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| Personality cults are cultivated in the LCMS and WELS, taking their cue from Walther, the Great Kidnapper and Robber. We were warned in Matthew 7 and John 10. |
The Hymn # 240 Father Most Holy 2.56
The Order of Vespers p. 41
The Order of Vespers p. 41
The Psalmody Psalm 14 p. 124
The First Lection
The Second Lection
The Sermon Hymn #108 We Sing 1.94
The First Lection
The Second Lection
The Sermon Hymn #108 We Sing 1.94
Paul Gerhardt Hymn
Thieves and Peculators Help Us Appreciate the Gospel
The Prayers and Lord’s Prayer p. 44
The Collect for Peace p. 45
The Benediction p. 45
The Hymn # 558 All Praise to Thee 2:9
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| JP Meyer left a legacy of false doctrine, which is now being aped by Jay Webber and Jon Buchholz. JP Meyer got it from the Waltherians, and Walther got it from his syphilitic, abusive Bishop - Martin Stephan. Stepahn got it from Halle, and Halle from Calvinism. |
Thieves and Peculators Help Us Appreciate the Gospel
Matthew 7:15-21King James Version (KJV)
15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
People remember General Custer for Little Big Horn, but he is famous for another battle. He was a key player at Gettysburg in the Civil War. He was given orders to attack in a certain area, but he had a better ideal. He took his soldiers toward the sound of battle, so his contribution was essential.
Today most want to run from the sound of battle rather and go toward it. The Scriptures have given us clear and compelling warnings about these days, what to expect and what to do.
The era of Apostasy is marked by Christians who have turned away from the Gospel, but they remain within the visible church and find great rewards there, since the Prince of this Word watches over his servants and protects them.
We can say, "Oh, oh. Isn't this terrible!" and withdraw. Or we can gain from the struggle, which is good for us and essential for future generations. We cannot judge the time, so we should always expect the end soon but also allow for God's patient continuance of this world, so that more hear the Gospel.
As Luther pointed out, doctrinal battles are good for everyone. First of all, they flush the opposition out their hidey holes. The age-old excuse for false doctrine is - "The church has always taught this. There is no need to debate anything."
The Reformation took place because Luther identified error. Everyone had a general idea of the Gospel but that was mixed with the false message of Purgatory, salvation by works, and the pope's control of God's grace. The papacy did not want to debate its dogma, but had to face the universal response (helped immensely by the printing press). The Church of Rome did its best to silence the true Gospel and had no guilt-feelings about executing, jailing, and exiling many Christian leaders. Foxe's Book of Martyrs is full of stories about the people tortured and killed by the Roman Catholics.
And yet, we celebrate the Reformation as a great era where the Gospel was clearly taught, and taught so well that we still use Luther (or should) as a regular guide in studying the Word of God.
The post-Reformation world suffered just as much turmoil, and that yielded such leaders as Martin Chemnitz, Johann Gerhard, and Chytraeus. They had to deal with all the divisions among Lutherans, and that took decades of work, ending in the Book of Concord and the Formula of Concord.
And yet - what do we hear today? On one side is the tranquilizing message that we should like down with pope, adopt his lectionary (eagerly done by WELS, LCMS, ELCA, etc) and stop bashing Rome. That is a great word - bashing. Sound criticism is bashed for voicing what should be said.
On the other side is an insistent cry never to criticize Holy Mother Synod, to cover up her felonies, and to get in line to promote the latest fads. The Concordists did not do that. They did not pretend everything was fine. Like surgeons they looked for the tumors and infections and cut them out.
False doctrine is the ultimate take-away. The take-away is a closing method used by salesmen. The take-away makes people grab for something instead of letting it go. Two take-away methods are:
1. You probably cannot afford this? "Oh yes I can!"
Are you sure? I can show you the economy model. "No, I want this one!"
2. Physicially - The salesman pulls the contract away before signing, and the prospect reaches out for it.
The established synods are doing a extraordinary job of taking away everything. They are destroying traditional Lutheran congregations, the few that are left, and deliberately setting up copies of Joel Osteen, Rick Warren, Mark Driscoll, and Andy Stanley/Craig Groeschel.
The response of some Lutherans is to say that they want what is being taken away.
In one case, the Lutheran congregation (once conservative) was tearing out its beautiful pipe organ as a nuisance and space-taker, perhaps a reminder of real worship. A nearby congregation saw it being taken away, sold their own smaller pipe organ for $4,000 and bought the bigger better one for $4,000. The physical take away yielded a much better instrument for one church and a new pipe organ for another one. The losers were the LCMS Lutherans who despised a fine instrument, so their children would never experience the support of a great instrument in the liturgy and hymns.
Those who do not value Means of Grace worship will have it taken away, because they are busy throwing it away. But it will also mean others will value it that much more.
But what about the criminals these synods protect and promote?
They are also good in a strange distorted way. They are dye markers in the snow. When one of these protected felons is sent to the hoosegow, he is really identifying the source or foundation of the crime - false doctrine. The false teachers love to surround themselves with felons, because the guilty are intensely loyal to their protectors. When these dye markers are all over the place, people should wonder why it is policy for synods to destroy evidence because it will cost them money.
Money is the Great God.
Everyone is led to believe that money is going to do God's work, when it is clear that His Word alone does His work. Therefore, God delights in doing the most with the least, with the weakest, as long as it is through His Word.
The money-chasers bow before the throne of Thrivent, humbled by the power of a business, but not abhorring the crimes and anti-Christian aims of that business. Forever silenced by the flow of money, they participate in the gore of ELCA's abortion policy - paid for by their own ELCA "health" insurance.
Advent a Time of Repentance
Advent is a time of repentance. when Lutherans and their synods should turn from their adoration of false teachers and criminal practices. But good fruit can comes from good trees, as Jesus teaches here. The tree is made good by faith, not by unfaith, not by teaching against faith.
The foundational error is not using the Holy Spirit in the Word to teach faith in Christ, trust in His grace, justificatin by faith, the Means of Grace.
