Bethel Christian Center

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse have always been familiar, mysterious and ominous figures in culture, but practically what do they mean for us? Is there anything we can glean from the scripture that applies to our hope and future? Today, we’ll briefly consider how this frightful picture of impending judgment should reassure us that God will ultimately punish evil and encourage us in the meanti...

Elictia Hart, having just finished her last class at Duke's Doctoral Divinity of Ministry program, ministers again at Bethel for His glory.

If you are feeling dry today, or long to see fruitfulness in your life again, the River of God-the Holy Spirit-can flow once more through your life. In this study we will look at several biblical insights about the River of Life. Numerous references to a river oflife are found throughout the bible. The theme begins in Genesis as four rivers flow through the garden of Eden and continues to the fina...

5.22.22 Sunday Sermon

The workings of the Holy Spirit are invisible, glorious, and gentle, and within them, He never tells us about Himself. He comes to glorify Jesus-helping us to see Jesus more, to understand Jesus better, to respond to Jesus more obediently, and to love Jesus with a deeper heart of commitment. So, the symbols of the Holy Spirit become essential to our gaining an understanding of what He's like, not...

With God's guidance and her endowed wisdom and ingenuity, Jochebed, the mother of Moses devised a plan to save her son. It was her invincible and positive faith that gave her the strength, wisdom and courage to carry it out. God was preparing to bring Israel out of Egypt. God had a man; God had a mother to carry this out. She conceived Moses, she concealed him, she committed him, she cultured him.

Up to this point, God had fought for Israel. Israel was commanded to stand still and see the Salvation of the Lord; but the command now was to go out and fight. There is an immense difference between Justification and Sanctification. The one is Christ fighting for us; the other, the Holy Spirit fighting in us. Amalek pictures the old carnal nature. God did not destroy Amalek, but determined to hav...

4/24/22

4.17.22 Easter Sunday Service Christ has won the Victory!

Special guest Stephen Arnold details how Jesus is evident in the Jewish Passover meal

Antoinette challenges us on our daily decisions and if they line up with the roadmap of God's Word, using the story of King Saul as a cautionary tale.

It is fitting that we end this series with the commandment not to tell a lie since the fall of man was based on a lie of the devil. It was that lie that Eve believed that separated man from God. It was that lie that led to sin that is at the root cause of violence, war, poverty, racism and all of the other social ills that our world deals with. A lie is defined as an untrue statement with the inte...

While most people including Christians would not go out and steal from a department store or from someone else, when we look at the broader implications of the commandment, we find many areas where even Christians justify theft. In our culture much of the theft and cheating comes from a desire to have more than we need or simply trying to keep up with the Jones. Even our government today fuels the...

A few translations including the KJV state this commandment as "Thou shall no Kill". However, most translations read murder rather than kill. The definition of murder is the unlawful killing of another human being without justification or valid excuse and especially with malice. We will see in the scriptures many times when the killing of another human being was allowed but there was justification...

There are 3 institutions that have been ordained by God; the family, the church, and the government and without a doubt, satan has worked overtime on the family. God's design of one man and one woman is still the standard for a healthy stable home for raising children and for a stable society. However, we have watched that break down exponentially fast over the last few decades and we now have chi...

There is no doubt that today in the United States there is very little regard for the idea of the Sabbath as a day of rest and worship unto God. We will see how over the years that Sunday has become just another day to stay home, work, have recreation or play sports. Although the strict observance that was required of Israel under the old covenant does not apply today as Paul states in Colossians...

In view of the second coming of the Lord, there are four snares to guard against: Indifference, Negligence, Self-righteous, and Indolence, found in Matthew 24 and 25. Today we will look at the snare of indifference. Indifference: A lack of interest, enthusiasm or concern for something or someone. We are living in a society when indifference and heartlessness has become normative. The church is cha...

There is nothing that identifies a person more clearly than their name. The same can be said of God. Within the name of God is all of his attributes. We live in a world where people are quick to defend their name against attack or false hoods but do not hesitate to take the name of the most high God in vain. You can hardly watch a movie today that they do not throw in a GD where it appears just to...

I think it no coincidence that the first 2 commandments given by God concern our allegiance to him. The keeping or violation of all the other commandments hinge on these two. There is always something in our lives competing for our affection. The question for all of us is that do we have God in his proper place within our hearts and lives. When we do, we can accept the concept of "I am therefore y...

As we look around at our society today we see the result of neglecting God's perfect law. In this age of grace we do not hear much about the Ten commandments even in the church unless it is in a political conversation about how they should still be in the schools or in the courthouse. Although, I do not disagree with that notion, the reality is that they would have much more effect on our culture...

Even though the world scene looks as if God has been on an extended vacation, David shows us that God's plans have not failed and shall not fail. Everything is under His sovereign control and He will ultimately triumph in His ordained time. Thus, David appeals to the rebellious nations to bow before the Almighty God while they still have time. In Psalm 2, the wicked meditates (NASB = "devising," N...

The great British preacher Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote: "Prayer is beyond any question the highest activity of the human soul. Man is at his greatest and highest when, upon his knees, he comes face to face with God." One of the greatest encouragements to pray or the greatest display of our need for prayer is the fact of Jesus' private prayer. Throughout His life on earth, Jesus seized the opportunity...

When reading the Psalms, you will come upon the word "Selah." While there are different interpretations of the word, one interpretation of "Selah" is "pause and reflect." Most scholars think Selah speaks of a pause to meditate on the words just spoken. The new year seems like the perfect time to pause and reflect. To reflect on God, rest, and worship. To reflect on what has happened over the last...

The parables in Luke 15 were given in response to the criticism of the scribes and Pharisees that Jesus had received sinners and even ate with them. Jesus had made it clear that He came to save sinners (Luke 19:10). Jesus saw what these sinners really were: lost sheep who needed a shepherd; lost coins who had value and needed to be put into circulation; lost sons who needed to be in fellowship wit...

Many Christmas sermons focus on the WHO of the Christmas story and the wonderful lessons of Joseph, Mary, Shepherds, and the Baby Jesus and the other inspiring characters of the Christmas story. Other sermons emphasize the WHEN, the coming of Jesus foretold through the prophets, the times in which he was born. The HOW of Christmas, the virgin birth, the flight to Egypt, the search of Herod, the wo...