Bethel Bible Church

Monday WorshipWord! (Kinda...)

Due to some computer error (mostly mine, but partly vimeo.com's fault, too,) my Monday WorshipWord didn't post. GRRRRR...

So, here it is:

A very SPECIAL, once-in-a-lifetime, exclusive Tuesday edition of the Monday WorshipWord. (See how I sold that? That's marketing right there, kids.)

Monday WorshipWord 9/29/08 from bethel bible on Vimeo.

Todd Wright is Pastor of Worship and Creative Arts. When he is not with his family, playing guitar or making videos, he likes to eat Little Debbie Snack Cakes.
(Feel free to send Todd Little Debbies at any time...)

I MUST BOAST

We left Bethel Bible Friday afternoon for a weekend adventure.  We traveled the long 15 miles or so to Pine Cove.  And what an incredible weekend we had.  We spent Friday night, all day Saturday and Sunday morning as the WORK CREW for The Bluffs, The Shores, and The Ranch.  This time around we only took 6th - 8th Grade with the majority being 6th graders (all this to say it was a young group-and man, did they suprise people).  I cannot tell you all the complements our students received from the kitchen staff, work crew coordinators, and campers (young and old).  Our Middle School group amazed me with their attitudes, servant hearts, camaraderie, and initiative.  They worked so hard not only as individuals but as a team which included:

• Serving meals
• Setting up and tearing down of tables and chairs
• Cleaning hundreds of dishes
• Sweeping and mopping floors
• Picking up trees and trash
• CLEANING OUT DRAINS - WOW! THAT WAS NASTY

But not once did they complain.  And then when it was free time they enjoyed talking, singing, dancing, acting crazy, playing football and ultimate Frisbee.  I was so privileged to be there with them this weekend.  Bethel had a lot to be proud of this weekend.  I want to say a special thanks to Elizabeth Smith, Anna Strout, Tim Rickelman, JP Morris, Jeff Bice and my wife, Marla, and daughter, Kylee for helping out and spending the weekend with us.  A shout of thanks to Donna Ridenour, Alley Burton, Jana Jamison, and John Collier for getting us to and from the camp.  You can check out the pictures here and also on my facebook.

Mark Kuykendall - Pastor of Family and Student Ministries

The New Guy

THE NEW GUY from bethel bible on Vimeo.

I love this church

Every time I speak about Bethel, I describe it this way, "If we had moved to Tyler for any other reason... Bethel is the church we would have landed in." I cannot tell you the great joy that statement is. I cannot begin to relay the great joy God has given me to pastor such a great church.

Some of the reasons I love Bethel:

1. Bethel is authentic. I have never been in a gathering of people that are more committed to being real as when I am with you.

2. Bethel loves God and His Word. There is not a week that goes by that I am not overwhelmed with the weight of what it means to stand in front of this church and open God's Word. I fell in love with Scripture watching my grandfather's affection for it. He would pour over it. He wept over it. He depended on it. He prayed through it. He journaled all over it. He soak it in and taught it and loved it with all his being. And the reason he did is because it changed his mind and heart and set his affections on the Father. I caught that from him. I pray with all my being that you would catch a glimpse of that from me.

3. Bethel loves children. Not only do we have the most unbelievable Children's Ministry team (props to Cay, Donna, Paula and Geri), but Bethel loves its children. The time that you have invested in my own children overwhelms me and humbles me. Bethel has such a passionate pursuit of children's hearts for the Savior. My little 3yr old Katherine knows 10 verses by heart. "I can do all things through Christ!" - That tiny voice fills this house with those words. Thank you for loving children!

4. Bethel loves marriages and families. Every time I am with the elders we pray for your marriage. The world is set up in opposition to marriage and family in so many ways. But Bethel is for you as a couple and a family and wants more than anything for you to enjoy the blessings of a healthy union. And we have a profound commitment for all marriages to be healthy. I am so thankful for all of the marriages that have weathered the storms of life and change and children and teenagers and finances and "winters" and empty nests. You encourage me. Don't quit asking Leslie and me how we are doing. We need you. All of us need you... you are the lighthouse to so many of us in the dark days.

