It’s important to us at JFB Duluth that we never find ourselves gathering together as mere acquaintances at some type of empty, shallow social club. The church, and this church specifically, is designed by God to be much more than that. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 10:25 to not forsake gathering together. I am convinced this is meant to be much more than a command to have records showing our perfect attendance. Attending weekly church services without a depth of relationship and commitment and involvement will not be enough to fulfill what God is asking for in that verse. In fact, the verse prior says we are to consider how to spur one another to love and good deeds. (Hebrews 10:24)

Getting to Know One Another

It’s clear all throughout scripture that God is greatly concerned with the way we interact with one another as believers. God says that above all we are to love one another. We are to willingly offer hospitality to one another. We should use our gifts to serve one another. (1 Peter 4:8-10) The Bible says we are to be unified. (Ephesians 4:3) Christians offer real accountability and say the hard things that need to be said out of love and compassion. (Proverbs 27:6) We are to be faithful in prayer for one another. (Romans 12:12)  If we are going to do this for one another it will necessitate more than simple attendance. We need to spend time with one another and get to know each other. We will spend time hearing about what God has done and is doing in on another’s lives. Real Christian fellowship goes far beyond the surface level conversations that suffice for worldly friendships.

Women’s Bible Study and Men’s Breakfast

Knowing God’s desire for us to involve ourselves in each other’s lives, we seek to do what we can to encourage that to happen. A couple of weeks ago the women of the church got together to have a Bible study where they discussed the tendency many have to make friendship a selfish endeavor, and how to instead pursue a Biblical idea of friendship. These nights the women get together have been full of good food and great discussion. The highs and lows that are experienced when following God are able to be discussed. It allows for an opportunity to come together, open up, and actively participate in all of the things scripture tells us should be part of a gathering of believers.  

On the same day, the men of the church started their day early by sharing a meal together as well. A couple of us came down to the church to cook breakfast and brew coffee, giving us a chance to truly serve one another and offer hospitality as the Bible says. Then all of the men of the church stopped in for breakfast on their commute to work. We were able to start the day focusing on God and His plan for the day. We were also able to obey scripture by spending time praying for each person on their way out the door for God’s blessing and direction for the day ahead and whatever else God was doing in their lives.

5th Wednesday of May

The last Wednesday of May we took a break from our regular routine of gathering at the church and headed over to a local park where we spent the evening grilling out, playing yard games, and just enjoying each other’s company. God blessed us with a great night and perfect weather. It was a good opportunity to step back from the busyness that comes along with church and be reminded of the privilege it is to be part of a church like ours (even if our frisbee skills need some work).

Stay Engaged

I can say without a doubt that I have found deeper friendships in this church than I have experienced elsewhere. Getting to be involved with all of you is a great joy in my life. My life is enriched by being a part of this fellowship and no doubt many of you can say the same. Remember that. Because, if you are a part of this church there will be times when people’s involvement is unwanted. You will have times when instead of embracing the fellowship and accountability that is offered, you will instead desire to run and hide. Remember that it truly is a privilege and joy to be engaged in the calling of God with one another.  

Pastor Jesse

Whether looking back at the calendar for the previous months or looking ahead at the months to come, there are always plenty of different things going on to write about. As a church, we seem to almost always have something that we are planning for and scheduling. All of these happenings, all of these events, are done with intentionality. As a church, we have no desire to fill the calendar just for the sake of being busy. This is something that we all must remember. If we fail to do so we may find ourselves with a false sense of progress and accomplishment due to busyness rather than in continually moving forward following the will of God. Motion does not always mean progress and doing a lot of things does not equate to getting a lot done for God’s kingdom. A full calendar or busy schedule is not an end unto itself, but rather a means to an end. With that in mind, everything that we do has a purpose.

Fellowship

Sometimes that purpose may not be some grand and complicated goal. Sometimes it is simply for us to spend time together, laugh together, eat together, to truly have communion. Doing all of that in remembrance of Jesus. True unity in fellowship can be hard to come by, but it is crucial for us to have. If we are not united in mind and mission we will be ineffective tools for God’s kingdom. To accomplish this we regularly spend time together without an intensive agenda and schedule. On Easter, we all got together at the Mosses, ate a traditional Easter dinner, told stories of the incredible things God has done, and stayed late into the night playing games. It was a fun night that brought us together as a church.

