Hymn - There Is an Hour of Peaceful Rest

 

"There Is an Hour of Peaceful Rest"
by William B. Tappan, 1794-1849

Tune - Pax celeste - linked here.

1. There is an hour of peaceful rest
To mourning wand'rers giv'n;
There is a joy for souls distrest,
A balm for ev'ry wounded breast:
'Tis found above--in heav'n.

2. There is a home for weary souls,
By sin and sorrow driv'n--
When tossed on life's tempestuous shoals,
When storms arise and ocean rolls,
And all is drear--but heav'n.

3. There faith lifts up the tearless eye,
To brighter prospects giv'n,
And views the tempest passing by,
The evening shadows quickly fly,
And all serene--in heav'n.

4. There fragrant flow'rs immortal bloom,
And joys supreme are giv'n;
There rays divine disperse the gloom;
Beyond the confines of the tomb
Appears the dawn of heav'n.

Hymn #617
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Hebrews 4:9
Author: William B. Tappan, 1818, ab.
Tune: "Pax celeste"
1st Published in: Celestial Harps
Town: Edinburgh, 1824

Hymn - The Old Year Now Hath Passed Away

 

"The Old Year Now hath Passed Away"
by Johann Steuerlein, 1546-1613
Translated by Catherine Winkworth, 1829-1878

Tune - Herr Jesu Christ, dich - linked here.

1. The old year now hath passed away;
We thank Thee, 0 our God, today
That Thou hast kept us through the year
When danger and distress were near.
2. We pray Thee, 0 eternal Son,
Who with the Father reign'st as One,
To guard and rule Thy Christendom
Through all the ages yet to come.

3. Take not Thy saving Word away,
Our souls' true comfort, staff, and stay.
Abide with us and keep us free
From errors, following only Thee.

4. Oh, help us to forsake all sin,
A new and holier course begin!
Mark not what once was done amiss;
A happier, better year be this,

5. Wherein as Christians we may live
Or die in peace that Thou canst give,
To rise again when Thou shalt come
And enter Thine eternal home.

6. There shall we thank Thee and adore
With all the angels evermore.
Lord Jesus Christ, increase our faith
To praise Thy name through life and death.

The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn #125
Text: John 15:4
Author: Johann Steuerlein, 1588, asc.
Translated by: Catherine Winkworth, 1863
Titled: "Das alte Jahr vergangen ist"
Tune: "Herr Jesu Christ, dich"
1st Published in: Cantionale Germanicum
Town: Dresden, 1628

Hymn - Watts' - The Law Commands and Makes Us Know

 

"The Law Commands and Makes Us Know"
by Isaac Watts, 1674-1748

Tune - Old Hundreth - linked here.

1. The Law commands and makes us know
What duties to our God we owe;
But 'tis the Gospel must reveal
Where lies our strength to do his will.

2. The Law discovers guilt and sin
And shows how vile our hearts have been;
The Gospel only can express
Forgiving love and cleansing grace.

3. What curses doth the Law denounce
Against the man who fails but once!
But in the Gospel Christ appears,
Pardoning the guilt of numerous years.

4. My soul, no more attempt to draw
Thy life and comfort from the Law
Fly to the hope the Gospel gives;
The man that trusts the promise lives.

The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn #289
Text: Psalm 19:9
Author: Isaac Watts, 1709
Tune: "Old Hundredth"
1st Published in: Genevan Psalter,1551

Hymn - The Head That Once Was Crowned with Thorns

"The Head That Once was Crowned with Thorns"
by Thomas Kelly, 1769-1854

Tune - St. Magnus - linked here.

1. The Head that once was crowned with thorns
Is crowned with glory now;
A royal diadem adorns
The mighty Victor's brow.

2. The highest place that heaven affords
Is His, is His by right,
The King of kings and Lord of lords,
And heaven's eternal Light;

3. The Joy of all who dwell above,
The Joy of all below
To whom He manifests His love
And grants His name to know.

4. To them the cross, with all its shame,
With all its grace, is given;
Their name an everlasting name,
Their joy the joy of heaven.

