Weekly Encouragement
Good Wednesday Everyone,
Weekly blessings from your pastor, I hope all is well for you and your family. As you read this encouragement and share it with others, remember tonight is our Wednesday Night Fellowship. The dinner menu is chicken salad, and we would love to fill the fellowship hall, the sanctuary, and the children’s areas for Bible study.
Our summer schedule is approaching quickly and will bring a Wednesday schedule change and fun activities for our Bethel Baptist family. First, a summer schedule regarding our Wednesday Night Fellowship. We will still meet at 6:00 P.M., but we will not serve a family meal for the summer months. Beginning June 7, Bethel Baptist will present one weekly episode of The Chosen – Season 3 in the Sanctuary. Each episode is right at one hour or slightly over. The Chosen series is so well done, and it will be a blessing for all ages. A small snack with a drink will be provided. We will be careful in our sanctuary as it concerns food and drinks, and we will do our best to prevent any accidents. Parents, this is an excellent opportunity for the children to “SEE” Scripture, and it will produce questions you can discuss with your children. Bethel Baptist family, this is an excellent in-reach and outreach opportunity. Pray for opportunities to invite others this summer. After the nightly episode we will close with a prayer request and praise time.
Secondly, for the Children’s Ministry: VBS is quickly approaching. We are diligently preparing for an excellent VBS experience, and it’s not too late to be involved. VBS is Monday, June 19 through Thursday June 22 beginning at 6:00 P.M. and will conclude with a family meal for all in the fellowship hall. Then, later in the summer the Bethel’s children will attend a Shocco Springs music camp. More Shocco Springs information will be announced as we enter the summer.
Bethel family, your comments towards the latest sermon series in Daniel have been so encouraging. It is amazing how the Bible is so relevant to our time, as told through the events of those who lived so long ago. This Lord’s Day, we left King Nebuchadnezzar to the pages of Biblical history after a reign of 43 years, with Daniel by his side in the governance of Babylon. Next, we will be introduced King Belshazzar, not an immediate predecessor, as he ruled about nine years after the death of King Nebuchadnezzar. The young man Daniel of the first chapter is now in his mid-sixties.
Godliness is not automatic, and it does not pass from generation to generation. Each person must make a conscious choice to follow God. King Belshazzar loses Daniel’s godly counsel and influence, and as we read in Daniel 5, King Belshazzar does not even know Daniel. How is a king as successful as King Nebuchadnezzar, surrounded by the wisdom of Daniel and others, forgotten? We shouldn’t be surprised. It seems much of each generation grows further and further away from God, while a small faithful remnant becomes stronger and more committed than the previous generation of God’s followers. There is a message of preparation God’s word provides.
We wait for things, we save for things, and we plan for things, but then “suddenly” things happen in our lives. Then what? King Belshazzar is living his life as if nothing will happen to him. King Belshazzar transitioned from feasting to whimpering in an instant. Because “suddenly” God spoke. For the Christian there is a mentality of expecting, living, and preparing for things to happen suddenly. Christians are ready for God to act around us, to speak to us, and to warn others. When people refuse to listen to Christians, the day no expects is suddenly upon them. King Belshazzar was living and ruling as if nothing world or could happen to him. While doing so King Belshazzar made the worst of errors – Belshazzar decided to elevate himself and he mocked God. And Scripture is clear, “God is not mocked.” (Galatians 6:7).
Bethel Baptist: The world and worldly leaders will never change. Good and godly leadership is a blessing, and this is the type of leadership Christians provided their families and community. When something “suddenly” happens in the lives of unbelievers, they remember who their Christian friends are surrounding them. “People really want what you have.” King Belshazzar wanted it as his knees knocked together, and Daniel was there for him. Be there for people. Keep close to those who WILL need you. Be prepared to disciple them. Christians are prepared for life’s “sudden” things with a “peace that passes all understanding.” We can show this path of peace to others. Invite someone this coming Lord’s Day.
In Christ Jesus,
Pastor Michael
