Author: Pastor Jesse Moss | Duluth

July 10, 2020 Pastor Jesse Moss | Duluth

Romans 12:2 tells us to not be conformed to this world. Proverbs 1:15 says not to walk in the way of unbelievers. Christians are expected to look different from the world. The priorities of our life will be different. Our actions, motivations, families, and possessions are to be indicators of our faith. The entirety of our lives should distinguish us from those who reject the truth of God.

When Jesus is speaking to His disciples during the last supper, He reveals one thing to be critical in characterizing us as Christians. John 13:35 says, “By this, all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”  Of all the things that Christians are called to do and to be, it is our love for other believers that Jesus says is going to mark us as unique. 

Atypical love

If the love that we display is going to so uniquely distinguish us, then that love must be an uncommon love. It must be a love that can be found solely in true Christian fellowship. We would like to assume that our lives embody this love, but I believe it would be dangerous to think we have this down. Without a doubt, there is room for improvement in our church.   

It is easy to proclaim love and even show it for a short time when convenient. The question is, “Is that love sustained through time, difficulty, and disagreement?” If we compare the love we have for each other to the dictionary definition of love we are probably doing fine. We likely love each other as much as unbelievers do, but God expects more. What is it that should so define our love that it proclaims to the world that we are Christ’s?

How do we do this?

The Bible has a lot to say about Christian love, but in the verse just before his explanation that our love shows that we are His followers, He points to Himself as the example. John 13:34  “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” If we are going to love in a way that makes a difference to the world. We need to love the way that Jesus loved us. 

There is a way to love halfheartedly. This is the love that most of the world is all too familiar with.  In the church, this is a love that lasts only when convenient, self-serving, and agreeable. If this is the level of love that you have, you will find it no longer there when the church makes decisions you disagree with. This love doesn’t endure through pain and difficulty. It doesn’t last past a fleeting emotional high. This love does not put the spiritual and physical health of others above their desires. This is not the type of love that Jesus displayed for us. Jesus’ love was that of humility, total commitment, and sacrifice.

Humble Love

Just a few verses earlier we see Jesus washing His disciple’s feet. This gained Him nothing. The love that Jesus displayed wasn’t self-serving. You might find yourself fond of the church because of what you are getting out of it, but that isn’t real love. Will you love and serve the church with humility even if it gains you nothing in this world? It’s easy to express love for those who will pay it back. Remember Jesus was even willing to wash the feet of the one who betrayed Him. 1 Corinthians 6:7 tells us that for the sake of fellowship and unity we should let ourselves be cheated. Would you do that for the church?

Committed Love

Jesus took the love that he had for the church, His bride, to His death. In Matthew 26:39 we read that this was not necessarily what Jesus wanted, but out of love and obedience to God and a commitment to His people, He pressed on. It was a love that endured even when the good of the church conflicted with His own desires. 

Sacrificial Love

You can’t say that your love is sacrificial if you are only willing to sacrifice that which you don’t hold dearly. Jesus sacrificed His life, both when He lived and when He died.  What are you willing to give up for your brothers and sisters in Christ? Would you give up your passions and desires? Would you give up experiences that you’ve longed for? Are you willing to give up people’s opinions of you? Loving the church is going to cost, are you willing to pay?

The world loves when it wants to. Christians love each other even when nothing in their flesh desires it. Do people know that you are a disciple of Jesus by your love? There is an awful lot that looks like love in this world and a whole lot of it is not Christian. Check your life. Is it marked by a real love for the Church or instead is there only love for yourself? Let’s look to Jesus as our example. The church is far from perfect, but it is the bride of Christ and that reason alone makes it worthy of real love.

June 15, 2020 Pastor Jesse Moss | Duluth

The last couple of weeks have been a reunion of sorts. After more than two months of not being able to gather as a church, we are able to have services again. Church looks different than it ever has, but even with the changes, it is good to be back together. With social distancing requirements, face masks, no group singing, and no fellowship in the coffeehouse after service, it is clear that things have not returned to the regular routine. But that is okay.

