“A FRIEND”

Good morning. We are at the beginning of another week. Another week to be alive, to get excited to see what God is going to do in us and through us. I pray as you start this week off, you were able to be in church yesterday and received a full tank of the Holy Spirit and put on the whole armor of God’s protection so that you are ready to face whatever may come.

We had our monthly men’s prayer breakfast on Saturday, that along with the movie Courageous on my mind, has inspired this weeks topic. Let me ask you a few questions, and before you answer, I want you to stop and think for just a moment and really give some thought before you answer. What is a true “friend”? How many friends do you have and are they listed in some sort of good, better or best list? Are you a true friend? To how many people are you a true friend? God’s word has something to say that should help us out some on the issue.

John 15:13-18 says, “13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. 17 These things I command you, that you love one another.” John 11:11 says, “These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up." James 2:23 says, “And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called the friend of God.” James 4:4 says, “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

So, with the scriptures mentioned, and the questions listed above, what answers have you come up with? What does someone have to do, to be a friend to you? Are you the type that looks to see what they can get out of someone before you are their friend? Are you the type of person that only wants to hear someone agree with you and go along with you in whatever you say so there is no friction? Are you the type of friend that wants a friend to speak to you honestly?

If you were holding a “friend fair”, looking for some new friends, what would the requirements be to become a friend of yours? Would it matter what they wore, where they lived, how much money they made, who they hung out with, how they wore their hair, who their friends were, what color they are, if they belong to the right clubs, if they smoked or not or how they talked? Would they have to go through some kind of probation period to see if it was going to work out before you made up your mind? Would you be swayed by special favors they could or would do for you?

I have ask you all these questions and provoked you to thought to make this point. God created us to be His workmanship, His servants and to have fellowship with us. Then, He went on to go as far as to call us His friends, and then to die for His friends.

Now, I want you to think about the questions above and how you answered them. Then, I want you to think about what you have done for Jesus today, this week, month, year or with your life. Now, knowing what it takes to be a friend of yours, I want to ask you, have you met your own qualifications to be a friend with Jesus? Have you been and done all that a friend should be and do, to qualify yourself as a friend of Jesus? If someone treated you, as you have treated Jesus, would you still be their friend?

Remember: It is a honor and privilege to be called a friend of The Creator of everything. Knowing what you know now, will you work harder at being the friend to God, that you expect others to be, so they can be a friend of yours?

Until next time, please continue to pray for each other, and me, as I continue to pray for each of you.

Love in CHRIST,

Brian Hanvey
Associate Pastor
Bethel Baptist Church

“ANCHORED FOR LIFE, OR JUST HELD DOWN?”

Let me start off by saying good morning to everyone. I want to thank those of you who pray, call and visit, Donna and I. I also do not want to neglect to give praise to where it belongs for being able to be at church one more Sunday and having the ability to bring one more devotion, and that praise belongs to my Lord and Savior, who sees me through second by second of each day.


What would it take to shake your world? Are you the type that only believes what they can see, hear, touch, feel or smell? Have you ever stopped to think just how grounded in God you were? Do you have the relationship that is "required", and the knowledge and wisdom needed to be fully anchored in and to God, or are you just held down by a few misinterpreted verses and a lot of speculation? Do you really know the difference in these two questions? I am not trying to question the salvation of anyone or treat you like children, but I learned a long time ago not to "think" I know the answers to these questions. I am trying to make sure that you know that you know, the difference, because the difference is as real and as important as where we will spend eternity, heaven or hell.


