The Fourth Sunday after Trinity

The Fourth Sunday after Trinity


Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Time


The Hymn # 452 The Son of God 1:10
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #531 Come Ye Disconsolate 1:15

The Firstfruits of the Spirit

The Communion Hymn # 308 Invited Lord 1:63
The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn # 413 I Walk in Danger 1:67

KJV Romans 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

KJV Luke 6:36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: 38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. 39 And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? 40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. 41 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.

Fourth Sunday After Trinity
Lord God, heavenly Father, who art merciful, and through Christ didst promise us, that Thou wilt neither judge nor condemn us, but graciously forgive us all our sins, and abundantly provide for all our wants of body and soul: We pray Thee, that by Thy Holy Spirit Thou wilt establish in our hearts a confident faith in Thy mercy, and teach us also to be merciful to our neighbor, that we may not judge or condemn others, but willingly forgive all men, and, Judging only ourselves, lead blessed lives in Thy fear, through Thy dear Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

The Firstfruits of the Spirit

Romans 8: 22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.


Lenski on this passage: “We come to the final result of justification by faith as it is depicted by Paul. This is the great consolation section of Romans.
It presents a world view that is at once so lofty and so profound as to leave behind all non-scriptural conceptions. The whole creature world is made to depend on what God does with his children. Going back to the fall of Adam which plunged the creature world into vanity and corruption, the Christian hope is made nothing less than the fulfillment of the expectation of even this creature world. In the midst of a groaning world we pray, but one far greater, the Spirit himself, makes our prayers what they should be. For above this vast whole, so sadly deranged, is the hand that makes all things work together for good to us according to his eternal purpose, the realization of which is sure. Paul is stirred into asking triumphant, challenging questions, the answer to which is Christ and the love from which no power whatever is or will be able to separate us. With this triumphant assurance Paul closes.”


The problem many think about and discuss is the evil of this world. In the 19th century, the entire world was going to become Christian, so there was great optimism. But we are back to the perspective of the Apostolic Age, where Christians were a minority in a decline, corrupt empire.

People would like to believe everything will be rosy because they believe in Christ the Redeemer. However, two forms of evil remain.

Two Forms of Evil
One is the corruption and pain of this present world because of the sinfulness of man. Evil produces even more evil, and nothing seems to be too base to promote, sell, and spread for the corrupting of others. For instance, the methamphetamine trade in this country is completely destructive yet continues to grow and spread its effects. I have had students with meth acne is class, another one with bad teeth who had a student walk up to her and ask where to buy more meth. The assumption stated was – you have bad teeth so you must know where to buy meth.

An individual could also talk about the senseless violence in the world, the acts of greed and selfishness. Man’s sinfulness finds many ways to express itself, and we remain sinful ourselves.

"Therefore God must lead us to a recognition of the fact that it is He who puts faith in our heart and that we cannot produce it ourselves. Thus the fear of God and trust in Him must not be separated from one another, for we need them both, in order that we may not become presumptuous and overconfident, depending upon ourselves. This is one of the reasons why God leads His saints through such great trials."
Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 21. Luke 2:41-52.

"Therefore, such a trial of the saints is as necessary or even more necessary than food and drink, in order that they may remain in fear and humility, and learn to adhere alone to the grace of God."
Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 40. Luke 2:41-52.

"Secondly, God permits His saints to suffer these trials as an example for others, both to alarm the carnally secure and to comfort the timid and alarmed...But when we see and hear that God has in like manner dealt with His saints and did not spare even His own mother, we have the knowledge and comfort that we need not despair in our trials, but remain quiet and wait until He helps us, even as He has helped all His saints."
Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 40f. Luke 2:41-52.

"Nor does He send such trial upon you in order to cast you off, but that you may the better learn to know and the more closely cling to His Word, to punish your lack of understanding and that you may experience how earnestly and faithfully He cares for you."
Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 44. Luke 2:41-52.

"Not only is Christ hidden from the world, but a still harder thing is it that in such trials Christ conceals himself even from His church, and acts as if He had forgotten, aye, had entirely forsaken and rejected it, since He permits it to be oppressed under the cross and subjected to all the cruelty of the world, while its enemies boast, glory and rejoice over it, as we shall hear in the next Gospel."
Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 67. John 10:11-16.

