Eure Christian Church Inc.

05/31/2026

Word from Wade

Taking God’s Name in Vain
The third commandment says, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain” (Exodus 20:7, NASB). What does it mean to take God’s name in vain? And why does God take it so seriously?
First of all, God’s name is holy. God’s name is holy because He is holy. “Holy” means to be set apart for a special purpose, as opposed to things for common use. When we say God is holy we mean that He is high and lifted up, glorious in majesty and power and in a class all His own. After all, He alone is God.
Moses and the Israelites sang in Exodus 15:11, “Who is like you – majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?” Again in Revelation 15:4, “Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
We pray in the first line of the Lord’s Prayer, “Hallowed be Thy Name.” The Name of the Lord is to be honored and revered because it is holy.
The Jewish people take this so seriously that even to this day when you read Jewish literature, they do not write out the name “God” but show it as “G-d” for fear of disrespecting the Name.
But all too often in our culture, the Name of the Lord is profaned. Have you ever wondered why? Why do people who don’t even believe in God choose to use His name in swears and curses? It’s bad enough to hear profanity, but why does God’s name have to be connected with it? I personally think there is something significant here worth pondering.
It’s all too common in the media today, even movies that are supposedly safe for families to watch. Sometimes it seems like they just have to throw in some profanity to an otherwise clean movie just to get a PG-13 rating so more people will watch it. But not just media, it’s all around us in the workplace, schools and friends.
Worse, even among Christians the Name of the Lord is misused. How often have you heard someone say, “Oh God,” or even used the name of Jesus in an exclamatory or flippant way. Many Bible versions translate Exodus 20:7 as “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name.”
Another way that we take His name in vain is when we claim to be “CHRIST-ians” – we profess the name of Christ, but we do not live out our profession. When we take the name of Christ, as a woman takes her husband’s name, and yet live as if we still belong to another (the world, the flesh or the devil), we have taken His name in vain. God forbid.
Acts 4:12 says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
So let us honor and revere the name of the Lord, not only with our words but even more so with how we live our lives.

05/23/2026

Word from Wade

Seven Common Misconceptions About Heaven
I’m no expert on heaven as I have never been there, but it’s clear that many people view heaven today very differently than what the Bible teaches. Here are seven common misconceptions about heaven:
Heaven is less real than life on earth. Some folks have a whispy, ghostly view of heaven - like spirits floating up on clouds in the sky clouds playing harps – kind of like the old Tom and Jerry cartoons.
But that is far from the truth. Heaven is God’s throne and earth is His footstool, so heaven is the far greater reality. Earth is just the warmup and a mere shadow of things to come.
2 Corinthians 4 likens our existence on earth to a tent (a temporary dwelling), while our future existence is an eternal building from God. Which is more substantial? A tent, or a building? Heaven is for real.
Heaven will be boring - like you’ll be stuck in a boring church service for the rest of eternity. That’s about as far from the truth as anything I have ever heard!
I’ve heard people say, “I would rather be partying with my friends in hell than sitting around bored stiff in heaven.” They don’t know what they are talking about – either of the joys of heaven or the horrors of hell.
1 Corinthians 6:2-3 says, “Do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? Do you not know that we will judge angels?”
Jesus says we will be serving God and have responsibilities. There will be singing. We will even be eating! Jesus said, “People will come from the east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the Kingdom of God.” Heaven will not be boring!
We turn into angels. You hear this often when someone dies. People mean well with condolences like “Heaven just got another angel.” The Bible is clear that humans are not angels nor do we turn into angels. Angels are a completely different order in God’s creation.
We will continue to be married in heaven. Jesus teaches in Matthew 22 that we will not be married in heaven.
We will be absorbed into God and lose our identities. That’s the impression I got when I read the book, The Shack. You will find this concept in Hinduism but not in the Bible. God created you an eternal soul and you will retain your identity forever regardless of where you spend it.
Everybody goes to heaven. You won’t find this in the Bible and certainly not in the words of Jesus. He spoke of hell frequently. Jesus laid down His life for us so we could spend eternity with Him.
People ask, “How could a loving God send a person to hell?” The Bible says that hell was prepared for the devil and his angels, and God has done everything possible without violating your free will to keep you out of hell. God loves you so much that He sent His Son so you would not perish there.
You can go to heaven by being a good person. None of us are good enough! Because we have all sinned against God.
If you could get to heaven by being good enough, then Christ died in vain. If you believe that, you need to let God know He made a mistake in giving His Son to suffer and die in your place. If you want to go to heaven, it is only by way of the cross, because that’s where your debt was paid.

