His timing is often different than what we desire and some things will never be clearly understood this side of heaven, but you can always trust in Him because He is faithful.
John and Suzanne Crocker and big sister Sarah Joy in the social worker’s office meeting baby Rebekah for the first time.
10
Suzanne Crocker is a wife, mother, missionary and Christian conference speaker. She is also a Family Nurse Practitioner at Tennessee Valley Pain Consultants in Huntsville, AL. She grew up in Guatemala and has served as a missionary in both Togo and Benin, West Africa, with the IMB.
WhitesburgBaptist.org
Long before He laid down earth’s foundations, He had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of His love, to be made whole and holy by His love.
Long, long ago He decided to adopt us into His family through Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:5
Change a child’s life. Be a tutor or mentor. Contact Guy Morton at 256-704-5678, ext. 227 for volunteer opportunities in the Huntsville area. October/November 2015 | Whitesburg
11
heart
STRINGS
My child inside, I love you And I’m asking through the tears That God will grant me wisdom Way beyond my years Because your life is precious And the best for you is in store I pulled upon my heartstrings Until they finally tore
And I prayed, and I cried And because I love you so, I’m letting go To trust the One, I know for sure I’ll place you in the Father’s hands The only One who’ll ever love you more 12
WhitesburgBaptist.org
Lyrics by Lisa Bevill & Erin O’Donnell
You were the miracle we prayed for That we could not have had ourselves You brought us joy and happiness And a love we’d never felt How we cherished every moment And we looked up, and you’d grown We never knew this day would come so soon O how the years have flown And we laughed, and we cried And how it hurts us so to let you go So much life for you in store We place you in the Father’s hands The only One who’ll ever love you more October/November 2015 | Whitesburg
13
on the bookshelf
In a dark corner of an orphanage in Uganda, a dying baby girl found hope. 14
WhitesburgBaptist.org
rescuing
ruby In June 2011, Dwight Saunders and his daughter Emma were leading a team of 22 people on a mission trip to Kampala, Uganda. In a darkened corner of an orphanage they had visited often, Emma found an emaciated and dying baby girl. Struggling for life, her big brown eyes seemed to be pleading, “Please! Will you help me?” Emma ran to her dad, Dwight, calling, “Daddy! Daddy! Come quick! This baby! She’s dying! We have to do something!” Following Emma to the darkened corner of the room, he was stunned at what he found, words inadequate to describe. Emaciated. Mere skin draped over her protruding bones. Her sweet head much larger than her boney exposed limbs. He gasped. ‘Dying’ is the only word that really could describe her. And at that God-orchestrated moment, Dwight’s heart broke for her. One
by Sherri Busk with Linny Lee Saunders baby girl, but a picture perfect representative of the millions and millions of orphans globally needing someone to desperately care about them. Emma and Dwight returned to the orphanage daily to feed this baby. When other missionaries came to the orphanage to volunteer, he would beg them to make sure the baby was fed. Dwight sought medical care for her, and they learned that she was estimated to be about a year old and weighed only 6 pounds, and most of that weight was from hydrocephalus. It didn’t take long for the Saunders family to start the process of adoption—bringing this child they named Ruby Grace home. Linny, Dwight’s wife, and Emma returned to Uganda to complete the adoption process. What happens next is the story of God’s hand in every detail of Ruby’s life. They came
October/November 2015 | Whitesburg
15
ON THE BOOKSHELF: RESCUING RUBY up against what seemed like insurmountable obstacles, but God showed up every single time. You’ll be on the edge of your seat as you read this book. You’ll cry. Your faith in what God can do will be increased. Most of
all, you’ll experience a taste of God’s heart for the orphan. For one little starving, dying girl in Uganda, He cared enough to put every detail into place.
Rescuing Ruby can be found on Amazon.com.
Dwight and Linny Saunders and their wonderful adoptive family.
Linny Lee Saunders had one childhood dream: Be the mom of
a large adoptive family lovingly gathered from around the world. She and her husband are currently in the process of bringing home their thirteenth (a precious son in a wheelchair). Linny writes at PlaceCalledSimplicity.com, where she shares God’s relentless love for the orphan, the privilege of parenting special needs treasures, and always the joys of having a large family. Linny and her family make their home in the gorgeous desert of Arizona.
Sherri Busk is a wife to Phil and a mom to six terrific kids, one of
16
whom is Whitesburg Student Ministry Associate Jon Busk (pictured on the next page). Phil and Sherri have a heart for the orphan and have adopted two little girls from China.
