Author: Believers Church

March 10, 2022 Believers Church

Not to promote undue concern, but it’s entirely feasible that you could fall down a well at some point in your life. The odds are slim, I know, but it’s still conceivable. It occurs every year, all over the world, and survival is no guarantee. Accidents like these are real, both in the physical sense, as well as the spiritual. And although I hope it never happens to you, it’s always best to be prepared.

WHERE IT STARTS

Anyone who’s taken a tumble of this kind will attest, the real surprise comes not in the falling, but with the landing. The actual descent happens fast, so it’ll be over before you even realize it. But the pain you feel once you’ve stopped makes the landing almost impossible to forget. The bottom of a cistern is no vacation destination, as you will quickly discover. 

GET YOUR BEARINGS

Assuming you survive the initial fall, you’ll need to come to terms with where you are, and how you got there. You may not realize that you’re in a well at first, and disorientation is probable, so you’ll need to look for clues as to your whereabouts. Darkness and terror are helpful here, because when found together, they serve as a strong indication that you are indeed stuck in a pit.

If you let yourself believe whatever you feel, you may never again see the light of day

Now, the first principle of finding your way out of a deep, dark hole, is to look up. Whether you find yourself in a physical well, or a spiritual depression, up is your only way out, and out is where you need to go. So direct your attention heavenward.

(And then brace yourself for what you’re about to see).   

ADJUST YOUR EYES

Rather than the compassionate gaze from those above, you’re probably going to notice what appears to be indifference. Standing at the mouth of the well will be your own colleagues, none of whom seem to have noticed your plight. They will appear to be so unaffected by your trauma, you may find yourself wondering if, maybe, it was they who pushed you down, and that perhaps your trouble is their fault. You may even feel a tinge of relief for having fallen out of fellowship with them.

Author Alan Redpath writes, “I might suggest, perhaps with more truth than some of us would like to admit, that a persecuted Christian sometimes gets better treatment from the enemies of God’s people than from his Christian friends. Was it not the king of Judah who imprisoned Jeremiah, and the king of Babylon who let him loose? We glory in our wonderful gospel of love and mercy for the unsaved, but we usually act as if we have no gospel for the saint who has been tripped up by the devil!“

But be careful here. If you let yourself believe whatever you feel, you may never again see the light of day.

It’s a fatal mistake to think you can escape that hole by securing sympathy for yourself. Don’t even bother trying. Emotions are like quicksand. The harder you work to gain a foothold thereby, the more likely it is that you’ll drown in disappointment. Nobody’s ever been rescued by pity, and you don’t need help sinking any further than you already have. Look up, yes, but don’t expect to find comfort (Psalm 69:20).

CHECK YOUR VIEWPOINT

The angle you have on life from the bottom of a well is entirely skewed. The truth is, your companions aren’t the reason you fell in the well…you are. And yet, by divine providence, they will prove to be the very help you need to get out of it. Your friendship with those in God’s family is the only rope long enough to reach you where you’re at. If you ever hope to get back to the surface after a fall like yours, resist all temptation to cut the cord.   

Coming back to solid ground will restore your perspective. The difference in cleanliness between yourself and your allies will become readily apparent. You’ll see at once that it wasn’t your friends who were defiled, it was you all along. Get ready to be disgusted with yourself.

But they’ll understand. They’ve probably fallen into a similar hole themselves. They’ll help you wash off, tidy up, and move on, and the whole terrible episode will become a thing of the past.

Just try not to forget what happened, ok? Some lessons can only be learned in a subterranean classroom, and you don’t want to repeat a course like that if you don’t have to.  

WALK WITH CARE

It’s always best to step with caution as we sojourn through this life. Yet don’t be surprised when God peels back a layer of grace that long concealed the depth of your own sin. And don’t be shocked when you find yourself plummeting into a deep, dark well of despair because of it.

It’s entirely feasible that you could fall down a well at some point in your life

Falling down is easier than you think. If and when that happens, you’ll be glad you took the time to read up on it beforehand. “Pay careful attention to how you walk” (Ephesians 5:15) … “If you think you’re standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall” (I Corinthians 10:12).

God bless.

