THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE.

Today we have lots of things of great value, many have things, that if lost, would bring about much despair.

There are different degrees of loss. Say if you were to lose your wallet, immediately your heart would sink, and panic would begin to set in. What am I going to do? Where did I lose it? Many things run through your mind depending on what was in your wallet. And of course, depending on your walk with the Lord your reaction will vary.  I have heard testimonies of some who have immediately prayed, and God brought the wallet back. And I have seen some who panic so bad that they get sick to their stomach. This is just one example. We treasure many things, children, homes, jobs, etc.

With all that said, what are the things that are of great price to you? What would you do to retrieve them or do to keep them?

In Matthew 13:46 it tells of a man who found a pearl of great price, and he went out and sold all that he had to purchase it. Would you do the same?

When we find out about what Jesus Christ did, that He died for us so that our sins would be forgiven, we pray and ask Him to come into our lives and be our Lord and Savior.

This is the pearl that Matthew 13:46 is talking about. Now ask yourself, have you made Jesus Lord of your life? Did you sell all to make Him Lord?

Many have made Jesus their Savior, but many are ignoring making Him Lord of their life.

The word of God tells us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. Psalms 119 gives many instructions on walking out our salvation.

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you if you have compromised your life and taken back what you have given to God.

One of the scariest scriptures to me is in Matthew 25:12 AMP it says:  But He replied, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, I do not know you (we have no relationship)” He was talking about the 5 virgins who did not keep their lamps full and missed when He returned.

So, have you made Him Lord?

Pastor Chuck

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Isn’t it crazy how quickly and slowly time can go? Already, we are in February of the New Year. My question to you is this: Have you let time simply pass you by this past month?

As the Lord spoke to us at the beginning of this year, He is desiring that we be focused on Him and Him alone. Lay aside all distractions and the cares of this world. If what we are giving our attention to isn’t leading us towards Christ, it’s leading us away from Him. We are living in the times where we can no longer allow the enemy to distract us. We have to be as it says in Luke 21:34 “Be on Your Guard,” being careful not to let anything of this world distract us from Him.

God’s desire is that His church would desire Him more than anything that this world could offer us. He wants to sustain you, He wants to fill you, He wants to guide you and He wants your whole heart.

Jesus said to the one who asked Him which was the great command, Matthew 22:37 “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.” Jesus said it Himself, God wants us to love Him with all we are and all we have. Love the Lord your God by honoring Him with your life and your obedience. In every area and in all that you do, honor Him.

As we continue through the rest of the year, focus on God, His will, and His plans for you. He will never let you down! His plans for you are perfect, for good and not evil, to give you a hope and future!

Blessings,

Vanessa Provencio

Happy New Year,

As I enter into each year like many others I begin to assess my life and determine what I would like the next year to look like, things I want to do, and things I want to change. One matter that seems to be at the top of my priority list without fail is a desire to live in a manner that is pleasing to God. Though it is a general thought and desire, it a great desire; and I do hope many Christians have it as well. It is a desire that needs specific direction in order to accomplish. It seems to be a matter that must be carried out differently as time and our walk with God continues to move forward.

We have many season and stages in life. We see this most clearly in the lives of children. They go from being newborns, to learning infants, and to curious toddlers in what seems to be such a short amount of time. In the same manner as children, our spiritual development has a list of set standards for each stage that we enter into. What is now acceptable and what is not? What must change as the child or the Christian grows? What new things must be discovered as we go through the maturity process? Many people have based the answer to these questions off of research and studies that have been performed. What I have discovered having four children myself, is not each child, person or life fits into the same cookie cutter mold. We must find what is pleasing and acceptable to God according to our own personal development in Christ. Philippians 2:12-13 says, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”

Though we all do indeed have different paths I do believe we must all start at the same place with God and that starting place is faith. We find this truth in Hebrew 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him…” This primary principle in the Christian life cannot at any point be overlooked. If so, how can we ever truly please God? This is true of every Christian life.

I challenge you in this New Year that whatever the Lord’s direction or leading may be for you, begin and end each matter in faith. In doing this you will surely please the Lord your God.

Your fellow servant,

Pastor Damian Provencio

Brothers and Sisters,

During the month of December, there are many reunions with friends and family. Many of us have the memories that were created in our childhood, or that we created with our children, and for a lot of us the celebration of Christmas is family time. During this season there are so many traditions all over the world, and as believers we need to maintain and continue teaching the new generation the reason why we celebrate Christmas- the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Luke 2:10-11 says, “Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord’.” Jesus is the reason for the season!

