Weekly Encouragement
Good Wednesday Everyone,
First and foremost: Heidi and I want to thank all of you for such a wonderful first open house experience on Sunday. The rains came, but we had excellent food and fellowship. So many helped us prepare, and Heidi and I are so thankful and blessed to be at Bethel Baptist.
This week we have more rain, especially this evening. Bethel, we are under a 90% chance of strong storms in our area, and after contact and discussion with our deacons we all feel it best to cancel tonight’s Wednesday Night Fellowship. Now, let me encourage you with this. As we increase our attendance in our Wednesday Night Fellowship, and we will. Remember: If we do more, God will send many. Bethel’s decision to reinitiate Wednesday Nights Fellowships is us doing more. This being said, once our membership increases, we won’t cancel for rain, unless like this week serious storms are expected. We want Wednesday nights to be a pleasure as well as a priority for our entire congregation.
MARK YOUR calendar for this Sunday, 12/18/2022 at 6:00pm. This is the night of Bethel’s children’s Christmas program. Our children have worked so hard, and our parents have committed so much in giving their time with Tamara. Our children want to show us what they have learned and put into their hearts. Make every effort to come, invite, and share what our children and others have worked to show us about Christmas. You will miss a blessing if you do not come.
If you missed the last Wednesday Night Fellowship, we also had our monthly business meeting. A motion was presented, discussed, and unanimously passed to have quarterly business meetings rather than monthly. This means at the first Wednesday of each quarter we will meet and discuss Bethel Baptist church business, followed with Bible study. Don’t miss what is happening within the church towards our efforts outside the church. Everyone has a vital voice for discussion, questions, and decisions in the future of Bethel Baptist. We want to serve with excellence in everything we do together. Make church attendance a priority in all things as you are able.
Bethel, your pastor thanks you for the compliments and encouragements pertaining our Sunday sermons. In prayer and preparation, I am strengthened personally, and it is my truest desire to pass on what God has instructed me to say to you spiritually. What matters most for each of us is spiritual vitality. Spiritual life. Our physical life on earth is so brief we must make every moment count. James asks and answers us about the brevity of life in his epistle’s fourth chapter, verse fourteen, “What is your life?” There is so much to give and say to this question.
Then, immediately James answers his question, but does so from the perspective of one in eternity looking back, “For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” James’ answer to an unbeliever would be challenged, debated, and ultimately rejected. Those may argue: We are important. We’ve done great things. We are crucial to the cosmos? As Christians we are comforted by the words of James. Christians know life here is microscopic when compared to our journey through eternity.
Be encouraged with this perspective of today looking forward to eternity. The time we spend with family and friends on earth concludes in death, but we are immediately reunited, and eternity begins. Here is the encouragement along with today’s perspective of eternity!!! The life spent with someone you love is one, ONE, small, special, and significant step in a long walk to Texas!!
This Lord’s Day we conclude the series, “The Power of Christianity”. I hope you have grown spiritually. I hope you have shared it with someone you know. I pray you were encouraged. The final step in the process of being a Christian is the personal joy of knowing God. Having joy is not having happiness. They are not the same. Happiness is an emotion. Emotions change. Emotions deceive. Emotions fade. But Joy?? Joy is a condition. Joy is given. Joy is received. Joy is sure. Brothers and sisters: A toy gives us happiness; God gives us JOY.
For the remainder of 2022, remember Christianity is POWER, and our power can only be found in the PROCESS of being a Christian. As people see us and wonder about us, the truth is, “they really want what we have, they just don’t know it yet.” Tell them. Invite them. Share with them about the truth of Jesus Christ.
In Christ Jesus,
Pastor Michael
discussinos and 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
