Lenten Midweek Service - 7 PM Central Daylight Time - Faith Comes from the Sermon

 By Norma A. Boeckler

Midweek Lenten Service

7 PM Central Daylight Time

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Worship, 7PM Central Daylight Time

The Hymn #649        Jesus Savior Pilot Me

The Order of Vespers                                             p. 41

The Psalmody                                                       
The Lections                            The Passion History

                                               

The Sermon Hymn #552      Abide with Me

The Sermon –    Faith Comes from the Sermon - the Report

 
The Prayers

The Lord’s Prayer

The Collect for Grace                                            p. 45

The Hymn # 653  Now the Light Has Gone Away

 By Norma A. Boeckler

Isaiah 53 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?

2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Romans 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?

17 So then faith cometh by hearing (the report), and hearing (the report) by the Word of God.

Mark 1 28 And immediately his fame (report) spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.

 By Norma A. Boeckler

Faith Comes from the Sermon - The Report

Romans 10 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?

17 So then faith cometh by hearing (the report), and hearing (the report) by the Word of God.

People can easily have the wrong impression when they hear various words used in Christianity, especially when people choose to warp and distort their meaning. One of the best ways to get a good view of the truth comes from comparing various passages. 

Shining the Light on Dark Passages

This is one instance when a debated term is distorted because of a lack of comparisons. A time-tested principle is that we find the truth by casting light (from bright, easy to understand passages) on "dark" (hard to understand) passages.

That does not mean the Bible is hard to understand for anyone, but people make the plain Word of God obscure by all their arguments and hair-splitting. They may start with their experts and use that as the foundation of truth and ignore the only foundation is the Word itself.

 By Norma A. Boeckler

False Ideas

This is an important topic because of the way "faith" is approached by many who are false teachers or poorly informed. The bad information begins with the assumption that faith is a decision made by man, an act of the will.

Another error comes from the source of faith, which they imagine comes from making the Gospel appealing, attractive, or relevant. Remember the movie theater advertising their service as "real, relevant, and relational?" That is typical of Calvinism and its offshoots.

Some will say, "No, do not criticize error!" But Jesus and Paul were especially pointed in their rejection of false doctrine, and so is the seldom-read Book of Concord and the never-read Apology of the Book of Concord.

So we get at the Biblical truth by rejecting false claims of others, in this case, about faith.

 By Norma A. Boeckler

Many Places to Begin

There are many places to begin, but I am especially fond of Isaiah 53, which is the Old Testament Gospel. If anything, this chapter (hated by liberals) gives the basic Gospel so clearly that one cannot separate the words of this short chapter from the actual atoning death of Jesus about 1,000 years later.

I was reminded of this when working on the Greek lesson for tonight. The connection is often made, following Paul, with Isaiah 53 and Romans 10 (the Means of Grace chapter in Romans). 

The key word can be translated "hearing" or "report." Sometimes it is "rumor" in English, but we consider rumors to be false or hard to verify. The word comes from the word for hearing, and that makes sense. Very little was read in ancient days. The Scriptures were heard in worship, memorized, and also taught in sermons. 

Luther often emphasized faith and how it develops in people. They do not make a decision. It is not an act of human will. Faith is the result of hearing the Gospel, the Holy Spirit at work in the Word, always effective in converting and hardening.

Isaiah 53 is a marker for all that would follow, an usual passage in a major book for Jews and those who sought truth in monotheism. Educated people could read the Old Testament Gospel easily in Greek, in the Septuagint.

The report in Isaiah is the Atonement message of the Messiah dying for the sins of the world. It is the Gospel in every sense of the word - God declaring a solution for sin and death, before anyone could imagine or ask for such a measure. This Gospel creates faith, which is why we are called "new creations" or "new creatures" by Paul.

I enjoy the contradictions in "scientific" gardening. They run out of terms for all the beneficial life-forms in the garden, so they say "creatures" as in something created. They are never called "evolutes" - something that evolved. Or they marvel about the intricacies and balance of "nature," without asking what that means.