"We should take to heart and firmly hold fast to these words and keep them in mind when in sorrow and distress, that it will not last long, then we would also have more constant joy, for as Christ and His elect had their 'a little while,' so you and I and everyone will have his 'a little while.' Pilate and Herod will not crucify you, but in the same manner as the devil used them so he will also use your persecutors. Therefore when your trials come, you must not immediately think how you are to be delivered out of them. God will help you in due time. Only wait. It is only for a little while, He will not delay long."
Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 77. John 16:16-23

Ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy "This is spoken to all Christians, for every Christian must have temptations, trails, anxieties, adversities, sorrows, come what may. Therefore He mentions here no sorrow nor trial, He simply says they shall weep, lament, and be sorrowful, for the Christian has many persecutions. Some are suffering loss of goods; others there are whose character is suffering ignominy and scorn; some are drowned, others are burned; some are beheaded; one perishes in this manner, and another in that; it is therefore the lot of the Christian constantly to suffer misfortune, persecution, trials and adversity. This is the rod or fox tail with which they are punished. They dare not look for anything better as long as they are here. This is the court color by which the Christian is recognized, and if anyone wants to be a Christian, he dare not be ashamed of his court color or livery."
Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 79. John 16:16-23.

Apparent Evil – The Cross
Another form of evil is the pain associated with bearing the cross. No matter where the Gospel is taught in its truth and purity, it is persecuted. And this persecuted is most difficult when it comes from the great, saintly, and wise.

"If we would be Christians, we must surely expect and count on having the devil, together with all his angels and the world, as our enemies. They all will bring misfortune and sorrow on us For where the Word of God is preached, accepted, or believed, and where it produces fruit, the dear, holy cross cannot be wanting."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 357. Large Catechism


KJV Matthew 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

This cross is blessed, the great irony of the Gospel. Those who seek the praise of everyone will not experience the cross, but they will also lose the Gospel in small steps.

"But when our good work is followed by persecution, let us rejoice and firmly believe that it is pleasing to God; indeed, then let us be assured that it comes from God, for whatever is of God is bound to be crucified by the world. As long as it does not bring the cross, that is, as long as it does not bring shame and contempt as we patiently continue in it, it cannot be esteemed as a divine work since even the Son of God was not free from it--(suffering for the sake of the good He did) --but left us an example in this. He Himself tells us in Matthew 5:10, 12: 'Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake.. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven.'" Commentary on Romans, trans. J. Theodore Mueller, Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1976, p. 55. Matthew 5: 10, 12.; Romans 2:6-10

"Not only is Christ hidden from the world, but a still harder thing is it that in such trials Christ conceals himself even from His church, and acts as if He had forgotten, aye, had entirely forsaken and rejected it, since He permits it to be oppressed under the cross and subjected to all the cruelty of the world, while its enemies boast, glory and rejoice over it, as we shall hear in the next Gospel." Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 67. Second Sunday after Easter John 10:11-16.

Fallen Corrupt World
There are many perspectives about pain, suffering, and evil in this life. I get to teach about humanism, pantheism, naturalism and other isms in a philosophy class. There are many ideas but only one viewpoint is correct – the Biblical one.

Man cannot redeem himself or the world, although God provides for all believers being a blessing to others.

Christ paid the ransom for our souls. Lenski thinks “redemption” is too weak in English today, because the word used was also applied to slaves being purchased and set free.

The purchase price was the cross, the suffering and humiliation of Jesus for the sake of the world. God so arranged this so that man would understand a blood sacrifice and see that the perfect Son of God made that sacrifice for us, as the spotless Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

For that reason, no one has to ask, “What else do I need to do?” or “Am I worthy to be forgiven?”

Christianity is the only religion where man receives from God instead of giving to Him or appeasing Him. That affects our worship, where we receive grace through the Means of Grace.

Here is an interesting anecdote of someone receiving from God. The jail was sprung open by an earthquake, so Paul and the others could have escaped. The jailer was terrified he would be killed over this, and he realized it was an act of God.

