Bethel Mennonite Church – Gladys VA

In Revelation 1, Jesus is revealed as a majestic, divine King, Judge, High Priest, and Overseer of the churches. Jesus intended those who heard His message to recall this vision of Himself. Ephesus was a church strong in truth and labor but had lost their love; they are called to remember their previous devotion and […] The post How Jesus Evaluates Churches & People appeared first on Be...

The broken body and shed blood of Christ, which we celebrate when we partake of the Lord’s Supper, is God’s solution for sin. We read of two primary sin problems in the Bible: universal sin that is inherited by all the descendants of Adam, and individual sins. The Bible nowhere says that people are delivered […] The post God’s Answer to Sin – The Broken Body & Shed Blood of...

Luke 2:8-14 – Angels gave the shepherds a wonderful message. God didn’t use angels to spread the gospel. For that, God used people. When the shepherds left the stable, “they made widely known” what they had heard and seen. The message of the angels had become the message of the shepherds. The core of the […] The post Hark the Herald Shepherds Shared appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church...

Most of us probably spend some time looking back, whether with negative feelings or positive feelings. When the children of Israel felt trapped at the Red Sea or when they were hungry or thirsty, they looked back with longing to return to slavery. But when Paul looks back in I Cor. 10:1-13 at these same […] The post Looking Back and Looking Forward appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church -...

Jesus as the Son of God: The Son is what His Father is—He is God. The Son has always been the Son—He is eternal. The Son is the only one who knows the Father—He is reliable. Jesus as the Son of Mary: The Son of Mary is also the Son of God. The Son of […] The post Let Heaven and Earth Combine appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA .

John the Baptist played a crucial role in the ministry of Jesus. He was a forerunner, a herald, one who went before and prepared the way for the ministry of Jesus. He fulfilled Old Testament prophecies. He was a messenger, a voice crying in the wilderness, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord.” John knew […] The post The Forerunner of Christ appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA .

In this sermon we take a look at God’s plan for redemption and how it stretches from the beginning of time through all of history and invites us to find our place in this story. Ricky begins by reflecting on the story of Noah, a man who walks faithfully with God in the midst of […] The post The Long Thread of Redemption appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA .

What happens when true forgiveness does not happen, and what does true forgiveness look like? When Jacob and Esau met, Jacob did not bring up his hurtful behavior in the past or apologize for it. Neither did he ask what he could do to make things right. Esau was comfortable with Jacob and wanted him […] The post Jacob Leaves Esau appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA .

God is the source of true contentment. The verses about contentment in Hebrews 13, Philippians 4, and I Timothy 6 all connect the idea of contentment with what God has to offer. Luke 10:38-42: Martha was distracted; Mary found contentment with Jesus. A contented person says, One thing is needed. Psalm 4: David found peace […] The post Godly Contentment appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Chur...

Steve introduced his sermon with three texts from the KJV that share the same punctuation. All use a colon and parentheses at the end of a phrase… that looks remarkably like a smiley face emoticon! “We don’t want to be irreverent here, but this brings up a subject I’d like to talk about this morning!” […] The post Say What?? appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Ch...

Forgiveness is not a one-time quick fix for trauma; that is the upfront message that John wanted to convey in this morning’s sermon. Forgiveness takes time and effort. Trouble between brothers is not a new phenomenon. We have Cain and Abel at odds soon after creation. In modern history, we have Rudolph and Adolph Dassler, […] The post Jacob Meets Esau appeared first on Bethel Mennonite...

This question was asked often during the presidential campaign. Even when things aren’t going well, Christians know God is in control and orchestrating world events. Christians are also concerned about their own hearts and their trajectory as pilgrims. Without — events out there — we believe in a bright and perfect future with Christ, but […] The post Are You Better Off Than You Were Four Ye...

To believe Jesus depends on knowing who Jesus is, and we learn who Jesus is in the stories of Scripture. According to John 1:7-13, to receive Jesus is to believe in Him. God gives those who believe Him the authority to become children of God. A person becomes a child of God by receiving Jesus. […] The post The Meaning of Believing appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA .

Jesus states that He works as His Father works, and has come to do the Father’s will, not His own. Jesus’ sacrificial life shows that He is completely authentic and trustworthy; His life never provided a basis for suspicion that He had a hidden agenda or mixed motives. The Jesus of the Gospels is who […] The post Jesus’ Identity and Purpose appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys...

Jacob had a lot of challenges in his life. His first challenge was with Esau, but then he left home and faced a similar challenge with Laban. It seems that God’s intention was to bless Jacob, but since Jacob didn’t seem to know that, he connived and deceived people in an effort to get ahead. […] The post Jacob Wrestles appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA .

History of Anabaptist/Mennonite singing: Some early Anabaptist/Mennonites expressed negative views of congregational singing, but by 1900, four-part acapella singing and singing schools were common among Mennonites, except for Old Colony Mennonites, Old Order Mennonites, and Amish. My early memories of singing and singing at Bethel: My earliest memories of singing are prior to seven years […...

Genesis 31 opens with Jacob hearing Laban’s sons discussing how Jacob was stealing from their father. Jacob’s flocks had become very large, so he must be stealing. And Jacob also notices that Laban is not feeling kindly towards him like he did when he first came. Jacob has a dream, and in this dream, the […] The post Jacob Flees From Haran appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys V...

I Corinthians 11:24 reads, “This is my body which is broken for you,” but in the Gospels, Jesus’ statement reads something like, “This is my body which is given for you,” and has the idea, “This is my body which is for you.” Hebrews 9 and 10 say that one difference between the Old Testament […] The post Christ Given for You appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA .

What kind of person was Jacob? In comparing him with Job, they were both very wealthy. Job was also very invested in his family and in his relationship with God. In comparison, Jacob seems more invested in material gain. He doesn’t seem to be around much with his family. The story as told in Genesis […] The post Jacob in Haran appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA .

Psalm 36:7-9 – God wants to satisfy us with the fullness of His house, but we are often interested in a lot less. In the John 4 story of the healing of the nobleman’s son, Jesus was concerned about the shallow faith of the people of Galilee. The nobleman, however, exhibited the kind of faith […] The post Two Concerns of Jesus appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA .

The post Better to Be Wronged: Valuing Relationships Over Rights appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA .

Jacob was fleeing from his home, traveling to his Uncle Laban’s place in Haran. Officially, he was going to find a wife, but he was also fleeing from his brother’s anger. He stopped for the night under the stars, with a stone for a pillow, and as he slept, he had a dream. In his […] The post Jacob Meets Laban appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA .

Life is filled with challenges; what kind of person does well during a crisis? James 1 tells us that those who have faith grow through trials, but those who are double-minded cannot rely on God. Daniel is an example of James 1 applied—he faced trials and received wisdom and strength. Daniel’s hymn of praise in […] The post Facing Life’s Challenges appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Chu...

If you knew your life was about to change, would it make a difference? Matt 24:36-46. We don’t know when Jesus is coming again, but we’re told that normal life will be going on… and then the unexpected happens, and He returns! If we knew when Jesus was coming, would we do anything different? In […] The post If You Were Dying Would Your Life Change? appeared first on Bethel...

Why do we do what we do? People around us may think we are weird. Even if the culture around us changes, that does not mean that we need to change. We must never elevate our practices to be equivalent with the Bible, but they can still be beneficial. Some Biblical mandates for Biblical practices: […] The post Why I Am an Anabaptist – Applications appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Chur...