In the book of Acts we read how Paul began his 2000 mile trip to Rome from Caesarea. To avoid the open seas, the ship followed the coastline. At Myra, Paul was put on a vessel bound for Italy. It arrived with difficulty at Cnidus, then went to Crete, landing at the port of Fair Havens. The next stop was Phoenix, but the ship was blown south around the island of Cauda, then drifted for two weeks until it was shipwrecked on the island of Malta. In chapter 28 of Acts we read how the residents of this island built a fire for the wet survivors of the swim from the shipwrecked boat to the shore. Paul gathered wood for the fire and in doing so, was bit by a deadly snake. Those who saw this "knew" Paul would surely die. When Paul shook off the snake and continued as if nothing had happened, the witnesses again "knew" Paul was a god. But Paul had a relationship with The God of the angel that had appeared to him on the boat before the shipwreck, in chapter 27, that had told Paul, "Don't be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What's more, God in His goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you. So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as He said." Paul was anchored to the God who can. Not held down by the gods who cannot.


Many of us are like the residents of this island. We have seen something amazing, or been told something astonishing, and because so-in-so said it, or did it, it has to be so. We will stand in line at the super market and read the National Enquire and talk for days about what we read and how it has to be true, but we don't want to pick up God's Word and read it, because it is just unbelievable. We have time to read the newspaper from cover to cover, catch the news for the forth or fifth time today, do a crossword puzzle, play a video game and everyone knows we cannot miss an episode of CSI, but we would rather have a root canal than read God's Word, (which is how God primarily speaks to us today) for even 30 minutes a day. We know just enough to be held down by "religion", but are not anchored in the God of life when the real storms come along.


My point is this, if you have not weathered storms in life yet, they are coming. If you are in a storm now, call on God for help. And if all is well for you, I guarantee you know someone in a storm or that has just been through one that could use your brotherly or sisterly love and support to help them through. If all is going well for you, it is the best time for you to do some growing in the faith to prepare you for a storm, yours or someone else's. John 16:33 says, "I have told you all of this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." If you do not have this peace, you should ask yourself if you are anchored in God, or just held down by man's rules, rhetoric and false teaching.


Remember: Knowing the difference of being anchored to THE ROCK, and being held down and back by the rock of sin, is the difference between heaven and hell.


Until next time, please pray for each other and me, as I continue to pray for each of you. 


Love in CHRIST,


Brian Hanvey
Associate Pastor
Bethel Baptist Church

"COME HOME"

Good morning everyone. I pray your year is starting off great and that it only gets better as time goes on. Once again, I would like to encourage any of you that desire to, to post comments, thoughts or replies to these, as you feel lead to do so. I welcome your input as to what you feel God is trying to say to you through these. You may also submit prayer request or concerns either publicly through these devotions, or privately through email or personal messages.

This weeks topic was inspired through a visit with a sister in Christ during our fellowship time at church Sunday morning. During our short meeting, she told me she had been out church for some time and had been meaning to come back and thought coming back on the first day of a new year was a good time to start back. I also think of all the soldiers that have come home recently and the ones coming home. Then I think about those who are so filled with pride, that wish they were home, but just cannot make themselves swallow that pride and take the first step. Then I think of those who are in nursing homes and hospitals and wish they could come home, but never will see their earthly homes again. While all of this is rolling around in my mind, I cannot stop thinking about the parable of the prodigal son.

Luke 15:10-20 says, “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." 11 Then He said: "A certain man had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.' So he divided to them his livelihood. 13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. 14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants." ' 20 And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.” Matthew 11:28 says, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

 

This story, of the prodigal son, has to be one of the best in the Bible. This parable is one of the best comparisons to our relationship with Christ as I think you will find.

A parable can be defined as a short allegorical story designed to illustrate or teach some truth, religious principle, or moral lesson; a statement or comment that conveys a meaning indirectly by the use of comparison, analogy, or the like.

This parable relates to all of us at some point and time in our lives. The picture is of a man who love his sons and wanted to please them. When the one thought he knew what was best for himself and ask for his portion of the wealth, the father, unconditionally gave to his son that for which he ask and allowed his son to leave and go down the path he chose. When things didn’t work out like he thought they would, he spent time in great despair. Then once he swallowed his pride and made the first step in coming back home, his dad, who had been anticipating his return, ran to him, and welcomed him home.

