One of my favorite people in the New Testament is Barnabas who we meet for the first time at the end of Acts 4 and who is described in Acts 11:24 as “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith…” He is mentioned often in Acts 12-16. Barnabas was acknowledged as a prophet and teacher of the Word of God (Acts 13:1).

Encouragement was where he really excelled. His name was Joseph, but the Apostles called him Barnabas – an Aramaic expression meaning son of encouragement.

In Acts 15 Paul and Barnabas had a disagreement and the disagreement was over a man named “John, also called Mark” (Acts 15:37). Let’s simply call him Mark. Barnabas wanted to take Mark with them on a missions trip, but Paul did not. Paul was opposed because on an earlier missions trip on which Mark had gone along, Mark bailed out on them under pressure and went back home to Jerusalem (See Acts 13:5 &13 – he is referred to as John in these verses). When the time came for a second missions trip, Paul did not think it would be wise to take Mark along because of what happened the last time. These two great leaders could not agree about Mark, so they went their separate ways. Paul took Silas with him to travel to places that included Syria, Turkey, and Greece. Barnabas stuck with Mark and took him along on a missionary journey to the island of Cyprus, despite Mark’s failure on the previous missionary journey.

Barnabas’ faith in Mark was more than justified. Years later, as he was awaiting the sword of execution in prison, Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4;11: “Get Mark (that’s our guy!) and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.” What would have happened if Barnabas had not had faith in Mark and encouraged him along the way? Allow me to speculate. Humanly speaking it is possible that Mark may have dropped out of Christian service altogether. If he had, we might not have the Gospel that bears his name. But God would not let a man like Mark slip away. Why? Because he had a Barnabas to encourage him.

Charles Swindoll wrote that encouragement is “the act of inspiring others with renewed courage, spirit, or hope.” All of us need that – somebody to reassure and re-enforce us.

It is easy to laugh at people’s ideals; easy to pour cold water on their enthusiasm. It is easy to discourage. The world is full of discouragers; but we are called to encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11, Hebrews 10:24-25). Many times a word of encouragement or appreciation has kept a person going. Blessed is the person who speaks such a word. Perhaps it’s time for these words to be applied to your family – to your children, to your spouse (if you’re married), or to your church family.

Give affirmation a try. Take the time to say thank you and tell them why. Be supportive when someone you know is hurting. It will make a world of difference in another person’s life – and do something for you too.

-Pastor Rick Mailloux

Share a time when someone encouraged you and it made a difference in your life by commenting below!

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May 20, 2012
To the Members and Friends of Pequea Church,

During the past several months the church board of directors has been meeting with Ken Hoke, Bishop of the Susquehanna Conference, and Pauline Peifer, Bishop of the Atlantic Conference, to select a new senior pastor for Pequea Church. After examining the data that we received through the congregational pastoral search survey, dialoguing with Bishops Hoke and Peifer, and much prayer, the board determined that the person to be hired would possess strong teaching and preaching skills, be approachable to mentor and develop members of the congregation and pastoral staff, be able to create and communicate a strong vision, and be a leader for the staff and congregation.

As we went through the process of screening potential candidates, it became evident that we needed to modify the senior pastor position. As a result, the church board of directors has created the positions of Lead Pastor and Executive Pastor. The Lead Pastor will be responsible for the majority of the preaching and teaching, casting the vision of Pequea Church, providing leadership to the staff and board of directors, and spend significant time with potential lay leaders. The Executive Pastor will be responsible for overseeing some of the ministry areas of Pequea Church, church board, finance team, deacons, and the operational activities of the staff on a daily basis, and will report to the Lead Pastor.

We are pleased to announce that an invitation has been extended to Rick Mailloux for the Lead Pastor and to Pastor Daleen Charles for the Executive Pastor. Both Rick and Daleen have accepted the invitation for a two year term, and will formally begin their new responsibilities on July 2nd. We are very pleased and grateful for the guidance that God has provided to us through this process and look forward to the way He will use Rick, Daleen, and the congregation of Pequea Church.

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Pequea Church is partnering with Refton BIC for VBS on five Wednesdays this Summer!
June 20, 27 & July 11, 18, 25
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

All sessions will be held at Refton BIC, with Pequea providing additional resources. Get ready for exciting wilderness thrills as you head out to beautiful SonRise National Park! Kids will be awestruck by snow-capped mountains, thundering waterfalls, wildflower meadows bursting with color and amazing animals like soaring eagles, friendly huskies and herds of caribou. As kids explore SonRise National Park, they’ll learn the most important survival skill of all: they can always depend on Jesus and His promises of true peace, true riches, true power, true love and true hope! At SonRise National Park, kids will learn to trust Jesus as their all-powerful guide and Savior! Pre-Register online by clicking here.