5. Bethel loves missions. Christ came out of eternity into creation to redeem sinful, rebellious, ignorant and blasphemous people like me. He came to save me and cleanse me and change me and present me pure and holy to His Glorious Father. And Bethel knows what it means to be the body of Christ. I have not been around a people more passionate about the gosple going to all people and all nations. I have sat in meetings and seen passion ignited when talking about the "what if's..." of taking the gospel to an unreached people group. I have seen that same passion and celebration when the gospel finally penetrates the 40 year resistant heart. The truth that Jesus, the Son of God, came to this planet born of a virgin, lived a perfect life, died a horrific and sin-satisfying death, and victoriously rose from the grave is the driving passion behind the mission of Bethel. I am honored to be a part of that.

6. Bethel loves and exalts Christ. He is the King of kings, Lord of lords and every knee will bow at the majesty and glory of His return. Bethel gets that! I live in the midst of a people who long for His appearing and seek His pleasure and live for His reward. I live in the midst of people that are not tethered to this world but are fueled by the power and promise of the next. Heavenly citizens committed to earthly good for the sake of the one that said, "They will know you are my disciples by your love for each other..."

7. Bethel loves the body of Christ. Bethel loves the church. Not just this church. Bethel loves the body of believers committed to exalting Christ for the Glory of God and the salvation of all people and nations. Most tangibly, your love for one another and every person that walks through the door is moving. I have never witnessed anything like it. It speaks to your authenticity (see #1). It speaks to the reality of Christ in you. It speaks to your love for Christ and his body in this church and in every other church. Keep it up. This is kingdom thinking and Christ loves it! The growth of Bethel is not the goal... the expanse of the kingdom is. Thank you for knowing that and living that!

There are many more things I could comment about here, Bethel's love for its staff, each other, youth, spiritual growth, it's community...

No, Bethel is not perfect. It's filled with a bunch of sinners like me and you. But it is healthy. It is thriving. I have heard so many say that they are experiencing here what it means to be the church. I love that. And I am honored to be a part of it, serving alongside you. I am so thankful for children to grow here, for my marriage to thrive here, for my ministry to mature here and my relationships with you deepen.

If we were in Tyler for any other reason, Bethel is the church where we would be.

-- Ross

Turning a Conversation to Spiritual Things -or- How the Heck Do You Start Talking about Jesus?

The World on Wednesday

Jim Smithies, Pastor of Ministries and World 

                                                                                        

God bless car salesman and pharmaceutical reps!  I watch them with new people.  I watch them usher at church.  I watch them greet at the front door.  They "get it."  I think it's because they "got it."  Gregarious, personable, quick-witted folks have that gift of talking to anybody about anything.  The other person almost always enjoys it.  The "talker" may even make some money on the conversation...  I also watch and listen to these folks share the gospel.  It looks so much easier for them than it is for me.  So if you don't sell cars or drugs, this blog piece is for you. 

                                                                                             

Have you ever watched a cat getting ready to chase something down?  We call it "backfield in motion" at our house.  Their back legs start grinding, their backside starts bouncing up and down - but their eyes, face and mouth are motionless...fixed.  That describes me sitting on an airplane hoping and praying to share the gospel with the stranger next to me.  I have all this energy brewing inside me but my mouth continues to say nothing.      

                                                                                                               

Dr. Ron Blue spoke at our Perspectives Course on World Missions a few weeks ago.  He reminded me of a great guideline for these gospel opportunities.  The key word is FORM.        

                                                     

"F" is for Family - "tell me about your family," "where were you born," "how'd you meet your spouse," "...kids play sports?" etc.

"O" is for Occupation - "what do you do," "how did you get into this field," "where do you think it will take you?"

