“WHAT IF???”

Good morning everyone. We are blessed to be at the beginning of another week and fresh off the heels of another Sunday's worship services. Looking at the glass that is half full, sort of speak, in two days we get to go to Wednesday's services. I pray that you take advantage of the privilege you are afforded to worship in a church of your choice. That privilege may not always be here.???????

What if????,,,,, This is a questions that has kept a lot of psychiatrist living the good life. We live in a life of paranoia, asking ourselves "What if". What if the car breaks down? What if I lose my job? What if I do this or do that? I used to suffer from this as well. I would not walk around the block with my wife. I would say, "What if a dog is lose?" I had a terrible fear of dogs and because of that, I missed a lot of walks that I can never get back. Today, I want us to give some thought to what really matters in life and that is God's prospective on our lives and "What if?" we died today. I want to provoke you to thought. The Bible tells us that, God's ways and thoughts are not our ways and thoughts. They are higher and eternally focused. Knowing this about God, I would ask you to consider these questions and the possibility of God's "What if".

What if, while driving through a bad part of town late one evening your car starts acting up and you call out to God, "Please help me just get a few more blocks to the service station" and God's reply was "Why should I do that? Did you give Ms. Jones a ride to church this week? Did you take Ms. Smith to the doctor Friday? "No, I don't think I will help you today."
What if, while sitting in your house, you look up and say, "Lord, I wish you would give me that big house over on Madison Street, you know it is in a better neighborhood and bigger and better than this one and I think I deserve it for all the hard work I do" and God's reply was, "Why should I do that?" "Did you let the Browns stay with you when their house burned, knowing you had more than enough room?" "Did you take in the Thompson's when their house flooded?" "No, I don't think I will do this for you".

What if, when you sit down to chicken for supper tonight that you have had two other times this week, you said, "Lord I wish you would give me shrimp today instead of this chicken" and God's reply was, "Is it not enough that you have something to eat?" "Mr. Davis lost his job and his family would be happy with some chicken, did you offer to share?" "No, I will not do this".

What if, while you are on your way to work today you called out to God and said, "God I hate my job, won't you give me something else" and God's reply was, "Why should I do that?" "Do you know how many people who have been praying for me to give them your job?" "Do you know the problem and heartache involved with the job you think you want?" "Did you complete MY will and purpose where I have placed you at this point and time?" "No, I will not do this for or to you today".

What if, while at your next doctor's visit, you are told you have only weeks to live, or maybe even days and you cry out to God, "Please give me more time" and God's reply was "Why, what have you done with all these years you have already had"? "Did you share the plan of salvation with Ms. Clark all those times I urged you to?" "Did you serve as a Sunday school teacher all those years I tried to get you to?" "More time, no, I don't think so".

My point is, these are the types of "What ifs" we should be concerned with. Not what if someone sees me talking to so in so. Or what if I have a bad hair day and someone should see.

We buy a house knowing that we have to pay on it for 30 years and then keep up the taxes for it to be ours. We buy a car, pay on it for 3,4,5, or maybe even 7 years and invest in maintenance to make it ours and keep it going. But we do little to nothing for God, and expect Him to pop out of some sort of magic lamp and perform whatever we think we need whenever we think we need it. We expect Him to save us, prosper us and give us all our hearts desires all the while everyone else is on their own. God does not save us and pour out His blessings on us so that we can open up the "First National Bank of Brian". If you are blessed, and you are whether you know it or not, you are blessed so you can be a blessing to others.

In Matthew 15 we are told that the blessings of God are for His own. In Matthew 25 we are told that those who are faithful will be rewarded. And in Mark 8 we are reminded that if we are ashamed of Christ and His words, He also will be ashamed of us. Please read these chapters when you can and see what God is trying to reveal to you.

So, there it is. "What if" Christ came today? "What if" you were to die today? Would you be one of His? Would He be ashamed of you? Would He say, "welcome home thy good and faithful servant", or would He say as He did in Revelations 2, "I have a some against you"? I started out telling you I wanted to provoke you to thought today, and I pray this has and has spoke to you as it has me.