Even with all the joy surrounding us during this season, there are still a lot of people that suffer during the holidays because of depression and loneliness. They are suffering because of the hurts they have experienced during their life, and they have not been able to find the peace that only Jesus can bring. Luke 4:18 reminds us of the reason why Jesus came to this world, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed”. We must not forget that!

Let’s keep our eyes open for those that need help or don’t have a place to celebrate the holidays, as the opportunities will be at hand. We need to stay alert and seek out those that need a word of encouragement, a word to lift their spirit up. Let’s bring to life Psalm 133:1, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity”!

I pray you all will have a great time this season, that it will be a season of restoration and many blessings for you and your family and for all you meet.

Have a blessed holiday,

Pastor Juan

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Peace and grace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! I am thankful for each and every one of you and the gifts you bring to our body!

Speaking of being thankful, this is November the month of celebrating Thanksgiving Day. The Pilgrims and the Native Americans celebrated this joyous time with a feast and we have carried on the tradition.

Although this world is in such turmoil, we are to give thanks. We as the body of Christ are to give thanks not only on Thanksgiving Day but…

Always and for all things… Ephesians 5:20 “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (KJV)

In everything…1 Thessalonians 5:18 “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ concerning you.” (KJV)

And this is the will of God concerning you!

We so much want to know the will of God for our lives and this is His will for us. Each and every one of us! When life is hard, be thankful. Oh, not for the trial but in the trial. In the midst of the trial, we are to give thanks. I choose the peace He gives and am thankful! Colossians 3:15 “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” (KJV)

So, this month of November let’s purpose in our hearts to be thankful… hard though it may be.

Love you lots,

Doris Schmalz

Hello brothers and sisters,

As I was spending time with the Lord I was reminded of my family heritage.

My great grandfather and great grandmother came from Ireland to America during the great drought of Ireland. You see they were potato farmers and because of the drought it was impossible to grow potatoes. When they arrived in America they moved to Maine where they bought land, a plow, potato seed, and two Bavarian horses.

He plowed the ground, planted his seed, and then waited for the rain to come.

I don’t know if my great grandfather and great grandmother were Christians but I know that they fully understood the importance of sowing and reaping. They understood that they could not eat their seed as there would be nothing to harvest later that year. So by sowing they would reap the benefits of investing the seed along with the labor of working the land they would soon see the rewards and the bounty of their hard work.

We see this in Galatians 6:9 “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” (NKJV)

It is also important to remember not only that we sow, but that we sow abundantly.

You see if my great grandfather had only sown in a small portion of the land he would have reaped very little. This would bring hardship upon him and his family.

We are reminded of this in II Corinthians 9:6 “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” (NKJV)

So whether you are sowing financially into the house of the Lord, or sowing into someone’s life, or sowing your time into the house of the Lord. I encourage you to give in abundance, as our Father in heaven will pour out more than we can store up.

Blessings,

Aaron Wantuch

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As every day passes it brings us closer to that great and glorious day of the Lord’s return, that we contend for in anticipation and faith. For we have an

assurance that our citizenship is not of this world, but we are citizens of heaven and have been granted entry by Gods mercy, grace, and by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. It is by His accomplishment and purpose being fulfilled, He said “It is finished”, and with that, He has torn the veil and forgiven a debt that we could not bear. 

Let us take advantage of every opportunity that God has allowed us to have in this life and not squander any moment, ability, or talent that God has placed

before us. James 4:14 (AMP) tells us, “yet you do not know [the least thing] about what may happen in your life tomorrow. [What is secure in your life?] You are merely a vapor [like a puff of smoke or a wisp of steam from a cooking pot] that is visible for a little while and then vanishes [into thin air].”

Jesus taught by what He heard the Father say and gave the mandate of the Great Commission that as his followers and disciples we have been entrusted with carrying on the mission Jesus began. “‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,

baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirt, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen” Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV)

We must be diligent and stay the course not only for our own lives, but for the generation after generations to come, God is not a man that He should lie, for what He has said will come to pass in His timing, “so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” Philippians 2:10-11 (ESV)

In His Service,

Damian Provencio Sr.

The Sunday Potluck

“For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.” 1 Corinthians 12:14-20

The choosing of the gift or purpose is not our own but the Lord’s. So we must accept Him and His will by faith in full surrender to walk in obedience that we may accomplish all He has called us to be and do.

It is important that that we understand how vital and necessary each one of us is to the body! Remember that each one has been given and assigned a gift.

We must gain understanding and wisdom of how to function in each gift that we may execute (carry out or put into course of action), lacking nothing in our course of action to bring it to the completion of Christ! Just as Jesus did at the cross!

