WOLC New Testament Reading

The blog for today is a little bit different. I would encourage you to read the scripture, watch the link below and reflect on how much God loves you.  15  Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted.   16  And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.   17  So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or  Jesus who is called Christ?”   18  For he knew that it was out  of envy that they had delivered him up.   19  Besides, while he was sitting on  the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with  that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today  in a dream.”   20  Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to  ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.   21  The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.”   22  Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I d

Did you bathe today? How about brush your teeth? Are the clothes you are wearing clean? Most likely we all take care of our daily hygiene without thinking about it. We even make sure we put on deodorant before we leave the house. These things get taken care of each and every day. We make sure to clean the outside, but what about the inside? “Woe to you, teacher of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside will also be clean.” – Matthew 24:25-26 (NIV) During Jesus’ seven woes to the Pharisees and teachers of the law, he repeated uses analogies to show that although the Pharisees were excellent at the outward appearances of being Jewish, their insides were dirty, sinful, and empty of true faith. As we have been reading through Matthew, we have seen this expressed time and time again. The most church-going,

The Bible records many prayers, some long and others short. There is certainly a place for both! While Peter was sinking in the water he prayed “Lord, save me.” He was scared and in imminent danger and cried out with a sense of urgency. We often feel like we a sinking under life’s circumstances. Sometimes, we simply need to say “Lord, save me.” Jesus reached out his hand and caught Peter, and he can do the same for you. Short and simple prayers are often the most powerful! -Pastor Bob

The Winter Olympics are soon approaching which reminds me of an amazing story of the USA hockey team back in 1980. They were faced with defeating the favored and extremely talented Soviet Union team. The USA team stunned the Soviet Union team with a 4-3 win. Al Michaels was on the call and he asked a question that I think we need to ask ourselves, “do you believe in miracles?”. Now, I don’t think Al Michaels was talking about our Christian life but it is a really good question. As we continue through the New Testament together, we see miracle after miracle. As a matter of fact, today’s reading deals with Jesus healing the paralytic, Jesus healing the bleeding woman, restores a girl to life and more. My question to you today is do you believe that God still does miracles? “ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever”. (English Standard Version, Hebrews 13:8) In a society where it seems as if technology is the answer for so much it is easy to forget that our

Have you ever traced your family ancestry back into the past? What about 42 generations in the past? In the beginning of Matthew we see the genealogy of Jesus. But you know what else we see? We see that God has a plan. God’s plan extends beyond generations, beyond lifetimes, beyond what we can see and understand.  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,   neither are your ways my ways, declares the  Lord . For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. ” (English Standard Version, Isaiah 55:8-9). The people mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus were not perfect people. Remember the story of Jacob, who deceived his father Isaac into blessing him instead of his brother? Or what about Rahab who was a prostitute…David and Bathsheba? People are not perfect, we often make mistakes but our God can take those mistakes and somehow bring good out of them for HIS glory. Think back with me to the story of Joseph. He

Today marks the start of our reading of the New Testament together as a church family. This is the blog which will be updated 2 times a week. You can expect the blogs sometime between Tuesdays and Fridays. If you need to share the contact information the URL is wolchapel.blogspot.com Pastor Tony