Author: Believers Church

March 1, 2019 Believers Church

As of late, the subject of spiritual growth has come up at various times in conversation around the church.  Visitors have asked how they can take the next step in their spiritual growth through what is available at the church.  Those in discipleship class were surveyed and asked what areas they would be interested in learning more about.  Their answers boiled down to holiness, sanctification, and spiritual growth.  In conversations with my wife, we too have discussed our need for spiritual growth.  I think we all know what a Christian is.  But the rub is in actually being a Christian.  We know who Jesus is.  We just aren’t living, serving, thinking, acting, or loving like Him… at least not as much as we’d like to be.

Addressing the Need

So how do we address this need for Spiritual Growth in our lives?  I see some of us looking for a short cut to our Christian maturity.  We think that if we just understood the right truths or had a certain spiritual experience, we would then be a mature Christian.  That is the formula for becoming a Christian, as we come to know who Christ is, who we are as sinners, surrender of our lives to God, and experience the supernatural comfort of the Holy Spirit.  That is the process of becoming a new creation (2 Cor 5:17).  But it’s the beginning of spiritual maturity, not the end.  The question many of us have is, “Where do we go from here”?

Sanctification and Holiness

The Bible addresses spiritual growth using terms like sanctification and holiness.  Though both terms can be applied to a Christian’s new standing with God immediately upon salvation (Acts 26:18, Heb 10:10), they are also used to describe the life-long progression of each Christian toward spiritual maturity (1 Thes 4:3, Heb 12:14, 1 Peter 1:15-16).  As a child grows into physical maturity, so we as Christians are called to grow in spiritual maturity (Heb 5:12-13, 1 Cor 13:11).  The difference being that our physical maturity peaks at age twenty, whereas our spiritual growth continues to the day of our death (2 Cor 4:16, Phil 3:12-16, 2 Tim 4:7).  Note that according to this metaphor, our spiritual maturity takes longer than our physical maturity.  We should therefore not look for short cuts to sanctification. 

There is no secret knowledge to being holy.  There is no one-time experience that will make us a mature Christian.  Those seeking such will experience at best oscillating spiritual maturity, and at worst discouragement, frustration, and loss of faith.  We cannot become spiritually mature if we only drink spiritual milk… We must move on to the meat.

Progressing in Spiritual Maturity

How do we progress toward spiritual maturity?  I recently got into a couple of conversations on this very subject.  One visitor to our church said he had been reading the bible, listening to solid preaching, but realized he was not growing spiritually.  He then confessed that what was missing was other people, the Christian community, the church.  He had neglected the church and for that reason, had stunted his spiritual growth.  Another person recently returned to church who had been away for some time.  I asked him why he was back.  He said he came back because had only experienced spiritual growth while he was here, and hadn’t grown since he left.  I could relate.  I read my bible for years without being any more than a church attender…  But it wasn’t until I surrendered my life not only to God but to a particular community of believers, that things began to change. 

God Given Tools

God has given us several tools to grow up.  I think everyone would agree that He has given us His word to build us up (Acts 20:32). And that He has given us His Spirit to transform us (2 Cor 3:18).  But where are we practicing obedience to His word?  And where are we exercising the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit?  It certainly doesn’t happen at home in our favorite chair nestled under an afghan.  God has given us other people, the Christian community for the purpose of sharpening our understanding of God’s word.  God has given us the church as a place to employ the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit…

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,  to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,  until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,  so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” –Ephesians 4:11-16 (ESV)

Taking Full Advantage

Perhaps you too are seeking spiritual growth.  If it seems like it is taking forever, I want to encourage you.  It is a life-long process.  No one has arrived.  The real question is in how you address your need for spiritual growth…  Do you look for short cuts? Are you seeking some special knowledge?  Do you chase after spiritual experience?  Or will you make use of the tried and true methods of practicing God’s word and exercising God’s Spirit with and through God’s community, the church?  May we take full advantage of all the tools God has given us to grow in spiritual maturity… And not become short sited in our pursuit of the goal… That one day we may be found holy, unblemished, and perfect in His sight.

