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ICHABOD, THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED - explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, to attack Objective Faithless Justification, Church Growth Clowns, and their ringmasters. The antidote to these poisons is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Isaiah 55:8ff. Romans 10. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Left-wing, National Council of Churches denominations.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Favorite Posts - Last 30 Days
Church and Changers - Small Potatoes
Messages In This Digest (1 Message)
Mocking the "Means of Grace?" From: brianandtracey tds.net
Message
1.
Mocking the "Means of Grace?"
Posted by: "brianandtracey tds.net" brianandtracey@tds.net brn_lmp
Sun Oct 24, 2010 2:40 pm (PDT)
It is with the utmost humility as a recovering pew potato that I make
the attempt to serve Jesus daily. Remembering my Baptism I take off
the old and put on the new. It is only God's Mean's of Grace that has
fueled, inspired, and strengthened my faith through my 11 years of
service to God on a lay-level.
Ephesians 2:15
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good
works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Adding to the list of accusations like "self promoting, self ordained
will be added to the list. God knows what's in my heart, and test's my
efforts for lay driven ministry. It's my personal opinion that Pastor
Jeske isn't afraid of letting go of "control."
Psalm 139:23 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know
my anxious thoughts.
God Bless
Brian Arthur Lampe
GJ - Rev. Brian is guilty of Icha-peeking.
Bi-Sectsual Nominated For Ichaslang Lexicon:
Synonym for Babtist/Lutheran Blended Worship
Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "So Little To Ask - Yet They Still Say No":
Outstanding post.
I vote to add "bi-sectsual" to the Ichaslang dictionary. It's at once precise and appropriate.
Few there seem to be that will see the debauchery in the Lutheran churches and flee from it, clinging to the Word purely taught and Sacraments rightly distributed, for their spiritual health and that of those they are responsible for.
It is a sign of the times. May Christ come quickly!
In Christ,
Brett Meyer
I for one am thankful that Pastor Jackson is unafraid to be clear, precise and carefully wields the Sword of the Word, rightly dividing Law and Gospel. The Law for those who blaspheme the Word and the Gospel for those who turn to Christ in contrition and faith. Christ's continued blessings to you as you carry your cross. May more experience the joy in Christ of doing so.
***
GJ - Brett, that was an Icha-peek.
So Little To Ask - Yet They Still Say No
The Great Physician, by Norma Boeckler
My friend in Milwaukee tells me that the WELS congregations are remodeling their churches so the front is a stage.
One WELS teacher went back to his home parish and found the pastor wandering into the congregation and explaining the lesson to the congregation before reading the Scriptures.
Entertainment, snacks during the service, and other gimmicks are not exclusive to Ski and the WELS Fox Valley gang. Nor are they limited to WELS.
Lutherans of all synods once sought a semblance of unity by using the historic liturgy--the General Synod leaving their revivalism behind--and Lutheran hymns. They erred on the side of Methodist hymns, in my opinion, but all synods in the 1960s were using the historic liturgy, hymns, creeds, the appointed readings, and a real sermon.
Chaos reigns among the Lutherans in the 21st century. The denomination label means nothing, even if it can be found on the sign outside. The Sunday service might be liturgical, pop Babtist, or a blend: bi-sectsual. The bi-sectsual service is designed as a holding device until the venue can be 100% pop.
I detest the word venue for worship, but the Shrinkers use it. I can hardly use worship for the blasphemies uttered by these illiterates, so please assume I am using venue as an expression of disgust and derision.
People would like to attend Lutheran liturgical services where the Creed, hymns, the liturgy, and the sermon are not an embarrassment to the pastor. That seems to be too much to ask, because the momentum is clearly toward removing the Lutheran name, mocking Biblical doctrine, eliminating the liturgy, and treating the Creed as an obstacle to spiritual growth.
Robes - even Geneva gowns - are better for hiding the fat tummies the ministers. Few want to go to church and see a slob speaking up front, reminding all the men of what they look like with too many beers and pizzas in their diet.
Are we all idiots? Are people so stupid that they cannot understand the clear, plain Word of God? The ministers should not assume that the members are as dense as they are. After all, the members have not spent countless mind-numbing hours at Fuller seminars and Willow Creek re-education centers.