5. They suffer with their Lord below,
They reign with Him above,
Their profit and their joy to know
The mystery of His love.

6. The cross He bore is life and health,
Though shame and death to Him:
His people's hope, His people's wealth,
Their everlasting theme.

The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn #219 
Text: Hebrews 2:10
Author: Thomas Kelly, 1820
Composer: Jeremiah Clarke, 1709
Tune: "St. Magnus"

Hymn - The Church's One Foundation

"The Church's One Foundation"
by Samuel J. Stone, 1839-1900

Tune - Aurelia - linked here.

1. The Church's one foundation
Is Jesus Christ, her Lord;
She is His new creation
By water and the Word.
From heaven He came and sought her
To be His holy bride;
With His own blood He bought her,
And for her life He died.

2. Elect from every nation,
Yet one o'er all the earth,
Her charter of salvation
One Lord, one faith, one birth.
One holy name she blesses,
Partakes one holy food,
And to one hope she presses,
With every grace endued.

3. The Church shall never perish!
Her dear Lord, to defend,
To guide, sustain, and cherish,
Is with her to the end.
Though there be those that hate her.
False sons within her pale,
Against both foe and traitor
She ever shall prevail.

4. Though with a scornful wonder
Men see her sore oppressed,
By schisms rent asunder,
By heresies distressed,
Yet saints their watch are keeping;
Their cry goes up, "How long?"
And soon the night of weeping
Shall be the morn of song.

5. Mid toil and tribulation
And tumult of her war
She waits the consummation
Of peace forevermore,
Til with the vision glorious
Her longing eyes are blest
And the great Church victorious
Shall be the Church at rest.

The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn #473
Text: Ephesians 2:20
Author: Samuel J. Stone, 1866, cento
Composer: Samuel S. Wesley, 1864
Tune: "Aurelia"

Hymn - The Son of God Goes Forth to War - #452

"The Son of God Goes Forth to War"
by Reginald Heber, 1783-1826)

Tune - All Saints New - linked here.

1. The Son of God goes forth to war
A kingly crown to gain.
His blood-red banner streams afar;
Who follows in His train?
Who best can drink His cup of woe,
Triumphant over pain,
Who patient bears his cross below--
He follows in His train.

2. The martyr first whose eagle eye
Could pierce beyond the grave,
Who saw His Master in the sky
And called on Him to save.
Like Him, with pardon on His tongue,
In midst of mortal pain,
He prayed for them that did the wrong--
Who follows in his train?

3. A glorious band, the chosen few,
On whom the Spirit came,
Twelve valiant saints; their hope they knew
And mocked the cross and flame.
They met the tyrant's brandished steel,
The lion's gory mane;
They bowed their necks the death to feel--
Who follows in their train?

4. A noble army, men and boys,
The matron and the maid,
Around the Savior's throne rejoice,
In robes of light arrayed.
They climbed the steep ascent of heav'n
Thro' peril, toil, and pain.
O God, to us may grace be giv'n
To follow in their train!

Hymn #452
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: 1 Timothy 6:12
Author: Reginald Heber, 1827
Composer: Henry S. Cutler, 1872
Tune: "All Saints New"

Four More Upvotes for Joe Pye Weed

 The garden fragrance is powerful from Joe Pye, Bee Balm, roses, and various mints.

This morning I looked out the kitchen sink window and saw a hummingbird in the bright sunshine working up to the top of one plant, then sipping from the top of Joe Pye. Those Joe Pye plants seemed to be taking root sporadically last year, but this year they form a solid front in the first rows of the former berry patch. Upvote 1.

Ranger Bob told me how pleased he was with his Joe Pye, but worried it was shading the glads (which still have a few flowers left). I said, "You can cut the Joe Pye back soon. They will return next year even stronger. I am already cutting some stalks and using them as mulch." Upvote 2.

Mrs. Gardener said, "What are those tall purple flowers?" I told her about Joe Pye the American Indian who used that herb for making medicine. She went on to say, "I like having those tiny bees for my vegetable garden. The bees used to be sparse, but they are all over my plants now, thanks to you." Upvote 3.

