Feel forgotten?

“The land which I do give them, even the children of Israel” (Joshua 1:2).

God here speaks in the immediate present. It is not something He is going to do, but something He does do, this moment. So faith ever speaks. So God ever gives. So He is meeting you today, in the present moment. This is the test of faith. So long as you are waiting for a thing, hoping for it, looking for it, you are not believing. It may be hope, it may be earnest desire, but it is not faith; for “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” The command in regard to believing prayer is the present tense. “When ye pray, believe that ye receive the things that ye desire, and ye shall have them.” Have we come to that moment? Have we met God in His everlasting NOW? –Joshua, by Simpson

True faith counts on God, and believes before it sees. Naturally, we want some evidence that our petition is granted before we believe; but when we walk by faith we need no other evidence than God’s Word. He has spoken, and according to our faith it shall be done unto us. We shall see because we have believed, and this faith sustains us in the most trying places, when everything around us seems to contradict God’s Word.

The Psalmist says, “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of living” (Ps. 27:13). He did not see as yet the Lord’s answer to his prayers, but he believed to see; and this kept him from fainting.

If we have the faith that believes to see, it will keep us from growing discouraged. We shall “laugh at impossibilities,” we shall watch with delight to see how God is going to open up a path through the Red Sea when there is no human way out of our difficulty. It is just in such places of severe testing that our faith grows and strengthens.

Have you been waiting upon God, dear troubled one, during long nights and weary days, and have feared that you were forgotten? Nay, lift up your head, and begin to praise Him even now for the deliverance which is on its way to you. (from Streams in the Desert)

Peter from St Petersburg

Morning is the hardest part of the day for me in St. Petersburg. I wake up early to pray, read and work on my slides. After a few hours of being awake, my mind gets confused because of the darkness outside. Only by 11 am do the first rays of sunshine leak through the frosty sky. By the afternoon the sun rises high becomes especially bright and sharp thanks to the arctic freezing weather. Every day it is the same -20 C(-10 F).

For the first few days upon arriving I tried to be faithful to my morning routine of a daily fast paced walk. I have to acknowledge that those walks were beautiful. The monumental architecture of Saint Petersburg is absolutely breath-taking. However, my body was not ready for this drastic change in climate and I felt that familiar but unpleasant scratchy pain in my throat. Remembering that my voice is the only reason I am in this part of the world, I had to stop the amazing walks and retreat to my hotel, or as I call it, my “cell”. Despite the comfortable and convenient room I am staying in, some days I feel like I’m living in a prison cell after a few hours of my study time go by.

On another note, I am very pleased to see the conference administration’s involvement in the whole process. The president, the secretary and the treasurer are the first ones to arrive to the auditorium. They are meeting and greeting people, helping with the study guides, setting up the equipment, arranging hot teas for the singers and many other tasks. They are also the last to leave the hall after the meetings.

St. Petersburg is certainly different from many of the other cities where I have preached. It is hard to draw the people’s attention with anything at all. They live in a city with the best universities, famous art galleries, an outstanding symphony orchestra and a number of world-famous drama theaters. They have seen and heard rock music superstars, world political leaders and Hollywood actors. They definitely feel self-sufficient and are not much interested in the eternal truths of the Bible.

However, every night I see a large group of devout souls searching for the spiritual treasures of the Bible.  A mile long walk from the nearest metro station through freezing weather similar to that of an arctic country is not an issue to them. They come because they are interested in what the Bible has to say about the future of this world. I am impressed and humbled with their sincere attention and warm spirits.

Please, continue your prayers for these meetings.

PK

Praying hands

What can be a better way to start a New Year than on our knees! The Lakeview Prayer Ministry is inviting you to join us in heart and mind in prayer on Friday night, January 6, at 7 PM and all day this Sabbath, January 7.

“If my people…will humble themselves and pray.” ~1 Chronicles 7:14

If we humble our spirit in prayer the Lord will lead us to the new summits in all our programs and ministries.

If we humble our minds in prayer our Savior will renew our spirit.

If we humble our hearts in prayer our Father will give us healing and restoration in our family relations.