05/17/2026

Word from Wade

A Trip to the Zoo
Ruth and I have wanted to visit the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro for some time. We tried last year on the way to a pastor’s conference in Asheville, only to meet up with pouring rain as we entered the zoo. I was determined we were going to do it anyway (like Clark Griswold at Walley World), but we were soaked before we even got to the ticket booth so finally gave it up.
On the way to another pastor’s conference this past week we tried again. Rain was in the forecast, but it turned out great - over cast and cool - a perfect day especially considering all the walking required.
We really enjoyed the zoo. I have visited zoos before, but this was the first time to visit the North Carolina Zoo. In fact, the house my family lived in when I was born was right across the street from the Jacksonville (Florida) Zoo, another good one.
Did you know there are zoos in the Bible? Well, sort of. There was Noah, as he had a pair of every kind of animal and bird on the ark (seven pairs of some kinds). Even long before Noah, God brought all the animals and birds before Adam to see what he would name them.
King Solomon had ships that brought him apes and baboons from Africa, and he had twelve thousand horses imported from Egypt. Solomon was also a zoologist as well as a botanist. “He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish” (1 Kings 4:33).
As I wander around a zoo and observe the variety of amazing creatures, it’s hard not to think about the God who made them all in His amazing creativity. It is estimated that there are over eight million species of animals in the world. And every one of them is made with intricate detail. The Zebra is just one of those species. I learned this week that no two zebras have the same exact pattern of stripes – just like human fingerprints, every one is different. What kind of God could do that!
The Psalmist wrote, “How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number – living things both large and small” (Psalm 104:24-25).
Cecil Frances Alexander wrote a hymn inspired by these verses:
All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all.
Each little flower that opens, each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colors, He made their tiny wings.
The purple headed mountain, the river running by,
The sunset and the morning that brightens up the sky.
The cold wind in the winter, the pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden: He made them every one.
He gave us eyes to see them, and lips that we might tell
How great is God Almighty, Who has made all things well.
What an amazing God! Let all creation worship Him!

05/15/2026

05/10/2026

Happy Mothers Day to all the moms out there ☺️

05/08/2026

Word from Wade

Scars of Love
One of my favorite stories is entitled “The Scars of Love.” I have shared it several times from the pulpit through the years but don’t think I have ever written it. So I thought it would be a great story to share on Mother’s Day.
“Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went.
He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore. His mother in the house was looking out the window and saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could. Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother. But it was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator.
Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his mother’s fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.
The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, “But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Mom wouldn’t let go.”
What a great story of a mother’s love! A Mom who was willing to fight an alligator to save her little boy. A Mom who wouldn’t let go.
Jesus has scars too – scars of love. Not because someone saved Him, but because He saved us. Scars in his hands, feet and side, from when He suffered and died on the cross for us. They were still visible after His resurrection, as Thomas wouldn’t believe until he saw them with his own eyes and touched them.
Evidently Jesus still has His scars. John writes in Revelation 5:6, “Then I saw a Lamb, looking as it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne.”
The great hymn Crown Him with Many Crowns captures this thought in the fourth verse:
“Crown Him the Lord of love; Behold His hands and side, those wounds, yet visible above, in beauty glorified. All hail, Redeemer, hail! For Thou hast died for me; Thy praise and glory shall not fail throughout eternity.”
Isaiah writes, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands” (Isaiah 49:15-16).
I wonder if His scars are how we are engraved in His hands. As strong as a mother’s love is, the love of God is even greater.

