Peniel Pentecostal Holiness Church

3239 Rosebud Road Walnut Cove NC 27052
Pastor: Dr. Tim Nelson -  Church Office 336-591-36112
A Place To Encounter God Face To Face. Gen. 32:3

A Word From The Pastor Archives 2025
August 2025
 

"For our conversation (citizenship) is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ."  Phil 3:20

Many people have asked, "Where is heaven?"  We are not told in the Scripture exactly where heaven is.  Some students have tried to take some Scriptures and put them together and say that heaven is in the north.  They quote Psalm 48:2, "The joy of the whole earth is . . . on the sides of the north . . ."  The magnetic needle points north.  Perhaps the Celestial City is in the north.  We do not know.  But no matter where heaven is, it will be where Christ is.

Heaven is a literal place, because Jesus said, "I go to prepare a place for you."  The Bible teaches that Enoch and Elijah ascended in a literal body to a literal place that is actually more real than any city on the planet.  The Bible also teaches that heaven will be a place of beauty.  It is described in the Bible as "a building of God" - "a city" - "a better country" - "an inheritance" - "a glory."  the Bible also indicates that heaven will be a place of great understanding and knowledge of things that we will never learn while in this life.

Adapted from:  https://billygraham.org/devotions/wheer-is-heaven
 

"lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age,"  1 Tim 6:19

Each day may be our final day or we may have thousands of more days.  Either way, today is the day to prepare.  Israel was told to prepare for their Exodus from Egypt with their clothes packed and their food prepared.  Prior to crossing the Jordan to enter the Promised Land, there the people were to concentrate themselves.  Today is the day to prepare.

Someone asked, "Are these the last days?"  An accurate would be, "It could be YOUR last days!"  If we believe in an eternal day, we have no problem investing in eternal things.  Christ told us to "lay up treasure in heaven."  We "lay-up" for retirement.  We defer pleasure for a season to enjoy rewards for our final years.  Why not "lay-up" for eternity?  When we bless others, we are looking to the moment when Christ Himself will reward us.  We have not "lost" that money.  We have "invested it" into our eternal day.  If time is short and eternity is near, every day counts.  Every hour counts.  And today is the day to prepare.  There is an "Eternal Day," are you ready for eternity?

Adapted from:  https://larrystockstill.com/blog/how-to-prepare-for-the-eternal-day

" Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, ...in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."  1 Tim 2:1-4

One reason to pray is found in 1 Timothy 2:3-4 - where Paul wrote, "This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to know the truth."  The primary reason to pray is because prayer pleases God, whose nature it is to save.  According to verse 4, God's desire is for everyone to be saved and to accept the truth by faith, not just intellectually.  God's heartbeat is the salvation of men and women, boys and girls.  John MacArthur wrote, "If the primary aim of the church were fellowship, knowledge of the Word, or the holiness of the saints, all those goals could perfectly be accomplished by taking us to heaven.  The central function of the church is to reach the lost."  And, I might add, one of the first things to do in reaching the lost is to pray for them.  It is a most excellent task to pray for the salvation of the lost.  Let us pray for the unreached and unsaved in our community and the Lord of the Harvest will send laborers.

Adapted from:  https://www.dashhouse.com/199959first-things-first-1-timothy-21-8-html/

" Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."  1 Thes 5:16-18

As we gather today in celebration of our 103rd Homecoming, let us pause to express our gratitude unto the Lord and the faithfulness of so many across the years  We need to pause because in our world, it is easy to become consumed by our challenges and struggles.  And we often find ourselves longing for more, yearning for what we don't have, rather than appreciating the blessings aleady present in our lives.  Sometimes, even amid life's busyness, this happens.  However, through the pratice of gratitude, we can shift our focus from a state of lack to one of abundance, from despair to hope.  Then, we begin to see that even amid dfficulties, there is still so much to be thankful for.  Gratitude is more than just saying "thank you" to God for the good things that come our way.  It is a way of life, a constant recognition of his abundant blessings in both the big and the small.  It is an attitude that permeates our thoughts, words, and actions, shaping our perspective on the world.  When we cultivate an attitude of gratitude, we become aware of the ountless ways in which Jesus is at work in our lives, even amid challenges and difficulties.  Rejoice always.

Adapted from:  https://www.embraingtheunexpected.com/grateful-heart-helps-draw-closer-god-inspires-joy/

" therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.  And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us..."  Hebrews 12:1

With life often compared to a journey, it would be good to regularly evaluate what we carry with us.  What is in our "backpack" says something about our values, priorities, and aspirations.  There may be things that should be there bur aren't.  At times, me may be carrying things that are nice to have, but not really necessary.  We may also be unsuspectingly taking along things that delay us by distracting us or weighing us down.

The Hebrews writer wrote, "let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles."  He knew what we all must admit, sometime we can be weighed down by all kinds of baggage.  This is why during these times we must come to terms with what is in our "backpack", and what we should or shouldn't take along.

Adapted from:  https://update.gci.org/2019/02/devotional-whats-in-your-backpack/#:~:text=And lut us run with, In Jesus name, Amen.