…As we conclude “Meet The Messiah”, we must be prepared to “Introduce The Messiah” to others. There are two very clear and concise sides to the life of Jesus Christ. We must share both sides. The first side of Jesus Christ is the side most people enjoy, most people know, and most people want. This side is the LOVE of Jesus. This side is amazing, and it is real. God loves us!! We all want to experience the love of Jesus Christ infused into our life. Jesus’ love and God’s love for us is incredible. Then there is a second side to Jesus Christ. Most people are blind to, and most people are deaf to this side of Jesus Christ. The second side of Jesus Christ is TRUTH. When people hear about Jesus, maybe because of a despicable display of the Lord’s Supper represented in the recent Olympics, we must share with them the love and the truth of Jesus Christ…

…Sadly, but thankfully we must never forget the events of Saturday, July 13, 2024. We will forever have in our nation’s history the shooting and assassination attempt of President Trump. We have had several days to self-absorb and be self-aware of what happened. The day’s faults and failures have been dissected and will continue to be in the future. But as Christians, who love our God and love our country, we must honestly tell others why this happened. The emotions and the motivations are certainly because of the undeniable divisiveness and the visceral sides people have chosen in America. We are unable to see beyond what we think is right for America. This leads us to why former President Trump was shot – The choice was made by someone not to love. A choice to not love God and not love their neighbor…

Weekly blessings to all. This has been an eventful week. But despite the week’s “A.B.C.’s” (Activity, Busyness, Challenges) it’s almost over. We will conclude the week with a wonderful opportunity at fellowship with our first “Movie Night” on Friday, beginning at 6:00pm. This Friday we will play the movie “Jesus Revolution” and you will truly enjoy this film. This film is all about how the Christian big “C” Church, is always in the place God wants it to be physically via His local church, and where we need it spiritually via the local members of His church. Make plans to attend and come be with your Bethel Baptist family. You will see exactly what an obedient church can do through God’s power in a seemingly un-churched community.

…June has brought us to a very important time as we elect deacons to serve our congregation. This Sunday and next you will receive in the bulletin a list of deacons willing to serve Bethel Baptist. Then on June 23rd our congregation will call deacons to service after your prayerful election. Pray over these men and pray for these men as you seek the Lord’s guidance. The deacons in our fellowship are your servant leaders, and such a vital asset to your pastor. Each deacon brings experience, insight, talents, and wisdom. And when we have new deacons elected, they bring a freshening of energy to our leadership…

…We continue our latest Sunday sermon series “Meet the Messiah” through the Gospel of Matthew. We have reached the point where Jesus Christ has entered fully into His public Ministry. The crowds are coming, and Jesus is responding. There is an unknown span of time between Matthew 4 with the calling of the first disciples, and Matthew’s documentation of the greatest sermon ever preached, “The Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew 5-7. If you can this week, read these chapters. What Jesus says is “astonishing”. This is the word Matthew uses to describe the people’s reaction at the conclusion of Jesus’ sermon. We need the strongest of words to describe the greatness of this sermon. No one has ever said better things than Jesus did to the people then and to us today…