Sunday Services: 10:30 AM
505 South Sixth St. Burbank, CA
91501

FaithView, For Storm Riders:
“Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in the God.”—Hebrews 6:1

Grow up!

The writer to the Hebrews makes it plain as day. Grow up!

It’s easy to believe that this is the Lord’s call to all of us. Young in the faith, old in the faith, he’s always calling us to grow up.

There’s innocence in childhood we all love and long for. When the most important thing was getting home from school and seeing the latest Charlie Brown special brought to us by Dolly Madison. The euphoric feeling of the Christmas tree being put up. The belief that Disneyland was a real place and the characters you saw around the park really lived there.

Childhood’s great, and the Bible speaks harshly about anyone attempting to deny or rob a child of his or her time during this period of innocence. We all wish we could go back to some degree, but it’s not happening.

We grow up. Physically, mentally, emotionally we become adults…but do we mature?

Maturity means we accept the change that has come and move on to bigger and better things.

While childhood had its charms, it also meant we went to bed at a specific time. We had little control of what we ate. We were always told, directed or driven where to go. We didn’t choose our clothes. We had no power and were stuck where we landed. We were too young to realize the zero autonomy we had over our lives…Looking back—beautiful or not—I don’t want to return to that.

I saw what there was to see as a child and I want to move forward. I grew up, and maturity tells me there is more out there to see. And as I mature in the Lord wanting to experience all that there is to experience I realize I’ve barely scratched the surface—I want to keep going.

I don’t ever want to go back to having the Bible explained to me, in the same manner, it was explained to me when I was six, sixteen, twenty-six or thirty-six. I want to believe I’ve grown from the believer I was…into the believer I am now.

I want more than just the surface stuff…and to get below the surface I’ve got to keep growing and maturing. The avenue to this growth and maturity is holiness (not perfection)…but seeking a life of constant obedience in Christ.

If we’ve been raised in the church or came back to the Lord a long time ago haven’t we all discovered—day-by-day—that there is still so much we don’t understand about the Lord?

We get and understand the stuff that’s necessary for salvation—awesome—but when we stop growing, maturing and abiding in a holy life, we miss out on the stuff he wants to bless us with.

The Scripture above is saying it’s time to grow up and move on because the Creator of the universe has a whole universe of truth, insights and sights he wants to reveal to us. But if we’re still plodding along like a child and letting others feed us, instead of feeding ourselves we’ll never experience everything there is to experience in the Lord.

(Note: Yes, your faith should be like that of a child but you’re understanding and walk with God needs to fully mature)

The best example of this was shared by an old Salvation Army preacher. He talked about his grandson, at the age of two, being able to tie his shoes. He looped and knotted the laces, and the family celebrated. They called the rest of the family over, and when the two-year-old tied his shoe again, they celebrated. They took pictures. They rightfully boasted how proud they were and threw a big party.

“But if my grandson was nine,” the preacher said. “If he was nine and after seven years he could only tie his shoes—I would weep.”

If God loves us enough to give us his son, then he has to weep for us, right?

We don’t just celebrate our birthday on the exact day we are born. We celebrate our birthday every year we are alive. And we mark them by things we can do and have achieved.

Spiritually we are born the day we come to Christ. And we should mark the years by celebrating the things we’ve achieved. A growing faith, an understanding of God’s bigger plan, the building and strengthening of our testimony and our increased commitment to boldly share the truth of it no matter the cost.

I’m not denying your salvation but if you’re the same believer you were ten years, five years ago or even a year ago…you’ve got a problem. And the frustration you may feel because God isn’t doing what you want him to do might be because you’re refusing to hear him say, “Grow up and come walk with me.”

Boom!

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A VBS Unlike Any Other:

VBS Goes to Rome: The theme for Vacation Bible School this year is “Rome: Paul & The Underground Church”

The dates are June 26-30…Look at your calendar…share with your friends…Pray for Seana Zilbert, who is directing…Make plans to volunteer.

You can sign up your child and their friends here on our website. Look the button up top, click, and follow.

Note to Church: Expect much work to be taking place around the church throughout the month of June as we prepare for VBS.

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Burbank Faith now has a Twitter account. You can follow us at; @BurbankFaithNaz

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Eric Canto has created a Burbank Faith channel on YouTube and has placed all of our recent services there. Go check it out.

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Check out Burbank Faith on YELP and be sure to write a review of our church.

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July is Camps Month: Remember July is camps month…Junior High, High School & Kids will all have separate camps at Granite Ridge.

District Assembly is July 12-14
(It is one month later this year due to General Assembly (Indianapolis) being held June 21-30.)

SrHi Camp: July 16-21
Kids Camp: July 23-28
JrHi Camp: July 30-August 4

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“Big September” every Thursday in the month of September (7, 14, 21, 28)…Old Testament overview. We’ll feed you and care for the kids. Mark your calendar. Big September is just like Big Wednesday times four…

 

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Did You Know?
On this date…

…In 1578, Italian archaeologist Antonio Bosio became the first man in modern times to rediscover the Christian catacombs in Rome. Researchers (e.g., Giovanni B. de Rossi) who followed him dubbed Bosio “the Columbus of the Catacombs.”

…In 1638, colonial clergyman Thomas Hooker, 51, first arrived at the site of New Haven, CT, having migrated there with his church members who repudiated the autocratic rule of Puritanism in Boston. Hooker (the founder of Connecticut) believed Boston had become corrupt, and that church authority should rest in the people’s consent.

…In 1769, Anglican clergyman and hymnwriter John Newton wrote in a letter: ‘He fulfills His promise in making our strength equal to our day; and every new trial gives us new proof how happy it is to be enabled to put our trust in Him.’

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Church Calendar:
June 3: Men’s Breakfast at Harry’s, 8:00 AM
June 4: Sunday Service, 10:30 AM…Sunday evening “Prayer Hour” from 6-to-7:00 PM
June 18: Father’s Day
June 26-30: VBS Week
July 12-14: District Assembly
“Big September” every Thursday in the month of September (7, 14, 21, 28)

As believers, we have to remain in continual prayer for all of our first responders…all our leaders…not a political party but for those carrying the heavy burden of leadership in our country and communities.