Rightly Dividing The Word of Truth (2Tim 2:15) in Denver!

The Founding of Berean Church:

The Berean Church was founded in 1958 in the home of Pastor Win Johnson who got to go to glory in 1993. Bennett Boothe now oversees the ministry of others given to us by the Lord who are gifted as "Planters" or "Waterers". With a continued focus on encouraging others to daily Bible Study, like the Bereans in Acts 17:11, equipping the faithful to teach what they learn, and do the work of an evangelist.

We are a home church and pray for the liberty to follow the principles of REAL fellowship = R.E.A.L. Participation:

Relate to one another (e.g. we all fall short, we all eventually experience the same sort of troubles as are common to mankind 1Cor 10:13)
Encourage one another (by sharing what God has revealed to you through the Scriptures)
Ask questions (we don't have all the answers, but with God's help we can have a safe place to ask the most important questions)
Live Christ towards one another as outlined in Philippians 2:1-4. Lift up Christ, remembering He is Head, He wants us:
To encourage one another into “the deep things of God” (1Cor 2:5-10); Identity (Php 3:12) unto Maturity (Rom 16:25; Col 1:10,11). And please show mercy.
Goal: More HomeFellowships.org (Prov 27:17,19, 2Tim 2:2)

Our small group size and home setting make for a relaxed atmosphere, so you can ask questions about the Bible that you might be afraid to ask elsewhere.

Who we are: We are a non-denominational, mid-Acts Dispensational Bible fellowship (yep that's a mouthful, but don't let it scare you), here are some basic questions and answers:

What does non-denominational mean? The Berean Church is independent and non-denominational (not supported by a denomination or part of organized religion). We make every effort to avoid becoming entangled with the affairs of this life (2Tim 2:4), and we make every effort to avoid acting in a corporate or business capacity, without prejudice (UCC 1-308). Churches who view themselves as businesses, corporations, or hierarchical organizations are antithetical to...

How the Body of Christ is supposed to function: In Christ, there are no members of the Body that are superior or inferior (1Cor 12:12-27), the kind of fellowship God intended was that all should have the liberty (2Cor 3:17) to participate, ask questions, and share Scripture God has used to speak to them (1Cor 14:24,29-33). While there are occasions for teaching, this is not to be confused with nor should it quench the Spirit of true Biblical fellowship; for true Biblical fellowship only happens when every member is encouraged to participate:

"from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every member participates, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love" Ephesians 4:16

What Does Berean mean? The Bible reference is that of a city in ancient Greece. It is a commercial center of Greek Macedonia, the capital of the province of Imathia. Berea (now Veria) was prominent from the 4th century BC and part of the Kingdom of Macedonia. Part of Rome from 168 BC, both the apostle Paul and Silas preached there in AD 54 or 55. What is relevant about that city is what the Scriptures say about some of it's residents in Acts 17:11 "These [Bereans] were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so."

What does dispensational mean? It simply means that we believe in the simplicity and practicality of God's message for today, we believe God has given us everything we need to have "the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgment of the mystery (the biggest, best-kept secret) of God, and of the Father, and of Christ" (Colossians 2:2). This is made possible by the Holy Spirit energizing one to be like the Berean's: question and confirm what you hear by searching the Bible for yourself daily (Acts 17:11). We exist for the purpose of equipping believers to rightly divide the Word of truth -meaning that we believe the whole Bible is FOR us, but not all of it is TO us today. We believe that, up until the middle of the book of Acts, Gentile nations were "without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world" Ephesians 2:12

The practical result of understanding God's holy Word is that souls come to enjoy it more every day. Hearts are being comforted, and we are becoming knit together in the love of Christ! If the Bible is enjoyed, then daily Bible study is not a burden and truly is the food for closer fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ; this filling with the Spirit (cp Ephesians 5:18,19 with Colossians 3:16) cannot help but spill out into the lives of others.

