Dear Church Family,
I trust this letter finds you blessed and in health. What a blessing it is simply to be a child of God. “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” (Galatians 4:6) Our natural response to God is worship. Worship is part of the final commission given in Revelations 14:7 “…worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” But what is worship?
It seems Christianity today is confused about what worship really is. To define “worship” is not simple. Ask ten different people and you might get 12 different answers. Even in the Bible we find diverse examples of worship. However, there is one core element that is essential and the same, God is the focus of all true worship. If you listen to conversations about worship and observe worship services, it seems people have become the focus of worship. Maybe you have noticed it as well. Worship services are planned and performed, intent on pleasing the congregation first and pleasing God as almost an afterthought. The people come to church focused on what they want and like and how the “worship service” makes them feel. Of course only other people have done this, as we have never done such a thing. Have we turned worship on its head? Is the congregation placed where God alone deserves to be? Whatever or whomever we place as the focus of worship has become our god.
I believe the vast majority of Christians are sincere, but because our culture and society is obsessed with ME ME ME, it is inevitable that our worship will also become ME ME ME. Yet no amount of sincerity makes wrong right. Many of those worshiping the Golden Calf in the desert may have been sincere. It wasn’t just the idol that was the problem; they had made their desires and their pleasure the focus of their worship. It is my desire, and I’m sure yours as well, that we make our worship God fearing, Jesus glorifying, and Holy Spirit filled. “…Holy Holy Holy, is the Lord God almighty, who was and is and is to come.” (Revelation 4:8b) and the Spirit cries out in our hearts, “Abba Father.”
A Note from Miss Zimmerman, Principal, Lubbock Junior Academy:
Lubbock Junior Academy will start its fifth year on Monday, August 12, 2013. The Lord has blessed us every step along the way. Speaking of church school reminds me of a story about a boy who went first grade in a Seventh-day Adventist church school and then his parents placed him in public school for second grade. The young child cried and cried on his first day of public school. He kept telling his new teacher he was missing someone from his other (SDA) school. This insightful teacher told the boy’s parents that her new second grade boy was missing a good friend. When the young boy’s parents asked him who he was missing, his immediate response was, “I miss my best friend, Jesus.”
Please don’t let your child miss out on getting to know their best friend. Jesus is our best friend, brother, and Savior for eternity. I ask you to prayerfully consider placing your child in Lubbock Junior Academy for the 2013 – 2014 school year.
July Events:
The weekend of July 5th through 7th we are hosting a marriage enrichment weekend directed by Carmen Fuentes-Griffith, Woman’s Ministry Director and Buford Griffith, Jr., Family Ministries Director for the Southwestern Union. I hope you will join Junelle and me and take advantage of this opportunity to enrich and strengthen our marriages.
Investigation Station – Vacation Bible School is scheduled for Thursday through Sunday July 18-21. It is going to be a spectacular event. It will be A VBS program where Kids investigate God’s Word. Be sure your children and all the children on your block are here. Watch your bulletin and the church website for more details.
Blessings are promised to all who attend the Sabbath 11:00 o’clock Worship Hour the month of July.
Sabbath, July 5 – we are very blessed to have Pastor Buford “Buddy” Griffith present WHEN YOU HAVE TO STAND ALONE.
July 13 – I will be back in the pulpit, the title of my message will be “HOLY GROUND”. We don’t want to miss the opportunity to be in the Lord’s presence.
Sabbath, July 20 – we have another special guest, Pastor Derral Reeve, Texico Conference Educational Superintendent, will be here to share a message on the importance of Christian Education.
July 27 – The theme of my message will be PAINFUL REMINDERS. Sometimes we don’t listen to God until we are hurting and those painful reminders may be the best thing for us.
Please pray for me as I pray for you!
God’s richest blessings,
Pastor Jeremy
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