Outreach

As Jesus prepared to leave this earth, He clarified part of our mission. He told us to “go”, “to make disciples”, and to “teach.” In order to do this, we are actually going to need to meet people. We cannot fulfill the commission of Christ in solitude in hope that people are just going to come to us. Sometimes we do this by inviting the community to enter into what we are doing with things such as concerts, and sometimes we do this by getting out into the community to meet people. This spring we have regularly been giving away coffee at both the UW-Superior and Lake Superior college trying to get to know students.

Service and Discipleship

The Bible calls us to serve one another. The Bible calls us to put forth physical effort into furthering the kingdom of God. Many times It’s through that service alongside one another that God reveals things in our lives. God can and does accomplish great things through our blood, sweat, and tears. Not only does God mold our character and turn us more into the people of God that he desires us to be through our service, but we also get to find joy and satisfaction in fulfilling whatever role He has for us. It is easy to forget the big picture in our week to week service opportunities. It easy to see a work day as just a day to get some projects done. If we forget the privilege and purpose of our service we may miss out on what God might do.

Our Rummage Sale

Few events can accomplish all of these things at once as well as our all church rummage sale which was held last Saturday. It may seem weird to be excited about rummage sales, but our sale is always an anticipated event for us. It goes far beyond being able to raise funds for missions endeavors. It’s a fun day where we get to spend the entire day together in fellowship. On Saturday night we found ourselves sitting on the steps outside long after the sale had been finished. By the numbers, it is one of the most successful outreaches we have. We meet dozens of people who come in our doors where we get to tell them about who we are. We open of the coffeehouse for breakfast and lunch. It is a day full of service both to those inside of the church and the community that comes in. It always amazes me that God can take our meager efforts and donations and accomplish great things for His kingdom.

With such a busy schedule, it is easy to live always waiting for the next event. It is tempting to always be looking ahead at the schedule in order to cross the next thing off the list. You need to be sure you don’t get lost in the activities. You must not allow yourself to simply be content with constant motion. Instead, we need to go into all of the busyness of being part of JFB Duluth with right humble hearts that are seeking God and allowing Him to accomplish what He desires to accomplish through all that we do.

-Pastor Jesse

Whenever it is time to write an update of the ministry happening in and through JFB Duluth I am always surprised at what God has allowed us to do. This month is no exception. We have been busy and we have pushed hard. We have gotten a lot of work done, but there is a lot of work to do. I’m reminded of John 9:4 which tells us, “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.” There is a time coming where we will not have all of this ministry to do. But for now, we push on always seeking to be lead and empowered by the Spirit of God.

A Good Start

This semester started quick. We hit the ground running. Street Level Twin Ports doubled the number of campuses we are engaged with. We continue to have our weekly dinner and Bible studies. Beyond that, we have been having Sunday “Dinner in the Dorms” which has allowed us to meet several new students and get to spend more time with the students who regularly attend. A couple times this semester we participated in epic games of broomball complete with real sportscasters, camera crews, and long-lasting bruises. This turned out to be a great outreach in order to get to know some new people.

We sent a team of people to Kentucky to take part in a mission trip where God did great work in us, and in turn, worked through us in the lives of those that we interacted with. Coming up we will be inviting students with no plans for Easter to join us for Easter dinner. At LSC we have been regularly handing out free coffee to students and staff.

There is no question that we have got a lot done and been working hard. I have seen the members of Street Level being faithful to fulfill God’s calling of being a light to the world and reaching out to those around them. We have been inviting people to join us. We have been doing what we can to meet people and build relationships. And by all outward appearance, God has been blessing our efforts. He brings new students and has provided good discussion that is hopefully bearing the fruit that He desires. It has been a good start to the semester.

How are We Going to FInish?

This time of year; it would be tempting to relax, easy to rest on all the work that we have already accomplished. We could coast through the last of this semester and feel okay about ourselves. We might still be doing our Bible studies, still appearing to be active, but in reality be disengaged and checked out spiritually, mentally, and physically. That would be a grave mistake. That is not what God would have for us. We may have started strong, taken off at a sprint, but we must not lose our momentum now. Without a doubt God has been using us, He still has much for us to do. Keep running. Stay engaged and don’t lose heart.

