Category: Pastor’s Notes

Article updates from the Pastors of Believers City Church, Menomonie, WI.

The Christian in Complete Armour

October 5, 2022 Pastor Jason Gilbert | Menomonie

To Stand…

In “The Christian in Complete Armour”, William Gurnall gives us an in-depth look at spiritual warfare. He spends some 1,500 pages unpacking Ephesians 6:10-20, expounding its text, discussing its implications, and giving some practical direction. In the first volume, he focuses on verses 10-13:

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:10-13)

Finally, My Brethren…

This is addressed to my brethren (i.e., to Christians at the church in Ephesus… and recorded in scripture for all Christians of all time). In other words, if you are a Christian, you will experience spiritual warfare. There is no escaping it. The “evil day” will come. It’s only a matter of time. It comes in various packages, facades, seasons, and circumstances…

The temptation to give in to sensuality or lustful pleasures
The enticement toward bitterness and unforgiveness toward a brother or sister
The itch for independence from all accountability (i.e., at church, at work)
The urge to doubt God’s goodness in the midst of physical pain or health issues
The appeal of self-pity in the face of unreciprocated love or care
The lure toward anger while enduring persecution or injustice
The attractiveness of the world (i.e., its comforts, its entertainment, its ease, its pleasures)
The inclination to fear when we stand on the precipice of death

Whatever “evil day” comes upon you, Satan has one goal in mind… that you fall…

The Power of His Might…

Anyone who thinks they can stand against the devil, against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness, and against spiritual hosts of wickedness… in their own strength… is a fool. Pride comes before a fall. We need help… a lot of help. And for any born-again Christian, that help has been given to us in the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17, John 14:26-27, John 15:26-27, John 16:13-14). In other words, God’s Spirit inside us… is the “power of His might…”

“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)

But how are we availing ourselves of His Spirit… when the “evil day” comes upon us? Are we surrendering to His battle plan, His tactics, His principles, and His commands?

Having Done All…

In verse 13 the Apostle Paul repeats verse 11, exhorting us once again to “put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand…” However, he ends verse 13 with an addendum, “and having done all, to stand.” Though we can only remain standing “in the power of His might”, it is also expected that we have “done all, to stand.” In other words, God won’t do for us, what we won’t do for ourselves…

I think this is where most of us fail. We expect God to do His part. But we aren’t willing to do our part. And notice our part… We are to have done “all”… not “some”, not “most”, but “all”.

Christian, are we doing all we can… to stand?

Are we looking daily into the truth of God’s word?
Are we living righteously according to all He says?
Are we going out with good news of His peace?
Are we trusting Him in the trials that we go through?
Are we secure in the promises He’s made to us, to deliver us?
Are we rightly applying His word in every situation?

These are just a few ways we can be ready. For more on this subject, see “The Christian in Complete Armour” below. The “evil day” is coming for each of us. May we be found “having done all… to stand…”

William Gurnall – The Christian in Complete Armour Download

The Christian in Complete Armour

June 1, 2022 Pastor Jason Gilbert | Menomonie

This last month we have been discussing the practice and purpose of personal and community “Spiritual Check-Up”. We’ve looked at common ways Satan blinds us, the doors we leave open to the enemy, and how we can keep those doors shut. Through these teachings, along with reading “The Christian in Complete Armour”, my attention has been keenly focused on our spiritual well-being, our enemy, and our need to fight.

Our Spiritual Well-Being…

We’ve looked at the following common ways Satan blinds us, hampering our spiritual well-being:

Spiritual Delusional Disorder (i.e., we can’t tell what’s real from what’s imagined)
Spiritual Switzerland (i.e., we look for a middle ground, a compromise, safety)
Comfort and Lethargy (i.e., we have too much to lose)
Isolation (i.e., we take our church community foregranted)
No Joy, Peace (i.e., we look for happiness in worldly things, rather than Joy and Peace in Christ)
Lack of Discipline (i.e., we are tired, don’t want to hold the hard line anymore)

Our Enemy…

We also looked at the doors we leave open, that our enemy exploits:

An uncontrolled tongue (Proverbs 18:21, Proverbs 13:3, James 1:26, James 3:5-6)
An uncontrolled imagination (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)
Fears (Philippians 4:6-7, 1 John 4:18, 2 Timothy 1:7)
Sinful Habits (Ephesians 4:26-27, 1 Corinthians 10:13, Mark 7:20-23)
Stubbornness (Proverbs 29:1, Psalms 81:11-12)
Emotional Hurt (Proverbs 15:13, Hebrews 12:3)
Anger (Psalms 37:8, Proverbs 14:29)
Rebellion (1st Samuel 15:23, Psalms 68:6)
Unforgiveness (Hebrews 12:15)

Our Need to Fight…

We can’t avoid the fight if we are Christian (2nd Timothy 3:12, Acts 14:22). The enemy is coming, whether we ask for it or not (Genesis 4:7, 1 Peter 5:8). Paul puts it this way,

First, this fight is addressed to a community: “my brethren… For we”. There is an aspect of fighting in which we are all in this together. None of us is exempt. We fight with and for our brothers and sisters.

