Author: Believers Church

Living OneLife

December 16, 2019 Believers Church

What’s been going on?

You wouldn’t know it unless you took the time to think but the last time you read a report from us was back in August. We were reflecting on the Biking for Tacos ride and other events that put us outside and enjoying the warm air. Today we stand knee-deep in the snow with weather patterns that have followed the predictions of the likes of the Farmer’s Almanac. –How do they do that, by the way?

Since then, we have made a shift in our meeting schedule. What used to be a once-a-week regularity gave way to a twice a month format with the hopes of helping the overall schedule of the church and to help stem the busy schedules of some of our people. Our monthly gatherings now consist of one monthly member gathering (either a fellowship, a work project, or a trip to somewhere) and one full group fellowship time. This has created space for OneLife’rs to have more family time at home, more organic fellowship/discipleship time with each other and others outside of OneLife and even outside the church.

What did we do this last quarter?

September was flag football season at Samens Field. We stumbled our way through an impressive game and then robbed ourselves of any calorie burning by consuming the delights of a rather successful community chili.

October brought our retreat. A few friends from Duluth came down to join us. Friday night we divided the couples into groups of 3-4 couples and they were free to meet in homes or at restaurants with the goal of eating together and talking through the first session of the series (which we had to watch before coming together). Then Saturday got us up to drive to Bayport, MN for the remaining sessions at the Bayport Nature Center. Our event ended around 5pm where we took a group photo and sent everyone home. Some people even went to dinner afterward to continue the conversation.

November took us to the Pederstuen’s house for an evening of Win Lose or Draw and snacks. It was clear that we needed to unwind together. The night was full of conversation and laughter. We got to see just how fast people could draw things on the dry erase board, and how difficult it was too. The kids were there too and, I think… I think, they had a good time. November also brought a workday for the members. We all joined Gnosko at the campground to split wood, move leaves, and plant grass seed. It may have been only 40 degrees but working kept us warm.

December had our members decorating the sanctuary at church for Christmas. Multiple feet of pine garland and lots of red bows later, we were once again transformed for the holidays. Cookies and cocoa were had by most. The kids even had little projects to work on. It was crazy to watch the kid’s line up to vacuum the floor afterward. In the immortal words of my parents, “How come you don’t want to do that at home?” The night ended with Jason Haugley taking children on his lap to pull on his beard… an experience new to most of the kids.

Finally, December brings a Christmas potluck to our full group fellowship this coming Friday. Ideas stir as we contemplate our activities for the evening. I assure you it will be in the Spirit of Christmas one way or another.

In our near future

We’re looking ahead to the New Year with plans to host cross-fellowships again… some that include possibly sledding with fried chicken and pizza, a turkey-related ice event, and a city trip scavenger hunt of some sort. More details to surface.

Until then, Merry Christmas, y’all! We love you!

A Race Worth Running

December 13, 2019 Believers Church

At the end of the year, it is always interesting to look back and see just how far God has brought us in the past 12 months. It is good to pause and look at all that He has allowed us to be a part of. Following Christ is quite the journey. Knowing that we still have far to go and many trials to traverse is a daunting thing. It can seem overwhelming and you can lose sight of any progress if you don’t look back at where God has taken you.

The Bible compares the life of a Christian to a race. It is a race that is full of great feats of achievement and glorious moments of success for God’s kingdom, but also obstacles, unexpected curves, and crashes on the path. The 2019 leg of this race was no exception. It was full of activity. It was an exciting year of ministry. A quick look back at the calendar shows that JFB Duluth took part in four different mission trips. We had several outreaches in the twin ports community. We hosted two rummage sales, a concert, and had nearly a hundred church services. There were countless hours of service together. We have brought on more staff. We have begun to pursue new ministry opportunities on another college campus and also to home-school kids.

Ups and Downs

It has been busy and fast-paced. It isn’t hard to understand why God would compare this to a race. We have had great celebrations like when we joined JFB Menomonie in thanking God for allowing 30 years of ministry. We have laughed and had a lot of fun. It has been a great joy. We have worked hard. There really has been blood sweat and tears. The unfortunate truth is this race has had its fair share of injuries and setbacks. There have even been casualties along the way. It hasn’t been an easy race, but it has been a worthwhile one.

“Do not confuse motion and progress. A rocking horse keeps
moving but does not make any progress.”
― Alfred Montapert

One of the largest racing events in the US is the Daytona 500. Where fifty cars race around the track at speeds upwards of 200 mph. The top concern is speed, motion, and activity. They want to move. So much so that the average pit stop taken to replace four tires takes less than three seconds. Meaning in the time it took you to read that sentence a car would be jacked up, had all tires removed and the replaced.

Like these drivers, we want to make sure that we are always moving. We want to ensure that we are always growing. But there is one big difference. The drivers are concerned with speed. They race around the track, but in the end, they get nowhere. They end back where they started. There is great motion, great activity, insane speed, but there is no progress. For the Christian, we must never be satisfied with motion and activity that doesn’t lead anywhere. What happened in 2019 was not intended to keep us busy. It was intended to take us somewhere.

Where Does the Race Lead?

In short, we are headed closer and closer to God. We are headed for spiritual maturity and greater holiness. Take a look back at 2019. No doubt you were busy. I hope you joined us in this race, but be sure to ask yourself where did it take you. Did all the activity leave you running in circles around the same spot all year? Or has it led you to press on? I’m not asking if you have reached the finish line, I am asking if you can recognize progress. Don’t allow yourself to be swept up by constant activity, staying busy, always moving but never actually getting closer to God. Let’s do as Hebrews 12 tells us and run the race that God has before us with endurance.

AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BLUFF

December 10, 2019 Believers Church

A HISTORIC TRAGEDY

I grew up in a place called “Maiden Rock”. It’s one of many riverside communities that wind their way through our country, along the edge of an iconic waterway. A small township on the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi River, Maiden Rock occupies a total of 1.18 square miles of beautiful Upper-Midwest real estate. The first house was built there in 1853 by the J.D. Trumbull family. Over the next 150 years, the entire population of Maiden Rock grew to 119 residents, with a grand total of 31 families in it…

Mine was one of them.

Just south of the village is a steep bluff, after which the town is named. According to an Indian legend, a young Sioux girl named “Winona” felt pressured by relatives to marry a man whom she despised. As recounted on a placard along Hwy 35 at the base of the cliff, “It was evening, and she had not been united more than an hour, before they missed her from the lodge. Nothing could be found of her until morning, when they discovered her at the foot of this precipice”. This young maiden never loved the man she married, and the misery was enough to bring her to the edge of a cliff and destroy herself, just to get out of the relationship.

Winona’s body has since become a fitting illustration of an ageless truth:

Covenanting yourself with someone you don’t intend to love, is suicide.

A MODERN REALITY

The start of the coming year will mark the beginning of Covenant Membership for this little ministry. We will begin with a dozen or more individuals, conceivably, each of whom promise to strive for a healthy, happy, long-term relationship with the other people in our church. We’ve waited a long time for this, and now we’re about to pledge our loyalty to one another for all to see.

Are we excited about that? Or do we feel like Winona?

Nothing makes a person feel more vulnerable than when they bind themselves to somebody else, for better or for worse

I wonder if, either right now, or at some point in the future, we’ll have applicants who seek to become a member of this church out of mere obligation. People who feel pressured by their “relatives” within the fellowship, but don’t actually love the family they’re marrying into. People who reluctantly go along with the plan in hopes that no one will really notice how non-committal they actually are. Outwardly agreeing to it all, but inwardly despising the one to whom they promise their supposed affection, lacking the courage to say something before it’s too late.

If that’s the case, let me be clear: I don’t want anyone to formally pledge themselves to this church out of a sense of duty or requirement. If we are going to enter into a Covenant bond with one another, let it be done with mutual love, respect, & commitment, or not at all. It dawned on Winona’s family all too late that traditions & formalities can’t mask lovelessness for very long. In her case, it worked for no longer than 60 minutes. Let’s all be careful of making the same mistake, lest we follow in her fatal footsteps. If you’re already finding yourself resistant to such a union with us, and yet intend to go through with it anyway, you’ve already started your lonely walk to the edge of a cliff.

TAKING THE LEAP

I am not suggesting that making a commitment like this should come easily or without concern. A Covenant promise is saturated with heavy implications, and if you’ve given them the attention they deserve, you may find yourself with “cold feet” as the day draws near. Nothing makes a person feel more vulnerable than when they bind themselves to somebody else, for better or for worse. But rest assured, if you’re nervous about it, we are too. Remember…we’re in this together.

We’re excited for our future together and hope that you are too

This is a big step for us to take, both individually and corporately, and it’s my prayer that we’ll all survive the jump. A certain amount of anxiety is to be expected, but let’s not forget, so is enthusiasm & gratitude & joy! This should be exciting! A wedding without happiness isn’t much of a celebration, and if there’s no delight behind the joining of yourself to the people of this church, you might question whether you’ll be able to keep your vows for very long.

A FUTURE TOGETHER

Every church has a pile of bodies at the “foot” of their own “precipice”. People who got themselves into a committed relationship with a particular ministry, only to regret that decision soon thereafter. At the end of the day they forsook their Covenant, wandered away, and died. But just because we saw them fall doesn’t mean that we need to follow them over the edge. Can’t we write a different story? Will we honor our commitment to one another?

Anyone in this fellowship who is, or ever will pursue Covenant Membership, ought to take some time and evaluate their motives. If you aren’t in this for the “long haul”, and you need some time to rethink, please do it now. Go no further until you really love us and unless you’re ready to live like it. We’d rather be “left at the altar” than to marry a fraud.

If your decision to Covenant yourself to our church is compelled by genuine Christian love, we’re excited for our future together and hope that you are too. But if it’s being done out of obligation or pressure, please understand, you are committing an act of spiritual suicide. It will profit you nothing to enter in to spiritual Covenant if, in the end, you leave in a spiritual casket.

TODAY A BRIDE, TOMORROW A BODY

Next year’s census might change the population statistics for Maiden Rock, Wisconsin, but it can’t change her grim history. A little village named after a mangled body discovered at the foot of a cliff, who, only one day prior, was a beautiful bride named “Winona”. A young Sioux girl who chose a quick death instead of life in covenant with someone she never loved. End of story. And, whether we like it or not, that same sad drama has been repeated in Christian communities on both sides of the Mississippi ever since. Will our little church family be the exception?

Ten years from now, when it’s time for our next census, will you still be alive & well, in faithful Covenant with us? Or will you finally grow intolerant of Christian unity, and choose to join the other ill-fated souls at the bottom of the bluff?

What/Who Do You Treasure?

December 7, 2019 Believers Church

Look at the Jesus of the Bible. Keep your eyes open, and fill them with the portrait of Jesus in God’s Word. Jesus said, “If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.” Ask God for the grace to do his will, and you will see the truth of his Son.

John Piper has written this book in the hope that all will see Jesus for who he really is and will come to enjoy him above all else.

Get the free ebook here

Paying Attention to your Conscience

December 5, 2019 Believers Church

The Conscience

God often speaks to us in a way that we quickly block out. The word tells us that he speaks in a still small voice. If we’re not making room for God to speak to us in the decisions we make day to day, we will miss the bigger implications and often miss what God is trying to do in us. God is a perfect gentleman and will not force you against your will, but he gives us many opportunities to listen and move as he wants.

Our faith is a very practical faith and Pastor Andy Stanley is skilled at speaking to the practicality of the walk. Take time to listen and reflect on this message to see what God inspires in you.

Part 1 of 3

“How NOT to be Your Own Worst Enemy”
If you would like to watch all three sermons in the series, visit their sermon page and continue.

Waiting Around for Good

December 2, 2019 Believers Church

What’s your method?

Sometimes we need a reminder that the Bible is wholly and completely a message about God; who He is. It’s when we read it to discover Him that we gain true wisdom and understanding in this life; not because we gain Biblical knowledge but because we get God. Sadly a lot of the time we don’t read it to discover Him but to aid ourselves. In other words, we look through the pages of the bible so that we might gain temporary hope, situational comfort, or a means to a better life. With this in mind, it’s not a stretch to think we just might be putting the Bible and the power of God on par with self-help books and rehab programs. By reading the bible with that intention we come up short. God is NOT a rehab program. Neither God or scripture is a means to “self-help” betterment.

Is it working?

When we think of church this way, we invariably disconnect the living God from His teaching thus treating the Bible as a source for helpful advice, and the church as though it were some sort of self-help seminar… which might be why you’re struggling. It’s as though we’re soul-searching our way through Christianity hoping to find ourselves. It’s a misunderstanding of God and it’s why things never seem to get better for you. It’s why you wrestle with backsliding. It’s why you feel like God is powerless in your life. It’s why you think the Christians around you favor some people over others.

What’s missing?

Ephesians 1 reveals a huge list of the blessings of God toward us. It says, “He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing…” If you continue reading Ephesians you’ll discover that God did all that He did for us because of His great love, and abounding mercy and grace. The only contingency given in Paul’s letter is that these blessings are only given to those who are “in Christ”. It’s “in Christ” that His blessings mean something to us; because we’ve come to know Him. To know Him is to discover that he is love and that he has mercy and grace toward those who are His children. Mind you, Ephesians does NOT indicate more blessings for a more favored group of believers over a less favored group of believers. Additionally, Peter says we’ve [all] been “given all things pertaining to life and Godliness” and it is understood “through the knowledge of Him.”

If you don’t know the living God of scripture, you cannot even begin to understand what He does or why He does it. When you seek to know Him, that’s when the lights come on and understanding begins. And knowing Him (His ways and purposes) leads to loving Him with a growing heart of gratitude.

How does it affect you?

Giving thanks is an aspect of the life of a Christian that is often ignored or neglected. Or if it appears, it only shows up at times when we receive those things which seem to be a blessing or a benefit in the positive. Do you know the Bible commands thankfulness? …in all things (bad or good)? Ridiculous, right? (1Thess 5:18)

Additionally, speaking of the last days, Paul says, “men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,…” Sounds about right… Don’t we often find these qualities even within the church today? Why are we like this?

Luke 17 recounts a situation with Jesus and 10 lepers that speaks to this idea. Luke 17:12-19 says, “Then as Jesus entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. 13 And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. 17 So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18 “Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

Do you do it or wait for it?

What does it take for you to be thankful as the Bible commands? One way is by intentionally stirring up your affections for God by taking time to talk to him and reflect upon everything he’s done; where he has brought you from. Or you can just march through your life and wait until you “feel” thankful. I believe this is the reason that Christians seem to have little gratitude. If you are waiting around to feel it, the only time you will feel it is in the positive times. And even in those times, you’ll rarely connect it to the hand of God. Instead, you will attribute it to “good fortune”, “luck”, or because we’re finally receiving some well-deserved or long-overdue attention.

If you are sitting around waiting for good, you might be waiting… for good. On the other hand, if we intentionally stir our affections for God by reflecting and remembering, we can begin to exhibit some interesting levels of gratitude even in the worst of situations.

Take some time out of your week to read and reflect upon Psalm 107. Tell me God isn’t good.