“Oh brother, pray; in spite of Satan, pray; spend hours in prayer; rather neglect friends than not pray; rather fast, and lose breakfast, dinner, tea, and supper – and sleep too – than not pray. And we must not talk about prayer, we must pray in right earnest. The Lord is near. He comes softly while the virgins slumber.” Andrew A. Bonar

Albrecht Durer’s Father was a goldsmith and apprenticed him in his early years to learn the family trade, but Durer loved painting and really wanted to be a painter. So his father finally gave in and agreed that he could go to Nuremberg to study art. Unfortunately though, his father wasn’t wealthy enough to support him, so he had to work as a labourer to support himself. The trouble was, this left him little time to work on his art. Now he had a friend, Franz Knigstein who was also a gifted artist and in the same boat, so they decided that they’d draw lots and one would support the other while he finished his studies and then he’d support the other out of his earnings as an artist. Well, they drew lots and Albrecht won. So Albrecht was able to devote himself to his art studies, but he agreed to support Franz after achieving success so his friend could finish his studies. Some years later Albrecht returned to find Franz so he could keep his end of the bargain. But when he got there he discovered what a sacrifice his friend had made for him.

You see as Franz had worked at his labour, his fingers had become twisted and stiff. His long, slender fingers and sensitive hands had been ruined for life. He could no longer manage the delicate brush strokes so necessary for executing fine paintings. But in spite of the price he had paid, Franz wasn’t bitter. He was happy that his friend Albrecht had attained success.

Well, one day Albrecht saw his friend kneeling, his rough hands entwined in silent prayer. Albrecht quickly sketched the hands, later using the sketch to create this drawing “The Praying Hands”. He saw his friend’s hands as a symbol of the sort of love that Jesus had shown us. A self giving love that preferred the good of the loved one to its own rights. A self emptying love that chose servanthood over equality with God and the glory of heaven.

Climb your mountain!

“There is no top. There are always further heights to reach” (Jascha Heifetz, widely regarded as one of the greatest violinists of all time). The Lord is calling each one of us to reach new heights in our spiritual life and in the effectiveness of our ministry. “Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31 NKJV)

We often settle for small things in life. Like Lot we ask for “small towns” and small mountains (Gen. 19:20). We get comfortable with our little achievements. We accept broken relationships as a norm of life. We give up on our spiritual quest. Challenges and troubles of life suppress even the desire itself to seek higher ground. Eventually we become completely sieged by the dark and painful circumstances that control our present and take away our future.

I invite you to run to the mountains (Gen. 19:17), to claim the promised heights (Jos. 14:12), to “get up into the high mountain” (Is. 49:9). Our God “shall come with a strong  hand (Isaiah 40:10). He will give you wisdom and power to restore your broken marriage, to finish your college education, to overcome your spiritual doubts, to refinance your mortgage, to forgive your enemies.

I challenge you to “lift up your eyes” in 2012, to “mount up with wings like eagles”! Amazing new perspectives open up only from the top of the mountains.

Happy New Year to you.

Lakeview holiday photos

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“I bring you good news…”

This Sabbath day at Lakeview church (December 17):

11:00 AM “Stranger in the Manger” – Children’s Choir musical. A series of spirited songs and rhymes that help us remember the sacrifice God made to send His son to a lowly manger to save us all. Bring your family and friends, invite your neighbors!

5:00 PM “Remembering the miracle of Jesus’ birth”  a musical vesper presented by the young musicians of Lakeview at 5:00 p.m.  Voices and instruments will be raised in song. You will enjoy an evening of praise and reflection.

THE LAKEVIEW CHILDREN’S CHOIR had the opportunity of sharing the message of God’s love to the youth at the Cobb County Juvenile Detention Center.  They performed the musical “Stranger in a manger”, which focuses on the birth of Jesus, highlighting the unique process that God chose to save the world.   The Supervisor and guards mentioned how “well” the young people had behaved during the program.  He mentioned that he felt this was due to the fact that they knew we were there because we wanted to be there, not because we were getting paid to be there.   This activity has become part of our yearly routine, as it provides a means by which our younger children can minister to others and proclaim the story of God’s love and salvation.

COMMUNITY SERVICES: THANKS TO ALL WHO  HELPED BAKE THESE EXPRESSIONS OF APPRECIATION FOR OUR VERY REAL PARTNERS IN OUR FOOD PANTRY PROGRAM . With contributions from Monica , Florence ,  Cynthia, Denise and my mother-in-law -  we ended up w/ 13 plates of cookies for our  food distributors at the Farmers Market. . That is 26 dozen cookies – more than I had  hoped for. (Sieg Grentz)

Lakeview sermons are always available here or at www.lohtv.com or even on ITUNES

“I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you;” (Luke 2:10-11) Jesus came into this world to show us what God is like. We have a God who cared enough to come. No other religion in the world can make that claim. He showed us what he was like and his name was love. He was the friend of sinners and failures. He showed love and compassion to the outcasts of the world. He healed the sick and raised the dead. He taught us not to use the values of this world to determine our worth, for he said, “The last will be first, and the first will be last” (Matthew 20:16). He taught us that our value to God was more important than what anyone else thought about us. Let this Christmas season strengthen our hope in the soon return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

He loved us

Without God’s love there is no hope for me. In the Gospels I find the greatest description of love ever revealed to humanity. Jesus comes into this word simply because of His love to His lost children. He comes to them while they are still sinners. They do not deserve to be loved, but He is seeking them. He was rightly called “a friend of sinners”. He did not want anyone to be lost for His Kingdom. Every thief was dear to Him, every drunk was treated like His son, every prostitute -like His daughter. This love has no comparison in the history of this world.

