“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  

“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