Sunday, December 18: Christmas John 3:16, 1 John 4:19 This Sunday is our Christmas service at Believers Fellowship! We worship as a family, meaning we have 1st grade and up in for the whole service! We celebrate the 4th week of advent together as we focus on LOVE. We have mentioned peace, joy, and hope…and […]
Sunday, December 11: Signs John 7:1–36 In chapter 7 of John, we read through a bit of a pause in the action part of Jesus’ ministry. People have an opportunity to consider all the things that they’ve seen this Jesus person do, and even potentially come to some conclusions as to how it affects their lives. […]
Sunday, December 4: Signs John 6:22–71 What do you want for Christmas? Have you made your list yet? It is so fun to give and receive gifts on Christmas. I love to see my children’s faces light up as they open their presents on Christmas morning. But it is also important to remember that not […]
Signs/Mission Sunday Happy Thanksgiving! We have an exciting Sunday planned for this week. Sunday is both the first Sunday of Advent (the church looks amazing!) and Missions Sunday. We are going to tie both to the Gospel of John and our Signs series. In John, many of Jesus’s signs and sermons happen on Jewish holidays. […]
Sunday, September 11: Signs John 6:1–21 In John 6, Jesus takes his disciples up on a mountain. He sits down (presumably to teach), but when he looks out over the crowd, he notices that they are weary from the journey. He turns to Philip and he asks him, “Where can we buy bread to feed […]
Sunday, November 13: Signs John 5:19–47 The conversation between Jesus and the people who want to follow rules for the sake of rules continues this week as Jesus takes the time to explain to them what is happening. Which, to be honest, we all need from time to time. Seeing something from a certain angle […]
Sunday, November 6: Signs John 5:1–18 This Sunday we’re reading a passage of scripture in which a man who has been an invalid for 38 years is asked a critical question: “Do you want to be healed?” That’s the sort of question we might assume is a ridiculous question, until we know that it’s Jesus […]
Sunday, October 30: Signs John 4:43–54 Sometimes, the life of faith feels like following Jesus through a corn maze. We see him turn the corner ahead, but we’re not told what lies beyond. We follow and we trust. How much easier would faith be if we had a map of the corn maze? If only […]
Sunday, October 23: Signs John 4:1–45 There is more to life than what is obvious to our senses. Deep in our bones, we sense that there is Someone out there; that we are not alone and that there is purpose and meaning to existence. Every Sunday, we gather to recognize the invisible reality. We acknowledge […]
Sunday, October 16: Signs John 3:22–36 The maps app on my phone is a lifesaver for me, because I (Jeremiah) have next to no sense of direction driving around town. I do ok wandering through the woods but cities are a blur for me. As my wife can attest, I go on a lot of […]
Sunday, October 9: Signs John 3:1–21 A Pharisee is probably not the nicest name to be called these days. For us, it has an almost exclusively negative connotation (if it’s used at all.) People who outwardly kept the rules while harboring inward corruption were the people that Jesus had some of the harshest rebuke for. […]
Sunday, October 2: Signs John 2:13-25 This week we peek into the past as Jesus enters the temple during Passover. When you read that sentence, where does your mind go? What are you picturing? Well, whatever you think of when you hear “enter the temple during Passover…” you need to make it bigger in your […]
Sunday, September 25: Signs John 2:1–12 Last week, we saw Jesus call his first disciples. Andrew and another unnamed disciple (I think it was probably John himself) were disciples of John the Baptist before they left to follow Jesus. Imagine what this transition must have been like for them. John was bold and eccentric. He […]
Sunday, September 18: Signs John 1:35–51 St. Augustine once said about the Gospel of John: “It is shallow enough for a child not to drown, yet deep enough for an elephant to swim in it.” This is certainly true of John 1:35–51! In the latter verses of John 1, the evangelist recounts the story of […]
Sunday, September 11: Signs John 1:19–34 We continue our series through the gospel of John this Sunday. In our passage, we get our first witness to the light of the world, John the Baptist. John lived a unique life, set apart from the world around him for a specific purpose. He had one job: To prepare […]
Sunday, September 4: Signs John 1:1–18 This week we’re beginning a new series in the first 12 chapters of John that we are calling “Signs.” In his gospel, John tells us, “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so […]
Sunday, August 28: Doctrine Eschatology We are talking about the end times this week! What does that make you think of? A guy with a sandwich board and a megaphone, prophesying that the end is near? A complicated chart outlining the seventy weeks of Daniel and the seven trumpets of Revelation? A warning about the […]
