Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA

This is a New Years’ message… sort of. Looking back at 2020 a lot of us would say that it was a very challenging year and we’re hoping that 2021 will be a better year. Regardless of what this new year brings we can know that God will be faithful. We all need wisdom, for raising children, for church, and for other things. How can we be growing in wisdom as we head into this new ye...

James 4:14 – We aren’t here for very long, even for those who live many years it is a short time. Knowing Jesus gives us a bright and very different perspective about brother Wesley’s passing. Because of Jesus, it is possible in grief and loss to have a great and settled hope. John 3:16 – Jesus came into a messy world. A sin-sick and dying world it was. Crippled by the fall...

There were many people who were looking for the Messiah! Simeon and Anna praised and blessed God. The shepherds believed when the angels appeared and told them about Jesus. There was sickness and death and cruelty and injustice in the world when Jesus, the Messiah, came to earth. He provided a hope, and a peace, and a joy to those who accepted him. Acts 8 – There was great joy in that city....

This morning we’re going to focus briefly on some of the miracles surrounding God’s supreme gift of His Son. The virgin conceived and the “Word who was in the beginning” came to earth as a baby. In Christ’s birth God is with us. Christ’s self-sacrifice can transform us into humble servants. John 1:1-2 – The “in the beginning” eternal Word becam...

Matthew 5, Luke 6 – Here we have a list of things that Jesus values. He promises to bless us if we have these values. We live in a world that has a very different value list than what Jesus talks about here. The rewards for these kinds of people are all about pleasing ourselves and getting more for ourselves. When we look at the beatitudes, and Jesus’ values, how do our values, ideas,...

If you listen to the things around us it is troubling. There are many troubles in the world. Beyond this, we all have our own troubles and burdens. We live in a fallen world, there are physical consequences of the fall that we all experience. What role does faith have in life being what it is? There are even times when it feels like God isn’t listening to our prayers. How do you respond to c...

There is a phrase that is often used to talk about helping someone through the end of life journey “walking someone home.” This world is not our home. Walking someone home means going as far as we can with someone towards their destination. Brotherhood looks appealing, maybe even inexpensive. The fact is though that good brotherhood takes work. Luke 24:13-35 – The two disciples o...

1 Peter 3:1-22 Let’s take care of each other. Let’s fight evil with good. Let’s stay the course. Let’s be growing in brotherly love towards each other. Christians should have a special love towards each other. One exercise to think about here if you have a sibling that you really love, is there a resemblance between how I care for that person and how I care for other Christ...

We’re talking together this morning about qualifications for a leader. This is an important part of the life of a church. Our nation just went through an election to choose a leader for our country. The church is not like that! Jesus said that his kingdom is not of this world. It is a holy process… It should be a peaceful process because the members of the church are surrendered to the...

When the world is going crazy we need to be doing what we should have been doing all along, going, and looking to Christ. John 15:1-27 – The word of God is all about Jesus. Genesis through Malachi has the theme “He is coming.” The Gospels theme then is “He is here” and the rest of the New Testament “He is coming again.” There are lots of different kinds of...

We live in interesting times these days, the issues that our country and the world is facing require a lot of wisdom to get through. Revelation 1:3 – There is a blessing for those who read this book. Regardless of how our week went, God is still on the throne and He is still in control. There are two realms that are “in play” every day, there is the physical universe that we live...

Psalm 116:1-11 – Imagine yourself on a frosty roof for some reason and you slip and fall. As you slide you are grasping and scratching and clawing, but there is no way to stop yourself. This is a very helpless feeling. Sometimes we feel like we are completely helpless. An inner struggle that has gotten the best of you and you don’t know which way to turn or what step to take. Or perhap...

This morning we’ll be looking at a story in the Bible that we have a fair amount of detail about. Sometimes we look at different stories in the Bible and wonder why we hear more about one person in a story than another person in the same story. This morning we are going to be looking at the church at Philippi. We have a fair amount of detail about how the church at Philippi started. There wa...

