MVCC New Testament Challenge

1 Timothy 2:1-2 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,   for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and  dignified in every way.     Are we praying? What are we praying for? Paul makes it clear here that we should be praying for all people, but then he specifies those in authority. At times, when difficult times come we are so quick to pray for elected and nominated officials, but when we disagree with them or when things go back to normal...do we still pray? Take a moment today to pray. To ask God to work in the hearts of our Federal/State/Local governments. Ask God to guide their decisions. Pray for revival in D.C. and Harrisburg. Pray for a humbling of hearts and turning from evil ways. Pray for a surrender to the gospel. Pray for strength and godly wisdom.  May we live lives that are godly and dignified in every way....

There are a lot of significant thoughts about the return of the Lord Jesus in 2 Thessalonians, but there is something else of great importance that we can be doing right now. We can be praying for missionaries.    We talk a lot about the need for praying for missionaries.  We also need to talk a lot about how we should be praying for them.  Here is an acronym, taken from Scripture, that may be of some help. The acronym spells PEWBOARD.  It reminds us that although it may seem insignificant to us that all we are doing is sitting on a pew, we can be a vital part of missionary work.  We can pray.   There are a lot of missionary agencies, boards, and sending societies, on which we will never serve, but just because we are on the “pewboard” doesn’t mean we are ineffective in supporting those on the front lines.   All throughout the epistles we read of personal prayer requests from that great missionary – the Apostle Paul.  His specif...

1 Thessalonians 5 is a chapter filled with many wonderful, thought provoking verses. I believe I could write a number of articles based on this one chapter of the Bible, but for today I am choosing just one: Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 This verse has always resonated with me, but I believe it does so in a different way this time. Right now we are living through an unprecedented time, entering our seventh week of “lockdown” due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I believe that most of us need encouragement now more than ever, no matter what season of life you’re in: ·     Grandparents desperately miss seeing their grandchildren ·     Parents who may not have homeschooled before are now doing so nationwide ·     Many are out of work when they are used to going out and providing for their families ·     Some of our dear elderly are being quarantin...

1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 Now may  our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus,  direct our way to you,   12  and may the Lord  make you increase and abound in love  for one another and for all, as we do for you,   13  so that he may  establish your hearts blameless in holiness before  our God and Father, at  the coming of our Lord Jesus  with all his saints.   Paul in writing to the church in Thessalonica was so looking forward to the day when they would be together again.     I know that we each look towards the day that we are able to all be together again. Through this season, many in our nation have struggled with anxiety, depression and so much more. Many have lost their jobs, closed their business and face the uncertainty of what lies ahead. However, through it all we can trust that God will hold us fast. God will not abandon us.  Start your week off with this verse as a pray...

1 Thessalonians 1 speaks of the testimony that the church in Thessalonica had. V.3 says,    remembering before  our God and Father  your work of faith and labor of  love and  steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.  (ESV) Tomorrow's sermon is called The Power of a Testimony.   What does your testimony look like? As we read through 1 Thessalonians we see the power of a testimony. Your testimony provides credibility and can give serious weight to help people to listen and trust you, but a bad testimony can also destroy years of work. When I say "testimony", I am not talking about a 5 minute sharing time of talking about when you came to know Jesus, but instead how you live your life. How you speak, act, live and everything else.  Big Daddy Weave wrote an awesome song a couple years ago,  https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=1TKAN-nAsu8   What is your story? Are you living what you are preaching? Everything in ...

Ps 14:1   The fool says in his heart there is no God!   How can I prove it?   #1 Answer: “Jesus made a change in my life.”                          Show me! “You’re looking at him.” Col 1:27 Christ in you, the hope of glory. 2 Cor 3:2 You are our letter [epistle – KJV] … known and read by everyone. Matt 5:14 “You are the light of the world.” How do I become more Christ-like?   Which verse(s) can I use for an “open sesame.”   The Word is learned “precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line” – Is 28:10.   Yet, these chapters in Colossians provide a good “users manual” in this regard.   Like many chapters, it gives lists of do’s and don’ts. Do Bee Don’t Bee compassion sexual immorality kindness impurity humility lust gentleness evil desires ...

Colossians 2 speaks of being rooted in Christ. How is that possible to be rooted in Christ? It is possible through growing in your relationship with Him, that comes with time. How long does it take for a tree’s roots to grow deep? It takes a while, it does not happen overnight. We grow in that relationship through the study of the Word, fellowship with believers, prayer and other spiritual disciplines. We grow in that relationship as we go through this life and turn to Him again and again. Reading through this chapter reminded me of this older song by Phillips, Craig and Dean. Chapter 2 speaks of being alive in Christ. We are alive in Christ! https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=_0_1jazh454 Actually, this week's Bible study touches on some of these same themes. Here is the link. https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=_81kE14c6zI&feature=youtu.be

There are two verses in our reading today that I repeat to myself more than any other verses in the Bible, with the exception of Proverbs 3:5-6.  I need to hear them every day of my life.  They are given to me by a loving Heavenly Father who wants me to know I can trust Him for everything and in any circumstance.  The verses are Philippians 4:6-7 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” With complete clarity and no ambiguity God commands us not to be anxious about anything.  Some will immediately think thoughts such as these: “How unrealistic that is – we are only human, we have to worry.  This verse is setting us up for failure.  There is no way we can obey it.”     But God is not trying to mire us in guilty thinking.  ...