Moved by love He wanted to restore sight to the blind, to open ears of the deaf, to heal those who were sick. Our world needs restoration today.

No relationships can be restored, no individuals saved for the Kingdom, no peace found within our own souls unless we reflect His unconditional love. Our sinful nature makes us seek what pleases us, His love makes us forget about our selfish needs. “.. love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own… Love never fails.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NKJV)

This Sabbath morning I intend to find assurance of my salvation through the study of God’s amazing love. I invite you to join me at Lakeview church at 11 am. “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son  to be  the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:10 NKJV)

We give you thanks

I am thankful to the Lord for the honor of being His child. Without Him my life would have no meaning and no purpose. When a couple of years ago my Dad passed away I realized that in a great degree my inspiration to live and achieve was coming from the simple fact that I had a father who loved me and cared about me. If my God had died I would have been left drifting in this universe with no purpose or inspiration.

I am thankful to the Lord that He blessed me with the most wonderful family. Inspired by His selfless love I am also driven to love because that brings joy into the lives of my dear ones. Without God my love to my family would have been a simple animalistic instinct of preservation and survival.

I am thankful to the Lord for my church. The church is the place where I can realize my purpose of serving to the needs of those who are beyond the circle of my immediate family. It is at the church that I  forget about what I want and learn to see other people’s needs.

This has been a wonderful year at our church. I praise the Lord for the new members who joined our church family. I thank God for many wonderful ministries in our congregation. By God’s grace our church family has grown locally and in other parts of the world thanks to our commitment to preaching the Gospel “in Jerusalem … and to the ends of the earth”.

I am thankful to the Lord for all my amazing friends living in the USA, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Germany, Moldova and many many other countries of the world.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving I invite you to remember those who may feel lonely, abandoned or chose to be in denial. Let us make their life brighter and happier.

“Now, our God, we give you thanks,
and praise your glorious name.” 1 Chron. 29

He is Able!

“Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.” (Hebrews 7:25)

“Because He [Christ] is an everlasting priest, and has offered the only available sacrifice, he is able to save, from the power, guilt, nature, and punishment of sin, to the uttermost, εις το παντελες, to all intents, degrees, and purposes; and always, and in and through all times, places, and circumstances; for all this is implied in the original word: but in and through all times seems to be the particular meaning here, because of what follows, he ever lives to make intercession for them; this depends on the perpetuity of his priesthood, and the continuance of his mediatorial office.

As Jesus was the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world, has an everlasting priesthood, and is a continual intercessor; it is in virtue of this that all who were saved from the foundation of the world were saved through him, and all that shall be saved to the end of the world will be saved through him. He ever was and ever will be the High Priest, Sacrifice, Intercessor, and Mediator of the human race. All successive generations of men are equally interested in him, and may claim the same privileges. But none can be saved by his grace that do not come unto God through him; i.e. imploring mercy through him as their sacrifice and atonement; confidently trusting that God can be just, and yet the justifier of them who thus come to him, believing on Christ Jesus.” (CCB)

This Sabbath morning I invite you to celebrate the power of our Lord Jesus Christ to save. We will remember His death and resurrection during the Communion Service. He is ABLE to save YOU!

Lakeview Bonfire change

Good Morning Again Everyone!

I have some sad news.  I talked with Mr. Grentz after I sent my last email and he informed me that the county would not issue a burning permit for us this Saturday night.  So we will not be able to enjoy a bonfire.  Instead we will have our social inside the Lakeview Church.  So we ARE NOT cancelling the social.  It will just be inside instead of outside.

That means we will need you to bring table games along with the food you are bringing to share.  We will still do some of our seasonal games as promised, but we will also play some table/board games together while we have an evening meal together.

I’m sorry about this change, but I know that we can still have an enjoyable time together.  We will meet in the Lakeview Church at 7:00pm.

Have a wonderful weekend!
–

Pastor Matthew L. Tinkham, Jr., BA