Author: Believers Church

November 7, 2019 Believers Church

From This World, To That Which Is To Come

The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World, to That Which Is to Come is a 1678 Christian allegory written by John Bunyan. It traces the journey of Christian from his first conviction of sin, through his conversion, trials, suffering, and victorious joy, and ultimately across the River of Death to the Celestial City. It is regarded as one of the most significant works of religious English literature, has been translated into more than 200 languages, and has never been out of print.

John Bunyan (1628-1688) was born near Bedford at Elstow, England, of a poor family. He earned a meager living as a repairer of pots and pans, and served in Cromwell’s army during the British Civil War. In 1655, Bunyan was called to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He was arrested in 1660 for preaching without a license from the Anglican Church, charged with “teaching men to worship God contrary to the law.” He was in jail more than twelve years, during which time he could have been released if he would have agreed to compromise on certain points in preaching the Gospel. His most well-known work, The Pilgrim’s Progress, was written in the Bedford jail.

“Next to the Bible, the book that I value most is Pilgrim’s Progress. I believe I have read it through at least a hundred times…Prick him anywhere, and you will find that his blood is “bibline,” the very essence of the Bible flows from him.” – Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892)

Pilgrim’s Progress is read with the greatest pleasure. – George Whitefield (1714-1770)

I find this book so full of matter, that I can seldom go through more than a page or half a page at a time. – John Newton (1725-1807)

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November 4, 2019 Believers Church

The Idolatry of Comfort and the Glory of Christ

We are taught from a young age to “be safe” in whatever we do. This isn’t bad advice for the everyday tasks God has given us to do, but when it comes to following Jesus, we can wrongly assume that God would never call us to something costly or dangerous. Our time, effort, and resources are spent on maximizing our comfort. However, Jesus said that following Him would mean forsaking everything. And while we aren’t to seek out suffering, we know that proclaiming the gospel in many areas of the world requires taking risks. In this sermon from Philippians 1:12–30, David Platt reminds us not to let comfort become an idol, but instead to pursue faithfulness to Christ, even if it costs us our lives. Being with Christ is infinitely better than any temporary security this world offers.

Watch the sermon right here:

“The Idolatry of Comfort and the Glory of Christ” -David Platt

To get the audio or download the transcript of this sermon, visit this page:
https://radical.net/sermon/the-idolatry-of-comfort-and-the-glory-of-christ/

David Platt serves as pastor at McLean Bible Church in Washington, D.C.
• www.radical.net
• www.mcleanbible.org

November 1, 2019 Believers Church

What do people see when they look at us? Scripture tells us that we are God’s workmanship, His masterpiece, His poem (Ephesians 2:10). We are God’s letters of recommendation. But how do those around us actually see us? Would we be described as a masterpiece, an intriguing story, to be read and told to others? Or would we be depicted as a rough draft, as a ‘piece of work’, to be discarded in a recycle bin?

The first-century church in Corinth, like many of us, was sending mixed messages. The Apostle Paul reminded this church of:

  • The means God uses for communicating His message
  • The medium God uses for recording His message
  • The resulting effects of beholding His message

Paul’s instructions were left for us today, that we might be letters of recommendation to the world around us.

The means God uses for communicating His message

What means do we use to hear from God? Many of us hear from God through bible devotions, Christian books, journaling, memorizing scripture, and bible apps. We can distinctively hear from God through His word (Psalm 119:105, 2 Timothy 3:16). We find God’s word alone to be living and active (Hebrews 4:12).

But by what means does God use… to communicate to us? According to Paul, we are a letter… written not with ink, but with the Spirit of God… not of the letter, but of the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:2-6). God communicates to us, not through the letter (i.e. grammar, words, scripture, books, epistles), but through the Spirit.

Is it possible we are mistaking the means for the end? Jesus warned the Pharisees of searching the scriptures, but failing to see who the scriptures pointed to (John 5:39-40). Elsewhere, Paul warns of those who are always learning, but never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 3:7). Is our end goal to know scripture? To be proficient with the gospel? To practice correct biblical doctrine? Or is our end goal to communicate with God? To have communion with God’s Spirit?

Paul says such is the confidence we have… not of the letter, but of the Spirit. The Spirit is who gives us confidence in our relationship with God (Romans 8:16, 1 John 4:13), not our knowledge, our understanding, our biblical doctrine. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Corinthians 3:4-6). The Spirit is the means God uses to communicate His message.

The medium God uses for recording His message

What medium do we use for recording God’s message? Perhaps we use our bible margins, our journals, our memories, our phones, the cloud, etc. But what medium does God use… for recording His message?

Paul writes, “You yourselves are our letter of recommendation written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. And you show that you are a letter from Christ written not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts” (2 Corinthians 3:2-3). God writes his message on our hearts.

Why would God choose the human heart? No canvas is more contaminated, no backdrop more corrupt (Matthew 15:19). No environment is more fragile, with no storage more transient (Jeremiah 17:9). Yet God chooses to write his masterpiece in the most volatile of habitats, the human heart.

When the bible refers to the heart, it is referring to more than the organ. It is referring to the thoughts, feelings, middle, center; the entire mental and moral activity, including the emotions, reason, and will; the hidden springs of the personal life (Proverbs 4:23). God chooses to pen his poem on the medium of our hearts.

When hearing God’s message, where are we storing it? In our memory, in our thought life, in our journals, in the margins of our bible? Or do we allow God’s Spirit to inscribe his message into our hearts, our wants, our desires, our will? God wants more than our bodies, our obedience, our intellectual agreement. God wants the hidden springs of our personal life. Does our heart belong to God today? The heart is the medium God uses for recording His message.

The resulting effects of beholding His message

When we turn to the Lord, through the Spirit, in our hearts, the veil is removed and we experience freedom (2 Corinthians 3:16-17). We are freed from condemnation, guilt, shame, judgment, selfish desire, restlessness, and wantonness. We are feed to a new life provided by God, with patience and quietness of soul, being fully satisfied with the presence of God. Have we been liberated by this freedom today?

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image, from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18). Beholding refers to a prolonged gaze, not a quick glance, as to something remarkable with wide-open eyes. Where are we looking today? Are we looking on our phones, at social media, to relationships, to our careers, for approval, for success? The old hymn says,

Turn your eyes upon Jesus... 
Look full in His wonderful face... 
And the things of this earth will grow strangely dim... 
In the light of His glory and grace...

Are we beholding His glory, today? If the light is not getting through, it is because you are not looking at Him long enough. You do the beholding. He does the transforming. There is no short-cut. This comes from the Lord, who is Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Letters of recommendation

What will people read when they look at us as Christians? Will they see someone whose communicating with God’s Spirit? Someone whose heart is filled with His divine presence? Someone whose face is beholding the glory of God? Will they see someone being transformed… to reflect the glory of His image?

We are God’s workmanship… His masterpiece… His poem…

May we be His letters of recommendation… to be known and read by all…

October 28, 2019 Believers Church

Discipleship takes a lot of time. Often it takes weeks, months and even years of one-on-one time to help someone grow in their relationship with Christ. Even when we invest that sort of time in a person, we often find that we don’t really know them as we thought. People can surprise us with the sins that are hidden in their heart.

Their Heart

One of the benefits of homeschooling is the amount of time we get to spend with our kids to be apart of discipling them. Working one on one with our kids every day gives us a new window into their heart. We get to see them in a different light when we work with them every day through the subjects they enjoy and take delight in.

We also get to see them work through the subjects they would do just about anything to avoid. A child that does not want to do their math homework has a problem. We can recognize it for what it is, a heart of rebellion. While this is not really the most fun for us to deal with day in and day out, it can be a great benefit to us as parents. Of course, it doesn’t seem like a advantage when you have just spent an hour with your child getting them to do a worksheet that they decided against doing. The benefit of seeing into the hearts of our kids is something we need to be reminded about.  Here is something Paul Tripp has to say about this:

But the reality is that if your eyes ever see, or your ears ever hear the sin, weakness, rebellion or failure of your children, it’s never an imposition. It’s never an interruption. It’s never a hassle. It’s always grace. God loves your children; he’s put them in a family of faith, and in relentless grace he will reveal their need to you again and again so that you can be his tool of awareness, conviction, repentance, faith and change. And because in these moments he asks you to forsake your agenda for his, this opportunity of grace isn’t just for your children, it’s for you as well. (Tripp, Parenting Its Never an Interruption)

In the article referenced, Paul Tripp makes the point that every time we see the sin of our children, it is God’s grace that we have an opportunity for him to use us in their lives. What better way to get this opportunity every day then by spending it in one on one time with our kids as we educate them at home.

Our Heart

Paul also brought up that these moments of God’s grace are also for us. We all wish we could stick to our schedule for the day, that we could get all the schoolwork done without complaints, and that our children would go through their school day with smiles on their faces and an eager desire to learn. Unfortunately, it seems those days are infrequent, if ever. The most difficult days are also the days that God works on our hearts as well. God often uses our kids to reveal the heart issues that he wants to address in us.

Homeschooling is not easy and homeschooling well is even less so. Homeschooling while we attempt to be used by God to work on the heart of our child is not an easy task. One thing we can be certain of is that not only is God with us every day, but also that He loves both us and our kids as we do this together.  

