At the end of the year, it is always interesting to look back and see just how far God has brought us in the past 12 months. It is good to pause and look at all that He has allowed us to be a part of. Following Christ is quite the journey. Knowing that we still have far to go and many trials to traverse is a daunting thing. It can seem overwhelming and you can lose sight of any progress if you don’t look back at where God has taken you.

The Bible compares the life of a Christian to a race. It is a race that is full of great feats of achievement and glorious moments of success for God’s kingdom, but also obstacles, unexpected curves, and crashes on the path. The 2019 leg of this race was no exception. It was full of activity. It was an exciting year of ministry. A quick look back at the calendar shows that JFB Duluth took part in four different mission trips. We had several outreaches in the twin ports community. We hosted two rummage sales, a concert, and had nearly a hundred church services. There were countless hours of service together. We have brought on more staff. We have begun to pursue new ministry opportunities on another college campus and also to home-school kids.

Ups and Downs

It has been busy and fast-paced. It isn’t hard to understand why God would compare this to a race. We have had great celebrations like when we joined JFB Menomonie in thanking God for allowing 30 years of ministry. We have laughed and had a lot of fun. It has been a great joy. We have worked hard. There really has been blood sweat and tears. The unfortunate truth is this race has had its fair share of injuries and setbacks. There have even been casualties along the way. It hasn’t been an easy race, but it has been a worthwhile one.

“Do not confuse motion and progress. A rocking horse keeps
moving but does not make any progress.”
― Alfred Montapert

One of the largest racing events in the US is the Daytona 500. Where fifty cars race around the track at speeds upwards of 200 mph. The top concern is speed, motion, and activity. They want to move. So much so that the average pit stop taken to replace four tires takes less than three seconds. Meaning in the time it took you to read that sentence a car would be jacked up, had all tires removed and the replaced.

Like these drivers, we want to make sure that we are always moving. We want to ensure that we are always growing. But there is one big difference. The drivers are concerned with speed. They race around the track, but in the end, they get nowhere. They end back where they started. There is great motion, great activity, insane speed, but there is no progress. For the Christian, we must never be satisfied with motion and activity that doesn’t lead anywhere. What happened in 2019 was not intended to keep us busy. It was intended to take us somewhere.

Where Does the Race Lead?

In short, we are headed closer and closer to God. We are headed for spiritual maturity and greater holiness. Take a look back at 2019. No doubt you were busy. I hope you joined us in this race, but be sure to ask yourself where did it take you. Did all the activity leave you running in circles around the same spot all year? Or has it led you to press on? I’m not asking if you have reached the finish line, I am asking if you can recognize progress. Don’t allow yourself to be swept up by constant activity, staying busy, always moving but never actually getting closer to God. Let’s do as Hebrews 12 tells us and run the race that God has before us with endurance.

• 

• 

• 

For those of us who have been around JFB for any length of time, we have become acquainted with fall as ‘go time’. It’s the time of year when retreats and campus ministry are in full swing on top of the usual weekly ministries. Each year seems to fly by faster and faster such that it can become easy to forget what we’ve been privileged to take part in.

In the realm of college ministry, Street Level kicked off the semester at UW-Superior with various promotional events, a canoe trip, and weekly meetings on Mondays. After years of consideration, we proceeded to reach out to Duluth campuses including St Scholastica, UMD and LSC by offering a weekly Bible discussion at a local coffee shop. Efforts have been made on those respective campuses to promote Street Level Duluth through coffee giveaways, attending student events and distributing flyers. Students from all Street Level campuses had the opportunity to attend a retreat hosted by Duluth this past month. Besides weekly meetings, WOTS publications continue to be distributed into the hands of college students. Duluth WOTS writers have been participating in a writers workshop at St Scholastica these past few weeks to help develop their writing skills and rub shoulders with the community.

The JFB Duluth Community Group has also been active these past few months. We’ve given away ice cream multiple times at Lester Park, once at Enger Park, and most recently a stew giveaway at Chester Park. We’ve fellowshipped by sharing meals and even making delicious homemade apple pies.

Of course, this is not a comprehensive list of events or activities but it shows we’ve been active. If you’re anything like me, it can become so easy to focus on the project or next assignment and forget the effects of what we’re doing as well as lose the joy of it while in the midst of it. So, what good has come of all these calendar occupying things?

