2/6/12

Remember the story of the US Drone that went down in Iraq that was in the news not too long ago?  If you will remember, there was a lot of talk and worry about all that technology in the hands of our enemies.  Even more dangerous than that is a Christian in the hands of Satan!  When a Christian finds his/herself behind enemy lines, being caught up in a particular sin, they are of great use to the enemy.  Satan will use them to cause disharmony and disunity within the Body of Christ, usually manifesting itself in the form of gossip or dissention.  We are told to make every effort to preserve unity, but Satan's desire is to cause any division he can within the body.  Let's make sure that we are never given over to being one of Satan's tools.  This is why we are called to guard our lives and doctrine closely.  If we go behind enemy lines, let it be for the sole purpose of doing the will of God, and take back the captives that the devil has in bondage to sin!

Blessings!

Pastor Ralph

1/5/12

I’m so excited for the brand new year. God blessed us in so many different ways this past year at Bethany, and 2012, offers new opportunities for us to reach the lost, minister to those and need, and comfort the hurting. Last year also brought tremendous challenges as we endured the tornado that affected so many. The Lord used Bethany to minister to those affected, and blessed us with so many workers, donations of supplies, and allowed us to make new friends as people came from all over to help and give aid. Now I’m not praying for another natural disaster, but my prayer is that we as a church continue to have opportunities to reach out and minister in our community.

New Year’s Blessings,

Pastor Ralph

9/12/11

Many Christians hope that when they stand before the judgment seat of God that they will be declared righteous and allowed into His eternal glory. The great thing is that God declares us righteous at the beginning of our journey, not at the end. The moment we commit our lives to Jesus and trust Him to be Lord of our lives, God the Father, “justifies those who faith in Jesus” (Rom 4:26). In 2 Cor 5:21, Paul writes, “God made him who has no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Since we were made righteous in the beginning of our journey, we don’t have to worry whether our behavior has been sufficiently meritorious to win God’s divine approval. It’s not based on what I have done anyway! It’s based upon what He did at the Cross.

8/19/11

This past week, our study, How to Develop a Powerful Prayer Life, Gregory Frizzell stated that there are 5 basic types of prayer: (1) Praise & Thanksgiving, (2) Confession, (3) Petition, (4) Intercession, (5) Meditation.  All are vitally important in the believer's prayer life.  We must spend adequate time in giving our heavenly Father the praise and adoration that He deserves.  When we neglect to do so and rush into our list of needs, we are basically telling God that our needs are more important than our relationship and our love for Him. 

I hope you are enjoying the study.   Feel free to comment below.  I would love to hear your thoughts.

Pastor Ralph