The Gospel creates faith because it is the message of the Creating Word and the message about the Creating Word.

This is promised by the Gospel, and is even in the Ten Commandments:

Respecting God's Word always brings good results - and the cross.

The benefits are many and last multiple generations. 

The Gospel converts children and changes their lives forever. 

The Gospel converts adults with more difficulty, because they develop habits and attitudes that resist God's Word. No one can tell how much time, and those who resist the most may end up the most productive (Paul, Augustine).

The Gospel produces many fruits in the lives of believers, and that is not the result of programs and plans but the Spirit at work in the Word.

 By Norma A. Boeckler

Greek Lesson - Mark 1:23-38

 Jesus Healing Peter's Mother-in-Law, by John Bridges

Parser - tells us the I.D. of the word

Lenski's Mark Commentary - download as a PDF

Copy and paste a Greek word into Google, add "Strong" and "Thayer" - you will get an instant word study about that Greek word. This is modestly called "The Ichabod Greek Treasure Hunt."

English derivatives of Greek words

Mark 1:23-38. Stephanus

23 και ην εν τη συναγωγη αυτων ανθρωπος εν πνευματι ακαθαρτω και ανεκραξεν 24 λεγων εα τι ημιν και σοι ιησου ναζαρηνε ηλθες απολεσαι ημας οιδα σε τις ει ο αγιος του θεου 25 και επετιμησεν αυτω ο ιησους λεγων φιμωθητι και εξελθε εξ αυτου 26 και σπαραξαν αυτον το πνευμα το ακαθαρτον και κραξαν φωνη μεγαλη εξηλθεν εξ αυτου 27 και εθαμβηθησαν παντες ωστε συζητειν προς αυτους λεγοντας τι εστιν τουτο? τις η διδαχη η καινη αυτη? οτι κατ εξουσιαν και τοις πνευμασιν τοις ακαθαρτοις επιτασσει και υπακουουσιν αυτω? 28 εξηλθεν δε η ακοη αυτου ευθυς εις ολην την περιχωρον της γαλιλαιας -- Isa 53:1 - κύριε τίς ἐπίστευσεν τῇ ἀκοῇ ἡμῶν Romans 10:16 αλλ ου παντες υπηκουσαν τω ευαγγελιω ησαιας γαρ λεγει κυριε τις επιστευσεν τη ακοη ημων 17 αρα η πιστις εξ ακοης η δε ακοη δια ρηματος θεου -- 29 και ευθεως εκ της συναγωγης εξελθοντες ηλθον εις την οικιαν σιμωνος και ανδρεου μετα ιακωβου και ιωαννου 30 η δε πενθερα σιμωνος κατεκειτο πυρεσσουσα και ευθεως λεγουσιν αυτω περι αυτης 31 και προσελθων ηγειρεν αυτην κρατησας της χειρος αυτης και αφηκεν αυτην ο πυρετος ευθεως και διηκονει αυτοις 32 οψιας δε γενομενης οτε εδυ ο ηλιος εφερον προς αυτον παντας τους κακως εχοντας και τους δαιμονιζομενους 33 και η πολις ολη επισυνηγμενη ην προς την θυραν 34 και εθεραπευσεν πολλους κακως εχοντας ποικιλαις νοσοις και δαιμονια πολλα εξεβαλεν και ουκ ηφιεν λαλειν τα δαιμονια οτι ηδεισαν αυτον - 35 και πρωι εννυχον λιαν αναστας εξηλθεν και απηλθεν εις ερημον τοπον κακει προσηυχετο 36 και κατεδιωξαν αυτον ο σιμων και οι μετ αυτου 37 και ευροντες αυτον λεγουσιν αυτω οτι παντες ζητουσιν σε 38 και λεγει αυτοις αγωμεν εις τας εχομενας κωμοπολεις ινα κακει κηρυξω εις τουτο γαρ εξεληλυθα

