Thief River Falls Seventh-day Adventist Church

12/20/2025

Wonderful music at our annual Christmas Service. Special music, hymns, and Christmas stories.

12/01/2025

10/31/2024

Encouraging Word – Matthew 5:14

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

How do you like that? Talk about Responsibility. Jesus refers to you as the light of the world. There are some people who will not get this. Some will not accept it, and others will not be it. But the truth is that you are an example. No matter if you are shy or outgoing, around a lot of people or around a few. You are where God put you because that is where He can use you.

You live your life from day to day, and when you let God have control, like Jesus, you are more than just an example for good. You are the salt that Jesus says you are. Everywhere Jesus went people followed Him. They flocked around Him because they could see He had something they wanted. They said things like, “No one has ever spoken like this before.”, “You have the words of life.”, “You are the Christ.” “He is a prophet.”

There are some people, and you may or may not be one of them, that believe they have little value in life besides what they have heard from others. Many times those “others” are toxic people who only want to belittle others because they have no self-esteem. But you read from the Bible in Matthew 5:14 that you are the light of the world. You. No matter how small you have been made to think of yourself, no matter what your self-perception is, you are a light. You are more than a light. You are the light of the world. You haven’t been snuffed out. You haven’t been extinguished. Jesus said you are the light. Jesus himself, God’s own Son, the co-eternal with the Father, the creator, says that you are the light.

That means that you have influence. You are a person of worth who is significant and effective in lighting the world with truth. God placed you where you are because He needs just who you are to do just what you and no one else can do. God’s plan for you is peace and a future. Plans for hope.

09/05/2024

Encouraging Word – 1 John 5:14

And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He hears us:
As people, when we are not heard, we feel that we are less than. When we are not heard, we begin to feel worthless or useless. Chances are, you have felt that way at times. More probable than not, if you are like most people, you have felt that way about God. Think back to a prayer that you prayed that was not answered. Many of us are set back with prayers that don’t seem to be answered, because God says He does answer prayers. We question if God does hear our prayers. When we do not get an answer to something we have prayed, it is real easy to think that God does not hear us, or maybe he is just not that interested in what we are saying at the moment. In that case, we are tempted to think that if we are better, than God will listen and answer our prayer.

Have any of you been there? Have any of you experienced times when your prayers seemed to go no higher than the ceiling? Those times are real. There is nothing more discouraging than praying your heart out only to not have your prayer answered. So where do we go from here? Is it true that God chooses when to answer and when not to answer our prayers? How do I even know if God wants to answer my prayers? Is there any way I can know for sure God cares enough to listen to me? The answer is found in the Bible, and actually, in many places in the Bible. Many times in the gospel of John, Jesus tells His disciples that they will have whatever they ask of God in His name. And then in our verse for this week, “We know that He hears us when we ask…”

There are many people who question the validity of the Bible or the use of Christianity. But let me ask a question. Is hope good for society, or is hope bad for society? The apostle Paul put it this way in one of his letters. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. I Corinthians 15:19. If there is no hope there is no reason for life to continue. People have to hope. Everyone hopes in something. The day we cease to hope is the day we die. Studies have shone that when people lose hope, people also lose the desire to live.

God has given us something in which to hope. God has given us confidence in Him. John chapter 5 beginning with verse 13 through 15, John is dishing out hope. I write these things that you may know you have eternal life… This is the confidence we have in Him…We have what we ask.

If God is for us then who can be against us? Romans 8:31. Be encouraged!

08/28/2024

Encouraging Word – Proverbs 13:11

Wealth gotten without work will disappear easily: but the harder you work for it, the more it will increase.

have you ever thought of this verse as encouraging? Maybe more of a warning, but not really encouraging. There is a right way and a wrong way to make money, and if you make it the wrong way, you're going to lose it fast, but if you make it the right way it'll stick around.

Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:16 that all scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. Where does Proverbs 13:11 lie? Is it teaching? Is it reproof? Is it correction? Is it training in righteousness? There are always two sides to the same coin. There is the half empty point of view. And there is the half full point of view. For most of history the Bible has been viewed from the half empty point of view. The Bible is a book of rules of what not to do in order to gain eternal life.