Just as a potluck has a variety of dishes when put together properly, so is the body of Christ! If only meat was brought but no side dishes or dessert the potluck would be incomplete, it takes a little of everything to have a successful potluck. Just as it will take all gifts to be a complete church that is whole and functions properly!!

“Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues.” 1 Corinthians 12:27-28

Let us each walk in what has been appointed to us that we may be whole!!

Blessings,

Marina Provencio

Greetings Gathering family,

I am so pleased to be a part of this wonderful body and to be able to serve next to each of you in God’s house. It blesses me continually to see every hand that functions in this house to support the call of God in this place. We know according to scripture in 1 Corinthians 12, that the body of Christ has many members, and we cannot function properly when even one piece is out of order. I thank you all for doing your God given part with zeal. A saint of old once said “put zeal into Christian service and out comes joy”. I pray that as we continue to move forward in accomplishing God’s work that it will fill you with tremendous joy!

There is no other place I would prefer to be than in the body of Christ. Out of all the attractions and entertainment found in the world, whether good or bad, there is no satisfaction that can be attained that is comparable to that which you receive from Christ and his work. Hobbies are great, vacation is fun, picnics are refreshing, and lazy days are much sought after, but all of these mean nothing if I do not have Christ. For to me, there is life in Christ that cannot be found anywhere else. For this found truth, I am compelled to do all that I can to attain fellowship with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Recently in prayer, as I was before the Lord my spirit man shouted out to God in excitement that whether it be in life or unto death I shall do all things unto Christ. Like Paul, I am persuaded due to the grace that I have found in Christ that “…neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39). I choose to not allow anything to separate me from my God. I will not love even my own life more than Christ.

Let us all continue in great service and worship to the Lord with great anticipation to see His moving and working in our midst until the day He comes. Let this be our hearts’ passion to know more so the One that created us! “My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” Psalm 84:2

Your brother in Christ,

Pastor Damian Provencio

Hello brothers and sisters! 

I pray that you are doing well as you run the race and that you are keeping your eyes on the prize Jesus Christ.

Lately, I have been thinking about the will of God. Mathew 6:9-13 says, “After this manner therefore pray ye: our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever, Amen.”

As we look at verse 10, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven,” we can see that it is key for us not only to pray for His will to be done, but also for us to also live our lives accordingly. It’s important for us to apply this passage to our lives daily. It’s easier to just let our flesh rule, and want our own will to be done, but we must continue to put our flesh in submission and choose God’s will. When we are making decisions do we make them based on our will or God’s will? When someone does us wrong a lot of times we don’t want to forgive them, but it’s God’s will that we do. When God gives us a mission or an assignment that we don’t really want to do we must lay down our will and choose to obey His will.      

Jesus set the example for us in Luke 22:42 when He was in the garden of Gethsemane before His crucifixion praying, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” In Mark 3:35, He says, “For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is My brother, and My sister, and mother.” In Psalm 40:8, David says “I delight to do Your will, O my God, Your Law is within my heart.” In Thessalonians 5:18, Paul says, “In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

You can see that all throughout the Bible, it is clear what the will of God is. We just have to take the time to search it out, study it, and do it. Think of how powerful it would be if we would align our lives with God’s will and not our own. I just want to encourage you in this crucial hour we are living in to not be influenced by this world, but by God’s Word and His will.

Blessings,

Josh Rios

The Gift of Peace

In the book of John, chapter 14:25, Jesus said this: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Jesus is telling us here that the peace He has He is leaving with us. In other words, He is promising this incredible gift that was bestowed upon Him and transferring it into us, if we will receive it! What a powerful gift we have!

When troubles come or issues pop up that give us sleepless nights, we must learn to lean into the promise of peace and trust in God for direction and deliverance.

Each day we are faced with challenges that disturb our peace and at times make us feel helpless! This past year has stretched us in ways that we never imagined possible. Many gave into fear, anxiety, doubt, and unbelief as we navigated through all the challenges we were faced with.

But God always prevails; He is there as we pour out our hearts to Him, confessing our fears, hurts, and impossible situations. He is always there to wipe our tears, and to give us direction, strength, and power to walk through it all!

We must learn to believe His Word and respond to it in faith! In the first book of James, he tells us in verse 2, “My brethren, count it all joy knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

When a hurricane wreaks havoc on land, people seek shelter and hold on for dear life! However, when the eye of the storm comes, you are able to secure your position, and regain strength and power to go through the second half. It is the same with the Lord, when we seek Him and walk in His peace, He puts us in the eye of the storm, shelters and directs us, and infuses us with His peace and power as we go through the issues of life. Praise God!

