“And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ,
and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;”
(2 Corinthians 5:18)
Greetings and blessings to the Household of Faith! What an awesome move of God we experienced last week here at New Bethel! I’m grateful and thankful for everyone who carried on the work of the Lord even in my absence. I pray that many were profoundly impacted by the Word… I know I was!
The upcoming weekends begins a series of events here at New Bethel where we actually take the church to the streets! Please consider that while Jesus certainly attended the synagogues of his day and made an impact with the religious leaders, His real ministry was outside the synagogues! It was in the villages and on the roads that He had his greatest impact through preaching, healing, teaching, delivering, and forgiving the people! That’s what we are about to launch…. BOW (Bethel Outside the Walls)! The meaning of Bethel is “the house of God.” We are going to take God’s house beyond the four walls of the church to the people in the Kansas City Metro area.
This coming Saturday (5/21) we will be engaging in our 5K walk/run and our community block party, followed the next day by our Family & Friends Sunday (5/22). And then the following weekend, Friday thru Sunday (5/27-29) we are declaring “God’s Love on Fire!” as we spread God’s love in non-traditional ways. These are “out-of-the-box” events that go beyond ‘normal’ church, but this is our Time to Perform!
Each born-again Believer is given the ministry of reconciliation. The Greek meaning for reconciliation is “to restore to divine favor… to be made a peace with”. It is our responsibility, as Believers, to spread this wonderful Gospel that others may experience that love of God which captured our hearts and made it possible for us to be restored to our rightful place in Him. Herein lies the mission of New Bethel: To DELIVER individuals from a worldly system… to DISCIPLE them into followers of Christ… to DEVELOP them for their ministry… and to DEPLOY them into their place of destiny!
Over the next few weeks I encourage each of you to actively engage in the ministry of reconciliation! Yes we, as a church, are going to be extra busy and I know for some it may be taking you out of your ‘comfort zone;’ but it’s our… no, your Time to Perform! There are so many hurting people… desperate people… hungry people… looking for the way to deliverance and happiness. That way can only be found through the love of Jesus Christ!
On behalf of Lady Angela and our family, we love each of you and pray God’s blessings on your life!
Pastor A. Glenn Brady