Luther on High Titles and Human Wisdom

“For God is a great enemy to high titles and human wisdom, hence he allows them at times to be handled roughly, and puts them to shame in their speculations, that the truth of the proverb may appear: The learned are the most perverted.”

-Luther Eight Sunday After Trinity

http://www.trinitylutheranms.org/MartinLuther/MLSermons/Matthew7_15_23.html

Mark Jeske's Church Growth Disciple Lost Two (2) Congregational Buildings in Illinois. A New Record for Church Growth?Change Locations or Die!

This building on the university campus in Urbana, was not good enough for the newly ordained Tim Glende, of WELS fame. Where was the coffee bar? He ordered the synod to redevelop the congregation, sell the building, and go looking for something suitable for a Brug nephew and a Mark Jeske alumnus.

WELS sold the paid-for building to the Eastern Orthodox for a song. The Eastern Orthodox named it St. Nicholas, perhaps because the Lutherans gave them a gift ideal for EO campus ministry. The EO minister invited me to join their denomination instead of the WELS practice of extending the Left Foot of Fellowship and offering the stink-eye.

The attractive interior had room for an icon wall. How un-trendy and old fashioned.

But the Boy Wonder was not done yet. He had another church building to abandon.

Glende left town - not for the last time - and dug a hole by the cornfields. He and his wife needed a building as large as his ego. He cajoled the diminishing congregation into a pile of debt, but lo - Team Glende escaped to Appleton before it was built. The remaining members could not keep up, so the synod sold the building to Cornerstone Baptist and pocketed the equity for themselves.

Remember that, synod members. You can pay on a building for 20 years and have the synod grab the equity for themselves as they continue to say, "Lord, Lord, have we not done many miracles in Thy Name?"

Cornerstone rejoiced in their bargain building and enlarged it.

Glende should star in a synodical movie,
"Honey, I Shrunk the Congregation."

Ever wandering, the Booze Brothers bought a failed bar with a synod grant and loan,
after renting a movie theater and a former WELS church  building.
Ski and Glende are living allegories.

Cornerstone baptized a new member and inscribed this verse on the cake.
Is this in the Bible - I mean Murdoch's New NIV?
The fake blog from Fox Valley specifically condemned justification by faith.
Maybe WELS should return to Gausewitz
instead of disgracing a Gausewitz congregation with a Ski sermon.

Reviewing the July 18, 2016 Christian News Reading CN Learning about WELS Discipline HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa!

Nothing is new in this issue. Kloha is the star again - and why not?

When most of the Lutheran leaders in America - ELCA or the rest of them - reject Justification by Faith and and teach universal absolution without faith, nothing else is an issue.

WELS Pastor Jonathan Rupprecht, now retired, wrote a little report about Kloha, with stereotypical WELS ending -

"For me, going to one of these events, where everything is so outwardly similar to our WELS, softens a person to LCMS. I just wish I could talk with LCMS leaders and ask: why so little - if any - doctrinal discipline? Why so many guest speakers, lecturers, etc, who are so heterodox? Why are you offering an alternate, second-rate system for training your pastors? What role does sound doctrine and its application really play in your priorities these days?"

That comes from a synod where WELS Pastor Mark Jeske is backing another Change or Die! conference led by ELCA women pastors and other Church Shrinkers. SP Mark Schroeder really clamped down in that sect. Harrison should look at Schroeder's work in awe and wonder.

Or - how about WELS taking in an all-gay congregation headed by an ELCA pastor. That did not happen by stealth, which is their favorite method. With stealth tactics they can get people to object and extend them the Left Foot of Fellowship. But no, the proper district voted on the issue and took St. John Lutheran Church, 8th and Vliet, back into the synod and district.

WELS, LCMS, and the rest

Pastor John Brenner (Sparky) plans to preach there. The Odd Couple is probably booking a speech there, and a book signing.

Or how about the latest Change or DIE!!! Conference?

Our 2016 Planning Commitee consists of:

Rev. Walter Baires, Ascension, Milwaukee Rev. Lisa Bates-Froiland, Redeemer Lutheran Church, Milwaukee Michelle Burmeister, Siebert Lutheran Foundation Diane Dalhoe, Siebert Lutheran Foundation Deborah Engel, Siebert Lutheran Foundation Gretchen Jameson, Concordia University Rev. Mark Jeske, Time of Grace Ministry and St. Marcus Lutheran Church, Milwaukee Bill Meier, Kingdom Workers Rev. Randy Raasch, First Immanuel Lutheran Church, Cedarburg Rev. Matthew Short, St. Luke Lutheran Church, Slinger Brenda Skelton, Siebert Lutheran Foundation

Rev. Alexia Salvatierra - ELCA pastor speaking for Jeske's conference.

Rev. Sherrie Lorbeck - Another ELCA pastor.

Before and After - The Long-Awaited Photos of the Front Yard.

Google Maps photos. Note the early clean-up attempts - tree trash.
The Crepe Myrtle near the mailbox is weak and not blooming.
The maple tree has lots of suckering and weeds.
No roses have been planted.

July 13, 2016. Roses fill the yard.

The KnockOuts on the right were planted years ago.
The next rows down are new roses.

The straggly Crepe Myrtle of the past is in full bloom.
Mulch and recent weeds are on the right.
Below the bush is a layer of manure and mulch.

Who has bigger Crepe Myrtle blooms?
The bright flowers of the yard make everyone happy.

Consider the Teaching of Melanchthon and Chemnitz. Thoughtful Comments from 2012

A. Berean has left a new comment on your post "Imputation Is the Foundational Issue - Says A. Ber...":

Justification - the Chief Article of Christian Doctrine as Expounded in Loci Theologici, by Martin Chemnitz. Translated by J.A.O. Preus. Published by Concordia Publishing House. Page 149.

Also in his Examination of the Council of Trent vol. 1, pg. 532, paragraph 17. Published by Concordia Publishing House. Translated by Fred Kramer.

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solafide (http://solafide.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Imputation Is the Foundational Issue - Says A. Ber...":

Here it is to be noted that these three things are joined together: faith, Christ, and acceptance or imputation. Faith takes hold of Christ and has Him present, enclosing Him as the ring encloses the gem. And whoever is found having this faith in the Christ who is grasped in the heart, him God accounts as righteous. This is the means and the merit by which we obtain the forgiveness of sins and righteousness. “Because you believe in Me,” God says, “and your faith takes hold of Christ, whom I have freely given to you as your Justifier and Savior, therefore be righteous.” Thus God accepts you or accounts you righteous only on account of Christ, in whom you believe.

Now acceptance or imputation is extremely necessary, first, because we are not yet purely righteous, but sin is still clinging to our flesh during this life. God cleanses this remnant of sin in our flesh. In addition, we are sometimes forsaken by the Holy Spirit, and we fall into sins, as did Peter, David, and other saints. Nevertheless, we always have recourse to this doctrine, that our sins are covered and that God does not want to hold us accountable for them (Rom. 4). This does not mean that there is no sin in us, as the sophists have taught when they said that we must go on doing good until we are no longer conscious of any sin; but sin is always present, and the godly feel it. But it is ignored and hidden in the sight of God, because Christ the Mediator stands between; because we take hold of Him by faith, all our sins are sins no longer. But where Christ and faith are not present, here there is no forgiveness of sins or hiding of sins. On the contrary, here there is the sheer imputation and condemnation of sins. Thus God wants to glorify His Son, and He Himself wants to be glorified in us through Him.

Martin Luther, Luther's Works, Vol. 26 : Lectures on Galatians, 1535, Chapters 1-4, ed. Jaroslav Jan Pelikan, Hilton C. Oswald and Helmut T. Lehmann, Luther's Works (Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1999, c1963). 26:132-133.

SolaFide: Pretty clear, I think.

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Pastor emeritus Nathan Bickel has left a new comment on your post "Imputation Is the Foundational Issue - Says A. Ber...":

Ichabod - Thank you for highlighting, A Berean's excellent comment. Yes! The word "Imputation," is at the forefront of this universal objective justification controversy and discussion.

Luther correctly said: "Where there is the forgiveness of sins, there is life and salvation."