With much love and His Peace,

Gail Ritzi

Happy Resurrection!

What joy, what love, what incredible peace we have access to because of the
resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Recently, I’ve been reflecting upon the fulfillment of promises, and what greater promise does any believer have than that of spending eternity in the presence of Almighty God?

Hebrews 11 reminds us of the fathers and mothers of our faith who held fast to the promises of God. I encourage you to read that chapter this week! In the midst of all
adversity and trials, these men and women continued to stand upon the promise of eternity. And yet, “all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.” (Hebrews 11:39-40)

In the fullness of time Jesus came, not a minute too soon. Jesus is the fulfillment of our promise of eternity and through Him we find our “yes” to every additional promise of God. “For all the promises of God find their yes in Him. That is why it is through Him that we utter our amen (let it be so!) to God for His glory. (2 Corinthians 1:20, addition mine).

All of creation groans with longing for the final resurrection (Romans 8:22-23). Are you longing for eternity or caught up in the cares of this world? Have you been feeling
discouraged in your waiting? Have you yet to see certain promises of God fulfilled in your life? Have you grown tired and weary in your daily walk? Be encouraged today family of God! Remember the great cloud of witnesses that has gone before you,
remember what they endured as they awaited the coming of Jesus. Finally, remember He has already won it all!

It is finished. Walk out each “yes” even when you don’t see it. The fulfillment of every promise will come at exactly the right moment, not a minute too soon. Today, place the full weight of your trust upon Jesus and the victory He has already won on your behalf.

In Christ’s love and grace,

Pastor Candice Peters

Getting through the dung!

The book of James 1:2 says, “consider it nothing but joy my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials.” In the last few weeks many are questioning, “what is going on in our world?” Everything is being shaken in the natural and the spirit world. If you watch the news these days, we are seeing evil rise up and changing many things we, as Christians, consider to be our religious freedoms. Many are in shock at the agenda of evil that seems to be winning every battle. There is a shaking going on, but we must remember we are not of this world, we are members of the Kingdom of God. Psalms 91 says, “he who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will remain secure and rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” So you may ask yourself, “where am I dwelling?” In Hebrews 10:24 Paul says, “and let us consider (thoughtfully) how we may encourage one another to love and to do good deeds, not forsaking our meeting together (as believers for worship and instruction).

In this time of so much confusion and outright attack on our freedoms, it more important than ever to come together and worship and seek our God. In any job there is a saying “many hands make light work”. Each of us have a job or task to do. Each of us has different talents and may be totally able to do it on our own. However, if you have ever watched the movie 300, you saw an army of three hundred men who joined together back to back, and linked their shields as one to take on a much larger army. If we as a church will stand together, we will not only be able to help each other clean up the dung, we will accomplish so much more for the Kingdom of God.

We see today the strategy of the enemy is to separate and instill fear in us. Next, we see disinformation and the silencing of truth. We must seek the truth of His Word so we can fight the good fight of faith. So just like we are told in James 1:4, “let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed (in your faith), lacking in nothing.

God bless you!

Pastor Chuck Ritzi

Dear Family of God,

I pray your year so far has been blessed. I pray that your time with our Father God has been impactful, beautiful, and powerful.

I believe God called our church to the “God fast” to begin our year because it’s truly how He desires us to go forward with the rest of the year. I believe God is asking of us to go into this year praying, fasting, and reading our Word fervently. I believe God wants to equip His people for the fight we are clearly in. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 10:3-4, “although we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh, since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds.”

God through His Word has equipped us to fight against the enemy, to fight against the evils of this world, and to overcome through Him. We can only do that through God and His power. We, as God’s children, cannot know what God wants us to do if we do not know Him. Like we’ve been being taught, it’s time for us to have REAL intimate relationships with our Father God. We need to be close enough to hear when He calls. We cannot be like Abraham and move in obedience and faith if we do not even know who our God is.

I believe we are called to pray, fast, and study our Word like never before. It’s time we no longer make excuses as to what we can’t do; it’s time we start obeying God and His commands to us. We cannot overcome the world on our own. It is only through God, in God, and with God that we can do these things.

Family in 2021 let us together truly seek to have more intimacy with our God and spend more time with Him. Let us as His children pray, fast, and read His Word to know what His plans and desires are for our lives. I leave you with this verse from Jeremiah 29:13 “you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Let us find God wholeheartedly together this year!

Blessings,

Vanessa Provencio