Related posts:

1. National Day of Prayer Events
2. 2012 All Stars Lock-in
3. Egg Hunt 2012

Acts 2:42-47

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

In Acts chapter 2 we see some classic verses about the early church. After Peter gives a message to the crowd about 3,000 people join the church! In verses 42 through 47 we see what that church looks like; people spending time together and sacrificing for one another. What really intrigues me is verse 47:

 …enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

I believe this implies they were well liked by people in the community who were not part of their church. I think the community was impressed by the love the church members had for one another and how they cared about the community around them. When a church show’s true love I believe it gives the world something to be attracted to. Obviously we don’t all get along all of the time but, if church members start spending more time gossiping about one another and fighting rather than showing love, who would want to come to such a place? You can find those traits all over the place. But a church that shows caring, sacrifice and unconditional love will become an attraction for people who are looking for something you can hardly find anywhere else.

Jesus said in John 13:35 “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another”

Listen to what Bill Hybels says about the church in his book entitled “Courageous Leadership”:

“I believe that only one power exists on this sorry planet that can (transform the human heart). It’s the power of the love of Jesus Christ, the love that conquers sin and wipes out shame and heals wounds and reconciles enemies and patches broken dreams and ultimately changes the world, one life at a time. And what grips my heart everyday is the knowledge that the radical message of that transforming love has been given to the church.”

“That means in a very real way the future of the world rests in the hands of local congregations like yours and mine. It’s the church or it’s lights out. Without church so filled with the power of God that they can’t help but spill goodness and peace and love and joy into the world, depravity will win the day; evil will flood the world. But it does not have to be that way. Strong, growing communities of faith can turn the tide of history. They can!”

“Don’t bother looking elsewhere. The church is it.”

If we really want to see more people come to Christ we not only have to reach out to people in the community, we have to build a reputation of love within the church. Let’s do our best to make the church a place everyone would want to come to, then we’ll see who God “adds to our number daily”

-Pastor Robert Brody

Related posts:

1. Salt & Light
2. Where in the World Are You Reaching?

In Acts Chapter 1 we see Jesus’ final statements to his disciples before ascending into Heaven. He let’s them know that soon they will be baptized by the Holy Spirit. In response they ask if he is about to restore the kingdom of Israel. Jesus answers by saying:

“It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

First he tells them that they will not know when he is to return, but then he reassures them by letting them know they’ll receive power from the holy spirit and with that power they will have the ability to be witnesses for him all over the world. He mentions four locations; Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the the ends of the earth, each representing a further reach.

At Pequea church we’ve modeled our outreach in the same way:

Jerusalem represents the immediate area where we live and work. This portion of our outreach includes inviting people to the ministries of our church and growing our congregation.

Judea represents the wider immediate area. We support Water Street Rescue Mission as our primary outreach in this area but we also give support to other ministries during specific initiatives like Servolution, where we reach out to organizations such as the Conestoga Food Band and Milagro House.

Samaria for Pequea represents domestic ministries that may be stationed across the country. We support outreach at this level by going on Mission trips with Mennonite Disaster Services, lending aid to communities that have suffered from disasters such as floods and hurricanes. We also support the efforts of Mennonite Central Committee by providing health kits and packing supplies for areas of the world in need.

The ends of the earth are serviced through our ongoing relationship and mission trips to Nicaragua. We also support the ministries of the Spice program which provides education and support to children in Eastern countries.

There are many missions and ministries we could be involved in but Pequea has narrowed it’s focus to the areas mentioned above to help make us very effective in a few places rather than less effective across a broad spectrum.

Coming to Pequea provides lots of opportunities for us to enjoy the programming and teaching of the church but each person should also find ways to take what they’ve received and continue the work of Jesus. To find out more about how you can get involved and be a witness to the world contact the church office.

-Pastor Robert Brody

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The story in John chapter nine (read) is one of those great passages that can give us both power and release. We see a blind man healed by Jesus and then questioned by the Pharisees. It’s ashamed to see the Pharisees more concerned about the fact that someone was healed on the sabbath rather than the fact that by a miracle a man was given his sight. The Pharisees were suffering from their own form of blindness. The part I like the most is in verse 25 when the man is questioned a second time about what happened. The man says “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

Jesus asked us to be a witness just like this man was a witness. Sometimes we are afraid of the word “Evangelism.” We think we have to know everything about the Bible to be able to ‘witness’ to our friends. But that’s not true. In our story, the blind man admitted he didn’t know everything about Jesus, he just told what he knew. That’s what a witness does. That’s what we need to do. We are not the judge presiding over the case and we are not lawyer arguing the case. We are the witnesses. One of the best things we can do to help people come to God is just tell them what he has done for us. Certainly we should study God’s word and pray that the Holy Spirit brings it to our remembrance when we need it but what I have found is people are moved when they see God active in someone’s life. We can spend a lot of time in philosophical debate and scientific arguments. These can help sometimes but the most convincing evidence is a life that’s surrendered to Jesus.

What’s your story? Are you walking with Jesus? What has he done for you personally? Who will you share that with?