This is the story of how God loves us. We are His children and like the prodigal, we think we know what is best for us and have sought what we think we are due from God. God has given us everything we have and allowed us to go down whatever path we choose. For most of us, we have made many wrong choices and lost so much of what God has blessed us with. Now we sit in need and want. We have this giant lump in our throats that is pride and we cannot seem to swallow it down and just come home. BUT, when we do, all we have to do is take that first step of faith, an act of repentance, and God being the loving Father He is, is waiting, anticipating our return, and when He sees us from a far, coming towards Him, He runs to us and welcomes us home.

Remember: This is not our home. We have to make a choice as to where home will be. Then we have to live like that is where we want to be. SMOKING,,,,OR NON-SMOKING SECTION??? Please, come home.

Until next time, please continue to pray for each other and me, as I continue to pray for each of you. Love in CHRIST,

Brian Hanvey
Associate Pastor
Bethel Baptist Church

“CONTRITE”

Good morning to one and all. I pray you had a wonderful holiday weekend, that it was a safe one and that you were able to spend time with God and your family. I would like to wish you luck on keeping any and all resolutions you have made for the New Year.


Contrite,,,,,,,,,,,,, without a dictionary, could you give the meaning for this word? I have been looking at different translations of the Bible lately and trying to study this word. At the same time, I’m noticing an almost numb feeling being displayed by those of us that claim to be children of God. That has driven me to this weeks topic.


We read the Bible, if we read it at all, like it is just another book. It doesn't matter if there are words we don't really understand, after all we did God a favor by even picking it up. It doesn't really matter if we don't get the point, we read our 5 verses like we promised. We attend church, if at all, like it is some sort of a PTA meeting. It doesn't matter if our minds were wandering about lunch, the ride home, work later or what the so and so's were wearing, at least we were there. We drive down the road and see beggars on the side of the street and mutter something like, "why don't they just get a job". We drive another block or two and see a group of teenagers and think something like, "look at those gang members". We look around us at the things we have and want to pat ourselves on the back for all the rewards we have due to our hard work. We hear of car accidents and the first thing we want to know is "who's at fault", not if everyone is alright or not. We hear of someone's house burning down or a tornado blowing it down and the first thing that comes to mind for most is, "I'm glad that didn't happen to me".


All of this sounds so depressing, but it is so very real. If you are honest, I would say that each of us have felt some of the ways I mentioned and or said some of the things mentioned above within the last few days. We have become numb to the Word of God. When was the last time you read John 3:16, a passage most of the reading world knows, and cried over the sacrifice God made? We read things like this in the Bible and nothing happens to us. We are not moved. What has happened to us? Have we forgotten how important we are to God? Have we forgotten that the Bible is real, that the stories and accounts recorded really happened? Or is it that we don't believe or care?


You, along with every other person born from Adam, to the future second coming of Christ, are precious to God.


Luke 12: 6-7 says, 6"What is the price of five sparrows? A couple of pennies? Yet God does not forget a single one of them.7 And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to Him than a whole flock of sparrows."


So we know that we are important to God, but do we know that our attitude is important to God as well?


Micah 6:8 says, “No, O people, the LORD has already told you what is good, and this is what he requires: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”


Did you see God's Word says, "requires"? God requires us to do right, love mercy and walk humbly with Him.


Isaiah 57:15 says, "The high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, the Holy One, says this: "I live in that high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I refresh the humble and give new courage to those with repentant hearts."


One definition for contrite is "Broken down with grief and penitence; deeply sorrowful for sin because it is displeasing to God; humbly and thoroughly penitent.


Psalms 34:18 says, "The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those who are crushed in spirit."