Remember: What if, you woke up tomorrow with only the things you asked and or thanked God for yesterday???

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

Brian Hanvey
Associate Pastor
Bethel Baptist Church

“LIFE”

Good morning to all on this wonderful and unseasonably warm day.  To any of you who took the time to recognize your pastoral staff last month, (Oct.) pastor appreciation month, I thank you.  I am blessed to be a part of the staff at Bethel and am thankful for all the cards, calls, pies and smiles I received.

This week I want to look at “Life”.  One of our church family members is fighting for her life as I type this very message.  Life is so fragile, and yet we choose to waste so much of it on nonsense, things that have no eternal value.  Today marks 26 years ago that I ask my wife to “be my girlfriend”.  26 years of “Life” have passed.  When you look back over your life, can you say you have lived a life that has honored God and one you are proud of, or would it be a life of shame and embarrassment?  Let’s look at a few quotes from God’s perspective.

Job 7:7 says, “Oh, remember that my life is a breath! My eye will never again see good.”  Psalm 144:4 says, “ Man is like a breath; His days are like a passing shadow.”  James 4:14 says, “whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”  2 Corinthians 5:14 says, “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died.”  Mark 8:35-37 says, “35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. 36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Have you ever said, “it is my life, I’ll live it the way I want to”?  Are you the type to take chances, “live on the edge” because you have the attitude that you only live once, so you should try anything and everything?  What is important to you?  Do you live a life that distinguishes the differences between the here and now and eternity?  If you were told today, that you had a year to live, or maybe six months or even a month, what would you do different?

The Bible tells us that our lives are like a “breath”, “a shadow” and “a vapor”.  So, why is it we live like we are never going to die and we do what we want like there will not be any consequences? 

We were created by God to have fellowship with Him and to be of service to Him.  We were given wives, husbands, children, other family members, churches and other things to make us happy and so that we would have support.  God expects certain standards and actions from us.  Knowing this, are we living to please God, or self.

I was at the mall this weekend picking up a card for my pastor and took a little time to window shop.  I am surprised still when I go out into the public and I see some women in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s dressing like their children and grandchildren.  Low rise jeans, fish net tops.  Some single women in this age group have even become popular with names such as cougars, or panthers.  Instead of being the example to their children, teaching them to dress respectfully and modest as the Bible tells us, they are following their children and basically putting a stamp of approval on their promiscuity.

Before you start throwing stones at me, let me say, I am not singling women out.  Some men are just as bad.  You see some men in the same age category with sagging pants, unnatural looking hair colors, using words and slang that really sound silly.  You have some men in the 40-60 category that just refuse to grow up.  They refuse to walk away from the drinking and partying that most grow out of in their 20’s.  Some are more worried about being their children’s friend, when what they really need is a father.  A leader to teach them right from wrong, respect for women and how to live a Christ honoring life.

What will it take for us to realize how short life is?  How we need to be the Godly servants, fathers, mothers, grandfathers and mothers, workers and examples to this lost and dieing word that we were created to be in the first place?  If you were told today, you had one week to live, what would you regret the most, the time you didn’t have to be at work?  Of course not.  Would it be time lost from a family member or friend over something trivial?  Would it be words that have been said in anger? 

Remember:  Life could be described as, L-ove I-nspires F-orgiving

Each other.  Live a life with no regrets when you meet the maker of life.

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

Brian Hanvey

Associate Pastor

Bethel Baptist Church  

“IDK”------”IDC”

Good morning.  I pray you have been having a great weekend and are planning a prosperous week ahead.  I am so thankful for the time I have been able to spend in God’s house and with His chosen people this week.  If you don’t know the feelings I’m talking about when you are in God’s house and with His people, you don’t know what you are missing.

Do you know what the letters above stand for?  For a long time, I didn’t.  You see there is a whole other language out there that was as far as I can tell, originated by our young people.  There are places you can go online to “learn” this code.  I caution you though, it may surprise you as to what you may find.  Sadder still, is that adults are beginning to adapt to and go along with this fad.  We have become a people that have no time, don’t know and don’t care.

