January 21, 2021

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! I trust you are doing well and growing in the grace and knowledge of Him (2 Peter 3:18) and that that knowledge is resulting in an abundance of joy in your life (John 15:11, 2 Corinthians 8:2). You are always near and dear to my heart and I rejoice in the good work God is doing in your life. It is wonderful to know that God will complete the good work He has started in the lives of His people at the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).

Just a couple business items to report. Our Annual Meeting is now scheduled for March 10th at 7 pm. In case you were wondering that is a Wednesday night and it is critical for us to have as many members in attendance as possible. 2020 brought much change to our church, but we are moving forward in faith, knowing that God has big plans for our church family. We had originally planned this meeting for back in November, but as you know, that was a difficult month for our church family, and we had to cancel. Please mark this date on your calendar and plan to attend.

I also have some news regarding our prayer chain. Deb Mitchell has graciously agreed to be a prayer chain point person for our church. Thanks Deb! Here is how things will work for the time being. During evenings and weekends (including Monday), if you have a prayer request, please call Deb. If you have a prayer request during the day please call the church office at 717-899-7740 and Margie will put your request on the prayer chain. And of course, don’t hesitate to call me at any time if it is something urgent.

Speaking of prayer, I have been reading through a devotional book by A.B. Simpson (C&MA founder) called Days of Heaven on Earth. Today’s reading was based on 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “pray without ceasing.” Here it is:

An important help in the life of prayer is the habit of bringing everything to God, moment by moment, as it comes to us in life. This may be established as a habit on the principle on which all habits are formed, of repeated and constant attention, moment by moment, until that which is at first an act of will, becomes spontaneous and second nature.

If we will watch our lives, we shall find that God meets the things that we commit to Him in prayer with a special blessing, and often allows the best things that we have not committed to Him to be ineffectual, simply to remind us of our dependence upon Him for everything. It is very gracious and mindful of Him thus gently to compel us to remember Him and to hold us so close to Him that we cannot get away even the length of a single minute from His all-sustaining arm. “In everything … let our requests be made known unto God.” (Philippians 4:6)

Let us bring our least petitions,

Like the incense beaten small,

All our cares, complaints, conditions

Jesus loves to bear them all.

To that I say, Amen!

As always, there are many prayer needs. Yesterday marked Joe Biden’s inauguration as President. If you are like me, he was not your choice for President. However, the Bible is clear that we should pray for our governing authorities (1 Timothy 2:1-2).

Though this may surprise you, God has a plan for President Biden and his administration, even though many of his policies are abhorrent to biblical Christianity. In the midst of this evil and adulterous generation, we can trust the plans of our Sovereign God. “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will” (Proverbs 21:1). “The Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom He will and sets over it the lowliest of men” (Daniel 4:17).

Please also be in prayer for Ross and Elaine Moore and our C&MA international workers around the world. As you know, the gospel work they are engaged in is not easy – far from it! But God is faithful and is doing a work through them “that you would not believe if told” (Habakkuk 1:5). Continue to lift them up in prayer and ask that the Word of God would take root in the hearts of men and women all over the world and that there would be a tremendous harvest of souls.

Also, be in prayer for our Pine Glen church family. Many are hurting and continue to mourn and grieve. 2020 was not only a year of change but also of loss. Many of you have experienced that loss first hand. There is a great need for our church family to reach out to one another in love (Galatians 5:13). Perhaps at no time in history has there been so much isolation in the world. But what a great opportunity for the church of Jesus Christ to truly “be” the church. Let’s continue to pray for one another, serve one another, and love one another.

As the apostle John explains: “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:10-11).

Brothers and sisters in Christ, please know that I am praying for you and I do look forward to seeing you soon! Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2), and remember that He is coming soon (1 Thessalonians 3:11-13)!

Pastor Dan