Who is our Example?

If anyone had reason to slow down as the end came near it was Jesus. He had done a lot. He had healed the sick, raised the dead, given sight to the blind, physically and spiritually fed tens of thousands, and more. But He didn’t check out, in fact, I would say that Jesus did His greatest work right at the end of His life. We rejoice that he did not get near the end of His life and just slowly fade, slowly disengage from the ministry God had sent Him to do.

Let the same be true of us. Let us run the race that God has placed us in with endurance, keeping going to the bitter end. (Which does not come in May at the close of the semester) Don’t stop meeting people, don’t stop inviting people. Don’t stop putting yourself into positions where you can be greatly used by God. Let’s finish strong!

Jesus Was Charismatic.

Much of what Jesus did in His earthly ministry was done to bring Him into contact with the masses. He wasn’t at all stationary. Instead, He and His disciples moved about in a wide swath of missional ventures that put them in the path of both slaves & soldiers, lepers & liars, criminals, kinfolk, and kings. Isolation is no recipe for effective ministry, and no one knew that better than our Lord.

Not only was Jesus assertive in His ministry, He was also attractional. The words He spoke and the things He did were impossible to ignore and exciting to behold. Everywhere He went Jesus provoked curiosity, offered blessing, and demonstrated matchless hospitality. He healed, fed, and educated, always free of charge, lavishly blessing the masses as He went. The average day for Jesus would be enough to make modern newspaper headlines in any given city. There was something about His ministry that left multitudes of people with an uneasy feeling that they might miss whatever came next. And that’s why they followed Him. And that’s the way Jesus started His church.

We’re not as Charismatic as Jesus.

Our capacity to attract the multitudes, as a church, may not match the capacity that Jesus had, but our strategy can. We can practice hospitality and bless visitors in a similar way, even if not to the same degree. In other words, we might not have the same miracle-working power it takes to feed strangers with loaves and fishes that come out of thin air, but we can give people free ice cream that came from the supermarket! And we may not be able to walk on water like Jesus did, but we can most certainly do this…

Nobody at my church, including myself, has the same healing power or the same measure of intrigue as Jesus did, but we’re not without our own resources, and God still expects us to assert ourselves in this community. And so we will.

A New Mission for JFB Duluth.

Seeing this facet of Christ’s ministry more clearly than ever, and being at a stage of church development where we had the necessary resources to give focused attention to this growing need, JFB Duluth made the decision last year to form what we have simply called “Community Group”. Nothing fancy, but it’s a start. We are now rapidly approaching the beginning of our second year as a “small-group” ministry, and we feel that the Lord is pleased with our work thus far. The members of this Group are few; and intentionally so. We are wanting to ensure that this ministry develops according to God’s desires rather than the misguided zeal of its participants. The things being done by this group aren’t heavily advertised to the church. They needn’t be. The focus of this particular small-group ministry isn’t meant to be on the church, but on the community.

This does not mean, however, that we want to exclude the church from being involved in our activities from time to time. That is, in fact, one of the goals of our Community Group Ministry: To collaborate with the entire church, as well as with Street Level Ministries, giving everyone an opportunity to cooperate with us in reaching out to the greater community. From Christmas Festivities, to the New Year’s Eve celebration, our 10-Year Anniversary Party, bi-annual All-Church Rummage Sales, and our most recent “Sled-less Sledding” excursion (all of which were ‘sponsored’ by our Community Group)…these are wonderful opportunities for you to be included in the work of the ministry by inviting the community to follow us, as a church, wherever we go next.  

We’re After Fruit that Lasts.

We’re blessed by God when we’re on mission, and we plan to continue with this work. Our Community Group doesn’t do what it does without a purpose. As fun as it is to go sledding, there was a greater reason for doing it. As tiring as it may be to pack up each Sunday after church all summer long, and head out to serve the community on the other side of town, we do it in hope. A concert, to us, is more than just a silly concert and a rummage sale is always something greater than it appears.

If you remember to pray for us, please do so. We are hopeful for what the Lord will accomplish here in Duluth, not only in the next week or two, but in the next generation or two. If free fish sandwiches in the 1^st century was enough to build a church that would last for the next 2,000 years, pray that free brats might do the same for Duluth in 2019.

