Month: May 2020

May 25, 2020 Shofar Missions Cebu

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

The new school year usually starts in June (although, over the past few years some schools have adjusted to an August start date). Classes won’t start in June and normal summer classes won’t happen. Graduation rites are canceled. One thing is for sure…summer is longer than expected. This isn’t the summer to get everyone on the same academic calendar. It is a summer of challenge, change, and unknown. Embrace the unknown and lean into God.

On March 28, Cebu City was placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine. As of this writing, the quarantine status of the city remains the same. Parts of the Philippines transitioned into Modified or General Quarantines. With each phase, more businesses are allowed to open. Church services remain online.

Due to COVID-19 the 2020-2021 school year will begin for students in all levels in August. No one knows for sure if students will return to the classroom, but we do know any classes held before August will be online. There is a 24-hour curfew for those under the age of 21 or over the age of 65, meaning they are unable to leave their homes.

Street Level Ministries

We had our last in-person meeting on March 13, 2020. Brittany has been able to continue meeting with students via audio calls. The plan for the summer is to meet virtually with students in small groups to go through discipleship material. Word on the Street’s Issue 82 was released digitally since our print shop is closed and we can’t go out to distribute. Five SLM members are volunteering and helping to write articles for Issue 83 (from two different islands!). We are continuing to broadcast Street Level Radio online and through all five of our antenna arrays in the city. At the beginning of May, Burning Dog Radio began taking over our airwaves for four hours each day, which adds a lot of variety to the station!

Exploring Creation Science

We have created an Exploring Creation Science Facebook page to continue posting weekly biblical creation science resources. Preparation for virtual classes to be taught in June continues. These classes are for students in grades 4-6 and 7-12. As the summer months continue and a clearer picture is known of what the start of the school year will bring this may very well be how Exploring Creation Science starts the 2020-2021 school year.

Prayer Requests:

  1. Pray for wisdom and discernment for all government officials as they decided what level of quarantine an area remains under.
  2. We will begin reaching out to pastors and leaders we have met letting them know we are digital. Pray they would know of and encourage students & schools to join our virtual meetings/classes.
  3. Pray for technology. Online platforms where live services, classes, and meetings can be streamed, internet connections, and phones. Many here use smartphones.

May 19, 2020 River Falls Ministry

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

Blind Munchies River Falls

The weather continues to get a little bit warmer each week, and the coffeehouse staff has taken full advantage of this! The past few weeks we started putting out our coffee kiosk at the front door for taking orders. Not only is it nice to be outside, but it appears to have increased the traffic in the coffeehouse. More and more people in the community are beginning to see us and are stopping in. The coffeehouse is currently still open for to-go orders only, but we are brainstorming future ways to have the kiosk and dining room open.

Street Level Ministries

The campus has been quiet for almost two months now, but school just ended last week. We had our last virtual Street Level meeting of the semester last Tuesday, and right now are planning on continuing into the summer.

Please Pray For…

  1. Building relationships through the coffeehouse, and that we will display God to the community through it.
  2. Students, with the school year ending, that they will continue to follow God through the summer.
  3. Guidance and direction from God as we move into the summer months.

Here are a few “year in review” pictures from Street Level:

May 16, 2020 Street Level College Ministries

This past Monday was the final Street Level meeting of the UW-Stout semester. By the time you read this, finals week will be over, and a few Street Level members will be graduated.

We’ve been meeting via conference call for the past few weeks, continuing our discussions from before all the social distancing. We have been going through material about what it means to be a radical follower of Jesus in this present time. The semester ended with us reflecting on our own walk with God. To ask whether we are distracted by our own life and desires, or are we focused on pursuing Jesus. This was an appropriate analysis given the time and situation we are all in.

Two month’s ago…

It is crazy to think that it was two months ago that we were still doing meals at the Street Level house, welcoming in strangers to join us, and having a full group conversation together. We then moved to meeting in small groups at various locations, video calling between the groups to ‘stay together’ and now we are completely in the digital realm for meetings. Each transition felt like a hard one, but it also provided a new way to connect, reflect, and realize who we each really are when we are on our own. This has proven difficult for us all, but God is no doubt speaking to us.