For example, almost all the UOJ fanatics are clergy or laity who dropped out of seminary training. Almost none of the laity are confused about justification by faith. When people hear the pure Word of God, without any reference to Lutherdom, they become orthodox believers.
Must Lutheran congregations, in the name of mission, hide the Sacraments? What folly is that - to be ashamed of the Visible Word when Holy Baptism and Holy Communion are the treasures of the Lutheran Church, of historic Christianity?
Needless to say, the sanctimonious unbelievers of UOJ have no use for the Sacraments, and their spineless enablers have nothing to say about it. Muttering quietly about this anti-Sacrament travesty--over a coffee and danish at conference--is not the equivalent of in statu confessionis.
When clergy-bots get trained in Fuller doctrine, they become Fuller-bots. All the conservative seminaries have done that for the last 30 years. ELCA has also leavened their clergy with CG fads and fallacies.
If the Wisconsin and Missouri sects stopped trusting in Daddy Warbucks, Thrivent, and foundations, they could cut loose the heretics and the useful idiots financing them. Oh noes! Oh panic! How can we replace those millions? I believe the members--even in this Obama Depression--would make up the difference and then some.
This is an ideal time for Schroeder (WELS) and Harrison (LCMS) to cut loose ELCA entirely. What better time to say:
1. We abhor your abortion on demand lobbying and health insurance practices.
2. We reject your newly invented rationale for homosexual, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transexual clergy.
3. We condemn your Unitarian doctrine cloaked in Roman high churchism.
What better time to:
1. End all involvement with Thrivent, from the free napkins and calendars to the pan-Lutheran Leftist grants.
2. Create an alternative to Lutheran World Relief.
3. Stop worshiping the Golden Calf and trust in the Means of Grace.
The Word can do this, but two generations of clergy have tasted the cotton candy and hanker for it night and day.
United Church of Christ Shows Why They Are Shrinking So Fast
The UCC accepts all religious books as equal.
They are the product of many mergers - Congregational, Evanelical and Reformed, etc.
The UCC is so irrelevant and unknown today that they only make the news with this video and Rev. Jeremiah Wright's racist rants, not to mention his memorable sermon: "God bless America? No! God _____ America."
The UCC is the final step of Pietism, a radical atheism wrapped in sanctimony.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Will Tim Glende's Fake-O-Bod Denounce Katy Perry's Hindu Wedding?
Perry has married her British potty-mouth boyfriend in India - of all places!
She began her career as a Gospel singer, but insisted on a Christian friend performing the rites in a Hindu ceremony. Where is the angry post about unionism and syncretism, Tim? You were once so close to Katy. How can you let this pass without a comment?
Where have you gone, Ski and Tim Glende
A synod turns its longing eyes to you (Woo, woo, woo)
What's that you say, Ski and Tim Glende
Kissin' Kate has left and gone away
(Hey, hey, hey...hey, hey, hey).
WELS Conference of Pussycats Finds FICKLE Expensive and Hardly Read
I was trolling the Net and found The Lutheran article about the first woman ordained, below.
The Lutheran was the name of the independent, conservative magazine among the Muhlenberg Lutherans, long ago. When publications were merged, they took the name of the better magazine rather than the synodical publication.
Two doctrinal issues in the old days were unionism and revivalism. Imagine that. I am so glad WELS, Missouri, and the Little Sect are not tainted by either one today. The conflict brought out the confessional side of that tradition and many fine theologians, still worth reading today, published in support of Luther's doctrine and the Book of Concord.
The WELS Conference of Pussycats realize that their sick, slick, synodical magazine, FICKLE*, is expensive and seldom read. Only 10% of the members receive it. My intuition tells me the FICKLE staff will be lined up against the wall, the next time a budget cuts are announced.
However, Change and Church has insisted on a full employment guarantee from the leaders. No Changer will ever by unemployed for more than ten minutes.
*FIC with a Lutheran subtitle = FICKLE. The content is the same, even though the packaging has changed somewhat.
The Lutheran - : First ordained woman says, 'Never underestimate the persistence of God'
The Lutheran - : First ordained woman says, 'Never underestimate the persistence of God'
Still serving after all these years ...
