Bethel Mennonite Church – Gladys VA

Everyone needs a little hope. Ecclesiastes 5:4 – Vows are to be taken seriously. Don’t promise something that you don’t intend to keep. Genesis 6:9 – Noah was righteous, he was blameless among the people of his time. Noah walked with God. James 1:27 – A picture of pure religion. Colossians 2:20-23 – We can […] The post Everyone Needs a Little Hope appeared first on Be...

Mark 9:14-29, Matthew 12 In whatever struggle we are facing, the key to victory is faith. Satan’s forces are at war with us Satan doesn’t let go easily, this demon in this boy was difficult to cast out. It was constantly trying to torment him, and even kill him. Satan is prowling around, looking for […] The post Faith is the Victory appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA .

For a number of reasons the sermon this morning does not have any notes attached to it… We apologize for this, and will try our best to return to doing things in a consistent manner going forward. John 16 – A Clear Advantage for You The post Advantageous – A Clear Advantage for You appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA .

The scripture is precious to us, or it should be. We should look at scripture differently than we do any other works of literature. The Bible has a consistent message throughout, although there are many authors. The Bible has a larger circulation than any other book and can be found in almost every corner of […] The post Basic Bible Study appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA...

Ephesians 6:1-9 – All of these things need to be done with a common central theme. That theme is Jesus, and bringing glory to God. In the New Testament the strict jews would fast twice each week. Jesus spoke against this attitude and this kind of fasting, instead he brought the focus back to God. […] The post Who Owns Your Heart appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA .

Philippians 2:5-11 – Jesus became obedient, even to death on the cross. At some point in your life you will become aware that the only relationship that really matters is the one that we can have with Jesus. The Easter story is one of love, humility, obedience, scorn, blood, death, spiritual life, and many other […] The post The Significance of Easter appeared first on Bethel Mennonite...

God is Holy If there was a single word to describe God, this is it. God is holy. Psalms, Isaiah, 1 Peter, Revelation It is only right that we, as the children of God would live in a pure and holy way. If God’s holiness is his main and defining characteristic, it should be evident […] The post Living Life with Purpose – Session 5 appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA .

Revelation 3:21 – This verse speaks of a very special time, a day when we can leave behind the struggles that we face in this life and can sit down with Christ on the throne of victory. Purity Matthew 5:8 – Pure in heart, free from iniquity, free from the corruption of the world around […] The post Living Life with Purpose – Session 4 appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Chur...

Honesty Matthew 5:37 – Any time that your yes or no means more than yes or more than no… Jesus says that is unnecessary, indeed it is evil. Ephesians 4:25 – Put away lying. It is an “old man” behavior. Colossians 3, Revelation 21:8 – Honesty is a principle that should govern the life of […] The post Living Life with Purpose – Session 3 appeared first on Bethel Mennoni...

What is a rule? “A rule or belief governing one’s personal behavior.” A rule is external, but a principle is a personal, deep conviction that is core to who you are. Everything that you do will be governed by this principle. A speed limit is a rule, not a principle. Living with purpose has to […] The post Living Life with Purpose – Session 2 appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church -...

Even if you don’t know why you are here this morning, God knows why you are here. Titus 2:11-14 – John 3 – Numbers – Jesus tells us that we need to be saved, and that we need to be born again. He also refers back to a place in Numbers, where the people of […] The post Living Life with Purpose – Session 1 appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA .

What is Lent? Lent is a 40 day period prior to Easter, it begins on Ash Wednesday. Lent usually skips Sundays, although there are some different ways of approaching that. The post Lessons from Lent appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA .

Think for a minute about the food pyramid that the FDA has created. It gives us divisions or groups to put the food that we eat into. The power of Christ’s Influence in our lives is something that we should look at, it is integral to our very Christian life. The disciples had seen the miracle of loaves and fishes. Their boat had been suddenly transported from one side of the lake to the other. The...

