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Desperation Can Lead To Innovation
Steven Schetrom • May 15, 2023
Thoughts on Sunday, May 14th Sermon
Yesterday, we shared a sermon titled, "Even If Someone Rises From The Dead." The focus of the sermon was on the conclusion of the well-known Rich Man and Lazarus parable from Luke 16. In the final verse of that text (vs 31), Abraham tells the rich man that "(i)f they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead." For me, this is quite a shocking statement. Certainly, one would think a bodily resurrection would suffice to incline people towards belief, but not according to Father Abraham in this classis parable of Jesus.
What did Jesus mean by these words? Two verses prior to this (vs 29), Abraham had indicated that Moses and the prophets (the Scriptures) should be enough to cause hearers to believe. It seems that Jesus is saying that the heart of the hearer, rather than externalities, is of primary importance in determining faith. This leads me to the main point of this sermon follow-up.
Our heart condition at any given point in our life will determine whether or not we are able to hear from God. Sometimes, we are not desperate enough to hear. If you are in need of a personally innovative idea (i.e. a new direction), then resolve to cultivate your level of hunger, or desperation. Christ's promise is that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed, and that "they will be filled." (Matthew 5:6)
Keep moving forward my friend.
We had a very successful Relaunch Service yesterday. This service was made possible by years of work by our Leadership Team and Congregation. We believe it is imperative that we continue to move forward in these efforts. The reasoning behind our relaunch effort is expressed below, in the Executive Summary of our Five-Year Strategic Plan. Bethel Assembly of God believes that worldwide events over the last couple of years warrant the establishment of a re-launch effort. The culture in which the church exists is experiencing a rapid decline, with many experiencing confusion regarding the correct posture of the church in the world. The proposed re-launch effort will help clarify the church’s position related to its members as well as the broader community. The re-launch effort will be made up of key components. These include: 1) A new Mission Statement; 2) A five year Strategic Plan; 3) The establishment of Key Measurables which will provide a Feedback Loop so that ongoing and regular adjustments can be made. These components will provide value to the organization. First, they will inform both current and prospective members about where the church has actively chosen to place its attention, resources, and focus over the next five years. Second, they will allow for new members to more readily see how they can contribute to the church’s mission, as focus areas will be highlighted continuously. Finally, they will allow decision-makers to more easily evaluate the viability of all ministry ideas that come before them. If a proposed idea doesn’t pass inspection when evaluated against the Strategic Plan, it will need to be dismissed, at least in the near term. The commencement of the re-launch effort is immensely important to the long-term viability of Bethel Assembly of God. This ongoing effort will force the organization, in a positive way, to become a more lean and well-run organization, and will lead to long-term health and vitality. To see our complete Five-Year Strategic Plan, please visit here . Please consider joining our congregation, to work together with us to impact our community, nation, and world. Blessings to you and yours!
Our church wants to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year! As we come to the end of 2022, I am very proud to report one of our best years at Bethel Life Church. Here are some of the projects we have completed during the final months of this year: - Adopted four children for Christmas. Our Helping Hands Ministry donated $633.94 in Christmas gifts to these children, in hopes they will experience the joy of Christmas this year. - Delivered 46 shoeboxes to needy children through Operation Christmas Child. - Donated $3,000 to help repair a roof for a church in South Africa. - Established a non-profit, called Bethel Life Solutions, Inc., so that we can do more to help our community in 2023 and the years ahead. See photos attached. These are just some of the recent projects we have completed. We have plans for much more in 2023. If possible, would you help us out by going to the following link, so that we can finish the year strong, and be prepared to complete important projects in 2023: https://bethellife.breezechms.com/give/online Donations can also be mailed to the church at: 111 Totten Lane, Front Royal, VA 22630. **UPDATE: Some have already given through our online giving page. THANK YOU for your generosity! Your gift will help us reach important goals for 2023! PLEASE NOTE: Our Christmas Service this-coming Sunday will be virtual-only. Please check out our virtual Christmas Service on Facebook @bethelassemblyfrontroyal, and on our YouTube channel at Bethellife Church.
Funding Raised to Repair Church/Community Center Facility at ELIM Full Gospel Church in South Africa
We host a Breakfast, Book, and Bible Club meeting in our church Fellowship Hall every Wednesday morning at 9am. We try to limit the meeting to one hour in length. The food is great at these meetings, and the discussions make attendance worthwhile. Everyone is invited to attend. We would love to see you at our next meeting! Currently, we are discussing a book called " Signs ," by Dr. David Jeremiah. This past Wednesday, the focus was on Chapter 6 of the book, which highlights materialism as a cultural sign at the end of the age. One key verse pinpointed in the chapter was Matthew 6:21 , where Jesus says that "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." The word choice used by Jesus is very interesting here. Notice he does not say that you should set your heart on something, and that your treasure will follow your heart. Instead, he insists that our actions can be used to indicate our treasure , and that our heart will naturally follow our actions. This idea is more thoroughly discussed within an article called " The Fatal Failures of Religion: #4 Materialism ," where the author says "(t)he first principle undergirding the precept just put forth is found in verse 21: 'For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.' Generally we are inclined to think just the reverse of this. We suppose that a man will first fix his heart on something and then his money naturally follows. But our Lord says that our heart follows our pocketbook. If I were to buy an old broken down car it would not at that point be a great object of my affection. But after I had spent countless hours in restoring it, not to mention a good deal of money, it would be the ‘apple of my eye.’ Where we spend our money, where we appropriate our material goods and our personal time, is where our heart will be. I might go so far as to apply this principle to marriage. To the extent that we invest heavily, both in time and money, we will find our affections more and more developed and committed." So, what is the lesson for us in this? If your heart has just not been right recently, try taking correct actions and allowing your heart to follow the lead of your actions. This will require discipline on your part, but just may help you get back on track. Please leave comments, and let us know your thoughts. #bethellife #webuildpeople