05/03/2026

Grace Wiggins Pease planned a fun picnic and hike at Merchants Millpond State Park today! We missed those that couldn’t join us, but we will definitely do this again!

05/03/2026

Word from Wade

The Living Enduring Word of God
When the French philosopher Voltaire was on his deathbed in 1778, he famously predicted that within 100 years of his death the Bible would be obsolete and only be found in museums. Ironically, long after Voltaire had died, his home was used by the Geneva Bible Society to publish and distribute Bibles!
The books that top the best seller list today are often forgotten tomorrow. But not the Bible. According to Guinness World Records between 5 and 7 billion copies have been sold over the centuries. Approximately 80 million copies are printed each year, which puts it No. 1 on the best seller lists, although often it’s not shown as such because they focus on recent or new publications.
Portions of the Bible have been translated into over 4,000 languages and the entire Bible has been translated into 776 languages. There are some 900 different versions of the Bible in English alone.
Why? What is it about the Bible that gives it it’s lasting power? Because it is the living, enduring Word of God. Peter writes, “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring Word of God” (1 Peter 1:23). He then quotes Isaiah – “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.”
Voltaire passed away like withering grass, like a fading flower. But the Word of God endures forever. In fact, Bible sales are increasing – in 2024 Bible sales were up 20% over 2023, and 2025 increased another 11-14%. Much of this has been driven by young adults, particularly Generation Z.
Why? It is unique among all books in that it is much more than a book – it is the living, enduring Word of God and people are hungry for truth. Even in countries where the Bible is outlawed, many people are desperate for God’s Word.
Jesus tells a parable (a story to make a point) about a farmer that goes out to sow his crop. And as he broadcasts his seed, some falls on the path, some in shallow rocky soil, some falls among thorns, but some falls on fertile soil where it yields a productive harvest. When He explains the parable, Jesus begins by saying that the seed is the Word of God.
And Peter picks up that same theme, only he points out that the seed is indestructible, imperishable, because the seed of the Word of God is living and enduring.
In the 1960’s during archaeological excavations at Masada in Israel, a date-palm seed was discovered. Carbon dating determined the seed to be some 2,000 years old – dating it back to the time of Christ on the earth. That seed was successfully germinated in 2005 and has grown into a palm tree named Methuselah. (In Genesis 5, Methuselah lived 969 years – longer than any person in history.)
The Word of God is like that – only more enduring and more powerful. Although written centuries ago, it is as alive and potent today as it ever was. And when it finds fertile soil in a person’s heart, it germinates and brings new life – that person is born again!
Do you have a Bible? Read it! Study it! Internalize it! You can be born again! In this world of withering grass and fading flowers, grab on to something eternal – the living enduring Word of God.

04/24/2026

Word from Wade
4/26/26

Lord of Heaven and Earth

I remember hearing years ago that the first man in space, Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, said that when in outer space, “he didn’t see any god there.” Only recently did I learn that Gagarin never said that. He was a member of the Russian Orthodox Church and those words were fabricated and misattributed to him by Russian Premier Nikita Khrushchev in a speech made in an anti-religion campaign. You can’t believe everything you hear. God was there. He is everywhere. He is Lord of heaven and earth.

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there” (Psalm 139:7). There is nowhere you can go that God is not already there – even in outer space.

The first space mission to leave the earth’s orbit and circle the moon was Apollo 8. On Christmas Eve, 1968, as astronauts Bill Anders, Jim Lovell and Frank Borman made their ninth orbit of the moon, they took turns reading Genesis 1:1-10. A fourth of the world’s population listened live as this reading of the creation account from the moon was broadcast live via television. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

In 1969 the United States Postal Service issued a postage stamp commemorating the Apollo 8 mission and the reading from Genesis. The stamp featured an image of the earth from the moon with the words, “In the beginning God…”

Atheist Madalyn Murray O’Hair subsequently filed a lawsuit against the United States Government, alleging violations of the First Amendment. The case was ultimately dismissed, but that’s not the end of the story.