Starting in 2019 JFB Duluth will be seeing an interruption to our regularly scheduled programming. This change will be seen in a couple different ways during our Wednesday evening services. The book of Psalms is split into five separate books and for the past several months we have been working our way verse by verse through the second of those books. In that time we have seen God bring David and the other Psalmists to the highest of highs. We have also seen the lowest of lows. We’ve seen times of great joy, satisfaction and comfort but also severe desperation, anxiety and hardship. You can expect all of this when following God’s lead.

Moving forward we will continue to have nights going through scripture, doing as the apostle Paul and “not shrinking from declaring the whole counsel of God.” We will still have times to discuss and put into practice what we are learning. But we will also have some additions in order to change things up a bit.

Unlocking the Mysteries in Genesis

Every third Wednesday in 2019 we will be going through a video series and discussion looking at the start of it all: Genesis. The questions that the book of Genesis answer are some of the biggest questions ever. They are issues with some far reaching implications. These are questions that deserve thought. We must not assume that we are already believing the truth without some actual thought and concern for why we believe what we believe. If we do so, we are doing ourselves a great disservice.

Many Christians believe in creation for the same reason that many atheists believe in evolution. At some point in their lives someone told them that it was the truth. They didn’t think about it and were not convinced of its validity in their own mind. They simply listened and did as they were told. We need to be thinking Christians. Christians with real answers to real questions. This series will help us with that.

Getting out of the Building

Every once in a while there are months with five Wednesdays rather than the usual four. This year, in addition to the Genesis video series, we are going to take every fifth Wednesday as opportunities to be thrown out of our routine.

God commands to “not forsake gathering together.” We are supposed to be together. We are supposed to have church regularly, week after week, month after month. I’d go so far as to say that it should be a routine of ours. But God is greatly concerned that the regular gathering together that we are commanded to do can easily turn into empty religious routine. It can become a full schedule, but void of life and void of real Christianity. Now this is a matter of the heart. This cannot be avoided by a simple change of schedule, but sometimes a change in our routine is just enough to wake us up if we are thoughtlessly engaged in an autopilot routine.

The fifth Wednesday in January we are going to split up into groups and go out for dinner somewhere in the Twin Ports. This not only shakes up the routine but allows us to casually share a meal together while discussing God and what He is doing. It is another opportunity for us to engage in real communion together. And we will get to be out in the community together. (also who doesn’t like a good cheeseburger)

I don’t know if it okay to write or not… but Wednesday nights have always been a favorite for me. They have been ever since the first Wednesday service I came to at JFB Duluth. It was a Dinner and Book Study night. We read “Radical Together” with the whole group around some pushed together tables. I sat by Matt. We ate tacos. I felt like I was at home, like I was where I was supposed to be, and like God was doing something. Let’s see what He will do with these Wednesdays at JFB Duluth throughout 2019. I’m looking forward to it.

-Pastor Jesse

Looking back…

JFB Duluth has had an another eventful year, and our activities in December were a great way to end strong.  We hosted yet another winter rummage sale that was very well attended.  The amount of donations that poured in was amazing as always, and our sanctuary was packed once again.  We opened up the kitchen and served breakfast, bakery, and lunch. I think that I can speak for our group when I say that we all enjoy having these sales. They are a great way to meet people in the community and yet another way for us to support missions work both overseas as well as locally. It was great to see many new faces at “RavenFed” enjoying the space that we have worked hard to create. 

Going Forward… 

Later on this month we will also be having another coffee outreach for the morning commuters who drive by our church.  Every Wednesday morning for the past two summers, a group from the church would get up extra early in order to give away coffee to the morning commuters who drive past our church.  We intend to make contact with them once again on the 19th of this month by baking cookies & brewing fresh coffee for our commuting friends. Our Community Group will be executing this outreach as always, and would appreciate your prayers for our future endeavors. 

Street Level Superior has also had an eventful year. They are continuing to meet at Big Apple Bagels, which is close to the UW-Superior campus on Tuesday nights. They have also been meeting on Sunday nights and cooking dinner together in a dorm, which has been a great way for them to meet students.  Street Level also teamed up with the Community Group to go and cut down a Christmas tree for the church. We all braved the frigid temperatures, and found the perfect tree for the church. They will end the semester by going tubing at Spirit Mountain and having a Christmas party at the church.