Sunday, August 21: Doctrine Holy Scriptures Each Sunday we gather as a congregation and read from the Bible. Has it ever crossed your mind, why? The Bible is super-old and written to people our great, great, great grandparents did not meet. So why do we still open and study it today? This question has been a […]
Sunday, August 14: Doctrine Holy Spirit What’s the big deal about the Holy Spirit? Is it frosting on the Christian cake? Only for the most holy of Christians? Do we even need to mess with the Holy Spirit if we have Jesus? Charles Spurgeon once wrote, “Without the Spirit of God, we can do nothing. […]
Sunday, August 7: Doctrine Salvation Our time this Sunday will focus on the central message of the Bible and the good news of the gospel: salvation. Although there can be many pitfalls in the world’s understanding of salvation, the Bible is very clear on how salvation comes from Jesus Christ, and Him alone. Salvation is a gift from God […]
Sunday, July 31: Doctrine God the Father Throughout Scripture, God is referred to as “Father” by His people, by His Son, and by Himself. But what does it mean for God to be our Father? What does that mean in our day-to-day lives? This Sunday, we’ll continue our doctrine series by talking about God the […]
Sunday, July 24: Doctrine Jesus Christ Who is Jesus? What’s he like? Do you know him? The Lazarus narrative in John 11 is an emotionally-packed story that provides glimpses into the emotional life of our Lord as he reveals himself to us and accomplishes our salvation. Join us this Sunday as we fix our eyes […]
Sunday, June 26: Doctrine Creation What we believe about our beginning informs the way we live our lives and understand our purpose. Where we came from and why we are here are two fundamental human questions that have been debated outside and inside the church with passion because it tells the story of who we […]
Sunday, July 10: Doctrine Sin In Romans 7:15, Paul writes, “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” I think we can all identify with those words on occasion! We all want to do the right thing, but more […]
Sunday, July 3: Doctrine The Church & Ordinances If what we believe informs the way that we act, then there is no subject more outwardly lived than the doctrine of the church. The consequences of what we believe about the church is played out every day of our Christian lives. The book of Acts tells […]
Sunday, June 26: Doctrine Introduction and Trinity What we believe informs the way that we act, and that means we should pay close attention to what it is that we believe. The consequences of believing that you have a beautiful singing voice, if that is in fact not the case, are pretty low, and honestly as […]
Sunday, June 19: Baptism Galatians 2:20 A wonderful part about being a disciple of Jesus is seeing God at work in the lives of other Christians. The elements of your life that seem mundane, or everyday to you, may be just the encouragement or challenge that I need. Whatever the path that brought you to […]
Sunday, June 12: Living Stones 1 Peter 5:1–14 Peter is one of the most beloved people in the Bible. People love his boldness, his passion, and his bravado. Peter was a man who drew swords first and asked questions later. He said out loud what everyone else was thinking but afraid to say. There are […]
Sunday, June 5: Living Stones 1 Peter 4:12–19 Ezekiel 8 is a crazy story. The prophet Ezekiel is minding his own business, hanging out in his Babylonian home, when all of a sudden, this angel grabs him by the hair and whisks him off to Jerusalem to see what has happened in his homeland during […]
Sunday, May 29: Living Stones 1 Peter 4:1–11 As we’ve moved through our series, Peter’s letter has picked up a familiar cadence. After an instruction regarding who we are in Christ, he quickly makes it practical. (“Therefore” seems to be one of his favorite words.) Since this is the case, therefore we live this way. Because […]
Sunday, May 22: Living Stones 1 Peter 3:8–22 I’m not sure when the expectations of our culture started, but we somehow think that “we are all supposed to be happy all the time” and if we are not, then try to fix it so the pain goes away. No one is living a life absent […]
Sunday, May 15: Living Stones 1 Peter 3 First Peter was written to Christians who were experiencing hostility for their faith. Christianity was a new religion. The Greco-Roman world didn’t understand it and looked upon it with suspicion. I think we have all come to accept that at times we will experience misunderstanding for our faith. […]
Sunday, May 8: Baby Dedication and Mother’s Day This Sunday is Mother’s Day. I am grateful for all the ways my mom sacrificed for me and for the things that she taught me about life and faith. I am also grateful for my wife—especially for the way she loves our children and for all the time […]
Sunday, May 1: Living Stones 1 Peter 2:11–25 Theodore Roosevelt is credited with having said, “Knowing what’s right doesn’t mean much unless you do what’s right.” Jesus said something similar in Matthew 7: “You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good […]