What even is a Campus Ministry?

This entire situation has really tested and allowed us all to ask a lot of questions. Why are we here? What is our goal? Who is our goal? What is a campus ministry? What are we doing? Why are we doing it? What is our purpose? Do I want to be part of it? Do I want to follow Jesus? Where is He going?

Asking ourselves these questions can be tiring, but it’s good. It has forced us to think and to lean on God. He wants to give clarity, not confusion. So we are trusting that God will lead and speak, and we will be patient and faithful in the meantime. This time apart gives us time to draw near to Him, and to let Him speak, convict, encourage, and guide rather than just trying to copy or get the answers from each other. Most of all, this time apart has made us realize how much we need each other. Having time to rely on God has been good, but relying on God, and walking together, is better. We are excited to get back together again.

What will Summer bring?

As the restrictions for gathering are lifted, it is still unclear how we will proceed with being a campus ministry over the summer months. The summer is always a good time for fellowship, restoration, and preparation for the next year. Please pray for vision as we figure out how to do ministry on a campus after it has been empty for months. This is unclear, but also exciting. God is still ministering, He is still loving, finding the lost, meeting the lonely, and training His disciples. We are excited to see where He takes us this summer, and into the fall.

May 13, 2020 Pastor Jesse Moss

Since the last JFB Duluth update one month ago we have not physically gathered together for a church service. We have had no real church events, and the service positions and schedules that we have become accustomed to having been interrupted. However, that doesn’t mean we have been at a standstill. God’s overall mission for us remains the same. As a church, we remain committed to doing what we can to advance the purposes of God and His kingdom.

Proclaiming the Truth

The truth of scripture and the proclamation of it has, is, and always will be a priority for us. In fact, it is one aspect of our church that has continued on week after week even during this pandemic. Romans 10 reminds us of the importance of the preaching of God’s word. Paul asks the question, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Romans 10:14 ESV)

Our sermons have temporarily moved entirely online which has provided a unique opportunity to present the truth anywhere with an internet connection. A couple of weeks ago after 12 years of Pastor Justin teaching verse by verse through the New Testament on Sunday mornings, we begin our last book which is Revelation. Wanting to reach out to the community we mailed out thousands of fliers inviting people to tune in to our live stream services.

Continuing Campus Ministry

Street Level has begun digitally meeting with current students every week. We are taking this time to discuss what it means to be a follower of Jesus with the desire of being trained and equipped to make a difference in the campuses and lives around us. In the last couple of weeks, we have realized the call to be a disciple is a steep one. We discussed Luke 14 which reminds us of the high expectations that Jesus has for anyone who would follow Him. It seemed that He did not make any apologies or excuses for asking us to give up all and put Him first in our lives.

Our conversation led us to think about the costs of following Jesus and the things that we cling to not wanting to let go. We realize that the costs of following Jesus are great and that it won’t be easy. But this we talked about how although the cost to follow Jesus may be high, the cost we will pay if we choose not to follow Him is far greater. In the end, we will choose what cost we want to pay. We can either miss out on our pursuits and dreams or His. It shouldn’t be a hard decision. We know that the cost of following Jesus is well worth paying. Please pray that the truths that we have spent time discussing would be made real to our lives and change how we think and the way that we live.

Upgrades

We are doing what we can to keep the church moving forward to be better fit for ministry than before. One way we have done this is to improve our system for live streaming our services. This has meant installing new cameras, downloading new software, and running even more cables. In this digital age, we want to improve our online ministry to be as effective as possible. We have also made some kitchen and coffee house upgrades, as well as an improvement to our heating system.

I’m not sure when we will be able to gather together again. I’m not sure what it is going to look like when we do. It would be easy for us to view this time as a waiting period, that we are waiting to get back together, that we are waiting for everything to be “normal” again. I think that would be a waste of time. It would be a misuse of the season that God has us in. I think God would have us keep moving forward both in our character development and sanctification and also in fulfilling the mission the God has us on. We are seeking to do that corporately as a church, but we all need to be doing that individually.

