WOLC New Testament Reading

“Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.” (Colossians 3:18-21 ESV) These are not restrictions. These are loved lived out. Spouses who devote their marriage to God. Children who are obedient because they know their parents put God first. Fathers who instill loving discipline in the home to build their children up in the way of the Lord. These type of relationships encourage and build up our homes. As a teacher I too often see the shortcomings of these commands. As a husband, and as a new father I pray that I do everything in my home to praise God, not myself. God comes first. Always! When I fall short, I pray that my family has the grace to forgive me and put me back to giving God the glory. Let us unite our homes under the name of Jesus and live love out! “And wha...

Talking Kindly. Is that a nice thing to say? I can still remember hearing that. Ephesians 4:29 says Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,  but only what is helpful for building others up  according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. We are surrounded by constant unwholesome talk. Maybe you hear it at the grocery store, work or maybe the place you take your car to get fixed. TV is filled with it today. But we (Christians) are to be different than everyone and everything else aren’t we? We are to be a light to the world and your speech is a part of that. What about social media? What are you posting on Social Media…that is considered our mouth online? What does your talk look like on there? I heard a story once of a man who worked in construction. He was a believer, didn’t swear or participate in inappropriate jokes and the other men noticed…to the point where they stopped swearing around this man. They realized that there wa...

We don’t know the precise nature of Paul’s affliction, but he described it as a “thorn in the flesh” … a “messenger of Satan” (2 Cor. 12:7), which leads me to believe it was extremely severe. H.C.G. Moule in his commentary describes this as “a tremendous trial…a conflict that brought him face to face with the powers of hell.” No wonder Paul pleaded with God to remove it. However, God said “NO!” Have you been there? Are you there right now? Have you ever begged God to heal, rescue, or deliver you? But you heard what Paul heard- “NO!” God included in his answer to Paul a promise- “My grace is sufficient for you.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) Dr. David Jeremiah said of this promise in a recent video we watched in Sunday school -“God Is Enough”. When your boss calls you into his office and says he must let you go, “God Is Enough!” When the test results come back and the doctor says I need to see you in my office, “God Is Enough!”” When the telephone rings and you hear there’s been an accide...

In Psalms 3 we see David fleeing from his son Absalom. In verse 8 we see a powerful verse. Psalms 3:8a (NIV) “From the  Lord  comes deliverance ” When are going through the trenches it can be hard to remember that deliverance comes from the Lord. David here was in the trenches. Imagine...it was his own son Absalom who was in charge of his enemies. David concludes Psalms 3 with the following… Psalms 3:8 From the  Lord  comes deliverance.      May your blessing be on your people. What are you going through in your life right now? Are you coming before the Lord and asking for His help? Come before the Lord and ask for His help! Maybe God has brought you through something and you have been delivered but you haven’t thanked Him for it. Take the time to come before God and thank Him for delivering you!

What is Love? The world around us would say that love is a set of feelings or desires.  But, if feelings and desires waiver and change then does that mean that our love changes based on those things? 1 Corinthians 13 gives us a great explanation of what love is. Love is not a set of feelings or desires instead love is a choice. It is a daily choice of whether or not you are going to love someone. I believe it is constantly asking God to help you love the people around you. We see in 1 John 4:7 that love comes from God…We need to surrender to Christ daily and ask the Holy Spirit to work in our lives that we might love other people in ways that the world cannot believe. Because honestly we all struggle with loving people. There are always going to be certain people, even brothers and sisters in Christ, that we struggle to love. We need God’s help! John 13:35 (ESV) "...By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

She wasn’t really my aunt. She was my mom’s mom’s sister, but I always called her Aunt Clara, everyone did! She lived in Penbrook (Harrisburg) and was a loving, wonderful and godly lady who taught a women’s Bible class in her home each week. She was completely devoted to God. She never married and lived with her sister. Boy, did she know her Bible. Clearly, she was one of the reasons I am in ministry today!! She grew old, sank into dementia (or something like it), and was moved to a nursing home. Mom and I would go and visit her. I’m not sure she always recognized us. She didn’t say much, certainly not a complete sentence…...Until, one day, out of her mouth flowed-- “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9 (KJV) Word perfect! It wasn’t long before she saw and heard… Pastor Bob

Today is a different blog post... As we continue get closer to Good Friday and Easter, let us encourage you to take a moment to reflect on this video . Please click the link below. An Unexpected Letter

I can’t imagine what it takes to be the Director of Research at the Department of Applied Mathematics & Theoretical Physics and regarded as one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists since Einstein. I speak of Stephen Hawking who just recently died. He was brilliant in many ways, but he was an avowed atheist who did not believe in a creator of the universe, in heaven or any afterlife. Paul says in Romans 1:22 “professing to be wise, they became fools.”  Earlier in the same chapter, Paul explains that we should see God in His creation. No calculations required. We are “without excuse” God’s invisible attributes are clearly seen...even His eternal power.” (Romans 1:20) The chapter goes on to detail the result of foolishness and a darkened heart. It is the tragic result of guilt before our God who is due all glory, adoration and thanks.  -Jan Hoffner

A Nor'easter gets its name from the northeasterly winds that blow in from the ocean ahead of the storm that mainly affects the northeastern part of the United States. We have had three already in March and are in the middle of the fourth as I write so we have firsthand knowledge of these storms. The apostle Paul also had experienced a “nor’easter” in the closing chapters of the book of Acts. In 27:14 we read “Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called a ‘northeaster,’ swept down from the island”. Paul was a prisoner in a ship sailing to Rome to be tried by Caesar. He experienced a storm, a shipwreck, a swim (to the island of Malta), and a safe trip to Rome. If you’ve ever been in a terrible storm at sea in a smaller vessel, you can identify with this shipwreck. But even if you haven’t, you’ve been and will be in many storms in life. Paul’s experience teaches us we can trust in God’s sovereign care in life’s storms. God is absolutely in control! He always is…always will...

Acts 19:11-12 (ESV) And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul,   so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. As I was reading this verse, I was overcome with the thought of how we never know the impact that a life for Christ really has. My Grandad was saved after someone continued to witness to him repeatedly. Now, that person might have thought that he was impacting my Grandad’s life, and he did, but through my Grandad becoming saved, my Dad was saved and led our family overseas to be missionaries. My Grandad and Nan also were missionaries. Teaching many people the gospel message. What I am trying to say is, who knows what else God is doing through your obedience and faithfulness. We are so limited in what we can see and know but God is not. Look at verse 11…who knows what those sick people did after being healed? God does! Let...