WOLC New Testament Reading

That’s what it must feel like as you begin reading the last book of the Bible. You have been on a wonderful journey through the New Testament! The goal was to read through the NT and you are in the home stretch. Congratulations!! “Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy….” (Rev. 1:3) The direct application is to the book of Revelation, but applies to the reading of any portion of God’s Word. Any time the Scriptures are read lives are changed. You have been changed! You are most blessed! Now, just because you will soon cross the finish line does not mean the race is over. Now that you have established a very important discipline, keep running….keep reading! The race is not over ‘till we see Jesus! Then, there will be no need to read the written Word because we will be in the presence of the living Word. Amen!! Pastor Bob

Can you imagine a place without darkness. I am not referring to the evening darkness where you have to go and turn on a light but instead, a place without the darkness of the human heart. Yesterday I decided to follow a news station on my Facebook account. Within a couple hours I stopped following them. Why? Because the darkness of the human heart is overwhelming. Article after Article, tragedy after tragedy, you can find yourself drowning in negativity and sorrow. Sin has made this world a dark place. It is hard, if not impossible, for us to imagine what life must be like without sin and without darkness. Even those who are saved still have a sinful nature to contend with this side of Glory.   But there is NO DARKNESS IN GOD! 1 John 1:5 (ESV) This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that  God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. There is no Darkness in God! He is PERFECT! Now, if you a Christian you already know that but imagine wha...

In Hebrews 10 we learn that what the blood of the Old Testament animals were unable to do (v.4), Jesus did….that is, take away sin. What the priests did over and over again (v.11), Jesus did once….that is offer one sacrifice. In the opening verse we read that the things in the OT were “a shadow of the good things that are coming.” A shadow is not the real thing. Everything in the OT pointed to the coming of Jesus who had “offered for all time one sacrifice for sins and sat down at the right hand of God.” (v.12) Now that Jesus has come we have access into the “Most Holy Place” (v.19)… the very presence of God, the throne of grace. This was closed to the people of the OT. But now we can come to our Heavenly Father with confidence and boldness. The author mentioned this earlier in 4:16--“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence…” You don’t need a goat, or a priest, or a certain place to access God. Right now, because Jesus has offered the perfect sacrifice you can en...

“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." –Benjamin Franklin Was he right?? The Bible says the day is coming when Jesus will come back and those who are alive will be “caught up.” (1 Thess. 4:17) There will be some who will never die, but will be taken to meet Jesus in the air. We don’t know when, but we do know for “certain”, Jesus is coming again! So, Ben, you got one right! -Pastor Bob

“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...

Paul and Silas are in jail. Imagine with me for a moment, the situation that they are in. They were beaten and put into stocks, jailed and still they find a way to praise God. Wow! This reminded me a passage from a Psalm that we recently read. Psalm 125:1-2 (ESV) Those who trust in the  Lord  are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever.   As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the  Lord  surrounds his people both now and forevermore. William Mcdonald in his Bible Commentary says “Mount Zion is one of the promontories in the city of Jerusalem, and is sometimes used as a figure of speech for the city itself. Here it signifies the ultimate in stability and strength, a citadel that cannot be moved. The man of faith is like that. His life is built on the solid rock.” Then we have that the Lord surrounds His people FOREVERMORE! Sometimes we do not feel surrounded though because we take our eyes off God and put them...

I saw the light. We love to sing the song that Hank Williams wrote. But, here in Acts chapter 9 Saul did see the light. Acts 9:1-9 (ESV)  “ But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. A nd falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him,  “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” A nd he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said,  “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. B ut rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” T he men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. S aul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened,...

We have now concluded Luke and have started reading the book of Acts. These two books are a “unified, two-volume work” (see blog-Jesus’ Work Continues Today) and you can now begin to see why. Luke ends with the words of Jesus telling His disciples of a promise from the Father, but they must wait in the city to receive it (24:48). Likewise, Acts begins with Jesus commanding the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promised gift from His Father (1:4). So, what is this wonderful gift/promise? We have a clue from Jesus’ words “which you heard me speak about.”(Acts 1:4) Jesus often said he was not going to be with the disciples for very long and would send another “Counselor”. Let’s look at what the Apostle John says…. “And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-the Spirit of truth.” John 14:16-17a “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name…” John 14:26a “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you...

We have now come to the story of Zacchaeus. There are 2 main things in the story that stick out to me.   1.     Zacchaeus was determined to see Jesus.                  How many times in our lives do things, people, work, and excuses keep us from God? Life is busy, sometimes too busy. There are plenty of distractions in life, distractions that if we are not careful will deter us from spending time with the Lord. The Bible leads us to understand that Zacchaeus was a “wee little man” as the song writer puts it. He could not see Jesus because of the crowd that was in his way. So, he climbed a tree. He was determined to see Jesus. Are you determined spend time with Jesus? Are you willing to push through the distractions of life to spend time with the Lord?   2.    The second thing that really sticks out to me is in verse 10. Luke 19:10 (ESV) “…For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the...

In Luke 10 we find the story of the good Samaritan. This story is probably familiar to you if you grew up in the church. In this story we see 3 different people that could have helped the stranger. Let’s look at these characters and ask the Lord which one we are most like. First, we see the Priest and Levite. Both the Priest and Levite had a chance to act, seeing this man in the state that he was in, but they made the decision to pass by as if nothing was happening. Even passing by on the other side of the road. Then comes the Samaritan. The one who should have been most likely to walk on the other side of the road. But he decides to help the man in need? Not only help him, but the Samaritan put him up in an inn and told the innkeeper he would cover whatever was left. So which one are you? Luke 10:36-37 (English Standard Version) Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”   He said, “The one who showed h...

Luke 4-9 -- Dealing with Temptation Have you ever begun a new project with complete and total enthusiasm? I do it all the time. I get obsessed when I find a new hobby; just ask my wife. I throw myself all in. However, some obstacle usually gets in the way and I give up. The sad truth to this comical routine is that it happens to God’s plans in our lives. We get on fire for Christ, only to let our flame burn out. But why? Luke 4 provides an answer; The Tempter. His name is Satan and he loves to pull our attention off what truly matters and towards ourselves. Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness show how Satan is still working in the same ways today. Temptation 1: Priorities. Jesus was 40 days without food or water. He needed it and had the power to make some out of the rocks. Satan knew this and waved that power in front of him. Thankfully, Jesus knew that food and water are not the most important things. “Man does not live on bread alone” (Luke 4:4 / Deuteronomy 8:3, NIV). For us ...