What does all of this mean? We need to remember how to be humble, broken and caring. We need to remember to live our lives knowing we deserve hell, but because of God's Son's death and resurrection we will get heaven, IF we are His. We need to lose the words, "I've got my pride" from our vocabulary and learn how to say I am sorry, or it was my fault. We need to do right and love mercy. We need to help others whenever and wherever we can. We need to weep for the lost and all the evil going on in this world and do our part to be part of the solution, (sharing the plan of salvation and encouraging brothers and sisters), instead of being part of the problem.


Remember, we are to be a light, in a world filled with darkness. If you are stumbling over others, it may be that they cannot see and you need to turn on the light with a contrite spirit. Read God's Word and seek understanding.
　
Until next time, pray for each other and me, as I continue to pray for each of you. Love in CHRIST,


Brian Hanvey
Associate Pastor
Bethel Baptist Church

“THE GIFT”

Good morning everyone. Merry CHRISTmas. I pray that while you exchange gifts, cards and visit friends and family, that you will take the time to wish our Lord and Savior a happy birthday. After all, that is why we have this special time of year.


Today, I want to challenge you to contemplate what actually happened some 2000 years ago. I want to get you to think about what was given up and what was endured so that you and I could receive this special gift.


John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Ecclesiastes 3:13 says, “and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor--it is the gift of God.” John 4:10 says, “Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." Acts 2:38 says, “Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 8:20 says, “But Peter said to him, "Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! “ Romans 5:18 says, “Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.” Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God”. James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” 1 Peter 4:10 says, “ As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,” Acts 20:35 says, “I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' "

Let’s take a look at what God has given us according to His word. God gave us His Son. He gave us the Holy Spirit. He gave us the breath of life. He gave us spiritual gifts to not just benefit us, but to be used to help others. He gave us the gift of salvation. The Bible tells us that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above”. The Bible goes on to tell us that God is “able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think”. We also see from above that all these gifts are give freely to us and that we can/could not earn them or pay for them by any means. God gives them to us because He loves us, not because of anything we can, could have or will do.

Now that we have the knowledge of all the above, I want you to think about what it took for God to make these gifts available to you and I. God, knowing all, knew that nothing less than His Only Begotten Son could pay for the sins of the whole world, yours and mine. So, He sent His Son, who came willingly from the splendor of heaven to be born in a manger. This statement alone is more than most can comprehend. The Alpha and Omega, Creator of all, took off His crown and rob, stepped off His throne and came to earth, not to be born at the finest hospital with great fan fair, but to be born in a barn. He did not grow up in Trump Plaza and attend the finest private schools with some silver spoon in His mouth. He lived a life that most of us can relate to so that He could say, I know what you are going through because I have been where you are. Jesus then went on to endure a separation, loneliness and excruciating death to give us the gift of eternal life, should we accept it.

With all this to reflect on, I want to call your attention to the last verse listed. Jesus said, “it is more blessed to give than to receive”. He proved this over and over and still gives today. So, I ask you to look into that spiritual mirror and ask yourself, “what have I given, what am I giving and what can I give”. There are many materialistic people in this world who all they care about is what they can get out of everyone they come into contact with. This is not and was not God’s plan for man. The Bible teaches that we are to give, not expecting anything in return. We are to share what blessings we have, so that we might be a blessing to others. 1 John 3:17-18 says, “17 But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth“.

What gift can you give today? You may say, well I don’t have money for gifts. I would remind you that most of the best gifts cost nothing. The gift of a smile can lift someone’s spirits more than you may know. The gift of a phone call, a card, a visit or maybe just some of your time. I’m reminded of a story of a boy who wanted to spend time with his dad who always had to work. The boy ask, “dad, how much do you make an hour?” The dad said $8. The boy broke open his piggy bank an scraped together the money, went to his dad and ask, “can I buy an hour?”.

Remember: A gift given, brings joy to two souls, the giver and the receiver. What can you give today?
　
Until next time, please pray for each other, and me, as I continue to pray for each of you.

Love in CHRIST,

Brian Hanvey
Associate Pastor
Bethel Baptist Church

“A WORK IN PROGRESS!!!”

