Weekly Encouragement
Good Wednesday Everyone,
Our weekly Wednesday encouragements have been missed by me and hopefully by you as well. There is nothing but great news to share. First, Bethel’s “Trunk-or-Treat” was a wonderful success. Thank you Tamara and your leadership team who made Sunday afternoon such fun for all. Bethel – We had over fifty children plus all their family members come to our “Trunk-or-Treat” this Lord’s Day. Bethel’s fellowship hall was packed and loud. Everyone had a wonderful time, and it was a joy to welcome so many into our church. Don’t forget, tonight is our Wednesday Night Fellowship. We are serving tacos, so if you can bring whatever goes with tacos. Supper begins at 6:00 p.m. with Bible Study for all immediately after. Also, the time is here for the Christmas shoe boxes. There are sign-ups for specific items, and we have plenty of boxes for you to fill. More specifics will come regarding the Christmas shoeboxes.
Our sermon series will conclude this coming Lord’s Day of the life of King Asa. King Asa was an interesting man, and as we saw in this week’s sermon a complicated man. King Asa went off on his own and acted improperly as it concerned what God intended for Judah. King Asa desperately needed his Great-Grandfather King Solomon’s, advice from Proverbs 6:5-6,
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.”
It is easy to examine King Asa’s decision and ask, “What did he do wrong?” The answer is an indirect answer, and it is much more complicated and personal for a man or woman of God than it is for an unbeliever. King Asa went wrong not necessarily in what he did as king, but in how he did it as a child of God. What King Asa did was repel an enemy of Judah – The right thing to do. How King Asa repelled the enemy of Judah – Aligning with and bribing a foreign and pagan king in God’s money was the wrong way to do it. But there is more to King Asa’s actions.
What King Asa did and how he did it was not God’s way. THEN – When King Asa was confronted as to his actions and his motives by the prophet Hanani, King Asa exposed his own heart to the Lord his God. And there it is. King Asa was a good and godly king, but an unholy man. When God Almighty, our Heavenly Father sees our heart, and our heart is compared to His, we fall so very short in every area of life. Why – Because God is “Holy, Holy, Holy” and, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips…” God wants us to respond to Him so He can reveal the contents of our heart. God want us to see our heart for ourselves. When this happens God can correct us, teach us, and restore us to fellowship with Him through his mercy and grace.
Follow closely what happened: King Asa’s heart needed God’s touch. Because God knows everything about us, He wants every person to come to Him in full agreement and in full confession of how wrong we are. God will never force us to agree nor force us to confess our sins even though God knows everything about us. God sends His word to us so we will agree, and we will confess that ALL His ways are better than our ways. Judah and the surrounding nations only knew of King Asa from what they saw from King Asa. They saw peace and prosperity in Judah provided by King Asa. King Asa needed to tell them, Judah’s peace and prosperity came from God and God alone.
God knew everything about King Asa. So, what did God want? God wanted to correct, to mold, to heal, and to forgive King Asa’s HEART!! Today, we are exactly where King Asa was in his day. God speaks to us through the Bible, through Christian mentors, through our worship, and through our prayers to Him. When we don’t like what we hear, how will you respond? What we learned from King Asa is to respond humbly and respond obediently.
What is God speaking to you about right now, or in the recent weeks? How have you responded? Has God convicted you to come to Him, to call someone you know, to give something you have, to join a church family, to be baptized, or to be and do more than what you are doing. I challenged you to consider this when the Lord our God sent me to Bethel Baptist as your pastor: If we will do more, God will send us many. This is happening at Bethel. Be a part of what’s happening at Bethel Baptist, because everything coming into your heart will flow out to someone else. When you speak to people, and help people you will quickly see, “People really want what you have – They just don’t know it yet.” Tell them about Bethel and bring them to the Lord’s house.
Blessings in Christ Jesus,
Pastor Michael
