Spiritual Legacy


This year has flown by so fast; it’s hard to believe that Ripley (my little ray of sunshine) will celebrate her first birthday next week. Since Teresa and I are older, we’ve had friends and family members alike ask us when or if we plan on having another child. To be honest, we are thinking/praying about it. This past summer, my uncle talked with me about the importance of having a son. I took his talk as a joke at first but he was serious. My uncle is number 11 of 12 children my grandparents have and only few of the grandsons have sons and he is concerned with the legacy of the Thomasson name. This has left me a question in my own mind in what should the legacy be for the people of God?

I see my legacy on earth not in Ripley or any son I may or may not have. I see the legacy I leave are the ones God has put in my path to show them Christ. I’ve been reading through the letters of Paul and I read the words like a father would write to a child. The people he wrote to were children of God and not his but God used Paul to plant His Word which produced spiritual fruit.

We (Christians) are all off-spring of God’s love and of the sacrifice Jesus Christ paid for us on the cross. We are all spiritual fruit that someone planted God’s Word and either the same person or another reaped the harvest of the spiritual seed. Reading Billy Graham’s life story, I know he was a spiritual product of a man who was a spiritual product of Billy Sunday (a famous evangelist of the late 1800’s/early 1900’s). Billy Sunday was lead to Christ by a shoes salesman who taught his Sunday School. If we are able to trace back who won who to Christ, it still all leads back to what Christ did on the cross.

As I pray for the salvation of my almost one year old daughter, I think about the legacy of God and his perfect work. I know that He will draw her to Himself in His time. My job is to show her what He did for her; by planting the spiritual seed of God’s Word in her heart. Lord willing it will either be me, Teresa, or someone else who will reap the harvest of her accepting Christ in her heart; the legacy is still the same-a legacy of God’s love for His created children.

The Spiritual Legacy of any child of God is not his/her legacy to leave but his/her to show. The Spiritual Legacy is Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He paid on the cross for our sins.

A Reminder



I’ve served my God and Savior for over 20 years. I’ve lead his people as an Elder/Pastor for 5 years. In my personal Bible reading today, God sent a reminder of the calling he gave me so many years ago. This passage can feed all Christ-followers but if you are an Elder, Pastor, or Bishop (all the same in the Greek), I’m thinking this will feed your soul.

1 Peter 5: 1-11

1 The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: 2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; 4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for
“ God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Using What You Have to Reach the Lost
While reading through the SBCV Church Plant Application, I read what I wrote about the need for church planting. I still feel the same way.

“I first sensed the need for church planting in college. Since the college I attended is the flag college of the Baptist Bible Fellowship, we had from time to time BBF state representatives come and share the need for churches in their particular state. Over the years, I’ve seen churches not reach the lost around them using the standard approaches. The mindset of the world is changing, and churches need to change the method of reaching the lost. We don’t change the message, but the way it is given.

My sense of calling to church planting is more a desire to be used by God to reach the world using new and different ways. Jesus used what was the norm in the age in which He was on Earth. He used story telling to tell the truth. He used objects that the people had and knew of to illustrate His points. Some churches are using methods to reach the world around them that hasn’t worked in 20 years. My sense of calling to church planting is to think outside the box, to make the world see that their need of a Loving God is real. I want God to use me to help them see that it’s not about having a steeple on the roof, wearing a suit or dress, or knowing hymns, but it’s about a real relationship with the God of the universe. It’s about peace and completeness in Him.

Having lived most of my life in Virginia, and attending and working in a multi-cultural church, I sense a call to not start a multi-cultural church but a New Testament church. The difference to me is that in the New Testament, everyone was welcomed into the body of Christ with no limitations (except no women could be pastors). To have a New Testament church, people will need to feel welcomed regardless of their race, economic background, if tattooed or clear of tattoos, with or without body piercings, etc.

My call is to plant a New Testament church wherever God directs. Teresa and I are willing to go wherever He desires to do His will. He has saved us, so we trust Him to provided for what we will need (discernment, direction, wisdom, power, house, money, etc.) because we are His children and we feel that He has set us apart to reach the people He has us to reach. All for His glory.”

