Acts: Pay Attention to the Flock
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Acts 20:17-38 The account of Paul's exhortation to the elders of the church at Ephesus is one of the more moving stories in the Bible. It contains not only the evidence of Paul's love for his Ephesian brothers, but an insight into the ministry of the apostle. What we have here is a detailed description of what Paul did in serving Christ as well as the manner in which he accomplished his ministry. Two activities of ministry are presented in this passage … instruction and admonition. There is a central focus on teaching the Word of God (Acts 20:20,27,32),...
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Revelation: Sardis - Lifeless Formalism
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Revelation 3:1-6 The letter to the church at Sardis is the fourth letter of seven letters Christ spoke to these select churches. The problem in the church at Sardis was spiritual deadness, even though they appeared to the observer to be a church brimming with vitality. ". . . you have a name that you are alive, and you are dead" (Rev 3:1). This passage cuts to the very nature of spiritual life in a church. It is possible to have an external appearance of life through forms of worship and programs, while at the same time lack spiritual passion in the...
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Revelation: Thyatira - Moral Impurity
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Revelation 2:18-29 Thyatira was not a magnificent city in antiquity and was relatively obscure compared to Ephesus, Smyrna, and Pergamum. It was known for the manufacture of purple dyes and the making of cloth. In Acts 16, the first convert in Philippi was Lydia, a seller of purple fabrics, from the city of Thyatira (Acts 16:14). The commendation of the church in Thyatira is glowing and emphatic. “I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first” (Rev 2:19). But there...
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Revelation: Pergamum - Echoes of Balaam
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Revelation 2:12-17 The third church in the letters of Christ to the seven churches was in the city of Pergamum. Like Smyrna, it was a center for emperor worship. There was a temple dedicated to the worship of Augustus (and subsequent Caesars) in Pergamum as well as the renowned Altar of Zeus. Christ lauds the Christians in Pergamum for their willingness to suffer and display fidelity to the Christian faith. The problem in Pergamum was that although the Christians had publicly denounced idolatry, some of the people had privately allowed immorality (Rev 2:14)...
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Revelation: Smyrna - Persecuted, Enduring
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Revelation 2:8-11 Smyrna was a city of 200,000 people in the first century. It boasted a stadium, a library, and the largest public theater in Asia Minor. The sizable Jewish population and the high level of allegiance to the Roman state made it difficult to live in Smyrna as a Christian. The Jews, in particular, led the way in persecuting the Christians there. As a result of this persecution, many of the Christians in Smyrna had been rendered poor and were living in great poverty. Jesus said, "I know your tribulation and your poverty" (Rev 2:8)....
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Revelation: Ephesus - Lost Passion
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Revelation 2:1-7 In AD 61 or 62, the apostle Paul wrote a letter to the church at Ephesus. It eloquently plumbed the depths of salvation in Christ and called the Ephesians to zeal and truth. Some 30 years later the apostle John wrote a letter to the church at Ephesus as well, recorded in Revelation 2:1-7. John’s letter included a commendation of the church and a grave warning. The commendation was that the church had maintained doctrinal purity, exposing the error of false teachers (Rev 2:2). The warning was that the people had lost their first love (Rev...
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Revelation: The Majesty of Christ
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Revelation 1:9-20 The description of Jesus Christ, given in the first chapter of Revelation, is one of the most majestic pictures of our Savior found in the Scriptures. The awesome imagery is taken mostly from Old Testament passages and is meant to evoke from us the same reaction that this vision produced in John. While banished to the island of Patmos, John had the wondrous visions recorded in the book of Revelation. In chapter 1:12-16, he sees Christ and he rehearses what he saw for us. The person John saw was "like the Son of Man" (Dan 7:13). He was...
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Acts: Proclaim Jesus!
Bethel Baptist Church
Bethel Baptist Church is pleased this Sunday to host Stephan and Ginger Jordan. The Jordans are transitioning from their previous decades long ministry in the Phillipines to a new opportunity with Ethnos360:
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Revelation: A Kingdom Of Priests
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Revelation 1:5,6 What glories are contained in the description of the people of God, to whom the book of Revelation is expressly written. In Revelation 1:5,6, we have a declaration of what Jesus has done for those who belong to Him … and some results of what He has done. John reminds believers that Christ "loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood." Because of His love for us, Christ has set us free from the penalty we deserve for our sins. This He did by His substitutionary death. The just died for the unjust that He might "bring...
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Revelation: The Ruler of Kings on Earth
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Revelation 1:1-8 From the first line in the book of Revelation, John exalts Christ. Then, in the first chapter, he describes Christ in majestic terms. Christ is the "faithful witness" … the "firstborn from the dead" … the "ruler of the kings on earth" (Rev 1:5). Christ loves us and has freed us from our sins and made us a kingdom of priests. This prompts John's heart and pen to surge into a doxology … "to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen" (Rev 1:5). The words "I am the Alpha and the Omega" in Revelation 1:8 are words from...
info_outlineScripture Reading: 2 Samuel 12:13-21
In 2 Samuel 12:13, David heard the words he longed to hear more than any other words ... ”The LORD has taken away your sin; you shall not die.” This statement is a display of the indescribable mercy of God. But the next verse is a display of the holiness of God. In order to demonstrate that sin carries consequences and that God is a God of justice, David heard the following words ... “However, because by this deed [adultery] you have given occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die" (2 Sam 12:14).
When his son became ill, David prayed and fasted for 7 days, pleading with God for the life of his child. But God did not answer his petition. Or perhaps we should that God did answer David’s request and His answer was ‘no’.
Sometimes God says ‘no’ to our requests. God said ‘no’ to Moses’ request to see His glory (Exod 33:18). In profound discouragement and depression, both Elijah and Jonah prayed for God to take their lives and He refused (1 Kgs 19:4; Jonah 4:8). Paul prayed for the removal of his “thorn in the flesh” and God said ‘no’ (2 Cor 12:7-9).
When God says no to our petitions, we must remember that His answer is good (because God is good) and right (because God is righteous) and wise (because God is omniscient). For Christians, because they have escaped God’s wrath as His children, everything God does in their lives rises out of His love, even the pain He brings to their lives. To understand these things is to learn to hope in God when He says ‘no’ and to live with greater contentment and peace.