107 Coldren Street, Johnstown, Pennsylvania 15904, United States
Upcoming Sermons & Devotional Message
OCTOBER SERMONS 2026
10-11 - Develop a Culture of Call
1 Samuel 3:1-8 Matthew 4: 18-20
10-18 - Build a Clock, Don’t Keep Time
Psalms 90-1-4 Matthew 20”25-34
10-25- Know When to Step Aside
2 Kings 2:9-11 John 3: 25-30
Devotional Message : These will change 1-2 times a week. Stop by often to read the new message.
Some Thoughts on Relational Priorities
One of the value decisions we make regularly is what relationships are most important to us.
When we are born—the most important people in our lives are the ones who act daily to keep us alive by feeding and caring for us—our parents. As we grow—our relational circles expand to include family and friends. When we begin to mature into adulthood—our circle of relationships is ever expanding—significant others, teammates, co-workers, and neighbors to name a few. If we’re fortunate, our multi-generational, nurturing family forms the tightest circle of relationships.
Most people assume that God is pro-family, and there is much in the Bible to support that idea. God created marriage (Genesis 2:21-22). He is against divorce (Matthew 19:8). The Lord commands us to honor our parents (Exodus 20:12), and he provided a family for Jesus to be raised and nurtured within (Matthew 1:18).
But if God is pro-family, he is pro-Jesus even more. Christ commands us to follow him, even if it means losing our family. Jesus himself said,
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26)
Jesus needs to be our top relational priority. I’ve seen Christian wives be rejected by their unbelieving husbands, and Christian husbands be rejected by their unbelieving wives. I’ve seen the same between parents and children and brothers and sisters.
Jesus also said:
“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.” (Matthew 10:34-36)
When Jesus said we are to hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, he didn’t mean that we are to wish them harm. He meant that our love for him should be so great it makes all other loves seem like hatred by comparison.
Love Jesus first and best, my friends!
Bishop Jeff Greenway