Second, this is personal: “we wrestle”. As William Gurnall puts it,

“Wrestling is primarily a ‘one-on-one’ contest where one opponent singles out another and enters into an arena with him… Each wrestler exerts his whole force and strength against the other… Each contestant is the sole object of his challenger’s fury.”

“Wrestling is close combat… wrestlers grapple hand-to-hand… When Satan comes after you, he moves in close, takes hold of your very flesh and corrupt nature, and by this shakes you.”

Third, God gives us the tools to win: “be strong in the Lord… and the power of His Might”. But it’s on us to “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand...“

Are We Ready…?

If we are going to be any good at this, preparation is required. Let’s examine ourselves in light of the above:

Am I strong in the Lord… and the power of His might? (i.e., Does He come through victoriously for me in the battle… Or do I give in to my flesh?)
Do I put on the whole armor of God? (i.e., Do I read, study, and meditate on His word… Do I pray and seek to remember his directions, so I can quickly maneuver and react?)
Do I take up the whole armor of God? (i.e., Do I recall his truth when needed, to win arguments against Satan… to fend off the enemy’s temptations?)
Do I fight for and with “the brethren”? (i.e., Am I surrounding myself with able men and women who can train me… Am I leaning on them for advice and feedback… to be a better wrestler?)

If we are going to make it, we can’t be ignorant of our spiritual well-being, our enemy, and our need to fight.

The Christian in Complete Armour – William Gurnall Download

Theology is Intimidating

May 1, 2022 Benjamin Morrison

Theology can be an intimidating subject for many of us.

The definition of the word theology is simply “the study of God”. For many of us this conjures up images of dusty old books, hours of dense reading, and an impractical vocabulary of big words that we’re convinced not even the theologians themselves actually know the meanings of.

Do you resist studying God? Do you prefer more practical matters? Do you pride yourself on being more relatable than the typical “theologian”?

Whether we realize it or not, we all have a working theology that we practice by the way we think and live – and that makes each of us a theologian.

Check out the following blog article on Renew.org on why theology can tend to be a more intimidating topic for many of us than it should be.

Theology Is Intimidating—But Not for the Reason We Think – Renew

Genuine Repentance

March 1, 2022 Pastor Jason Gilbert | Menomonie

To be a Christian, one requirement is that we must repent (turn away) from sin. The need for people to repent is the first thing John the Baptist publically preached (Matt. 3:1-2). It is also the first thing Jesus publically preached (Matt. 4:17). Obviously, repentance is some sort of gate that everyone must pass through to become a Christian. And to repent (Greek: metanoeo) implies not just a behavioral change (i.e., what we say, what we do), but also a change of one’s mind (i.e., how we think).

I’m guessing most reading this (all 3 of you), already know the importance of repentance. It’s something we have to do regularly as Christians. I had to already make confession and repent this morning… to my wife and to God… and it’s still early. The question I am challenged with, and now challenge you with, is not the importance of our repentance, but the genuineness of our repentance.

Insincere Repentance

Reading the account of Moses before Pharoah in Exodus, we see several instances where Pharoah changed his mind and was willing to let Israel go to worship and serve God (Ex. 8:8, 25, 28; Ex. 9:27-28, Ex. 10:17-18). However, within hours or days, Pharoah again hardened his heart and reverted to his old ways (Ex. 8:15, 32; Ex. 9:34-35, Ex. 10:20). He had insincere repentance.

It’s easy to criticize Pharaoh as a villain in the Old Testament. But I wonder how many of us have done the same thing? Consider all the areas we are prone to sin… In our putting someone or something before God (i.e., idolatry), in our bitterness toward a believer or unbeliever, or in our lust or desire for someone or something. Perhaps we have recently repented in one of these areas. But did our repentance end up looking like Pharaoh’s? Did we turn back to our sin? Ultimately, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he perished for not truly repenting. What about us? Could we be awaiting the same fate?

Keeping with Repentance

I came across this in my reading this morning…

Many times people will confess that they have sinned without being truly repentant, especially when they experience difficulty, affliction, sickness, and hardship (c.f. Matt. 13:20–21). The test of genuine repentance is those fruits produced by the Spirit in our lives: godly sorrow leading to mortification of sin and increasing holiness of life (Luke 3:8; Rom. 8:12–13; 2 Cor. 7:9–10; Col. 3:1–17)
Gospel Transformation Study Bible

This caused me to pause. Is my repentance akin to the seed sown on the rocky soil? Whereas as soon as the next trial arises, my repentance is rescinded? Is my repentance just a cover for my sorrow… ultimately spiraling into a spiritual death? Or is my repentance genuine… freeing me from that sin, not to be undone a few hours or days later? To sum it up… is my life bearing the fruit, in keeping with repentance?

These are honest questions we need to ask ourselves.

The Holy Spirit

Pharaoh was sorry, because of the difficulties he experienced. But Pharoah was never totally surrendered to God. He didn’t really want to surrender to God’s will. He just wanted to have a sense of present ease. He wanted the bullets (i.e., flies, gnats) to stop flying around his head. He wanted calm. What about us? Are we just seeking present ease, calm from a difficult situation? Or do we really want to totally surrender to God’s will?

