Author: Believers Church

July 7, 2020 Believers Church

Want to dig deep into the Book of Acts? Check out the below commentaries available for purchase:

Acts: The Church Afire by R. Kent Hughes

Dynamic churches–congregations that are experiencing phenomenal growth, Christian ministries that God is using to take down walls, churches where souls are being saved and lives transformed–inspire us and make for great reading. The book of Acts, the divinely inspired history of the early church, is all this and more.

In the author’s words: “One reason I love to study the book of Acts is its uniqueness. It is the sourcebook for the spread of early Christianity. Without it we would know little about the apostolic church except what could be gleaned from Paul’s epistles. It is the chronicle of the spreading flame of the Holy Spirit.” In this welcome addition to the Preaching the Word series, Pastor Kent Hughes provides fascinating commentary on the book of Acts:

  • The birth of the church
  • Bold gospel preaching that resulted in thousands being won to Christ
  • The transformation of the church’s greatest enemy into her greatest spokesman
  • Expanded international witness due to persecution and in response to divine calling
  • Walls of racial and religious pride blown away
  • The dramatic missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul
  • The cost of discipleship and the rewards of faithfulness

This encouraging commentary on a marvelous Bible book is sure to challenge all Christian believers who seek to walk with Christ and to serve him more effectively through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Acts Ironside Commentaries by H.A. Ironside from Loizeaux

Devotional, practical, and Christ-centered, the Ironside Expository Commentary series offers insightful and practical comments that bring out the essential truths of God’s Word. All volumes present the unabridged text in a newly typeset edition. These commentaries provide the general reader with an excellent resource for personal study and spiritual growth.

Acts: An Ironside Expository Commentary by H.A. Ironside from Kregel Publications

Devotional, practical, and Christ-centered, this reissued classic is a fine resource for preaching and teaching from the Bible—and for personal study. Harry Ironside’s clear, concise thematic survey offers the unabridged text in a newly typeset format with commentary and exegesis from one of the most creative and articulate expositors of the 20th century. 368 pages, hardcover

Tree of Life Bible Commentary, Acts 1-14 (Volume 1) by Jon Courson

The Tree of Life Bible Commentary is based on bible studies given at the Applegate Christian Fellowship. The Commentary is comprised of both the expositional verse by verse midweek bible studies and the topical Sunday studies. This unique teaching style which encourages personal application of the Word to our individual lives will enhance your study of God’s Word and your love for the Lord. The Scriptures say that the man who meditates in the Word, “Shall by like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season…” (Psalm 1:3)

The Believers Bookstore Info:

Since the Central Desk is closed at the present time, 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.

You may come in and browse books but it will not be staffed. You may make purchases during the above hours by taking your selected book to the outdoor coffeehouse kiosk at the side of the building, where you may pay for the book only. The coffeehouse does not take orders nor are they knowledgeable of what books are available.

You may email the bookstore with questions and inquiries about books or ebooks that we have available. We will get back to you as soon as possible to assist you with your reading needs. You may also place special orders for books that you don’t see on the shelves if we are able to assist you in that.

Please contact the BOOKSTORE via email only.

Contact info: bookstore@jfbelievers.com

July 4, 2020 Believers Church

A Picture of Spiritual Integrity

Alistair Begg teaches in this sermon on a model of integrity out of the Old Testament – Daniel. Take some time to listen to the teaching and make note of the practical steps you can take to “dare to be a Daniel”.

Five Words on Daniel | Daniel 6:1-28

Download

From Series: Jars of Clay
by Alistair Begg | September 24, 1995

June 28, 2020 Believers Church

By Sara Huhmann

What does a successful day look like? If you are anything like me, I usually start the day out with a list of expectations that I plan to accomplish. During the school year, my list is usually made up of things like which subjects we are going to cover, how long I will spend with each child individually working on reading, what time I am going to get dinner started so it is ready on time, etc.

Some days we hit pretty close to “target” and I feel good about our accomplishments. Other days start off with an argument between siblings that derails my schedule. These are the days when I sometimes question our success because they aren’t as productive as I had envisioned. By now I should expect those interruptions. But time for talking through the heart issues behind a squabble and disciplining don’t usually make my “to do” lists.

The Disconnect

I think one of the big reasons for this inconsistency is that God has a completely different “to do” list for our days than I have. I tend to be focused on progress and tasks that can be measured physically. But the truth is, much of the progress God wants to make in our family is in changing our character.

With this being the first year that I have homeschooled 3 children, it has caused me to re-evaluate my definition of a successful day.  Do we have academic criteria that we need to meet? Sure. Are we diligent about using our time wisely? I try to be. But my eyes have been opened to the fact that there is so much more to be learned (both by my children and by me) than math facts and phonics sounds. Through the process of learning together at home, we are also learning a lot about our own sin tendencies and our character flaws that cause “rub” in our relationships. It is one of the great blessings and challenges of homeschooling!

A New Way of Thinking

When my kids fight over who gets to use the coveted blue gel pen for their drawing project first or when I have a bad attitude about our child’s lack of progress learning to read, I am learning to see those as just as important educational opportunities as the science and language arts lessons. Instead of viewing them as “time suckers,” I am even learning to be thankful for them! I am thankful because without those fights and bad attitudes, we would miss out on opportunities to be confronted with our own sin. Each time, it is God’s grace toward us reminding us of our need for Him. Each time it is an opportunity to ask each other for forgiveness and to ask God to help change us.

Did you have a successful day today? I’ll bet it was more successful than you realize.

June 25, 2020 Believers Church

Read the latest news from Shofar Mission in Cebu City, Philippines.