2 Timothy 2:14-16 says, “14 Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. 15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 16 But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.”  2 Timothy 4:2-4 says “2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables“  Luke 12:48 says, “But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.”  Matthew 7:13-14 says, “ 13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”  Luke 8:11-15 says, “11 "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 13 But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. 14 Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. 15 But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.”

The letters above stand for “I Don’t Know” and “I Don’t Care”.  Have we really become a world that would “rather not know” and that “really doesn’t care”? 

Everything is such a rush these days.  Children are expected to be so advanced from where we were back in my day.  Are we stupid or slow?  NO.  After all, all the advancements and inventions we are off and running with today came from the older generations, so we must have not been reared or trained too bad.  Our schools are so worried about “no child left behind” that they are spitting out graduates that cannot spell basic words, tell you the meaning of similar spelled words and cannot even make simple change without the assistance of a calculator or cash register machine.  For the most part, the chance of a full and complete sentence is almost out of the question.  What are we in such a rush for?  We are only going to live so long, so why don’t we stop along the way to smell the roses

IDK.  IDC.  People would rather not know the truth, thinking the less they know, the less they will have to answer for and that is not the truth of the matter.   Just because we choose to close our minds to the truth and ignore it, that doesn’t make it less convicting.

I heard a true story of a woman that was raped in a mall parking lot.  The woman yelled out for almost 20 minutes as this ordeal played out while many cars and others walked by, and no one came to her aid.  No one wanted to, “get involved“.  They “didn’t care”.

We are fostering generations of young and some older people, that just don’t care.  If you disagree with me, compare the rate of pregnant high school freshmen to 25 or 30 years ago.  Compare the dropout rate, suicide rate, single parent homes and number of children on depression medication to the same time period.  I am not picking on the young.  Some of them care very much and they are showing it everyday.  But, statistics are showing that in 20 years, over half our churches will be closed because the older generations are dying off and the younger ones to follow are too busy and would rather not be bothered by it.  We are not instilling the root system they need to face the here and now, let alone the future.

Remember:  It is ok to be a follower, if you are following Jesus, because then you will be leading others to Him.  This, you will,  “Know” and “Care” about.

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 

“CHANGE IS IN THE AIR”

Good morning everyone. Well, fall has set in, and, as much as I don’t want to admit it, so has cooler weather. The other change that I don’t particularly like is the time change. But, I do love the colors that accompany the change of seasons.

What do you think of this time of year? For some, the excitement of the coming holiday season comes to mind. For some, this time of year begins the most difficult time of the year to fight depression. These two examples cover the differences like night and day. For most of us, we probably fall somewhere in between the two. We could never cover all the thoughts that come up in the limited space we have here, so I will focus on one area. When I think of “fall”, I think of a cleansing period. A time to let “old things” go.

Romans 6:6 says, “knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” Ephesians 4:22 says, “ that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,” Colossians 3:8-9 says, “8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,” 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” MalachI 3:6 says, “For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.”

When I think of fall, I think of the old flower gardens that must be cleaned out. I think of vegetable gardens that must be cut down and tilled under. Leaves that must be raked and done away with. When I think of this kind of change, I think about salvation and what a change that makes, (or should make) in us. All of the “old” sin and ways of life that lead to destruction should be done away with to make way for a new prepared ground that will grow good fruit in due time.

Think of how God regenerates the earth every year. In the spring everything new pops up everywhere, then fall comes and things die off and God kind of washes everything old away to make way for the coming new. Our lives are just like that. The Bible tells us that His mercies are new everyday. God gives us good and plenty all the time, then we start going down our own roads and grow weeds that we need a fall change to come along and kill off to make way for the good. For us there will always be change, either by our doing or by God stepping in to take care of what we wouldn’t or couldn’t.

The only constant that we can depend on year after year after year, is God. His word proclaims to us, that He always has been, is and always will be and He never changes. This world has changed and grown and become a Godless place, but God is still God. While “Change Is In The Air”, leaves are changing colors, old things are dying off, the days are shorter and life seems to slow up just a bit, God is in control and nothing is going to happen that He cannot handle for us.