Testimony

I was reading through the SBCV Church Plant Application today and read what I wrote about my testimony. This was written in 2006 when Teresa and I were praying about starting a church. My testimony is not earth shaking but it’s not about me but about the love of God and Him taking a little boy and making him into the man I am today. Thank you God for drawing me to Yourself at the age of 7. May I use all the days of my life to bring you glory!

“• My life before knowing Christ

My life before Christ drew me to Himself was a simple one. I was born on January 11, 1970 to a family who are Christians and active church members. I went to church whenever dad and mom went (every Sunday morning, evening, and Wednesday night). I was an average child who had a nice childhood.

• How I came to understand my need for Christ
One spring Sunday evening in 1977 (at the age of 7), Alexander Baptist Church had a Christian magician come and do a show for the children. While he performed his tricks, he spoke about the love of God and the gift He gave in His Son, Jesus Christ. Using his illusions, he illustrated the salvation story. I came to understand that I am a sinner and needed Jesus’ gift.

• How I received Christ as my Savior
The following Sunday morning, I walked to the front when the invitation was given. An older gentleman took me aside and talked with me about salvation. He used the Romans’ verses to show me why I was a sinner, and how I can be saved. I prayed the prayer and believed in my heart. That morning Jesus saved me and entered in my heart. Shortly after, I was baptized.

• My life since knowing Christ
The early days after the salvation experience, I was your average child in a Southern Baptist Church. I attended the “Training Union” classes before the Sunday evening service where I learned the books of the Bible through participating in Sword Drills, and learned to make friends through attending the Royal Ambassadors on Wednesday evenings. My Spiritual growth really started to be deeper; when my parents had us leave Alexander Baptist and join Fellowship Baptist (a BBFI church) in March 1984. From the beginning of the change, I started to learn the importance of reading the Bible and for witnessing. God used Lynn Hardaway, a then 27 year old pastor, to show me what ministry really is all about. Through the sermons, I learned it is our calling to tell others about the good news of the gospel. I started to attend Tuesday night visitation and started to tell my friends about the love of God. Lynn Hardaway allowed a teenager to hang out at church during the summers, so I was able to learn how to minister by doing whatever needed to be done. Through that experience with Lynn and the staff at Fellowship Baptist (Minister of Music, Youth Pastor, and the secretary), I’ve learn that ministry is sweeping the buses, cleaning the bathrooms, cutting the grass, etc. Being on the stage is a small part of what people consider “ministry.” From my salvation experience to now, God has put people and circumstances in my path to mold me into the man I am today. God has used me to mold others into what He wanted them to be. As I grow in Him and in age, I’m learning all of this we see and don’t see is all about Him and not about me. I’m only an empty work glove. He’s the hand that uses me. Without Him, I can’t accomplish anything for Him. In Him, I’m complete. And without Him, I am nothing.”

Angels Unaware


I had a reminder of Hebrews 13:2 (“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it (NASV).”) this past Saturday. Our church had a Bazaar/Yard Sale and an Open House. God blessed us with great October weather and a great turn out. I was able to talk with some people as they shopped and answered any questions they had about our church. I talked with two couples that stick out in my head. One couple I will write more about on my next post because I want to write about another couple with a great testimony.

The couple with the great testimony was everywhere on Saturday. They bought from the yard sale and from the vendors. As the husband was loading the last of their lute in the back of their truck, I talked with the wife. We talked about marriage and how bad times can make a marriage stronger along with the good times. She shared with me the worst time of her marriage took place 20 years ago when they lost their 29 year old daughter to cancer.

This lady shared how there was this great male nurse on duty the last few days of their daughter’s battle. He was so caring and kind to them and he took such great care of their daughter. This lady told me that she was going home to shower and come back so he told her that he would make sure the daughter was comfortable. When she got home, the phone rang and it was the male nurse telling her and her husband to come back because the daughter was entering the final stages of the cancer. When they came back to the hospital their son-in-law met them and told them that their daughter had died.

When this lady talked with the head nurse she wanted to talk with the male nurse to thank him for all the work he did. The head nurse looked puzzled. She informed this lady that there has not been a male nurse on duty on that floor in several years. The lady and her husband were shocked but the head nurse was right according to all paperwork. This lady and her husband are sure that they had an angel taking care of their daughter and loving on them.

Who am I to doubt such a story when we have Hebrews 13:2 to tell us that we could be entertaining angels without knowing we are doing so? It’s something to think about. I’ll write about the other couple later this week.