Bethel Baptist Church

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 In 1 Corinthians 3 Paul returns to the issue with which he began his letter, namely the dissension that had plagued the congregation.  Here Paul goes to the root of the problem.  The Corinthian Christians had not grown much in their communion with God.  Paul calls them "people of the flesh, infants in Christ" (1 Cor 3:1).  They understood basic spiritual trut...

Scripture Reading: Acts 27:13-26 This week Pastor Cosand enjoys a well deserved vacation. In his absence, Bethel Baptist Church had the privilege and pleasure of hosting Reverand Greg Hands, former Pastor of Woodhaven Bible Church.

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 2:14 The contrast, in this section of 1 Corinthians, has been between human wisdom and divine wisdom … and between people of God and people of the world.  It is the contrast between these two groups of people which is in view in verses 14,15.  People of God (Christians) are called 'the spiritual person' in verse 15 … and people of the world (unbelievers) are called...

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 This passage is a continuation of Paul's contrast between the wisdom of God and human wisdom.  The word wisdom is found four times in this section … twice in verse 6, once in verse 7, and again in verse 13. The theme of the passage is stated in verse 7 "we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory."  The wonder...

Scripture Reading: Colossians 1:24-29 Bethel Baptist Church has the pleasure and privilege of hosting Waad Haddad along with his family for worship this Sunday. Waad is a missionary with BEN Ministries. He serves with the National Theological College and Graduate School (NTCGS) as a professor at the graduate and undergrad levels. He is also responsible for recruitment in three countries: Egypt, Jo...

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 So far, in this early section of 1 Corinthians, Paul has noted that the gospel of Christ, the message of the cross, is utter foolishness to people who are perishing.  Next, he says that the people of God are also considered foolish by the people who are perishing.  Now, he notes that the messenger of the gospel is considered foolish by the people who are peri...

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 Continuing his correction of the factions in the church in Corinth, Paul turns his focus from the calling of God to those whom He has called.  Paul reminds these believers that they were not from the upper class of Corinthian society.  In fact, the text says, not many people from the upper class are called into God's kingdom. God has been deliberate in call...

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 The first issue in the Corinthian church to which Paul addresses himself is the problem of divisions, borne out of personal pride.  To challenge that problem, Paul elevates Christ and His work.  Once Jesus is contemplated deeply, humility is the inevitable result.  In 1 Corinthians 1:18-25, Paul contrasts two views of the cross of Christ … the human assessm...

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 Much of this letter to the Corinthian church contains the response of Paul to the Christians there concerning struggles within the fellowship that had come to his attention.  The first issue mentioned in this epistle is the presence of factions within the congregation. Personal allegiance to church leaders had led to tensions between church members.  Some p...

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 The church at Corinth was founded during Paul's second missionary journey.  The account in Acts 18 records that Paul spent 18 months in Corinth on that trip and helped to establish a community of believers there.  It was three years later, while on his third missionary journey, that Paul received word that all was not well in the Corinthian church.  1 Corinth...

Scripture Reading: Malachi 2:10-16 In a day in which marriage is falling out of what is normative, it is relevant, and even critical, to know that God cares about marriage.  Further, as the Designer of marriage, He has defined what it is and has given laws to govern it. Marriage was designed to be the lifelong union between one man and one woman. One of the prominent sins of the Israelites of Mala...

Scripture Reading: Malachi 3:13-18 At issue in this passage is a failure to understand God's patience in postponing His judgment on the wicked.  The Israelites had concluded that God had not blessed the righteous, nor had He punished the wicked. Being oblivious to their sins, the Jews had reasoned that God had slighted them because they had not prospered.  On the other hand, they thought God had i...

Scripture Reading: Malachi 3:6-12 One of the sins of the Israelites in Malachi's time was the failure to give the tithes which the Mosaic law had prescribed.  The law required that the Jews pay ten percent of their income/produce to the Levites and to the temple (Num 18:21-26; Deut 14:22-27).  God justly accused the Israelites of Malachi's day of robbing Him (Mal 3:8,9).  Giving to the work of God...

