Weekly Encouragement
Good Wednesday Everyone,
Weekly blessings to all. This has been the week for dripping facets, extra blankets, and stoking the furnace. What simple blessings keep us safe and warm. Because of the cold weather landing in our area, we decided to cancel tonight’s Wednesday Night Fellowship. This decision was not made hastily, but with wisdom as to what our church family would experience as they left their homes. At Bethel Baptist we will never cancel any fellowship or worship service without asking ourselves, “Are we sure this is the right thing to do?” We never want to cancel anything happening in God’s house. We will always decide what is best for God’s house, and staying at home with family was the best thing to do for tonight. Next week we will be ready for all the Lord has for us in fellowship and Bible study. Come join us. Invite someone you know. Bring something with you to share. Now, let this letter be an encouragement until we meet again this coming Lord’s Day.
Beginning in late August, Bethel Baptist initiated the sermon series from Romans called, “The Righteousness of God.” The theme of Romans is God’s redemptive plan for all people, and Romans begins the sixth of seven redemptive divisions in our Bible. We have shared these divisions before. In our New Testament the authors, from Romans concluding with Jude, take us through the Biblical division of ‘Redemption Explained’. The people of Paul’s day needed God’s redemption explained to them, and we absolutely need God’s redemption explained to us today. Why? What don’t we understand? Are we doing something wrong? It depends. Depends on what? It depends on how well you know God.
There was a man in the Bible who lived an incredibly blessed life because of who he was. This man was a righteous man, never a self-righteous man. Big difference!! The man was Job. God blessed Job because of who he was and how he lived. There is nothing wrong with this life: Job was good to people, and God was good to Job. But Job, with all his comforts in life, health of body, kindness towards others, and his personal wealth, needed to know God completely.
Above all things in Job’s life one thing stood out the most and shined the brightest – Job was innocent. Job would suffer unimaginable loss. Some of us have experienced the individual sufferings of Job. None of us have experienced all the sufferings of Job. Job, an innocent and righteous man, is stripped of everything. And God allowed it to happen!!
What kind of God would do this? We’ll have our answers, but we have to get them from Job himself. In the depths of despair Job learns who God is, and Job will teach us the same. In the depths of Job’s despair God tells Job who He is, and God will tell us the same. Job is a very personal and a very special book. The Book of Job cannot be left out of the complete Christian’s life. Job gives us perspective. Job gives us assurance. Job gives us questions and Job gives us answers. Job gives us hope.
This newest sermon series is titled, “Religion – Redemption – Restoration”. Job was part of a wonderful religion as he did things his way. The religion God has for all of us must be done His way. Job did much in his life to redeem many people. The redemption God has for us comes from His love for us. Job will want to be restored in all facets of his life. The restoration God has for us completes us and God reveals to us exactly who He is.
This Lord’s Day begin a look into the life of Job. Someone who was above reproach in every aspect of his life, but Job still needed a Saviour. This week, I’m sure you have met some very good people, and I’m sure you are a good person too. If you don’t think you are others would disagree. Our goodness is not good enough. Everyone needs a Saviour. Our Saviour is Jesus Christ. We all need to learn more about Jesus Christ, and this is who we lift up at Bethel Baptist. This week, I’m sure you have met good people who need a good place to plant their lives and the lives of their families. In love and with boldness, introduce them to Bethel Baptist Church. We all love God, and we love all people. You have Jesus Christ in your heart, and everyone wants who you have, “They just don’t know it yet!!” Let them in on the secret of God’s love found only in Jesus Christ. Pray for a name, then: Reach out; Call; Email; or Text. Knock on a door. Find a way to invite someone into the warmth of Bethel Baptist Church.
In Christ,
Pastor Michael