Don't have other gods. Don't make idols. Don't use the Lord's name in vain. Don't work on the Sabbath. There is one with a promise, you shall honor your parents. Don't murder. Don't commit adultery. Don't steal. Don't lie. Don't covet. And then we often hear from our parents, teacher, boss, don't do this, don't do it that way, stop it, don't do that. No wonder we grow up thinking there is more we cannot do than there is that we can do. No wonder we grow up seeking escape from what we can't do.

Here are those same thoughts from a perspective of the glass is half full. When you love God you will worship him and him only. You will only pray to God. You will respect God, and you will get your rest by worshipping God. Love your parents. Respect life. Be faithful to your spouse. Respect other people's property. Tell the truth. Be content with what you have. And from your parents teachers and boss: here is a better way of doing something; or try this instead; or can I help you finish that?

The point I want to make is that we have a choice in how we view the world. And in this case the Word. We can see Proverbs 13:11 as a prohibition against gambling and easy money making schemes, or we can read Proverbs 13:11 as encouragement from God. Proverbs 13:11 can also be understood as a promise. God gave us work so that we would not become bored. God gave us a sense of accomplishment with a job well done. The more work we must do for something, the more meaningful it is to us.

One Bible version puts our week’s verse like this, “Easy come, easy go, but steady diligence pays off.” God did give us work. God instituted work in the garden of Eden with Adam and Eve taking care of the plants. So God's promise here in proverbs 13 is that He will help our wealth stick around when we are willing to put forth the effort to get it in the first place.

08/22/2024

Encouraging Word – Matthew 10:31

Fear not, therefore, you are worth more than many sparrows.

As I often do I would like to start off this Encouraging Word with a question. How much do you think you're worth? Two sparrows are less than a penny. So many sparrows, even a million, still isn't that much. In fact, it's less than $5000. So why did Jesus say we are worth more than many sparrows?

Here in Matthew 10 is the second time Jesus references the Father's care for wildlife. In Matthew 626 Jesus says “look at the birds of the sky: they do not sow nor reap nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly father feeds them. Aren't you worth more than they? I just did a search on Google and I found out that there are 20 varieties of Sparrow. I was trying to find out if there are any colorful sparrows, because the sparrows I think of are not very colorful, and quite small. Here in the US, we have starlings, and the starlings we have here are black for the most part, except for the Red Wing Blackbird which has red on its wings. However, in Kenya there is the superb Starling which is exquisitely beautiful. It has an iridescent blue back and wing. It also has a very orange/red belly much brighter than a Robin's belly. But a Sparrow is just a Sparrow. It's brown, white, maybe some black, not very attractive, and it's quite small. But in Matthew 6 Jesus says that the Father in heaven takes care of even the birds of the air. In Psalm 139 verse 14 David refers to humanity as fearfully and wonderfully made. We were created in God's image and in his likeness Genesis 1:26,27

When Jesus says we are worth more than many sparrows, He is not comparing us to sparrows but rather referring to our worth. God spent a lot more time making humans than He did making any animal. For every animal He spoke, and it was so. For a man He formed him from the dust of the ground. He actually got down on the ground and formed each part with His hands. Jesus took time to make man.

So what am I worth? More than many sparrows? OK, what does that mean for me? It still doesn't make me any more special than anybody else. But here's the clincher. Matthew 6 says even Solomon wasn't as beautiful as the flowers which are here today and gone tomorrow. And Matthew 10 says God even notices when a single, little, tiny, insignificant sparrow falls, so God is definitely going to notice you. John 3:16 says for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Notice it doesn't say, all who believe. It says, whoever, believes. In other words, Jesus would have died for just 1. Just you. You are that important. That is what you are worth. You are worth the life of Jesus Himself. In Hebrews 12:3 it says that He suffered the shame of the cross for the joy set before Him. That joy is the fact that you now have the opportunity to live forever with Him. You are worth so much that it was a joy for Jesus to die on the cross to give you this option to live forever with Him in paradise.

08/10/2024

Pastor David Jahn - Africa Mission Trip

06/25/2024

Encouraging Word – John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

This is by far the best-known Bible verse the world over. There is no verse in the whole Bible that is more or better known. I know that just because this is the best-known verse in the Bible does not mean it is encouraging. I realize that, and I have never thought of this verse as having much encouraging value apart from being in the Bible and how the whole Bible is profitable to humanity. But as I was reading through verses today, I did find encouragement in John 3:16. There are a lot of people today who have no hope. The other day I heard someone while I was standing in line at the checkout. She was talking about the weekend and what her plans were. The conversation wasn't very long, and I came in just at the end. What I heard kind of jolted me back to reality. She said something like, “I can't wait until Friday night when I can get drunk and wasted.”