"R" is for Religion - "does your family have a heritage of faith," "how do you celebrate Christmas and Easter," "was your spouse raised the same way," "when did you develop your current views?"

"M" is for Message - this is where we prayerfully, respectfully, wisely, concisely share the saving message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.                                                                                              

 

I hope at this point you are thinking one of two things.  "Yep, that really helps me get to where I can share the Gospel."  Or, "Uh - I still don't really know what I would do with the 'Message' part (otherwise stated, 'not much real help yet, Jim!')"

 

That's why blogs are great!  I'll give my favorite way to share the Gospel in next week's World on Wednesday.  In the meantime let me know if you have a way you turn a conversation toward spiritual things.  Tell me a story of when and how you did it and how it turned out.  Maybe I'll tell you my "Michael on the Airplane" story.  Equally important - let me know how easy or hard it is for you to share the gospel with others.         

                                                                                                                            

"For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes..."  (What is the reference for this verse?)

The WORLD, the WORD, and IDENTITY

As I sit in our pastoral staff meeting, I am greatly reminded of our identities.  It is incredible to see God put a team together that is so diverse.  Here are my observations:

ROSS:  The visionary, preacher, leader, Dallas Cowboy fan, Buttermilk Chess pie, and MAC loving dude.

JIM: The compassionate, missional, counselor, baseball/soccer fan, peanut allergy, and always got your back guy.

TODD:The creative, worship driven, non-football, video creator family man.

MARK:The outdoorsman, reader, teacher, Wii golfer, and lover of naps guy.

And that is just us guys, add our wonderful ladies and it is just a melting pot of identities. In fact, the single most important issue we must address in youth ministry is identity formation.  The reason? It's the single most important issue in a teenager's life.  The place they land now, in terms of their understanding of themselves, will determine who they a re for the rest of their lives.  The reason I love the outdoors is because I grew up in the Ozark Mountains, I love to read because my mother did, I love youth ministry because someone loved me. Every teenager chooses to find identity in something and it's not just teenagers - it's the most important issue to all of us.

Unfortunately girls have learned how important it is to have a slim body and to wear clothing that shows off that body.  They are learning that being a "girl gone wild" isn't a bad thing; it's maybe the normal thing.  Guys are learning their identity lies in their sexuality, that girls are to be viewed as objects no different than cars, and that they hold the keys to those "cars" in their hands.  They are patterning their identities in all the sources around them and so many times the church, families, and God go unheard.

In a perfect world, all of our teenagers would understand themselves and find their identity in who they are as unique individuals created in the image of God for a relationship with Him, but we don't live in a perfect world.  Life in a fallen world presents kids with two options: either finding one's identity in Christ, or choosing to find identity in something else, which is idolatry.    

May we all be challenged, convicted, and guided by God's Words reflected to us by Paul when he says, "I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).

Monday WorshipWord!

So...how do you "connect" with God during the week?

Todd Wright is the Pastor of Worship and Creative Arts. He thinks 'The Edge' is one of the most underrated guitar players of all time.

Twisted Sisters

You know it is going to be a bad scene when two girls end up with the same guy. Especially when the two girls are sisters. But here is the twist—the guy is their father...

I read this story last week in my attempt to keep up with the bible study my wife is going through (The Amazing Collection). It stopped me dead in my tracks. I think that is what I love about the Bible - it never glosses over the ugly places, it leaves them right out there in plain sight for everyone to see. It is one of the reasons I am convinced it is true. I know how much I would like to edit my own life. It could only be a Holy God with a divine remedy to man's sin that is unashamed to to tell the whole story.

Genesis 19:30-38
There are some important things to know here. The sisters are adults, probably early twenties. Daughters sleeping with their father was not some “ancient custom.” This was not acceptable in this society.  The sisters action of getting their father drunk so that he would not know what was happening to him would be considered a felony crime in today’s language.

