Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA

Two of the most important questions facing people of Jesus’ day and today are, “Who is Jesus?” and “What does He want me to do?” John records seven “I am” statements used by Jesus to reveal who He is. John 6 records a sign (the feeding of the 5,000), a sermon (in which He states, “I am the bread of life”), and then shows how this teaching was a...

Approved workers understand that they need to be living out a therefore response to the Gospel (vv 8-10). Approved workers recognize that the way to life is through union in Christ – a union that dies, lives, and endures with Him (vv 11-13). Approved workers avoid the teaching, influence, and behavior of unapproved workers like Hymenaeus and Philetus (vv 14-21). Approved workers have learned...

Genesis 50 looks back and ahead. A major focus is leaving a legacy. At the end of his life, Joseph was satisfied. He had lived his life in such a way that he had no regrets. It hadn’t been easy and he had suffered much along the way, but he had lived well, and he was satisfied with his life. After the lengthy period of mourning for Jacob, Joseph’s siblings were afraid Joseph would reta...

I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18 The Holy Spirit is given. The gospel transcends all cultures. Jesus equips his church by giving the church the necessary gifts: Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, Teachers. Jesus is looking for a pure bride so the Holy Spirit exposes sin in the church. Jesus gives the church the power to persevere. The g...

Psalm 68 – God shares His victory and strength with His people. Ephesians 4:7-13 – Jesus shares His victory with the church, and gives it grace and gifts to equip the saints. II Timothy 2:1-7 – We need to lean on Jesus for the strength to be steadfast. Steadfastness looks like: enduring hardship, staying unentangled, remaining obedient to the Gospel, and working faithfully in hop...

Jacob’s deathbed prophecies are recorded in Genesis 48-49. The Jews believed deathbed blessings had special powers. These prophecies were prophetic in their own way but didn’t change the future. First Jacob blessed Joseph’s two sons, after which he blessed his own sons. The applications of the story of Jacob’s deathbed prophecies are: Nothing that happens to us is surprisin...

Scripture presents a view of salvation (a soteriological vision) that provides a vision for personal and community life at Bethel. This is the view that Jesus Christ shed His blood unto death so that both Jews and Gentiles can be forgiven of their sins, that by trusting Christ as Savior and Lord a person’s faith is counted for righteousness and the person belongs to Abraham’s worldwide, spiritual...

II Timothy 1 – are we living our lives according to the promise of life in Jesus? Paul’s Situation: Imprisoned, anticipating death, abandoned by some, yet unwavering in faith. Timothy’s Situation: Ministry challenges, fears, and discouragement; receives Paul’s letter of encouragement and challenge. Paul’s Greeting: God called Paul to the ministry because of the promise of life in Christ Jesu...

Often people believe that the reason they can’t achieve their goals is that circumstances conspire against them. But the more likely reason might be a failure to count the cost and do the hard work necessary to achieve the goal. Grace is free, but that doesn’t remove the need for human effort. One reason people fail to achieve worthwhile goals is that their goal is not what they think it is. Our a...

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A covenant is more than a contract. Contracts are about “I.” Covenants are about “we.” Covenants are moral commitments sustained by loyalty and fidelity. The Old Covenant included endless sacrifices that looked forward to the New Covenant and the final sacrifice of Jesus Christ. At communion we look back at Christ’s suffering and sacrifice and death, his shedding of blood for our forgiveness of si...

Are we truly seeking first the kingdom of God, or are we caught up with the world’s desire for more security financially? Are we able to sleep, or do we worry about the future? Are we laying up treasure in heaven or earth? What if Jesus meant every word that he said? The post What Gets You Up in the Morning and/or Keeps You Up At Night appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA .

According to Scripture, whoever believes in Christ has eternal life and will not perish, and the person who does not believe in the Son of God is condemned and under God’s judgment (John 3:15, 18, 36). Becoming a believer starts with the realization that I have sinned and need a Savior. Becoming a believer in Christ requires believing, repenting, and becoming humble. The first step of faith is bel...

If God is all-powerful and all-loving, why does he let people suffer and die? When he lived on the earth, he calmed the ocean and raised the dead. If he is present with us now, why doesn’t he do the same things he did back then? Why does it seem that he is sleeping? Joseph is an example of someone who endured suffering and came to a good end. But maybe that only works if you survive suffering and...

I believe Christ’s mission or commission to the disciples in Matthew 28:18-20 includes His intention that His disciples disciple one another. Christ says go and make disciples who learn to do whatever Christ wants them to do. Learning to do what Jesus wants us to do is not an easy task. Several hindrances come readily to mind. One hindrance is the common belief that if you trust Jesus as Savior, y...

The return of Joseph’s brothers to Egypt to buy more food represents not simply a physical return but a time of repentance. It is obvious that Judah has learned something life-changing since that fateful day when Joseph was sold into Egypt. Now in these circumstances Joseph is threatening to keep Benjamin in Egypt and send the other brothers home, but Judah realizes that their dear father cannot p...

This sermon is to encourage Dads to do well and to encourage children to have good relationships with their parents. Proverbs 17:6 shows us three generations, grandparents, parents and grandchildren, a picture of what God would like to see in families. Even in the beginning of time we see broken relationships between fathers and sons; Adam and Cain, Isaac and Jacob, David and Solomon. God is inter...

Just as academic tests reveal hidden facts about our knowledge, tests of the heart reveal the often-hidden state of our heart – whether we love God with all our heart. Three kings gave three tests of the heart. David was faced with conflicting accounts about Mephibosheth, but when he gave half of Mephibosheth’s land to Ziba, Mephibosheth responded in gratitude and devotion to David (II Samue...

Ephesians 3 and 4 both contain passages that talk about growing into the “fullness” of God. Ephesians 4:2,3 names elements that are important for that growth to happen — lowliness, gentleness, and longsuffering. When lowliness is missing, our service becomes contaminated, we treat people roughly, we don’t listen well, and we don’t respond to correction. When gentleness is missing, we’re too hard o...

The title for this sermon is taken from Christ’s response to John the Baptist’s disciples who followed Jesus. Jesus asked them, “What do you seek?” and they asked, “Where are you staying?” and they followed Jesus and stayed with him the rest of the day. In these three accounts of Jesus’ encounters with people (Nicodemus, John the Baptist’s disciples, and the woman at the well), Jesus focused...

The New Testament was written to people who lived in the pagan Roman Empire, in which government leaders didn’t care who you worshipped as long as you respected and paid homage to Caesar. The story of Peter going to visit Cornelius demonstrates that Christianity is a worldwide movement that is not bound to any earthly government. What relationship should believers have with the civil government? A...

The question is, how does the faith counted for righteousness relate to the fruit of faith? For 500 years, Mennonites have connected faith and its fruit in a way that makes the fruit of faith the foundation of faith, and for 500 years, Protestants have separated faith and its fruit in a way that makes the fruit of faith completely unrelated to faith. The story of Abraham in Genesis 12-17 and Roman...