Joe Pye is far beyond what most people would expect in a butterfly-hummingbird plant. They are modular rather than integrated. The stalks rise up to eight feet in a large V formation, elbowing everything else to the side or into the oblivion of shade. All the weeds disappear in the shadows of Joe Pye.

What about crowding out the Hosta and Clethra? Joe Pyes grow right up against both, which are either bullies (Hosta) or persistent (Clethra). To give them more space, I cut Pye fronds at the bottom. They all seem pretty happy anyway.

Finally I trimmed the overlapping Bee Balm (mint) and Joe Pye, both reaching for sun by growing horizontally over the driveway. That also brought the eye-level bee buzzing closer to visitors, so I cleared a bunch of both plants and laid them over grassy weed patches.

 Little Joe Pye grows shoulder high, while the tall version grows 8 or 9 feet.

One couple decided on Little Joe Pye because of size limitations. Most patios and gardens would be happy with Little Joe. I liked their enthusiasm for the small version, so I filled the original berry patch, small gardening areas with sun, with Little Joe Pye. They seemed tiny and weak at first, but the earlier ones are waist high and the new ones are catching up. Upvote 4.

Unlike many plants shipped - where they endure lack of sun and water - Joe Pye's roots will hold fast and deliver the plant in the first year (a bit weak), the second year (confident and strong) and the third year (what have I done!?).

Are they swallowing up the roses? The Rose Garden is east facing, so the plants get plenty of sun, too much when it is 100 degrees (this week - real feel - 212 Fahrenheit). I am cutting out unwelcome weed bullies and pruning large Joe Pye plants, so the roses have some shade and plenty of sun.

I found one healthy Veterans Honor rose producing one fat to-die-for flower after another, right next to a Joe Pye, an F in garden design, an A+ in production.

I am also daily tending (pruning) the Shasta Daisies, because they host insects that protect the roses. Aphids? Sure, a few start munching roses early in the season, but that only alerted the aphid eaters to lay some eggs near them so their babies could have a hearty breakfast.

I was never a fan of John Lennon, but I was intrigued to learn that he began scoffing at evolution, late in his short life. Evolution is like Objective Justification, protected by smearing and insulting anyone who dissents from the newly discovered - or rather newly invented - truth. I may be a careless gardener, but He who cares for all has created and engineered garden life - below, and also above - to reach its maximum and even repair my mistakes.

Garden Set for Creation Glide

 

 Yarrowd is the Guest What Came To Dinner - plant it and forget why the warnings were not given proper attention. Yarrow is the butterfly plant that quickly begins growing in sunny patches.

Everything is in full bloom, so the flowers will glide into autumn - 

• Bee Balm
• Clethra
• Joe Pye
• Little Joe Pye
• Milkweed
• Butterfly Weed
• Wild Strawberries
• Yarrow
• Roses
• Lilies
• Borage
• Buckwheat

Borage and buckwheat will be in the mulched over berry patch, to out-weed the grassy weeds. That will not work entirely, but looks better than weedy mulch.

It is now Sassy's favorite place to rest in the backyard.

The Church of the Lutheran Confession - Convention

 

Sixty years later, they are arguing the same points, because Dan Fleischer is still alive.

Some more important points are -

1. Rejection of the Chief Article of Christianity - Justification by Faith.
2. Blatant promotion of Objective Justification.
3. Adoption of the failed Church Growth Movement, after it failed the others as well.
4. Not asking, "If measurements and graphs are so revealing and efficacious, why are LCMS and WELS sinking into the abyss after advocating Church Growth for 40+ years?"

 

Why the King James Version Matters Even More Today

Aleph - the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet - is another con job from the apostates. Count Tischendorf, keenly aware of the need to promote himself, designated Codex Sinaiticus as Aleph to give his red-headed child legitimacy.

 Chapter One - The Count's Excellent Adventure

I noticed that "red-headed child" is being used again to describe an idea or person everyone wants to disown, like the child who does not share the family's looks and hair color. Leave Prince Harry out of this. The expression began in America.