KJV Acts 16:30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. 32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

What must I do?
The answer is “Believe on Christ” – trust in Christ alone for forgiveness and salvation. They taught him the Word of God. He and his entire household (all his) were baptized, even the children and babies.

Believing is not “doing” so much as receiving. However, this passage is deadly for all those who would have Paul say, “You are already forgiven.”

In fact, the Universal Objective Justification fanatics use the jail cell as their analogy. Their message is “The cell is already unlocked. You just have to walk out.” Notice how that parallels Decision Theology with a little twist. UOJ is close to Universalism while sounding like Decision Theology.

"Objectively speaking, without any reference to an individual sinner's attitude toward Christ's sacrifice, purely on the basis of God's verdict, every sinner, whether he knows about it or not, whether he believes it or not, has received the status of a saint. What will be be his reaction when he is informed about this turn of events? Will he accept, or will he decline?" J. P. Meyer, Ministers of Christ, A Commentary on the Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1963, p. 103f. 2 Cornithians 5:18-21. [GJ – Does anyone wonder now why the UOJ fanatics love Baptist theology and worship?]
Because of our fallen nature, we are naturally inclined to add works to faith, to guarantee the forgiveness of sin or our worthiness. But then the Gospel is no longer the Gospel but the Law.

This justification by faith continues in the life of the believers. We are in constant need of forgiveness and the message of God’s grace. We are not forgiven because we promise to be good or because we can refrain from sin. God’s forgiveness produces the fruit of the Spirit, which strengthens us against temptation and makes us holy. Luther often used justification and sanctification together because forgiveness necessarily leads to the consequences of forgiveness – all coming from God, Who creates faith through the Word, strengthens faith through the Gospel, and moves us through His grace to lead God-pleasing lives and to do God-pleasing works.

Luther and Lutherans have been condemned for not emphasizing good works, but that is a false charge. It all depends on the order and the implications of that order. If someone is forgiven because of good works, which can including praying hard enough or having outward manifestations like tongue-speaking, then the assurance of forgiveness must come from man’s work rather than God’s Instruments of Grace.

So we have hardships from the sinful, fallen nature of the world and also from bearing the cross. But our groaning is not like those who have no faith. We have the first fruits of the Spirit and enjoy the blessings of the Gospel.

Surely the greatest of all is knowing that Jesus is our Savior, Who has taken away our sin and pronounces forgiveness upon us through the Gospel. All other blessings follow from this, and those blessings show in our families and friends, our network of believers across the world.
KJV Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is
1. love,
2. joy,
3. peace,
4. longsuffering,
5. gentleness,
6. goodness,
7. faith, 23
8. Meekness,
9. temperance: against such there is no law.
24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Holy Word WELS, Austin, Going Multi-Site

The idea is to set up alternative pastors,
like this at at St. Andrew Latte (WELS).


WELS church lady has left a new comment on your post "Spread the False Doctrine! Holy Word WELS, Austin,...":

Viewpoint is correct. We need to be God pleasers instead of people pleasers. First of all, it was NOT me who sent the information about Holy Word. Second, these multi-site churches are disturbing! Have you ever heard of Leadership Network? The web-site is leadnet.org, and they promote emergent church/church growth ideas. These organizations (even Willow Creek and Exponential) are not known for their Orthodox Lutheranism. It is my understanding (correct me if I am wrong) that the deal with the multi-sites is that the actual services is held at the "main" church and the sites view the sermon via web-cam or similar mode.

How Christ The Rock plays into this only raises more questions than answers. A more accurate description of Pastor Matt Doebler would have been to Photoshop a purple oxford shirt paired with some straight-leg jeans. How many Confessional WELS pastors are reading this post? Any number of them could reach out to Brother Matt. You 'gots' to have Lutheran in your title, and this business about hiding the communion 'ain't' what the Reformation leaders had in mind. Older pastors are responsible for shepherding the younger pastors.

***

GJ - I understand Doebler and Patterson are not speaking, even though Gurgle and Kudu Don will soon be a bunny hop away from Rock and Roll.