Good morning. I pray you all are doing well, preparing for a spirit filled Christmas. With Jesus’ birthday just around the corner and considering what it took for Him to leave all of heaven and it’s glory to come down here and be born to live the kind of life He lived, I think it is a great time to do a real self evaluation.


This weeks topic was inspired by a friend’s post on face book. She posted a comment, that she was inspired to post and I thank her for inspiring me. Have you ever claimed to be, or known someone who claimed to be a “work in progress”? Let’s look at a few scriptures.


Hebrews 5:12-14 says, 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” 1 Corinthians 3:2 says, “I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able” 2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Revelations 3:15-16 says, “15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth."


“A work in progress”. For this to be true, there has to be forward movement. The definition of progress is: a movement toward a goal or to a further or higher stage.

Looking at the above scripture lets see what we can learn here. According to Revelations 3:16, if you are stuck in neutral, God will “vomit” you out of His mouth. He does not want those who are cold or stuck in the middle somewhere. So to be hot, we must be moving forward.

Let me ask you this, are you a stronger Christian today than you were a week ago, or a month ago or even a year ago? What I mean by that is, do you spend more time with God today, than you use to? Do you still have the same foul words coming out of your mouth as you did before you became a Christian? Do you still watch the same movies or TV shows with that kind of language or nudity, that you watched before you were saved? Do you still smoke or drink, defiling the temple, like you did before you were saved?

Stop throwing rocks at me. I am not saying that when you get saved, everything bad stops. What I am saying is that you should see growth, “progress” toward moving away from these sins that separate us from God. You should see a steady forward progress where you see yourself doing less and less as time goes on. The Bible tells us that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; all things have become new”. Romans 9:21 says, “ Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel of honor and another for dishonor?”.

I don’t think we realize what we do to our witness and testimony when we try to tell others about how God has changed us and made our lives better, then we act the way we use to, say the things we use to and go to the same ole dives we have no place being.

Again, I AM NOT SAYING when you are saved you become perfect. Sinners, of which I am chief, struggle with sin everyday. In our walk through progressive sanctification, we should see victory over some sins and realize new ones that we should be working on overcoming. If before you were saved, you were a drunk, told lies, stole, cussed, dibbled in pornography, smoked and so on, then after you have been saved, you should be able to claim victory over one or more of these things and see how you have made improvements on the others, if you are a forward “work in progress”.

Remember: A lot of people learn just enough about a subject to be dangerous at it. Take the time to learn all you can about God and His word, then you will truly be a “work in progress”.

Until next time, please pray for each other and me, as I continue to pray for each of you. Love in CHRIST,

Brian Hanvey
Associate Pastor
Bethel Baptist Church

Why Not Today?

Good morning. I pray your weekend was filled to overflowing with God, family, peace and happiness. I want to share a quick word of praise with you. God strengthened me enough to be able to make a trip with a friend to pick up his daughter from college.  It is the second longest trip I have taken since my wreck.

Why not day??? Are you a procrastinator? Do you have so much on your plate, that you don't know where to start or which way is up? Have you said, "I will do this or that when I get a round tuit"? Are you so consumed with daily activities that you cannot find time to fit God, family, church, service, or friends into your day? Can you remember the last time you just stopped for a moment and told someone you cared about them, what they mean to you or maybe gave a hug to someone in need of one?

This weeks topic was sparked by a conversation I had with a dear elder saint in my church.  This lady had just had a pace maker put in her chest. She was close to death and this had to be done for her to live. We talked about her brush with death and the several I have had over the past few years, and how that had effected us and how we look at things today. I am far from perfect and will never be perfect while in this body and alive, but I am light years from the person I was 12 to 20 years ago. This is in no means meant as a brag, but rather as a praise as to where God had to reach way down to get my attention and move me from.

