Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA

Bethel Mennonite Church
  • 4.6 (10)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Weekly

A Conservative Christian Church (and podcast) in Gladys Virginia

  1. 2d ago

    Belonging, The Key to Spiritual and Emotional Growth

    The post Belonging, The Key to Spiritual and Emotional Growth appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA.

  2. Aug 23

    God is Committed to Our Care

    Psalm 121 reminds us that God is very committed to our care, nothing is too big or too small for Him, and He alone is our keeper. The post God is Committed to Our Care appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA.

  3. Aug 16

    Liberty or License

    Many people have the idea that “liberty” means freedom to do whatever I want with no restrictions. What Paul meant by liberty is freedom to belong to the Messiah and God’s people without keeping the Old Covenant. Paul talks about the “hope of righteousness.” The word “hope” indicates that something is not yet fulfilled. By liberty Paul meant neither sinless perfection nor freedom to live in sin. The promise is that faith leads to good works, but this is not a promise of perfection. Paul also talks about “faith working through love.” By this phrase Paul is saying the same thing James says, that faith that does not bear fruit is not saving faith. Liberty is an opportunity to love. Paul says you have the freedom to love as much and do as much good as you want to. Paul gives us a list of sins of the flesh that we are not free to do. Most of these sins are against other people and are the result of lack of love for others. Paul’s list of sins of the flesh seem to fall into four categories: personal pleasure, idolatry and witchcraft, relational conflicts, and lack of self control. Surrender to Christ and love for Christ and others would go a long way in defeating the sins Paul names. In addition, spiritual and emotional growth requires investing in Scripture, focusing on love for God, and developing an understanding of one’s attitudes and motivations. We cannot love and obey out of human energy. The post Liberty or License appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA.

  4. Aug 9

    Attitudes and Activities of a Healthy Body Life

    What attitudes and activities produce healthy body life and believers who do what Jesus wants, according to Acts 2 and 4? In these verses we see numerous spiritual activities. That could be grouped under the headings of worship, commitment to the apostles’ doctrine, and fellowship with fellow believers. Worship: Worship from the heart is the foundation of all worthwhile spiritual activity and obedience. Without worship and heart fellowship with Christ, religious activity is dead and legalistic. In these two accounts there are numerous spiritual activities that are either worship activities or activities produced by worship. A central message in these two sermons is that the Jesus you killed is the Messiah, and the only appropriate response to this truth is to repent and be baptized for the remission of your sins. These are the people who are qualified to worship. Commitment to the apostles’ doctrine: The content of the two sermons in Acts 3 and 4 was their interpretation and application of OT Scripture to their present events. The early believers were awestruck by the reality that the Jesus they so dearly loved had been killed but now was alive. It was as if they were being carried along, energized, consumed by the conviction that the dead Jesus was risen from the dead. They were profoundly impacted by the resurrection event. Throughout the history of the Christian church, the foundation of all worship, revival, and spiritual transformation has been Scripture. The apostles were the first NT church’s teachers. The NT spiritual leaders had three primary tasks: provide humble service and leadership, preach the Word, and shepherd the sheep. Fellowship with fellow believers: They broke bread from house to house, shared their resources with those in need, and were of one heart and one soul. Who a person believes he or she is (a person’s identity, whether valuable or scum of the earth), the kind of character a person develops (whether upright or evil), and even what a person believes is true (whether truth according to Scripture or lies of the devil) are determined more by who a person is attached to and belongs to, or is reacting to, than by facts and truth a person is told to believe. The post Attitudes and Activities of a Healthy Body Life appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA.

  5. Aug 2

    The Power of a Pebble

    The importance of encouraging and comforting one another When a pebble is skipped across the water, the ripples go on and on. The ripples go even further than the pebble. This is the power of a skipped pebble and an encouraging word. The Bible has many examples of the value of encouragement. God encouraged Moses with the words, “My presence will go with you.” Moses encouraged Joshua. Barnabas was the Son of Encouragement. Why don’t we get encouragement done? Think we don’t know how; too busy; forget that everyone needs it; focus on the problems of people; don’t see any results; think people already know that I love them. Encourage others. The ripples go on and on. The post The Power of a Pebble appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA.

  6. Jul 27

    A Lesson From Saul

    Saul started off well but ended up in a terrible place because he lost his vision of his smallness and God’s greatness. Signs of vision loss can include compromised obedience, not waiting on God, harshness toward others, and behaving as though the mission is our own. The post A Lesson From Saul appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA.

  7. Jul 20

    Two Kingdoms – One Citizenship

    The Kingdom of Heaven has several notable characteristics: 1) It has a king, and that king is Christ. 2) Like the mustard seed, it starts small but grows into something visible and strong (Matt. 13:31, 32). 3) Like leaven, it starts within and changes all of a person’s life (Matt. 13:33). Like a treasure, it is worth more than anything else (Matt. 13:44-46). The Kingdom of Heaven has an enemy, Satan (Isaiah 14:12-15). He is a “dictator” who has come to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). However, his kingdom will be destroyed in the end. Entering the Kingdom of Heaven requires 1) the humility of a child (Matt. 18:3), 2) repentance (Mark 1:14, 15 and Matt. 7:21), and 3) new birth (John 3:3-5). All this is part of the “package” of the salvation experience. Many equate obedience with legalism, but Noah building the ark and Abraham going to Mt. Moriah are examples of strong faith demonstrated by obedience. Standing firm in the Kingdom requires 1) a soldier mentality (2 Tim. 2:3, 4), a love of the truth (2 Thess. 2:9, 10), and truly knowing Jesus – as we know a spouse, not simply knowing about Him. The post Two Kingdoms – One Citizenship appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA.

  8. Jul 12

    Thoughts on Galatians 4

    A major underlying issue Paul is addressing in Galatians is his fear that the church might get sidetracked by heresies, especially related to what it means to be a member of the Messiah’s people. Paul was concerned about idol worship; the observance of holy days, months, seasons, and years; and there was always the concern about requiring Gentiles needing to be circumcised and to keep the Law of Moses. In this chapter Paul also mentions his need to rely on the grace of God because of the difficulty with his eyesight and the accusation that he is a “man pleaser.” Maintaining the faith is always a challenge. One challenge is to help the next generation understand why we do what we do. Maybe part of the difficulty is that children follow in the footsteps of their parents instead of following what the parents say. Another challenge is pride. In all of this we need to be committed to loving Jesus, living for Jesus, and doing the things Jesus wants us to do. We need the New Covenant, and the New Covenant is Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The post Thoughts on Galatians 4 appeared first on Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA.

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4.6
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10 Ratings

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A Conservative Christian Church (and podcast) in Gladys Virginia

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