Why can’t we do it?

Haven’t we all been in those places where we’ve tried everything; we’ve exhausted all our spiritual resources, and still the problem has not been resolved. Your child is still sick; you are still looking for a job; your neighbor is still not interested in the Gospel message. What are we to do? This was the frustration that the disciples of Jesus experienced when they were not able to heal the demon-posessed boy.

“When our prayers seem not to be answered, we are to cling to the promise; for the time of answering will surely come, and we shall receive the blessing we need most. … do not fear to trust Him, even though you do not see the immediate answer to your prayers. Rely upon His sure promise, “Ask, and it shall be given you.”

If we take counsel with our doubts and fears, or try to solve everything that we cannot see clearly, before we have faith, perplexities will only increase and deepen. But if we come to God, feeling helpless and dependent, as we really are, and in humble, trusting faith make known our wants to Him whose knowledge is infinite, who sees everything in creation, and who governs everything by His will and word, He can and will attend to our cry, and will let light shine into our hearts.” (SC, p 96)

Jesus spoke to His confused friends and answered with a short, but profound statement: “this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting” (Matt. 17:21) In fasting we humble our spirit before the Lord, in prayer we seek His power from above. It is the combination of these two elements that enables us to “move mountains”, to cast our evil spirits of doubts and unbelief, to restore broken relationships in marriage and to lead our friends to Jesus.

We are facing many serious challenges in our church today. “Why can’t we do it?” – we keep asking one another. The answer is still the same: prayer and fasting. I invite the Lakeview church to prayer and fasting this Sabbath. After the worship service anyone is welcome to join one of our prayer sessions that will be going on all day at our church according to the following schedule:

1:00 PM           Esther King

2:00 PM           Danielle & Elisée St Elie

3:00 PM           Erica

4:00 PM           Harry Marcellino

5:00 PM           D.J. Mancao

6:00 PM           Tara Wheatley

7:00 PM           Venice Fisher

8:00 PM           Sylvia Massey/Simonne Dupré

Please, make a note there there will no Fellowship Meal this Sabbath. Our regular monthly Sabbath lunch has been moved to July 9.

“If you are sick, fast and pray; if the language is hard to learn, fast and pray; if the people will not hear you, fast and pray, if you have nothing to eat, fast and pray” – F. F.

Will your children come to God?

Jesus appealed to his contemporaries saying, “Let the little children come to me!” What do we do with this request in the 21st century? There are many of those who believe that parents should not talk to their children about God until they grow up and reason on their own. When I hear this logic I am surprised they still make their child learn how to count to 10 or make them go the elementary school instead of respecting their freedom and waiting for the child to decide if he/she wants to learn grammar or science at all!

A recent study conducted by the Mississippi State University proved that the kids whose parents regularly attended religious services  — especially when both parents did so frequently — and talked with their kids about religion were rated by both parents and teachers as having better self-control, social skills and approaches to learning than kids with non-religious parents.

The study shows that religion can be good for kids for three reasons. First, religious networks provide social support to parents, he said, and this can improve their parenting skills. Children who are brought into such networks and hear parental messages reinforced by other adults may also “take more to heart the messages that they get in the home,” he said.

Secondly, the types of values and norms that circulate in religious congregations tend to be self-sacrificing and pro-family. These “could be very, very important in shaping how parents relate to their kids, and then how children develop in response,” shows the research.

Finally, religious organizations imbue parenting with sacred meaning and significance.

In Matthew ch. 18 we read that “little children were brought to Him (Jesus)”. In this I see our sacred parental responsibility to “bring” our children to God. If I do not do that as a father they may never do that on their own. I am glad that in our home we were teaching our daughters to pray to God, to read the Bible and to attend church services. All of them have grown up, some already have their own families, but all of them are building their life on the foundation of the Biblical principles revealed in the life of Jesus.

What can we do to help our children find their course in the world of the crumbling moral values? If you are interested in finding the answer, join our Sabbath morning worship service, tomorrow, June 25, at 11 AM at the Lakeview church.

Do not be foolish!

Consider the difference between a sailboat and a rowboat. In a spiritual rowboat the sailor is dependent upon human effort, In a spiritual sailboat the sails are raised in faith and the undying power of the wind of the spirit moves the boat–it is still entirely necessary that the boat move, but the power source of the sailboat is unquenchable. Apostle Paul expressed his great disappointment with the Christians in Galatia who got tricked into a futile attempt to reach the destination in a “rowboat”. He was so sincerely concerned with their loss of faith in the saving power of the Jesus that he calls them “foolish”.

Are you frustrated and worn out? beaten by the storms of life? Spinning in the same place? Do not see any spiritual advance? Then you are also in a “rowboat” today. Raise your sails of faith! Let the Spirit move you forward.

“Without the cross, man could have no union with the Father. On it depends our every hope. From it shines the light of the Saviour’s love, and when at the foot of the cross the sinner looks up to the One who died to save him, he may rejoice with fullness of joy, for his sins are pardoned. Kneeling in faith at the cross, he has reached the highest place to which man can attain. – {AA 209.4}

Through the cross we learn that the heavenly Father loves us with a love that is infinite. Can we wonder that Paul exclaimed, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ”? Galatians 6:14. It is our privilege also to glory in the cross, our privilege to give ourselves wholly to Him who gave Himself for us. Then, with the light that streams from Calvary shining in our faces, we may go forth to reveal this light to those in darkness.” – {AA 210.1}

Tomorrow, June 18, morning I invite you to study with me Galatians chapter 3 during our 11 AM worship service at Lakeview church.