Remember: While there is a “change” in the air, eternity is ever the same. Under the same management for thousands of years and still growing.

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

“DROPPED BALL”

Good morning to all the faithful that read these each week.  It is thanks to you that I am of some use to God, while I sit in this house at this computer and in front of the TV all day everyday.  I pray that God speaks to you in a mighty way and that you receive His message though these each week.  Please feel free to comment anytime.

Today I want to discuss the topic of the “Dropped Ball”.  You have heard someone at some point say, “I dropped the ball”,  “I took my hand off the wheel”, “my head wasn’t in the game” and so on.  Well today I want you to think of these phrases in terms of our children, families and responsibilities to God.  Would you say that “you are 100% in line” with what God expects of you as a father, mother, husband, wife or servant?  Let’s look at a few scriptures.

Deuteronomy 11:18-20 says, “18 “Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 19 You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 20 And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates,”  Ephesians 6:4 says, “ And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”  Ephesians 5:33 says, “ Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”  1 Timothy 5:8 says, “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”  Ephesians 2:19 says, Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,“  Galatians 6:9-10 says, “9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.”  Matthew 7:16-21 says, “16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them. 21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”

WOW.  I know it is a lot of scripture, but you would rather know what God’s word says, than man’s.  God’s word is telling us that we are to be Godly fathers, with integrity, standing up for right, even if we have to stand alone.  Even if we risk ridicule.  We are to be fathers, leaders legacy leavers and if we can be that and friends to them, so be it, but friends should come last. 

God has charged us with a responsibility that must come first.

We must be loyal and faithful husbands.  God says we are to love our wives, as we love ourselves.  Most men don’t go around beating on themselves and cussing themselves out.  Why do we do that to the gift God has given us in a wife?  If you are at a loss on how to love your wife in a Godly way, I challenge you to check out the “Love Dare” at Lifeway Christian Bookstore.  It will help you take your marriage to levels you have never known.

Finally, God made us to have fellowship with Him and to serve Him.  If we are not doing that, there is no profit in us living from God’s perspective.  You may say, “that sounds cold”.  The truth sometimes is cold and sobering.  The fact is God created each of us for a purpose and if we choose to not do God’s will and just live to please self, then what good are we to God?  The Bible tells us that we are to bear fruit, good fruit, and if we don’t we will be “cut down”.  This is not talking about children and is the night and day of reality

Life is and can be great, if you are living for and striving to serve God each and every moment of the day.  If you do this, then you will learn to be better at all the above task as well as every other area of your life.

Remember:  A “Dropped Ball” has no direction, but a controlled ball, always lands safely.

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

“LOVE”

Good morning all.  This has been a great week of revival at our church and I am thankful that I was able to be there two nights.  Thank you to the two men who offered to drive me to and from.  This was a spiritual shot of espresso that my heart needed.  It is well with my soul today.

Today I want to talk to you about love.  Love is a word thrown around today by many who show no real signs of knowing how to love or what the meaning of the word really is.  Too often you will hear a man use the word to get what he wants from a woman.  You will hear a child use it with a parent to get what they want.  You even hear the word in church between fellow believers, but you do not see it in action.  Let’s look at the One who is love and what His word has to show us.

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.”  Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  Luke 6:32 says, “32 But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.”  Luke 6:35 says, “35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.”  Ephesians 2:4 says, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,”  Mark 12:30 says, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment.”  1 John 4:19-20 says, “19 We love Him because He first loved us. 20 If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?”

What is love to you?  Is it getting your own way?  Are you loved because someone gives you gifts?  Are you loved if someone gives you money?

Love can be defined as a profoundly tender, passionately affection for another person; a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child or friend.

We all have the capability to love and the desire to be loved.  The word love is used more than 320 times in the Bible.  John 3:16 is arguably the best known verse in the Bible.  Even those who don’t believe in a God, know this verse.   John 3:16 tells us that “God so loved the world”.  God loves us with a love we strive to attain and most often fail.  The Bible tells us that God loved us while we were yet sinners. 