WhitesburgBaptist.org
“Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in,
or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison
and go to visit you?”
The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine,
you did for Me.” Matthew 25:37-40 Jon Busk was one of the missionaries in Uganda who was touched by Dwight Saunders’ plea and spent many hours at the orphanage feeding and taking care of Ruby. Here he is pictured holding a healthy Ruby at a recent reunion with the Saunders family. October/November 2015 | Whitesburg
17
her
MEETING by Chrissy Curtis
A friend of mine is meeting her birth mother for the first time today.
18
As I write this, I am flooded with so many memories. I can feel her excitement, anxiousness, even some fear and doubt. I remember feeling all of those emotions when I met my birth mother. WhitesburgBaptist.org
ht) d Margaret (rig Chrissy (left) an h mother. with their birt
I knew I was adopted even before I knew what the word meant. My twin sister, Margaret, and I were adopted as infants. In fact, we were 28 days old when my Mama and Daddy, Russ & Laura Medley, made the trip to New Orleans, LA to pick us up and take us home. When Margaret and I were girls, we would love to comb through our “files� and look through papers related to our adoption. We asked Mama and Daddy to tell us our story over and over and over. There was
this one little piece of paper that we kept going back to. It was a description of our biological parents from the agency. We loved knowing anything we could about them; we were fascinated by the description of what they looked like and what their background was. As a teenager, this fascination only grew stronger for me. Teenagers struggle already with the subject of identity, and not knowing much about where I came from really bothered me. I know not every adopted person struggles with this, but I felt like there was this big black hole in my life and I was almost desperate to fill it. There were questions that haunted me. What is my birth mother like? What does she look like? Do we look like her? What characteristics came from her? Margaret and I really wanted to meet her. We wanted to thank her for giving us life! I remember praying every night and asking God if I could one day meet her. So during these struggles, God was working on my heart. He was showing me through our adoption story, how much He loves me and that my identity was found in Him. The words of Psalm 139:13 comforted me
October/November 2015 | Whitesburg
19
MEETING HER
Laura and Russ Medley with their newly adopted twins.
so much, “For You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” God knew where I came from, and He was the one that put my family together. I could trust Him and His plan for my future, and how He formed this wonderful family that I was a part of! Our adoption was a closed adoption; so basically, neither side had any contact or information about the other side; no names, locations, no identifying information given. At the age of 18, Margaret and I could request information from the agency on our birth mom, and if she also contacted the agency, then they could send contact information to each of us. I wanted to make the request, but I was so afraid of rejection, that I did nothing. Margaret 20
WhitesburgBaptist.org
came to me one day and basically talked me into being brave and starting this process. (She is so much stronger than I am!) I don’t remember exactly how it went, but we didn’t wait very long before finding out that she had been asking the agency about us for many years! I could not believe it! So now what?? We started out writing letters to each other and sent pictures back and forth. Now get this! When we received pictures from our birth mother we were amazedMargaret and I did not look like her! We looked like Mama and Daddy! Oh how this affirmed to me that God is the one who puts families together! The arrangements were set for the day that we were all to meet. Our birth mom drove from out of town with her sister, mother and grandmother to meet Margaret,
Chrissy and Margaret at their 3rd birthday party.
Chrissy, Margaret and Laura at Margaret’s wedding.
our parents, and me. The details from the day are fuzzy, but it was an incredible thing to open that front door and see her standing there, to finally meet her and hug her and thank her! Needless to say, there were lots of tears. It was an awesome weekend full of many wonderful conversations. And she was able to go through our baby books and see pictures of us through the years. Mama and Daddy were so open and welcoming to this family, and that just made me love them even more.
God has used this story to remind me of His love, graciousness, and faithfulness. In those days when I was confused, struggling, and did not know what else and how else to pray, God’s words brought such comfort and hope: “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we don’t know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:26-28
Laura, Russ, Margaret and Chrissy
Chrissy Curtis is the Student Ministry Administrative Assistant at Whitesburg Baptist Church. She loves being a wife to Brandon and “pet-mom” to Rocky & Sherman. She loves sports, reading, and teaching Zumba at the Recreation Outreach Center of Whitesburg Baptist Church. October/November 2015 | Whitesburg
21
after school activities
AT W H I T E S B U R G B A P T I S T C H U R C H
Thursdays 2:30-5:30 pm
Open to all kids in Grades 3-5 Character building, devotion, game time and snacks for FREE! For info call the Children’s Ministry office at 256-704-5678, ext. 245.