A Pro-Choice Lady Was Rocked by "Unplanned."From Conservative Tribune

COMMENTARY CULTURE

A Pro-Choice Review of ‘Unplanned’: Movie Makes Even the Strongest Abortion Supporters Reconsider

https://www.westernjournal.com/ct/pro-choice-review-unplanned-movie-makes-even-strongest-abortion-supporters-reconsider/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=AE&utm_campaign=can&utm_content=2019-04-02

Despite a vast array of factors standing in the way of success, the pro-life movie “Unplanned” — which takes a decidedly critical view of abortion providers Planned Parenthood — opened in theaters this weekend with surprisingly robust ticket sales.

The film is centered around the real-life story of a former manager of a Planned Parenthood clinic who has second thoughts about her position on the issue after witnessing abortions first-hand. She has gone on to become an outspoken critic of her former employer and the abortion industry in general as she now supports the right to life of unborn babies.

The pro-life film has faced staunch opposition from the predominantly liberal mainstream, such as receiving an “R” rating that will undoubtedly keep away some viewers, a refusal of some networks to air ads for the film, and even what appeared to be coordinated efforts by social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to suppress accounts affiliated with the film in order to stifle its reach.

Despite all of those obstacles and more — or perhaps because of them — viewers flocked to see the film that tackles the abortion issue in a brutal, if thought-provoking manner, as evidenced by a review of the film from a self-proclaimed pro-choice viewer.

Writing for the Central Florida Post, a woman named Bridgette Bayley — who described herself as a pro-choice libertarian — admitted that the “Unplanned” movie had forced her to question many of the assumptions she had held as true with regard to abortion.

TRENDING: Law and Order Breaking Down in Chicago as Mob Forces Cop To Free Suspect

Bayley wrote that she initially resisted the efforts of a pro-life friend to get her to see the film, but eventually relented out of respect for her friend and the expectation she would have if she’d asked her friend to go see a movie about an issue that was important to her.

“I wish I had asked more questions. I almost wish I had not gone,” Bayley wrote. “Before the film, we got our drinks and smiled in front of the movie poster for Instagram, I had no idea how quickly our smiles would be wiped from our faces.”

Bayley wrote, “Unplanned was a bloody, emotional spiritual roller coaster.” She noted the irony of how conservatives tend to emphasize “facts over feelings” when the movie did the opposite, in her view, but noted how in doing so, the film managed to “tug on my heart strings in a way that actually made me reflect on a subject that I felt so confident on my beliefs of.”

She admitted that she had been “moved to tears” several times during the film, and expressed her appreciation for how the movie didn’t demonize the regular employees at Planned Parenthood clinics, but instead portrayed them as normal people who were misguided into believing that what they were doing was morally right and acceptable.

Planned Parenthood, ELCA, and Thrivent Will Never Recover. Abby Johnson - Unplanned - Movie and Book

A member mentioned the movie Unplanned, and I looked to see if it was showing in our area. I was sure the dates would be limited.

We ordered tickets online and went to the Razorback theater right after church on Sunday.

I had been hearing about Abby Johnson, but never realized they could film and distribute a movie that would reach the general population. When I took a film course at Regent University, the Christian films were not much better than "The Cross and the Switchblade," starring Pat Boone and the CHPs star. Erik Estrada.

This movie is natural and realistic, with high production values. Someone said, "Read the book," so I got the Kindle and read it aftwards, and it is almost verbatim the script of the movie.  Unlike Disney and Spike Jones, who ruined everything good they touched from the past, the movie people told the story of the book with brutal honesty.

I told my wife that it took this kind of person to create a message that would permanently damage Planned Parenthood, ELCA, and Thrivent - without even getting into the sale of baby body parts.

Like other activists, Abby Johnson got into the abortion business with the idea of helping young women and living with their own past abortions. I have heard that story before, solving the guilt issue by joining the movement and its lies, hypocrisy, and greed.