Perhaps the reason we struggle so much, and experience so little lasting peace, is because we aren’t fully surrendered to God’s will. If we were, wouldn’t the Holy Spirit produce the present and future fruit of repentance in our lives? Maybe we are so focused on the act of repentance, that we have overlooked our surrender to God’s will… Perhaps we are so focused on repenting… that we have neglected the source, the vine, that produces the fruit of repentance.

Remember, it is not us who has the power to keep us. That’s God’s work (Ps. 127:1). Ours is to surrender. Are we surrendered to Him? If we are, we will bear the fruit of genuine repentance.

A Case of The February’s

February 1, 2022 Benjamin Morrison

An Unlikeable Month

Let’s begin by acknowledging that the February is a challenging month:

It’s cold.
It’s dark.
The holidays are behind us.
The extra holiday weight we gained is still with us.
And the springtime feels like it is still months away.

But what really sets February apart as the worst month of winter (and arguably, the entire year) are the sneaky-yet-predictable feelings of depression and lethargy that first invade and then attempt to break our spirits. February offers few external motivators, so it’s just easy (1) to feel tired in February, (2) to feel down in February, and (3) to justify “staying in” in February: (a) staying inside the house, (b) staying in bed past the alarm, (c) staying in my sweatpants past noon, etc.

A February Miracle

(Let’s skip the commiserating and get to the point.)

Can we find any reason for hope in the next 28 days?

Yes. And if we push past the passive life management system of always letting our circumstances determine our mood, it is actually pretty easy. Remind yourself that God is good. Say this out loud: “February stinks, but God is good.” That’s all you need.

You might be terribly sleepy, or seriously downcast. But remember what Jesus said to the crowd: “The child is not dead but sleeping.” If God can give a dead person life – He can easily give a sad person hope.

So… stop it.

Stop wallowing in the same seasonal depression. Stop participating in the February spiritual-hibernation season.

Wake up.

Snap out of it.

Start putting up a spiritual fight.

Take your eyes off of your own despair and place them on the God who brings light out of darkness.

A Possible February Theme Song

A great place to start might be reading a few Psalms to get a reminder of “how” to turn from despair to hope in God. Here, for your convenience, is Psalm 42:

1 (For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah.)

As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God.

2 I thirst for God, the living God.

When can I go and stand before him?

3 Day and night I have only tears for food,

while my enemies continually taunt me, saying,

“Where is this God of yours?”

4 My heart is breaking

as I remember how it used to be:

I walked among the crowds of worshipers,

leading a great procession to the house of God,

singing for joy and giving thanks

amid the sound of a great celebration!

5 Why am I discouraged?

Why is my heart so sad?

I will put my hope in God!

I will praise him again—

my Savior and

6 my God!

Now I am deeply discouraged,

but I will remember you—

even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan,

from the land of Mount Mizar.

7 I hear the tumult of the raging seas

as your waves and surging tides sweep over me.

8 But each day the LORD pours his unfailing love upon me,

and through each night I sing his songs,

praying to God who gives me life.

9 “O God my rock,” I cry,

“Why have you forgotten me?

Why must I wander around in grief,

oppressed by my enemies?”

10 Their taunts break my bones.

They scoff, “Where is this God of yours?”

11 Why am I discouraged?

Why is my heart so sad?

I will put my hope in God!

I will praise him again—

my Savior and my God!

Happy February everyone!

Never Recover

January 1, 2022 Benjamin Morrison

A Christian doctor once ran his race well. But even more importantly, he finished it well. Martyn Lloyd-Jones was his name, and his daughter, Lady Catherwood, adored him. When asked why her father’s ministry was so effective, she gave this answer:

‘He never recovered from the fact that God saved him.’

May we, by God’s grace, see our Christian faith this way. May we never recover from God’s saving work in our lives. May we stumble into heaven still reeling from having been saved. No doubt, while here on earth, we’ll have sour seasons of life, where salvation doesn’t seem all that sweet. But let’s pray we always savor something of its flavor in our hearts. Let’s always work, by God’s grace, to taste and see that the Lord is good. Let’s work to keep enjoying the basics of the Christian life-loving God and neighbor, hearing from God through His Word, speaking to God in prayer, worshiping God with our lives, encouraging our brothers and sisters at church, and sharing the gospel with the lost. After all, brothers and sisters, we never graduate from the basics, and the second we think we have is the second we prove we haven’t. Of course, there’s a wrong way to hear that story about the thankful and effective doctor. The point we should take is that God’s grace ought to amaze us, not how effective we can be on His behalf. The point of this book is to know and enjoy God’s grace more and see how the spiritual disciplines help us to do so.

Our goal isn’t effectiveness or perfection. Our goal is simply to know Jesus, and to join in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that by any means we may attain the resurrection of the dead (Phil. 3:8-11). So, may we finish the race. May we fight the good fight. May we make it home to heaven and be amazed that we’re even there.

‘My soul makes its boast in the Lord,’ says Psalm 34:2. And may the one who boasts boast in this-that he knows God.

Brothers and sisters, may we grow to know Him. And may we never recover.

‘For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.’ (Titus 2:11-14)

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