“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.
Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.”
Philippians 2:3-4
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Over the next three weeks (this includes September 27) we will be focusing on Paul’s letter to the Philippians. This letter was written while Paul was in prison and he is imparting God’s truth to the Christians in Philippi with hopes that the community of believers would stay strong in the midst of the struggles ahead of them. At the end of the first chapter he pushes the believers with these words, “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I know you will stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel” (vs. 27). We are to stay worthy of the gospel by putting Christ and the interest of others first! Paul has concerns for all believers who find themselves in the midst of struggles.
More than anything, his hope is that WE will carry with us an internal joy that will be seen by others, conduct ourselves in a worthy manner, be concerned with the interest of others, press on toward Christ and live with God present in every situation we find ourselves! The trials are here and our hope is that we (at Bethel) will live in the manner worthy of Christ….and we are trying! We, as a community, are continuing to operate in ways which lift others up. Even as we are focused on coming back to worship as a community of believers we are attempting to be mindful of others. We are consciously putting precautions in place before we walk into the church to worship. Christ put others before himself and we are to follow suit.
In hopes of worshipping with one another we have begun through our outside worship, attempting to keep YOU in mind. As we slowly move inside for worship, again we are attempting to keep YOU in mind. We have two ministry teams (Music and Worship, as well as, Committee of Disease Control) and the SLT in place talking through how we can move forward as safely as possible. We encourage you to stay safe. Just because we are making the move into the sanctuary does NOT mean you should feel coerced to be here. If you are compromised with your health in any way…we encourage you to stay home and worship with us online. If you are sick in any way…we encourage you to stay home and worship with us online. If you are worried in anyway…we encourage you to stay home and worship with us online.
However, if you feel comfortable being present with us, we ask that you sign up in advance, with a limit of 50 people in the pews. If the weather permits we will be outside with no limit on our numbers, but we still ask that you sign up either through our website (BethelAurora.org) or call the office at 303-364-2245. This helps us know who will be here for our check-in process. I look forward to our times together and desire to worship with all of you, but we as the body of Christ at Bethel, are attempting to keep your interest in mind.
As we continue to face 2020, with all of the ups and downs, sickness, fires, hurricanes, race issues, protests (those that are violent) and financial struggles, our prayer is to stay focused on the spreading of the good news of Jesus, care for our neighbor and keeping the mind of Christ through it all. I thank you for the financial support which has continued to come from you. YOU have kept the doors open and the ministry active. Please continue lifting me and the rest of the leadership at Bethel in your prayers!!
In Christ,
Pastor Barb
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