It is nice to be back together and somewhat have church as usual. But there is a danger of the church getting into too much of a routine. This current situation may just be helping to prevent that. It is easy to allow your Christianity and church involvement to slip into autopilot which requires little thought, little seeking good for direction, and little reliance on the Holy Spirit. If nothing else the last few months have served to prevent us from following our regularly scheduled program.

A Message to the Church

Sundays we have been continuing through the book of Revelation. It’s the last book of the New Testament that we have to go through verse by verse as a church. We are currently going through the letters written to the seven different churches in chapters two and three. These are letters written to churches with a message directly from Jesus. Each church is different, some with strengths they are commended for and some with sins that they are called to repent from. There is much to learn from the examples in scripture. No doubt there is a message that Jesus is “sending” to us as well. Please pray that we would hear what He is saying. That we wound be encouraged where he is encouraging, and repent where he points out our sins and weaknesses.

Sheep Among Wolves

At this week’s Wednesday gathering, we watched “Sheep Among Wolves” a video about the persecuted church in the Middle East. It was an inspiring night where we were left checking our own lives and commitment. Christians over there are spending their lives for the sake of God’s kingdom. Realizing that provides a wake-up call to ensure that we are not wasting ours. It’s incredible to see the hardships and persecution that are likely beyond our full comprehension and yet see the commitment and love that these believers have for Christ. One of the men in the video was at a near loss of words trying to explain that Jesus is worth any cost. Intentionally this video leaves us questioning what we are doing with our lives. Christ is worthy of no lesser commitment. He deserves no lesser love and sacrifice sacrifice here in the relative comfort of the west.

We continue to work on things around the church. Regulations are making it easier for people to get to church so we decided we would to. We completely redid the stairs going down into the coffeehouse and also repaired the steps leading to the sanctuary. We also are continuing to upgrade our technology to more effectively get our Bible teaching into the community. There seems to be no end to the amount of wires we need to pull from one end of the church to the other.

Things aren’t normal. But is normal really the goal or expectancy for a Christian filled with the Holy Spirit and under the direction of an almighty God? Please pray that as a church we would be directed by God, learning the lessons that He has for us, and going out applying them in our lives.

May 13, 2020 Pastor Jesse Moss | Duluth

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.

April 13, 2020 Pastor Jesse Moss | Duluth

Church may look different now, but the mission remains the same. We still seek to spread the truth of Jesus into our community. We still desire to disciple and be disciples. The church’s job still remains to equip believers to make a difference in the community that they are in. Although recent happenings in the world and regulations change some of the ways we minister as a church, they do not change why we are here.

Weekly Services

We continue to have Sunday and Wednesday services by live streaming our current sermons on our YouTube channel. You can catch our most recent sermons here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaKDmfLCRACaIa06KPJhLDA. Sermons start at 10:30 am every Sunday and at 7 pm on the second and fourth Wednesday of every month. We are in the middle of a series through the epistles of John on Sunday mornings and nearing the end of 2 Kings on Wednesday evenings. It is amazing to see the sovereignty of God in our passage week after week. He seems to perfectly align our verses to the needs of our church and the circumstances of this world. It is clear God knows what we need and provides exactly that, and we thank Him for it.

Our Wednesday night live stream

Staying Connected

Being united has always been an important thing for us. It might be a little harder than before, but we’re finding ways to stay connected as a church. We seek to continue to encourage one another, to not neglect meeting together, to have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, to pray for one another. Although our circumstances may be different, God’s expectation of the unity, fellowship, and love that we are to have for each other hasn’t changed.

Getting together for a night of games seems to have always been a part of our church. We decided that we would do it over a video call. One night a group sharpened our drawing skills, and played Pictionary over a video call. It was a great time, although sharing snacks was made much more difficult.

A game of digital Pictionary (I believe that was some sort of bird?)

Community Involvement

We still want to reach out and be there for our community even when our doors are closed to our typical weekly services. To do this we made a commercial to be put on social media and aired on local TV stations. The goal was to let the community know that we are here for them, that God loves them, and that we would be happy to pray for any of their needs during this time. The commercial was a combined effort of several members of the church which proved to be an interesting challenge while also being under a shelter in place order. Through technology we were able to all work on this project together. If you are interested in seeing the final video, you can find it on our website at jfbduluth.com.

