Weekly Encouragement
Good Wednesday Everyone,
Weekly blessings to all. As you all know we have been praying for the Senn family as they wait to take their new son Blake home from the hospital. Our prayer is that Seth and Adrianne bring Blake home this weekend. Bethel Baptist Pray for this in Jesus’ name!! Prayer always eases our worry and always increases our peace. ALWAYS PRAY and PRAY ALWAYS. Prayer is the source our every Christian’s strength as prayer brings to the face of God. God allows trials in our life because: God sees us; God knows us; and God loves us. Bethel, share this trial with the Senn family and watch God answer our prayers.
Tonight is Wednesday Night Fellowship, a time of prayer and praise – Join us tonight. The meal is always good, and the fellowship is even better. The menu is hamburger steak, and all are welcome. If you can, bring a dish or dessert to pass tonight at 6:00PM.
Next week, and for several weeks after we will change-up our Bible Study format at our Wednesday Nights. Next Wednesday, 02/07/2024 in our sanctuary we will begin a video series “Experiencing God.” Many of you may have participated in this outstanding devotional in years past, and now this blessed devotional has been revised. Our schedule remains the same 6:00PM – 7:30PM. The greatest joy in life with Jesus Christ is to know and do the will of God.
So many people rely on individual Christians in their daily lives. Our children, family, church members, friends, and acquaintances all look to Christians for help throughout life. Please believe this to be true. These people may not ask you questions about your faith, but they are watching how you live your faith. This puts enormous pressure on every Christian. God wants to ease the pressure you feel by growing your relationship together. This is what our Wednesday Night Bible Study time seeks to do – Grow your relationship with Almighty God.
Bethel Baptist has begun a new Sunday sermon series, “Religion ~ Redemption ~ Restoration” from the life of Job. The word order of our series title is critical. We are all spiritual people. This means we want to be better tomorrow than we are today. We all want to be healthier. We all want to be richer, not just with money, but with the good things in life. We all want to be wiser. In all these things and more: We all want to be RIGHT. This is the lesson Job must learn through the destruction God allowed into Job’s life.
Everyone has a religion, but most people never move beyond their religion to experience redemption. What is the right religion? Fair question. Job’s religion was not right. Job’s God is completely right, so God seeks to correct Job’s spiritual life. God intends to move Job from being religious (something he has) to getting redeemed (something he will receive). For a religion to be right it must redeem the follower. Job’s religion was, “I am a good person, I do good things, so I receive good things.” Did you catch the ‘vowel’ Job has such a problem with in his life? We have precisely the same problem, with the same ‘vowel’, and therefore all of us can relate to Job. Not in comparable losses and sufferings, but in the need for spiritual growth in our right relationship with God. The right religion MUST reveal you are wrong. The right religion MUST reveal your need for a Saviour. The right religion MUST reveal a living and powerful God who is capable of making you right. There is no one else, but our God who can do this for any and every person on earth. Our God tells us to, “Trust in Me with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Me, and I will make straight your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Bethel’s loving Christians, you in whom the Spirt of God dwells: You follow the right religion because it led to your redemption by the power of Jesus Christ. Your redemption, has in the past, is presently, and will persist until you are called home to glory, produces restoration into the likeness of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Redemption by Almighty God, to be made RIGHT, is what every person wants, “They just don’t know it yet!!!” Give others the opportunity to hear it. Tell them about Bethel Baptist. Explain to them what your religion, redemption, and restoration in Jesus Christ has done for you. Our priority role in God’s Kingdom is to inform others. The Holy Spirit will convict one’s soul with your loving words. Before this Lord’s Day, pray for a name, then: Reach out; Call; Email; or Text. Knock on a door. Find a way to invite someone to Bethel Baptist Church.
In Christ,
Pastor Michael
