This is my third video in the Faith Talks episodes. I hope you enjoy it!! I've included the transcripts below the video if you prefer to read it.
Hi there, I’m Bethany Jo Lee and this is another episode of Faith Talks. Today I want to introduce myself a bit and talk to you about what my purpose is with these Faith Talks, because my hope and intention is to keep making them at least for the foreseeable future. So if you haven’t yet, be sure to subscribe to my channel so you don’t miss any of them. Anyway, lets get started!
I Am Bethany Jo Lee
Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Bethany Jo Lee and I live in the state of Ohio in the United States. I’m married to my best friend, Brad and we have three dogs. I grew up in a Christian home so that by the age of five, I already knew who Jesus was and I had asked him to be my savior. That doesn’t mean I always lived as a Christian though. That’s about all the details of my life I’ll give at the moment because I feel like talking about the physical details of my life can be a little superficial. What is more important about me is who God has called me to be and, specifically concerning my YouTube channel, what my purpose is for it.
First, God has called me to be a disciple of Christ—that’s easy enough to say because he’s called all of us who are Christians to be disciples of Christ. What does it mean to be a disciple of Christ? Simply, that I follow Jesus and his teachings which are found in the Christian Bible. To that end, I study the bible, I talk to God about everything, I’m constantly asking for his guidance (whether or not I listen to it is another story), and I try my hardest to live a life that reflects Jesus.
Second, God has called me to teach discipleship to other women, specifically, to other women who are already Christians—whether they are brand new Christians or have been a Christian for a long time, it doesn’t matter. I have pretty much my whole life wanted to share the gospel of Christ to the people around me and to just anyone out in the world, wherever they might be. I have done that to some extent, but in all truth, I was afraid to do it.
I was afraid to do it because I feared rejection—I learned real quickly that not everyone wants to hear about Jesus. I was afraid to do it because I didn’t feel “good enough.” There’s always been something in my life I struggled with, or some sin in my past that made me feel like “who am I to try to teach God’s word?” And I was afraid to do it because I figured once I got started, everyone would expect me to be the “perfect Christian,” of which I am not. That’s a lot of pressure.
I feel like my whole life has brought me, finally, to this point. This point where I’m stepping my feet out there just a little on this quiet little website and YouTube channel. I can handle this. I’ll do what I know to do when it comes to teaching about Jesus; I’m just glad I get to start on a tiny little platform with a tiny little audience (which is mostly just my family and a few friends). I expect that God will bring the right people here and even if that’s only two people, that’s ok. In the end, I know I need to step out there and do what I feel God wants me to do. Because even if no one sees these videos or blog posts, the writing and creating of them is helping me.
So now that I’ve introduced myself a bit, let me tell you what my ideas are for this website and YouTube channel. I’ve already said that I feel God wants me to disciple other Christian women. Truth be told, it’s not a special calling because he wants us ALL to disciple other people, right? But specifically, for me, my hope is that these videos will inspire you, encourage you, and be spiritually educational for you. I hope that you become inspired to develop a closer relationship with God, dig into the word of God for your own self and your own spiritual journey, and find joy in your Christian walk. I hope that these blog posts and videos encourage you in your walk with Christ, that your worries and concerns are shared by others, that there ARE answers in the Bible for your life questions, even your specific life questions. And I hope that they will be educational for you in that you will find new ways to study the Bible, new ways to connect with God and that you will learn more about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit either directly through this content, or indirectly, perhaps as you go from watching or reading this content into your study or time of prayer.
Finally, while my ministry is to Christian women, it would be neglectful of me to assume that everyone who watches these videos or reads my blog posts is a Christian. And I think to myself, what if they don’t know? What if they don’t know about Jesus or how to be saved?
So I am going to teach one of the basic tenets of Christianity—the idea that “to be a Christian, you must be born again.” When I was growing up, I hated that phrase, “born again.” It sounded so religious and corny to me. But the truth of it is that those are the exact words Jesus said! Or at least it’s the English interpretation of what Jesus said. It’s in the book of John and it says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3 NKJV).
The Good News of the Gospel
Why do we need to be “born again?” Romans 3:23 says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (NKJV). As sinners, we can not come into the presence of the glory of God. But God wanted us to be with him! He wanted us to share in all the good things that he has for us. According to John 3:16-17, we know that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved.” God wants us to be saved! And he provided a way for us by sending his son for us!!
Better yet, all we need to do to get started on our Christian journey is to believe: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). God’s grace and your faith. That’s where your salvation begins. One more verse to back that up is in John 1:12: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (NKJV, my italics).
But don’t stop there—that’s just the stepping off point. If you stop there, you will miss out on all the goodness God has for you right here on this Earth. Start learning more about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit as they are taught in the Bible. Repent of your sins (i.e. turn away from them) and ask God to help you turn away from them. But don’t worry: God is not expecting you to be Earthly-perfect. Because he has already made your soul perfect--for him. If you start studying the Bible, talking to God, and seeking Jesus (who is love) for your life, your life will begin to change—you will begin to change. And that change will be the evidence of what has already happened in your soul.
So, Let's Pray!
So if you want to begin that journey now, I’m going to say a prayer with you that you can pray too, to show God that you are serious about this. “Dear God, I know that I am a sinner, because you said that we all have sinned and fall short of your Glory. But you also said that you loved us, you loved me, personally, so much that you sent your son to die for my sins. I believe it. I believe this to be true and I believe in your son—that he is your son, and that he came to save me. And I accept that into my life. I accept him into my heart. God, please walk with me on this journey. Help me to turn away from my sins, learn about you, and to become more like you. I know I can only do this with you, God. And thank you, God. Thank you for all you’ve done for me, without me even knowing. In Jesus’s name I pray, Amen!”
Wow! That’s it! You are now a Christian, going to heaven when you die. And if you start delving into your relationship with God, you are going to start learning so much more about him, and about yourself, and about the human condition in general. It really is cool. If you prayed that prayer, let me know. Either leave me a comment or contact me through my blog, which I’ll leave a link for down below. I really, really want to know and want to at least give you a word of encouragement for your journey.
Alright then, thanks for watching!
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