Scripture Reading: Malachi 3:6 The prophet Malachi, as all prophets did, confronted the people of Israel with their sins.  God speaks in Malachi 3, warning the Israelites of a great coming judgment.  In mercy, however, God reminds them of why He had not destroyed them completely.  In a surprising statement, God reminds the Jews of His unchanging nature.  "For I the Lord do not change; therefore yo...

Scripture Reading: Malachi 2:17-3:5 In this passage, Malachi goes far beyond his day, to both the first and second advents of Christ.  The people seem to be wondering why the surrounding, idolatrous nations had prospered while the reconstituted Israel had not flourished. They looked for justice to be meted out on the wicked and for Messiah to restore glory to Israel.  Malachi prophesies that Messi...

Malachi 1:1-5 The book of Malachi is called an 'oracle' in the first verse.  An oracle (some translations use the word 'burden') is a message which has an ominous, threatening tone.  Malachi lived one hundred years after people returned from the Babylonian captivity.  At this time there was (again) widespread spiritual corruption.  The evidence of this was polluted offerings, a corrupt priesthood,...

Scripture Reading: Zephaniah 3:14-20 Nestled away in the small, little-known book of Zephaniah is a marvelous declaration of the steadfast love of God.  Zephaniah begins with one of the most chilling statements of God's wrath in all of Scripture and closes with one of the most moving descriptions of God's love for His people in all of Scripture. The wording of Zephaniah 1:2,3 is reminiscent of the...

Scripture Reading: Lamentations 3:31-39 In Lamentations 3, Jeremiah pulls back the curtain of divine mystery slightly so we can see, at least a little, into the mind of God.  The context of this passage is Jeremiah's description of the judgment of God on Jerusalem, with all the horror that was associated with that great destruction in 586 B.C.  It is clear, from Lamentations 3, that the invasion o...

Scripture Reading: Joel 2:21-32 Like other prophets, the little book of Joel has a prophecy of a coming judgment on Israel and a prophecy of a coming restoration of Israel.  With reference to this judgment, repeatedly Joel uses a phrase familiar to Old Testament prophets … namely, "the day of the LORD" (Joel 1:15; 2:1,11,31; 3:14) or simply the "day" (Joel 1:15; 2:2; 3:18). The day of the LORD is...

Scripture Reading: Micah 6:1-8 This passage follows Micah's denunciation of the sins of Judah and Israel.  The Israelites were a people who "devised wickedness" (Mic 2:1), "covet fields" (Mic 2:2), "oppress a man and his house" (Mic 2:2), "walk haughtily" (Mic 2:3), "hate the good and love the evil" (Mic 3:2), "eat the flesh of my people" (Mic 3:2), "detest justice" (Mic 3:9). In Micah 6, in a cou...

Scripture Reading: Romans 5:1,2 The resurrection of Christ from the grave is the culmination of what Jesus came to earth to do, namely make a way for us to be at peace with God.  Nothing is more important than whether or not we are at peace with God.  When we lie dying, the only thing that will matter is whether or not we are at peace with God, the eternal Judge.  The resurrection of Jesus declare...

Scripture Reading: Hosea 6:1-6 A good portion of the book of Hosea is a catalogue of and denunciation of the sins of the nation of Israel. The primary, and foundational, sin that is highlighted in this book is idolatry. But when God is rejected, the manifestation of spiritual darkness is manifold. Hosea 4:2 cites lying, murder, stealing, adultery, and bloodshed. Life in Israel had degraded to a he...

Missions Message

Scripture Reading: Hosea 1-3   The unique feature of the book of Hosea is the personal story with which it begins.  Hosea is commanded by God to marry a woman (Gomer) who would be unfaithful to him.  This marriage was a symbol of the unfaithfulness of the people of Israel to God.     Gomer gave birth to three children, whose names all had symbolic meaning.  The first son, Jezreel, referred to the...