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May I invite you to come and be our guest? New Bethel Baptist Church has a rich history of over 100 years. Yet, we do not want to dwell on the past...but look forward to the future...if our Lord tarries His coming. From this church goes forth the gospel of Christ, Who is the head of our assembly. We are formulating new goals, re-evaluating old goals, and setting out to build for the Lord as He makes provision for His great work. Consider becoming a part of what the Lord is doing here.
Our pastor has written many articles for Bible studies, pamphlets, church newsletters and such. We will feature an article regularly on this page, plus links to other articles, outlines, sermon notes, starter studies and more in-depth studies as well.
Sunday August 3, 2003, New Bethel Church met in special business meeting and voted to extend a call to our Pastor to serve another year in that capacity. On Sunday August 17, 2003, he accepted the call. New Bethel has ventured out in the past year to start afresh in God's business of ministry. It has been a hard year, with many expenses and few gains when measured in new members, or those won to Christ. But when the overall picture in viewed, we have gained new ground. There has been some gains in membership, and much gain in personal spiritual growth and knowledge. For this we bow our heads and give thanks to the Lord of Glory...because we know it is He who has given the increase.
August 2004, was another milestone for New Bethel and Pastor Jack, as the church voted to extend the call to pastor for another year. This yearly arrangement was agreed to by all parties in the beginning, as the church had gone through some trying times. Since the coming of Pastor Jack, the Lord has seen fit to increase our number from about 13 to a high of 63. We give all the credit to our Lord...because He has been so gracious to bless our labors and give the increase...even in spite of us on many occasions.
Pastor Jack became full time (he was bi-vocational before) as of January 1, 2005. He took early retirement from his public job. The church voted to cut his pay (at his request) but take on his insurance needs. Because of our Lord's blessings, our church continues to forge ahead. He is sending us new people. The growth is not fast...but it is still growth...and we praise the Lord for this increase. It is our desire to please Him, and be willing instruments in His hands to win many in our community to Him. If you don't have a church home, you are invited...
At the bi-monthly business meeting in May, 2005, the church voted to dispense with the yearly vote on the Pastor. This was a temporary arrangement at the suggestion of Pastor Jack when he first accepted the call in August of 2002. The church constitution sets an indefinite time for the call of a pastor. The church vote was to return to provision of the constitution from the temporary arrangement of 2002. The vote was unanimous, so Pastor Jack is called for an indefinite period of time. The Lord is blessing the labor of our hands and it is our deepest desire to please Him.
COME HOME TO NEW BETHEL! AND EXPERIENCE WHAT THE LORD IS DOING!
Bible Study by Pastor Elliott When Paul wrote to Timothy in II Timothy 2:15, he was encouraging him to make it his aim to be approved of God, thereby being a workman that did not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth. So we see in this verse the need to study so we can know what the Scripture says, and how to apply it. It does not take much TV watching or listening to the radio to understand that there is much “wrongly” dividing of the Word taking place. So, as a Christian then, it is necessary that we study the Bible for our own understanding, and so we might teach correctly. God has given us His Word, but He expects us to read it, study it and even commit it to memory. He then, through the Holy Spirit will bring to our memories portions of Scripture that would apply to a given situation. But how do we go about studying in the first place? What kind of helps would we need if any? Since I am not a scholar and I don’t know any Greek, how can I really understand what I am reading? May I offer some suggestions? This is only a beginning, but I believe it will be helpful. The first and most important thing is prayer. Ask for wisdom and understanding from our Heavenly Father, and the Holy Spirit will come to your aid. After you pick a book to begin your studies, made it a point to be consistent and regular. Do not study “on and off”, but set aside a time or times every day to study. As you begin reading pay close attention to what is actually being said. Look at the verses before and after. Determine whom the passage is talking to or about. Look at every word. If you are not sure about a word meaning, look in the dictionary. (I know, it sounds simple, but believe me, it works!) Look for any instructions or principles that would apply to you. And remember, to be aware of three entities in the Scripture: Jew, Gentile and Church. Keeping these three separated in your studies will help in the understanding and applying process. A few study helps will make your studies a lot easier and more productive. I would suggest the following; Strong’s Concordance, a good Bible Dictionary, and a good commentary on the whole Bible. J. Vernon McGee has a very excellent set of about 5 volumes that are very inexpensive. The KJV is my choice of versions, but the New KJV is perhaps more readable. There are several good study Bibles on the market. I have a Scofield KJV but the Thompson Chain Reference is good as is the McArthur Study Bible. Choose one you like, and it will make your study time a little easier. To a preacher or missionary good books and study materials are like tools to a mechanic. They are indispensable. Over the past 25 years I have accumulated some 1500 volumes. The problem is I always seem to see another book I just have to have. Of course, you need not go to that extreme, but you will find there are many good books out there to help in your Bible study. The web is another good place to find a lot of free study aids. There are many public domain books that are available for the reading at several sites. There are study guides, and in some cases free study materials. There is so much available in this medium that you will have to limit yourself as to time. So, as Paul told Timothy to study the Word to be able to rightly divide it, you and I need that same encouragement. So, lets study the Word on a regular basis. It will pay great dividends! In a time gone by, people would set aside time to read and study the Scriptures. Today, our society is moving at a very fast pace. There is no time even for the average family to sit down and eat the evening meal together, and share the events of the day with each other. The modern family unit too often finds the father working extra hours because of the pressure of the "business world". The push is there to "move up" or advance at the workplace. It is perceived that the only way to accomplish that is to put in a lot of extra time. Mother has been called upon to contribute to the "finances" of the modern family unit, so she is now working outside the home. She also experiences that pressure to "advance her career" and has the same problem with extra hours. If that is not bad enough, the kids, depending on age, are facing their own pressures at school and with sports. There is baseball practice, football, basketball, soccer...and you-name-it that requires their presence after school. They need a ride here...or there. Mom pretty much needs to dash home, take one child to one place and take another somewhere else...maybe they can swallow some French fries on the way... And don't forget these same kids need to be picked up at a certain time when the practice and / or event is finished! Is it any wonder that Mom is frazzled? And Dad comes home looking for supper. Mom hasn't had time to hardly breath yet...much less prepare a meal. So, the family health is compromised by fast foods, convenient foods and the like. Family relationships falter and tension sets in. Is it had to see divorce and / or an affair coming down the pike? And Satan loves it! He will keep us just as busy as we allow him. And Christian families are no different. There is no time to accomplish the right things. We are so busy with the "urgent" that our "priorities" loose that first place on our "to do" list. The Apostle Paul reminds us "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind..." (Rom. 12:2a). Just how are we to "renew" our minds? It only come by a continual reading and study of the Scriptures, and lots of prayer. This takes time. There is a conflict. The question will invariably come...why should we study the Bible anyway? It is not really an outdated piece of literature? The answer is no, it is not outdated. It is rather exactly what we need. So...why study? Let me suggest some reasons;
There is no doubt in my mind that you could add some things yourself...my point is that the only wisdom that has eternal dividends is what James calls "...wisdom from above". There is nothing left out of the Bible, therefore it is the only "rule book" we need for everyday life! But unless you read it...set aside that time that is needed...and heed it...your life will never be what the Lord intended it to be, and you will never accomplish what He intended you to accomplish. Won't you start today? Determine you are going to read the Bible daily. Then take out your pocket secretary and start making appointments. You will reap eternal dividends! OTHER ARTICLES BY OUR PASTOR
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