Without a doubt the church calendar looks different than normal. God still has plans for us as a church and as individual believers. We intend to continue seeking Him and figure out what it is that He is accomplishing through us and perhaps more importantly inside of us. Please pray that we would cooperate with God. Ask that we would let Him to change us into the disciples of Jesus that He would have us be 

March 10, 2020 Pastor Jesse Moss | Duluth

In the early 1900s people actually believed that radioactivity was a good thing. It was commonly understood that radioactive materials could be used to cure arthritis, increase energy, prevent aging, and overall improve the general health and appearance of users. Radioactive water became regularly available all around the country. Several people found themselves buying radioactive products, all with the desire to look younger and more vibrant. One man, Eben Byers, was so convinced of its benefit that he began to drink three bottles of it every day. Two and a half years after his use, he began to complain of chronic headaches and uncontrolled weight loss. Then his teeth began to fall out, followed by holes in his skull. Eventually, his mouth collapsed.  

Mr. Byers joined the crowd of countless others who have, are currently, or will do whatever necessary to keep up appearances. People do ridiculous things to look good to those around them in all areas of their lives. Physically people resort to such tactics as allowing snails to move across their faces which spreads their “beauty-enhancing mucus.” Some people bury themselves in volcanic ash, lay in bathtubs full of fermented hay, or even bathe in giant bowls of ramen noodles. Socially we lie, exaggerate, and hide the reality of who we are. It seems that people will go to great extremes to prevent themselves from looking foolish or possessing flaws. They do whatever required to present themselves favorably and to look as acceptable and pleasing as possible. 

How this Looks in the Church

Christians have the same temptation to do this with our spiritual lives. We will lie. Christians try to hide the fact that they are sinners. We will be sure to tell all of our great spiritual victories and achievements. Fear of apparent failure and hunger for noticed success seems to be a normal part of our human nature. There are many reasons for this. We might believe that perfection is necessary for acceptance. We may simply be terrified of other people’s opinions of us. It might even be that you are attempting to convince God of your great value and worth by your accomplishment. 

The ridiculous gimmicks used to look better might be necessary to save face in the world. But there is no place for them in Christianity and the church. Christianity is only for losers. There is no room for anyone else. It is one of the qualifying points of entry. No perfect people allowed because the perfect have no need for it. 

Romans 12:9 says to “let your love be genuine” there is no need to play pretend. God says that our love for him should be real. Our devotion to the church should be real.     

Over the past five years, many studies have shown that we are living in an age where people are craving authenticity. Personally, I desire reality, imperfections and all. We all hate to be manipulated, dislike when people are fake, and despise being lied to. And yet we are quick to manipulate, play pretend, and mislead others. For your personal health and the good of the church, all such tactics need to be left at the door when entering into the community of the church. 

Who do We Think We are Fooling?

You will find that in a Bible-believing church people are not going to be shocked when they hear of your shortcomings. Nor will you find yourself shunned. We are all well aware of the reality of sin. That is why we need each other. The guidance, accountability, encouragement, and rebuke that we all need to be the person God created us to be will be hindered if you hide your need for it behind a veneer of perfection. 

The apostle Paul warns us in 2 Corinthians 11:3 of being seduced or pulled away from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. He doesn’t caution us about being pulled away from an apparent devotion. Instead, he warns that our devotion might not be real and that our Christian actions may become insincere and not heartfelt. God is concerned with matters of the heart. He is concerned with the reality of what is inside of us and we cannot change that with insincere outward appearance. 

Not an Excuse

This is not a call for us to all simply be who we are with no intent to change, grow, and spiritually mature. That is not Christ’s will for us. Peter writes that we are to “grow up.” Paul sternly corrects those “believers” who seem to refuse to mature into the followers of Christ that they were intended to be. We should not accept our imperfections. We should be a people fighting against them and striving for holiness. That is what God expects of His children. But neither should we be surprised when we fall down. That is what kids do. 

