WELS - The CORE - Features Movies for Advent

You are probably wondering why The CORE is featuring Christmas at the Movies.

Perhaps it is because Joe Case is featuring Christmas at the Movies. Joe Case wrote: "Part one of our series, “Christmas at the Movies”. This time we feature a message inspired by the new Christmas classic, “Elf”. Joe Case video tapes people being immersed in a glass tank. He bills his church as a Dangerous Church and has a sermon posted on The Real F Word.

For some reason, The CORE also featured "Elf." I did not get to watch "Elf." The star of that film is known for featuring gross and disgusting bits as comedy.

Why didn't The CORE feature Nightmare Before Christmas? I skipped that classic too, but I am sure it is edgy.


I heard the Appleton clergy were getting uneasy about The CORE. Doubtless in another decade they will say, "About that movie series..." Katie will be DP by then, so she will smack them down hard.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "WELS - The CORE - Features Movies for Advent":

It absolutely sickens me that nobody at the WELS headquarters seems to be doing anything about the shenanigans going on in Appleton. Don't they know and don't care OR do they know and don't care? Which is it? This is why I cannot in good conscience support my local WELS church knowing that some of my offerings could be going to support this type of nonsense. As soon as I see anybody at the Love Shack speaking out against and doing something to stop this kind of thing, I'll keep my money for other more worthy causes. It is so sad and sickening at the same time. CORE --- GET OUT OF MY SYNOD AND TAKE SKI WITH YOU!!!

Ski posed with MariQueen, an entertainer.
She is obviously thrilled to be with The CORE's flounder founder.  

Pastor Tim Glende is featuring this photo
on his Facebook home page.
Appleton is a happenin' place.

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GJ - The CORE is now being advertised as the "downtown campus of St. Peter, Freedom." At first, St. Peter was holding the Popcorn Cathedral of Rock at arm's length. Now they seem to be the same congregation. They are calling a new pastor, without resolving the questions about the previous pastor leaving after only seven months.

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DK has left a new comment on your post "WELS - The CORE - Features Movies for Advent":

Ski's first week in Milwaukee, when I was at Ski's house as his guest (my wife and I had been invited over for dinner)
I was subjected to Sponge Bob/Square pants on TV as we attempted to chat.

I'm thinking, this guy supposedly is a pastor with an MDIV...and we're watching sponge bob. (smackin my brain like duhhhhh...shakin my head like whoaaa)

Then his wife called down stairs to tell us that dinner was ready.(He yelled up to her that we were going to finish the Sponge Bob episode. (Twenty minutes later we went to eat.) I was pretty uncomfortable by this point because in my culture, Dinner and community, especially when guests are over, take priority over even the most riveting TV. (And Sponge Bob is not even an intelligent cartoon like Loony Tunes...) I was sooo out of my element. What the heck is going on here??

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[GJ - There is more, but I chose to omit it. There is something about the football culture in WELS that defies common sense.]

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "WELS - The CORE - Features Movies for Advent":

What's with WELS pastors posing with scantily clad Hollywood vixens?

They're partying like Rome with Leonard Sweet in a wooden horse.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "WELS - The CORE - Features Movies for Advent":

You are all overreacting. These pastors get divine inspiration while posing with beautiful, young women.

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Michael Schottey has left a new comment on your post "WELS - The CORE - Features Movies for Advent":

Hey Brett, thanks for the lovely vote of confidence...especially since you haven't been there.

Are there "crazies" at MLC that loved those dolts at Evangelism day? Sure, just like the rest of the synod.

But, I promise you, there are more on the other side of the aisle who complain about Evangelism Day and aren't making any movies on the side.

Judging an entire campus by some spurious connection like Evangelism Day speakers or by a video made by 1% of the student body is pretty far fetched.

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GJ - We can judge a self-described orthodox Lutheran group by the way false teachers are elevated, promoted, defended, and protected. After all, Paul Calvin Kelm's false doctrine has been widely known for a long time, yet he was still the elderly keynote speaker for Evangelism Day at the only WELS synodical college. And he did the same for Mission Day at the Sausage Factory.

Mike, I respect your posts, but people do judge a campus when the collegians get together to defend Party in the MLC by attacking anyone offended by it. WLC got involved on, on behalf of the video.

I did not realize until I saw an interview on video -
Sigfried and Roy are both German! I could tell by their accents.
They're what?