Children becoming functioning adults doesn’t happen by accident. The opposite is also true, it isn’t an accident when people who have struggles emerge from communities and families. Ezra 8:21 – We are seeking a right way for us. This is what the church of Christ is instructed and authorized to do. The digital revolution has happened quickly. What we need is more than just simple...

With all the “stuff” that information technology offers us, are we really coming out on top? We are constantly wired into things that can give us constant anxiety. When we are too thickly immersed in information technology there are certain skills that we fail to develop. It’s not as simple as just counting on the promise of technology to deliver. So, what do we do with technolog...

When we talk about technology we can say that we are living through a revolution. Technology has made huge changes in all aspects of our lives. Revolutions are unsettling, disruptive times. Most Americans now spend a fair amount of time working in front of a screen. A lot of us have a smart phone in our pockets. We have witnessed huge achievements in healthcare, sciences, agriculture, etc related...

1 Peter 3:1-8 – This sermon is from the same passage we looked at a few weeks ago when we talked about adornment. However we’re looking at it from a different angle this morning. Characteristics of an Excellent Wife An excellent wife needs to be submissive – Peter suggests that the holy women have understood this from the beginning. Husbands can make it extremely hard for wives t...

This morning we’re talking about progressive sanctification. This is a subject that can take hours and hours of a class, so we won’t be able to chase down all details. What do we mean by progressive sanctification? Progressively separated from sin and more dedicated to righteousness with the result being that the Christian becomes progressively more free and sanctified from sin. Genera...

Hebrews 6:1-20 – Paul was an enemy of Christ. We know how he despised the way, and the followers of the way. He persecuted the church in many ways before he was converted… but he was converted! 2 Peter 2:20-22 – There is no question that the person talked about here is at a very high risk spiritually. As long as this person is in this state of resistance against God, and has this...

Our goal this morning is to stir up our hearts and minds to understand the true meaning in life. There are many things that can be distractions in our lives. Church problems, health problems, personal problems, etc. John 14:1-7 – Jesus tells us that He is the way, the truth and the life. This morning we want to focus on Jesus as “the way.” Often as we read this passage we think a...

Is there a Biblical basis for “looking different” and not “adorning ourselves” with makeup, jewelry, etc. Philippians 2:3-9 – Jesus came to us as a simple, humble, unselfish, man. He was a poor carpenter without a lot of “trappings.” Keep that in mind as we continue on. Peter and Paul on Internal and External Adornment 1 Peter 3:1-6 – Peter is discou...

1 Peter 3:16-17 – We know that Nero was the emperor at this point, he wasn’t kind to many people under him, Christians and non-christians. Peter is talking about the Roman government and he tells us a number of things here. Obey the government. Identify them as God ordained even if they are not Christ-honoring. They are put there for a reason. We need to live in a consistent and Christ...

We’ve read the Bible, the New Testament and the epistles and the greetings and closing farewell blessings many of them have. They are encouraging to read, but we often buzz over them like they are filler and polite expressions. If we read them thoughtfully though, there is power to be found in those words. Romans 1:7, Romans 16:20-27, 2 Corinthians, Ephesians 1:2, 1 Timothy – May the g...

1 Peter 5:5-6 – God is in charge of what happens in our lives and we want to strive for patience as we encounter life’s issues. Isaac doesn’t get a lot of “press” in the Bible. His life only takes up several pages in the Bible, but even a lot of that has to do with his finding a wife! Submission to His Father – When Abraham and Isaac were going to the mountain f...

Texts used – Luke 14:25-33, Psalm 34:8, Luke 9:23-26, John 15:14, John 16:7, I Peter 4:17, Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus put the cost of discipleship front and center. He did not hide the cost of following Him. He was not very “seeker-sensitive”! Seeing Jesus’ bluntness– why did the crowds stumble over themselves to find Him? He is the pearl of great price; He is the treasure...