If you think the Church Shrinkage Movement has been bad, wait until Emerging Church steps in to ramp up the radicalism. Nothing has been done to stop the Grow-ti-vational pastors, so why would they step back from the next stage of apostasy?

After all, Patterson recruited a bunch of WELS workers to attend Exponential together.

It will be interesting to watch Missouri's response to the same leaven when they throw Pope Jerry K. out of office and replace him with Harrison. Shape-shifter Paul McCain will have to refashion himself as a conservative again.

At the rate Lutherans are going, nothing will be left to barter away at the 2017 rah-rah, the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

No More Blogging for Lillo - Ski's Defender

He denied being the mystery blogger, but he is done blogging.
One anonymous quitter.*
Another anonymous quitter.
Both of them are extremely nasty.

Greg--

My wife has told me I get way too upset when I deal with all this stuff. She's right. This is the last time I'm communicating with you. This is the las (sic) time I blog. My visits to Ichabod are done. I've wasted too much time and energy in this. Have a good life. I hope you find peace some day. Any further emails from you will be deleted without reading.

I guess I mistakenly thought that "defending, speaking well of, an (sic) putting the best construction on everything" (as I have done with Ski) was not a sin.

Sadly,

Pastor Joel Lillo

***

GJ - As I pointed out to Lillo, defending false doctrine and unionism IS a sin against the First Table. Where are earth did he go to seminary? They must have taught that.

Lillo denied being the mystery blogger, but above he said he was done blogging.

That reminds me of the woman who pleaded innocent to stealing from a store. On the witness stand they asked her why she was in that store. She said, "I just stopped by to do a little shop-lifting."

Case closed.

The earlier Anonymouse commenter had a lot of trouble spelling, and he was always jumpy when I discussed the obvious false doctrine and unionism of Ski, Glende, and Bishop Katy.

Recently Lillo left a gratuitous comment on Intrepid Lutherans about spelling and being afraid I would give him another (sic). I do not produce Intrepid. I do not ghost for Intrepid. It is strictly a WELS operation, and the people involved use their own names.

Lillo's comment shows how hyper he is about this blog, even when it has nothing to do with what he is discussing on another blog.

Joel Lillo said...
Oops, I meant to write "too 'high falutin''" instead of "to 'high falutin.''" That would have earned me a "sic" by the esteemed Dr. Jackson.

People give away their personalities when they write, which is unfortunate for Lillo. He also gives away his support for false doctrine. Deputy Doug will protect him, I am sure.

---

Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "No More Blogging for Lillo - Ski's Defender":

Pastor Lillo appeals to the Eighth Commandment to excuse his support of Jim Skorzewski (Ski) the pastor who is currently in good standing and full fellowship with the pastors and laity of the ELS and WELS. A pastor who has embraced the Satanic New Age Emergent Church Growth doctrines and practices, posts pictures of himself with Satan worshiping porn stars, brags about engaging in excellent worship with Baptist preachers and the multitude of denominations that attend the anti Christian training camps etc. etc etc

The Eighth Commandment.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

What does this mean?--Answer.

We should fear and love God that we may not deceitfully belie, betray, slander, or defame our neighbor, but defend him, [think and] speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything.
http://www.bookofconcord.org/smallcatechism.php#tencommandments

A deceptive understanding of this explanation in the Small Catechism would lead a person to ignore all false doctrine, obscene actions and heretical practice in order to place the best construction on everything.

Fortunately we have an expounded explanation in the Large Catechism where it states the following:

274] Thus you see that it is summarily forbidden to speak any evil of our neighbor, however, the civil government, preachers, father and mother excepted, on the understanding that this commandment does not allow evil to go unpunished. Now, as according to the Fifth Commandment no one is to be injured in body, and yet Master Hannes [the executioner] is excepted, who by virtue of his office does his neighbor no good, but only evil and harm, and nevertheless does not sin against God's commandment, because God has on His own account instituted that office; for He has reserved punishment for His own good pleasure, as He threatens in the First Commandment,-just so also, although no one has a right in his own person to judge and condemn anybody, yet if they to whose office it belongs fail to do it, they sin as well as he who would do so of his own accord, without such office. For here necessity requires one to speak of the evil, to prefer charges, to investigate and testify; 275] and it is not different from the case of a physician who is sometimes compelled to examine and handle the patient whom he is to cure in secret parts. Just so governments, father and mother, brothers and sisters, and other good friends, are under obligation to each other to reprove evil wherever it is needful and profitable.

284] All this has been said regarding secret sins. But where the sin is quite public so that the judge and everybody know it, you can without any sin avoid him and let him go, because he has brought himself into disgrace, and you may also publicly testify concerning him. For when a matter is public in the light of day, there can be no slandering or false judging or testifying; as, when we now reprove the Pope with his doctrine, which is publicly set forth in books and proclaimed in all the world. For where the sin is public, the reproof also must be public, that every one may learn to guard against it.

http://www.bookofconcord.org/lc-3-tencommandments.php

---

Scott E. Jungen has left a new comment on your post "No More Blogging for Lillo - Ski's Defender":

Wait a minute here! Pastor Lillo, didn't you say the other day there would be no more posting on Ichabod? Then what is this I read? GJ, I predict he will be back. Let's see if I can keep my record intact.
Scott

---

Scott E. Jungen has left a new comment on your post "Could This Be The Shrinkers' Problem?":

Well kids, you want proof of what was said above? Read Pastor Lillo's post above. Notice the sarcastic use of the Explanation to the Eighth Commandment when confronted with his defense of false teachers? Just another example of a WELS pastor hiding behind the Eighth Commandment.

*"I don't agree with you on the inutiu fide [Ha! sic!] and 1000 year reign thing. I don't think he holds these views." GJ - The people who cannot spell or make sense have a place they can go - until he erases all the files again.

Spread the False Doctrine! Holy Word WELS, Austin, Texas

What a pair!

SPREAD the WORD Holy Word Ministry Expansion Project June 21, 2010

SPREAD the WORD!


Isn't communication amazing today? Instantly you can send an email around the globe. Though China is 13 hours ahead of us, using Skype, instantly, verbally and visually, we can reach our son, Seth, in Shanghai, China. How easy it is today to SPREAD the WORD!


Following Jesus' resurrection, at his ascension, he gave his disciples a single, simple command. "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation" (Mark 16:15). Didn't he know there were now only 11 disciples, one of them became a traitor? And yet today, as a direct result of Christ's disciples spreading the word, it's estimated that 33% of the world is Christian, 2.3 billion people. Isn't the SPREAD of the WORD amazing?


You at Holy Word witness it, too. In the last 15 years, Holy Word started 6 new churches. Today these churches number 533 souls, nearly doubling the size of Holy Word. This time, though, it will be slightly different. Holy Word will be One Church with Two Sites.

Initially Holy Word North will meet at the Children's Courtyard, 3801 Gattis School Road (Just 3 miles from Doebler's Rock and Roll Church). The Worship Service will be at 9:30 am with Bible Class/Sunday School to follow at 10:45 am. The service times will remain the same at the original site: 8:00 am and 10:45 am Worship, with Bible Class/Sunday School between the two services. Pastor Patterson will be the primary preacher at both sites. Bible Class will have a variety of presenters.

There will be plenty of opportunities to SPREAD the WORD at the new site. Within a radius of two miles (Since Doebler's church is 3 miles away), the population in Pflugerville in the last ten years grew almost 300%! Make the radius one mile larger and the population increase is still around 200%. That's a lot of opportunities to SPREAD the WORD!

"Make the Most of Your Life" encouraged us all to use every opportunity to serve our gracious Savior. There will be opportunities to do just that at the new site, through volunteering to usher, greet, set up/take down, teach Bible Class/Sunday School, and chauffeur pastor from one site to another. What a special opportunity that would be, a private visit with your pastor! Stay tuned during the next few months as there will be specific opportunities made available for you to start helping SPREAD the WORD!

Recently, we in central Texas have been blessed with an abundance of rain. We see the growing, greening results all around us. In Isaiah 55 the Lord used the same picture, the picture of the rain and what it produces, to illustrate for us the productive power of the Word. The Word never returns to the Lord empty; it always produces the fruit he desires.