Vespers Tonight at 7 PM Central

Advent, December 17, 2009

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Mid-Week Advent, Thursday, 7 PM Central

The Hymn # 558 All Praise to Thee 4.44
The Order of Vespers p. 41
The Psalmody Psalm 100 p. 144
The First Lection 1 Timothy 3:16
The Second Lection Luke 1:46ff
The Sermon Hymn #251 We All Believe 4.87

Giving God Thanks
The Prayers and Lord’s Prayer p. 44
The Collect for Peace p. 45
The Benediction p. 45
The Hymn # 70 Hosanna 4.55

KJV 1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was
manifest in the flesh,
justified in the Spirit,
seen of angels,
preached unto the Gentiles,
believed on in the world,
received up into glory.

KJV Luke 1:46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. 51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. 53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. 54 He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; 55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever. 56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.


The Confession of Faith

KJV 1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was
1. manifest in the flesh,
2. justified in the Spirit,
3. seen of angels,
4. preached unto the Gentiles,
5. believed on in the world,
6. received up into glory.

I listed this one verse according to its parallel verb forms. This is poetic in its form and could be either one of the earliest creeds or hymns, or both. Many hymns are creeds and Luther turned a creed into a hymn (We All Believe in One True God).

It is good to look at a verse in its context.

The verse before says this:

KJV 1 Timothy 3:15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

Verse 15 has a personal touch, and I read verse 16 as reminding them of their confession of faith.

Verse 16 closes the chapter, meaning the later editors felt a new theme was starting. Paul did not write in chapters and verses.

The new chapter begins thus:

KJV 1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; 3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. 4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: 5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. 6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. 7 But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.

So sound doctrine (1 Timothy 3:16) is followed by contrasting false doctrine.

As a creed, confession of faith, or hymn, 1 Timothy 3:16 is a gem. So much is said in a few words.

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
Mystery is the clear indication that this is doctrine revealed by the Holy Spirit. Paul was taught directly by Christ and hinted at the great privileges given to him, accompanied by the cross. Doubtless they strengthened him during his many trials.

“God was” – We can speak of God and Christ, either one, because the fullness of the godhead dwelt in Him. Because of the Three-ness of One God, we emphasize a Person at certain times, two Persons at various times (often the Father-Son relationship), and the Holy Trinity at other times. This enrages the rationalists, who cannot accept what the Holy Spirit reveals as a mystery. They fling themselves at the doctrine of the Trinity to prove what they have already assumed, that this cannot be.

One Jehovah’s Witness said of Jesus praying to the Father, “How can God pray to God. I cannot understand that.” I said, “My dog can’t understand it either.” He said goodbye by saying the founder of Jonestown (Disciples of Christ) was a Lutheran. Needless to say, he left angry.

Jesus is God. That is our confession. In one phrase the doctrine of God in the flesh (the Incarnation) is taught – Manifest (seen) in the flesh.

“manifest in the flesh” – Both God and man. This informs the Virgin Birth (true man and true God) and His suffering on the cross for our sins (true man and true God). The Virgin Birth is a unique miracle, unlike anything else in history. Early heretics had trouble with Jesus being born of a woman, and heretics across time have either attacked His humanity or divinity. Modernists hate His divinity while earlier false teachers questioned the humanity of Christ. As Chemnitz showed so clearly, the Scriptures and confessors of the past have taught both as the union of both natures in the One Person of Christ. We see that throughout the Scriptures, often with one Nature emphasized over another (being thirsty – human, walking on water – divine).

“justified in the Spirit”

This is the phrase, I am sure, used by the Pietists to associate the resurrection of Christ with the world being “declared not guilty.” But this phrase applies to Christ, and we can see why. Jesus died as a traitor to Rome, a criminal. All men die because they are sinners and mortal. Confessing the truth of Christ includes His innocent, perfect, obedient life. Therefore, in raising Jesus from the dead, God the Father declared His righteous work (my Righteous Servant – Isaiah). He rose because of His innocence. And because He rose from death, we believe in our own eternal life because He won forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life for us.

“seen of angels” – appeared to angels

This emphasizes His glorious resurrection. In other places the human witnesses are listed, and the early Church knew them. The entire foundation of Christianity was based upon those who witnessed the risen Christ and heard Him teach the Word in His exalted state.

To this day, even some of the worst critics of Christianity admit to the reality of the resurrection – not that we need their witness. But it is interesting to see them squirm around this greatly-witnessed fact. Nevertheless, the sign of a true wolf in sheep’s clothing is one who dances around the issue and says it is “not important” or “not based on an empty grave, but the faith and hope of His disciples.”

preached unto the Gentiles (or nations, or pagans)

The imperial journalists were men who proclaimed news, such as “the emperor is arriving in a month.” Even in modern times, there were town criers who were enlisted to take the news to everyone. The word for these proclamations is the one we use for “preaching.” The proclamation of the Gospel of Christ to all people was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies.

“believed on in the world,”

The power of the Word is proven in people believing. Fraud will last a few years, but the truth endures. How exciting it must have been to realize the Redeemer of the world had been among people that the early Christians knew personally. And they realized very quickly that this Gospel was spreading across the Roman Empire, hastened by persecution, and enabled by the greatest highway system of all time. (Do you think any given mile of highway today will be used in 2,000 years? 200 years? Roman roads are still being used today.)

“received up into glory”

The apostles were also eye-witnesses of the Ascension of Christ.

I Am Not Making This Up! - The CORE's Christmas Service Show Will Be: Charlie Brown's Christmas

Christmas Eve Worship -
Christmas at the Movies:
Charlie Brown's Christmas

Thursday, December 24, 5:30pm – 6:30pm. The CORE Calendar

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I. J. Reilly has left a new comment on your post "I Am Not Making This Up! - The CORE's Christmas Se...":

Insurance Agent Jackson,

What is actually going on is that the Core is having a sermon series entitled "Christmas at the Movies." Ski uses the movies as a jumping off point to talk about what is really important about the celebration of Christmas. They show the movie in question (Elf, Home Alone, A Christmas Story, and The Charlie Brown Christmas) at 3:00 and then have a worship service at 5:00. In the service, he will show a clip of the movie and then go into Scripture.

Hey, here's an idea: Why don't you come up to Appleton and see what his service is like before you make comments as if you know the whole story already. It might make for a posting that is actually informed. Then again, I don't think I could expect that kind of honesty out of you when half-truth and inuendo seem to be your weapons of choice.

Merry Christmas Greggy Brown!

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GJ - I am too busy as a tent-maker to sit down with Entertainment Specialist Ski and explain Lutheran worship to him.



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rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "I Am Not Making This Up! - The CORE's Christmas Se...":

Everything in the name of outreach and evangelism. After all, isn't one soul transfer worth it? [GJ - There, I fixed it.]

Website Updates - Updated

Fellers, Adam Mueller, Larry Oh!, Jeff Gunn

Registration for last month's conference is still open. "If I could turn back time..."

Church from Scratch cannot be found on the server. Maybe the server gave up after everyone looked at the lonely, solitary page with the sad little map on it. "Under construction" for the last month! Send them a grant. Web design is so expensive. $200,000? They need more than that.

The Church From Old Scratch is back, with a Christmas schedule. They use an image I could kelm, so I posted it for everyone's edification.
Do they thank me for the free publicity? Never.

Reconciliation Explained by Luther's Co-Worker Melanchthon

Melanchthon pioneered forensic justification.
Lutherans subscribe to the Book of Concord, not to FIC, LW, or LS.

87] In the Epistle to the Romans, Paul discusses this topic especially, and declares that, when we believe that God, for Christ's sake, is reconciled to us, we are justified freely by faith.

Book of Concord, Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Justification.

The reconciliation expressed in Corinthians is the Atonement, not to be confused with justification. Melanchthon is clear, and Robert Preus explains:

"But the imputation of Christ's righteousness to the sinner takes place when the Holy Spirit brings him to faith through Baptism and the Word of the Gospel. Our sins were imputed to Christ at His suffering and death, imputed objectively after He, by His active and passive obedience, fulfilled and procured all righteousness for us. But the imputation of His righteousness to us takes place when we are brought to faith." [procured in italics in text]
Robert D. Preus, Justification and Rome, St. Louis: Concordia Academic Press 1997, p. 72.

Abraham Calov: "Although Christ has acquired for us the remission of sins, justification, and sonship, God just the same does not justify us prior to our faith. Nor do we become God's children in Christ in such a way that justification in the mind of God takes place before we believe." [Apodixis Articulorum Fide, Lueneburg, 1684]
Robert D. Preus, Justification and Rome, St. Louis: Concordia Academic Press 1997, p. 131n.
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Reconciliation Explained by Luther's Co-Worker Mel...":

This is one problem I have with Jacko: He claims to know more about Robert Preus than Preus' own family by insisting that he does not teach Universal Objective Justification. Instead it is claimed that he rejected UOJ, when his family denies that. Surely his family knows more about this great saint than does Jacko.

