“The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.” (Haggai 2:9)

Wonderful greetings to the Household of Faith! We can say of certainty that God is faithful. He has been better to us than we’ve been to ourselves! I continually marvel at what the Lord is yet doing for us. What a powerful service we experienced last week as we anointed & prayed a spiritual covering over sixty (60) young men under the age of 35. “If we ever needed the Lord before, we sure do need Him now!”

Today we are celebrating our 68th church anniversary here at the New Bethel Church! And we are “Mirroring the Past with Today!” The remembrance and recognition of anniversary is so important because it causes us not to forget… #1) how good God has been, #2) where God has brought us from, and #3) what we yet much achieve! You see there is a consequence for forgetting. It causes us to take for granted what has been done for us and “de-sensitizes” us from realizing we need God! The Psalmist reminds us, “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” (Psalm 9:17). We are warned not to forget! Specific directions were given to Israel in Deuteronomy that once they possessed the promise land and began to multiply & be blessed… don’t forget how this happened! “But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. If you ever forget the LORD your God…. you will surely be destroyed.” (Deut 8:18-19 NIV)

To ensure we do not forget, we pause & celebrate a day to bring back to our remembrance the blessings & favor of God! When the enemy, through his diabolical stratagem, thought this church was destroyed… God said NOT SO! We can look back and wonder, “How I got over?”

But God has not only brought us to this point, but I know “Greater is Coming!” The prayers of the saints of old, many who have gone to their place of rest, are still working for Bethel. As declared in Haggai, God has promised to fill this house with glory! And the best is yet to come because the Lord declared, “The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.” (Haggai 2:9) Believe and know that this is our time! This is “The Year of Performance!”

Pastor A. Glenn Brady