Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA
A Conservative Christian Church (and podcast) in Gladys Virginia
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A Conservative Christian Church (and podcast) in Gladys Virginia
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The post Belonging, The Key to Spiritual and Emotional Growth appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA.
Psalm 121 reminds us that God is very committed to our care, nothing is too big or too small for Him, and He alone is our keeper. The post God is Committed to Our Care appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA.
Many people have the idea that “liberty” means freedom to do whatever I want with no restrictions. What Paul meant by liberty is freedom to belong to the Messiah and God’s people without keeping the Old Covenant. Paul talks about the “hope of righteousness.” The word “hope” indicates that something is not yet fulfilled. By liberty Paul meant neither sinless perfection nor freedom to live in sin. The promise is that faith leads to good works, but this is not a promise of perfection. Paul also talks about “faith working through love.” By this phrase Paul is saying the same thing James says, that
What attitudes and activities produce healthy body life and believers who do what Jesus wants, according to Acts 2 and 4? In these verses we see numerous spiritual activities. That could be grouped under the headings of worship, commitment to the apostles’ doctrine, and fellowship with fellow believers. Worship: Worship from the heart is the foundation of all worthwhile spiritual activity and obedience. Without worship and heart fellowship with Christ, religious activity is dead and legalistic. In these two accounts there are numerous spiritual activities that are either worship activities or
The importance of encouraging and comforting one another When a pebble is skipped across the water, the ripples go on and on. The ripples go even further than the pebble. This is the power of a skipped pebble and an encouraging word. The Bible has many examples of the value of encouragement. God encouraged Moses with the words, “My presence will go with you.” Moses encouraged Joshua. Barnabas was the Son of Encouragement. Why don’t we get encouragement done? Think we don’t know how; too busy; forget that everyone needs it; focus on the problems of people; don’t see any results; think people al
Saul started off well but ended up in a terrible place because he lost his vision of his smallness and God’s greatness. Signs of vision loss can include compromised obedience, not waiting on God, harshness toward others, and behaving as though the mission is our own. The post A Lesson From Saul appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA.
The Kingdom of Heaven has several notable characteristics: 1) It has a king, and that king is Christ. 2) Like the mustard seed, it starts small but grows into something visible and strong (Matt. 13:31, 32). 3) Like leaven, it starts within and changes all of a person’s life (Matt. 13:33). Like a treasure, it is worth more than anything else (Matt. 13:44-46). The Kingdom of Heaven has an enemy, Satan (Isaiah 14:12-15). He is a “dictator” who has come to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). However, his kingdom will be destroyed in the end. Entering the Kingdom of Heaven requires 1) the humili
A major underlying issue Paul is addressing in Galatians is his fear that the church might get sidetracked by heresies, especially related to what it means to be a member of the Messiah’s people. Paul was concerned about idol worship; the observance of holy days, months, seasons, and years; and there was always the concern about requiring Gentiles needing to be circumcised and to keep the Law of Moses. In this chapter Paul also mentions his need to rely on the grace of God because of the difficulty with his eyesight and the accusation that he is a “man pleaser.” Maintaining the faith is always
Emmanuel and an update on Ozark Wilderness Boy’s Camp in Missouri The most important spiritual reality for us to remember is that God is with us. Most of us have questions about what God’s will is about many things. When we consider God’s relating to the children of Israel, we see that God did reveal himself to them. But in the midst of his revelations and provisions, they did not want to hear God and refused to do what God said even when they promised to obey. At camp where they work they have the motto that they do everything with the boys and not to or for them. This is how God in Christ re
In Matthew 28:18-20 Christ says the mission of the church is to go to all people groups and 1) baptize or submerge the people in relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and 2) teach the people to do the things Jesus wants them to do. The focus of this sermon is on the responsibility of immersing fellow believers in the presence of fellow believers, especially of believers admonishing one another. The story in Acts 18:24-28 of Aquila and Priscilla taking Apollos aside and explaining “to him the way of God more accurately” is an example of discipling a fellow believer. According to R
Today is Father’s Day and Galatians 3 isn’t the typical passage to use for Father’s Day. John said his relationship with his earthly father was fairly negative, so it probably wasn’t surprising that when he thought about God, he always had a hard time believing he cared about him. Galatians 3 says both Jews and Gentiles can become children of the Abba Father by faith in Jesus apart from works of the Law. This means that becoming a son of the heavenly Father does not depend on practicing the Law of Moses. Paul says the purpose of the Law of Moses was to be a school master until Christ came, to
In II Timothy 4, Paul charges Timothy to remain faithful to his mission by preaching the Word, regardless of how people react. Each of us has a mission that is our unique obligation. Finishing well involves viewing one’s life as a “drink offering” – a complete, faithful sacrifice, and looking forward to the appearing of Jesus. The reality of the mission is that we will face human struggles such as abandonment, sickness, failures, and lack of resources, but these realities do not doom the mission because God remains present to strengthen and preserve us. The post Fulfill Your Ministry appeared
Acts 1:3 says Christ “presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs.” I Cor. 15 says Christ was seen by many people after the resurrection, and if Christ had not risen our faith would be in vain. A major truth in the sermons in Acts is that Christ is risen from the dead (Acts 2:22-24; 3:13-15). Jesus said he is the resurrection and the life (Jn. 11:11ff). Critics of the resurrection have promoted various theories to discredit the resurrection, but none of these can withstand reason and Scripture. The future resurrection of believers from the grave will be a physical, bo
The instruction in Scripture to admonish and warn someone is not given so we will admonish people after they have become deeply enmeshed in sin but to admonish people before things get so desperate. The people who warned in the Old Testament were called prophets or watchmen. Even though they spoke the message of God, in general the people did not like them. But the reality is that we have a responsibility to admonish people even when they do not want to hear. People do not respond well to long rational arguments. Generally the only admonition that is received well is given by a friend in a res
Kings 18 is Elijah’s experience of being overwhelmed and exhausted by evil circumstances. God showed up in his space to feed and heal him. God told Elijah to eat, to sleep, to worship, to anoint two kings, to anoint his successor. Elijah’s small obediences were the method God used to heal Elijah. The post Elijah and Small Obediences appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA.