May 10, 2020 Pastor Justin Thomson - Duluth

I called Menards this morning to see if they had a facemask policy yet. My kids, being under the age of 16, have already been barred from entering the place, and I needed to know if restrictions had gotten any tighter (I wasn’t interested in a shoving match with the bouncer, I just wanted to “save big money”). The clerk assured me that there was no such policy yet, but warned me that it could change at any moment. With an unexpected shot of adrenaline I grabbed my in-store rebates and sped away like it was the end of the world.

Buying lightbulbs isn’t anything like it used to be now that everybody’s dressed like a hijacker. Shopping feels dangerous. People treat one another like they’re lethal. The level of social warmth hasn’t seen this kind of a plummet since the introduction of Smartphones.

They say it’s the “new normal”, and I’m sad about that.    

SIMILAR SITUATION

If anything, the social climate we’re living in right now provides fantastic insight into a passage like the one in Luke 17 where Jesus “cleanses 10 lepers” (vs.11-19). There we meet a number of men under quarantine because of a life-threatening communicable disease spread by air-born droplets and/or physical touch (sound familiar?). Holding the size of their small group at ten or less individuals, these guys would’ve made any modern Governor proud. Special laws were enforced in such situations to prevent any further spread: “As long as the serious disease lasts, they will be ceremonially unclean [i.e. ‘can’t go to church’]. They must live in isolation [i.e. ‘quarantine’] outside the camp [i.e. ‘away from the community’]” (Leviticus 13:46). Can you relate?

You’ll notice also that they respected Jesus’ personal space as He passed by. Standing “afar off” (vs.12) they were careful not to violate the guidelines set forth by their lawmakers. “Social distancing” might be a new term in our own English vocabulary, but it’s not at all a new concept: “Lepers were strictly forbidden to come near other people or to interact with anyone…so great was the fear…lepers were forbidden to come within 6’ of a healthy person” [Edersheim]). Whether healthy or sick, the entire culture knew the expectations, and dutifully conformed. For them, it had become “normal”.

People treat one another like they’re lethal

Welcome to the leper colony, folks; it’s called “earth”. Can’t go anywhere; can’t see anybody. Now we know what it was like. I’ll bet it was nearly impossible for these guys to buy lightbulbs.

SIMILAR ADMIRATION

But small groups and social distances aren’t the only thing we have in common with these 10 particular men. For those of us in the discipleship community, we share a similar respect for Jesus as well.

In verse 13 the lepers “lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master”. The term “Master” (“epistates”) is a specific title found in the New Testament that’s always used in reference to Jesus. It indicates ownership, and it’s used by His Disciples in every single instance but this one. Curiously, these lepers held the same regard for Jesus as His most loyal followers did. Whether they had ever formally met Jesus or not we don’t know, but one thing is certain, these men knew who He was. They admired Him. And for that reason also, we are a lot like them.

SIMILAR EMANCIPATION

Little did these lepers know at the time; their quarantine was about to end. God never intended for them to stay in isolation forever. They were meant to encounter Jesus in the crisis. He was the one who would rescue them from their plight, lift the restrictions, and in mercy, give them a fresh start in life. After what seemed to be an eternity, someone had finally come with the authority to grant them freedom, and the first wonderful word from His mouth, was “Go”.

And they gladly obeyed. Paying a visit to their House of Worship was of first importance, as Jesus had specified (vs.14). The Lord intended not only to grant them freedom, but to establish their priorities as well, which wouldn’t have been a concern for these men at all. Their religion had been on hold for a long time now, and they were more than ready to obey.

In full submission, they hurried to see the priest. With the colony behind them and the faith community ahead, liberty never felt better. Each step was lighter than the one before, when to their surprise, they discovered that every last trace of their disease had vanished somewhere along the way! It was gone! And with it, the pain, the loneliness, and the social isolation as well.

There was suddenly a “new normal” to get used to, and they were happy about that.

SIMILAR DECISION

We’re told in this account that one of these ten individuals decided to return to Jesus, “thanking Him & glorifying God” (vs.15-16). Enduring what he did had a profound, spiritually maturing effect upon this man, and he’d never be the same again. Anyone who reads Luke 17 can easily recognize that his example, in this story, is the one we should follow. And yet, very few will.