First ordained woman says, 'Never underestimate the persistence of God'
For nearly 45 years, Elizabeth A. Platz has served at the University of Maryland, College Park, quietly influencing generations of Lutheran students to remain active in the church and serve others. Former students speak highly of Platz's influence on them, her dedication to the church and some wonderful home-cooked meals she serves to hungry collegians.
In 1970 the former Lutheran Church in America ordained Platz at the university's Memorial Chapel. The first woman ordained a Lutheran pastor in North America, Platz has served her entire ministry as UM Lutheran campus pastor. On Nov. 22, the ELCA marks the 40th anniversary of her ordination.
Before her ordination, she was assistant Lutheran chaplain at the university. Looking back, Platz, a native of Pittsburgh, said she couldn't have imagined becoming ordained. "I came to it slowly," she said. "Never underestimate the persistence of God."
Platz attended the Lutheran Seminary at Gettysburg for a bachelor of theology degree, thinking she would teach or serve as a Christian educator.
 |
| Elizabeth A. Platz |
What finally nudged her to candidacy for ordination was the call to serve as a "steward of the Holy Mysteries," or communion. "The pastor is an instrument," she said. "The pastor's 'I-ness' is to be put aside ... for the total focus is on the altar and the cross."
Forty years later, she is still overwhelmed when the communion liturgy begins. Preaching and presiding remain her calling.
Others see it too
"What she brings to the church is the notion of church leadership as servanthood — both a servant of the gospel and the people of the church," said Richard H. Graham, bishop of the Metropolitan Washington, D.C., Synod, and her longtime friend.
One of the qualities that Veronica Weber, Middletown, Md., remembers is Platz's hospitality. "One of the wonderful things was how she opened up her home to us," Weber said. "She cooked wonderful meals for us."
And every spring, Platz blesses and sends the Lutheran students to the next stage of their lives by presenting each with a card containing a personalized message. "I still have mine," said Weber, one of 10 former students who have studied to become pastors during Platz's tenure.
Nick Asendorf, who was president of the Lutheran Student Association at Maryland last year, said it's the passion Platz brings to her calling, her love for the students and her calm demeanor that are among her finest qualities. "Countless times she tells us it's the students who make her job worthwhile," he said.
Platz was married in 1988 to Wofford K. Smith, an Episcopal Churchpastor, who died less than two years later from cancer. She remained at Maryland in part because of the energy she gets from interacting with students. "My congregation keeps changing. To be able to be with young people and watch them change over four years and mature—it's exciting," said Platz, adding that one of her most important roles is to see to it that when they leave "they are engaged and active Lutherans."
At age 69, Platz is pondering the transition to her next phase of life, which will likely come in the next year or two.
What will she do? "I was saying to my niece, 'This is a big question for me. I am what I do. The church always has something for you to do,' " she said.
Forty years later, she is still overwhelmed when the communion liturgy begins. Preaching and presiding remain her calling.
Others see it too
"What she brings to the church is the notion of church leadership as servanthood — both a servant of the gospel and the people of the church," said Richard H. Graham, bishop of the Metropolitan Washington, D.C., Synod, and her longtime friend.
One of the qualities that Veronica Weber, Middletown, Md., remembers is Platz's hospitality. "One of the wonderful things was how she opened up her home to us," Weber said. "She cooked wonderful meals for us."
And every spring, Platz blesses and sends the Lutheran students to the next stage of their lives by presenting each with a card containing a personalized message. "I still have mine," said Weber, one of 10 former students who have studied to become pastors during Platz's tenure.
Nick Asendorf, who was president of the Lutheran Student Association at Maryland last year, said it's the passion Platz brings to her calling, her love for the students and her calm demeanor that are among her finest qualities. "Countless times she tells us it's the students who make her job worthwhile," he said.
Platz was married in 1988 to Wofford K. Smith, an Episcopal Churchpastor, who died less than two years later from cancer. She remained at Maryland in part because of the energy she gets from interacting with students. "My congregation keeps changing. To be able to be with young people and watch them change over four years and mature—it's exciting," said Platz, adding that one of her most important roles is to see to it that when they leave "they are engaged and active Lutherans."
At age 69, Platz is pondering the transition to her next phase of life, which will likely come in the next year or two.
