Bethel Christian Center

To understand Samson’s time, we must understand the time of Judges in Israel.  God had chosen Israel, brought them out of slavery in Egypt, given them His law to live by and placed them in the Promised Land.  They were expected to live like His people, to be Holy because He is Holy.  They went into the land under the leadership of Joshua, but after Joshua dies, things begin to head into a downward spiral fast.  As we read Judges 2:18-19, and 21:25, we get a glimpse of what Judges is all about. In the cycle of sin, the people would cry out to God and He would raise up a “Judge” or deliverer. Samson, one of the 15 judges or leaders, judged Israel for 20 years. The book of Hebrews lists Samson as a hero of the faith.

Brother Michael McAfee and his wife Jolene visit from Nashville and bless Bethel with a message of becoming transformed into the witnesses we are called to be! Listen and embrace powerful spiritual truths that will transform your life!

There's a lot happening at Bethel Christian Center and around the world. Larry breaks the bread of life this week after many interesting updates and Matt informs everyone about Human Coalition which his brother heads and God is using to save lives!

Jeremiah gives a warning to Old Testament believers. Our heart must remain soft and responsive towards God. Three parables illustrate timeless Biblical truths.

Biblical revelation is the divine act of God revealing Himself to man. Revelation comes from the Latin word meaning to unveil. When a thing is revealed the veil, which is hid is removed. God has revealed Himself through the creation of the world and universe (Psalm 19:1). The Bible provides us with very specific information about God Himself (Luke 24:27).

Revelation is the divine act of God revealing Himself to man. God has revealed Himself through general revelation and specific revelation. Sometimes general and specific revelation are also referred to as natural and supernatural revelation. General revelation refers to the act of God revealing Himself to us in a general way. He has revealed Himself through the creation of the world and universe (Psalm 19:1). The Bible provides us with very specific information about God himself (Luke 24:27).

The story behind the Christmas hymn, "Go Tell It on the Mountain."

God has often taken the weakest link and made it the strongest. King David was the least of his brothers. Yet he stood toe-to-toe with Goliath in the name of the Lord and conquered. Gideon was the least of his family and his family was the least of all the tribes. Yet Gideon fighting in the power of the Lord was victorious over the Midianites. Samuel, Moses, Amos, etc. all were insignificant nobodies and God used them and they accomplished great things. Christmas is about the fulfillment of God's promises to those who are insignificant.

It's time to throw off the status quo!

The concept of confidence, particularly self-confidence is something that is heralded by our society. Self-confidence is often tied to our self-worth but is too often grounded in things that are temporal and passing away such as looks, abilities, and money. When who we are, what we are here for and where we are going are grounded in Christ, then we have a confidence in ourselves that produces joy in all circumstances.

Jesus sermon text comes primarily from Isaiah 61:1-2. Jesus taught from this passage and explains to the people in Nazareth what he came to do. The six statements in this passage very aptly summarize Christ's earthly ministry and what He came to do. In the Hebrew, which Jesus was reading from, the word Messiah means "the anointed one." And so, when Jesus reads the anointing in the first part of verse 18, that is a clear reference to the Messiah. The rest of verse 18 and on into 19 tell us six things that the Messiah would focus on.

As we approach another election, we will often wonder what is the believer’s responsibility to the government and to the society to which we live. Some think we need not get involved in such things as that since the Lord has that all worked out anyway and others can get too involved in the issues of this world and uninvolved in the kingdom of God.

As we approach another election, we will often wonder what is the believer’s responsibility to the government and to the society to which we live. Some think we need not get involved in such things as that since the Lord has that all worked out anyway and others can get too involved in the issues of this world and uninvolved in the kingdom of God.

The gospels record some fascinating stories of Jesus' interaction with people. Each encounter reveals something about the nature of Christ, enabling the reader to more deeply understand His mission as well as His revelation of God. Jesus seemed to relish His conversations with all of these, from a despised tax collector (Zaccheus) to a respected Pharisee (Nicodemus) to the thief on the cross. We learn how Jesus explains who he is and what his mission is. Through their encounters with Jesus, people's lives were changed forever. No one encounters him and leaves that encounter in the same condition that they began it. "Encounters with Jesus" examines the lives of gospel characters who are transformed after being in Jesus' presence. We will see what happens when a Samaritan woman has an encounter with Jesus. (Isaiah 6)

In an age of instant oatmeal and microwave popcorn, we’re not too big on perseverance. We want everything to be delivered to our door step on our time line at our convenience. In such a society, how do we develop the art of perseverance? Webster’s Dictionary defines perseverance in the following words: “To persist in a state, enterprise, or undertaking in spite of counter-influences, opposition, or discouragement.” May we look at the lessons learned from a symbolic act taken from 2 Kings chapter 13.

Rebellion against authority is common in our culture. Rebellion is the defiance or disobedience against authority. The spirit of rebellion is born out of envy and pride. Rebellion always begins in the heart. Rebellion against God’s authority was humanity’s first sin (Genesis 3) and continues to be our downfall. Our sinful natures do not want to bow to the authority of another, even God. We want to be our own bosses, and that rebellion in the human heart is the root of all sin (Romans 3:23). Examples of rebellion in the bible: King Saul, Korah, Absalom. Israel’s history is a cycle of rebellion and restoration.

God’s end time program for Babylon has its roots in the historical account of the Tower of Babel. Genesis chapters 10-11 records humanity’s first worldwide rebellion against God. Here, we learn of mankind’s rebellion against God’s command to scatter throughout the face of the earth following the flood (Gen 9:1, 7). Under the leadership of Nimrod (Gen 10:8–12), mankind instead gathered in the land of Shinar (Gen 11:2) for the purpose of building a city and tower to reach into heaven (Gen 11:4). God’s response to this collective rebellion was swift and decisive. According to Gen 11:5-9, God frustrated this worldwide apostasy by confounding human language thus inhibiting the builders from communicating with one another. God’s plan will be accomplished, if not with man’s obedience, then in spite of man’s disobedience.

Character study on the life of Joseph

“If you were to boil the Christian life down into one word what would that word be? At the risk of being too simplistic, I submit that the word would be “Relationships”. When Jesus was asked the most important commandment, He talked about one’s relationship with God the Father. He pointedly indicated that one’s relationship with his fellowman is a close second. It is a safe assumption then that relationships are at the core of Christian living.” Dr. Arnold Lastinger