Bethel Mennonite Church – Gladys VA

The book of Nehemiah is the account of the Jews rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem 280 years after the Assyrians had deported the 10 northern tribes and scattered them over the known world. Nehemiah was a cupbearer for the king of Persia when he heard about the challenges his people were experiencing in Jerusalem, so […] The post Courage Amidst the Challenge appeared first on Bethel Mennonite...

A good question to ask ourselves is: Why do we attend our church? Hopefully, it’s not just because it’s where we grew up, but because we see something worthwhile here. The emphasis of the Great Commission is discipleship, not just conversion. Our focus shouldn’t be on what is the bare minimum to get to heaven […] The post Why I Am an Anabaptist – Theology appeared first on Bethel Menno...

How can we, as a church, bless and be an encouragement to each other? Paul, in his letter to the Thessalonians, commends them for their work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope. He also thanks God for them and prays for them. It is extremely important that a body of believers should […] The post Blessings & Encouragement appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA .

Acts 1–5 is a picture of a vibrant, healthy church. These events took place within 4–6 months of Christ’s resurrection. Acts 2 describes the coming of the Holy Spirit “as of a rushing mighty wind” and “divided tongues, as of fire” that sat on each person, and “they were filled with the Holy Spirit and […] The post Marks of a Healthy Church appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys V...

Historically, cynics were thought to be crazy since they didn’t seem to care much about the necessities of life or doing work that was productive. Cynics today seem to be selfish and only interested in themselves. They are sure that nothing will work out well and everything in life is discouraging or depressing. Older people […] The post Christians in a World of Cynicism appeared first on Be...

The reason people struggle to stop doing the bad things they say they want to stop is that their choosing capacity is not an independent part of them that lives in a separate room of their house and can just choose the right thing no matter what is going on in other rooms of their […] The post Willing and Doing God’s Good Pleasure appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA .

I John 2:6 – When we read the Gospels, we should ask ourselves if we have any resemblance to Jesus. John 4 – Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman can challenge us in several ways. 1) First challenge: Do I engage with people the way Jesus did? Jesus did not avoid this potentially awkward conversation. […] The post The Challenge of Jesus at the Well appeared first on Bethel Me...

Jesus is the light of the world. The opposite of darkness is light. You can hide in the darkest closet, light a candle, and the darkness is gone. Many people live in darkness because they are afraid of light. Light exposes sinful deeds. Things that we are trying to hide will eventually be made known. […] The post The Light of the World appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA .

In the first few verses of 1 Corinthians 5 we see that the Corinthians had a poor response to sin in the church. A man, who “has his father’s wife,” is being allowed to continue to participate in the life of the church (v. 1). Rather than mourning the sin of this man, the Corinthian […] The post One for All, All for One appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA .

Steve began his sermon with the story of Robert Reid, who, though afflicted with cerebral palsy, graduated from Abilene Christian University and then, though severely handicapped, traveled to Portugal where he found someone to feed him, someone to wheel him to a park, and spoke to people for hours every day! He learned fluid Portuguese […] The post Attitude Adjustment appeared first on Bethe...

Proverbs 14:1 – A wise mom is a builder, and creates something that will bless a lot of people for a long time. II Timothy 1:5 – Timothy’s mom and grandmother played a major role in his spiritual development. Faith isn’t passed on to the next generation unintentionally. See II Timothy 3:15. Luke 1:28-38 – […] The post Encouragement for Moms appeared first on Bethel Mennonit...

There is a difference between knowing and believing truth with the mind, and feeling and believing truth with the heart. People cannot be changed into the likeness of Christ, cannot grow and change, by believing falsehood. According to Scripture, Christ, Scripture, and the Holy Spirit are the sources of spiritual truth. You cannot interpret and […] The post Knowing with the Mind and Heart ap...

Genesis 27 begins with Isaac who is sure he is dying, although he did live for 50 more years. But he was feeble and blind. Isaac decided that now was the time to give his blessing to his favorite son Esau. He called Esau to him and gave him instructions to bring him savory food. […] The post Jacob Deceives Isaac appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA .

A healthy church is made up of people who are in close communion with God and each other. I John 1 – Jesus is our basis for this communion. Communion with God enables us to walk in the light and have fellowship with each other. In our communion with God we receive incredible resources not […] The post A Deeper Communion appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA .

Sin blocks/hinders fellowship with God. Repentance clears sin away, opening the way and restoring fellowship with God and joy. Walking in the light of fellowship with Christ is the life of a penitent. In the Light they see their sins. They’re sensitive to sin and repent of it to keep fellowship flourishing. (Acts 3:19; 1 […] The post The Joyful Penitent appeared first on Bethel Mennoni...

Scripture commands believers to turn from sin to righteousness many times. Examples of this are found in Romans 6, Eph. 4:17-32, and Phil. 2:12-13. Romans teaches us that in principle, in God’s reality, a person’s habits of sin die when they are co-crucified with Christ. If a person wants to stop sinning, it is helpful […] The post Overcoming Habits of Sin appeared first on Bethel Mennonite...

Many of us have often wished we could read a letter from Paul “to the Church at Gladys.” Although that is, unfortunately, impossible, we can learn from the circumstances, struggles, and successes of the Corinthian church and apply it to our own situation here. 1 Corinthians begins with Paul praising God for the many rich […] The post No Other Foundation appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Chu...

When we face difficulty, we ask why God allows misfortune in my life. A better question would be, how does God want to use adversity in my life? What would He like to accomplish? Misfortune is the wrong word to use because it is too early to tell. Is God present and active in our […] The post How Does God Use Adversity? appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA .

The ultimate witness to the world is the love believers have for one another in the life of the church. How do we maintain harmony? Most churches do not have brotherhood. They do not pursue brotherhood. Instead, they have either individualism (everyone does what works for them) or they have family first (whatever works for […] The post The Ultimate Witness to the World appeared first on Beth...

God wants us to know Him as He truly is, and Jesus is the accurate revelation of God. Believers are the last revelation of God. If you would experience a great disappointment, would it be distressing to you to know that God knows? I ask this question because there is a strong emphasis among us: […] The post With Confidence I Now Draw Nigh appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA...

The post Another Trip to the Altar appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA .

To be like Christ is the highest attainment of every Christian. To have His image formed in our lives is Christ’s will and requires yielding to Christ. I John 3:22-24 Answered prayer is the result of doing what pleases Christ and loving one another. You don’t know a person until you have prayed with them. […] The post An Unhindered Fellowship of Prayer appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Chur...

The theme for Wednesday’s evening sermon was Forgiveness, with Psalm 130:4 being the text. “But there is forgiveness with Thee”. Dale told us that God can heal the hurts and make wrong things right! We believe in forgiveness, but we can believe it better! Forgiveness is a miracle! We need the forgiveness of others…husbands from […] The post But There is Forgiveness Wi...

The greatest evidence that God is holy is His humility. Humility is not self-abasement, or being bashful or the absence of excellence. It does not happen with will power but by surrender. Humility defines the spirit of the Holy One. God comes in humility: in the garden when he pursued Adam and Eve, in Jesus […] The post The Humility of God appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys V...

Our eternal home will feel like home – John calls it a new earth. It will feel good and familiar. There was nothing wrong with God’s original plan; He is completing it, not throwing it away. We can look forward to deliverance from fear and evil. Carefree children can remind us that this is the […] The post Our Eternal Home appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA .