December 4, 2020
Believers Church
Real soon, we will be heading into 1st Corinthians on Sundays. If you want to expand your study, Pastor Jon Courson just walked through it in 2019.
Below is the first sermon from the series. Click the button below the video to view the rest of the teaching from this book.
December 1, 2020
Believers Church
“The life of a Christian consists very much in our love to Christ. Without love to Christ, we are as much without spiritual life as a carcass when the soul is fled from it is without natural life.” – Thomas Vincent (1634-1678)
Thomas Vincent ministered at the time of the London Plague, the last major outbreak of the Bubonic plague in England. Seven from his household died as a result of the plague. This article is based on excerpts from his final work, “The True Christian’s Love to the Unseen Christ”. It is intended as an encouragement to keep our eyes on what matters, despite present circumstances.
While surrounded by sickness, Vincent declared the greatest illness to be sin, preventing us from loving Christ. He said, “If you would attain true love unto Jesus Christ, you must get conviction of sin… The prevailing love and liking of sin is inconsistent with true love unto Jesus Christ… While your hearts go after your covetousness, or your voluptuousness, or are set upon any other wickedness, your hearts cannot be set upon Christ. Before you can love Christ, your hearts must be taken off from sin.”
He continued, “Look upon sin as the most mischievous thing in the world. If there be any evil in any temporal calamities; if there be any evil in future miseries, in the extremity and eternity of hell’s plagues and punishments, be persuaded that there is far more evil in sin, which is the cause of all.”
What is the most mischievous thing to us? Do we find fault in the present circumstances… or in other persons? Or is the greatest mischief within our own hearts, keeping us from loving Christ?
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
John 14:15
The greatest need in Vincent’s time was not for medicine, but for love… He said, “Christ loves you with the truest love. There is little true love in the world; you have many that truly hate you, and there is much dissimulation in the pretend love and affection of some; all that flatter you do not truly love you… But love in deed and truth… where there is the greatest need, that is rarely to be found.“
He continued, “None do or can love you with such a true love as Jesus Christ. There is no flattery or dissimulation in His love. His love is not the least counterfeit. It is not the least selfish and for His own ends. He does not love you to receive good from you, but that He might do good unto you.”
Where do we look to have our greatest needs met? To the world? To other Christians? Or to Christ’s love?
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.”
John 15:9
Despite personal tragedy, Vincent reasoned, “It is your duty to love Christ. If it be your duty to have natural affection unto parents and children, it is much more your duty to have spiritual affections unto Christ. If it be your duty to have conjugal affection unto your earthly husband and wife… if it be your duty to love brethren, sisters, and kindred that love you, it is a greater duty to love Christ, who loves you above all relations… who is your best friend.”
He continued, “Christ has the most right to your love, and will you not give to Christ His due? If you are bound to give men their due, are you not much more bound to give unto Christ His due?”
In times of difficulty, who has the right to our love? Does the world? Does another person? Or does Christ?
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.”
Matthew 22:37-38
Perhaps our Christian life consists of regular church participation, faithful Christian service, healthy Christian fellowship, daily bible reading, prayer, and moral uprightness…
But is there any true love unto Christ? Is our greatest conviction our own sin? Is our greatest need Christ’s love? And is our greatest duty found in loving Christ?
Vincent said, “Faith without love to Christ is a dead faith, and a Christian without love to Christ is a dead Christian.”
Let it not be said of us. May we be known, above all else, by our love to Christ.
November 25, 2020
Believers Church
Get the latest ministry update from Shofar Mission Cebu!
As finals are approaching, many students are in “crunch mode.” Even though they are studying remotely, we have been able to connect digitally on Fridays for Street Level meetings. We have been studying the gospel of Mark during our Bible discussions. Most of the UV students who graduated last semester have been able to stop by the office for short visits after their trips to campus. There is always one more piece of paper, one more 2×2 photo, and a signature needed to process their graduation clearance. We had the opportunity to visit campus to update some of the SLR equipment… it’s quiet there. Very different than this time last year!
Issue 84 of Word on the Street Magazine has been sent to print and will be released digitally this week. We are planning to send out 500 copies of this issue to UV students with their modular learning packets next month. The members who volunteer for Street Level Radio have been producing teaching clips as internet and electricity allow. The connection can be unstable and some areas experience brownouts regularly.