I started drinking at the age of 6, to best of my faded memory. I broke the law and hung out with the "bad" crowd. I bullied and intimidated others to manipulate them to do as I wanted, or else. I became a power drinker, not caring about my new young wife and son. Working, friends, family, God, church and most of everything else did not matter to me. I knew of God because of my dear grandmother, but I thought He was just for the old people and I would live life as I wanted and when I got old, then I would work something out with Him. Boy was I wrong. In 1993 everything came to a head. I was totally out of control. I had sold almost everything I had of any value to buy booze with. I was separated from my wife and my son was with her. My home was in foreclosure. My lights had been turned off. I had been fired from my job and there was nothing to eat. I had seen hard times before, but I was at the point, that all I could do was look up and cry out to God for help. It would take about 2 more years for me to get into a church and be baptized and about 8 years later to answer the call to serve Him. In the past 10 to 12 years I have grown a great deal. In the past 2 years I have learned much. After speaking with my sister in Christ and she being a good bit older than I, we realized just how truthful James 4:13-17 is and how it applies to all ages. James 4:13-17 says, "13 Look here, you people who say, "Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit." 14 How do you know what will happen tomorrow? For your life is like the morning fog – it's here a little while, then it's gone. 15 What you ought to say is, "If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that." 16 Otherwise you will be boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil. 17 Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it." The old King James calls our lives a "vapor"

With this being said, does it really matter what we did or didn't do for God yesterday? No. We cannot live a life of regret of what we should have done, nor can we become complaisant and say I have done my part yesterday and I am not going to do anymore. By the same token, we cannot rely on whatever good intentions we may have about what we think we will do tomorrow. What if there is no tomorrow? John 15:16 says, "16 You didn't choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name". Hebrews 3:7 says, "7 That is why the Holy Spirit says, "Today you must listen to his voice." 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, "2 For God says, "At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you." Indeed, God is ready to help you right now. Today is the day of salvation."

I have said all of this to ask you this, "Why not today?" If you are in need of a Savior, why not today? If you are saved and need baptized, why not today? If you have been saved and baptized, then you are a child of the King and as we read in John 15:16, we have been appointed to produce fruit, are you today? Matthew 3:9-10 says, "9 Don't just say, 'We're safe – we're the descendants of Abraham.' That proves nothing. God can change these stones here into children of Abraham. 10 Even now the ax of God's judgment is poised, ready to sever your roots. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire."

Why not today, to become a child of God, or do what He wants you to do? Will it take a near death experience for you to turn to Him? What if it is not a "near death" experience, and you die. There is no second chance after death. Why not Today?

Remember:  We cannot relive yesterday and we cannot make promises to do something tomorrow when we are not guaranteed to see tomorrow.  So, whatever you are going to do, DO IT NOW, TODAY!

Until next time, pray for each other and me, as I continue to pray for each of you. Love in Christ,

Brian Hanvey

Associate Pastor

Bethel Baptist Church

“WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE?”

Good morning. I pray that all who read this has had a great spirit filled Sunday in church and that you can see God moving in every area of your lives. I am so thankful to have another opportunity to share what God has laid upon my heart and that you would take the time out of your day to read this. Thank you and thank You my Lord.


Today, I want to ask you, “What is your purpose?”. Before you shoot some quick answer from the hip, I want you to ponder the thought for a moment. Have you ever said, or heard someone say, “I was born to do this”? Or maybe you’ve heard someone say, “I just don’t know what I am here for”. God’s word, once again, has all the answers.


