Bethel Church (Princeton, MN)

This sermon is the seventh in our message series on the book of Nehemiah. The title of the series is "Rebuilding Your Life." We're looking at the account of Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, and applying insights to the challenges we face in rebuilding the broken things in our own lives. This message is based on Nehemiah chapter 5, which talks about another challenge that Nehemiah faced in the rebuilding process: INTERNAL STRIFE. We'll talk about the challenges of internal conflict, but also the importance of unselfishness and fairness ... qualities that are important for us to be thinking about nationally during this Fourth of July holiday weekend, as well as for all of our individual lives.

This sermon is the sixth in our message series on the book of Nehemiah. The title of the series is "Rebuilding Your Life." We're looking at the account of Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, and applying insights to the challenges we face in rebuilding the broken things in our own lives. This message is based on Nehemiah chapter 4:11-23, which continues the account that we talked about last week -- describing the opposition by some to the rebuilding efforts. We'll talk about how our efforts to live meaningful, godly lives involve both building and defending.

This sermon is the fifth in our message series on the book of Nehemiah. The title of the series is "Rebuilding Your Life." We're looking at the account of Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, and applying insights to the challenges we face in rebuilding the broken things in our own lives. This message is based on Nehemiah chapter 4:1-15, which talks about the people opposing the building of the walls in Jerusalem. In it we talk about how our efforts to rebuild our lives are sometimes also met with resistance ... and what to do about it.

This sermon is the fourth in our message series on the book of Nehemiah. The title of the series is "Rebuilding Your Life." We're looking at the account of Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, and applying insights to the challenges we face in rebuilding the broken things in our own lives. This message is based on Nehemiah chapter 3:1-32, which gives a lengthy description of all the people who helped build the various parts of the wall of Jerusalem. We will focus especially on one part of this wall, and draw analogies to our own work of rebuilding, which includes "getting the garbage out."

This sermon is the third in our message series on the book of Nehemiah. The title of the series is "Rebuilding Your Life." We're looking at the account of Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, and applying insights to the challenges we face in rebuilding the broken things in our own lives. This message is based on Nehemiah chapter 2:11-20, which describes Nehemiah arriving in Jerusalem, examining the condition of the walls, and talking with the elders of the city. We will focus on applying these experiences to an essential element in the work of our own recovery and rebuilding.

This sermon is the second in a new message series on the book of Nehemiah. The title of the series is "Rebuilding Your Life." We're going to look at the account of Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, and apply insights to the challenges we face in rebuilding the broken things in our own lives. This message is based on Nehemiah chapter 2:1-10, which describes Nehemiah's conversation with the King of Persia, and his request for a leave to go to Jerusalem. We will focus on this exchange to talk about a key issue that keeps many people stuck in prevents them from making progress in rebuilding their lives.

This sermon is the first in a new message series on the book of Nehemiah. The title of the series is "Rebuilding Your Life." We're going to look at the account of Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, and apply insights to the challenges we face in rebuilding the broken things in our own lives. Tomorrow's message is based on Nehemiah chapter 1, which sets the stage for the book, and shows us Nehemiah's response to some bad news. We'll be focusing on what this teaches us about facing the reality of our life situations.

This sermon is a single stand-alone message given by Pastor Steve Zwart, Sr. Pastor of Unity Christian Reformed Church in Prinsburg, Minnesota and is titled: “Keeping it all together when life falls apart.” It is based on 1 Thessalonians 5:12-14, and will focus on the teaching Paul gives to the Thessalonians on what they should focus on during their difficulty so they can continue to stay close to Christ. We'll learn about not being anxious or fearful during difficult times, but to press on.

This sermon is a single, stand-alone message. It is based on Deuteronomy 30:11-20, and will focus on the question, "What do you want your life to be like on the other side of this corona-virus crisis?" We have a unique opportunity right now to make decisions about the direction our lives will take ... let's steer on the path towards the life God wants for us.

This sermon is based on Mark 1:14-20, and will focus on what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. The important thing to keep in mind as we think about this question is that we all -- whether we realize it or not -- have been, and are being, discipled by someone. Part of what it means to be human is that we are social beings, and we're influenced by the teaching and example of others ... and we are especially influenced by people we choose to follow. Who are you following?