One of the worst things you can do when you find yourself in sin is to quickly cover it up hoping that no one saw. Playing pretend is dangerous when it becomes more than a game. Admitting our weakness and failure is going to require true humility. It is going to hurt. But doing whatever it takes to keep up your spiritual image is going to drain any vitality out of your life. It will be exhausting. At best it will lead to a false perception of you to yourself and those around you. It will not lead to any actual spiritual growth and success. No amount of makeup can make the dead alive again. Only repentance can do that.       

Where will it lead?

We will find that if we try to keep up our spiritual appearance at all cost we will meet the same end as Eben Byers. Our desire to look successful and without imperfections could very well lead to our own spiritual demise. You aren’t perfect and pretending to be is only going to disgust those who know you best. The church is a place where we can be real with each other. It is only when we let down our guard, allowing people to see the reality of who we are, blemishes and all, that the church can fulfill its obligations to each other.  

February 13, 2020 Pastor Jesse Moss | Duluth

Our campus ministry has always been an important part of this church. So, the start of a new semester is always an exciting time for us. But this semester we have something new that God is doing to look forward to. Over winter break Street Level became an officially recognized student org at the UM-Duluth Campus! In the last month, students returned back to campus for the start of another semester. Which means Street Level started back up after mostly taking a break through the winter break.

Two Campuses: One Mission

Our local Twin Ports chapter of Street Level is now on two campuses but still with one mission: to encourage, lead, and provide opportunities for college students to seek Jesus wholeheartedly and to follow Him with every aspect of their lives. We begin the semester with information tables at both campuses. We gave away coffee and let students know more about Street Level.

Street Level Road Trip

We also launched into this semester with a fun trip off campus to the Street Level House in Menomonie. Street Level all piled into a van and headed south where we joined with the other US-based Street level groups (sorry Cebu) for a night filled with fellowship, games, and snacks. We took time to hear about the different things God is doing in the ministries and individuals from each campus. It is always encouraging to hear about the ministry that is happening that we sometimes aren’t aware of. In the morning we fueled up with breakfast provided by the Blind Munchies. Then we headed to the ice where we took part in the great SL Broomball tournament of 2020.

Judging by the amount of time people spent on their backs, we may have lacked some talent. But it was made up for by enthusiasm. After the victors claimed their prize, we had a bbq on the frozen lake and even made a snowman.

Word on the Street Magazine

We are currently printing our 43rd issue of Word on the Street. The magazine has changed a lot over the years. We are always hoping and looking for ways to get better at what God has called us to do. In the last week, JFB Duluth hosted a WOTS workshop where we came together to talk about everything magazine and writing. We spent the morning launching our next issue and talking about some things specific to our magazine and staff. In the afternoon we were blessed to be joined by a professional writer. She shared her insights and taught us how to be more creative and effective in our writing. See the picture below of the notes from our meeting… don’t worry we don’t really know what it says either….  

Fellowship

The typical month has four Wednesdays in it. Occasionally we will see a month with one extra. When this happens, we take the opportunity to get out of the church and do something fun in the community. January happened to be one of those months so we took over a room at a local pizza place and set up an easel and played Pictionary. It was an entertaining night, probably more so because it turns out that God did not intend for many of us to be artists…    

The Super Bowl is always a good time for us to all come together and enjoy each other’s company over some delicious food. (I think there might be a TV on with the game somewhere too, I’m pretty sure I heard that the Packers won)

We Can’t do This Alone

Despite how it might read it has not been all fun and games up here. God had a mission for us, and it isn’t easy. We will never be able to be the church that He intends on our own. We can train ourselves to the best of our ability as we did at the WOTS workshop, we can be together united in fellowship, we can gain new ministries as we did at UMD, but if God is not behind it these things are of limited value. If your inclined to pray for us, pray that Street Level would be an organization that is lead by God, grown by Him, and used by Him at both campuses. Pray that these opportunities for fellowship go beyond a fun night but deeper to true unity as the one body of Christ that we are to be.