Author: Believers Church

August 10, 2021 Believers Church

On November 16th, 1992 Peter Whatling lost his hammer while working in a field. There was nothing exceptionally noteworthy about said hammer, however having always liked that particular tool he called his friend and amateur metal detectorist Eric Lawes to come and give him a hand. In the search for the hammer, Peter and Eric discovered a treasure trove from over 1,500 years previous. Treasure troves are treasures hidden to be recovered at a later date. As a reward for finding that treasure they received an equivalent of five million dollars from the British Historical Society and the treasure found its new home in the British Museum. Unfortunately, there was a catch, Peter’s hammer was also recovered and became part of the exhibit and the British Museum. There is no indication that Peter or Eric had any hesitations in trading in the once valued tool for the fortune that they received.    

A Treasure More Valuable

One of Jesus’s shortest parables and yet also one of His most powerful contains a similar story. In the Parable of the Hidden Treasure in Matthew 13:44 Jesus tells a story of another treasure trove that Christ likens to the Kingdom of Heaven. A man is out in a field when he stumbles upon an unexpected and very valuable treasure. In great joy, he covers it up, returns home where searches high and low for every last possible possession he owns. He sets up his folding tables and sells all he has ever owned and worked for in order to purchase the field with the once hidden treasure.

Christ tells this story to teach us the value of the kingdom of heaven. And just what is that value? It is more precious than we can begin to fathom because it is worth more than everything else that there is or has been. Whatling gave up a rusty old hammer and got millions, seems like a good deal. Receiving the Kingdom of Heaven even at an exorbitant cost would be an even better one.

What Treasure?

The treasure is what made all the difference. Letting go of everything would be ridiculous if the return was not of greater value than the investment put in. Rest assured there is no need for concern here. We are talking about salvation, eternal life, about Christ’s rule and reign, about the literal perfect heaven that is to be enjoyed for eternity beyond this life.  

Philippians 3:8 “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ”

What is this treasure? Jesus himself. The Kingdom of heaven is far less about a place and more about a person. Paul said that everything else in the world should be counted as a loss because of the far greater worth of knowing Jesus. All treasures under heaven fail to measure up to Him.  

Remember Why You Sold Everything

For the man in the parable, there was a cost to obtain the treasure. Viewed one way the treasure seemed costly. It took him everything he had. But viewed another way, the trade would seem like the best deal ever. The value of everything in the world could never equate to this prize, let alone his meager belongings. Only a fool would not do whatever necessary to purchase that field.  

You will have dark days where you question the worth of this new found treasure. Pain, hardships, frustrations, and disappointments will abound. You will find yourself wondering if instead of receiving an amazing deal you may have just been ripped off. Your mind will be full of thoughts such as this isn’t what I signed up for, this is too hard, this just isn’t worth it. They aren’t true. Remind yourself of that as often as is necessary. Don’t allow yourself to be tempted to abandon your fortune to return to your old rusty hammer.

Because we do not currently get to experience the fullness of what the Kingdom of God will one day entail, there are times we forget that it is worth the cost. There are times that we doubt it, but the truth remains. This is a treasure worth it all because this treasure is no earthly fortune, but instead a person. It’s a person who paid it all. If anyone got the short end of the bargain, it was Him.

Let go of your rusty hammer. You’ll be glad you did.

August 7, 2021 Believers Church

When David volunteered to meet Goliath’s challenge to Israel, King Saul was concerned about what David would wear into battle. In fact, Saul placed his own armour on David. But it didn’t fit, and it would have proved more of a hindrance than a help in David’s battle. He was better off without the king’s armour, carrying just his sling and five smooth stones.

But there’s no reason for today’s believer to be gazing off toward the battlefield mumbling, “I just don’t have anything to wear.” In Ephesians 6, God tells believers exactly what to wear to stand firm – and His armour is tailor made. Stand will reacquaint you with each piece of armour God has provided – and you’ll learn how to use that armour in your daily fight on the battlefield.

The Believers Bookstore is available to the public 9:00 am to 4:30 pm Tuesday through Friday. Also, look for the sign near the front door. Feel free to browse the shelves during the week.

Any questions? Contact: bookstore@jfbelievers.com

August 2, 2021 Believers Church

What is Received…

When we adopted our cats from the humane society, they were in a small cage with a water bowl, food dish, and litter tray. All they knew of life was being incarcerated in a cell, with the bare necessities to survive…

Today, they have an unlimited supply of ‘science diet’ duck mixed with salmon. On Saturdays, they get fancy feast tuna, white fish, or chicken in a creamy sauce with vegetables. During the week, they get to roll around in catnip, wear it, and lick it off themselves.