Count Tischendorf declared from the start that Sinaiticus - Aleph - was the earliest and best example of the Greek New Testament. Moreover, the Church of Rome gave him another codex (bound book) to help the cause - Vaticanus. The count designated Vaticanus as B, so he could claim both Greek New Testaments were his children - Aleph and B - and therefore legitimate.

What a thrill that must have been to declare - against all the facts - Eureka! Eureka! (εύρηκα -Greek for "I have found them!") Yes, I am plagiarizing Archimedes. In Tischendorf's case, the verb should be translated as "I have invented them! I have invented them!" 

 Count Tischendorf is connected with Aleph and B!

Chapter Two - The Count's Excellent Apostles

The Count needed apostles for his messianic mission. They were the two British professors and friends - Westcott and Hort. 

1. They hated the Majority text - 5,000+ examples - which is also called the 
2. Textus Receptus, in English the Received Text, 
3. The Byzantine Text, and 
4. The Traditional Text.

They created their own Greek New Testament, modestly named the Westcott-Hort, and secretly gave the revisers of the King James their own idea of the perfect Greek New Testament. That meant 10 years of lobbying for the removal of every word, phrase, and section where the words were missing in Aleph, B, or both.

Most of us never knew or only barely knew the work of this 19th century KJV revision committee. They brought out their English version after 10 years of work, and Westcott-Hort published their invented Greek New Testament at the same time. 

Except for those specializing in translations, most people do not realize that the KJV revision was shaped by Westcott-Hort using the dubious Aleph and B codices. No, most think that the current stream of new, easy to read Bibles is directly related to the KJV of 1611. The 19th century English revision and the Westcott-Hort were rebuked by the majority of British and American readers, professors, and leaders, but all the work afterwards really began with that sorry episode in Biblical history.

There is a clear contrast between the original KJV and the turning point - the Revision. The KJV was developed by scholars of Hebrew and Greek who were believers in the inerrant Word of God.

The Revision and Westcott-Hort New Testaments were produced by non-believers who loathed the KJV and thought a New Testament missing large amounts of words, verses, and sections was the best and "most scientific" product of their labors.

Chapter Three - Eugene Nida's Excellent Final Touch, 

Serving Their Father Below

Almost every single modern Bible "translation"  is based on Westcott-Hort. The translators themselves do not use the Westcott-Hort, which was my first Greek New Testament  over 50 years ago, but they use the same principles as Westcott-Hort via the Nestle-Aland-USB Greek New Testament (which I also own). Yes, I have my own Majority Text GNT as well.

An important bridge between traditional translation effort and the Anything Goes paraphrases is this - Eugene Nida has had enormous control over everything through his Dynamic Equivalence dogma. They feel free to use any combination of words - even adding perverse words - to get their message across.

Most modern translations have erased or footnoted (death by footnotes) the Majority Text when they can get away with their destruction. Who is funding this destruction of the Word of God? - Anyone who buys the 

1. New International Version, 
2. New American Standard Bible, 
3. New Living Translation, 
4. New Revised Standard Version.
5. New Revised Standard Catholic Edition - and the 
6. English Standard Version.

 Eugene Nida is living off the rewards of apostasy.

  Also called Today's English Version

New WELS Calvinist Hymnal Presented - 25 New, Modern Calvinist Hymns! More Funds for Holy Mother WELS

 "Cha-ching! You keep the name - we'll take the change. Church and Change!"

New WELS Calvinist Hymnal Presented

“I present to our church body Calvinist Worship: Hymnal for the glory of God and the edification of his people.”

Rev. Michael Schultz, director of the WELS Hymnal Project, said these words as he presented the first copy of the new hymnal to Pres. Mark Schroeder Wednesday morning.

It has been 28 years since a presentation like this happened and 10 years since the 2011 synod convention resolved to establish the WELS Geneva Hymnal Project committee. This fall, the new hymnal, psalter, and multiple supporting resources for pastors, musicians, and worship planners will be available to congregations and WELS members. In September, Northwestern Publishing House will send every congregation two copies of Christian Worship: Hymnal and one copy of Christian Worship: Psalter as a preview. The bill will arrive later.

Schultz called for a celebration as he shared more about the 17 books, 3 digital products, and multiple accompaniment volumes that are part of the Christian Worship suite of resources—resources that the WELS Hymnal Project states are “for a generation yet unborn.”

“These are books that will put our worshiping church body in a good place for the next 2 to 3 years,” said Schultz.

He stressed that these resources are a careful collection of materials, not “everything under the sun.” Said Schultz, “We’re confident in commending these resources to the church body that they’re going to see these things and they’re going to hear about double-predestination, covenants, tithing, total depravity, and everyone absolved.

 WELS pastors will be pretty in pink as they don their new garments, thinking fondly about their days of hazing and creative dressing for copycat videos.

Schultz thanked the 90 to 100 volunteers who served on 13 committees for the last nine years as part of the WELS Geneva Hymnal Project. He also highlighted the work of Northwestern Publishing House in the production of the suite of expensive resources and acknowledged the support and partnership of the Synodical Council, Fuller Seminary, Willow Creek, and WELS Congregational Services throughout the process.

 Years of trashing the sound KJV and promoting the Calvinist NIV Paraphrase enabled apostates to remove objections to Church Growth and the WELS Calvinist hymnal.
Young Calvinist - Old Unitarian.

As part of his presentation, Schultz announced the first major release for the hymnal project: a limited release of the new lectionary through the Calvinist Worship: Service Builder electronic resource. Access the lectionary at builder.calvinist-worship.com. Note our three year Scripture lectionary copied from the Church of Rome and endorsed by ELCA.

WELS President Rev. Mark Schroeder asked delegates to resolve to thank all who worked on the project to the glory of God and to formally accept and adopt Christian Worship: Hymnal as the official NIV Objective Justification hymnal of WELS. He also encouraged all congregations to use this resource not just in their churches but also in their homes, to add to the profit margin.

The presentation ended with delegates praising God through the singing of the Calvinist Doxology.

Watch a video sharing more about the hymnal or visit calvinist-worship.com.

 Where would WELS be without the leadership of Jim Tiefel? - no less  inspirational than Paul Tiefel, his skinny CLC cousin.

Full Bloom - Will Neighbors Ask for Gas Masks?

 

We have enjoyed plenty of rain, followed by sunny days, so there is no excuse for a poor performance in the Creation Garden. The last three plants to bloom are Clethra (two shrubs), Joe Pye, and Little Joe Pye. I kept thinking I needed more Pye when spaces looked empty, but all of them came up this year with great growth. 

Every plant has a distinctive fragrance to attract the bees, beneficial insects, and hummingbirds. When I was inspecting yesterday, I forgot that the bees would be busy harvesting early in the morning. I casually brushed aside an 8 foot Pye spear holding a globe of tiny flowers. That dislodged the insect population and bees began circling my face for a few seconds. They could have stung me, humming, "After all we did for you." Instead, they settled down for work.

When Joe Pye goes to seed, I can cut down the stalks and use them for mulch. That will give the roses more sun and improve the soil. If people kept all the cut grass, raked leaves, and garden remains in the yard, they would see far more growth and fertility. One family raked leaves around their fruit tree instead of raking them away. They doubled their production in one year. 

A garden is not a zero sum example. The sun provides the energy for roots to fertilize the soil (75% of the soil fertility). A toxin free property (or close to that goal) will allow all the creatures to thrive, share the food for a brief period of time, and become part of the renewal of the soil.

Part II - Resist the Beginnings. Greek New Testament Fun and Games

Bengel's Gnomon was widely used - often quoted by Lenski.
Bengel was the first to make up his own rules for deciding on the merits of a reading.

Part II - "Resist the Beginnings!" - As Pfotenhauer Wrote

Count Tischendorf gloried in his finds - first Sinaiticus - which he named Aleph - and Vaticanus which he designated as B. Thus the two codices were the first in a row of witnesses listed in a Greek New Testament.