This sermon is the final in a series on "Jesus' teaching in the sermon on the mount." This sermon will focus on Matthew 7:24-27, which offers the analogy about wise and foolish builders

This sermon will focus on a specific verse in the resurrection story (from Mark 16), along with Paul's teaching in 2 Corinthians 1:8-9. The theme is "Do Not Be Afraid." I'll be talking about the surprising way that God helps us grow in our ability to follow that invitation.

The sermon tomorrow will be a continuation of our message series from Jesus' teaching in the sermon on the mount. In the verses we're looking at this week, Jesus offers what many theologians refer to as the "hard teaching" about the wide and narrow way, the danger of false teachers, and the reality that many people will say "Lord, Lord..." at the final judgement, but will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

The sermon will be a continuation of our message series from Jesus' teaching in the sermon on the mount. In the verses we're looking at this week, Jesus talks about the amazing power of prayer. He talks about how much God wants to answer our prayers. Interpreting and applying this text requires special care, especially in our current environment. Many people struggle to understand their own experiences of praying for things, and God not seeming to listen to those requests. People wonder if God really does hear and answer prayer. We need to talk about this.

The sermon will be a continuation of our message series from Jesus' teaching in the sermon on the mount. In the verses we're looking at this week, Jesus talks about NOT JUDGING. This topic is timely because we are always judging and condemning other people. Even during this time of national and international crisis I am hearing more than my share of criticism and judging of our leaders, our media, and one another. We judge people for "over-reacting" to the crisis, we judge people for not taking it seriously enough, or for endangering others. We judge people for expressing too much hope, or too much fear, or buying too much toilet paper. Let's listen to what Jesus has to say about judging others, and hopefully it will help us get through this difficult time with a little more grace.

Understanding suffering, tribulation, trial, pain in light of God's unfailing love and eternal goodness.

Message from Rob Braun.

A message from Psalm 73

The sermon will be from Jesus' teaching in the sermon on the mount. In the verses we're looking at this week, Jesus talks about NOT WORRYING. This is an especially important and timely message for us today. We'll be looking at the familiar "do not worry about your life, what you will eat, what you will wear, etc." These important words are easier said than done!

This message is from Jesus' teaching in the sermon on the mount. In the verses we're looking at this week, Jesus talks about storing up "treasures in heaven." We're going to talk about what these are, and why we this matters. It is often a confusing thing for Christians to understand how to relate their desires for material things with their spiritual life. Hopefully this passage can give us some clarity about that!

The sermon on the Mount. We are picking up where we left off this Fall with the series. We will focus on fasting. I'll do a fair bit of teaching on the what and why of fasting before getting to the teaching about how fasting can go wrong - doing it to show others how devout you are

Guest Pastor Les Kuiper preaching from Revelation 1:1-8 "The Key to History".

We're continuing our New Year's message series called "A Decade to Make a Difference." This series focuses on the values and practices that God calls us to ... and I'm highlighting four of these for Bethel in the coming years. This message is about "Being a Place of Multiplication." We tend to think about growth in terms of addition ... adding a person here or there as a new attendee at the church. But instead of thinking in terms of numerical growth, it may be more helpful to focus on the spread of the Gospel message about Christ, and assistance in helping people grow spiritually. In other words, think of it as knowledge and help that gets passed on from person to person. When this happens -- when we invest our time and energy helping other people grow, and equipping them to help others grow, they pass that on to others, who can pass it on to others. Like cells that divide, and keep on dividing, the growth happens by multiplication, not simply addition. We'll talk more about this on Sunday.

We're continuing our New Year's message series with a message about "Being a Place of Healing." This series is called "A Decade to Make a Difference," and it will focus on the values and practices that God calls us to ... and I'm wanting to highlight four of these for Bethel in the coming years. This week we'll talk about How healing happens, how it fits into our life as a church, and how we experience it in our lives today. As I'm sure you know, there is some controversy about the role of healing today -- questions surround the role of the miraculous, how "spiritual healing" relates to the healing we look for from science and medicine, and how we respond when we ask for divine healing and it doesn't come.

