Church guide

A Risk You Need to Take Whether you’re a teenager, in college, well into your career, or in retirement, now is the right time to take a risk. Take risks when you’re growing and when you’re declining. No one ever accomplished anything great by playing it safe. I’m not telling you to take a risk on the wrong things. Don’t put healthy relationships at risk, don’t put your health at risk, and don’t blow up what’s working well. But, what theory do you have? What hunch are you sitting on? What deeply held motivation do you have? Take a risk in faith. I like what former President Jimmy Carter said, “Go out on a limb, that’s where the fruit is.” Maybe you’ve heard about the wealthy but probably dishonest businessman in the Bible who climbed out on a limb just to get a glimpse of Jesus. He had a reputation for being a financial shark as the chief tax collector, and he’d built his wealth on that reputation. One day he risked his reputation and his life by literally climbing up a tree to see Jesus. Jesus saw Zacchaeus, invited Himself over to his house, and Zacchaeus’ life almost immediately transformed into something so much richer. If you want to be who you’ve always been, do what you’ve always done. If you want to change who you are, change what you do. In other words, to change the fruit in your life, you might have to go out on limb. Do you need to start writing a book, ask someone on a date, launch a product, start a ministry, start going to church, start a podcast, or something else? Based on what God’s leading you to do, what risk do you need to take? Act: Tell someone you trust about the risk you want to take. Then, take the first step.

Ok folks just a few days left until our Block Party/ Community Outreach at Bethel- Please share this post and come out and join us! Our folks need to be there at 11am on Saturday for a brief meeting. Thank you all! Looking for a great day!

Ok folks NEXT SATURDAY is the Block Party and we need you to share and spread the word this week. Everything is FREE and we hope you will come out and join us! Our NEW Vision at Bethel is Loving Jesus, Love People and Live It Out Daily in our Community! This Block Party is Part of Living It Out! Come on out and join us!

Ms. Tammy & I just wanted to send out a great big “THANK YOU” to our Awesome Bethel Church Family for being so kind to Tammy for Pastors Wives Appreciation Month and to me on my Birthday! You folks are the best and we love you all!

Ok folks, We’ve got 13 days until our Block Party on June 1 from 12-2pm! This will be an Awesome opportunity for Bethel to go outside the 4 walls of our church and share the love of Christ! Let’s BE THE CHURCH ON JUNE 1st!! Share this post and get the word out!

Sunday Devotion: Psalm 41:12, Proverbs 11:3 “Compromising Our Integrity” Choosing anything but God’s truth leads us to compromise our integrity. It doesn’t matter how small the compromise is, it still wounds our heart of integrity. Here’s the problem- compromise leads to justification, and justification leads to confusion. What was black and white blurs to gray, and we justify why God’s truth doesn’t need to be our guide in every situation. Our words are one of the easiest things to compromise. With our words, we exaggerate the truth, gossip, tell white lies, and over-promise. And then the justifications start. A white lie isn’t really a lie, right? And besides, it’s better than hurting someone’s feelings. What’s the big deal if no one is getting hurt? Black and white is turning to gray. We can also compromise our actions. We take something small without permission, don’t clock out for lunch, or take credit for something that we didn’t do. Then we start to justify. We didn’t get as much credit as we deserved last time so… it’s ok. They won’t notice one being gone, they can afford it. Black and white is turning to gray. With every excuse, compromise, and justification, God’s truth is distorted and its position in our life adjusted. God looks at our heart, not the size of the compromise. There are no gray areas for His truth that is black and white. Compromise can seem easier in the moment, but God’s truth is really what brings life. When our words and actions line up with what we believe, or say we believe, we spend less time and energy questioning ourselves and worrying if others will find out. Compromise and justification cloud the truth of God’s desire for your life. Choose truth even when it’s inconvenient and hard.

Got a classic car? Come on and show it off!!!!

Morning Devotion: Psalm 15:1-4, 25:21 "What Is Integrity" Integrity is hard to define. In the dictionary, it’s defined as “sticking to moral and ethical principles.” In everyday life, integrity is defined as being honest and trustworthy. If we base integrity off of these 2 definitions, we end up living our lives based on a moral truth of our choosing and hoping others see us as trustworthy and right. Both of these definitions are right, yet, at the same time, incomplete. Integrity is also so much more. True integrity is simply this- living and speaking based on what God says is right. Integrity means basing our words and actions off of His principles and truth. Why is it based on God’s set of principles? He is the author of everything right and true. When we live our lives claiming that God is our creator, we have to understand that He created us to live based on His standards of truth. He created us to receive our moral and ethical principles from Him. Any other place we find our values or truth is a man-made opinion, and therefore not true integrity. His truth is the only thing that will lead us to a life of integrity. So, living with integrity means saying yes to what God says is right and good, no matter the consequences. Integrity is more precious than riches and more important than our comfort. Identifying and believing that God’s Word is the only standard by which to evaluate and develop our core values is the first step in developing integrity. Determine today to start opening your heart to a lifestyle of knowing what integrity is and where it comes from.

Ok Folks get the word out about our Block Party Community Outreach on June 1 from 12-2pm! Let’s get the word out!

Folks it’s Official!! Sunday Night June 9@6pm The Kingsmen will Be with us at Bethel Baptist of Jefferson, SC! Please share our post! We want a great crowd that evening and a great love offering for this Awesome group!

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT COMING REALLY SOON FOR BETHEL & surrounding churches!