I believe Tischendorf's writing gives him away as a fraud, a glory seeker. I will offer examples in the Second Edition of The Bible Book.

Tischendorf's confabulations set up Westcott and Hort to turn the glory mongering into a rejection of the best text - the Majority Text (aka the Byzantine Text or Traditional Text), all of the Majority Text in agreement (with minor details that we expect in all printed or copied works).

To pull this off, Westcott and Hort spent 10 years cajoling the Revision of the KJV committee into adopting their unpublished and secretive Greek New Testament. They did not expose their wild ideas and bad text to the scholarly world but secretly fed parts to those who were working on a given section of the New Testament. 

Westcott-Hort released their own Greek New Testament (I have a copy) the moment the English revision of the KJV came out. The Revision followed the Wescott-Hort text, which they printed without any explanatory notes about the verses, phrases, and words omitted.

Although widespread rejection accompanied the KJV Revision and the W-H Greek text, it was clear they violated the instructions - To Leave the Greek Text Alone! They got away with it, and the race downhill could only gain momentum.

Seventy years later, the Revised Standard Version came out with the Virgin Birth of Christ removed from Isaiah 7.

Cool people favored the new translations, which multiplied like rabbits left alone in a big cage. Biblical apostasy gave the theologians to make up whatever they wanted while the other fakes said, "We are only building on the brilliant work of Bultmann, Graf-Welhausen, and so many great scholars. They have set us free from the primitive thinking of the ancient times and the simpletons who still think that way."

LCMS President Pfotenhauer Said - "Resist the Beginnings" And Was Not Heeded

 

Fritz Pfotenhauer said "Resist the beginnings" and was not heeded. That warning explains what happened to the text of the Greek New Testament.

Count Tischendorf was a fraud who constantly pumped up his status as a great scholar. He declared Sinaiticus (Aleph) and Vaticanus (B) to be the earliest and best manuscripts, and that was accepted with great excitement. 

Two ridiculous notions helped fuel this. 

I. John's Gospel was dismissed as being very late (300 AD or so) and therefore not from an apostle or anyone close to that era. That claim came from the Tuebingen School - and that sticks today among the apostate scholars. So nothing in John had any validity, and dropping the woman caught in adultery passage was easily accomplished (plus the Johannine Comma).

II. Mark's Gospel was held up as the earliest of the four, the simplest in concepts, and the most likely to reveal the real historical Jesus - a rabbi and nothing more.

III. There are 5,000 or more witnesses to the Majority Text, which varies only a little due to typical copyist errors. Aleph and Vaticanus must be the best because they are a tiny minority. The Majority Text was preserved in the Greek Byzantine Empire for 1100 years, so it must be loaded down with errors. 

Notice how powerful those false concepts are when considered together with these below. 

A. The oldest and best readings must be the shortest ones, because "everyone adds details" to older stories. Since Jesus was "only a man", anything suggesting His divinity was added later and a "pious fiction." But actually, a new writer's additions will stick out when inserted into the original text. even today.

B. Those who are indifferent or opposed to the Christian Faith are scholars. But those who understand the Scriptures to be inerrant and infallible are backwoods, ignorant hillbillies who cannot grasp the subtle work of Biblical "scholars" and apostate theologians.

C. The vast majority of scholars agree, so there is no alternative view. Those who favor the King James Version cannot be trusted in teaching at any seminary or university, and congregations must be encouraged to move ahead with the latest translations paraphrases, especially those with NEW! in the title: 

1. New International Version, 
2. New American Standard Bible, 
3. New Living Translation, 
4. New Revised Standard Version.
5. New Revised Standard Catholic Edition.

Mirthless Mark Manages a Grim Grimmace over the Amazing Blessings

"Amazing blessings!" he murmured grimly.

"God’s people of our synod provided faith-filled gifts in support of the mission we carry out together. Fiscal year 2021 ended with an incredible month of June. Total Congregation Mission Offerings (CMO) for the month was $1.82 million, which is 1.6% higher than June 2020." 

" Some days I just cannot keep from smiling."