They also live in 900 square foot house, full of wide window sills to lay on, providing a 3D high-definition view of birds, bird feeders, birdhouses, trees, flowers, squirrels, rabbits, etc. While their masters are away, a laser turns on and flashes patterns across the floor for 15 minutes out of each hour… They also have dozens of toys to play with and cat-ghans (i.e. small afghans crocheted by Faye’s mom) to nap on.

They have received a lot, since their humble beginnings, in a confinement, with little to no creature comforts.

I wonder how many of us could make a parallel illustration in our own life? Have we stopped to consider what we have received from God…? Has not God given us more than we deserve… more than we need… sometimes more than we even hoped for…?

“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”

Romans 8:32

“His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory to virtue.”

2 Peter 1:3

“…God, who richly provides us all things to enjoy.”

1 Timothy 6:17

What is Returned…

When we come home, our cats are jostling for the window closest to the door, meowing as if in great pain until we enter. When we come in, they rub up against us, then roll over so we can pet their bellies. When we sit down, they snuggle on us and close their eyes purring. When we say ‘bedtime’, they race up the stairs and jump into the bed. One forces himself between Faye and I, throwing his back against me, pushing off of Faye with his feet. The other wraps herself around Faye’s head on the pillow… If we sleep too late or are too still, one will paw at our faces and the other will meow an alarm, to see if we are ok. When we get up, they plop down the stairs in front of us, while we are half asleep. They know they are likely to get stepped on, but they don’t care… They just want to be close…

I wonder how many of us could make a parallel illustration in our own life? Have we stopped to consider how we return our affection and thankfulness to God? Maybe this illustration is not as easy to identify in our lives…

Here is what scripture says about thanking God,

“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”

Psalm 34:8

“Give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.”

Psalm 107:21

“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

1 Thessalonians 5:18

But often our thankfulness is more like a parent telling a child to write thank you cards. The child may oblige out of duty but has little heartfelt desire to do so…

Thankfulness…

What does heartfelt affection and thankfulness really look like?

Much like our cats’.

When we wake up, we would desire intimacy with Him, meditating over the His Word. When He seems distant to us, we would search for Him in earnest prayer and pleading. When there is an opportunity to gather for worship, or service, to hear His voice, we would run to the door to meet Him. When we retire in the evening, our hearts and thoughts would push up against His…

Does that describe our appreciation… for our Master?

As David exclaimed,

“I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.”

Psalm 9:1-2

It’s time to give Him thanks… with our whole heart…

July 25, 2021 Believers Church

Read what is happening at Shofar Mission Cebu!

Street Level Ministries

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, virtual or modular learning, and many students studying from their hometowns, Street Level continues to meet digitally.

At the beginning of the month, we were blessed to spend the day together at a coffeehouse at Spring Park Mountain Resort. This was the first time three of the members saw each other in person since March 2020. The next day, we attended church with two of the SLM members. It was wonderful to meet the church and to fellowship with them! We journeyed by bus, car, and motorcycle, and look forward to the next time we can see each other in person. The digital community just isn’t the same as face-to-face. Please pray that students would see the value in reaching out to invite other students in.

Members can volunteer for Street Level Radio and Word on the Street Magazine. We are putting the finishing touches on Issue 87 and started writing drafts for Issue 88. In the next few weeks, we will continue updating the new WOTS website with local articles and finding ways to get the magazine in the hands of students. Despite being unable to meet in person, SLR volunteers are keeping the station fresh with new content and helping to record WOTS articles for the new website.

  • WOTS Sample Review
  • Some of the SLM Members
  • Church Visit

Exploring Creation Science

Exploring Creation Science lessons have continued. As the month of July comes to a close, we will start the 2021 school year soon. As of this writing, classes at all levels are to remain online or modular. To prepare for online and modular learning, Exploring Creation Science will print booklets for students that receive modular packets. Online lessons will be held for those that are enrolled in online learning. We also continue to provide lessons for specific schools we have worked with in the past as requested.

Other Ministry Updates

We continue getting the word out about Shofar TV and updating content. For those of you that may not be aware, Shofar TV broadcasts 24/7 on three cable TV stations throughout the island – one each in Toledo, Balamban/Asturias, and Metro Cebu.

