Weekly Encouragement
Good Wednesday Everyone,
Blessings to all this week. First of foremost, this must be said: – What an encouraging Lord’s Day. At Bethel we had an excellent service with so many in attendance worshipping the Lord. It is natural for us to want more people to come to Bethel Baptist with all we have experienced over the last few years. It excites us when we see so many in church. Our greater appreciation is more souls were praising and worshiping God, and more people are hearing the Word of God than the week before. Bethel Baptist desires for more people to keep coming. So, keep inviting and to keep sharing what God is doing at Bethel Baptist. Mark your calendar, or save in your phone Sunday, January 29, 2023 - THIS COMING LORD'S DAY. The last Sunday in January will be our “Fifth Sunday Fellowship” immediately after the service in the fellowship hall. The meal is pot-luck with Bethel providing the meat, but you are free to bring any dish or dessert to share. All are welcome!!
Tonight, I hope to see you at our Wednesday Night Fellowship. The menu is your favorite soup. Bethel Baptist will provide cornbread/crackers, and other sides. Show-off your favorite soup and bring a dessert to pass if you can. The adults will examine what Jesus Christ said to the second Christian church in Revelation – The church in Smyrna. You will be blessed if you come.
We are proceeding into the second half of our Nehemiah sermon series – “Navigating Through Life”. We are examining God’s calling upon one devoted man to rebuild the Jerusalem city wall. Several moving parts surfaced, and several things were addressed during God’s call upon Nehemiah’s life. Nehemiah prayed and God responded. Nehemiah persisted and God strengthen. Nehemiah was protected and God empowered. This coming Sunday, we’ll see Nehemiah and the people approach the completion of the wall. The physical wall would allow and protect every Judean to live as God intended for them to live.
Today, our spiritual walls protect our priorities of Christian living. There are things our walls should allow in, and there are things our wall must repel. Our spiritual walls were built and supported by Jesus Christ, and they will protect us completely if we allow them too. Under the freedom and protection Christ provides, our walls allow us to prioritize daily living. We must watch and recognize WHO is for us and who is against us. We much watch and recognize WHAT is for and us and what is against us. The enemy never stops. The most powerful aspect of our Christian walls is this: WHEREEVER we go our walls go too. We never leave the protection of God the Father, Christ Jesus the Son, or the Holy Spirit. Therefore, our priorities in life follow us and are protected every moment of our lives. We are never to be foolish, but we are never to be afraid to help other people.
God is doing great things at Bethel Baptist. Join us for Sunday School and immediately come to worship after. God is blessing us each day and every time we meet. Attending church is a priority for you and your family. Everyone knows what each other’s priorities are, and people will wonder and ask questions about your priorities. Tell them what they are, and tell them why they are. The “process” of church is important, but the “priority” of church is critical. People want what works in your life, and “people really want what we have, they just don’t know it yet.”
In Christ Jesus,
Pastor Michael