What was Jesus doing here by referring to himself as “the son of man” instead of the “son of God?” Jesus is emphasizing his humanity, and is actually referencing a prophecy in Daniel 7:13. Peter recognized Jesus as being not only the Christ, but also the son of God. Jesus praises Peter for his answer and blesses him. When we recognize Jesus as the son of God, we will be blessed as well. The discip...

Why don’t you “come and see.” This is one of the simplest ways to talk to people about Jesus. We can argue all day about Jesus, but often it is best to simply say, “come and see.” Jesus called 12 disciples. He calls us as well. We are his disciples, we his work must do. Jesus knew Nathanial. He saw him under the fig tree, before Philip called him. Jesus knows everything about everyone. Which would...

What are the spiritual “things” that happen, or are happening when a person enters the kingdom? Who is qualified to enter the kingdom? What is the promise of God to Abraham, that all people throughout history would be his children, and they are all qualified to enter (there is some qualification). Jesus words here focus on the necessity of believing that Jesus is the son of God. He is the source o...

Babies are cute. They are sweet. They are helpless. Perhaps God made them that way so that we would take care of them even though at times they are a bit of a chore to take care of. While it is incredibly amazing to watch a child develop and grow. It is very painful for a parent to watch their child grow and realize that they are not growing and developing as they should. Time does not bring matur...

“When they knew God.” In that chapter there is a progression downward of ungodly people. When they knew God, they didn’t follow him or worship him, they grabbed at their own wisdom instead of God’s wisdom. They worshiped idols. “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you.” God is offering you abundance. The isn’t just a wish or wishful thinking on the part of Peter, rather it is the desire of a loving...

Jesus is the image of an invisible God. Here in Mark we get a good glimpse at this image. Jesus isn’t a teacher who stands apart and teaches, refusing to intermingle with the people. Jesus was very involved with the people. Jesus is compassionate for the people. He wasn’t just combining ingredients, he was creating fish out of nothing. This is the third time that Jesus creates fish out of nothing....

There is potential to get “Christmas fatigue.” However we should never get tired of the true Christmas story. Numbers 24:17 - A prophet, Balaam, from the Old Testament foretells the star. Balaam was a wicked prophet who continually tried to bring a curse against the people of Israel. His goal was to earn some money… Mathew 2:1-23 - The story of the Magi following a star to find Jesus. The Magi wer...

Jacob in his dream saw a ladder/stairway, on the ladder where angels going up and down. God was at the top of the ladder and he spoke a blessing and encouragement on Jacob. Spiritual progress for us here on earth is usually in “steps” as well. The angels on the ladder didn’t make great leaps from earth to heaven. Instead they made a bunch of smaller steps… steps that led them up and down the ladde...

This morning we are going to talk some about the shepherds. We are reading somewhat between the lines, but it appears that they were people who were in touch with God. The life of a shepherd does look attractive at times. There is a lot that we don’t know about these “faithful few” who surround the Christmas story. It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to realize that they must have had a relations...

How do we process all that is going on around this time of year? We are part of the kingdom of Christ, but do we loose focus because of the events in the news and the times we find ourselves living in? How do we relate to all this? It is good for us to know that living our lives in a way that reflects Christ does make a difference. Even though we aren’t always aware of the differences we are makin...

We must be abiding, living, remaining in Jesus to be fruitful Christians. Abiding involves all the Christian's life. We are to be fruitful in every area of our life. A critical part of abiding in Christ is devotional time. One good measure of our spiritual health is our devotional life. Let's be idealistic and think about a perfect devotions: Regulatory - a pattern of planned events. Prepare - put...

Lets eat, grandma. vs Lets eat grandma. There is only one difference between these two statements. The comma changes everything. We are talking about gossip and lies. The tongue is a very small and common thing. It’s like the comma in these two sentences, it changes everything. Gossip is like dandelion seeds. Once they are turned loose there is no bringing them back. They are “in the wind” its imp...