Christ suffered a death that is unexplainable for the “world” whether we choose to follow Him or not, and that is the kind of love we are to strive to love Him with and others as well.

The Bible tells us that there is no reward for loving those that love us, even “sinners love those who love them”.  Our charge is to love those who love us AND those who don’t.  Those who would call us “Bible thumpers”.  Those who would mock and ridicule us.  Those who would make us be the topic of their jokes and laugh at us.  These are the ones we are to love and show God’s kind of love towards.

Mark 12:30 tells us that we are to “love the Lord our God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and all your strength”.  If we can ever accomplish this 100%, then all the other “loves” of our lives will be what they are suppose to be.  But we must first start with loving God and allowing Him to share that “Agape” love with us.

Remember:  When you are in love, you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.  (Dr. Seuss)

Until next time, please remember 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

“CHARGE IT”

Good morning friends. I am thankful for another opportunity to come to you with what God has laid on my heart to share with you. It is an honor to be allowed to speak with you each week and I am humbled that you would take the time out of your busy schedule to read these.


This weeks topic is “Charge It”. All around us we see people, businesses, governments and countries struggling financially. People who are not making what they did, for whatever reason, are resulting to loans and credit cards to live on. Unfortunately, people have put God in the same category as credit. God is only important when we need something. Here are a few scriptures on the subject.


Proverbs 1:24-31 says, “24 Because I have called and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded, 25 Because you disdained all my counsel, And would have none of my rebuke, 26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes, 27 When your terror comes like a storm, And your destruction comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you. 28 "Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. 29 Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the Lord, 30 They would have none of my counsel And despised my every rebuke. 31 Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, And be filled to the full with their own fancies.” Psalms 66:18 says, “18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear.” Isaiah 1:15 says, “15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood”.

God loves us and wants to give us our heart’s desires. BUT, He is not there to be used for just when we need something. We have become so dependant on self, machines, medicines, fortune tellers, horoscopes, good luck charms, magnetic shoe inserts, power bracelets and every other kind of craziness, that we have left out or forgot about God. The Bible tells us that all good things come form God.

The point I am trying to make is, God’s word tells us that He is there for those that hear and obey His word. You must have a relationship with Him and be trying to do your best to live for Him. If you are a friend of the world, living it up, drinking, cussing, drugging, lying, cheating others and all other kinds of sin, through the week and try to put on a “good” face for Sunday, you are wasting your time. The Bible tells us in the scripture above, that if you do all the kinds of sins mentioned and not mentioned, and then when trouble comes your way and you call on God for help, the Bible says, God “will laugh at your calamity”.
To experience victory, and have the best this life has to offer, you must have God in your heart and allow Him to have rule over your life. It cannot be a “part-time” effort. You cannot live a life where you have the reins during the good times and leave God out and when trouble comes along, then all of the sudden you want God to pull you out of another hole.

God is always waiting and listening for that prayer of forgiveness and repentance from a lost sinner. But there is no such thing as an “American Express God Card”. You cannot “charge it” and promise to do a good deed later if He will do something for you right now. You have been bought and paid for and accepted God as owner, or you have chose to continue to live a life of sin. He is either your Savior and Lord or not. He is not a credit bank to be abused and used in times of need and then forgotten the rest of the time.

Remember: The next time you want God to “do” for you, what He has already done for you. Then ask yourself, is He my Father or another overdrawn account.

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

“GREED”

Good morning everyone.  Well, fall is in the air and I personally am not looking forward to the cold to follow.  Don’t get me wrong, I know each day is a blessing and I will be thankful for everyone I get to see, but I don’t do well in the cold.

Today, I want to speak on the subject of greed.  Greed can be exhibited in many ways.  Greed is an inordinate desire to acquire and possess.  Greed is sin - contrary to the character of God.  Greed involves the "personal aspiration" of the "lust of the eyes".  Greed is related to materialism.  Greed is idolatry.  Greed, while having an appeal and the appearance of satisfying, can run you down, mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Let’s go to “The Book” and see what God has to say.