So, let’s remember that homeschooling is not just an alternative way of educating our kids, it is also about their, and our, discipleship. It’s not something we have to do alone but with the community of believers behind us.

If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about homeschooling or joining us for our weekly get together, email us at homeschool@jfbelievers.com

October 25, 2019 Believers Church

Greetings from the Philippines! Read the latest update about what God is doing through Shofar Mission in Cebu.

Three Years Later

It is hard to believe that November first marks the third year since Laura and I moved to the Philippines. In many ways, it seems like it happened just yesterday. However, when I look back on it all, it’s hard to believe it has only been three years. A lot has changed in that amount of time – let alone since Shofar Mission’s conception many years ago! I’m sure a lot more will change as the years go by, and I hope that what we are doing now will bear fruit long after we’re dead and gone. As I think about what has changed, is changing, and will change, I’m comforted by the fact that our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

Campus Outreach

Since our last update, Street Level Ministries had an informational booth on campus during Intramurals week. At the booth, we gave away free coffee, Word on the Street Magazines, and fliers for our Orientation Meeting scheduled for the following week. At that meeting, we cast the vision for Street Level Ministries and invited students to participate in God’s mission on their campus.

Currently, we are putting the final touches on the newest issue of Word on the Street Magazine, and preparing to start the next issue. Since we implemented SLM membership in September, we have two new students volunteering for the magazine. We are also training three students in as DJ’s for our internet radio station, Street Level Radio.

  • WOTS Cebu – Laura, Garie, KC, Brittany

It’s exciting to see God at work in the students’ lives and at their university. In the midst of it all, I have often been reminded that when we are faithful in the little things, God will entrust us with the big things (Luke 16:10).

Exploring Creation Science

During the first half of the semester, Laura was able to teach grades 4 through 9 at three different schools. Classes are slated to finish at two other schools before Christmas Break. Three different curriculum sets were taught. During these lessons, students discover how science and creation go hand-in-hand to help them learn why they believe what they believe. As we approach the semester break next week, we are actively pursuing new schools (both private and public) to teach the curriculum. It’s amazing to see God open doors at new schools – usually, it’s through a friend or contact with a previous school that leads to the next one! There really are only four people in Cebu…

Prayer Requests

  • The Street Level students to grow in their relationship with God and passion to reach out to their classmates.
  • Upcoming meetings with new schools to teach Exploring Creation Science and curriculum development.
October 19, 2019 Believers Church

Find the latest news from the JFBelievers church plant and Street Level college ministry in River Falls, WI.

Street Level

Since you last heard from us, Street Level went on a trail walk and on a retreat. At the end of September, we had the opportunity to hang out and enjoy the colors of fall on one of the beautiful trails in River Falls. Then, last weekend we piled into two vehicles and made our way up to Duluth for a retreat with three locations (Menomonie, Twin Ports, and River Falls). Getting together was a great opportunity for us to fellowship with all of the groups, and to go through a video series discussing the presence of God in our lives.

We also just finished up preparing and stickering almost 1000 Word on The Street Magazines that we will be mailing out to the freshman on campus. These should be mailed soon, and we pray that there will be kingdom fruit from it.

On Tuesday nights we continue going through a video series and the book of Joshua. We have been learning what it looks like to follow God and put our trust in Him.

Sunday Bible Study

On Sundays, we just finished up the book of 1 Corinthians. During these studies, we discussed some challenging topics and will continue into 2 Corinthians. After our studies, we have been grilling out (which we hope to do for as long as we can with the nice weather). One Sunday we even had the opportunity to grill some Indian style chicken.

The Cat

We also had a stray cat that had been hanging out with us for the past month or so. We named him Byron / Scraggles and were trying to find a home for him. He even brought in a few people to the coffeehouse because they saw him outside. Last week he was able to find a home!

  • Sunday Bible Study
  • Street Level College Bible Study
  • Street Level Retreat
  • Street Level College Bible Study
  • Sunday Bible Study
  • Sunday Bible Study
  • Sunday Bible Study
  • The Cat

Prayer Requests

  • The people coming to Street Level and the Sunday Study will grow in their relationship and calling with God.
  • The Word on the Street Magazines will be effective for the Kingdom of God.
  • We will continue to meet people and have good conversations with people stopping in the coffeehouse.

November Schedule

  • Sundays: 5pm / JFBelievers Bible Study, 6pm / meal
  • Tuesdays: 6:30pm / Street Level, 7pm / Bible Study

Blind Munchies Coffeehouse Hours

  • Sundays: 3pm – 5pm
  • Thursdays: 9am – 9pm
  • Saturdays: 9am – 1pm

River Falls Ministry Online