For Middle School Students Burg Fest is a once a month, after school event in a safe and comfortable environment. Students will eat, have fun and learn about their loving Savior, Jesus Christ. For upcoming Burg Fest dates call the Student Ministry office at 256-704-5678, ext. 247. 22
WhitesburgBaptist.org
KID’S SPACE Word Search! E C H I L D G N I K U V L C R M U S F W U F R R R L Z I D J T Q C O R H M L A C R R P F Y D O P S I Q O T H C X B R C W L H B T E M G O R N E M J K F N B F E G R O P O Y L I M A F A M O R A S A I J E O H E H H H A C D E U S K W L R M W Y E P C N L B S T W B U H H Q W A R S O L A P R I V I L E G E R O V H P Q T T I F R M T I D T E Z M X D P F D E U N A L P A X O N T O C N I N P L O J K W C Z R D C L T B G E P E H Z U Y H A J W N K V L C W D P P R
ADOPT BEAUTIFUL CHILD CHOOSE COMPASSION
FAMILY FOSTER GIFT GRACE HEART
LOVE ORPHAN PLAN PRIVILEGE RESCUE
October/November 2015 | Whitesburg
23
THE
IMPOSSIBILITIES OF
Parenthood by Dr. Harold Fanning
Disagreements are a fact of life among siblings. Recently my three granddaughters accompanied their mom to the grocery store. All day the girls had been badgering one another… “Mom, Anna is breathing on me!” “Mom, Audrey touched my side of the car!” “Mom, Adeline is singing too loud!” The bickering was relentless. Finally, the tumultuous day came to a head when one of the older girls made it clear that Adeline (the youngest) was not to sing. Not to be outdone, Adeline sarcastically snapped back with the lowest of all insults: “Well, Daddy and Mommy bought you two at Wal-Mart!” Parenting children is nearly an impossible task… some days more impossible than others (just ask my daughter)! However, many couples experience the impossibilities of parenthood 24
WhitesburgBaptist.org
long before rocking a sweet, little bundle of perfection. In fact, these are the couples who are far too acquainted with the pains of parenthood instead of its joys. Infertility struggles often lead to discouragement and loss as couples’ hearts are filled with love for a child whom they’ve never met. Many of these couples have discovered that God had a different plan for their family and have embraced the gift of adoption. And, while adoption comes with its own set of stresses, for those who are willing to see it through the rewards are immeasurable. The story of Pharaoh’s daughter and baby Moses in Exodus 2:1-10 is a good Biblical example of the rewards of adoption. Certainly there are numerous reasons why adoption of a child becomes desirable or
necessary, but in this story there are at least three reasons to explore. First, circumstances produce a reason for adoption. Moses’ birth occurs against the backdrop of one of the most horrific events in history. The power-hungry Pharaoh of Egypt resolves to extinguish the Jewish nation by infanticide. Exodus 2 reveals a Jewish family’s plan of desperation to save their infant son. The culminating moment in Moses’ adoption comes in Exodus 2:10 as his birth mother delivers him to Pharaoh’s daughter and
he officially becomes the son of the Egyptian princess. Today there are many situations that create the need for adoption: tragedies leaving orphaned children, the result of war, negative economic situations, drug and alcohol abuse, unwanted pregnancies, etc. Circumstances creating the need for adoption are unending.
October/November 2015 | Whitesburg
25
THE IMPOSSIBILITIES OF PARENTHOOD Second, compassion prompts a readiness for adoption. Pharaoh’s daughter took one look at the infant Moses and in verse 6 said, “So she had compassion on him, and said, ‘This is one of the Hebrews’ children.’” Her compassion alerted her to the painstaking choice this child’s parents had made, and she understood the gravity of the circumstance before her. Her compassion prompted her to action, knowing full well that disobeying her father, the king, could cost her life. However, she was willing to pay the cost to ensure that this child had a chance at life, regardless of his race or skin color. Third, Christ procured our redemption through adoption. Galatians 4:4-5, “God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” In other words, our heavenly Father is an adoptive parent to each of us who call on
26
Him and trust in His salvation. Adoption wasn’t an afterthought or a next-best option. Adoption was God’s plan all along; a plan He so embraced that it cost Him His only Son so that we might be called His daughters and sons. So, for couples whom God calls to adopt, realize that raising a child to love the Lord and to follow Him is what’s important. God may have surprised YOU by His plan for your family, but it was no surprise to Him. He is at work within you even now, preparing your heart, your desires, and your circumstances to fulfill the calling He has placed on your life. “And whoever welcomes one child like this in My name welcomes Me.” Matthew 18:5
Dr. Harold Fanning has been married to his wife Debbie for 41 years. He is a retired pastor who currently serves as a Hospice Chaplain. Harold speaks each Wednesday night at WBC’s Prayer Meeting service and is a hotrod enthusiast.
