Thursday, September 1, 2011
From Joe Krohn:
According to Holy Word Ev.Lutheran Church...
We have maintained that it is not Scriptural and therefore not Confessional and that it may not in fact be the correct teaching of the WELS.
If we are in fact forgiven before we are born...what good are the Ministry of the Keys? Matthew 18 says that if our brother sins against us, we are to go to him and confront him. If he repents, we have won him over. The message of the Bible has always been the message of sin; the need for a Savior; repentance, forgiveness and salvation...all through Christ's active obedience from Genesis 3:15 through His redemptive work for men (at the cross in mans place-propitiation) worked through faith by the Holy Ghost.
And yet I hear none of this in this sermon clip. I hear a loathing of the Law and an unconditional forgiveness to all men (whether they are sorry or not) and that those who have come to 'faith' must also forgive all those who sin against them regardless of whether they are sorry or not. This preaching makes the Gospel Law and the forgiveness of sins a good work of man!
From Luther's Small Catechism:
"What Does God Say of All These Commandments?
He says thus (Exod. 20:5f):
I the Lord, thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the
fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them
that hate Me, and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me and
keep My commandments."
We can not keep God's commandments... this is
the essence of faith! Daily we seek repentance by contrition worked by
the Holy Ghost and receive His forgiveness for Christ's sake by His
propitiation for us through faith.
6 comments:
I hear a man who wants to be the local Reformed preacher. He wanders around up front with a mic, doesn't he? "We don't need no stinkin' Law and gospel!"
Wandering around up front is being promoted in WELS because it fits in with the Church Growth philosophy of ministry that the efficacy of the Word depends on the clergyman's ability to capture the listener's attention with his winning personality, charm, and home-spun humor.
I watched a Catholic confirmation service where the bishop wandered all over the nave area. He would walk back to one corner, plant himself where everyone had to look around at him, and give part of his homily. He was aware of how entertaining this was, smirking at the results. I have no idea what he said.
I have noticed that many rock musicians do an excessive amount of running, hopping, head-bobbing. I do not know how they can produce any real music while involved in such gymnastics.
Perhaps in both cases the best idea is to keep the audience from focusing on the wretched content.
"I have noticed that many rock musicians do an excessive amount of running, hopping, head-bobbing. I do not know how they can produce any real music while involved in such gymnastics."
It's called 'soundtrack' and 'lip synch'...welcome to the world of pop culture where everything is contrived...
Yes, "contrived"! That's the word.
Contrived: "Go out there and make friends with the world in order to save some." - J. Gunn
Contrived: "As a pastor my main concern is getting people interested in the Word." - K. Schultz
Contrived: ________________ (you fill in the blank.)
Can't we just be Christians who in our various vocations live a 1 Peter 3:15 life?
The Shrinkers are anxious to prove they are doing something. Or, anxious to prove THEY are doing something. This comes from lack of trust in the efficacy of God's Word, which has been supplanted by utter reliance on marketing, scheming, clowning, and coaching. A shepherd does not coach sheep in how to be better sheep - he leads them to green pastures, to the Means of Grace, where God provides His spiritual treasures.
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