Some divine causes of this drama - a pig-headed but naive girl coming from a pro-life family, married to a pro-life evangelical, and friended by pro-life activists. The power of the Word of God against this demonic activity is apparent throughout the film and book. The book also provides more background about Abby finding peace and forgiveness through the Word of God.

Ultrasound-Guided Destruction, in Exquisite Detail
We are a graphic society today, so it is important that the movie begins with the turning point from the beginning of the book, the ultrasound-guided abortion. Johnson, who was a psychology degree holder and MA in counseling, was not medically trained. She was called in to assist on the first abortion she had witnessed For the first time, this procedure (slower and "safer") showed the baby actively struggling against the vacuum and being destroyed by the doctor's instrument.

I left the LCA before the ELCA merger, because the pro-life actions of Chicago in 1978 had been taken apart soon after. I saw how mainline denominations, social welfare agencies, public education, medicine, and law were all engaged in making abortion into birth control, race control, and ultimately medical products.

ELCA - Oh So Rich and Big!
It did not take me long to see how WELS and the LCMS were glad to be cozy with ELCA, happy to quash criticism of their big sister, and envious of that money and power in the big denomination. The "conservatives" want to act superior, but they have no trouble with ELCA paying for abortions with their health plan - no questions asked. They do not mind ELCA's lavender mafia, but that group is also pan-synodical.

There was only a little dust-up in the LCMS when it was revealed Thrivent gave matching funds to Planned Parenthood, which is "non-profit, but run as a business," as the movie proclaims. This blog preceded that scoop by about five years, thanks to Brett Meyer.

Fat Pockets, Dying Synods
Matt the Fatt gets $50-60 million and year from Thrivent, and the others get more or less. Like Marvin Schwan, Thrivent illustrates how corrupting mammon decimates those who sell their souls to their Father Below.

Think about your free trinkets from Thrivent when you watch that scene in "Unplanned" - abortion is big money. There must be many reasons why the power-players do so much to protect this genocide of the innocent.

Abby Johnson used the human pesticide called RU-486, which kills the baby and expels it painfully from the mother. This "morning after" pill is actually used for up to 8 weeks. She suffered horribly after taking that set of pills.

The abortion and baby-parts business is full of lies and cover-ups, because the Chief Sponsor is a murderer and the Father of Lies.

He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. John 8:44

The Lobby for Life - God's Word Is Effective
I was appalled by some pro-life activists who wanted to attack young women for considering abortion. God brought together an effective campaigner for life and Abby Johnson, an award-winning abortion center director.

As they say about St. Paul, the hardest substance makes the best instrument. Abby's tunnel-vision and success brought her to the point where the prayers, Christian worship, the Word, and her husband's logic forced the ultimate decision. She needed the job, but she had seen the real face of baby genocide, her own face in the mirror of that tragedy.

I scanned my desk, filled with an impulse to pack it up immediately, and then my eyes fell on the small card from Elizabeth. For two years, that two-by-three-inch card with the soft pink tulip and handwritten note had been sitting on my desk in my little note holder. Of all the cards I’ve received over the years, I wondered, why has that one remained front and center? “The LORD has done great things for us and we are filled with JOY.” PSALM 126:3 I am praying for you, Abby! ~ Elizabeth

Johnson, Abby. Unplanned: The Dramatic True Story of a Former Planned Parenthood Leader's Eye-Opening Journey across the Life Line (p. 144). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

Outside the fence, the pro-life activists prayed for the women going in and the staff who escorted them. Over time, they kept many from giving up that baby. And they made Abby realize something.

I am on the wrong side of the fence. I am on the wrong side of the fence! I knew what I had to do.

Johnson, Abby. Unplanned: The Dramatic True Story of a Former Planned Parenthood Leader's Eye-Opening Journey across the Life Line (p. 145). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

Lenker - Graduate of Hamma - Which Merged into Trinity Seminary ELCA Recent Find by Alec Satin

The Christian Advocate, New York: The historic utterance of John Wesley upon hearing, in the gathering of Moravians in Aldersgate, the reading of Luther’s Preface to the Epistle to the Romans, “I felt my heart strangely warmed,” will occur to the mind when taking up Volume V of Luther’s Church Postil on the Gospels, translated by Prof. J. N. Lenker, D. D.

