How to Believe!

Just believe!

You may have had that told to you at some point.  You may have said that to someone out of frustration, someone whom you have hoped and prayed would come to know Christ.  And for whatever reason, they simply just can’t believe.

Beliefs are a big thing.  In one sense, a belief is an opinion.  We believe our country is headed in the wrong or the right direction, we believe ours sports teams will win this year, and we believe our children will grow up to do no wrong.

Yet we also believe in things and people.  We believe in a car we bought.  We believe in a doctor that might could heal us.  We believe in our spouse.  We believe in the church we attend.  We believe in our leaders.  Believing in something or someone is much more powerful than simple opinions.

So, what do we believe in, for our salvation?  Is it Jesus Christ?  Or is it our families, status, careers, or our good living?

We want people to come to faith, to come to believe in Jesus Christ, for their salvation.  This entails realizing nothing in this world  can save us and we place our faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection.  The bottom line is:  He came to sae us.  He came to save you.  He is the only thing we should believe in for our salvation – on this earth, and for our eternal lives.

But this is tough.  Temptation is all around.  Temptation to believe in everything else.  Other temptations that tell us – “why should you believe in Jesus? After all He’s put you through!”  Why believe when you go through a divorce, when you, or a loved one, get cancer, when loved ones die.  Why believe in Jesus?

We are going through the Apostles’ Creed over the coming months at Bellwether.  The first two words of the Creed states:  ”I Believe.”  Sunday, being Pentecost, we rewind to the beginning of the Apostles’ Creed to see how we can truly believe.  Believe in the words of the Creed.  Believe in the Living Word of Jesus Christ.  The message will be “I believe” and the Scripture focus will be John 20: 1-18.  

We hope you can be with us.  It will be a special Sunday.  Why?

We will celebrate Pentecost, the day the Holy Spirit came down the Church was born.  

We will have a Baptism service before our worship service.  It will be at 9:30am outside the Performing Arts Center at Jackson.  We are baptizing Austin Fowkles Barbour, Jr. and will be celebrating with his family.  

We will honor Jeff Nesbit, who after serving Bellwether will be leaving to be the Teaching Pastor at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church.  We will pray over he and Whitney as they take this next step in continuing their ministry for Jesus Christ.   

We hope you can be with us Sunday and we hope you will truly believe in the Risen Christ, His Holy Spirit, and His Church.

Acts 1: 8 – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Our Heroes

We love heroes.  They inspire us.  We want, and try, to be like them.  

Many of us have our fictional heroes.  Those heroes from comic books we can love so much - Avengers, Batman, or Wolverine.  Or the great heroes of film move us - Rick in "Casablanca," Scarlett in "Gone with the Wind," and of course, Indiana Jones, Jason Bourne, or even James Bond.  They save the world, and get the girl.  Heroic. 

Then, there are the real heroes.  Our real life heroes.  The Greatest Generation who pushed through the Depression and truly did save the world in WWII.  Parents, who for many of us gave up so much to raise us, nurture us, get us through school, and pick us up when we fell down - from a bike, a break-up, or a job loss.  

This weekend we should all honor some of our true heroes - our Mothers.  They literally carried us, spent sleepless nights nursing us, cooked for us, cleaned up our messes, and worked to grow us up to be men and women.  Happy Mother's Day indeed to all of them - true heroes in our lives.  

So, please, thank your mother and tell her how much you love her.

Then, there is the greatest Hero of all time, for all eternity.  He is the Hero who is both Savior and Redeemer.  Unfortunately, many people look to other heroes, in fiction, history, and life for inspiration.  Only One Hero will fully inspire, transform, and change our lives.  Jesus Christ.  

In today's world where everyone can be their own hero through facebook, tweets, and blogs, we need to proclaim and point people to the greatest Hero, the only Hero who will last - Jesus.  

Sunday, we continue the Apostles' Creed series at Bellwether with "who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary."  Our Scripture will be from Galatians 4: 4-7 and the title of the message is "The Greatest Story."  We hope you can be with us for worship, to honor all our Mothers, and to give witness to the greatest story and Hero our world will every know - Jesus Christ.  

Happy Mother's Day.  Jesus is your greatest Hero.  

The Greatest Question of our Lives

Is not where we will go to college, what career we will choose, or who we will marry.

The greatest question of our lives, is the same question Jesus asked His disciples over 2000 years ago:  “Who you you say that I am?”  Matthew 16: 15

So, who do we say He is?  Prophet?  Teacher?  Moral Leader?  Great man?  Personal Savior?  King of Kings?  Lord of all Creation?

C.S. Lewis once famously wrote that Jesus could not simply be a “good man, prophet, teacher, or leader.”  Why?  Because He said some pretty crazy stuff.  What did He say?

He said He was the Son of God.  Luke 2: 49

He said He could forgive sins.  Mark 2: 10

He said His words  would last forever.  Matthew 24: 35

He said He was the Son of Man who would return in power.  Mark 14: 61-62 & Daniel 7: 13-14

He allowed Himself to be worshipped.  Mark 14: 33

Jesus was either who He said He was, or He was a lunatic or something even worse.

Thus, for all of us, the greatest question is:  who is Jesus?

At Bellwether, we have begun a 12 week series on the Apostles’ Creed, focusing on each statement of belief in the Creed.  This week, we look at “And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.”  Thus, for us, is Jesus Lord?  Lord of our lives?  Lord of all creation?

The truth is – He is.  We only hope He is for you.

Our Scripture this Sunday is Ephesians 2: 1-7.  We hope you have a great weekend, and hope to see you at church this Sunday, where we will worship Jesus for who He is:  Lord of all.  Make Him Lord of your life.