This series is called "A Decade to Make a Difference," and it will focus on the values and practices that God calls us to ... and I'm wanting to highlight four of these for Bethel in the coming years. This week we'll talk about this: What would it mean, and what would it look like for each of us individually, and for us as a church, to dedicate ourselves to being GENEROUS people?

Tomorrow we're continuing the message series I started last Sunday with a message about Love. This series is called "A Decade to Make a Difference," and it will focus on the values and practices that God calls us to ... and I'm wanting to highlight four of these for Bethel in the coming years. This first one is obvious, and it often gets lip service, but is actually really hard to live out. What would it mean, and what would it look like for each of us individually, and for us as a church, to dedicate ourselves to being LOVING people?

Tomorrow is the last Sunday of the year ... and, of course, in the decade. What will life bring us in the next 10 years? What do we hope for, what do we fear? On Sunday we're going to think about the upcoming years from a spiritual perspective. What is it that God wants for us, and from us, in the next few years? We can't know the future, but we can know the One who holds the future, and entrust ourselves to His care. Not only that, but we can commit ourselves to live in the way that will bring Life and meaning, no matter what the future brings. We will be looking at a small section of the prayer of Jesus on the night before he was arrested and later crucified (John 17). In this prayer Jesus talks about bringing glory to God the Father by finishing the work the Father had given him to do. We're going to think about what that implies for us, not only about Jesus, and the work He did ... but also what it implies for us, and how we intend to live in the next few years.

The Good News at the Heart of Christmas ... and our message at Bethel Church People sometimes ask, What does it mean to be a Christian? What do Christians believe? How can I get a new start in my faith? Here is a simple, three-point explanation of the "Good News" (Gospel) that is the heart of our faith: 1. God’s Design God created the world. We can see beauty, purpose and evidence of design all around us. It's impossible to ignore. Just look at the intricate design of plants, the way the moon influences the tide, or the ever changing colors in a sunset. The Bible tells us that God originally designed a world that worked perfectly — where everything and everyone fit together in harmony. God created us for a purpose. He created us to know Him and to enjoy Him; to live and bring glory and honor to Him. (Read: Genesis 1:31, Psalm 19:1 & Ephesians 2:10) 2. Our Brokenness (Sin) If we look around at society, it's easy to see that humanity is not bringing glory to God. Rather there is a brokenness in our world. We see it in the evil of terrorism, we see it in war, violence, abuse, deceit and betrayal. In ignorance to God, we could search everywhere for the reason of brokenness, but the truth is, beneath it all, the problem is spiritual. Really, we are the problem. We have not lived for God, we have not followed God's design for life. We have not valued a relationship with Him. The Bible calls this sin. Sin is running from God, trying to do life our own way. It is because of sin that we as humanity have become hostile, not only towards God, but towards others. The Bible says the consequence of sin is death. (Read: Romans 1:25, Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23 & Proverbs 14:12) 3. The Solution (Jesus) Brokenness causes some to realize their need for help; a remedy, some Good News. God, because of His mercy and great love for us, did not leave us in our brokenness. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ as a solution to our sin problem. Christ came to us, lived a perfect sin-free life (exampling life by God’s design), taught us how to live, and willingly chose to die in our place to pay the penalty for our sin. He then defeated death and rose to life. He did for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Simply hearing this good news is not enough: we must act on it and admit to our sinful brokenness, ask God for forgiveness, and stop trusting in ourselves. This is when we can begin to understand God’s original design for our lives and the lives of others. (Read: John 3:16, Colossians 2:14, Mark 1:15 & Ephesians 2:8–9)

This weekend we continue our message series during Advent, where we focus on the theme of "waiting." Tomorrow I'll be preaching on Revelation 5, which tells us what the apostle John saw when the door opened and he was able to get a view into what heaven looks like. Last week we talked about the view he got of the Throne of God, and this week we'll talk about his view of the Lamb of God, who was "worthy to open the Scroll" with Seven Seals. (I know, I know ... unless you're familiar with the imagery of the book of Revelation, what I just described might sound like a scene in a fantasy novel or movie. But trust me, there is important and valid historical and spiritual teaching behind this imagery.) AND ... especially important for us during the Christmas season ... the teaching in this chapter helps us understand what Christmas really means. It helps us understand: who is this Jesus who's birth we're celebrating?