On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the moon. As Neil Armstrong exited the lunar module and took the first step, he spoke the famous words, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

A lesser known fact is that Buzz Aldrin took communion on the surface of the moon. He was an elder in a Presbyterian Church in Texas, and his pastor provided the communion elements for him to take to the moon. He and Armstrong had only been on the moon a few minutes when Aldrin made the following public statement: “This is the Lunar Module pilot. I’d like to take this opportunity to ask every person listening in, whoever and wherever they may be, to pause for a moment and contemplate the events of the past few hours and to give thanks in his or her own way.” Here is his own account of what happened:

“In the radio blackout, I opened the little plastic packages which contained the bread and the wine. I poured the wine into the chalice our church had given me. In the one-sixth gravity of the moon, the wine slowly curled and gracefully came up the side of the cup. Then I read the Scripture, ‘I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me will bring forth much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing.’

I had intended to read my communion passage back to earth, but at the last minute they had requested that I not do this. NASA was already embroiled in a legal battle with Madalyn Murray O’Hair, the celebrated opponent of religion, over the Apollo 8 crew reading from Genesis while orbiting the moon at Christmas. I agreed reluctantly. I ate the tiny Host and swallowed the wine. I gave thanks … the very first liquid ever poured on the moon, and the very first food eaten there, were the communion elements.”

Even more amazing to think that some of the first words spoken on the moon were the words of Jesus, the One who made the earth and the moon.

04/18/2026

Word from Wade

A Living Sacrifice
After the flood, Noah built an altar to the Lord and sacrificed offerings to the Lord. Noah was the first person in the Bible to build an altar. This became a common practice in the Old Testament, even before God instituted the system of sacrifices through Moses. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob all built altars to the Lord.
The Hebrew word for altar means “place of sacrifice.” A sacrifice is something precious or valuable that you give up, an offering, something that cost you – for a higher purpose or goal. In baseball a bunt is a sacrifice – a batter willingly takes an out in order to advance another runner. A sacrifice fly is the same – the batter takes an out for a runner on third base to score. Love involves sacrifice – someone gives up what is precious to them for the good of someone else. Parents sacrifice for their children.
The Bible tells us to offer ourselves up to God as a living sacrifice. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship” (Romans 12:1).
We don’t offer ourselves as a sacrifice of atonement or appeasement. Jesus has already done that for us once for all on the cross. But we offer ourselves, our entire lives to Him as a sacrifice of worship. Some versions translate this as “our reasonable service.” In other words, if the Son of God has died for me, the least I can do is live for Him. The great British athlete and missionary C.T Studd once said, “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.”
Many of the great hymns we sing capture this thought. One is When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, written by Isaac Watts. Some have called it “the finest hymn in the English language.” The last line says it all - “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my heart, my life, my all.” All that we are and have is but as small offering in return for such great love.
Is Your All on the Altar, written by Elisha Hoffman, is another one found in the old Baptist hymnal. “O we never can know what the Lord will bestow of the blessings for which we have prayed, till our body and soul He doth fully control, and our all on the altar is laid.” The imagery comes from Leviticus 1, where the priests are instructed to lay ALL of the burnt offering on the altar.
It’s often been said that the problem with living sacrifices is that they tend to crawl off the altar. That’s why I think this is a daily process – giving ourselves up to Christ every day. Jesus tells us to take up our cross daily.
Another great hymn by Francis Ridley Havergal is a great prayer to pray:
“Take my life and let it be consecrated Lord to Thee;
Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee;
Take my voice and let me sing always only for my King.
Take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold.
Take my moments and my days let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my will and make it Thine, it shall be no longer mine;
Take my heart it is Thine own, it shall be Thy royal throne.”