March 1, 2022 Believers Church

To be a Christian, one requirement is that we must repent (turn away) from sin. The need for people to repent is the first thing John the Baptist publically preached (Matt. 3:1-2). It is also the first thing Jesus publically preached (Matt. 4:17). Obviously, repentance is some sort of gate that everyone must pass through to become a Christian. And to repent (Greek: metanoeo) implies not just a behavioral change (i.e., what we say, what we do), but also a change of one’s mind (i.e., how we think).

I’m guessing most reading this (all 3 of you), already know the importance of repentance. It’s something we have to do regularly as Christians. I had to already make confession and repent this morning… to my wife and to God… and it’s still early. The question I am challenged with, and now challenge you with, is not the importance of our repentance, but the genuineness of our repentance.

Insincere Repentance

Reading the account of Moses before Pharoah in Exodus, we see several instances where Pharoah changed his mind and was willing to let Israel go to worship and serve God (Ex. 8:8, 25, 28; Ex. 9:27-28, Ex. 10:17-18). However, within hours or days, Pharoah again hardened his heart and reverted to his old ways (Ex. 8:15, 32; Ex. 9:34-35, Ex. 10:20). He had insincere repentance.

It’s easy to criticize Pharaoh as a villain in the Old Testament. But I wonder how many of us have done the same thing? Consider all the areas we are prone to sin… In our putting someone or something before God (i.e., idolatry), in our bitterness toward a believer or unbeliever, or in our lust or desire for someone or something. Perhaps we have recently repented in one of these areas. But did our repentance end up looking like Pharaoh’s? Did we turn back to our sin? Ultimately, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he perished for not truly repenting. What about us? Could we be awaiting the same fate?

Keeping with Repentance

I came across this in my reading this morning…

Many times people will confess that they have sinned without being truly repentant, especially when they experience difficulty, affliction, sickness, and hardship (c.f. Matt. 13:20–21). The test of genuine repentance is those fruits produced by the Spirit in our lives: godly sorrow leading to mortification of sin and increasing holiness of life (Luke 3:8; Rom. 8:12–13; 2 Cor. 7:9–10; Col. 3:1–17)

Gospel Transformation Study Bible

This caused me to pause. Is my repentance akin to the seed sown on the rocky soil? Whereas as soon as the next trial arises, my repentance is rescinded? Is my repentance just a cover for my sorrow… ultimately spiraling into a spiritual death? Or is my repentance genuine… freeing me from that sin, not to be undone a few hours or days later? To sum it up… is my life bearing the fruit, in keeping with repentance?

These are honest questions we need to ask ourselves.

The Holy Spirit

Pharaoh was sorry, because of the difficulties he experienced. But Pharoah was never totally surrendered to God. He didn’t really want to surrender to God’s will. He just wanted to have a sense of present ease. He wanted the bullets (i.e., flies, gnats) to stop flying around his head. He wanted calm. What about us? Are we just seeking present ease, calm from a difficult situation? Or do we really want to totally surrender to God’s will?

Perhaps the reason we struggle so much, and experience so little lasting peace, is because we aren’t fully surrendered to God’s will. If we were, wouldn’t the Holy Spirit produce the present and future fruit of repentance in our lives? Maybe we are so focused on the act of repentance, that we have overlooked our surrender to God’s will… Perhaps we are so focused on repenting… that we have neglected the source, the vine, that produces the fruit of repentance.

Remember, it is not us who has the power to keep us. That’s God’s work (Ps. 127:1). Ours is to surrender. Are we surrendered to Him? If we are, we will bear the fruit of genuine repentance.

February 28, 2022 Believers Church

The Homeschool Group has continued to meet weekly over these past winter months for a time of shared work and fitness.  In November and December, we spent our group time practicing lines and songs for the Christmas Program.  The kids put in a lot of hard work and had a blast performing!  In addition, we also were able to have a movie night with Kindred in the coffeehouse watching The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. 

Throughout January and February, we went back to rotating between drawing lessons and book reading.  While the younger children learn about Christian men and women in history, the older ones take turns reading The Hobbit together.  As for the drawing lessons, we are going through a workbook and video series with Thomas Kinkade.    We’ve had a lot of fun ice skating and sledding together after the drawing lessons and reading. 