Have you ever experienced a time when you realized you were in the wrong and it was going to be tough making things right? I recently read this old story: A vacuum cleaner salesman left the city to find customers in the country. He just knew that with his big-city sales pitch he could talk those “country bumpkins” into buying his modern electric vacuum cleaner. He knocked on the first door and an elderly lady opened it and invited him in. He quickly launched into his slick sales pitch, proclaiming how amazing his product was. He talked so fast that she had no chance to say a word. Toward the end of his sales pitch, he spied a full ash tray on a nearby table. He picked it up and dumped the contents on the floor. His client was stunned! "Ma'am," he declared without missing a beat, "what this machine won't pick up, I'll LICK UP!" The elderly lady smiled and said, "Well Sonny, you'd better git started, 'cause out here we ain't got no...

In a follow up from yesterday's message, are you choosing a Ruth response or a Naomi response? The faith response sings this https://youtu.be/2-duG0KuYU4 Begin your week asking the God who can do "more than we ask or think" to strengthen your faith. Pick up the shield of faith (and the rest of the armor!) and trust in the One who is the Waymaker.  Pastor Tony

Ephesians 4:29 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.    What type of talk comes out of your mouth? The old saying, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me", is FALSE! Words hurt, they divide, they cause tremendous pain and they affect people's lives. The word unwholesome covers much territory. Are your words focused on building others up? May they be so.  https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=7rK6O0YtBRY    Pastor Tony

Every morning when I awake, I am amazed at the blessings that God has bestowed upon me because of nothing I have deserved.  I did not choose to be born in the 20 th century or to be born in America.  I did not know that I would be the third of four children born in a suburb of Philadelphia or that my parents would be earnest Christians who loved the Lord deeply and passed on their faith.  I didn’t get to choose what church I would be raised in or the subjects I would excel in or talents I would draw upon.  All of these things were fore-ordained in God’s will for me.  Ephesians 1:3-5 states, God “has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing.”  He chose us “that we should be holy and blameless before him.”  It makes me marvel at this incredible God who would choose someone like me out of all the amazing people he has created to be his adopted child and to set me apart and see me as blameless!  Only through the immeasurable riches a...

Note: Both today and tomorrow's blog are based on the same reading. When listening to the news of our day, the phrase "majestic" is probably the last word that comes to your mind.  And yet, this is the word used by David in Psalm 8 to describe his view of God's reputation.  "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" (v.1&9)  David further proclaims that he is not the only one declaring the majesty of God's name, but he hears it in the cries of his children and grandchildren.  Could it be that rather than hearing "Waa! Waah! Waa! Waah!" grandfather David heard "Yah! Weh! Yah! Weh!" (the Hebrew name for God)? David not only heard God's majesty, he saw it.  To do so, David looked up - beyond his circumstances.  "When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place...O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name" (v.3&9)  David's ...

Ordinarily, this would have been tax deadline day.  It’s been a taxing enough time without taxes, hasn’t it?  Are you ready for something that is not disturbing, nor alarming, nor unsettling?  How about a thought that reminds us of Christmas?    Galatians 4:4 – “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”  If we believe that God is Sovereign (and He is); if we believe that He is in control of all things, that He loves us and will never permit our ultimate harm, then we should also believe that God’s timing is perfect.  Nothing happens to any of us that is random.  Nothing is ill timed.    God never makes a move too soon or too late.  He never miscalculates the amount of time something should take. Think about timing being bad. Bad timing is bringing home a 5-pound box of chocolate...

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;      let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them,      that those who love your name may exult in you. Psalm 5:11 Is God your refuge? This is the first question that comes to mind when reading this particular verse within Psalm 5. I am so thankful that I can answer, “YES! He is my refuge.” In fact, I can’t imagine NOT having Him as my refuge and strength, my ever-present help in times of trouble. (Psalm 46:1 ) It seems as if times of either tragedy, chaos, or uncertainty almost always bring people closer to God. I have been encouraged by the many things I’ve heard or read about people turning to the Lord during this unprecedented time we’re going through right now. He is definitely at work among us, isn’t He? Speaking personally, our lives took a complete 180 within a matter of about a day just about a month ago. Literally. All of a sudden what was a busy calendar, ...

2nd Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brothers,  rejoice.  Aim for restoration, comfort one another,   agree with one another,  live in peace; and the God of love and  peace will be with you.    In Paul's final words in 2nd Corinthians he writes the words above. Rejoice !- What can we rejoice in? What can you rejoice in? We are told to always rejoice in the Lord! Praise God for continued health, His great love, new mercies every day, the air we breath, the relationship with Him, the resurrection...and so much more. What can you rejoice in today? As Christians, we choose to rejoice no matter what the circumstances, because we know that is working! Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace Each of these statements reminds me that we are one body, one family and need to treat each other as such. You might have noticed that I like music. I have included many songs in my blog posts. Sarah came across this one last ni...