The translation has been made in order to disclose to English readers what might be called the Gospel side of Luther’s writings. With the great mass of his writings upon the Gospel, filling over thirty volumes, it is strange that we have gathered a wrong impression of his thought. Dr. Lenker finds it hard to reconcile the high praise constantly paid to Luther with the general ignorance of his writings. He says that many who write on Protestant problems are better posted in the literature of “higher criticism” than in the classic writings of Protestantism; doubtless he is correct. With this carefully prepared Standard Edition of Luther’s writings that defect may be remedied.

Do not overlook the wonderful Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry, which delivers free classic Lutheran books, rather than expensive Fuller books.

My New Favorite Hymn - Paul Gerhardt - "I Will Sing My Maker's Praises"

"I Will Sing My Maker's Praises"
by Paul Gerhardt, 1607-1676

1. I will sing my Maker's praises
And in Him most joyful be,
For in all things I see traces
Of His tender love to me.
Nothing else than love could move Him
With such sweet and tender care
Evermore to raise and bear
All who try to serve and love Him.
All things else have but their day,
God's great love abides for aye.

2. Yea, so dear did He esteem me
That His Son He loved so well
He hath given to redeem me
From the quenchless flames of hell.
O Thou Spring of boundless blessing,
How could e'er my feeble mind
Of Thy depth the bottom find
Though my efforts were unceasing?
All things else have but their day,
God's great love abides for aye.

3. All that for my soul is needful
He with loving care provides,
Nor of that is He unheedful
Which my body needs besides.
When my strength cannot avail me,
When my powers can do no more,
Doth my God His strength outpour;
In my need He doth not fail me.
All things else have but their day,
God's great love abides for aye.

4. When I sleep, He still is near me,
O'er me rests His guardian eye;
And new gifts and blessings cheer me
When the morning streaks the sky.
Were it not for God's protection,
Had His countenance not been
Here my guide, I had not seen
E'er the end of my affliction.
All things else have but their day,
God's great love abides for aye.

5. As a father never turneth
Wholly from a wayward child,
For the prodigal still yearneth,
Longing to be reconciled,
So my many sins and errors
Find a tender, pardoning God,
Chastening frailty with His rod,
Not in vengeance, with His terrors.
All things else have but their day,
God's great love abides for aye.

6. Since, then, neither change nor coldness
In my Father's love can be,
Lo! I lift my hands with boldness,
As Thy child I come to Thee.
Grant me grace, O God, I pray Thee,
That I may with all my might,
All my lifetime, day and night,
Love and trust Thee and obey Thee
And, when this brief life is o'er,
Praise and love Thee evermore.

The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn #25
Text: Eph. 5:19, 20
Author: Paul Gerhardt, 1659, cento
Translated by: composite
Titled: Sollt' ich meinem Gott nicht singen
Composer: Johann Schop, 1641
Tune: Sollt' ich meinem Gott

A Reader Asked How To Send Money to the Philippine Mission

Luther's Sermons are in the Philippines: Pastor Jordan Palangyos photo.

Use this address below in PayPal if you like giving directly. This is their non-profit PayPal account:

lutheranautonomousmissionsphil@yahoo.com

PayPal wants to mark that as a purchase, so you must twice choose "gift to a friend" to avoid the extra charge. They still charge the sender a dollar, but the money arrives quickly in their currency, so that is worth it.

 Baby Andrea was born in the Philippines and went back to her home in California with her Mom and Dad. 

Hi Pastor Jackson,

Pastor Palangyos was able to get PayPal registered to their non-profit organization Lutheran Autonomous Missions Philippines (LAMP) formed in the Philippines. PayPal donations are currently setup on the bottom right corner of the blog https://lutherancowboysphilippines.blogspot.com/

Thank you for sharing about the mission work in the Philippines!