In February, we were fortunate have Matt teach us a lesson on human anatomy, particularly, about the heart and brain.  In March, we are headed to the cities to visit the Emergency Medical Program where Tavis works.  We are also looking forward to a Creation Science Lesson with Laura soon. 

February 24, 2022 Believers Church

Read what is happening with Shofar Mission in Cebu City.

One Saturday morning in late January, we woke up to emails letting us know the Philippines was planning to open to Foreign Tourists on February 11, 2022. March 13, 2022, will mark two full years since our last “normal” Street Level meeting, did an outreach on a university campus, or taught a science lesson in a classroom. Currently, universities and schools are like ghost towns with many staff still working from home due to requirements of social distancing, plastic barriers, etc. that remain in effect. Check out some photos from the heat of COVID and what ministry was like before:

The Best of Times and the Worst of Times

The last two and a half years have taught us a lot. It has been said that the Philippines has had the hardest, strictest, and longest COVID lockdowns. There were many times that left us trusting God – for example, when the city announced all Quarantine Passes were invalid. They issued new ones, but the idea was to issue less of them. These were required to leave our house to access goods and services. December 16, 2021, and the weeks after were another big test as Super Typhoon Odette approached our island. As Cebu City was raised to Alert 4, we prepared to move to the innermost room of our house with what we needed to be safe. The typhoon left severe damage, including no water or electricity for weeks (months for some people).

Street Level Ministries

During these times, we have continued to see the hand of God at work. Even though all classes remain online and students need a valid reason to visit campus. We have met several students recently through Facebook promotions that have been interested in SLM. We got to play Dutch Blitz and eat pizza with a couple of them last Sunday. In January, Street Level Ministries started meeting every fourth Friday of the month in Toledo City. We have also been hosting Street Level Radio live broadcasts weekly, and recently added a couple of songs written and produced by Capstone Generation Church to the station. Our latest edition of Word On the Street Magazine has been released digitally, with print copies coming next week.

Exploring Creation Science

All of the schools in this ministry are connected to one or more local church. This has allowed for some face-to-face interaction with students. We have been able to teach Sunday School for both the children and youth at the Inayawan Church of the Nazarene. We continue providing Explore Booklets, a USB with the lesson videos, and will teach a science lesson during kids’ church at the Universal Church of Christ Church & School in Toledo. These face-to-face opportunities have given us a chance to hand out fliers promoting the online Exploring Creation Science lessons. We have also continued to provide online lessons and Explore Booklets for students. Lessons online continue with the Nazarene school in Banawa.

Prayer Requests:

  1. Please pray for all of the students and staff we have been able to meet and minister to – that their love for Jesus would grow and that they’d be bold witnesses in their communities.
  2. Pray for the local churches we have recently been able to connect with more, including: Inayawan Church of the Nazarene, Capstone Generation Church, Universal Church of Christ in Toledo, and the Toledo Alliance Church.
  3. Pray for preparations as we get ready for Pastor Tim and Sharon to arrive, and us to depart for a short visit to the USA.
February 19, 2022 Believers Church

It’s been a fun month with the University of Wisconsin River Falls students back on campus. Keep reading to find out what we have been up to.

Street Level

The first week that the UW River Falls students were back, Street Level packed into a 15 passenger van and headed over to Menomonie. We met up with Street Level Menomonie and Street Level Twin Ports for fellowship and a good old-fashioned game of Broomball. That Friday evening we hung out at the Street Level house, met and learn about a missionary from India that grew up in Hayward, WI, and woke up the next day to join the Broomball tournament.

On Monday nights back in River Falls, we have continued through the Alpha video series that we started last semester. We spent a few weeks learning what it looks like to hear from God. This can be a challenging topic for people, so it was good to be able to spend a few weeks discussing it.

Radio

We started bringing a bigger Burning Dog Radio presence to the university this semester. So far this month, we brought the radio booth down to campus twice. The radio booth was set up outside the cafeteria on campus for a live broadcast. Some of the Street Level students had the opportunity to join us for part of it as well as a few people from Menomonie.

Coffeehouse

At the end of January, the coffeehouse set up a booth at the Taste of River Falls. It was a fun opportunity to engage with the community. There were about 50 other businesses that attended. We gave away coffeehouse coupons, sold cold brew and hot coffee.