Jeremiah 1:4-5 says, “4 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 says, “14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” Psalms 37:22-23 says, “22 For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, But those cursed by Him shall be cut off. 23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way.” 2 Corinthians 5:20 says, “20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.” 1 Peter 1:14-19 says, “14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”  17 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”

We see from God’s word, that God creates us, know us and plans our future. It is His will that we choose to live for Him and not for ourselves. The Bible tells us that, “the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his ways”. We are to be ambassadors, trophies for Christ. We are to be “obedient children”, striving for holiness in all our conduct. Then we are told to conduct ourselves throughout the time of our stay here in fear. For Christians, this phrase should be understood as something between terror and reverential awe. We need to remember that God is both our merciful Savior, and our holy judge.
You may say, “if all this is true, then why is the world and so many people in it so messed up?”. The answer is easy. It is S E L F. We are so caught up in pleasing self, doing what we think we need to do for us, doing what pleases us and those around us so that others will be nice to us, that we cannot see what it is God would have for us to do.

Living for God is not this monster of a yoke so many make it out to be. All God wants from you and I is, a relationship, something you would work at like you found your one and only true love. He wants honesty. He wants you to do the right thing. He wants you to share with others the things He has done for you and in your life. Just tell your story. I promise, there are those that need to hear it.

What is your purpose? You may not like to hear this, but, you purpose is not to be is not to be the CEO of Opec, unless God has placed you there. Your purpose is not to be the finest chef in France, unless He has placed you there. The point I am trying to make, and maybe doing a poor job of it is, that just because you are doing something you like to do or something you think you are good at, does not mean that is what your purpose is, unless you know that God has placed you there.

Remember: If you would remember to conduct yourself in everything you think, say and do, as if a preacher were walking every step with you, and it was your sincerest desire to please him, you will find and fulfill your purpose. By-the-way, Jesus, the greatest preacher is right by you every second of everyday. How does that make you feel about some of the things you have thought, said or done lately?

Until next time, please continue to pray for each other and me, as I continue to pray for each of you. Love in CHRIST,

Brian Hanvey
Associate Pastor
Bethel Baptist Church

"IT'S ALL LIES"

Good morning everyone. I pray this finds each of you doing well and enjoying the blessings God continues to pour out upon us day by day. I  pray that your Thanksgiving was one filled with God, family, love, food and fun.  I want to thank each of you for your contributions, whatever they may have been, or are, to helping me get to this point in my life, and let you all know that you are very special to me. THANK YOU

"It's all lies"! Have you ever heard someone say, "it's just a little white lie"? Or, have you heard someone say, "I just told a little fib, I've never lied"? Have you ever been caught up with the word "little"? Like that is suppose to make the deed less than what it is or was, because it was "little". We all have done this and been guilty of lying. If you disagree, then I guess you have never told a child about Santa, the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy. Maybe you don't have kids. Ok then, have you ever seen someone who just had a haircut and you thought it looked terrible, but for the sake of their feelings you tell them how good it looks? Sure, we all have lied at some point in our lives. Honesty can be painful.

What does God think about lies? If you will read Exodus 20:16, which by-the-way is important enough to be one of the Ten Commandments, it says, "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor". What does this break down to?

All of us can and should understand the beginning of this commandment, "You shall not". There is no wiggle room or gray area left to play around in. It does not say, "you should not lie, unless it is absolutely necessary". It does not say "you should not lie unless it will get you out of trouble". It does not say "you can tell a small one, if you have good intentions". It says, "You shall not". The dictionary defines the rest of the words as follows.

Bear: to transmit or spread; to render; afford; give:

False: uttering, or declaring what is untrue

Witness: to bear witness to; testify to; give or afford evidence of

Neighbor: one's fellow human being

Proverbs 12:22 says, "Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight". James 2:8-11 says, "8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well; 9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. 11 For He who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law." God shows us the importance of not lying, by including the commandment to not, in the Ten Commandments and telling us in James that if we lie and break that commandment, we are guilty of adultery, murder and breaking the rest of the commandments.

Lying is a hard habit to break and it can be the poster child for the term "snowball effect". When we tell one lie, it almost always leads to another, and another and they get bigger and worse as they go. James 1:26 says, "If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless." 1 Peter 3:10 says, "For "He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit." Have you ever met someone who lied so much and so often, that they began to believe the lies themselves?

