How We Come to Know Sin …
The law teaches us that it is God's desires, not our own, that are the measure of right and wrong.
Jesus Is the End of Ethnocentrism …
Racial Harmony Sunday
With Jesus came a radically new way of defining the people of God: all who have faith in the Messiah.
All Things for Good, Part 2 …
A call to follow Jesus in the risks of love no matter what it costs.
The Goodness and the Groaning of Growth …
Thoughts on Bethlehem's Future
Churches move forward by grace in the midst of great inadequacy.
Predestined for Adoption to the Praise of His Glory …
Reflections on Being Adopted by God and Adopting Children
We must understand and enjoy our own adoption before we can properly grasp what it means to adopt another.
Using Our Gifts in Proportion to Our Faith, Part 1 …
The Gift of Prophecy
Honoring the Biblical Call of Motherhood …
A Tribute to Ruth Piper
Motherhood is the life-on-life transmission of a God-centered, Christ-treasuring worldview.
Is There a “Lord’s Day”? …
Setting apart a day of rest testifies to a self-reliant world that our work does not save or define us, Christ does.
Delighting in the Law of God …
Summer Psalms
Sunday Evening Message
Sky Talk …
Summer Psalms
Sunday Evening Message
What are some practical steps that we can take to stay alive to the beauty of God's world?
All the Prophets Proclaimed These Days …
Since the first Christmas we have been living in the last days.
Is There Good Anxiety? …
Bethel College Chapel
Twin Cities, MN
Alone in a Big Church …
A Call to Small Togetherness
God designs human support to sustain his children's faith and to lighten the burdens they bear in the service of love.
Christmas as the End of History …
Celebration of Christmas
Christmas marks the arrival of the end of history, which will soon be consummated by Christ's second appearing.
Let the Young Speak …
There is no necessary connection between age and wisdom, or youth and folly. Wisdom comes from the Lord and is offered to all ages.
Call Me Husband, Not Baal …
The point of Hosea is that God exalts his mercy by not giving up on his promiscuous wife.
The Law Does Not Annul the Promise …
It would be terribly wrong to say that the Mosaic law was opposed in its teaching to the Abrahamic covenant.
The Happiness of God: Foundation for Christian Hedonism …
God is a perfect Christian Hedonist. It makes him happy to be God and to show us mercy.
Missions: the Battle Cry of Christian Hedonism …
The challenge is great. God is greater. The rewards are a hundred times better than anything the world can offer.
Christ Conceived by the Holy Spirit …
The Holy Spirit may be shy, but he is also omnipotent.
A Pastor's Role in World Missions …
Bethel Seminary Chapel
Twin Cities, MN
Let Us Walk in the Light of God …
If we are not walking in the light, we have no warrant for believing that our sins are covered.
Love One Another for Love Is of God …
The evidence of being indwelt by the Spirit of God is the experience of loving Jesus the way the Father loves him.
Those Whom He Foreknew He Predestined …
Sunday Evening Message
The glory of the preeminence Christ is the ultimate goal of predestination.
Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit Who Mourn …
Blessed are those who feel keenly their helplessness and their unworthiness and their emptiness and are driven by them to the grace of God.
Our Hope: The Redemption of Our Bodies …
There is coming a day when our bodies are going to be redeemed and there will be no more groaning.
Preparing to Receive Christ: Willing to Do the Will of God …
The great obstacle to recognizing the truth of Christ is not deficient resources but deep rebellion against God.
Elders, Pastors, Bishops, and Bethlehem …
Sunday Evening Message
There were two ongoing offices in the NT church for the management and care of the church: elders and deacons.
The Anatomy of Backsliding …
Sunday Evening Message
We need to see how the reality of imperfection turns up in the saints of Scripture and how they handled it.
He Is Like a Refiner's Fire …
If God were only an incinerating fire, heaven would be empty. And if he were no fire, heaven would be empty.
Let Christ Be All in This Building! …
Let us be vigilant to keep Christ as the foundation of our church.
The Great Invitation: Call Others Too! …
Will we be satisfied that God has made a covenant with us? Or will be dissatisfied until is spreads to all the nations and peoples of the world?
Three Meditations on "The Messiah" …
Christmas Festival
The high noon of God's glory will be the second coming of Christ. And that is where the sun will stay forever.
Faithfulness Is Better Than Life …
Faithfulness means that you trust God and obey, no matter what impact it has on your safety or standard of living.
Old and Young Shall Dream Together …
God is calling young and old to dream new dreams of reaching the whole world for Christ.
Compassion, Power, and the Kingdom of God: An Introduction …
What is the nature of the kingdom of God? And what is the "power" that the kingdom exerts now in the church?
The Lord Stood by Me …
God causes us to persevere in the fight of faith. Therefore he gets the glory.
Times of Refreshing and the Restoration of All Things …
God will one day establish the kingdom of Christ on the earth.