The coffeehouse also started a limited-time drink special that is only on Thursday evenings. We are serving Iced Caramel Frappes. And yes, we know it is the middle of winter.

Campus Church

Believers campus church is now meeting again on campus with the University being back open for school. We are meeting in the Trimbelle River room and continuing through the book of John.

PRAYER REQUESTS

  • For people to desire take the next step into service
  • To continue to meet new students and community members

FURTHER INFORMATION

February 13, 2022 Believers Church

Winter is wonderful as evidenced by the many delightful opportunities God has brought our way over the past handful of weeks.

Fellowship

There have been impromptu gatherings of assorted folks from our fellowship where we got to enjoy the things our Creator and the local and neighboring communities teamed up to offer. Earlier last month, a small group went ice skating at the Bayfront ice rink and ended up playing a rousing game of hockey.  The following Sunday after church a few went together for a free self-guided tour of Glensheen.  Some members were at a missions meeting and came over to catch the tail end, then we all went to VIP pizza for dinner to finish the day.  OneLife recently invited the Duluth couples to join them and the homeschool group to go snow tubing in Wheeler, which was a blast – what a beautiful place to enjoy the outdoors with great friends!

One Life Tubing

Street Level

Street Level Superior recently had the opportunity to travel to Menomonie and join the other campuses for a missions presentation and Broomball on a warm(ish) January weekend.  A YWAM missionary shared her experiences of work in various Asian nations and the path God took her on to get there.  The next day, only minor injuries were sustained as everyone came together for a mighty clash on the ice with an activity best reserved for the young – broomball.  I’m pretty sure they had a good time based on the stories told the next day. Street Level also partnered with a local Christian high school to fold and staple the next issue of Word on the Street right on the UWS campus.

  • WOTS Folding & Stapling
  • Street Level Broomball

Outreaches

Who knew the Zoo could be such a valuable place for outreach?  The Community Group got the opportunity once again to set up a booth at Duluth Zoo during their Winter Wonderland event.  It was a bit quiet as the temperatures were scarce, but this provided a great opportunity to meet local families and even get to know the always-helpful Zoo staff!  We also had a nice time chumming with each other and the neighboring monkeys.

Despite generally high covid cases in the area, God paved the way for us to visit a local nursing home and teach Bible studies on a few Sunday afternoons.  The Community group is on rotation for this every other week with different volunteers leading and assisting.  It’s a privilege to see people we would otherwise possibly never meet, to share God’s word with them, encourage them in their faith, and help them get to know Jesus better.

Zoo Outreach

Teaching, Videos & Discussion

In light of the current overall push to “distance” and “isolate,” a string of Monday night classes was particularly helpful.  The first three Mondays in January, we went through a book called “Evangelism as Exiles” by Elliot Clark. This dovetailed with our recent trek through 1 Peter well, as the book draws heavily from this text.  The author challenges us to consider carefully our motivation and approach to sharing Christ with those around us and increase our awareness of what really holds us back.  It might be the opposite of what we tend to think.  This is an excellent read, and we only covered the first three chapters.  Pray that God would use it to shape the way we think and how we act around our fellow humans.

On Sundays, we’re continuing through the last chapters of Romans and considering how our strength and freedoms in Christ intersect with our fellow believer’s sensitive consciences and weakness.  On various Wednesdays we’ve been gathering in small (or micro) groups to review and discuss the sermon from Sunday.  This is immensely helpful in re-orienting our brains toward what the Holy Spirit has to say to us and see clearly how these truths impact our lives.

We hadn’t been in it for a while as we took a break to go through 1st and 2nd Peter, but on a recent Wednesday, we took a refreshing dip back into the book of Jeremiah.  This was looking at the sad state and fate of faithless Zedekiah (and the people of Judah as a whole) who refused to listen to God through Jeremiah, and the silver lining of redemption for one sinner who would repent.  

Please pray for upcoming events – There is a big push to minister to the UMD student body starting mid-February, and a Street Level missions trip departing in March.  A potentially busy summer is on the horizon, so pray for God to help us all keep our heads in the game, moving forward, following His will, and for boldness to take advantage of the opportunities He provides.

-Karla