. . .For as much as the believer’s baptism is an outward reflection of our faithful commitment to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our participation in the Lord’s Supper is an inward reflection of the same commitment. The Lord’s Supper is celebrated by faith, with humility, and it displays deep appreciation for the atonement of what Jesus Christ willingly did for us, while we were still sinners. Consider for a moment the words of Jesus at the Last Supper recorded in Matthew. Jesus said of the bread He offered to each disciple, “Take, eat; this is my body.” Then when Jesus poured the wine He said, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Over the bread and the wine, Jesus blessed both. On Sunday, we will celebrate the blessing of the bread and the wine. Today, we know what Jesus meant with his final meal with the disciples, but they would have to learn what it meant after Jesus died for therm. The body of Jesus, or the coming of Him to earth, is what we believe in, and the blood of Jesus is how we are saved as He sacrificed Himself for us. Again, while we were still sinners. The celebration of the Lord’s Supper is powerful – Don’t miss it!! . . .

…As we continue in our Daniel sermon series, we come to one of the most well-known events in Scripture. Daniel in the lion’s den. The event itself brings a certain “must know” excitement. It is certainly one of the highlight events of the Old Testament. This coming Lord’s Day, we will find Daniel once again living a godly life of faith, devoted to prayer, and full of genuine worship. And Daniel continued to prosper materially under the new king, King Darius the Meade.

This event in Daniel’s life is so very interesting – Spiritually!! There is a primary emotion that pushed Daniel’s colleagues to act in spiteful manipulation of a king, and blood thirsty vengeance against a man. This exact emotion pushed Daniel closer to God in the face of certain death…

. . . Bethel family, your comments towards the latest sermon series in Daniel have been so encouraging. It is amazing how the Bible is so relevant to our time, as told through the events of those who lived so long ago. This Lord’s Day, we left King Nebuchadnezzar to the pages of Biblical history after a reign of 43 years, with Daniel by his side in the governance of Babylon. Next, we will be introduced King Belshazzar, not an immediate predecessor, as he ruled about nine years after the death of King Nebuchadnezzar. The young man Daniel of the first chapter is now in his mid-sixties.

Godliness is not automatic, and it does not pass from generation to generation. Each person must make a conscious choice to follow God. . .

…We are well into the sermon series, “Daniel – A Book for a Time Like Ours”. I hope you are seeing how the world and its people 2,400 years ago are no different than the world and its people are today. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego faced an “image of gold” literally, and their “worship” to the image was demanded, or they faced execution. But God had different plans for His obedient children. Although we don’t face such demands today, we must be prepared to face an “image of gold” when it is placed before us. We must commit to stand for God before we refuse to kneel in disobedience…

… This coming Lord’s Day we will see the resolve of three men who said, “We will not” obey an ungodly and sinful command no matter the power and prestige of the one who gives it. In their days, the highest authority with absolute sovereignty was King Nebuchadnezzar. He had the power over your life, the power to bless your life, and the power to end your life. But King Nebuchadnezzar was power-less compared to the authority possessed by the living God upon His children. This truthful realization by worldly leaders ALWAYS produces conflict and resentment within them towards God. Then, because the worldly leader cannot defeat God nor overpower God, they persecute and punish God’s followers. Sinful actions by a worldly leader are ineffective attempts to defeat God. The result is angry and unreasonable rage against those who love and obey God. Persecution of God’s faithful may decrease our numbers on earth, but it will increase God’s power upon those who remain.