This weekend we continue our message series during Advent, where we focus on the theme of "waiting." Tomorrow I'll be preaching on Revelation 34, which tells us what the apostle John saw when the door opened and he was able to a view into what heaven looks like. What he saw was not a view of the expanse of heaven -- it didn't include any description of what ordinary people are doing there. (That comes later in the book.) In this chapter, John describes his view of the throne room of heaven ... and it's an awe-inspiring scene. The theme will be worship ... and what a contrast this sense of awe-struck worship is from the sentimental, sappy platitudes people offer during the Christmas season. This is not a view of the baby Jesus, cute little lambs, or cherubic angels ... this is a life-altering vision of the power, holiness, and glory of Almighty God.

This weekend we continue our message series during Advent, where we focus on the theme of "waiting." Tomorrow I'll be preaching on Revelation 3:14-22, which is a specific message to the church of Laodicea. This section contains some of the most familiar passages in the book of Revelation ("you are neither hot nor cold" and "behold I stand at the door and knock"), and it has some important things to say to us today.

This weekend we begin the season of Advent, where we focus on the theme of "waiting." I will be preaching on Revelations, chapters 2 and 3 during this series, which contain messages from the Spirit to several different churches during the end of the first century. We'll be looking at these messages, and seeking to discern what they can teach us about how to live with the world's uncertainties today.

This weekend we will focus on the theme of gratitude, as we are gearing up for the Thanksgiving Holiday. I will be preaching on I Samuel 7, which has the story of raising the Ebeneezer, which we sing about in the popular hymn "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing." I'll share the story behind that word, and focus on what it means for the expression of gratitude. We will not only talk about raising an Ebeneezer ... we're going to actually do it! You'll have to come on Sunday to see what that means, and what it will be like. Click here to go to our Facebook page ... scroll down on the page and watch a short video of me talking about this sermon Also, note that immediately after the service, we'll be voting on whether to extend a call to Don Damborg to serve as Worship Coordinator, for Ignite and Sunday worship at Bethel. I hope you can join us.

This weekend we conclude our message series on how involvement in community helps us grow. The series has been called "Better Together." Tomorrow I'm going to be preaching on Galatians 5 which talks about the two natures within each of us -- what Paul calls "the flesh" in this instance, and the Spirit. Within that passage, he also gives a warning about what can happen if they give in to the instincts of the flesh, when they are dealing with any kind of disagreement or conflict: "If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other." (Gal 5:13) Many of us have dealt with great pain as a result of things that happened in churches. The focus of this message will be on the challenge to focus on our part, and our reactions, when there is conflict.

This weekend we will have a special Sunday devoted to Addiction and Recovery. In the past we've done done this in September (September is National Recovery Month). We've switched things up this year because of my travel schedule. Tomorrow I'll be looking at the story of Naaman being healed of leprosy (recorded in 2 Kings 2), and draw from it an important reminder about the challenge of finding healing from addiction. By the way, there's an important message here for all of us ... not just alcohol and drug addicts and their families. The more we learn about the brain, and specifically how addictions hijack the reward centers of the brain, the more we see that the dynamics of addiction are at work with all kinds of behaviors, not just alcohol and drugs of abuse. We can -- and do -- become addicted to many different kinds of things, and our addictions exist on a spectrum from mild to severe. Most of us can identify with some kind of struggle with how we use food, drink, sex, drugs, work, computer gaming, gambling, etc. to help us cope with stress and the challenges of life. We all need to hear about and learn from addiction and recovery wisdom ... which has its roots in the Bible. This Sunday we'll also have some special guests -- several people will give testimony and/or talk about their work with addicts. We'll also be led in worship by a special guest worship leader, Don Damborg. It's going to be a great Sunday! I hope you can join us.

Message given by Jerry Van Someren from Daniel 2:24-49.

This weekend we continue our message series on how involvement in community helps us grow. The series is called "Better Together." Tomorrow I'm going to be preaching on Acts 4, which talks about the aftermath of the first miracle that Peter and John did as the New Testament church was beginning to form. After being arrested for causing a near-riot in the Temple, they are instructed by the Jewish High Court leaders to stop talking about Jesus ... and they say that just can't do it. They feel compelled to talk about what they've seen and heard. What about us? What is our commitment to take the Gospel message we talk about in church on Sunday mornings and share that with others during the week? We're going to talk about this mark of a healthy church: UNSELFISHNESS ... it's not all about us.

