Weekly Encouragement
Good Wednesday Everyone,
Weekly blessings to all. The heat is upon us. Be safe and check on one another during these next few days with the increasing heat indexes. Tonight, we continued with our Wednesday Night Fellowships. On the menu is beef tips and rice, and we are asking if you’re able to bring a dish or dessert to pass. Also on Bethel Baptist’s calendar is October’s quarterly business meeting. Make plans to attend, we will still have our fellowship meal, then we need to discuss the business of God’s church. We have excellent ideas for both in-reach and out-reach opportunities, we are discussing the revitalizing of Children’s Church, with additional possibilities for our children on Wednesday nights. What Bethel Baptist needs for fellowship is you.
Fellowship is the visible power of the church to the community. When the world sees us “meet together”, they are naturally curious. So, when more Christians gather to fellowship, it will increase the curiosity of those around us. Whenever others see spiritual things happening, they begin to think spiritually, then the power of God’s Spirit begins to work in their hearts. The easiest and least invasive way to evangelize our community is for us to fellowship together.
This Lord’s Day we concluded our sermon series “God’s Way.” Tonight, we will discuss the sermon series together. There have been so many good comments made about the sermon that I know will be a blessing to others. And it is perfectly fine to have concerns, doubts, and questions about the series. So, tonight be prepared with any comments, questions, and testimonies for our time together. Write down your thoughts and bring them to the table tonight. Our sermon series dealt with the autonomous blessings God has given only to you. God’s autonomous blessings come with powerful freedom and great responsibility. At the exact point where our freedom and our responsibility meet is the place where God wants to commune with us. God wants me to use my life, my family, my church, my success, my community, and my will to glorify Him. God’s way is not easy, and we are never promised it will be, but God’s way is the best way for us to live our life.
We will conclude tonight’s fellowship with a praise and prayer time. Update us on what is happening with you and with those around you. Prayer must be the spiritual “glue” in our fellowship. When we gather together prayer will keep us together. Bring praise reports and prayer requests with you. Whatever the Lord has placed in your heart for our congregation let’s bring them to our great God tonight.
Remember this Bethel Baptist, the more we fellowship together, the more light we shine from God’s house. This recent Lord’s Day I challenged us to answer two things about our anxious days, our times of doubt and difficulty, and our times of stress, trouble, and worry. These difficult days are real, and we need real help. The first was when these days come, and they will: When was the last time you went to God’s Word? Reading the Bible puts us into a different place. The surest way to hear God’s voice is to read His Word. There is nothing you are going through that is not discussed and dealt with in the Bible. Second, when these days are upon you, maybe this is now for you: When was the last time you came to church? Coming to church brings us into the presence of people who genuinely love us, who will sacrificially give to your well-being above their own, and who truly understand what you are going through. Within your church family you are never alone. But you can’t stay away. At Bethel Baptist it will never matter how long you have been away, nor why.
Likewise, if you never miss a Sunday at Bethel Baptist, you know people who are hurting and struggling in life. The best thing you can do for those you know is to call them, invite them, and pray for them. What is happening at Bethel Baptist goes beyond good, loving people gathering together. What’s happening at Bethel Baptist is God is doing something no other god can do. God is speaking to people, God is making people whole, and God is listening to people. The people all around us who see what’s happening inside Bethel Baptist, “They really want what you have, they just don’t know it yet!!” The best thing you will ever do for another person is invite them to church. Join us this Lord’s Day.
In Christ,
Pastor Michael