Effects

Inwardly and personally, the extensive variety of ministry opportunities has kept me from becoming lackadaisical. It’s one thing to go from handing an ice cream cone to a child at the park to tying down a tent so it doesn’t blow away in frigid temps to rolling pie dough to discussing parables. Sometimes we’re tired and sometimes we’re cold and other times we’re belly laughing, but we’re kept from becoming too comfortable. These ministry venues keep us on our toes reminding us that this world is not our home; they cause me to beg God to come through and accomplish meaningful service. Yet, on the same token, I’ve seen how quickly apathy can take hold in my heart when I forget that service to God isn’t just when the church comes together but is meant to be happening at work and home. I’m reminded of pastor Jesse’s exhortation that the doing and busyness isn’t the main point but rather seeking to be in the presence of God.

Beyond the inward effects, these past few months have helped promote JFB Duluth and Street Level in the Twin Ports. We are achieving greater notoriety in the area: Street Level and WOTS are being branded locally on campuses along with the distribution of church business cards. Collectively we are being forged into deeper relationships with each other as we serve alongside each other and experience the ups and downs of ministry. Outside the Twin Ports, we’ve been able to send our senior pastor and wife overseas to visit a church that was built in part by our finances. Thanks be to God that despite our small size, we here at JFB Duluth have been given much to steward and accomplish.

Let’s continue faithfully serving each other and our community trusting God is at work in both the flashy and mundane. Sometimes that work is exposing issues in our hearts, other times it’s conveying the truth to the community and other times it’s forging deeper relationships with each other but whatever it is it’s always aimed at our goodness and kingdom advancement. May we not forget 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain”

-Matt  

In all that we do as a church we seek to be obedient to the directives of scripture and fulfill what God has for us. All while being dependent upon His lead, empowerment, and grace. At the end of His time on Earth, Jesus gave His followers, and in turn us, a mission. He directs us to go out and declare His truth, to teach all that he taught. He tells us to make followers of Him. This is a steep order.

It is not something that we can do alone. We need each other. We need the power of the Holy Spirit. Nor is it something that can be done simply by gathering together for a weekly meeting. It is going to take far more than that. It is going to take commitment, striving, and investment.

Stayin Home

To do this we are going to have to do a lot of work internally. We will have to spend time together, growing in unity. All of us have to become individuals who can operate as a team. We are going to have to teach each other and learn from each other. This happens Sundays, Wednesdays, when we come together in fellowship, when we invite each other to interfere in our lives. One way we intentionally do this is with all church workdays.

The last work day we made some improvements to the sanctuary doors, making them more inviting, better protected against the weather, and more energy efficient.

Workdays go far beyond getting a few projects done around the church. They are a tool of discipleship. I have always loved church workdays, because what we physically see happening is a representation of what we intend to be happening spiritually. We come together and make improvements on the church. We chip off the weak areas, replacing the rot and decay with new stronger materials. We improve the “character” of the building. We spend time getting materials ready to be used in ministry. The church building and physical assets becomes more equipped and ready for ministry.

Meanwhile more importantly the church body (the people) are doing the same. We work, sweat, and sometimes even bleed together. We laugh, correct, and teach each other. We get to know each other better. We become more united. God never fails to use these days to achieve His purpose in our lives so that when the day is over it isn’t just the church building that is more equipped for ministry, but also its members.

Projects Are Not the Point

We appreciate your help in pitching in with projects. Undoubtedly there will always be physical and practical needs. But they are never meant to be the focus. It never fails that at the end of a workday a final group stays well beyond when the work has stopped. We sit together and look at the new improvements, what we got done and appreciate the work God has allowed us to do, but more importantly the people that He has called us to do it with.

Let’s continue to invest inwardly, growing in unity and strength, becoming more prepared, refining our character. It is only when we do so that our efforts in reaching out will be found fruitful.

Reaching Out

This time of year is always a busy one for getting out in the community. If we are to make disciples, we need to go beyond our walls and find the would-be disciples of Christ and get to know them. We have two main avenues through which we do this: our college ministry (Street Level) and our Community Group

Street Level is still in the start of a new year and we have continued with coffee giveaways, campus tables, and hitting the halls with fliers for our Bible Study. Likewise, the community group has been getting out to local parks giving away ice cream and meeting new people.

