Pressing On
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. Revelation 21:1-8
What a great day that will be when we spend eternity with God in Heaven, but not everyone has this security. This is why we have started Northern Lakes Baptist Church; to reach those who need Christ and do not know where they will spend eternity.
Sixteen Weeks and Counting…
Sixteen weeks ago, this Sunday, we started this church. As my family and I reflect on these weeks, we are amazed at all that God has allowed us to accomplish for Him and personally. Summers in WI can be like a whirlwind due to the long winters and the vast amount of work that needs to be accomplished. As we approach the winter again this year, we are busy praying about and preparing for the next year. One of those prayers for 2018 is in what month God would have us to start a mid-week prayer meeting/ Bible Study on Thursday nights. We carefully consider our current attendance and potential interest, which at times can be disheartening, but putting aside all that our human eyes can see, we lift our eyes up and look to God for His will and direction. As so evident in Scripture, His ways and thoughts are not ours and, so we try to walk in the Spirit and not the flesh that God may have the preeminence. Will you please pray with us and for us as we seek God’s face for His perfect timing for this mid-week service and that God would add to the church.
Grand Opening
On October 15th we hosted our Grand Opening service. We prayed, went soul-winning, gave personal invitations to co-workers and friends, placed an ad in the Vilas County News Review and prepared a meal for this special day. Also, that same week a new roof was put on the building. We had fifteen in attendance to include our family. It was a blessing to have our dear friends, co-laborers, and church members (Lynn and Becky Schommer) from Riverview BC in Seymour come up for this special day. God’s power and presence were in the services that day and we are thankful for your prayers.
Rural Life
Rural life in the Northwoods of WI is enjoyable; it is a blessing to see God’s creation on a more up-close and personal level. I am thankful to have this opportunity in the country and I don’t miss the city. With that said, soul-winning is different here. When in the city, you can look out your window and see homes in abundance, but here you see wildlife and the forest. But, that does not lessen the call or the need to witness. Often, I have heard it said, “Methods change, but principles never do” and so this is true for soul-winning. The need for and call to go soul-winning is still there, but our methods are different and our expectations are given to God. Here we are thankful to hit 7-15 doors as a group when door-knocking. The drive and distance between doors is great, our clothing more casual, the need for personal connections greater, response is mixed, culture is more relaxed and yet distracted due to many vacationers and retirees, the winters are worse and longer than the lower part of the state and the list could go on. Does this mean that we stop or lessen soul-winning? Of course not, but our methods change, and our expectations are given to God. This is His work, not ours. With this said, we continue to soul-win and ask for God’s wisdom and we pray for His blessing, provision and for Him to add to the church. Please pray for our soul-winning efforts to be effective and for God to warm the hearts of those in the communities around us.
Thank you
As always, my family and I would like to thank each of you for your prayers and support. It is always a joy to serve the Lord with each of you in our different fields of ministry! May the Lord bless your year of 2017 as we labor together for the Lord.
We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
I Thessalonians 1:2-3
May the Lord Bless,
Pastor Shawn Suri and family