This month, Shofar Cable TV started broadcasting in Metro Cebu City! Shofar TV is channel 187 on Cebu Cable. We have been broadcasting in Balamban and Asturias on channel 37 through ATD Cable since 2012. Station programming includes Pastor Tim’s Sunday Services, local Filipino Sunday church services, along with various other programs. We are continuing to update programming.
Exploring Creation Science virtual lessons continue. As of this writing, classes will remain online for Semester 2. Lessons with Grade 5 students at Banawa Nazarene School started this month. Next month students in Grade 6 will have a three-part series to end semester 1. As the “ber” months end and January rolls around we are hoping for a few more opportunities to visit with pastors and teachers at various churches/schools. Plans for Semester 2 also include curriculum for students in grades 6 or 12 that are moving up or graduating, along with four new curriculum sets.
November 22, 2020
Believers Church
The Foundations Room continues to meet twice per month on the 2nd and 4th Sundays during the church service for children ages 5-4th grade. On the other Sundays, children are able to join their families in the corporate worship service. The goal of this schedule is to provide them with an opportunity to study the Bible at their level and still offer regular occasions to engage with God along with the full church body. After all, we are all part of God’s church and He wants to speak to each one of us, young and old, through the preaching of His Word.
During the month of November the Foundations kids have been working hard to prepare Christmas cards for the Philippines. Each child is making a card that will be sent to one of seven churches and organizations that Brittany and Laura have connections to in the Philippines. The kids have been praying for the people who will be receiving their cards. We hope the cards will be a blessing and encouragement to them!
As we approach the month of December, many of us are finding that our holiday traditions are being disrupted this year. On a personal note, our family is taking the opportunity to re-evaluate our traditions and try something new. This year we will be using the Little Village Family Advent Guide, which was created by The Village Church and is available for free. The purpose of Advent is to spend 4 weeks leading up to Christmas focused on preparing our hearts to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
This particular guide is meant to be used once a week starting 4 weeks before Christmas. (This year that will be Sunday November 29). It also has a Christmas Eve reading and a 5th week focusing on Jesus’ future promise to return! If you are interested in trying an advent guide but don’t need the family focus, click here for the regular Advent Guide created by The Village Church
If you have younger children and already own The Jesus Storybook Bible, another free option is The Jesus Storybook Bible Advent Guide. This guide includes a reading for the 24 days leading up to Christmas, plus ornaments to color for each day.
Whatever the size of or ages in your family, I hope you are inspired by these resources to spend some focused time together preparing to celebrate Christ’s birth!
November 19, 2020
Believers Church
Get the latest news from Believers Church plant and College Bible Study in River Falls, WI.
When did it start getting dark before 5 pm? This semester is going so fast. It is almost over! UW River Falls will actually be going entirely digital after Thanksgiving. Although, the students still have the option to live on campus, so we plan to continue meeting in person while allowing students at home to virtually attend.
Some of the highlights from the last month include Ben and Sasha from Street Level Menomonie visiting and leading one of the studies. Also, some of the students were able to get together in the coffeehouse and paint pumpkins. It was a nice time of fellowship outside of the normal Bible study. Check out some of the pumpkins painted.
We are also excited to have the River Falls fall Word on the Street (WOTS) issue mailed out to all of the freshmen on campus! A lot of people helped to make it possible for these to go out by folding, sticking, and preparing to mail the magazine. We ask for your prayers that these magazines are seen by the people God wants to see them.
November 16, 2020
Believers Church
What a blessing to have friends in Christ to share our lives with. In the last few months, the Kindred Singles went biking on the Wildwood Trail, hosted a two-day retreat, held a Friday night fire, and witnessed some spectacular stargazing…
Ok… so Cory’s telescope didn’t give us quite that clear of an image of Saturn and Jupiter (those came from the Hubble), but we really could see the rings of Saturn and four moons around Jupiter. It was quite spectacular!
We close each of our fellowship activities by praying for each other and reading a Psalm together (picking up where we left off last time). Just to show God’s perfect handiwork, He had us in Psalm 8 following our stargazing activity…
“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.”
Psalm 8:3-5 (ESV)
We also hosted a two-day retreat on Simply Sharing Jesus at the church campground. We got into some practical discussion on what sharing Jesus could look like personally in our day to day lives. We also had a little time to be silly…
Thank you to our Duluth brothers and sisters for joining us! Anytime we can get together with you, we are blessed…