One new door of outreach that God has opened has been at some local high schools. We have gotten to know some students and staff who are part of a high school Christian organization.  This past week we got to go to a regional event to talk with a high school student about authentic faith and making their lives count for Christ and His kingdom. Please pray that these relationships would grow and God would reveal how we can play a part and be a blessing to the work that He is doing in these students.

God has given us a mission and it isn’t an easy one. All that we have as individuals will not be enough, we need each other. Even all that we have together won’t be enough. We need God’s lead, and His Holy Spirit. Which is good, because I don’t want to do this alone.  All together we can do this. Let us “go forth and make disciples teaching them to obey knowing that Jesus is with us always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

When walking on a college campus you are met with a barrage of advertisements. They try to get you to attend an event, join some club, or to make a moral stand. There are tables upon tables of people giving out information. There is poster after poster, all of which would lead you to believe that the message on it is more important than the hundreds of other posters surrounding it. With so many groups vying for attention what are we to do? How can we make sure that our message is also being heard? What can we do to stand out? The message of the truth of Jesus is important, it is real, and it matters; far more than the knitting club or the BBQ club and yet it seems that sometimes nothing we do will get the attention that we might desire. 

Shouting Above the Noise

We have never hidden the fact that as a church we seek to invest in our local campuses. We want to reach students with the truth of God. If we can reach students now, at the start of this year, the start of their college career, the start of their adult life, there is no telling what incredible things God will do both in and through these individuals. There is no doubt that the potential is great. These students are going to find community, invest their time, energy, and resources, and pursue dreams. The question is where? Will what they seek be found only in the temporal activities that the university and culture around them has to offer? Or will they find real community, invest deeply, and pursue fulfillment in the kingdom of God?  What can a little group like ours do to encourage the latter? 

So far we have set up tables at three different college campuses, given away coffee and Street Level information to as many as possible. We have attended student org fairs and welcome week activities. We released the newest issue of Word on the Street Magazine. We had our first weekly meeting as well as hosted a well-attended canoe trip. We have had bonfires where we gave away hot chocolate and apple cider. The start of the semester has been a busy one. It’s been a lot of fun. And many of these things were good. Many we will continue to do in the future, as well as continually seeking new ways to meet and talk with students. They are all important and we should seek to do them with excellence. But none of them are the answer. 

What is the Answer?

Last Monday we had our first Bible Study of the semester. At it we talked about how we cannot rely on our past experiences with God, we cannot assume that because something worked once it will again. Instead God desires us to continually seek and know Him. And that is what I want for Street Level this semester. I want us to be a people that are marked with the presence of God. I’d like to strive to be a group that is close to God, that knows Him, and that desires Him above outward success, attendance, and notoriety. If that is true of us, I have no doubt that God will do a great work both in us and through us.

Things to Pray for Street Level Twin Ports

• -Weekly dinner and BIble study at UW-Superior on Monday nights

• -Coffee Giveaways and other student outreaches

• -New weekly Bible studies at Perk Place coffeehouse for Duluth campuses on Tuesday nights 

A Letter From The 1st Century…

Two months ago, a letter came in the mail. It was an eye-catching parcel addressed to the church, and from all outward appearances, it looked like it had been sent by someone we knew, personally. Indeed, it was mailed to us by the children in Menomonie’s “Foundations Room” program. A small note inside the envelope read, “Hey gang! We were studying Paul’s letters of encouragement to the churches, so we thought we’d send our beloved sister church a letter! All the words are from the kids alone & in their handwriting (& spelling) Love you guys! Danielle K”

If I’m honest, reading through the pile was a bit emotional. I wavered between bursts of laughter and heartfelt tears. The encouragement they meant by their little epistle had certainly found its mark, and I feel it most appropriate to pass along their words of edification to the rest of our church…after all, it was all of us to whom they wrote. I hope you are as blessed by their words as I am.

The letter reads as follows:  

“To the church of God which is at Duluth and all the Sants thar:

Greetings frum the Foundations Room kids at JFBeleavers Menomunie. Grace and peace we are writing to you to encourage you in bilding up your church. I hope it is warming up for you up thar.

