Bethel Seventh-Day Adventist Church

18/07/2019

A Gift worth Sharing.

Matt. 12:11, 12

“Who among you wouldn’t rescue your donkey from a pit on the Sabbath day?” This question was posed by Jesus well over two thousand years ago (see Luke 14:5). Like the Pharisees, we are often shy about actively engaging in acts of mercy on the Sabbath. But Jesus shows us that on the Sabbath, more than on any other day, we are called to rescue His sheep.

Jesus delighted in performing acts of mercy and kindness on the Sabbath. It was on a Sabbath day that He healed the lame man at the pool of Bethesda (John 5), opened the eyes of a man born blind (John 9:14), delivered a woman who had been afflicted by a spirit for eighteen years (Luke 13:11–16), and restored a man’s withered hand (Matt. 12:9–13).

By lifting people out of suffering, sickness, and sin on the Sabbath, Jesus granted them rest from the things that ailed them and so shared the Sabbath with them in the truest sense. His highest and purest joy was to ensure that others could rest from their burdens on the Sabbath.

And if we think of Sabbath as a rest we can actively invite others to share in, service becomes foundational to our worship experience. Recognizing those around us as Jesus’ sheep, we cannot leave them lying in the pits of sin, pain, and suffering while we enjoy Sabbath in comfort. We will want them to enjoy the same rest that we do. By visiting the sick, comforting the mourning, and feeding the homeless, we invite them to rest from the heavy burdens they carry. This kind of service takes us out of ourselves and blesses us as much as it blesses others. Compassion, empathy, and mercy gladden the receiver as well as the giver. The “helper’s high” is real: giving truly does make us happy.1

Sabbath reminds us that God is our Creator and Redeemer and that everything we have is a gift from Him. But His blessings are given so that we can be a blessing to others. The Sabbath is one of His greatest gifts; why not share it?

10/07/2019

09/07/2019

The God who Hears

“ ‘I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering’ ” (Exod. 3:7, NIV).

Four hundred years is a long time to wait, especially when waiting in conditions of increasingly harsh slavery. God had promised that He would return to His people and bring them out of Egypt, but for generation after generation they were left to build the wealth and prestige of their idolatrous oppressors, and all the while God seemed silent.

Then God manifested Himself in a unique way. He appeared in a burning bush out in the remote desert to an unlikely leader, a fugitive prince and humble shepherd named Moses. He gave the reluctant Moses a job to do, and the first part of that job was to go back to the Israelites in Egypt with the message that God had heard and seen their oppression—and, yes, He did care. In fact, He was about to do something to change their situation dramatically.

Read Exodus 3:16, 17. Why was it important for God to begin outlining His plan for these people with this specific message? What catches your attention about this statement from God?

But God does not stop there. Not only does He have a plan for a better land, He does not intend for the people to escape from Egypt destitute. For hundreds of years, they had contributed to the wealth of the Egyptian Empire. God foresaw the initial resistance from Pharaoh, but He assured Moses that the Israelites would be compensated for their years of hard labor: “ ‘And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed’ ” (Exod. 3:21, NIV).

After their years of oppression, God took the opportunity to establish a new kind of society with these former slaves. He wanted them to live in a different way and to establish a society that would continue to be sustainable and viable. His plan was that this new kind of society would be a model for the surrounding nations and, like Abraham, that the blessings they received from God also would bless the whole world.

How important is it to you that God is a God who sees the suffering of people in the world and hears their cries for help? What does this tell you about God? Consider Exod. 4:31.

31/05/2019

Forgiveness:

Here are a few reasons you should forgive even if the offender never asks for it:

It frees you.

There is freedom in forgiveness, but bo***ge in un-forgiveness. You set yourself free by setting others free. Through forgiveness, you are able to love and trust again.

It stops them from affecting the rest of your life.

What you are doing through un-forgiveness is giving a person the power to continue hurting you. Forgiveness breaks that power. It allow to step out of their grip and into that of a loving God.

It speaks volumes of your strength, character and faith.

Some things are meant to break and destroy you. But you are stronger than you think. You can do all things through Him who gives you the strength.

It keeps your heart where God wants it.

God wants you to know He will fight for, that He will bring you justice. So you need to leave room in your heart for Him to deal with the situation.

It slams the door in Satan’s face.

Do everything in your power to never open the door to Satan. Trust me, if you give him a foothold into your life through un-forgiveness, he will take full advantage of it.

It brings glory to God.

When we obey The Lord in the most difficult times in our lives, we bring immense joy and honor to Him. During those times, people take notice also and glorify The Lord for your obedience.

I confess, it is a difficult thing to ask anyone who’s been hurt to forgive – especially if the offender doesn’t see the need to ask for it. I still recommend forgiveness – for I am fully convinced of its power.

09/04/2019

Church Project on going we stretch out our hands for help to build our church.