Sermon by Arlan Koppendrayer using Psalm 47. Pastor Arlan Koppendrayer is from Trinity Hill Church in Chanhassen, MN.

This weekend we continue our message series on how involvement in community helps us grow. The series is called "Better Together." Tomorrow I'm going to be preaching on I Peter 4:10, which talks about using our spiritual gifts to serve others. The title of the sermon is "Getting in the Game" -- and this does not imply that what we do is just fun and games. Rather, the idea is that we're invited to be participants ... players ... rather than spectators.

This weekend we continue our message series on how involvement in community helps us grow. The series is called "Better Together." Tomorrow I'm going to be preaching for the second time from Acts 2:42-47 ... the passage that describes what the early believers did when the church got its start. This week I'm going to focus on the different kind of gatherings these early Christians had, and how that helped them grow.

This weekend we continue our message series on how involvement in community helps us grow. The series is called "Better Together." Tomorrow I'm going to be preaching from Acts 2:42-47 ... the passage that describes what the early believers did when the church got its start. I'm going to be looking at these verses in two separate sermons ... this first one will focus on their gatherings for public worship.

1 Corinthians 10:1-13 - Guest pastor from Pease Christian Reformed Church, Pastor Michael Ten Haken preached on "The Devil Made Me Do It".

This weekend we will celebrate our 40th Anniversary! This will include worship songs, communion, hearing stories of how Bethel got started, celebrating communion, and a message about the Biblical background to the name "Bethel." We're going to look at the story of Bethel in the Bible and reflect on what this means for our church -- our past and our future.

This weekend, we're looking at the phrase in verse 13: "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." This week we're going to talk about trials and temptations -- what is meant by those words in this passage, and what it means to pray for them to be reduced.

Jerry VanSomeren preached on Matthew 6:19-24 on "A God Called More"

This weekend, we're looking at the phrase in verse 12: "Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us" We'll also be looking at verse 14-15, which contain the challenging words that forgiveness of our sins is somehow tied to our willingness to forgive others. This week we're going to talk about forgiveness, focusing on the question: "What does it mean to forgive?" Part of the problem we have with forgiveness is confusion about what it means, and expectations about how it happens. We're going to look at how God's forgiveness informs and makes possible our forgiveness of others.

This weekend, we're looking at the phrase in verse 12: "Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us" This week we're going to focus on praying for forgiveness. We believe that, because of Christ's death and resurrection, we are forgiven ... and it might seem like, since everything is taken care of through Christ, that we shouldn't have to keep worrying about and focusing on our sins. But there are also places in the Bible where we're asked to confess our sins ... in other words, bringing them up regularly. What is the place of confession in prayer?

This weekend, we're looking (again) at the phrase in verse 11: "Give us this day our daily bread" This week we're going to focus on how to pray for our needs. We instinctively understand this aspect of prayer, but there is still much confusion about it, and our practice of it is surrounded my mystery, doubt, and uncertainty. Hopefully by the time the morning is over, we'll all have more clarity about Jesus' instruction about praying for our daily bread.

This weekend, we're looking (again) at the phrase in verse 10: "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." This week we're going to focus on the question of God's Will -- How can we know what God's will is?" This is one of the most important issues for any of us a Christians ... knowing and doing God's will -- and for many, it's shrouded in mystery and confusion. Hopefully by the time the morning is over, we'll all have more clarity about these issues.

This Sunday, we're looking at the phrase in verse 10: "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." I describe this part of the prayer with the phrase: "praying with God's agenda in mind." What does it mean to pray for God's Kingdom to come? And how do we think about God's will being done, in contrast to our own wills and desires? We'll be talking about these issues.

This Sunday, we're looking at the phrase in the first part of the prayer: "...hallowed be your name" What does it mean for us to be praying that God's name be "HALLOWED"? What does that even mean, to "hallow" someone's name? We'll be talking about the place of reverence and worship, and how that relates to our prayer life.