WhitesburgBaptist.org
adopted
through Jesus Christ In this issue, we have shared great stories of adoptions. The impact this event can have on the life of the one adopted, the parents adopting and the extended family and friends enriched by this act of love can never truly be measured. Family is so much more than blood type and DNA. I can’t help but think of the frustration my blond-haired, blue-eyed friend has every time he has to explain that he is the “real� father of his Chinese-born son. Adoption in the first century
by David Dye
was a fairly common practice and was very important. Children were not adopted for the purpose of enhancing their state in life, but rather for the benefit of the ones adopting them. Namely, the primary purposes a child was adopted for in first century Rome was to continue a family name, have someone to receive the inheritance and to fulfill the duties of a child to the parents. (Thus boys were almost exclusively adopted in those times.) When a child was adopted, he was completely
October/November 2015 | Whitesburg
27
ADOPTED THROUGH JESUS CHRIST tied to the new family and while the relationships would often continue, there were no legal ties with the family of origin. Also, while natural born sons could be disowned by their father, an adopted son could never be disowned. The bonds could never be broken. Understanding adoption in the culture helps us understand Paul’s using adoption as an illustration of salvation in his letter to the Ephesians. Ephesians 1:3-14 draws many parallels between first century Roman adoption and our salvation. First, the Father chooses to and whom to adopt. “In love He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ . . .” God chooses us to be His sons and daughters before we choose Him. Adoption was for the benefit of the adopter although the adopted received great benefits. “. . . adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to His favor and will, to the praise of His glorious grace that He favored us with in the Beloved.” It is for God’s sake and glory that we become His sons and daughters though through this we receive innumerable 28
WhitesburgBaptist.org
benefits. Adoption was an extremely expensive procedure. “We have redemption in Him through His blood, . . . ” Our salvation comes at the cost of the blood of Jesus Christ. When a person was adopted, all of his former debts were cancelled and he became a new person. “. . . the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” Jesus cancels the debt of sin we owe. The primary purpose of adoption was to have someone to continue the name and carry on the family business and position. “He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure that He planned in Him for the administration of the days of fulfillment—to bring everything together in the Messiah, both things in heaven and things on earth in Him.” As children of God we serve Him not as a slave that does not know his master’s business but as a son/daughter with whom all things are shared. Adoption was not official until all parties were in agreement. “We have also received an
inheritance in Him, predestined according to the purpose of the One who works out everything in agreement with the decision of His will, so that we who had already put our hope in the Messiah might bring praise to His glory. When you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed in Him, . . .” God has chosen each of us but we are not His until we submit our will and choose to receive the gift of salvation He has provided for us. Adoption was an irrevocable agreement, the father could never disown an adopted child. “. . . you were also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. He is the down payment of our inheritance, for the redemption
of the possession, to the praise of His glory.” We are sealed by the word of God and the promise of the Holy Spirit. Salvation is based on the grace of God, not our works or worth, and that same grace is what maintains it. If you are not yet, you can be a child of God, chosen for His glory and given the rights and privileges of a son or daughter and joint heir with Christ. You may do so with a simple prayer now, making Jesus Christ the Lord of your life. If you need more help, please contact Whitesburg Baptist Church at 256-881-0952, ext. 224 for more information on how you too can be adopted into the family of faith through Jesus Christ.
David Dye is the Communications Pastor of Whitesburg Baptist
Church. He is a follower of Christ, husband to Wendy, dad to Tyler and Christopher (and Belle the wonder dog), and an Auburn Tiger. October/November 2015 | Whitesburg
29
30
WhitesburgBaptist.org
WhitesburgBaptist.org
BAPTIST CHURCH
WHITESBURG
Just a few of the many adoption stories within the Whitesburg family!
LIFE Groups 8:00, 9:30 & 11:00 am Blended Traditional Service 9:30 am with Dr. Jimmy Jackson Contemporary Service 11:11 am with Rev. Steven Dunne Evening Service 6:15 pm
Come worship with us on Sundays! 6806 Whitesburg Drive Huntsville, AL 35802
Whitesburg Baptist Church
PAID
Huntsville, AL Permit 446
Non-Profit Organization US Postage