Weekly Encouragement
Good Wednesday Everyone,
What a wonderful weekend behind us. I’m sure most of have earned some well-deserved recovery time. Visits with family and loved ones is always rewarding work. As we close out the Thanksgiving season: “Here come’s Santa Clause, Here come’s Santa Clause, right down Santa Clause Lane.” The next few weeks pass the quickest of the year. Lots of activities for our Bethel Baptist family. Tonight, it’s our regular Wednesday Night Fellowship. The main course is chicken Alfredo, and if you are able, bring a dish to pass and any dessert. An offering basket will be placed at the drinks table. Give as the Lord leads, all will go directly to the Wednesday night meals.
Please mark your calendars for Sunday, December 11, from 2:00 to 4:00pm. This will be our first parsonage open house. Heidi and I would love to see each of you. Come-Go-Stay. There will be refreshments and a real-live barking Christmas dog for all to enjoy. We are very excited about our first open house of many in the future. Then the following Lord’s Day, December 18, we will celebrate with the Bethel Children’s program. Have you noticed how many children we have seated at the front over the last few Sunday mornings? What a blessed future we have at Bethel Baptist. The children are working so hard on their program. Let’s all come and bring friends and family to enjoy and encourage Bethel’s Children’s Ministry. Then we have a special worship service on Christmas Day, Sunday the 25th.
The Thessalonians study of the power of Christianity has been a blessed challenge to prepare and to preach. In prayer and preparation for Sunday morning’s sermons, the Lord has led me to lead a study of Revelation for Wednesday evenings. Remember all: 1 Thessalonians was the first of Paul’s thirteen (fourteen if you are convicted enough to count Hebrews) epistles. In this first letter, to the newest of Christians, Paul was inspired to tell of the power of Christianity, and the process of being a Christian. Within the Christian process, there are no surprise “steps” for the mature Christian, but there is a least popular step. This is the step of evangelism. Paul spent his life evangelizing people, or in other words Paul spent his life instructing and teaching people about Jesus Christ. The most dominant phrase in all of Paul’s writings is “in Christ”. Paul did everything, preached everything, and wrote everything in Christ. Evangelism did not make Paul popular, but it did make Paul obedient.
Today, we cannot be any less obedient. We must experience salvation, then spiritual growth and strength for the expressed purpose of evangelism. What we must teach the world is three-fold: We must teach Christ’s Revelation, His actions, life, works, and His words. Then we must teach others about Christ’s Resurrection. Everyone dies, Christ died, but no one resurrected themselves by their own power – Jesus Christ did!! Then finally, we must teach Christ’s Return. Brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ is coming back, and this truth is the least taught truth of our faith. We are doing excellent in teaching what we know Jesus did and said (Revelation), and we do well to teach others that Jesus Christ is alive (Resurrection), but we cannot omit Christ’s second coming (Return). At Christ’s ascension, the angels present said, “This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the say way as you saw him go into heaven.” Then the last thing Jesus said to John, and the last words of Christ we have are these, “Surely I am coming soon.” And John replied as we all should, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”
There are many subtleties within our Christian faith. Many of which we hold dearest across differing denominations, but the one fact of our faith is this – Jesus Christ is coming back. This truth must be taught, fears must be released, questions must be answered, and faith must satisfy. In the coming Wednesday nights, I encourage you to bring your questions, and bring your faith as we study what God’s word teaches about Christ’s return.
We cannot help but love our family, love our church, and love the life God has prepared for us HERE, but there is so much more awaiting THERE – HEAVEN. Our good life is incomparable to Heaven. Each week I encourage you to reach people because, “They really want what you have – They just don’t know it yet.” But do you really know what you have, “in Christ?” It is not only a good life HERE – It is a PERFECT life with Christ in HEAVEN. Come tonight. Come this Lord’s Day. Tell someone about both and unleash God’s Holy Spirit into the lives of those around you.
Blessings in Christ Jesus,
Pastor Michael