The most fascinating part of this story is that at the beginning of this chapter, the sisters were saved from a terrible fate by the angels. In v.8, Lot offers his daughters to the wicked men as a consolation prize so the angel/guests would be protected. Unbelievable! Now, in a soap opera type turn of events, the sisters are violating their father. And remember… these are the “good” people that were saved from the destruction of wicked Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:1-29).

The wickedness of sin can infect any of us. In fact, it has infected all of us to some degree. We all deserve the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah because of the sin in our life. We are all sinners and have fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). Not one of us is righteous (Rom. 3:10).  And, the payment for the sin in our lives is death (Rom. 6:23).

That is why Jesus Christ came to this earth as an innocent baby. That is why he lived for thirty-three years preaching that the people of God needed to repent. And that is why he had to die on a cross for our sins. The payment we owe is far too much for us to bear. He had to bear it for us. He had to make the payment for us. And when we accept him as our Savior, we find forgiveness and salvation from the sin and death in our life.

At the end of this chapter, we do not see the judgment of God. We see his grace. He does not bring down fire on this family (Genesis 19:1-29). He blesses them with children. They did not deserve it. They were shown mercy and grace. The first half of the chapter we see the judgment of a holy and mighty God. The last part of the chapter we see the grace and mercy of the same holy and mighty God.

Remember, this chapter is not about the wicked people. It is about the character of God. That is the focus. When we consider the greatness of God we should confess our sins and give thanks for his incredible grace and mercy.

Ross Strader is married to Leslie and the father of three amazing children. Ross is the lead pastor and focuses his attention on teaching, vision and leadership. You can also find him here.

The Great Commission or the Great Vacation?

The World on Wednesday, Jim Smithies, Pastor of Ministry and World…

Ephesians 5 - 15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

In the past few months I have had meetings with great people discussing how God wants us to move Bethel folks into vital outreach ministries, such as:

            International Students at UTTyler and TJC with Emily Manasco and ISI

The Ibarras and the North Tyler Hispanic ministry

            Terry Borens and Union Bible Fellowship Church

            Rev. Peter Conteh and the outreach to Muslims in Sierra Leone, Africa

We’ve also spoken to Vincent Luwizhi about his new ministry with Orphan Rescue and Relief and are collecting goods to send.  We have invited you to join Rebecca Sorge with Child Evangelism at the East Texas Fair – where children will come to Christ.  Similarly, we have an opportunity with Joni Earekson Tada’s “Wheels for the World” ministry – also at the East Texas Fair.

We’ve served at the Walmart shelter for Hurricane Ike evacuees.  We’ve visited with Bethesda Clinic to see when Bethel can send in a team to serve on a Saturday.  We’ve helped Habitat Humanity build homes.  We are set to create and send Christmas boxes with Operation Christmas Child.  I would love us to collect car seats for the Children’s Advocacy Center again as well as come alongside Lynn Radford and the holiday flower ministry at ETMC.  We want to again provide math, reading and science tutors to Griffin Elementary school in North Tyler.

We are inviting business men and women to come to the Perspectives Course on Monday, to hear Jerry Cline with MarketPlace Chaplains, USA – an organization that provides trained chaplains to corporate America and has reached over 37,000 employees for Jesus Christ.

The other day Ross mentioned Ephesians 5:15-16 above…particularly ”making the most of your time…” 

Then Dr. Jim Denison speaking at our Perspectives Course this past Monday said: “The biggest problem with moving Americans into Missions is that they think outreach is in the category of ‘our hobby time.’  That we squeeze it into our lives after our duties, responsibilities, priorities, and preferred hobbies.”

Dr. Denison’s statement really struck me.  It is appropriately challenging.  How do our outreach endeavors above line up in regard to the command in Ephesians to make the most of the time we have?

At Bethel is the Great Commission something we relegate to our leftover time…or worse, to somebody else?  Or is God perhaps pleased with the priority each of us has given to reaching the lost across the street, across town, and across the world?

Let me know what you think…

What Really Happened On Sunday...

What Really Happened On Sunday! from bethel bible on Vimeo.