What will she do? "I was saying to my niece, 'This is a big question for me. I am what I do. The church always has something for you to do,' " she said.
***
GJ - WELS did this the easy way. First, a bunch of pastors published papers saying there was nothing in the Bible against women's ordination. Second, Brug endorsed the same opinion in The Popes Speak (aka Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly). Third, WELS began calling Mary Lou Correctional their School of Ministry. Fourth, WELS began establishing women as pastors without calling them pastors, since "everyone is a minister." Fifth, to protect their feminist beachhead, Church and Change created additional parachurch organizations and a national feminazi conference endorsed by the SP.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity
The Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship
Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Time
The Hymn # 199 Jesus Christ Is Risen 1:83
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 # 261 Lord Keep Us Steadfast 1:93
The Whole Armor of God
The Communion Hymn # 308 Invited, Lord, by Boundless Grace 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 # 49 Almighty God 1:81
KJV Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
KJV John 4:46 So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death. 48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. 49 The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die. 50 Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. 51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. 52 Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. 53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house. 54 This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee.
Twenty-First Sunday After Trinity
Almighty and everlasting God, who by Thy Son hast promised us the forgiveness of sins, righteousness, and everlasting life: We beseech Thee, do Thou by Thy Holy Spirit so quicken our hearts that we in daily prayer may seek our help in Christ against all temptations, and, constantly believing His promise, obtain that for which we pray, and at last be saved, through Thy Son Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
The Whole Armor of God
KJV Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
I liked verse 11 so much that I added it to the bottom of Ichabod and the Bethany blog.
This passage is one of the classics in the Bible, perfect for the month where we remember Luther and the Reformation, because it concerns the souls of individual Christians and the Church Militant.
Professor Reu (ALC, Iowa Synod) clarified the relationship between unionism and doctrinal indifference. They go together so well that one causes the other, to paraphrase Aristotle, one is either the mother or daughter of the other. (Aristotle said that of patience and courage.)
When people work together in spite of doctrinal differences, they put those differences aside and no longer care about them. Also, when people become neutral about doctrine, they look for ways to work with other confessions of faith.
One example is rather plain to see. When churches get together to host a Vacation Bible School, and various denominations are included, no one wants to contact the unchurched for fear of offending their fellow churches, even when the group includes Baptists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, and Episcopalians.
Also, when a denomination is completely apostate, there is little interest in special programs and people avoid responsibility for anything laborious. So they say, “Why not have a community VBS, so we can fill this enormous barn with children?”
Union efforts have a strange math, just like congregational mergers – 1 plus 1 plus 1 plus 1 equals a little more than 1.
ELCA, WELS, and LCMS worked together on a huge, lavishly funded evangelism project, to restore membership, and membership in all three groups declined even more rapidly!
All three still work together through Thrivent and Lutheran World Relief. Denomination headquarters of each synod could safely be called branch offices of the One Big Generic Lutheran Church. No wonder WELS gave money to the United Nations.
The worst church bodies in doctrine and practice are those with the most mergers in their history:
1. The United Church of Christ.
2. The United Methodists.
3. The Presbyterians.
4. The ELCA.
5. The Disciples of Christ
6. The big Baptist groups.
7. The Church of Rome, which practices “big tent” ecclesiology – believe whatever you want as long as you belong.
In contrast, during a time of doctrinal crisis, when groups are militant against error, the battling groups produce - books and essays which become doctrinal classics, great hymns, and a rebirth of spiritual life.
To quote Mother Angelica, the liberals do not produce anything – offerings, vocations, or any kind of growth. What she said about Catholics was just as true about other confessions of faith.
The Biblical Passage
6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
This passage is the climax of the letter, followed by personal notes, which we still use as a PS (for those who remember).
The Apostle Paul urged his brothers to be strong “in the Lord” and for emphasis “in the power of His might.” Our strength as Christians does not come from within but from God, through the Word.
As Luther said, we poor, frail mortals enrage Satan because we are so weak, yet we are protected from him by the Word of God. That does not make Satan give up, but stirs him up to try even more of his arts against us.