I hope you are geting to know each other. more. I hope your new security system works well. We are praying that new people will come over to the church. We’re praying for you, if you get sad or mad, just think of God and that he’s watching over you. God always has enough grace for you, and you can never do too much sin to make him not be able to forgive. Whenever you’re stressed out, just go the Bible for help and encourgement.

We’re really proud of the work you have been doing up there. Keep up the good work. We hope you are encourged by the verses and quotes we are sending you

Love, your church family,

Madison, Micah, Hannah, Caleb, Josie, Sophia”

A 1st Century Reply…

A letter like that truly deserved a response. So, a few weeks later, from my office at the church, I composed an epistle of my own…it read:

“Justin the Elder, called to be a pastor of Christ Jesus to the city of Duluth, by the will of God, and Jesse our brother. To the Foundations Room and all her glorious instructors, along with the church of God in Menomonie and those who are being sanctified in Christ Jesus.

Grace and Peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I thank my God always for your love and concern, as I continue to do, having received your letter of encouragement. My soul being refreshed by your words I am now able to continue, in the strength of God’s spirit, with the ministry entrusted to me. Having received the consolation of God by your hand, I wish myself to impart to you a gift, if possible, that we may rejoice together in the grace of God. For my joy is found in your rejoicing. I pray that you may prosper in all things and that your soul will be refreshed by the gift. I’m thinking Twinkies maybe. Something like that.

It is my hope that I may see you again before winter if God wills, for the spirit warns me continually of its coming, as the devil seeks to make war against the saints through the use of much ice and of snow. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against blizzards and shoveling caused by principalities and spiritual wickedness in high places that really know how to make life difficult. Nevertheless, we do not lose heart. For the Spirit Himself testifies, that those who persevere in long months of dark and cold will reap the true joys of heaven if they freeze not.

Now concerning livestock. I hear that there are some among you who have ponies? And I do believe it! For there must be ponies among you, that those of you who are spiritual may be edified along with the saints of old. But let not the ponies, nor chickens, nor dogs, nor cats, nor any such thing in the kingdom of God, bring division among you, my little children, for the kingdom of God is not ponies and donkeys, but the Spirit of God in the bond of love.

My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin.

Now I urge you, brethren, take note of those who cause division, and tell on them that they may be spanked, for sound discipline is truly painful for the moment, but afterword yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness for those who refuse it not.

I hope to see you shortly, and we shall speak face to face. When I come, I will bring Ira with me, for he is a true son to me and useful in the ministry, and a beloved brother as you well know.

Greet the friends by name, but stay away from kissing each other with a holy kiss, for “the lips of the righteous know what is acceptable”. The spirit has told me that flu season will be upon us shortly, and I hope to find you in good health when I come. Peace be to you. Our friends greet you. Jesse the Elder greets you. Chelsey greets you. The elect lady Sara and her children greet you in the Lord.

I, Justin, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine. It is the way I write. May the grace of Christ dwell in you richly. Amen!!”

A Promise Fulfilled…

I saw Pastor Tim only recently, and I passed along a package of snacks to be delivered to the kids. In it was a note that said this:

“As I had purposed in my heart a month ago, brethren, to provide for you a gift, so now I seek to complete my desire to bless you as well. Although it be not Twinkies, according to what I had said in my first epistle, I believe that, by the grace of God, you will be blessed by our offering. It is a super-sweet savor to the Lord that tastes like caramel.

For this reason I have sent you Tim, my father in the Lord, whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will deliver this generous gift that is being administered by us, and he will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church. Rejoice in hope. Be patient in tribulation. Amen”

Thanks for the encouragement, kids!

Enjoy the Cracker Jack!

-Pastor Justin (a bond-slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ).

Jesus walked a lot. The only record we have in the gospels where Christ made use of public transit was on His way to Bethlehem (in utero), and again at the end of His life when He rode into Jerusalem in similar equestratorial fashion*. Other than that, He walked. Everywhere. From Nazareth to Jerusalem, then to Capernaum, and back to Jerusalem, then again to Galilee, and back again to Jerusalem; back & forth and round & round He went. Some have calculated that Jesus walked over 3,000 miles in His short 3-year ministerial stint. That’s a lot of walking!