February 28, 2019 Believers Church

When God Calls You to Something Unconventional

Recently, I came across an article written by a doctor turned homeschool mom. I appreciate Dr. Lainna Callentine’s willingness to move from comfort, prestige, and financial security into the life God was calling her, despite the cost. This article on the outside might seem like its just for homeschooling families. But in reality, its about doing what God is calling you to do (homeschooling or any other thing).

Read her compelling article here.

For more information about our group, email us: homeschool@jfbelievers.com

Dr. Lainna Callentine

Dr. Lainna Callentine is an author, speaker, pediatrician, teacher, homeschool mom, and owner of Sciexperience.com

February 25, 2019 Believers Church

Greetings from the Philippines! Read the latest update about what God is doing in Cebu. And if you need a break from all the snow, it’s just a short 24-36 hour trip to come and visit us…

Street Level Ministries

We continue to meet weekly on Friday nights for a free dinner and bible study with students from various universities throughout the city. We are currently working our way through Tim Keller’s Gospel in Life series, which has resulted in quite a few though-provoking discussions! Attendance at some meetings nearly fills our conference room, while other meetings are with only one or two students. Regardless of how many students attend, we continue to be faithful to what God has called us to, trusting that He knows what He’s doing and His plans are better than ours! Next month, we will take a break from our series on one Friday for a fellowship night – free pizza and an outdoor movie!

Word on the Street Magazine

In February, we released a new issue of WOTS and have been distributing at local churches, businesses, and schools. God has allowed us to put a magazine rack on campus in the library at the University of the Visayas, as well as at the Cebu City Public Library! As always, we are looking for new writers and Filipino content submissions. In fact, we recently had the opportunity to present WOTS at a local gathering of pastors and people who minister to young people throughout the city. We’re hoping new writers will come through this networking opportunity!

Street Level Radio

As the Philippines is becoming more and more digitally connected, our wi-fi radio station is turning out to be a great way to connect with students. We host live radio broadcasts on the streets about 2-3 times per month. To celebrate Valentine’s Day, we gave away free heart-shaped donuts to students who would answer trivia on the air. We had a few students take us up on the offer! We have also started a weekly radio show on Fridays for students who may be looking for something to listen to during their lunch break. We’re always seeking to expand and make the station better, so we are on the lookout and praying for a place to install a third antenna array.

Science Creation Curriculum

Local primary and secondary schools have been very receptive to Shofar’s Science Creation curriculum. This week, lessons will end at one school and begin at another! In fact, for the first time ever, Laura will start teaching a 3-week series using the NUA curriculum to seventh and eighth graders. Summer school curriculum is currently in the ideation phase, since quite a few schools will be holding classes during the summer.

Prayer Requests

  • Pray that God would work in the hearts and minds of the Street Level students to put Jesus first in everything they do
  • Pray for the development of new science curriculum and plans for summer school
  • Please pray for open doors to minister and direction in planning for the teams that will come this summer

— Britt

February 21, 2019 Believers Church

These past couple of months have been an exciting time. We have been working on new bakery items, going down to campus with our mobile coffeehouse, and continued to serve Saturday breakfasts to students and the community.

Emma stepped into the Mobile Coffeehouse to give away coffee to students at UW Stout

Before things got too cold we were able to go down to the UW Stout campus with our mobile coffeehouse alongside Burning Dog Radio and Word on the Street Magazine. It was so much fun to go down as a group! We all had great interaction with the campus and got to know some students while giving away coffee and promoting Street Level.

We have continued to see growth in our $2 Saturday Student Breakfasts, with students coming back week after week! It has been really cool to see this happen and to get that interaction with students. We hope to continue to develop these relationships with students and to see what God does in it.

Please continue to pray for the Coffeehouse as we continue to grow, serve, and reach out to students.



February 19, 2019 Believers Church

Street Level Happenings

Now that the students are back from break, we are meeting again on Tuesdays. This semester we plan on going through a few different series. The first one is “7 Big Questions”. In this series, we get a chance to discuss questions people have about Christianity and life for example “Why does God allow pain and suffering?” and “Is Christianity too narrow?”  We are also going through is the book of Ruth. As we go though this book, we are discussing and learning from how she modeled following God.