Kingdom of God, Kingdom of Satan
People often mix up their terminology with Luther, referring to the Two Kingdoms as church and government. He used the term “regiment” for that distinction. The Two Kingdoms in Luther are – God’s Kingdom and Satan’s. These kingdoms are at war with each other. Satan never gives up while we are still alive. We are born in the Kingdom of Satan, but Holy Baptism rescues us from sin, death, and the devil. Once a soul is included in God’s Kingdom, Satan wants him back.
Paul used a familiar figure to remind his fellow believers of what God provided them for the battle against Satan. The Roman Empire controlled the entire civilized world, more than most people imagine. There are Roman ruins in Lebanon, for example, and military camps in England from those days – complete with flush toilets and hot tubs. The soldiers built a wall across the entire country, East to West, to keep out illegal aliens from across the northern border.
The Armored Soldier
Paul used the armored soldier as his image, because everyone saw them at outposts and marching through town. (Also see Is. 59:17)
11 Put on the whole armour (panoply) of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
The weapons against Satan are combined, to show how a soldier would employ all his equipment, not just one or two parts of it, before going into battle. Satan has many arts, many tricks. One trick may work against one person and not against another, so he has many at his disposal.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
I remember when a pastor friend walked up to a Church Growth professor and warned him, using this passage. He wanted to warn him that this was not just a political game, but one where God and Satan were contending. The young pastor was forced out of the ministry, which was the one thing he wanted to do his whole life, following the footsteps of his father. Evil does not want to be warned.
Flesh and blood contend, but the ultimate victory is never one involving life and death. The martyr who dies for the faith has more power than the people who murder him. These killings are going on all over the earth, especially in Africa, but also wherever the Christian faith is hated.
One father was asked if he would kill his son for becoming a Christian. He said, “Not in America.” What a horrid religion, to say – Not where I would get caught and punished, but definitely in a safe place for my pagan practices.
The spiritual wickedness in high places refers to the transcendent power of evil. It is not simply located in wicked individuals but is driven by a higher power, a power which has motivated Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Castro, and Margaret Sanger. It explains why a cancer fund in memory of a dead cancer victim – Susan Komen – can donate $700 million to Planned Parenthood, the chief provider of abortions in America. All the Lutheran synods are in on this genocide, working with Thrivent, LWR, and ELCA.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
We can imagine ourselves strong, until everything is thrown against us. Then we are like the gladiator, hammered down to the ground by multiple strikes from all directions. The easiest one to land is from a friend. At that point we realize how we need the panoply of God’s weapons, all of them rather than one, our own strength too diminished to prevail against so much hatred and deception.
I know many who have gone through this, and they know better than anyone how powerful God’s Word is. I have also watched the great and wise ones engage in betrayal. Although they seemed to have everything on their side, their betrayal of the Word unhinged them and they fell. One official was sowing hatred in a meeting. A few months later he was thrown out of the ministry, for cause, and looking for work at a hardware store, still lying to his own family, still deceiving others.
God has a way of punishing people according to their own vanity. He humbles the great and proud. But Satan helps too. Satan blinds people in their wrath and hatred, but takes off the blinders to let them see their folly.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
There can only be one truth. People love to juggle with words and downplay religious differences especially, as if we were talking about liking French fries more than mashed potatoes.
If people do not fight for the truth, they lose their concept of it and stop valuing it as well. At that point they will have a two hour meeting over where to hang the banners but dismiss talk about false doctrine as a matter of taste.
The leather or metal breastplate on the soldier was vital to him because it protected against sword thrusts to his heart and lungs. Weapons were also used to bash in the chest area. Even in athletics, the heart can be bruised and a life threatened from the injury.
Our breastplate is the righteousness of Christ, which comes from the outside (extra nos, like the blog) through the Means of Grace. That means we are protected against the emotional assaults of Satan. That is, he would rather drain our emotions than spill our blood. He would rather have us listless and despairing than awakened by physical pain.
When Satan attacks us as weak, fallible, and sinful, we can say, “All true, but Christ is my righteousness. He has paid for my sins. He has given me grace through the Word and Sacraments.”
Christian refused to be employed by Satan again, because he did not like the wages, saying to Apolyon (The Destroyer): “The wages of sin is death.”
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
What soldier will go to battle bare-footed? I would rather be, but if there is anything worthwhile to be done, the shoes have to go on. Bare feet outside or in the garage can make us very timid and careful. I had three meetings with a foot specialist to remove glass from my foot, because the tiniest piece causes pain with every step. (I now wear combat boots in the kitchen.)