But it is here where the universal objective justification enthusiasts [UOJE] get tripped up, and never do get to first base:

UOJE [Universal objective justification enthusiasts] become hung up on the Atonement as a "be all" and "end all." They would rather just view Christ's universal sacrifice for sin as the one time imputation to the human soul. Their basic view of imputation is that when Christ died and rose; - that is what Luther talked about - "Where there is the forgiveness of sins, there is life and salvation." To them, that is the sum and substance of imputation. Hence, this is why UOJE often don't highlight the Holy Spirit's work in the salvation process. [John 3:8 in context] They essentially diss (ignore) faith. They bypass faith and actually believe that with the forgiveness of sins brought about by the Atonement, - that has brought [as Luther put it] "life and salvation" to all. So, then, their understanding is all based around the Atonement; that Christ's sacrifice was imputed, - not, faith.

On the other hand, those of us who believe Scripture, (and, the Confessions, concur); we believe that we, (by God's grace) are justified by faith. [Ephesians 2:8-9] We believe that the faith the Holy Spirit creates in us is imputed to us. We could almost use the words "infused" and "continually dispensed." Luther put it this way in his explanation of the 3rd Article of the Apostles Creed:

"In which Christian church He daily and richly forgive sins to me and all believers......"

Finally, I will point to an illustration, using an analogy. [And, I realize that no analogy is perfect]:

The universal objective justification crowds are stuck on the Atonement. To them that is their priceless "auto body."

But, the car doesn't travel (anywhere) without wheels and fuel. Hence, the Atonement without its (Holy Spirit) "imputation wheels & fuel" is useless. Without the Spirit's wheels and fuel, the human soul cannot personally partake of and benefit from Christ's all encompassing Atonement. Nor, (without Holy Spirit wheels and fuel) will that human soul travel to heaven. All that, though, does not matter for the universal objective justification enthusiasts still stuck in their Atonement auto. To them a car without wheels and fuel is a perfect and complete auto.

Nathan M. Bickel

www.thechristianmessage.org

www.moralmatters.org

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GJ - The readers and I are grateful for the thoughtful contributions that arrive as comments.

The Buckwheat of Evangelism - Teaching Faith in Christ

I needed buckwheat. Many farm and seed stores are around town, but would I ever go by one and get some buckwheat? Not likely. How does one introduce the need for buckwheat in the shopping discussions?

Mrs. Ichabod - "I need some bananas and brats."
GJ - :Farm and Fleet. I need a pound of buckwheat."
Mrs. Ichabod - "We can get some at Walmart. Don't be silly."

Bee all that you can bee - on buckwheat.

I decided to seize the moment and order some from Amazon. That is either where I start or end up with odd agricultural requests.

Some are already wondering - why buckwheat? The grain has several distinct advantages. One is its appeal to pollinators. The plant flowers quickly.

But an unusual feature is buckwheat's ability to displace weeds. I am going to try it in the calladium patch around the maple tree. I have had trouble with grassy weeds taking over there.

Buckwheat
Buckwheat is the speedy short-season cover crop. It establishes, blooms and reaches maturity in just 70 to 90 days and its residue breaks down quickly. Buckwheat suppresses weeds and attracts beneficial insects and pollinators with its abundant blossoms. It is easy to kill, and reportedly extracts soil phosphorus from soil better than most grain-type cover crops.

Buckwheat thrives in cool, moist conditions but it is not frost tolerant. Even in the South, it is not grown as a winter annual. Buckwheat is not particularly drought tolerant, and readily wilts under hot, dry conditions. Its short growing season may allow it to avoid droughts, however.

Anything drastic would mean killing or pulling up calladiums that are just starting to pop up and show their colors. Calladiums emerge late from the soil and look like flagpoles. Next they unfurl their colorful leaves and wave them back and forth in the wind - great contrast - and they love shade.

I will sow buckwheat around the maple tree, knowing the plant will do its job without introducing another round of  "Why did I ever plant that?" At the worst some will bloom and feed some butterflies and bees. At the best it will displace some of those grassy weeds.

Later in the season, when the Calladiums are almost done, I can cover the area with cardboard and newspaper for the fall and winter, holding it down with mulch and leaves.