Sunday, April 24: Living Stones 1 Peter 2:1–10 The series we’re in is called “Living Stones” and this week we’ll be covering the verse that gave us that title. Peter uses the metaphor of the Living Stone to describe Jesus, and describes us as being like living stones as well. But what are we building? […]
Sunday, April 17: Easter Mark 16:1–8 In Mark 16, three women visit the tomb of Jesus to care for his body. On their way to the tomb, they realize that they have a problem—the mouth of Jesus’ tomb is blocked by a huge stone, and the three of them are not strong enough to roll […]
Sunday, April 10: Living Stones 1 Peter 1:13–25 So far in the book of 1 Peter we’ve heard some strong theological reminders about who we are in Christ, and the hope we have in Jesus. Peter gave us some good reasons for our hope, and this week he’s turning the corner with a “therefore…” It’s […]
Sunday, April 3: Living Stones 1 Peter 1:1–3 The world is changing. Advances in technology, communication, and transportation have brought global cultures together in ways previously unimaginable. I think we all feel the changes. Cultural change isn’t limited to language, food, and customs, we have also noticed a shift in values. Sometimes it feels like our […]
Sunday, March 27: Samuel 1 Samuel 28 This week we say goodbye to our friend Samuel. It’s been a great series, but this Sunday it comes to an end. We’ve learned a lot from Samuel—he taught us how to pray and trust God. He taught us how to listen for God’s voice and he showed […]
Sunday, March 20: Samuel 1 Samuel 16:1–13 The way things look on the outside isn’t always how they appear the whole way through. If you’ve ever bitten into a piece of fruit that wasn’t quite as fresh as it looked, or stepped on a patch of ice that wasn’t quite firm enough to bear your […]
Sunday, March 13: Samuel 1 Samuel 15:1–35 The Old Testament can sometimes be a source of confusion for people who have only ever read the New Testament. When read in an off-hand sort of way, without considering the full scope of the Bible, the Old Testament God can sound like God’s younger, angrier years, or […]
Sunday, March 6: Samuel 1 Samuel 11:12–12:25 Sometimes in life we make mistakes. Other times in life we make big mistakes. Some mistakes rock your life. They make you question your identity and doubt the future. They shake your confidence and make you fear the worst. What do we do when we make mistakes? What […]
Sunday, February 27: Samuel 1 Samuel 10:1–27 Do you know what it means to be “anointed?” During the time when our passage takes place, the practice of anointing was the act of pouring out oil over the head. There were several applications of anointing, some to demonstrate the establishment of a particular ruler, and some […]
Sunday, February 20: Samuel 1 Samuel 9:1–27 In our passage this week we are introduced to Saul, who will one day be King Saul, but at this point in his life he’s just Saul who got sent to find the lost donkeys. Not exactly the most exciting hero origin story. Saul is just the son […]
Sunday, February 13: Samuel 1 Samuel 8 Last week, we saw the culmination of the judges system in Israel. After hundreds of years of failure, Samuel finally got the office right. He fully trusted in God and got Israel to put away their idols and pray. God worked through him and delivered Israel from the […]
Sunday, February 6: Samuel Samuel 7 Last week, we saw Israel in a hard place. Defeated by the Philistines in battle, the future was unsure. Had God abandoned them? Would they fall back into slavery? What was the path forward? In that passage, the elders conclude that the reason they lost the battle was because […]
Sunday, January 30: Samuel Samuel 4 What has been the most glorious moment of your life so far? A game-winning touchdown? A scholarship or award? A big promotion? A wedding proposal? Looking back on your life so far, when would you say you “peaked?” In 1 Samuel 4, Israel loses its glory. First, it suffers military […]
Sunday, January 23: Samuel 1 Samuel 3:1–21 The idea of a vocation, or a calling is often somewhat abstract. It’s not always your career, but sometimes it is. It’s not always what you’re doing to pay the bills, but ideally it’s where you’re spending a good chunk of your life. It’s not the same for […]
Sunday, January 16: Samuel 1 Samuel 2:12–36 A healthy reminder for the people of God, especially those trusted with a measure of authority, is that God really does expect things of us. God truly does call us to be his people in a particular way, and there truly is a right way, and a wrong way, […]
Sunday, January 9: Samuel 1 Samuel 2 In a sermon on 1 Samuel 2, F.B. Meyer said, “What the children see they imitate.” There is truth to that. Last week, we looked at Hannah’s story because what Samuel saw in his mother, he imitated. We saw Hannah cry out to God in bitterness, and we […]
Sunday, January 2: Samuel Preview It’s a new year, and with that we are starting a new sermon series! This Sunday we will be launching into a thirteen-week series on the life of the prophet Samuel. Samuel was a remarkable man. He was the last of Israel’s judges—and arguably the best one. He led Israel […]