1 Corinthians 5:11 says, “What I meant was that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a Christian yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or a drunkard, or a swindler. Don't even eat with such people.”  Mark 7:21-23 says, “21For from within, out of a person's heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, eagerness for lustful pleasure, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. 23 All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you and make you unacceptable to God."  Luke 12:15 says, “Then he said, "Beware! Don't be greedy for what you don't have. Real life is not measured by how much we own."  Ephesians 5:5 says, “You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is really an idolater who worships the things of this world.”  1 John 3:17 says, “But if anyone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need and refuses to help -- how can God's love be in that person?”

There may be greed if you:  ..can't say "no" when offered money to do a job.  ...feel resentment when someone acquires what you would like to have.  ...engage in the "one-up-man-ship" of topping another's accounts of acquisitions.  ...give something wanting to be properly credited or reciprocated.  ...feel imposed upon when one of your children asks for money to buy something.  …if you begrudge another of a meal, a new pair of shoes or maybe some new clothes.

Some how, we have evolved from a world where families and communities use to stick together, “one for all and all for one”, to “the one with the most toys wins”.  It use to be if your neighbor was hungry, you didn’t go around whispering about it, you shared what you had.  If you only had two shirts in your closet and your neighbor didn’t have one, you gave them one of yours. 

I remember a show on Andy Griffith where Andy was suppose to evict a family and instead their neighbors got together and helped to raise money to pay up their mortgage.  Statistics today show that approximately 1 in 200 Americans are homeless.  God forgive us.

If each of us that has food to eat, clothes on our backs, a roof over our heads and can pay our bills of necessity and have money to spare would just do a little for those that don’t have these things to live, the world would be a much better place and the we would be the better for it.

Remember:  Thomas Jefferson said, “Experience demands that man is the only animal which devours his own kind, for I can apply no milder term to the general prey of the rich on the poor”.

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

Brian Hanvey

Associate Pastor

Bethel Baptist Church

“CHARACTER”

Good morning to everyone. Once again, I pray you took advantage of the privilege to
attend a house of worship of your choice. At least we have not lost that blessing yet.
People try to take us away from Christ and Christ away from us, but we can still get up
and go to church, if we will.

Our topic this week is "Character". Character can be defined as,
1>the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or
thing.
2>one such feature or trait; characteristic.
3>moral or ethical quality: a man of fine, honorable character.
4>qualities of honesty, courage, or the like; integrity: It takes character to face up to a
bully.
5> reputation: a stain on one's character.
6>good repute.
7>an account of the qualities or peculiarities of a person or thing.
8>a person, esp. with reference to behavior or personality: a suspicious character.

With these definitions, we see things that help to show others who and what we are.
The Bible tells us of how the early Patriarchs made their way through life building alters
and digging wells to leave monuments to others and their children. Generations later,
people could tell you who built the alter and for what reason, or who dug the well and
why. Character was passed down through time and it was the actions of those that
made their character.

I can remember as a child living in Tennessee, my grandmother on my dad's side lived
in Alabama and my grandparents on my mother's side lived in Florida. We use to make
a lot of trips back and forth between the two of them. We could have jumped on 65
and took the fast track, but most of the time we took the back roads. We would stop
at the roadside picnic tables and eat a packed lunch of fried pork chops or fried
chicken, potato salad and maybe some tea made in a milk jug. No fast food junk. We
would load up in the station wagon and stop by the state parks and walk around.
During the car ride, we would play "I spy", "Popeye" or maybe "hangman", or if the ride
was too long between stops we may even have a fight between siblings. We did ok
without laptops, psps, Nintendo ds, portable dvd players, mp3 players, ipods, cell phones
and notepads. We actually talked about what was going on in our lives. We talked
about how things have changed over the years. Now days, everyone is flying up and
down the 6,7,8 lane roads in a hurry to get to where they think they have to be and
the little 2 lane roads that have history and character, little ma and pa shops and
cafes, are disappearing, and with them all the character that goes along with them. And
with that goes the character that becomes instilled in us.

