Dear Church Family,

Tina was sharing the following with me this morning and how inspiration says that if the pastor doesn’t instruct upon this matter, he is held accountable before God.  So I thought I should pass this on to you.  Consider reading tonight chapter 55 in the 5^th volume of the Testimonies for the Church.  Our oldest son Jason was listening to this chapter while outside weeding earlier this week and Tina shared with me how often he commented about what he was hearing.  Here is a section of sobering counsel for us to consider from this chapter as we prepare for worship at church with our children:

The moral taste of the worshipers in God’s holy sanctuary must be elevated, refined, sanctified. This matter has been sadly neglected. Its importance has been overlooked, and as the result, disorder and irreverence have become prevalent, and God has been dishonored. When the leaders in the church, ministers and people, father and mothers, have not had elevated views of this matter, what could be expected of the inexperienced children? They are too often found in groups, away from the parents, who should have charge of them. Notwithstanding they are in the presence of God, and His eye is looking upon them, they are light and trifling, they whisper and laugh, are careless, irreverent, and inattentive. They are seldom instructed that the minister is God’s ambassador, that the message he brings is one of God’s appointed agencies in the salvation of souls, and that to all who have the privilege brought within their reach it will be a savor of life unto life or of death unto death.

The delicate and susceptible minds of the youth obtain their estimate of the labors of God’s servants by the way their parents treat the matter. Many heads of families make the service a subject of criticism at home, approving a few things and condemning others. Thus the message of God to men is criticized and questioned, and made a subject of levity. What impressions are thus made upon the young by these careless, irreverent remarks the books of heaven alone will reveal. The children see and understand these things very much quicker than parents are apt to think. Their moral senses receive a wrong bias that time will never fully change. The parents mourn over the hardness of heart in their children and the difficulty in arousing their moral sensibility to answer to the claims of God. But the books of heavenly record trace with unerring pen the true cause.  The parents were unconverted. They were not in harmony with heaven or with heaven’s work. Their low, common ideas of the sacredness of the ministry and of the sanctuary of God were woven into the education of their children. It is a question whether anyone who has for years been under this blighting influence of home instruction will ever have a sensitive reverence and high regard for God’s ministry and the agencies He has appointed for the salvation of souls. These things should be spoken of with reverence, with propriety of language, and with fine susceptibility, that you may reveal to all you associate with that you regard the message from God’s servants as a message to you from God Himself.

Parents, be careful what example and what ideas you give your children. Their minds are plastic, and impressions are easily made. In regard to the service of the sanctuary, if the speaker has a blemish, be afraid to mention it. Talk only of the good work he is doing, of the good ideas he presented, which you should heed as coming through God’s agent. It may be readily seen why children are so little impressed with the ministry of the word and why they have so little reverence for the house of God. Their education has been defective in this respect. Their parents need daily communion with God. Their own ideas need to be refined and ennobled; their lips need to be touched with a live coal from off the altar; then their habits, their practices at home, will make a good impression on the minds and characters of their children. The standard of religion will be greatly elevated. Such parents will do a great work for God. They will have less earthliness, less sensuality, and more refinement and fidelity at home. Life will be invested with a solemnity of which they have scarcely conceived. Nothing will be made common that pertains to the service and worship of God.  5T 496-498

Testimonies for the Church. (1855). (Vol. 5, pp. 496–498). Pacific Press Publishing Association.
In the news:

1. We are drawing near the conclusion of our Long Journey Home series.  This Sabbath we will continue with a look at the story of Israel as it relates to their apostasy at the Jordan and the doctrine of Balaam.
2. There will be a fellowship lunch this Sabbath following the worship service with the Myers team hosting.
3. This Sabbath we will have AYA at 7:30 p.m. at the church and it will feature a report from the mission team that went to Peru. Lots of pictures and stories and I understand that not only will we have Maria from It Is Written with us who was a part of our team but we will also have one of the translators from Peru with us as well.  Join us for a special evening together.
4. Our church board met this week and the treasurer’s report caught my attention. Our tithe as a church is up 1% year to date over last year and yet our church budget is down 18%.  Just a helpful reminder that if everyone gives 3% of their income to church budget, we will more than cover our needed budget.
5. This Sunday at 11 a.m. at the church,there will be a memorial service for Linda Hawkins. All are invited to attend.
6. There will be a baby shower for Kyle & Kayla Wells at the church this Sunday from 2-4 p.m. It’s a diaper and wipes shower and is come and go.  Contact Kim Shumaker for more information.
7. An elders meeting is scheduled for this Sunday evening at 5:30 p.m. at our home.
8. Pastor Alex will lead out in a soccer camp next week, July 15-19 at the big GAA ball field near the school. The event is for young people in grades 1-12 and the time slot is 9 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
9. This Thursday, we will have another “How To” class on canning with Mike Carlton leading out. The class will be in the fellowship hall and begins at 6 p.m.  Please invite your friends and neighbors.
10. Remember that next weekend is the church camp out. Camping is on your own and you can reserve your spot preferably in the B section by visiting recreation.gov. There will be regular services at our church that Sabbath and  Ken Mathews will be speaking for the worship hour.  For those attending the camp out, here are some things to keep in mind.  Worship services will be at the old primitive Baptist church along the loop.
    1. Friday Vespers at 8 p.m.
    2. Sunrise bike ride around the loop at 6:30 a.m.
    3. Sabbath School 10:30 a.m.
    4. Worship Service 11 a.m.
    5. We will have a haystack potluck after church so please bring haystack fixings for your family with extra to share.

       

11. VBS begins Sunday, July 21^st at 5:30 p.m. The theme will be miracles of the Bible.   A light supper will also be provided.
12. My boys and I have been working over time on building a custom workbench to house tools and from which to work. It’s been a fun project of which we are yet finished.  Our next project which we have begun is building bunk beds for their room.  We are all three learning a lot together.

Blessings as you prepare for the coming Sabbath!

In His Service,

Pastor Jeremy