FEBRUARY 2023

God moved the Miller Family from Newborn, Georgia to Lakeland, Florida a year ago this month. Although I was born and raised in Georgia, Florida has always held a special place in my heart. Growing up, my family always vacationed in Daytona Beach. Furthermore, my children started school in Fort Myers when I pastored FBC Pine Island. Our return trip to minister in Florida has been amazing. We are so incredibly blessed to be a part of Bethel Baptist Church. The love, welcome, and acceptance we experience each week is wonderful. Thank you!
As we begin our second year of ministry with you, I look forward to seeing what God has in store for us and the church. I am excited to continue preaching and teaching God’s Word on Sundays and Wednesday. I always enjoy spending time with you on a more personal basis than Sundays and Wednesdays. I am thankful to be able to minister to you in times of pain and suffering. In addition to all the regular duties and responsibilities of being a pastor, I have felt God leading me to give specific attention to two areas of service.
One, God has laid it on my heart to prepare Bethel for days of deceit and deception. As our culture continues to decline and trend away from a biblical worldview, I see the need for biblical training and doctrinal instruction increasing. I was so thankful for the incredible response we had to our first theology class. We will continue to have these classes periodically throughout the year. Our next class will cover the humanity of Christ and the first four major ecumenical councils of the church. Sadly, the majority of Christians I’ve encountered have no idea that godly men have stood against heresy many times in our past. These first four councils expressed the truth of God’s Word concerning the person and work of Christ in clear fashion. The vast majority of the Christian faith has accepted the findings of these councils throughout history. Rejecting the Chalcedonian definition of Christ has only occurred in last couple of centuries with the rise of theological liberalism and global “Christian” cults. Christian Scripture is our standard for all matters pertaining to faith and practice, and Christian history can serve as guardrails to keep us from running off the road into the theological ditch.
Two, God has continued to impress upon my heart the importance of passing the faith on to the next generation. I am very grateful for the growing College and Career Ministry at Bethel. We will continue to hold gatherings where we discuss Scripture, contemporary cultural issues, and how to develop a biblical worldview in an unbiblical world.
Please continue to pray for me and my family as we serve the Lord by ministering at Bethel Baptist Church. We love you so much. We are so blessed to be a part of a thriving church. We are ready to continue joyfully serving the Lord and working to grow His Kingdom in Year Two.

-Pastor Clint Miller