Have you ever heard the saying, "so and so looks just like so and so, or he cannot
deny him"? It use to be we were known by our families and the character and
reputation of our families were known by people all around. I would venture to say that
most teens could not even tell you their grandparents full names, let alone anything
about their great-grandparents. Parents are doing all they can to pay for the things they
think they have to have and our children are being left to raise themselves on cable,
video games, friends, gangs and who knows what else. That is where they are learning
their character.

If we look back a generation or two, we see families taking care of each other. There
was no microwave foods, families made sure they cooked real meals to share. Families
ate together. After meals, everyone didn't shoot off to do their own things. They sat
around together and talked, played games, sang around a guitar or piano, watched the
sunsets, learned about what it took from their ancestors to make it possible for them to
be where they are today. Today we tell people they need to "find themselves", forget
the past and any parental influences and just be yourself. Looking back at the past, it
wasn't all that bad. Today we have the highest rate of teen violence, teen pregnancy,
unwed mothers, divorce, homosexuality, suicide, low to no self esteem, people living with
each other without being married and there are more people living on prescription drugs
for mental disorders than ever before.

We are told in the book of Romans, chapter 5, that tribulation produces perseverance;
and perseverance, character; and character, hope. If we are going to have hope in these
times, and I think there could be no argument that these are rough times, we must
return to the teachings of the Bible and stop looking to Oprah and Dr. Phil for the
answers to life questions. It is this type of thought and evolution that have brought us
from the times of happy families and Andy Griffith, to where we are today.
Character is not something we can tell those we influence to have. We can tell them
about others in our past, that have helped us to have the character we have, but we
must also live out the character our ancestors passed on to us, if we hope to get back
on track. The change we need is not what the presidential hopefuls are trying to push
down our throats, but a change back to the basic and simple things of life. When times
were much better and character said something about you and you were proud of what
it said about you.

Remember: As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. [Proverbs 23:7] THE BIBLE.

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 WALK IN THE PARK”

Good morning. I pray you all had a restful and spirit filled weekend. I was blessed with
the ability to be in God’s house this week and I am so thankful for that, and for the
spiritual feeding I received. I also would like to encourage any of you that actually read
this to voice any opinions, commits or questions you may come up with.

Today’s topic, “A Walk In The Park”, is inspired from all the “real life” that is going on
all around us right now. There is some “myth” that says, “if you are a Christian, it will
always be smooth sailing. You will never have any money problems. You will always have
good health. You will never have a bad day. You will always be up and you will never
have a ripple in your pond.” This train of though is BOLOGNA. Let me show you a few
things God’s word has to say about this.

Psalms 34:19 says, “ Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him
out of them all.” Job 2:10 says, “ But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish
women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept
adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” Proverbs 24:16 says, “ For a
righteous man may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by
calamity.” Hebrews 12:6 says, “ For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges
every son whom He receives." John 16:33 says, “These things I have spoken to you,
that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good
cheer, I have overcome the world." 1 John 5:3-4 says, “3 For this is the love of God,
that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For
whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome
the world--our faith.” Revelations 2:10 says, “Do not fear any of those things which you
are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that
you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I
will give you the crown of life.”

Friends, the reality is, in this life, there will be times that you don’t have enough money
to go around. There will be times when people mistreat you and reject you. There will
be times of illness and death. There will be times of loneliness. There will be times
when it seems like nothing will go right and everyone is against you. There will be times
when you are down and cannot see the forest for the trees.

But wait; All this bad, is just for a season. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “To everything
there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:” Matthew 7:10 reminds us
that it is God’s desire to give us good. God is on the side of those that are His.
There will be times of rain, but there will be times of sunshine as well. There will be
times of pain, but there will be times of happiness. There will be times of poverty, but
there will be times of prosperity. “A Walk In The Park”??? Depends on who you are
walking with.

Remember: You cannot experience the thrill of victory, if you’re never in the fight to
begin with.

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