Sunday Devotion: Romans 5:12-21 God’s Grace is Greater Much More! A statement I heard at an Easter service stays with me: “More has been gained in the resurrection of Jesus than was lost in the fall.” More gained than lost? Can it be true? Each day we experience the damage caused by sin entering our world. Greed, injustice, and cruelty all trace their origins back to Adam and Eve’s decision to follow their own path rather than God’s (Genesis 3). The legacy of their disobedience is passed down to every generation. Without God’s intervention, we would be in a hopeless situation. But Jesus overpowered sin through His cross and conquered death through His resurrection. The victory of Christ is celebrated in Romans 5, often called the “much more” chapter of the New Testament, where Paul contrasts the devastation caused by sin with the restoring power of God’s grace. In every case, grace overpowers the consequences of sin. In a grand conclusion, Paul says: “But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (5:20–21). No matter how much we have personally lost because of sin, we have gained far more through the resurrection victory of Christ. DAVID MCCASLAND Our sin is great—God’s grace is greater.

Doubting Devotion: John 11:1-16, 20:25 The Death of Doubt Jesus’s disciple Thomas is often referred to as “Doubting Thomas” (See John 20:24–29), but the label isn’t entirely fair. After all, how many of us would have believed that our executed leader had been resurrected? We might just as well call him “Courageous Thomas.” After all, Thomas displayed impressive courage as Jesus moved purposefully into the events leading to His death. At the death of Lazarus, Jesus had said, “Let’s go back to Judea” (John 11:7), prompting a protest from the disciples. “Rabbi, . . . only a few days ago the people in Judea were trying to stone you. Are you going there again?” (V. 😎. It was Thomas who said, “Let’s go, too—and die with Jesus” (v. 16). Thomas’s intentions proved nobler than his actions. Upon Jesus’s arrest, Thomas fled with the rest (Matthew 26:56), leaving Peter and John to accompany Christ to the courtyard of the high priest. Only John followed Jesus all the way to the cross. Despite having witnessed the resurrection of Lazarus (John 11:38–44), Thomas still couldn’t believe Christ had conquered death. Not until Thomas the doubter—the human—saw the risen Lord, could he exclaim, “My Lord and my God!” (20:28). Jesus’s response gave assurance to the doubter and immeasurable comfort to us: “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me” (v. 29). TIM GUSTAFSON Real doubt searches for the light; unbelief is content with the darkness.

Care Team E will be serving Sunday (Bryant & Judy Williams & Edwina MIller Brown)- Thanks for serving! If you are NOT currently serving on a Care Team you may sign up anytime in the sanctuary! Let’s make people feel welcome at Bethel Baptist!

Very Interesting!

Morning Devotion: Ezekiel 36:26-27, John 6:63, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, James 5:16-20, Hebrews 4:12 “Transformed by the Gospel” So how do we change a person’s heart? It’s impossible. We might be able to restrain a person’s angry outbursts by tying him up and gagging him, but we are powerless to change a person’s heart. This is where God’s plan of redemption comes into play. The gospel is not merely about “getting us saved,” as if we simply pray a prayer and are immediately transported into heaven. “Getting saved” is not about praying a prayer and then continuing to live our lives as though nothing happened. No, when God enters our lives, we are changed from the inside out (Ezekiel 36:26-27). The good news is that God acted in the person of Jesus Christ. Through His life, death, and resurrection we are transformed, made new. Our problem lies at the core of our being, but God transforms our hearts. God literally places His Spirit within us and changes us from the inside out. So as we come alongside the broken, hurting people God has placed in our lives, let’s remember where our power comes from. These are not mere physical issues that we can correct through hard work. These are spiritual issues that run deeper than we can imagine. Yet God has supplied us with everything we need in order to fulfill His calling. The power to transform hearts and change lives comes from the Holy Spirit (John 6:63), through the Word of God (2 Tim. 3:16-17), and through prayer (James 5:16-20). As we use the Scriptures to give counsel to others, there is power. As we pray passionately for their hearts to change, there is power. We cannot remove the lust from another person’s heart by our own efforts, but we have the Spirit of God working through us. Through the gospel, people can be set free from the enslaving power of sin (Rom. 6). Through the gospel, we are actually empowered to uproot the sin in our hearts and live in a way that pleases God. Paul promised: “If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Rom. 8:13). *How should the truth of the gospel, and the power of the Holy Spirit affect the way we approach helping people change?

Discipleship Devotion: 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, 1 John 3:14 “Love Comes First” In the most beautiful terms, Paul says that gaining knowledge and power—even sacrificing our own bodies—is completely worthless apart from love. The result of loveless ministry is serious: “I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal… I am nothing… I gain nothing.” In other words, even the most impressive and sacrificial actions are worthless if they are not empowered by love. Are you the type of person who would teach someone without loving them? Don’t be quick to answer. Many good pastors have confessed that they got so caught up in the busyness of ministry that they went through the motions without loving their people. Most of us have to work hard to keep love at the forefront. What do you think and feel when you are in a group of people? Are you overly aware of the ones who are wealthy, attractive, or have something they can offer you? Do you worry about what people think of you? Or do you look for ways to love and opportunities to give? A sure sign of a loveless heart is seeing people as a means to your own ends—they listen to you, give you affirmation when you want it, stay out of your way when you don’t, etc. Teaching other people with this type of mentality is bound to be sterile and unfruitful. According to Paul, every time we try to teach someone with this mentality, we can be sure that we have become nothing more than a clanging gong or resounding cymbal; we have made ourselves both annoying and irrelevant. * Up to this point, would you say that your desire to make disciples has been motivated by love? Why or why not?