-Pastor Robert Brody

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Wednesday, May 2, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. we are inviting anyone from Pequea Church to meet at the church to do prayer walking in the community. We will meet at 6:30 p.m. at Pequea Church, then carpool in groups to Tuckahoe Development, Pequea Elementary School and Millwood Road. At 7:45 p.m. we will meet at Conestoga United Methodist Church for light refreshments with people from other churches in the Conestoga Area. If you are interested in being involved in the Prayer Walk or have questions email contact@pequeachurch.com

For information on events occurring at Lancaster Bible College on Thursday, May 3, including guest speaker, Dr. David Jeremiah, visit www.lancasterndp.com

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I was supposed to blog this week about material in John chapters 3-7, but I read beyond these chapters and was captured by this scene at the beginning of chapter 8. Read John 8:1-11.

Reminds me an old poem:

  “How I wish that there was some wonderful place

Called the Land of Beginning Again,

Where all our mistakes and heartaches

And all our poor selfish grief

Could be dropped like a shabby old coat at the door,

And never put on again” (Author Unknown)

For the woman caught in the act of adultery this wish turned into reality. She shed her “shabby old coat” because of Jesus. Jesus brings the gospel of the second chance.

The Jewish leaders brought this woman before Jesus in order to trap Him into saying something incriminating. They say to Him, Moses, in the Law, gives orders to stone such persons. What do you say? Jesus could have called for the letter of the Law to be strictly applied here. [Note: The penalty for adultery was death by stoning (verse 5), but the Jewish authorities could not have actually carried out this penalty without breaking Roman law]. Jesus knew that sometimes there is something better than justice. He went beyond justice to mercy.

The woman represents all of us. If God dealt with us only with justice and applied to us nothing but the strict standards of the Law, where would we be? At the cross God goes beyond justice to mercy.  God’s justice and mercy are rooted there.

The take away here is not that our actions or the actions of others don’t matter; broken laws and broken hearts always matter. Jesus did not offer the woman an easy forgiveness. He called her to a new life. Two paths lay before her as it does with us: Follow the old familiar road or follow the Jesus way.

Jesus offered to this woman what He offers us all – grace, forgiveness, and a new beginning. What Jesus demonstrated is that every person, regardless of their past, has a future; that people need help getting their “shabby old coats” off.

Ephesians 4:2 says, “Be completely humble, and gentle, be patient, bearing with one another in love.”  In Philippians 4:5 Paul adds:  “Let your gentleness be evident to all.” The Greeks used to say that a person with this quality knew when not to apply the strict letter of the law and introduce mercy.

For us this means we must love others with a love that has room for failures. Everybody trying to love you – and me – has to have love that has room for failures. One scholar wrote: “If we remember that life is short, we will not wish to enforce stern justice which so often divides people but will wish to deal with people in love as God as deals with us.”

Winter is over. Spring has come. Know anyone who need help shedding their coat?

-Pastor Rick Mailloux

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We know that many of you are thinking about serving, planning a serve or just completed a serve. This way of thinking and acting has the power to change an individual, a family, a church, a community and our world. God can do great things when you make yourself available for Him to show His glory even through these seemingly small acts of kindness. While these acts may be small in the amount of preparation or time allotted to complete the task, they are anything but small in the light of His kingdom.

We will have a Servolution Celebration between the services on Sunday, June 3. Pequea Church will provide the food.

• We need you to keep taking pictures of your serve and email them to photos@pequeachurch.com or post pictures to our Pequea Church Facebook wall. We want to display them at our Servolution Celebration.
• Please write impactful thoughts, quotes or stories about your serve and forward them to dsteele@pequeachurch.com, or place in the Church Office mailbox.
•  Any MCC kits must be dropped off at the church by May 27.
•  Please forward all information by May 30.

“…Anything you did for even the least of My people here, you also did for Me.” ( Matthew 25:40) NCV

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Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be sincere. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said, so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. So the spies questioned him: “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 22 Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

He saw through their duplicity and said to them,

“Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?” “Caesar’s,” they replied.

He said to them, “Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent.

Luke 20:20-26

I have to admit this is one of my favorite passages of scripture, not just because of the application but because of the way Jesus handles the situation. In an attempt to trap Jesus the Pharisees and Herodians asked what they thought was a ‘no win scenario’ question. If Jesus replied that the Jews should not pay taxes then Jesus would be in trouble with the government. If he answered yes, then the Jews would accuse Jesus of supporting the regime that occupied the Jewish territory. Jesus quickly distinguishes between the earthly kingdom and God’s kingdom. Too often I find myself trying to hang on to things that are not part of my mission here on earth. I fight to obtain items that are only temporary anyway.

Christians live with a life-long dichotomy; we are in the world but not of it. We use the resources of this world and are tied to it while we live in physical bodies but we are only passing through. It’s important that we keep this in mind as we use our resources. We have certain obligations to meet in society while we are here but as Jesus said our real treasures should be stored in heaven.

-Pastor Robert Brody

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