The Gospel of peace is preparedness. Knowing the Gospel Promises arms us in the battle. Notice how the weapons are defensive against Satan but also take the offensive as well. Wherever the Gospel goes, Satan is defeated.
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
I agree with Lenski in taking the shield to be the Shield of The Faith. While individual faith also works well as an interpretation, making it more inclusive is fitting. The Christian Faith, Law and Gospel, Word and Sacraments, Blessings and Promises, shields us against the arrows of Satan.
That leads us to the main weapon of defense and offense.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Without being too literal, the helmet protects our head in the way that our thoughts protect us from our emotions. If we know the Biblical basis for our faith, then we can control our emotions with the intelligence God has given us. For instance, remembering Biblical verses, the catechism, and hymns will protect us – knowing our salvation comes from Christ rather than from our own virtue.
The passage ends with the Sword of the Holy Spirit, which is the Word of God. In ancient times the sword was a major weapon, sharp as a razor and used both to hold off attacks while thrusting and cutting to finish the enemy. Few realize today that Luther’s own sword cut him severely in that thunderstorm where he made his vow to serve God.
He was in pain and could have bled to death in that storm, having no shelter and no aid.
The Word of God is our protection against all the wiles of Satan and defeats him by attacking his palace of evil. Nothing stirs up wrath more than saying, “This is false doctrine. This is contrary to God’s Word.” It is worse than kicking over a hornet’s nest. It is more like jumping into a den of hungry wolves. Nevertheless, the Word of God makes them cringe, yelp, and hide.
Luther said it best when addressing the First Table of the Ten Commandments:
The Large Catechism, Preface
10] Besides, it is an exceedingly effectual help against the devil, the world, and the flesh and all evil thoughts to be occupied with the Word of God, and to speak of it, and meditate upon it, so that the First Psalm declares those blessed who meditate upon the Law of God day and night. Undoubtedly, you will not start a stronger incense or other fumigation against the devil than by being engaged upon God's commandments and words, and speaking, singing, or thinking of them. For this is indeed the true holy water and holy sign from which he flees, and by which he may be driven away.
12] And what need is there of many words? If I were to recount all the profit and fruit which God's Word produces, whence would I get enough paper and time? The devil is called the master of a thousand arts. But what shall we call God's Word, which drives away and brings to naught this master of a thousand arts with all his arts and power? It must indeed be the master of more than a hundred thousand arts. 13] And shall we frivolously despise such power, profit, strength, and fruit-we, especially, who claim to be pastors and preachers? If so, we should not only have nothing given us to eat, but be driven out, being baited with dogs, and pelted with dung, because we not only need all this every day as we need our daily bread, but must also daily use it against the daily and unabated attacks and lurking of the devil, the master of a thousand arts.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Working on the Masthead
I am working on a good masthead for Ichabod. I am grappling with how to corral the masthead area so that I get what I want from it. First of all, I want to center the art or make it stretch across the page.
Any good tips will be appreciated. I am using the new Blogger template.
I just put all of Norma Boeckler's graphics into one folder, and it gave me an idea of how prolific she is. I will feature more in the coming weeks.
From a Reader
“God’s Word Is Our Great Heritage”
What does it mean to be a “Confessional” Lutheran? It
means to confess the truth of historic Lutheranism, to be
faithful to the three great pillars of the Reformation: by
grace alone, by faith alone and by Scripture alone.
October 31st marked another anniversary of when Martin
Luther nailed his 95 Theses against the sale of indulgences
to the Castle Church door in Wittenberg, Germany. On that
“Hallowed eve” before all-Saints Day, hundreds of people
would be coming into the church to begin celebrating the
November 1st festival. Many consider this landmark event
the trigger that sparked the Reformation.
What Luther did with hammer and nails on October 31st
was hardly noticed. But once people started reading his
theses, many saw that this doctor of Theology had again
discovered—not revolutionized!—something in the
Scriptures! The theses were never publicly debated as
Luther had hoped, but they were printed and circulated
throughout Germany and other areas. Today, we enjoy the
benefit of his discovery... the truth restored that we are
saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ!!!