We also had the opportunity to do a table this month at the involvement fair. Usually, the spring involvement fair is a bit quieter than the fall one, but we did get a chance to talk to a few new people and interact somewith the other organizations on campus.

Word on the Street

Some Street Level members had the opportunity to meet up with Word on the Street writers from Menomonie and Duluth for a workshop.  We got together at Midtown Global Market, brainstormed ideas, fellowshipped, and discussed the next issue of Word on the Street. Thanks Menomonie writers for put this workshop together!

Sunday Evening Bible Study

We continue to meet Sunday evenings for a Bible study and dinner. This month we finished the book of James. Through James we discussed what genuine faith looks like. It challenged us to look at ourselves and see if we are actually living out what we say we believe. The next book of the Bible we look forward to going through is Ephesians.

Thank you for continuing to pray for us. As we said in January, we are looking into making a shift in our ministerial approach in River Falls. We have continued to move forward with that and ask that you would continue to pray for discernment, direction, and clarity on it. Please also pray that we would meet new people in the community and that people would be growing in their relationship with God.

March Calendar

  • Sundays: 5pm / JFBelievers Bible Study,  6pm / meal
  • Tuesdays: 6:30pm / Street Level Meal, 7pm / Bible Study
  • Thursdays: 5-9pm & Fridays 9am-3pm: Open Hours for Study

River Falls Ministry Online

February 16, 2019 Believers Church

Gnosko are a group of married couples that are dedicated to God. Living our lives through helping each other and those in our community and beyond.

Calling donations for Kentucky

At the end of December, several Gnosko members fueled up at a local Denny’s before heading to Red Wing. We met with Patti who gave us an opportunity to pick up some items to send to Kentucky.  

Patti with the Connecting Connection regularly donates to Honduras via a cargo plane.  Some sizes of clothing (large on up) are too big to send down there.   That’s why we where able to get some clothing from that ministry there to send to Kentucky.  

So we rolled out the barrels and filled up the trailer.  These barrels were really sturdy and great to move around. We are planning to work with Patti in Red Wing this spring. To help repair items before they ship out to Honduras.

Before our day trip ended we were able to stop at a local place you can’t leave town without stopping at…Hanisch bakery….not to be confused with Harnisch!  From there we delivered the items back to be stored away until Street Level is preparing to leave for KY in March.

Currently, we’re collecting men’s work clothes and boots, housewares, furniture and more.  The next time we will do so is Sunday, February 24, and possibly beyond till shortly before the team leaves. Please contact Bryan Harnisch to make the specific arrangements to drop those items off with Gnosko. Please be in prayer for the upcoming SL missions trip, which is just around the corner, to prepare the hearts of those going and for the opportunities there while in KY.

Mark Driscoll Video

The Gnosko members group got together after church a couple weeks ago to watch Mark Driscoll’s Spirit-Filled Jesus Conference: Live by His Power video.  To sum up this amazing conference Mark taught us that Jesus didn’t do it on his own, He relied on the Holy Spirit. We shouldn’t rely on ourselves and should rely on the Holy Spirit just as Jesus did. Growing through every experience we have whether it’s good or bad, and we need to forgive as Jesus forgives us. We can fight the demonic with these five God-given weapons The Holy Spirit, Your Identity, Godly Perspective, Scripture, Faith to Trust.

A Trip to IKEA

January although cold brought plenty of fun.  On January 19th, the Gnosko Members accepted an invitation from the OneLife Ministry on a City Road Trip.  The intent of the event was to create opportunities for cross-fellowship and unity among the members of the church and among the members of Gnosko and OneLife.  The event included teams comprised of members from each group who spent the day together in fellowship and included an IKEA scavenger hunt, a group meal, lots of fun and laugh, and lots more.

Healthier Living

Some of us in Gnosko saw the need to make some life changes. These changes would be beneficial not only to us and our health but especially for keeping kingdom work in our plan. Towards the end of January Gnosko began The Biggest Loser.  We are having monthly weigh-ins to help keep us on track. Checking in with each other and holding each other accountable in this journey together.   We need each others prayers and support in the hopes of  better health and kingdom work for our future.   So feel free, all of you, to join us in encouragement, accountability, and prayer!