I have never been drunk, and I’ve never really wanted to be drunk, so in truth I can't really speak against how this girl felt, or what she was looking forward to. I have however heard about the effects of alcohol. I've heard that it helps someone forget the trouble they've been through or are going through. Maybe it is an easy way to forget, but it is very short lived and only temporary. I have heard other people make similar statements. And today when I came across John 3:16 it kind of struck me. When you don't understand how much God loves you then it's hard to love yourself. When you don't understand what God did to buy you back, it's hard to find enjoyment in the stresses of life.

I think John 3:16 has more encouragement for today than for the future. The future is whoever believes will not perish but have everlasting life. But that is a long way in the future. Not in the grand scheme of eternity but for our life of 80 years, and the instantaneous gratification we expect today, everlasting life appears to be forever in the future. But look at the first part of the verse “for God so love the world.” How many people do you know who would give even their life for someone else? God loved the world so much that he didn't just give his life he gave his son, his only son to die in my place.

When the Bible says God loved the world, it is not an impersonal statement. This first phrase could be rewritten as, “for God so loved every single person in the world…” Then you can even make it more personal and say, “for God so loved me...” God loved me so much that he died so I wouldn't have to. God loved me so much that because of Jesus’ death on the cross I can live forever with him. Here is what I find encouraging about John 3:16. There is someone who loves me. There is someone who loves me and will even die to be with me. There is someone who loves me, so I don't have to feel alone. There is someone who loves me, And I can love him back.

If you're hurting, feeling alone or abandoned, pick up a Bible, turn to John 316. You are valuable, you are loved. Join us for our weekly 10am or 11am Saturday service and experience God's love for you.

06/13/2024

Encouraging Word – Matthew 6:31-32

31 Do not be over-anxious, therefore, asking ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ Or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For all these are questions that heathens are always asking; but your Heavenly Father knows that you need these things—all of them.

Jesus is talking. This is part of the Sermon on the Mount. This is the time when Jesus presented the Beatitudes. There is a lot in this 25th chapter of Matthew. And then at the end he says this…He says that we do not need to worry. But really He is saying that we should not worry. There is no need to worry because your Heavenly Father knows you need all these things. Beginning in verse 25 Jesus says about the same thing, and then again in verse 31. In other words, God knows what you need and when He is taking care of you then you will not worry about any of the things that worry you today.

Have you ever stopped to realize how much you worry and how much you actually have any control over? Jesus said in earlier, (verse 27) “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?” some worry is good because that may give us the impetus we need to get things done. Then there is the temptation for many of us to worry about things that we cannot change. I do not know of anyone who thinks they can add any height to their body just by worrying. But there are some who would worry because they are too short, worry because they are too tall, or worry because they are one nationality over another.

We each need to take stalk of what we have and what we want. Then we need to pit that against what we think we need and what we think we want. After that we would be greatly benefitted if we would separate those things into columns of what we have any say in and what we have no say in. The whole Bible is written for doctrine, reproof, correction, instruction…2 Timothy 3:16. In other words, the Bible has the ability, through a connection with the Holy Spirit, to help us be at peace no matter what is happening around us. we do not need to be anxious. We do not need to worry about what to wear, what to eat, what to drink, because God knows we need all that.

I guess the question then is, what is your idea of God. Is God there but not involved, do you have to take care of it? Is God not there and needs direction on how to take care of things the right way? Is God not negligent and in need of your help to get things done? There is a saying, kind of cliché now but it says to “Let go and let God.” there is so much truth in that line. We say we believe in God, and we worry about the next thing on our list of do’s for the day. But the good news is that Jesus Himself said that we do not need to worry. He told us that God knows what we need, and he is taking care of it the best the power of choice will let him.

For some people it is easier than others to let go. But the good news is that we can all choose to put God first. We can all choose to stop worrying. Let me give you a challenge for this next week. In Malachi God says to test me. Let’s test God on this thing about worry. Let's put God before our worry this coming week and see what happens. we will be taking God at His word because Paul reminds us in Philippians, “My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19.