The Lord intends not only to grant us freedom, but to establish our priorities as well

Luke didn’t tell us what happened to the rest of these men after they were given their freedom. They probably went right back to the same life they had before the crisis even began. Same social circle, same synagogue, same routine. We don’t know for sure. What we do know, however, is that this was the end of a short relationship with Jesus. The closest they ever came to Him was while they were under quarantine. Ironically, nine of these ten men were never healthier than when they still had leprosy.

TIME WILL TELL

One day our little “stay-at-home” order, like theirs, will be over. The restrictions will no longer apply, everybody will reunite with their friends, and buying lightbulbs will be easy again. But the pressing question is whether you’ll be any different when it’s over than you were before the crisis even started.

What being released from quarantine did for those ten men, was to clarify who among them had real faith in Jesus (vs.19). For a full 90% of their small group, Jesus wasn’t really their “Master” at all, like they said He was. They escaped leprosy only to find that they were sicker than they ever knew.

The health of a person’s soul isn’t always best seen in times of emergency, but in how they return to normalcy once it’s over. An eager scramble to recover the life you thought you’d lost is a symptom of a deeper, spiritual sickness if it only distances you from Jesus. Yet that’ll no doubt prove to be the way most people in the church respond to the recovery of our freedoms. Nothing should scare you more than that. Neither leprosy nor COVID-19 are as great a threat to your eternal future as having earthly priorities. 

If your chief concern is nothing more than to get your life back and return to Christian fellowship as usual, then enjoy your time of isolation with Jesus while you still have it. History shows that once He allows people under quarantine to go back to the House of Worship, He may never see them again.

But for those with genuine faith in Christ, hold tight to Jesus whether we’re stuck in this sick colony or not. We’ll be free again soon enough. And for us, the best is yet to come.  

May 2, 2020 Believers Church

Back in March…

…COVID-19 became a new term in our vocabulary globally… and personally, my daily devotions had me deep in Daniel and Revelation. Adding to the unsettling concern inside, my social media news-feed followed all the major news networks exposing my eyes to compounding news reports on the current circumstances. It was a rough patch to say the least. I began to feel insecure about what was happening in the world and my devotions only seemed to amplify the awful feeling ramping up. As Becky and I were talking one evening about all this, I came to a clarity that I needed to disconnect some of my news intake and bump the record player in my devotions and go someplace fresh for at least part of my reading. I pressed the eject button on Revelation and turned my New Testament reading to Matthew.

Red Letters

A lot of the Bibles I own are what are known as “red-letter” bibles. On one of these troubling days I was listening to the radio and a David Crowder song came on called “Red Letters”. I’ve heard this song a hundred times but, like many of the songs on this station, I paid little attention to the words or the meanings of the songs… until this day. This song got me thinking about the red letters in the scriptures. They are words that were actually spoken by Jesus. It seemed to really hit me just how significant that is. Jesus opened his mouth, moved his lips, air passed his vocal cords to form the very words written in red letters in the bible.

Now, theology and bible literacy both confirm God spoke through the writers of the bible and His voice is behind the written text of scripture to a level unparalleled anywhere else in the world. But the red letters made me think about all the times people in biblical history heard the very voice of God. Moses always comes to mind for me first… glowing face. Then I think about Peter when he suggested the construction of three tabernacles; one for Moses, one for Elijah, and one for Jesus… I remember what it was like when I first heard God speak… “Who was with you when you were dying?” Most of those who found themselves before the unmistakable Voice, fell immediately to their knees.

Consider the red letters. As I jumped in my devotions to Matthew, I found the red letters extremely significant. Jesus is speaking… the Voice is presenting truth, comfort, peace…

Matthew 6:25-34

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

The quelling of anxiety comes with instruction on how to not be troubled. Spoiler alert, it’s not in your power to obtain… it’s “added unto you” by the One we seek.

-=Pastor Tom

“Where does your security lie? Is God your refuge, your hiding place, your stronghold, your shepherd, your counselor, your friend, your redeemer, your saviour, your guide? If He is, you don’t need to search any further for security.” – Elisabeth Elliot