The Story of a Stiff-Necked People …
God is not eager to punish; he is eager to forgive. But there is an end to his patience.
Let Marriage Be Held in Honor Among All …
Be in sync with God about marriage and out of sync with secular western culture.
History Is God's Story …
Everything, without exception, has to do with God, and gets its main meaning from God.
Behold, I Make All Things New …
God wants us to have assurance that no matter how much evil and suffering and futility we see now, he will make all things new.
Should Not I Pity That Great City...Minneapolis? …
The Day of Praise Procession
God has made the cities of this world, and he cares for them. So should we.
How the Saints Minister to the Body …
Love abounding in knowledge and discernment is what builds Christ's body.
One Lord, One Spirit, One Body for All Time and All Peoples …
The truth that there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, is a truth for inside the church and outside the church.
A Model of Covenant Exhortation …
Don't get into people's lives only when things are falling apart; get in when things are going well and help each other keep that course.
Preserving the Covenant Community In Spite of Sickness and Sin …
How do you preserve the covenant community in spite of sickness and sin?
Fear Not, I Am with You, I Am Your God …
God is over you, by you, inside you, around you, underneath you. Therefore do not fear.
The Prayers of the Saints and the End of the World …
No believing prayer is in vain. Ever.
What Is Man? …
Reflections on Abortion and Racial Reconciliation
You cannot worship and glorify the majesty of God while treating his supreme creation with contempt.
The War Against the Soul and the Glory of God …
The two greatest issues in life are how the soul of man might not be destroyed and how the glory of God might not be belittled.
Slaves of God: Free from All to Honor All …
The aim of life—including our social and political life—is to live to God.
How Elder-Shepherds Prepare to Meet the Chief Shepherd …
When the Chief Shepherd comes, he is going to call elders to account and say, "Did you feed my sheep?"
Are You Humble Enough to Be Care-Free? …
Humility is what we need if we hope to find rest in the promises of God.
The Greatest of These Is Love: An Introduction to the Series …
God is love. The implications of this for the way we live are big.
Who Shall Separate Us from the Love of Christ? …
If we are to grow in our love to one another, we must first experience being loved by Christ with a deep, unshakable love.
The Happiest Days of Heaven …
Jesus is the seeking heart of God going out after sinners and winning our repentance.
Coming to Yourself and Coming to The Father …
When sinners turn from their sin and accept Jesus' fellowship as the joy of their lives, they have come home to God. And God is glad.
The Son of Man Came to Serve …
At the end of this season, receive the best present imaginable: Jesus giving himself to die for you and serve you.
The Son of Man Came to Give His Life a Ransom for Many …
Christmas Eve Day
Were you ransomed when Christ died? Are you still under the guilt and power of sin when you might be free?
He Sat Down at the Right Hand of Majesty …
Easter Sunday
We owe our purification to Jesus and we owe our being to him.
Jesus Christ: Infinitely Superior to Angels …
Angels were created for Christ's everlasting glory and for our everlasting joy.
When Does God Swear? …
God swears by his own name in order to give his people unwavering confidence in his promises.
Hope Anchored in Heaven …
There are at least five practical things you can do to move your heart toward "laying hold of your hope."
The Faith of Noah, Abraham, and Sarah …
Installation of Chuck Steddom As Minister of Worship and Music
Saving faith isn't merely the one-time act of receiving Jesus. It goes on trusting him.
The Hope of Exiles on the Earth …
God honors faith and obedience by using all of his wisdom, power and love to turn that kind of life into one of great joy.
Take Care How You Listen! Part 1 …
For Whoever Has, to Him More Shall be Given
There are four ways to hear a sermon, but only one of them leads to life.
The Children of Abraham Are Heirs of the World …
What does it mean to be an heir of the world?
By What Death Will You Glorify God? …
Will the pain of losing all that you have on earth fade at the prospect of seeing and being with Christ?
Dorothy Sayers on Why Hell Is a Non-Negotiable …
It is not out of antiquarian allegiance that we love the truth—even the hard ones. It is out of love to Christ and to the people who need his truth.
The Solution Is Closer Than You Think …
Three Ways of Seeing
Sometimes we are prepared to see what we see and sometimes our minds have to be changed before we can accept reality.
Do Jews Have a Divine Right in the Promised Land? …
Those who break covenant with God forfeit any claim on his promises.
Boasting in Man Is Doubly Excluded …
There are two reasons (at least) why God hates for man to boast in man.
Jonathan Edwards on the Pilgrim Mindset …
What characteristics ought to mark the life of a Christian sojourner?
What Did Christ Purchase for Your Children With His Blood? …
Christ purchased privileges for the children of believers. But he did not guarantee their salvation.
There Is a Way to Be Happy, Even in Sadness …
Godly Sorrow: Jesus' and Ours
No sorrow in the Christian's life will end ultimately in grief. Jesus' blood will have the final say.
What happens at death? …
Death ushers us directly into either heaven or hell, so let us look to Christ for salvation.
