Bethel Harvest Church is a people who belong, believe, become, and build.
This is how we explain the 4B mission:
Belong– where I’m loved and accepted.
Believe – in Jesus and His Word.
Become – who God designed me to be.
Build– the Kingdom of God.
Belong – where I’m loved and accepted
Belonging comes first! God gave us 4 B’s, but we are very intentional about making the foundation belonging. Statistics, as well as most conversations with the average unchurched person, show that the church has become known as judgmental. But the Bible says that we should be known by our “LOVE” (Jn. 13:35). God loves people before they believe in Him, and that is what Bethel puts into practice, as well. If you read the Bible, this is a resounding theme through-out its pages: John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Romans 5:8: But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 1 John 3:16: This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. The church, in general, has done a better job of telling people they’re sinners than it has at telling people God loves them no matter what they do. But when we create a place for people to belong, God uses us to make people better and stronger, and that’s why BELONG comes first at Bethel! Belonging means we’re going to love people like they are Christians until they realize they’re not. It’s true, we must believe in Jesus to receive the fullness of God’s grace, but God has prepared it for us BEFORE we believe. Grace – unearned, undeserved, unmerited! The grace of God is free gift available to every person, to the entire world. This is the message of hope and grace and love that Bethel offers! You belong – you are loved & accepted by God, AND you are loved & accepted by us…no strings attached, no conditions applied. If you are looking for a place to call home, you may have already found it. Welcome to the family!
Believe – In Jesus and His Word
We can’t build the Kingdom of God if the foundation is wrong! There’s a lot things we can believe in, but if we don’t get it right at the foundation, everything else is wrong. Jesus is the Christ – that’s what we believe. And we believe it according to the Word of God, the Bible. John 20:31: But these [Scriptures] are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. Believing in Jesus & His Word means believing that when we were saved, we became righteous! The “believe” component of our vision is focused on getting us to believe what God has already declared about us. We are righteous for no other reason than God has declared us righteous! 1 Corinthians 5:21: For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. The question we challenge every person with is this: will you believe? We love you regardless of how you answer, but it’s no accident that God has intertwined your journey with ours so that you wrestle with this question. Whether you’ve been a Christian most of your life or you are just now considering faith in Jesus, this “B” is another building block you can’t live without.
Become – who God designed me to be
Becoming is a journey rather than a destination. When we’re young, most of us have those thoughts of “arriving” at an ideal state. You probably know it, as well –It’s a combination of the ideal of religion, the ideal of worldly success, and whatever else we think we deserve in life. The reality for all of us is much more an unpredictable journey. This part of our vision reminds us all that no matter what “stuff” is going on, we’re ALL on a journey of becoming. 2 Timothy 1:9: …who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began… Becoming is 2-fold: it is the inward transformation that begins at salvation and the outward expression of God’s purpose which is our calling. It’s easy to get caught up rules and religion and our own self-effort when the topic is becoming who God designed us to be. But the Bible is careful to emphasize that we cannot earn God’s love by our works but that He loves us because of his grace & purpose! God designed you to be one who reflects His image in the earth, from glory to glory. THAT is what we are becoming…not like someone else or what religion prescribes, but LIKE Jesus! Once you have discovered that you belong, then you can discover something to believe in. THEN, you can become who God designed you to be, which means fulfilling your calling to the ministry of righteousness (Rom. 8:28, 2 Cor. 3:9 & 18)! Other people are depending on our journey of becoming who God designed us to be! Before the world began, we were commissioned with a calling to operate for a greater purpose than ourselves.
Building the Kingdom of God
What if we were a people who belong (where we’re loved & accepted by God), believe (in Jesus & His Word), and become (who God designed us to be)? Would it make a difference if we just stopped there? If that were the case, we would implode! We would become so inwardly focused that God’s purpose for us and for His church would not be fulfilled. The final ‘B’ of our vision is the fruit of getting the other 3 right – it takes us to the ultimate expression of the 4B Mission…building the Kingdom of God. Jesus’ first public declaration was the introduction and arrival of a Kingdom, not a religion (Mt. 4:17). In bringing the Kingdom, he offered humanity a choice between His Kingdom and the devil’s Kingdom. One Kingdom will build you up; the other will break you down – is that such a hard choice? Jesus came to establish the Kingdom in people’s hearts through His death and resurrection. If you’ve been around religion that condemns & brings guilt; you just need to rediscover God’s love for you. It’s a love that sets you in authority and gives you His free gift of grace! And once the Kingdom is in us, then we have a responsibility. The only way the Kingdom is revealed and established is by being expressed through US! Contrary to a lot of religious tradition, this is not an observation exercise. God doesn’t give the option of observing rather than engaging the enemy! If people and circumstances around us are going to see and enter the Kingdom, it will be because we recognize our role in the Kingdom. This is the expression of the 4B Mission – we are a people who belong, believe, become, and build the Kingdom of God!