May God give us such courage to defend His Truth as
Luther who risked his position, his years of study and even
his life so that we might enjoy purity of doctrine. May we
never fail to thank God for His blessing to His church!
How Is This For Transforming Lives?
From a reader:
There’s a true story about a Christian church, that was once what you would call a model congregation for anyone interested in church growth. They had a heated swimming pool for underprivileged kids. They had horses for inner-city children to ride. The church gave scholarships and provided housing for senior citizens. It even had an animal shelter and medical facility, an outpatient care facility and a drug rehabilitation program. Walter Mondale, who was vice-president under Jimmy Carter wrote that the pastor was an “inspiration to us all.” The Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare said the pastor was an outstanding contributor. We are told, “he knew how to inspire hope. He was committed to people in need, he counseled prisoners and juvenile delinquents. He started a job placement center; he opened rest homes and homes for the retarded; he had a health clinic; he organized a vocational training center; he provided free legal aid; he founded a community center; he preached about God. He even claimed to cast out demons, do miracles and heal.”
But where is that pastor and church today? What are they doing right now? The pastor and church are dead. Literally. Death occurred when the pastor called the members to a pavilion, sat in his large chair and spoke into a hand-held microphone about the beauty of death and how they would all meet again. But to insure that everyone would meet again real soon he surrounded the people with armed guards and had a container of cyanide-laced Kool-Aid brought out. Most of the church members drank the poison with no resistance. Those who did resist were forced to drink. First it was the babies and children – about 80. Then the adults – women and men, leaders and followers. And finally the pastor. In a few minutes it was all over. The members of the People’s Temple Christian Church were all dead. All 780 of them. And so was their leader, Jim Jones.
There’s a true story about a Christian church, that was once what you would call a model congregation for anyone interested in church growth. They had a heated swimming pool for underprivileged kids. They had horses for inner-city children to ride. The church gave scholarships and provided housing for senior citizens. It even had an animal shelter and medical facility, an outpatient care facility and a drug rehabilitation program. Walter Mondale, who was vice-president under Jimmy Carter wrote that the pastor was an “inspiration to us all.” The Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare said the pastor was an outstanding contributor. We are told, “he knew how to inspire hope. He was committed to people in need, he counseled prisoners and juvenile delinquents. He started a job placement center; he opened rest homes and homes for the retarded; he had a health clinic; he organized a vocational training center; he provided free legal aid; he founded a community center; he preached about God. He even claimed to cast out demons, do miracles and heal.”
But where is that pastor and church today? What are they doing right now? The pastor and church are dead. Literally. Death occurred when the pastor called the members to a pavilion, sat in his large chair and spoke into a hand-held microphone about the beauty of death and how they would all meet again. But to insure that everyone would meet again real soon he surrounded the people with armed guards and had a container of cyanide-laced Kool-Aid brought out. Most of the church members drank the poison with no resistance. Those who did resist were forced to drink. First it was the babies and children – about 80. Then the adults – women and men, leaders and followers. And finally the pastor. In a few minutes it was all over. The members of the People’s Temple Christian Church were all dead. All 780 of them. And so was their leader, Jim Jones.
Pietism Loves Cell Groups and Unionism
I see that OuterEdge itself is a gathering of cell groups, apart from Christ the Rock.
Check out the religious small groups people can join after joining OuterEdge. Apparently some are face-to-face. Others may be online. I was not moved to register or join. OuterEdge is the company owning the former WELS church building where various denominations put on shows for free and also for specific prices. I am not sure where the ownership of OuterEdge overlaps with the pan-denominational activities.
Christ the Rock is using the OuterEdge. They also have cell groups to join.
The SORE uses cell groups because CG/Emergent Church considers them sacramental. When a Lutheran congregation gets involved in cell groups, the sacraments are reduced to ordinances and the church eventually becomes what it wanted to be - Mission Covenant or something similar. CrossRoads in South Lyons, Michigan (WELS) began and ended that way.
Leading Lutheran Moms Astray at The CORE
Lutheran Moms
515 posts
The Core in Appleton
515 postsPosted by Imah on Jan 17, 2010 at 06:44 PM
Replies
7
 by Coley22 on Jan 29, 2010 at 08:34 PM |
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