Quarantined

Since our last update, Cebu City went from Enhanced Community Quarantine to General Community Quarantine, and back to Enhanced Community Quarantine. Simply put, we went from a strict lockdown to a slightly less strict lockdown, and back. For the two weeks of GCQ, we could bike to and from the office every day. This was really refreshing after so many weeks at home. God “threw us a bone” by letting more businesses open up and residents move around. Unfortunately, that prompted virus cases to rise, putting us back in ECQ.

No public transport? No problem… ‘sweet freedom’

Back to Basics

One thing that God taught us throughout this pandemic is to go back to the basics. It can be easy to get caught up in the machine (projects) and neglect the organic (people). Over the past few months, we’ve communicated with people a lot since we’re all stuck at home. We’ve also taken time to assess what we’re doing and why, asking God to teach us and help us apply those things when we get out from lockdown. One thing’s for sure… He has made it clear how important it is to… s l o w… d o w n.

Getting Creative

God has also taught us (in very practical ways) to be creative. Even daily life here requires creativity – especially when you take turns walking/biking to/from the grocery store alone… you make do with what you can find that day and fit in your backpack. In terms of ministry, we have learned how to exploit the technology we have as much as possible to reach people.

Laura implemented virtual science lessons for the summer and has successfully taught lessons to the JFB homeschool group and one of the Christian schools here in Cebu. She also uses social media to regularly share resources that help students/parents/teachers grow in their understanding of how faith and science work together. Most recently, Laura has been working on daily Bible readings for students in grades 4-6 and 7-12. These readings are to encourage students to know their Bibles and why they believe what’s in it.

Science experiments go virtual – showing students how the heart pumps blood!

Brittany has stayed in touch with the Street Level Ministries students digitally. Some have “checked out,” but others have stepped up in their commitment to the Lord. We have a group video call on Fridays, which is open to any student to join and share what they’ve been up to. Usually, 2-3 students join for fellowship. A few students are still volunteering for WOTS and SLR – as much as they can remotely. We recently started a weekly Digital Small Group, where we walk through practical discipleship material over a group audio call. These small groups are open to all SLM members and designed to be small for open discussion and accountability. So far, three ladies have committed to meet each week.

Looking Forward

We don’t know what the next few months will hold – whether we’ll be 100% online, 50% online, or 100% in person. However, God has proven faithful these past months and equipped us to face every challenge He allowed. We look forward to seeing what He’ll do next and are thankful to continue ministering here in the Philippines.

Prayer Requests:

  • Our government leaders to make wise decisions regarding quarantines and the “new normal”
  • Educational leaders to plan wisely for the upcoming school year
  • The growth and health of churches throughout the Philippines – for the pastors to lead well, the churches to be united, creative ways to minister, and patience and endurance for the believers
  • The students and staff that we work with to stay strong in their faith and resolute in their obedience to Christ
June 23, 2020 Believers Church

During this time of the coronavirus the coffeehouse has been through some changes, it seems like each week there is something new. It’s cool to see God working & changing the direction of the coffeehouse for this time. From being in our main space downstairs with full service, to now outside in a tricked out vintage camper!

Serving Up Butterfly Lattes from the Window

The new Mobile Coffeehouse has been very effective outside, it seems like people can’t help but be curious. We are meeting new people everyday! We have also started a new drink that has been getting attention from the community, we call it the butterfly latte. If you haven’t tried it yet you should, I mean it’s blue so what more could you want?

View of the Neon Sign in the Back Window

Along with being outside, the new Mobile Coffeehouse, & new drinks we are continuing to raise funds for overseas missions like well digging in rural India. Please keep this venture in your prayers!

Full View of New Mobile Coffeehouse & a Butterfly Latte

Keep up with what’s happening by following us on Instagram & liking our Facebook page!

June 19, 2020 Believers Church

Get the latest news from Believers Church plant and Street Level college ministry in River Falls, WI.

Summer Street Level

For the first time since we’ve started ministering in River Falls, we are continuing Street Level through the summer months. The main reason we had not done so previously was that people simply did not stay in town. But, like in many other areas of life, the coronavirus forced us to learn some new ways of doing things, and now everyone is very used to meeting each week online.

Our hope and intent is that our summer meetings provide ongoing fellowship and spiritual discussion, but also help us “lead into” the fall semester. We don’t really know what the fall will look like at UW-River Falls. The school has plans to bring everyone back physically at this point, but what will that look like? We can be sure that there will be new restrictions, guidelines, and challenges for us to face. Perhaps this will even mean that student org assembly sizes are restricted. Whatever the case may be, we can be sure that God has plans for us, and that we have the privilege of discovering and participating in them.

Coffeehouse Kiosk

There were many outreaches and activities we had hoped to be doing with the ministry this summer. Not surprisingly, almost all of them were completely cancelled or at the very least put on indefinite hold. But thankfully, we have been able to continue the coffeehouse ministry almost without interruption through the time of pandemic. It’s hard to imagine that even 1 year ago we did not yet have the coffeehouse in operation. But it has in recent months become the forefront of our connection to the community. It seems that God’s timing couldn’t have better to prepared us for these times.

Prayer

  • Pray for the wisdom and discernment as things continue to “open up”. That we have wisdom and God’s protection as we seek potential outreaches and gatherings.
  • Pray for Street Level, that students would have a hunger for God and that we can maintain good relationships over the summer.
  • Outdoor WOTS rack
  • Coffee Ninjas
  • New Blind Munchies tote

For Further Information

Get the latest news from Believers Church plant and Street Level college ministry in River Falls, W