Through Shofar Youth Network, we have provided curriculum to local youth groups that discuss some tough questions like “How Did We Get Here?” “Is the Bible True?” and “Who Created It All?” Several churches are trying to do youth events safely, so we have been able to share their postings to our social media pages also.

We have also had a chance to meet up with Dyreen, Orchids, & KC (in person!) to celebrate a couple of July birthdays!

July 22, 2021 Believers Church

Happenings

Mid-summer greetings from the Children’s Ministry! The biggest change since our last update is that we can see each other’s smiles again (and all of the teeth that have been lost over the recent months!) now that we don’t have to wear masks.

Although we do not currently have enough toddlers for a Beginnings Room, the Foundations Room continues to meet every other Sunday for kids in grades K-4. This schedule provides a good balance of age-appropriate Bible lessons and church participation. By participating in the church service, children learn how to worship God by being with and watching their parents and church family worship.

For the Next Generation

I recently came across this blog post worth sharing from Truth 78, a ministry whose passion is “for the comprehensive discipleship of the next generation.” They have established “Psalm 78 Day” on July 8th to serve as an annual reminder of our privilege and responsibility as Christians to pass along the truth about God to the next generations. Take a look at some of the first few verses of Psalm 78.

“We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the LORD, about his power and his mighty wonders. … so the next generation might know them–even the children not yet born–and they in turn will teach their own children. So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands.” Psalm 78:4,6-7

If you think about it, each one of us who call ourselves a follower of Christ is here because in God’s sovereign plan and way, someone obeyed Psalm 78 and passed the truth about God to us. Of course, parents have the primary responsibility of teaching their children the ways of God, but all followers of Christ also play an important role in doing this. This is true even if you do not participate in the Children’s Ministry! I am thankful for the wide variety of Christian voices that my children have speaking into their lives because of this church family!

Prayer Requests:

  • For the next generations of our church, that they would hear the glorious deeds of the Lord and set their hope in Him.
  • That we as church members would each be faithful to tell of the greatness of God to those children who are in our spheres of influence.
July 20, 2021 Believers Church

We have fully embraced summertime in River Falls by giving away coffee, ice cream, and grilling out!

Street Level Mondays

We have been meeting for Street Level in different locations around town this summer. We’ve shuffled around from parks, to back yards, to locations on campus. Several students and other visitors have joined us. Our main focus has been going verse-by-verse through the book of John.

Recently, we had a great weekend joining the other campuses for camping and canoeing in Superior. The Street Level group there hosted us at their own campground for a time of fire and fellowship in the woods. We then took a fleet of canoes for a 4+ hour trip down the Brule River.

Also, a group of us went with the other Street Level groups to the St. Louis, Missouri area at an all-weekend conference. There was fellowship, worship, and a variety of topical teachings. The organization, Campus Ministry United, put together a collaborative series entitled “Cancel Culture”. It was encouraging and inspiring to see another young and committed group of believers growing and serving together.

Coffeehouse and Church Outings

We continue to set up the coffeehouse kiosk at “Music in the Park” on Thursday nights. We serve a simple menu of cold brew, hot coffee, and watermelon Italian sodas. It has been nice to see the local community getting familiar with who we are and vice versa. Our regularity there has kind of made us the de facto “info booth”, with people regularly asking us questions that we don’t know the answer to.

  • Friendly and helpful neighbors

Sunday evenings we have shifted away from our weekly studies and have been doing some simple outreach in the community. Our basic plan is to fill up a cooler with ice cream treats and wheel it around town to see who we meet. We have talked to several people at parks and trails, many of whom are ready and open for conversation. We even gave away patriotic popsicles on the 4th of July to a huge group of college students.

“River Falls Days” was this month and with it came large crowds, reminiscent of pre-pandemic times. This is one of the biggest events in River Falls during the summer. To get our name out there, we handed out hundreds of flyers Friday night during a “walk through” parade. The next day we gave away cold brew, coffee, Italian sodas, and food from the coffeehouse parking lot. There were lots of local people who came over, many stayed and hung out to chat about the coffeehouse, the ministry, and whatever else was on their mind.

Prayer For….

Please continue to be in prayer for the future outreach and ministry that is going on in the River Falls community. Also, that God would open the hearts of the people attending the studies. Lastly that we’d have wisdom and clarity about the direction of the ministry for the fall.

Further Information

Summertime in River Falls