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Theme for Worship for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, July 25th:
God's Goodness Gathers the Lost to Himself
 Click image to open this week's worship video bulletin.
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"Peace to you!" from Pastor Jon Cox
Thank you for visiting the Bethel website!
Bethel is a family of believers in the one true God. He has done all that the world needs to be saved from sin.
Jesus Christ, is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Through faith in his life, death, and resurrection, all people may have forgiveness of sins and life in heaven.
No matter what troubles may confront us in this life, God promises to provide for all life, to care for his believers, and to work through all circumstances to bring about good for those who love him.
I have been a pastor since 1992, and have had the privilege to serve many people in various situations. I want to serve you too.
If you would like any spiritual or pastoral care from me, questions answered, prayers prayed, or just a listening ear, please call me on my cell phone or send an email message to me.
Pastor Jon Cox
608.582.9998
jon.nathan.cox@gmail.com
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Hello to everyone arriving at this "Faith Related Q&A" section!
Just want you all to know that this section is fed by questions that are submitted through the website
of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, not by questions submitted to me.
They are answered by a man who is on the faculty of our synod's seminary. He is well-equiped
to answer questions on the basis of what God's Word says and how our church teaches.
If you have questions about any answer that you read here, please contact me and I will do my
best to explain things for you or help you contact the person who wrote the answer in the first place.
Thank you, again, for visiting our Bethel website.
Peace to you, Pastor Jon Cox
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Faith Related Q and A
| My question deals with the consumption of alcohol. I believe drinking is ok if done responsibly, but my friend believes any alcohol consumption is a sin. The friend believes that the word "wine" in the Bible has different meanings such as to be happy or joyful. The friend always uses the example that God would never say a little viewing of pornography is fine, just don't overdo it. He takes the case that the over- consumption of alcohol can lead to sinful acts. He also believes that Jesus wouldn't had wine at the Lord's Supper only juice. How do you address this train of thought?
I would encourage your friend to focus on clear passages of Scripture. The Bible does not condemn the use of alcohol (Psalm 104:14-15; 1 Timothy 5:23). It condemns the abuse of alcohol (Romans 13:13; 1 Corinthians 6:10; Ephesians 5:18). If wine itself were sinful, Jesus would certainly not have miraculously changed water into wine at the wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11). Under the Old Testament ceremonial laws, God even commanded the use of wine with offerings (Exodus 29:40; Number 28:7). Think of the implications of that.
In biblical days in Palestine, people regularly mixed wine with water to purify the water. We know from history that wine was part of the celebration of the Passover meal. Since the institution of the Lord’s Supper took place during the celebration of the Passover meal, the “fruit of the vine” (Matthew 26:29) was a part of it. Any grapes that had been harvested in the previous fall and pressed into juice would most likely have been going through the fermentation process in the following spring (when Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper).
What your friend says about pornography is true: God does not approve of that in large or small amounts. Equating the moderate consumption of alcohol to pornography is where your friend’s argument collapses. Nowhere does the Bible say that any alcohol consumption is a sin. Christians are free not to consume alcohol or to consume it in moderation. They are not free to bind the consciences of others with their opinions.
Ref. Conquerors through Christ website serves those affected by porn use. You may subscribe to the CtC e-Newsletter and visit CtC on Facebook.
| I often give in to the sin of watching porn and feel bad and pray to God apologizing and get Communion, then end up falling into temptation again and repeating. I know if you ask for forgiveness but repeat it then it's not being truly repentant. I want to stop and feel super bad if I don't take Communion, but know I will sooner or later fall back into my old ways. What should I do? I don't feel right talking to my pastor about it either.
If you do not feel that you can talk to your pastor about this, I would encourage you to check out the resources, including counselors, available through Conquerors Through Christ, an agency within WELS. Conquerors through Christ website serves those affected by porn use. You may subscribe to the CtC e-Newsletter and visit CtC on Facebook.
As with any sin, we confess our sins to God, we receive in faith God’s forgiveness of our sins and we resolve to fight all the more against sin and temptation. Your words indicate you recognize this. Your words also reflect the ongoing battle that goes on within Christians (Romans 7:15-25).
The website can provide you with practical resources to assist you in your battle against temptation. What follows is one of their FAQs:
“OK – so maybe I am addicted. Now what do I do?
1.Pray. Tell God about what you have been doing. It shouldn’t be all that hard, after all, He already knows. He’s just waiting for you to come to him so he can tell you that he loves you and has forgiven you.
2.Watch our videos and explore the web site— they summarize the steps to follow to get porn out of your life.
3.Take the hardest step—tell someone—your pastor, a trusted friend, your spouse, or a Christian counselor. This is a sin we can almost guarantee you will not be able to ‘fix’ on your own. You will need help. But the good news is there IS help available. But you must seek it out. Satan will seek to keep you isolated and weak. Don’t let him.
4.Seek ongoing support in the form of counseling and accountability. This is a battle and Satan will not let his grip on you go without a tremendous struggle.
5.Thank God for the victories and cry for mercy for any failures along the way.”
God bless all your efforts in saying “No” to sin and “Yes” to godly living (Titus 2:12).
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Forward in Christ
| August 2021
Week 29 Matthew 17:1-17 Matthew 18:1-35 Matthew 19:1-30 Luke 10:1-42 Luke 11:1-32 Luke 11:33-54 Luke 12:1-34 Week 30 Luke 12:35-59 Luke 13:1-35 Luke 14:1-35 Luke 15:1-32 Luke 16:1-31 Luke 17:1-37 Luke 18:1-42 Week 31 John 11:1-57 Luke 19:1-48 Luke 20:1-26 Luke 20:27-47 Luke 21:1-38 Luke 22:1-38 John 13:1-38 Week 32 John 14:1-31 John 15:1-27 John […]
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