There are probably some valid reasons for His making such physical exertions. Maybe Jesus didn’t have access to a donkey strong enough to handle that kind of mileage. Perhaps He was a fitness junkie, and liked His exercise. Or maybe (just maybe) He walked everywhere because it was advantageous to the purposes of God. You and I might not assign any ministerial worth to the bothersome chore of getting from point ‘A’ to point ‘B’, but in God’s economy, “All things work for good”. And for Jesus, that included walking.

Simply put, maybe Jesus walked because He wanted to meet people on their level, walk alongside them, and invite folks to come with. Not sure if I’m right, but that’s exactly what ended up happening…“Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him (Mt.4:25)”; “Large crowds followed Him (Mt.8:1); many people followed Him (Mt.12:15); the crowds followed Him on foot (Mt.14:13); large crowds followed Him (Mt.19:12); a great crowd followed Him (Mt.20:29)”.   

Why Walk At All?  

Etymologists might call it “footslogging”. Footslogging means “to walk or march for a long distance, typically wearily or with effort”. It’s what happens in the space between destinations. It’s the boring part between two more exciting activities. It’s that aspect of ministry that seems to tire us out the most. People find it hard to see any spiritual value in footslogging. Yet Jesus did lots of it. No less than one thousand hours of it! Six full-time months of it! And He wasn’t at all wasting His time. If He wanted to save time He could’ve ridden a race-horse around Palestine, but He didn’t. He walked. Deliberately. Because that’s how Jesus met people. And that’s when ministry happened.

We might learn a thing or two by looking at the journeys of Christ as “outreach” instead of Him just trying to get somewhere else to do something more important. In truth, His walking made a huge contribution to the overall success of His ministry. After all, Jesus could only be followed insofar as He made Himself available to follow. And by walking all over the place, Jesus did exactly that. And, according to the gospels, it worked.

Where Have We Been?

The last 4 weeks have seen a lot of activity around the church. Outreach in particular. On Sunday June 9^th, we positioned ourselves at the bottom of the North & South bound I-35 exits to offer morning coffee and an invitation to church. The following Friday our Community Group was on the other side of town, partnering with the One Life ministry from Menomonie, for two full days of outreach at a local event. On Sunday, June 30^th and Monday, July 1^st, our same group was back in West Duluth for two evenings of work at a local coffeehouse, helping them paint & make renovations for their 20-year anniversary. On July 7^th we were back to the East end of Duluth giving away ice cream cones to everybody at the park. But really, is this nothing more than a waste of our time?

Where Are We Going?     

In many ways, the outreach activities at our church can be as underestimated in ministerial value as Jesus’ walking. It feels like a lot of effort, with no tangible results to be seen. Has anyone gotten ‘saved’ with our ice cream? Nope. Has anyone even come to church because of our outreach? (Please, don’t ask). Sometimes it seems like we’re spending hours upon hours doing what seems to produce very little fruit. We have a hard time seeing the value in it because we aren’t experiencing great spiritual ‘breakthroughs’ or conversions. From West Duluth to Lester Park, then to a project on the West end, and back to Lester Park, then again to Park Point, and back again to Lester…back & forth and round & round we go. Why all the hassle if it doesn’t feel like we’re accomplishing any “real” ministry?

Keep On Slogging…

We certainly don’t give away ice cream because we’ve got nothing better to do. And we don’t hand out coffee because we like standing next to exit 252. We do it because it’s advantageous to the purposes of God and the mission of this church. We want to meet people where they’re at, and invite them to come along with us. It might seem like a waste of time, but we can only be followed insofar as we make ourselves available to follow. We are not wasting our time. Coffee & ice cream is how we meet people, and meeting people is when ministry happens.

Walking wasn’t the ‘real’ ministry of Jesus, but real ministry wouldn’t have happened without it. Let’s walk alongside Him, and find out where genuine Christian ministry takes us. Let’s be excited to see who we’ll meet along the way. This is the only road I know of that’ll get us where we’re going…so let’s keep walking.

-Pastor Justin

    

*  “Equestratorial fashion” is not a real term, because ‘equestratorial’ is not even a real word. The use of a fake word was utilized in this case because the author needed a term suitable for helping the reader to remember that Jesus was riding a donkey in both instances. “Equestratorial” seemed to satisfactorily** encapsulate the thought, even though the word itself doesn’t mean anything.

**  The author isn’t entirely sure if ‘satisfactorily’ is a word either.