Bethel • Grace • Church

Many seeing the title will immediately think this is about a building somewhere. It is not. It is a short, little mnemonic about a relationship, how it happens, and what is the result of that how. This three word title summarizes everything Jesus – the Son of God, the Son of Man, the Christ – ever said. It is the heart of God in three words.

Pretty bold statement, I know. I will break it down for you in just a moment.

Let’s start with the first piece: “bethel”.

Bethel is a Hebrew word combining “beth” (tabernacle or tent or house) with “el” (mighty one). For the Jew, there was only one real definition for “el” as it pertained to powers or gods: it meant the God of Israel, YHWH Elohim, as He identified Himself.

Bethel, simply stated, is a meeting place with God. With beth being a tent or tabernacle, the meeting place was specifically chosen, prepared for comfort, and set up to enjoy a moment of rest before moving on. We get this example in the life of Abram/Abraham and Jacob/Israel. Funny how the two guys who had this experience also had their names changed by God.

In Genesis 12, Abram had a meeting with God. Abram later made some mistakes concerning the promises of God and resets by returning to Bethel where he first heard God. (Genesis 13.3)

In Genesis 28, we see Jacob being sent away by his father to get a wife from his father’s people back east. On the way he has a vision. He marks the place with an alter calls the place Bethel. Jacob had a moment with God.

Jacob had deceived his father and took the first-born’s blessing. That blessing should have gone to Esau, but Jacob’s mother helped Jacob to pretend he was Esau. Jacob was sent east by his father, but Jacob was also running away from Esau who had vowed to kill Jacob after their father died.

Even if you make mistakes or deceive, you can still set aside a place where you can meet with God;or, go back to where you first met God. The point is: make a meeting place, set aside a meeting place where you can meet with the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jesus. Meet there, listen there, stop and enjoy each other’s presence. That is what God desires: a meeting place just for you and him.

How can we meet with God? Can we have one of those biblical relationships with God? Oh yes. Yes we can. All that is required is that we start. Now, the question is how close can we get? The Bible shows that God (YHWH Elohim) had conversations with anyone who would dare to have a conversation with Him. Your state of holiness was not, is not a prerequisite for having a conversation with God. Is that awesome or what?

But God wants more than just a conversation with us. God wants to have a relationship with us. God wants to be a part of our lives. There is a problem there, however. We were made in His image and likeness but we tore ourselves away from Him. Now since we chose to separate ourselves from Him, He cannot come near us without changes in the parameters of the deal. The deal was we had to chose to be with Him; not forced, not coerced, but willingly.

Now, Man has exampled every way Man can fail to reach God. There was ever only just one way: faith. Man had to have faith (hope, confidence, trust) that God would provide a way for God and Man to come back together; rightly and willingly. This was done by Jesus. Jesus exampled, lived out a right relationship, then went through a process to trade that right relationship for Man’s wrong relationship, to repair that which was broken. Then, having done it all, paid it all, took the price for it on himself, Jesus turned to Man and gave that life to Man as a free gift. All it required now was faith that what Jesus did was enough to repair the lost relationship with God. God and Jesus gave this gift of relationship to Man for the simple price of faith. They call that grace.

Grace is something given to you that cost you nothing. It is granted. It is free of expense to you. Well, save one thing: you have to believe (have faith) that the free gift really is for you and you have to receive it.

You see, it is by faith that the grace given was and is enough. Then comes action. Once you accept the gift through faith you act on it and ask God to begin His relationship with you, because Jesus paid the total expense required, so step out and walk with Him, the God of the Bible.

You may be thinking, “Okay, now what? I’m only just showing up. What is this deal?” Jesus had an answer to that.

Jesus talked about a prodigal son; a young man who wanted his inheritance now. He basically said his father is dead and he has no further use for him. So the you man received what was set aside for him. He went off and did whatever seemed right to himself. He soon ran out of money. He found himself homeless and doing things he never thought he would do. At this point, he decided he could go back to his father and be a hired hand, or something. He began his journey back.

While he was still a long way off, smelling dirty like pigs and the road, the young man’s father saw him and began running to him. When the father got to his son, he fell on his son’s neck, hugging and kissing his boy. The dad ordered fresh cloths, new shoes, a family ring for his finger, and a party for his son who he thought was dead and is now alive.

You see, that is what God your father is waiting to do. When you decide to return to Him, He does more than let you serve Him. He sets you in a high place, gives you fresh garments, new shoes, a ring for your finger saying you are in His family, and a big party celebrating you.

It is from there that life truly begins for you. You were lost, off doing your own things and came to God when you thought things were done forever for you; but God made a meeting place for you (bethel), given to you by a cost that Jesus paid (grace), and gave you back His name (church).

The word church means house of God. That could mean a building, but buildings crumble. God’s house is His name, His family. This is where Jesus told Simon that Jesus would build his assembly (ekklesia); a people who hear God the father for themselves: His house, His people.

What is the end result? Jesus was quoted in John 17 asking the Father to let Jesus’ people be one in Jesus just as Jesus is one in the Father.

What does that mean? It means this: in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, the Word was God, the Word became flesh, and was/is Jesus. You see, there was no separation in the relationship between God and Jesus until the Cross, so Jesus prayed (asked) that we would be one with the Father just like he was. And, that is where the adventure begins.

Bethel: coming together to meet, to fellowship, to be family.

Grace: it only happens if we come through the cross of Christ, accept the life Jesus died to give us, and that by faith (choosing to trust).

Church: being the holy House of God, the whole family of God’s house.

There is where the adventure starts.

…

Do you want that relationship and adventure? It is simple to gain. Be like that young man and return home humbly and accept that the cross of Jesus was enough to pay all your costs to bring you back into God’s family.

Simply and sincerely ask: God, forgive me because of what Jesus did at the cross. Live with me like Jesus asked. Show me what I need to do now. Walk with me. Let me walk with you. I put my faith, my trust, in You and that what Jesus did was enough. Amen.

Amen simply means so be it. It is done. Now, exercise your faith, your trust, and start acting on your new relationship with God.

Get an English Standard Version (ESV) Bible or New American Standard Version (NASV) or another translation that is easy for you to read and read it. You need to learn about God, who He is, and what He sounds like. Cultivate your relationship with Him daily and moment by moment.

Your new adventure begins now.