The Buckwheat of Evangelism

Lutheran church bodies are shrinking because they obsess about conformity, enforce their man-made laws, neglect doctrine, and fail to teach faith in Christ.

The main work of every congregation should be to teach faith in Christ and all its benefits. If people only read Chapter 3 of Luther's Galatians Commentary, they would know exactly what to do. Or - they could read a Luther sermon each week.

Teaching the Gospel and emphasizing the efficacy of the Word in the Means of Grace will not rid the world of weeds, but it begin to displace the opportunistic weeds of triumphalism, legalism, and clericalism.

1. Triumphalism - We are the best, the purest, the only true saving church - all Lutheran sects today.
2. Legalism - In order to remain with us in good standing, you must obey these 10,000 rules, even if we do not know what they are until we tell you how you violated them.
3. Clericalism - How dare you disagree with me? God put me in this position to rule over you.

Don't look around - oh oh -
the Commisar's in town.

Shunning Contests and Legalism Do Not a Church Body Grow

Does a dentist live here - is he building up his practice?

The Synodical Conference sects are so much like the Fuddlementalist Babtists. If they only knew, they would throw down their Canon Law and start teaching the Gospel.

The Church of the Lutheran Confession (sic) never stops talking about the error of WELS breaking with the LCMS too late, marking but not avoiding. Apart from UOJ and Church Growth, that is all there is to CLC (sic) dogma. Their debates consist of demanding Unconditional Surrender from WELS. They even brag about being the mark and avoid synod, which is hilarious considering their love for Fuller and their ignorance of the Means of Grace.

I got President Dan Fleischer to write a good comment against Church Growth, which he published. But he still backed the Fools Gold Twins, Koenig and Tiefel, and everything they did. When someone was assigned a paper on the Means of Grace - which I also urged on them - he wrote me, "They never taught this at the CLC seminary." I gave him an outline to follow and quotes, and he wrote a good paper.

WELS? - The same thing. They spend their time complaining about the looseness of the LCMS, but Missouri has never voted in an all-gay congregation with an ELCA pastor, as WELS did with St. John Lutheran Church, 8th and Vliet, Milwaukee.  Nor does Missouri have an Odd Couple publishing about sodomy all the time - and asking for names/emails of males troubled about their sexuality.

The ELS brags about not being WELS.

ELCA, on the LCA side, said towns lacked the Gospel when only Missouri and WELS had congregations there. That was the LCA mission, to teaching the Gospel of Everyone Saved to those towns burdened only with the Synodical Conference. And yet, the LCMS and WELS and ELS and CLC(sic) teach the same UOJ as ELCA does.

Their Canon Law varies. WELS used to be all Geneva-gown-with-a-stole, a hilarious costume often featured in photos. But now the alb has become 100% in WELS with only a few exceptions.

ELCA and ELDONA favor the bishop title, the elegant robes, and the same clenched fist approach to their willing subordinates - fellowship based their Law, not on the Gospel.

So what happens when sects slight the Means of Grace in favor of their Canon Law? Their unbalanced state leaves them obsessed with one or another fetish and the need to feel superior to everyone else.

Bad thoughts will be reported to the bishop, District President,
 and circuit pastor. Their hands already hover above the
shun button.

Volume 27, ELDONA Canon Law

http://eldona.org/ELDoNA/Papers_files/Malone%20Theses%202006-1.pdf

1)      We seek to achieve a high degree of uniformity in the liturgical expression of our theological agreement among the parishes of our signators.  Significant deviation in liturgical practice between parishes is confusing to the members of the Church.  Therefore, we commit ourselves to endeavor over time, by common consensus, to minimize local deviations from common practice.

Images

It has become sadly evident that there is a need to make a clear distinction between the doctrine and practices of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and the churches of Eastern Orthodoxy .  Our fellowship eschews any appearance of “Easternizing.”  Yeah right

http://eldona.org/ELDoNA/Papers_files/Niles%20Theses-1.pdf

The Lord’s Supper

10) The use of grape juice or any other element but natural wine for the blood of Christ in the Lord’s Supper is a violation