We believe the Word of God (the Holy Bible) in it's original form is inspired by God and infallible. The Bible when rightly divided is the last word on all matters having to do with life and godliness. Psalms 19:7 The Word of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. (cp 2 Samuel 22:31; Psalms 12:6,7; Psalms 119:140; Proverbs 30:5)

We believe in the Deity of Christ, His present omniscience (Ps 147:5), omnipresence (Ps 139:7-12), and omnipotence (Jeremiah 32:17 Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, [and] there is nothing too hard for thee)

We believe that the grace of God is infinite, that it finds its only motive in the bounty and freeheartedness of the Giver, that it is given freely, without expectation of return. No one has ever plumbed the depths of grace, which is why it will take "the ages to come" for Him to "show the exceeding riches of his grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." Ephesians 2:7

We believe that ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23), that the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23), as a result, man is totally dead in sins. He is incapable of saving himself, totally depraved. The message of the cross is offensive (Galatians 5:11) because, if there were even one thing WE could do to commend ourselves to God, then there would have been no need for Christ to suffer and die the death He died (Gal 2:21).

We believe that grace and faith are gifts (Eph 2:8,9). Because of the cross, God is able to not only see us as having been planted in Christ but also to plant Himself permanently in those who are of the faith. If we got grace by our own faith, then it follows we could lose it if we renounced faith; and if we got grace by our own faith, then we would have grounds for boasting about our own great faith. But no one gets grace by their own faith.

We believe in God's message for today: It was in “due time” that God demonstrated a new and unique message to and through the Apostle Paul: 1stTimothy 2:7 "Whereunto I [Paul] am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity." Though we believe God gave a unique message to Paul, we still believe “all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (2ndTimothy 3:16)

Our Mission: Commit what we have been learning to faithful men who will be able to teach others also and, Lord willing, create more HomeFellowships.org

How can this church help me get equipped to defend the good news? The Word of God is coming under more and more attacks lately, many falsely saying it is 'full of contradictions', but our focus has not changed. We pray that God would give you an unquenchable, powerful desire to get to know Him through the water of His word (Eph 1:17; 5:26) to the point you can be in awe of His wisdom, possess a precise understanding of His will and ways for today, and grow in grace so that you might be able to defend "the Gospel of the grace of God" (see Php 1:7, 1Pet 3:15; Phm 1:6)

Three things you'll consistently hear at our fellowship:

1. Forgiveness is freely available because Christ died once and for all time, to die no more, for all (that's YOU), and Christ died for all our sins (past, present, and future; 1Corinthians 15.3,4). Anyone who believed this is a permanent member of the Body of Christ.
2. All that we suffer today is designed, not to punish anyone but simply to help us identify with the sufferings of Christ (2Cor 4; Php 3, etc.). This daily identification eventually leads to a transformation:
3. Christ makes Himself known to and through the weakest of vessels, so the direct and supernaturally powerful result of patient continuance in #2 above is that God manifests Himself in the life of the humblest believer!

You do NOT have to be seminary educated to be used by God!
From the beginning of the Body of Christ, it was God's design that the local church be the training ground for the ministry (see 1st & 2nd Timothy and Titus for proof).

Nowhere in any Scripture written to the Body of Christ do we see the Lord Jesus using institutional means to instruct His followers. You can learn everything you need, to be able to teach others, right from God's word rightly divided (2Tim 2:15), and that is what you will learn right here, by the grace of God!

May we always remember that Christ rose from the dead so He can live through us and give us hope for a purpose
in this life and in the life to come!

About Pastor Bennett

Senior Pastor Bennett was saved in the mid-summer of 1978. Since then, he has been involved in leading weekly Bible studies; and he will be the first to tell you that all the glory goes to God for the things he has seen in God's perfect Word.

Bennett graduated from Texas A&M University in 1983 with a degree in "Pre-Theology" (which turned out to be Humanistic Sociology). Here, he learned education's "brightest and best" could not satisfactorily answer the question: 'Is deviant behavior learned or inherited?' (We believe the answer is "YES!")

Bennett taught Bible studies for fourteen years in Texas and moved his family to Colorado in the summer of 1993 and has been teaching ever since.

With no formal seminary training, it has necessarily been his marriage (since 1985), raising three faithful children to adulthood, and a holding down a full-time secular career that have made his messages practical in nature; if Pastor B can find time to study the Bible, then you can too!

Elders who teach in rotation: Bennett Boothe, Bill Schultz, Chuck Cirbo, Donald Rutherford, and Keith Baldwin

Ephesians 2:7