Lying is as prevalent in our society as is air. It should not be that way and that was not God's intention in the beginning, but that is how we have made it. I just want to remind you that the Bible tells us that everything done in secret will one day be brought out in the open and that God is everywhere and sees everything. So, let's seek God's help in cleaning up our mouths and hearts, so that one day when we stand before the King of kings and Lord of lords, we will have a few less things to be ashamed of and answer for.

Remember:  “He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and a third time till at length it becomes habitual.”   Thomas Jefferson.

Until next time, please pray for each other and me, as I continue to pray for each of you. Love in CHRIST,

Brian Hanvey

Associate Pastor

Bethel Baptist Chruch

“CHRISTIANITY IS A CRUTCH”

Good morning.  I would like to say thank you again to each of you that take the time to read these, to those of you who forward them on to others to read and those of you who offer feedback.  I am thankful to be a mouthpiece for God.

I watched a movie loaned to me by a friend, “Grace Card”, and heard a man say something along the lines that I have heard a thousand times, “Christianity is a crutch”.  That statement provoked me to much thought.  Who do you know, including yourself, that does not lean on something?  Some lean on cigarettes.  Some lean on alcohol, pills, powder, rocks, liquid and grass.  In each case the “user” is looking for a quick fix.  In reality, nothing is ever resolved by “leaning” on the above mention items and we just end up making the distributors wealthier and our money is quickly burnt up or flowing down the drain.

Hebrews 13:5-6 says, “5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." 6 So we may boldly say: "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"  Nahum 1:7 says, “The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.”  Jeremiah 33:3 says, “'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”  Matthew 11:28-30 says, “28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."  

Do you know of someone who has lost a loved one, who is going through financial trouble, who has been diagnosed with some terrible disease, who is having issues with their children, who maybe experiencing transportation problems, marital problems and we could go on and on for more than we have space here?  Just this week I have been called by two different families with loved ones diagnosed with the “C” word and I know of a few others.  One of those men lost the battle Wednesday.    

The bottom line is, we ourselves are going through some of the trials listed above, or we know someone fighting with them and it is how we cope with them that I am talking about today.  For some, it is a cigarette. People believe they calm the nerves.  For some it is a drink.  For some it is a drug or we take it out on someone else.  While these things give a false sense of security and a temporary escape from reality, after a moment these “problem solvers” are gone and the trial is still there.

The Bible tells us that in this world we will have trouble, but God has overcome the world and our faith and hope is found in Him.  God is incapable of lying.  He never has and never will.  His word promises that if we will put our faith and trust in Him, that He will be our Father.  His word also reminds us that He will never put more on us than we can bear, without making a way of escape.

But wait.  I hear some of you thinking out there.  How can all this be true?  Look at the shape the world is in.  Well there is a reason for this.  God’s promises are for His people.  They do not apply to those who have chosen to reject Him and depend on these other “crutches”.

If you are not one of God’s chosen, you can be right now.  All you have to do is admit you are a sinner and need forgiveness.  Believe Jesus died for your sins and arose on the third day.  Confess your need of a savior to do for you what we cannot do for ourselves.  Repent of your sins and ask God to come into your heart and live, and the Bible says you “shall be saved”.

If you are one of God’s chosen already, but you are hanging on to one of the above mentioned vices and relying on their help instead of God, I pray today will be the day that you give them up and ask God to fulfill that void.

Walking with God does not mean the rest of your life will be smooth sailing, what it does mean is that when the storms of life come along you are with the One who can carry you through them and see you safe to the other side.

Remember:  The next time someone says, “Christianity is a crutch”, try to help them recognize the difference Christ can make in life and eternity compared to the “temporary fix” worldly vices offer.

Until next time, please pray for each other and me, as I continue to pray for each of you.  Love in CHRIST

Brian Hanvey

Associate Pastor

Bethel Baptist Church