107 Coldren Street, Johnstown, Pennsylvania 15904, United States
Upcoming Sermons & Devotional Message
February Sermons 2026
2/1 - I Was Blind But Now I See
Psalms 107:13-15 2 Corinthians 4:1-6
2/8 - Staying in Love
Ruth 1:16-17 Jude 20-21
2/15 - Transformed
Matthew 17:1-8 Romans 12:1-2
2/18 - Ash Wednesday Service
The Reason
Matthew 18:11
2/22 - Jerusalem
Isaiah 45:20-25 Matthew 20:18-19
Devotional Message : These will change 1-2 times a week. Stop by often to read the new message.
Some Thoughts on When Judgment Comes
The descent from a vibrant relationship with God to stagnant religion, which eventually loses its effect, doesn’t happen overnight. It occurs incrementally from day to day—week to week—month to month—generation to generation. The only thing needed to change this trajectory is repentance.
This pattern is evident in the relationship between God and His people throughout the Bible. One example was the generation between Eli, the priest at Shiloh, and his sons Phineas and Hophni. Eli appeared to be a faithful soul, but something was lost in translation with his sons—who misused and abused their priestly positions as license to sin. Eli was ineffective in holding them accountable, and God judged his entire family line as unworthy of the priesthood.
This is how the judgment came about:
“Now the Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines.” (1 Samuel 4:1)
The Israelites brought the Ark of the Covenant into battle, hoping it would help—but they were wrong. Israel lost thirty thousand soldiers that day. The Philistines captured the ark, and Hophni and Phinehas, Eli’s two sons, died. It was a complete disaster.
The Ark of the Covenant was the visible sign of God’s power and presence, so its loss in battle was nothing short of catastrophic. It was as though God Himself had been captured by the Philistines. Eli was ninety-eight years old at this time and was so overwhelmed by the news that he fell backward off his chair, broke his neck, and died. Then his daughter-in-law went into labor but did not survive. As she was dying,
“She named the boy Ichabod, saying, ‘The Glory has departed from Israel.’” (1 Samuel 4:21)
The judgment of God had been brewing for years, but it came in a single day. Eli, Hophni, and Phinehas were given decades to repent, but chose differently. They mistook God’s patience for His permission and brought disaster on themselves and God’s people.
Samuel, who would become the greatest prophet and priest of the Old Testament, learned firsthand to take God seriously. He would soon provide the leadership God’s people desperately needed—but not until the judgment of Eli, Phinehas, and Hophni.
Don’t mistake God’s patience for permission, my friends!