In Christ,

Glen Kotten, Attorney

2. Through Bethany Lutheran Church

Some readers do not want to use PayPal, so they can send a check to our church (marked for the Philippines) and I will send it to their mission - 100%, the same day. 

Bethany Lutheran Church, 1104 Letha Drive, Springdale, AR, 72762.

Paper checks sent to the Philippines do not work well  because they are cumbersome and expensive to exchange.

Rev. Dr. Lito Cruz, math professor, Philippine native, Lutheran pastor.

Rev. Dr. Lito Cruz got us started on PayPal, so if a check comes through earmarked for the Philippines, I will send that portion or the entire amount of the check to the Philippines. I send it the same day.

A. First Priority - Building Materials - Done
They built the basic chapel and now need to build a permanent roof.

B. Second Priority - Welding the roof, installing windows and doors.

Funds needed for welders.

C. Third Priority - Transportation
Pastor Jordan Palangyos needs transportation for his mission trips, hard to reach areas. A used car there is just as expensive as here - if not more so.

 Our church's attorney, Glen Kotten, set up our non-profit status and sponsored Making Disciples. He has taught at Pastor Palangyos' mission.

Scarred by the Abusive Lutheran Cult of Your Childhood - You Are Not Alone

WELS is an abusive cult - all the way to the top.
The only sin in this sect is teaching Justification by Faith.

Dear Pastor Jackson,

One additional dirty secret that transpired at WELS Michigan Lutheran Seminary, Saginaw Michigan in the year 197- was the practice of giving underclassmen a “Cardinal” as it was called. The upperclassmen would punch the unfortunate underclassman in the arm with their class ring leaving an indentation of a cardinal from their class ring that had the school's mascot on the face of the ring.

Such delightful WELS Pastor’s children showing Christian love to their fellow students. I never did fully understand what the term “Zex” meant, it was the term to describe freshman who were tortured in the junior version of a year long GA. Some who played along and became subservient now hold positions as WELS giving counselors, it’s enough to make one vomit. Abuse starts early and is encouraged in WELS.

Call me Zechs

Old Man Notling said they would line up CLC students at their cult school and slap their faces until one of them confessed.

Donkey basketball seems strangely fitting for the CLC sic.
Notice the packed bleachers.

How Did Our Little Church End Up in the Philippines? - The Triple Connection

Dr. Lito Cruz and his wife Lynne are long-time readers of Ichabod. He is also a certified Lutheran pastor in Australia. They are from the Philippines.

 Dr. Cruz told me about Pastor Palangyos' Philippine mission. By the way, Dr. Cruz taught baby Andrea's mother's best friend. Glen Kotten traveled to the Philippines to help with the mission, teaching and taking a box of our books - Luther's Sermons, etc.

 Baby Andrea was born in the Philippines when her mother Ivy went there to visit family. Andrea was premature, very weak; we prayed for her every day and at church on Sunday. My wife and I skype with Andrea and her Mom, who are back in California.

 

 Glen Kotten is a lawyer in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, near New Ulm, where we used to live. He proved to be very astute about Biblical theology and translations. He sponsored the Making Disciples booklet we print and give away. He is also our congregation's attorney.

 Glen Kotten brought all these books to the Philippines.
I suggested a blog to communicate their work, and they soon launched on - Lutheran Cowboys Philippines. It is listed on the upper left among my favorite blogs and links.

 Today, March 31, 2019, I discussed Dr. Greg Jackson's Gems Mined from Luther's Sermons. Thanks to Dr. Greg Jackson's generosity in donating us his books. We now have materials for our discipleship classes. GJ - The design is from Norma A. Boeckler. The Gems were selected by Virginia Roberts, Christina Jackson, and I. Many people helped in editing and supporting Luther's Sermons.

 That is a long trip from Wittenberg to the Philippines.
The Word of God cannot be silenced.