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GJ - What Rolf claims is hearsay. What we have for certain is the book, even after unclean hands have touched it in editing the work. I base my claim upon the printed word rather than Rolf's testimony, which has been on both sides of the justification issue.

As James Heiser pointed out, Robert's sons are not known for their theological acumen.

Denominations as Hot-Air Balloons

"Up, up and away
My beautiful, my beautiful balloon
The world's a nicer place in my beautiful balloon
It wears a nicer face in my beautiful balloon
We can sing a song and sail along the silver sky
For we can fly we can fly."

I was reading the American Lutheran Publicity Bureau discussion site today. I was genuinely schocked (Queen Victoria's word) about the split emerging from their August convention.

There are multiple aspects of the ensuing panic. One is counting the number of congregations actually leaving ELCA, and they are legion. Another is trying to figure how many will direct their funds away from ELCA while staying for the time being. A third source of concern is how much any given program will be cut, since many are synod-funded but could receive money from re-directed giving.

Denominations are like hot-air balloons. People bail out when they see their church body going apostate, and that empowers the denomination to do even wackier things. The toughest leaders often go first, and the denomination does everything possible to jettison the sandbags of tradition, confessions, and common sense.

For the last decade, ELCA has been losing big congregations to the LCMC. The 1987 merger survivors wanted nothing to do with the old leadership, so the former synod executives were put out to pasture. Not only that, non-Lutherans replaced them, in the name of diversity and lavender power. That created a group of former liberals put on a shelf for not being super-radicals, and those men had contacts. Next some momentum built up for leaving, and the largest TALC churches began doing that. They cleverly created a system where people could gather without leaving ELCA, until they were ready to leave. That was called Word Alone.

In 2009, Bishop Kenneth Sauer (my first boss in the LCA, Ohio Synod, 1972) is leading people out of ELCA. He was chairman of the ELCA bishops conference. In other words, he was a loyalist with clout.

I heard Sauer at a Lutheran Free Conference. He was there as a representative for ELCA. When the Sauer friends leave ELCA, it will be even farther to the Left.

Someone said that the August ELCA convention sounded like two different groups meeting together. The radicals deliberately split the synod and leveraged their power. They won, and I am glad they did. Finally the ELCA pastors and members can see what they have been supporting for 22 years. Apparently the rainbow stoles were in abundance at the worship gatherings. "Nodding my head like yeah. Swinging my hips like yeah." The closets are empty now, but so are the coffers.

Apology of the Augsburg Confession: UOJ Stormtroopers See without Perceiving

Melanchthon wrote the Augsburg Confession and the Apology (Defense) of the Augsburg Confession. The Formula of Concord authors called themselves "theologians of the Augsburg Confession."

Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Calvin's Disciples Defend UOJ with Slogans, Not Sc...":

Anonymous at 7:20PM, so you reject the Lutheran Confessions when they state,
[86] "We, therefore, will add testimonies which clearly declare that faith is that very righteousness by which we are accounted righteous before God,"
http://www.bookofconcord.org/defense_4_justification.php

1 Corinthians 1:30, "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:" Christ is made righteousness in those who are in Him and He in them through faith.

Faith is righteousness given graciously by the Holy Ghost. It is a gift of God.

Also, don't disregard what follows the BOC quote above, "We, therefore, will add testimonies which clearly declare that faith is that very righteousness by which we are accounted righteous before God, namely, not because it is a work that is in itself worthy, but because it receives the promise by which God has promised that for Christ's sake He wishes to be propitious to those believing in Him, or because He knows that Christ of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption, 1 Cor. 1:30."

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GJ - This passage illustrates the value of engaging in doctrinal debate. The Reformers had no qualms about discussing these issues at length. If these issues trouble readers, they should read the appropriate passages in Scripture and use the Book of Concord as an exegetical guide.

The time has come to put away the threadbare slogans of the Synodical Conference and look at justification by faith without the filters of Pietism and synod-worship.

Here is some irony. ELCA compromised completely on justification in its Munich Pact with the Church of Rome. The Church of Rome conceded nothing, while the Lutheran Left-wing conceded everything. Therefore, conservative Lutherans are now supposed to use the ELCA version (Kolb/Wengert) of the Book of Concord. No, I have not seen it or opened it. I would not crack open a free copy of an ELCA book at gunpoint.

Kolb/Wengert did allow participation from a Missouri guy - Chuck Arand, who teaches at Our Lady of Sorrows Seminary, St. Louis. He is a translator. ELCA has fellowship principles, so they did not pick someone known for opposing ELCA on anything.