Farewell Social For The Sanchez Family

This Sabbath will be the last weekend the Sanchez family will worship with us. They moved here only a year ago, but we fell in love with this happy and loving family. Because of their job situation, they must move back to Texas. We will certainly miss them, and want to wish them God’s blessings. I hope you will join our beach themed farewell social at church this Sabbath at 8:30 pm. Bring your towels and swimming goggles . Also don’t forget to bring some Mexican food for haystacks. We look forward to seeing you there!

The vespers program tomorrow will start at 7 pm, with Elder Tom Holbrook presenting the devotional.

Welcome Pastor Matt and Mariesa

We are so happy to have Pastor Matt and his wife Mariesa join our Lakeview church family. They will be leading the youth and young adult ministries. They have already moved into a house in Dallas, and even got their Georgia license plate tags. They both attended Southern, where they met, and recently both graduated! They got married in May and just returned from their honeymoon to Italy. Let’s hope they can continue their honeymoon here at Lakeview.

If you want to read more about the Tinkham’s, visit their website www.matthewandmariesa.com. To contact Pastor Matt, you can reach him at matthewtinkhamjr@gmail.com, or you can call the church office (770-222-1511 ext. 102)

Pastor Matthew will preach his first sermon at Lakeview on July 16.

 

I can’t afford to give anything to God

I hear  a very serious charge in Malachi 3 verse 8 “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings.”

God claims that the Israelites were robbing him by the withholding of tithes and offerings. We may assume that at that time Israel’s economy was booming, companies were hiring, saving accounts were showing generous surplus… As a matter of fact during the days of  Malachi the Jewish people had just returned from captivity in Babylon. They had been gone for 70 years. The land was in ruins. The Temple was destroyed. The city of Jerusalem lay in ruins. It was a desolate land. Work was scarce. Money was in short supply. Poverty ruled the day. Here was a group of destitute people, who were struggling to provide food, shelter and clothing for their families. They had almost nothing. To top it all off, there was drought in the land, so the crops weren’t growing. It was awful.

Into this type of problems God says, “You are robbing me.” Can’t God see that these people have nothing? They are scrounging for food wherever they can find it. They can’t pay the rent. They can’t buy new sandals for the kids. They can’t buy enough grain to make a decent loaf of bread. God says, “You are robbing me.” The argument comes back, “I can’t afford to give anything.” Have you ever heard that claim? Have you ever made that claim? The truth is that no matter what our level of income or wealth, God expects us to give back to him a portion of what he has given us. They didn’t have much, but they had something. Remember the poor widow’s offering of two little copper coins. Jesus said that she gave more than the wealthy that piled in money. It’s not the amount of the gift, but it is the motive and sacrifice behind the gift.

Uplifting the cross of Christ

“If those who today are teaching the word of God, would uplift the cross of Christ higher and still higher, their ministry would be far more successful. … To remove the cross from the Christian would be like blotting the sun from the sky. The cross brings us near to God, reconciling us to Him. …” – E.White AA 209

Pastor Tabor’s ordination

This Sabbath morning our Lakeview associate pastor, Tabor Nudd, will be ordained to become a fully licensed minister of the Gospel. The ordination will take place at the Hiram SDA church.

Ordination is the process of ministers of the gospel affirming the call, equipping, beliefs, and maturity of a man to become the pastor of a church. In the Old Testament ordination was used to affirm a man to serve God’s purpose. Ordination validated God’s will for a fully qualified man to serve God and His people.

Often in the New Testament the ordination (laying on hands) was used to appoint elders, pastors and deacons in the New Testament Churches. “As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, having fasted and     prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.”  Acts 13:3 NKJV

Pastor Tabor and his wife Heather have been a great blessing to the youth and young adults ministries of the Lakeview church. They conquered our hearts with their humble spirit and authentic Christian love. Their family has been a wonderful example of a Christian home. Effective July 1 Tabor will continue his ministry at Gainsville SDA church. We’ll miss them a lot. At 7 PM tonight at Lakeview church we’ll all have a chance to congratulate Tabor with his ordination and to wish him God’s blessings in the new field his pastoral ministry.

Bible Treasures

Bible Treasures Kids’ Bible Study Series

An exciting series of interactive Bible lessons for children ages 6-12

The Bible Treasures Kid’s Bible Study Series is coming to Lakeview! You don’t want your children to miss out on this exciting series of 10 meetings on Sabbath afternoons at the church from 6:00-7:00pm. Meetings will continue from June 11 to August 13, 2011. There will even be a graduation ceremony for children who have completed the series!

Children younger than six are welcome to participate if accompanied by an adult, but our lessons are geared primarily to the attention span and comprehension level of elementary students. Your teenager can be involved too! Helpers are much needed. Please contact the program coordinators to find out how you can help.

Our sessions will include songs, stories, searching the Bible for answers to questions, crafts, games, and snacks. We will use the Bible (NIV) and the Bible Treasures series of lessons (Pacific Press). Through all the lessons, our emphasis will be on helping your child understand that Jesus loves him/her and wants to be his/her Best Friend.

For more information or to volunteer, contact Cécile Roberson (cecileroberson@gmail.com) or Nelita Elliott (nelita.elliott@gmail.com or 919-341-3975).

Jaime Jorge at Lakeview

This Saturday morning (June 11) Jaime Jorge is coming Lakeview. During the 11 AM worship service Jaime will share the Lord’s message through music and spoken word! His forceful, expressive mastery of the violin has delighted audiences around the globe. Jaime has dedicated his talents to sharing the love of God through sacred and classical concerts and special appearances the world over.

From High School auditoriums to magnificent cathedrals, from simple church programs to Carnegie Hall, Jaime’s music can inspire, uplift, and bring peace. For over two decades, through 15 albums and more than 2,500 concerts in North and South America, Europe, Australia, and Asia, Jaime’s music has touched the lives of millions. It can touch yours too.