What an additional opportunity the Lord is giving us! He is permitting Holy Word, at two sites, to count on His blessings as we SPREAD the WORD. The first service at Holy Word North will be on September 12th, and the grand opening will be Sunday, October 17th. A grand opening with food and fun.

SPREAD the WORD, invite others to hear the Word with you at either site!

Pastor Karl R. Gurgel

I rented me a bunny suit for the Easter egg hunt
and the ex-SP still sand-bagged me.

***

GJ - Call me a pragmatist, but it makes no sense to start another Shrinker site next door to one that has absorbed so much time, attention, and money.

When Patterson runs for DP or SP, remember the profligate use of funds while enjoying safaris and ownership of two different properties (home and ranch) plus wasting even more money on empire building.

Gurgle can do for Holy Word what he did for his district, the MilCraft Estate, and WELS.

Suppose the Pope Had This Happening

B-16

Suppose:

1. The pope had a College of Cardinals where most of them were Lutheran.
   
2. When the famous Gregorian Institute in Rome had a series of lectures for the public, the key speaker was Herman Otten, with additional lectures from LCMS pastors. No one objected or noticed.
   
3. New Catholic congregations suppressed the name Catholic and even used the name Community Church. That did happen in Phoenix.
   
4. The Pope Speaks advocated Lutheran doctrine.
   
5. The Catholic seminaries all taught Lutheran doctrine, but denied it.
   
6. The Vatican officials promoted Lutheran books, especially Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant, in spite of the pope's efforts to stop them.
   
7. Anyone who questioned the promotion of Lutheran doctrine and worship was kicked out.
   
8. The Gregorian Institute and related schools held worship conferences where the Mass was eliminated, prompting more parishes to start eliminating the Mass. When the pope tried to intervene, the parishes said the Mass hurt attendance and outreach methods.
   
9. All new congregations were started with Lutheran doctrine and worship. Mission priests were trained at Lutheran seminaries or they were not allowed to serve.
   
10. All world missions were run by open advocates of Lutheran doctrine and worship. World missionaries were sent to Lutheran seminaries before they could go out.
    
11. The pope said nothing about this, but hinted that he was not happy.

Ichabodians, that is the state of the Syn Conference today, but Pope Jerry and Pope John the Malefactor are happy with anti-Lutheran doctrine being promoted.

When the bloggers are congratulating each other for being confessional, try not to laugh. They do not see it either.

Districts Divided by the Shrinkers - When Will WELS Admit This?

Sandra Bullock and her cheating spouse.
I get more page views with their photo.
The tag draws the readers.
I learned that from CG marketing methods.


All 12 WELS districts are divided by the Shrinker invasion of the last 30+ years.

Could This Be The Shrinkers' Problem?

I was washing the dishes for Mrs. Ichabod, thinking about what bothered the Shrinkers the most. Allow me to rehash a few things.

My formal education has riled WELSians from the beginning. The reason is simple. Their claim for absolute authority rests on Mequon degrees from people who have a Mequon education, meaning 12 years of hazing. The hazing process ensures that no one finishes with more than a repeat-after-me education. A few escape that by keeping thoughts to themselves. They keep each other in line by recalling such episodes as the mattress room and incidents of projectile vomiting. I am not making this up.

A common theme is mocking me for having so few members, even though these members are across the United States. But I heard the Shrinkers are discombobulated from finding Ichabod at the top of every search when they look for WELS topics. That complaint has been heard around the US, much to the amusement of some of us. Perhaps the Shrinkers are annoyed that I have 60,000 unique readers and more than 350,000 page-reads a year. Or that the facts are linked in carefully researched articles, pages quoted verbatim because they have a way of disappearing overnight.

I have been accused of using mockery, satire, and funny pictures. PETA does not mind my feline pictures, but the apostates keep hissing about them. The apostates are not going to say, "Your verbatim quotations of Luther and the Book of Concord turn us into mad hatters."

Did you see the prose and pictures of Anonymouse, his 12-hour blog effort? Could anyone be cruder and grosser? He is the fruit of the WELS educational system. I imagine he was already circulating his photos via email, so he decided to post them too. The trouble is, most people do not go for toilet humor. They did not go through GA.

