Balancing Ministry N' Work

Prayer is a vital part of our Christian walk. Our life as followers of Jesus starts with a prayer and it is something that we should be doing constantly. Whether it is asking for God's blessing over the day, praying for someone we care about, or facing a major decision. “ 16  Rejoice always, 17  pray constantly, 18  give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Paul is saying we need to be rejoice, pray, and giving thanks. Someone may say that they pray but feel God is not listening. I am here to tell you that God does hear your prayers and He wants you to keep calling out to Him. “God, you are my God; I eagerly seek you. I thirst for you; my body faints for you in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water.” - Psalm 63:1 David understood that God wanted to hear from him and scripture shows us that he was not shy about praying. There are examples in scripture of David praying for the future, praying fo...

Last week was Easter and today, our Lord is still alive and well. We need to celebrate Jesus every day of our lives. Never stop focusing on Him. Remember that tomb was empty because He loves you and wants to spend eternity with you. We are going to continue our series on the Life and Ministry of Jesus. So far in His ministry, Jesus has been performing miracles and saying things like ‘unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Up to this point Jesus has shown that He was not your average Joe doing things the way they have always been done. He had this unique way about Him. Today we are going to look at the time Jesus spent with the woman at the well…a moment in Jesus’ life that most if not all of us are familiar with. John 4:4-9 “ 4  He had to travel through Samaria; 5  so he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar near the property that Jacob had given his son Joseph. 6  Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, worn out from his journey, sat...

Happy Resurrection Day! John 20:1-18 “20 On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark. She saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2  So she went running to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said to them, “They’ve taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they’ve put him!” 3  At that, Peter and the other disciple went out, heading for the tomb. 4  The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and got to the tomb first. 5  Stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6  Then, following him, Simon Peter also came. He entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there. 7  The wrapping that had been on his head was not lying with the linen cloths but was folded up in a separate place by itself. 8  The other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, then also went in, saw, and believed. 9 ...

We are here this evening to celebrate a time when God’s power and sacrifice changed everything for us. A time that brought forgiveness, restoration, and new life. John 19:16-19 “ 16  Then he handed him over to be crucified. Then they took Jesus away. 17  Carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called Place of the Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha . 18  There they crucified him and two others with him, one on either side, with Jesus in the middle. 19  Pilate also had a sign made and put on the cross. It said: Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Our King was nailed to a cross. While hanging on the cross Jesus continues to teach us. Luke 23:34 “Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided his clothes and cast lots.” Jesus was in agonizing pain form having His hands and feet pierced with giant nails. The pain of holding Himself up by those nails was excruciating. He ...

Is anyone else struggling with how fast this year is going? Rebecca graduates from High School in less than a month. Thomas heads to Mexico on a mission trip a couple of weeks after that. These things were supposed to be months away and they have snuck up on us. At this rate I am sure Christmas will be upon us before we know it. When things are going this fast it is important for us to take time to stop and focus on our Lord and Savior. There is no better time to do just that than Easter Week. As a church we are celebrating Palm Sunday, Good Friday at Bethel, followed by Resurrection Sunday. All to celebrate what this week symbolizes.   If we look through the Gospels we will see that during this week Jesus rode into the Jerusalem as a triumphant King, He chased money changers out of the temple, flipped over tables, He spent hours teaching, washed His disciples feet, enjoyed His Last Supper with His friends and followers, and cried out to God in prayer. He was then betrayed...

We are continuing in our series on the life and ministry Jesus this morning. We will jump ahead for Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter, but will continue our series after we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord. Open you Bibles to John chapter 3. John 3:1-2 “ 3  There was a man from the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2  This man came to him at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could perform these signs you do unless God were with him.”” A couple of things about Nicodemus. He was a pharisee, a religious and political leader, he was one of 70 members of the Sanhedrin. He had a lot of influence, was probably very wealthy, a devout Law-abiding Jew… essentially, he was a somebody. He was well liked, he was in the know, and someone whose opinion was sought after and yet he came to Jesus for answers. Some will say that Nicodemus came under the cover of night to stealth fully talk to Jesus in ho...