The goal is to come to rest instead of being determined to fix our troubles. The better thing is to consider what is one thing I can do to trust God. Jesus has something for us to do because we can’t reason our way out of our troubles. While we are demanding to be fixed we can’t find a single thing to do that God wants. Jesus can take care of us even when we can’t. The post Foundational Beliefs from Core to Present appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA.
Our troubles weigh on Jesus. Jesus can handle us even if we can’t handle ourselves. The question for each of us in our situation is what small steps of faith can we take in the midst of trouble? Our existence would change if we could believe Jesus is beautiful and is with us in our trouble. Surrender in the midst of trouble isn’t just giving up; it might mean doing something. The post Questions About Spirituality and Mental Health appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA.
I Timothy 3:13-17 shows us that scripture is important for both salvation (pointing to Jesus) and spiritual development (as “God-breathed”instruction). A healthy practice involves reading often, prioritizing quality (reading with purpose and a “needy attitude”) over speed, and making an effort to internalize scripture (memorization and meditation/murmuring). The post Love Your Bible appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA.
The value of woman depends on her “created in the image of God” value. God created man in His image, male and female. The Trinity is three persons but one substance. Man is two persons, male and female, but one substance. Male and female are not two kinds of human, the one more valuable than the other. This one of three Trinity and one of two human speaks of oneness of purpose amid diversity of roles and contributions. Understanding that women are image-bearers of God can empower them to embrace their identity and purpose. It affirms their significance in both spiritual and societal contexts,
Galatians is not about how to get saved. It is about how Jews and Gentiles can become one people of God through the Messiah, apart from the Law of Moses. The Judaizers resisted Paul’s message and wanted to say that he was in conflict with the apostles in Jerusalem. Paul says when Peter first visited Antioch, he shared the Lord’s Supper with the Jewish and Gentile believers there, but when agitators or Judaizers showed up from Jerusalem requiring the Gentiles to be circumcised, Peter decided not to eat with the Gentile believers because they were not circumcised. Paul says Peter did this out of
What Jesus won us to (to love God and others), He won us by (His love for God and others). Jesus was not a puppet. He surrendered to the Father and the pain of the cross because of His love. We cannot die for and save ourselves, but we can surrender to Christ. Victory is the result of surrender. God is fully able to accomplish the good end He has in mind, and His goal is always good. Jesus’ struggle was not to find the Father’s will but to continue in it. Our struggle might be to find the Father’s will, but it might also be to continue in the Father’s will. If we don’t choose well in the small
The church at Jerusalem, where Christianity began, was composed entirely of Jewish Christians. Peter had preached the Gospel to the Gentile Centurion Cornelius, which opened the Gospel to Gentiles. The question, then, was whether Gentile Christians were required to be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses. Galatians addresses this issue. Paul begins his discussion by giving his qualifications. He says he was chosen by God and that his message did not originate with himself. The ordained, even bishops, are not lords of the church. They are dependent on Jesus for their message and hopefully love
There is a finish line ahead, and not everyone who starts the race runs all the way to it. Gideon started well but stumbled. Solomon began with great devotion and drifted into idolatry. Demas walked with Paul and then quietly turned back, having loved this present world more than the world to come. These are sobering reminders, but they are not meant to discourage us. They are meant to make us wise. The race asks us to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, and to keep eternity in view. Heaven is more beautiful than anything we have imagined, and the suffering of this pre
We are not meant to run this race alone, and we were never designed to. Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and Psalm 23 shows us everything we gain when we follow him closely: rest, guidance, restoration, courage in the darkest valleys, and the overflow of his Spirit. When trouble comes, the call is simple and urgent: do not try to fix yourself first. Run to the Shepherd right away, just as you are, and let him lead you back to the path of righteousness. But running with Jesus also means running with others. To be alone is not simply to be by yourself. It is to be unknown, and we can be surrounded by
Running hard is not just for the gifted or the strong. It is for all of us, and we are running a race where every one of us can win. The great enemy of running hard is not failure but apathy, that slow drift where we stop caring, stop feeding on what is good, and eventually become content with going through the motions. What we feed on today becomes our hunger tomorrow. If we fill our eyes and ears with the noise of the world, our hearts will follow. But if we feed on God’s word and dwell on what is true and good and lovely, a passion for the things of God will grow in us naturally, the way a