The Neo-Pietists are an interesting case study. They are easily offended when the truth is told, and yet their cries of Eighth Commandment! are always accompanied by personal attacks, unsupported accusations, and outright deceit. They will slander anyone to protect their own.

For example, when I quoted Paul Kelm at a conference, Frosty Bivens made me prove it with the original document. That was to protect "Paul Kelm's good name." In other words, I was a liar and a slanderer. I produced the original where Kelm was quoted endorsing yet another unionistic conference. Bivens was not deterred by the facts. He theorized that Kent Hunter had manufactured or twisted something from Kelm. Even though Hunter was a fellow Shrinker, Bivens had no qualms about turning on him to save Kelm's thinning scalp. As a parish pastor, Bivens bragged about going to Fuller and learning from the Church Growth experts (in front of the entire Midland circuit). As a Sausage Factory professor, he said, "I don't know where Greg Jackson gets the idea that I went to Fuller."

When these false teachers, liars, and slanderers are called on their misdeeds, they lay down a smokescreen of spurious charges. They also spend a lot of time getting revenge on anyone who questions them. If you want to know why so few workers oppose the Shrinkers, look at the body count of those who have.

From time to time, someone writes to me or about me, pretending to be "wounded." Or complaining about unnamed wounded friends. Nastiness follows. They use their excuses to be themselves, which is not pleasant to behold. They do not hesitate to use their gossip channels to blacken the name of anyone they dislike.

Although the Appleton blogger seems to be a soloist, with help or encouragement from his Church and Change friends, the approach is pure WELS. As someone said, "Once you visit a sausage factory, you will lose your appetite for them." I question whether WELS can overcome its legacy of hazing, bullying, and haughtiness. They spend so much energy shunning each other that they must find relief in embracing the Babtists. No other Lutheran group loves the Babtist more unflinchingly.

In WELS the grudges are legendary, in spite of their claims or aspirations of love. This lovelessness comes from the rarity of the Gospel. They imagine UOJ is the Gospel but it is no more the Gospel than a marshmallow is a rib-eye steak. The pastors and teachers themselves are starved of the Gospel, so they also starve the members and students.

Anything is possible through the Word of God. I was growing tired of confronting the apostates on their favorite issues. The latest eruption of anger and revenge has encouraged me greatly. Also, UOJ is on the ropes, with the Stormtroopers grieving over the loss of key players from Satan's shield-bearers.

ELCA Come-Outters

This is not Norman Teigen.

From ELCA:

As of June 3, we have been advised that 419 congregations have taken first votes to terminate their relationship with the ELCA (some congregations have taken more than one first vote). Of these 419 congregations that have taken first votes, 283 passed and 136 failed. Synods also have informed the Office of the Secretary that 161 congregations have taken a second vote, 140 of which passed and 21 failed.

One of the ELCA liberals is gloating that so few congregations have voted and left, and that two different new church bodies have formed.

Here is another perspective - mine - which is far more sagacious, not a bunch of wishful thinking:

1. The largest congregations are the ones voting to leave. They also give the most benevolence money to ELCA.
2. Even a failed vote to leave means the congregation is divided.
3. The process has revealed the true nature of ELCA leaders, such as Ghoulish Gary, the bullying bishop in Northern Illinois.
4. When people jump from a burning hot-air balloon, it rises even faster. Stay with me on this. As members and pastors leave ELCA, the tendency of Holy Mother ELCA to become more lavender is difficult to resist. That will make even more people leave. A crash will follow.

Missouri and WELS will have more trouble figuring out ways to excuse joint ministry with ELCA via Thrivent. Joint projects give ELCA credibility with conservatives. If Missouri and WELS would start shunning ELCA they way they shun their own confessional members, ELCA would be embarrassed. So far ELCA is safe from experiencing any public pain.

WELS has stopped the blatant unionism with ELCA. I posted something about joint prison ministry with ELCA, but that would need updating.

Missouri is in bed with ELCA at the moment. Is that the result of apostasy or the cause of apostasy. Reu says both go together.