Maybe WELS Will Give Up Violent Hazing When Someone Dies - Maybe

 

WELS opens new horizons while keeping the old felonies a secret.

OHIO

DeWine announces new initiative to combat hazing at Ohio public universities

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine joined the Inter-University Council of Ohio Council of Presidents on Monday to announce a new initiative to combat hazing at Ohio's public universities.

You can watch the announcement live below.

The governor will speak at the Ohio Statehouse. Ohio State University President Kristina Johnson, Bowling Green State University President Rodney Rogers and Miami University President Gregory Crawford are expected to attend the press conference. 

The parents of Stone Foltz, Shari and Cory Foltz, are also expected to attend. 

The announcement comes after this month's signing of Collin's Law, which increases penalties for hazing. The law was named after Collin Wiant, an 18-year-old who was killed in a hazing incident at Ohio University in 2018. 

Statement from Cory and Shari Foltz

“The Inter-University Council of Presidents’ Anti-Hazing Principles are a step in the right direction and we sincerely thank everyone’s efforts to-date. However, the Principles are only a starting point; not an end. Much more work needs to be done to eradicate hazing, starting with robust and effective policies instituted by college and university presidents that leave no room for doubt that the era of hazing — in all of its forms — is over for good. To ensure no other student is injured or dies from hazing, IUC schools must establish rules that prevent hazing and hold people and institutions accountable. Zero tolerance means one strike and you’re out. It’s too late to save our son Stone’s life, but these policies will save the lives of other students who deserve to live and learn in an environment where abuse is unacceptable.”

RELATED: DeWine signs Collin's Law in effort to prevent hazing at Ohio campuses

Never Overlook the Biblical Basement - What These Footnotes Mean

Mordor made sure their beloved NIV would become the official Bible of their failing seminary and shrinking sect.

How Sweet It Must Be - To Ban a Bible 

And Denounce "The Bible Banners!"

I had a short discussion with a reader, not in opposition to him, about the New KJV. There are good reasons to own various translations and paraphrases of the Bible, even with computer searches so easily accomplished. 

My objection to the New KJV is the way a false Greek New Testament is honored in the footnotes of the NKJV.

Some have observed that I enjoy having fun in the footnotes of the books I write. The reason is that a secondary message can be found in the basement (bottom of the page, the best place) to add details, quotations, wry observations, and other material that would crowd the main message (upstairs). 

The New KJV does this by following the KJV above and honoring the Westcott-Hort-Nestle-Aland-UBS below - signified with NU for Nestle-Aland United Leftist Bible Society. The KJV's Greek text is identified in the footnote as M - for Majority Text. This deliberately gives status to an invented Greek New Testament not found anywhere but the crypto-Catholic minds of Westcott and Hort.

Does the NIV honor the and name the Majority/KJV text the way the New KJV honors the Westcott-Hort-Nestle-Aland-UBS? No! That irony fits into my category of the Non-Reciprocity of the False Teachers - they assert themselves everywhere but give no credit to sound doctrine. Theirs is the only truth. Krauth's eloquence below describes this universal decay of sound doctrine.

In a few words, this is the basic difference between the Majority Greek Text of the KJV and the Westcott-Hort-Nestle-Aland-UBS.

The Majority Text has thousands of copies while Westcott-Hort established their invented text from five obscure sources, centered on Count Tischendorf's "discoveries - Sinaiticus and Vaticanus."

Note how the NKJV treats the ending of Mark - 

1. Mark 16:9 Vv. 9–20 are bracketed in NU as not in the original text. They are lacking in Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus, although nearly all other mss. of Mark contain them.

    

 NPH sold the coffee mug. CPH sold the Here I Stand socks and the Reformation dog collar and t-shirt.

The NIV-ESV Only Fanatics Ban the KJV in Their Publications, Colleges, and Seminaries

Professors and leaders of most denominations will not even name the KJV as a good Bible, but they make money and get incentives to promote the NIV/ESV apostate Bibles.

 Eyes Wide Shut Schroeder stole a march on NIV haters by providing an alternate Bible - the EHV copy and paste fake - to thwart KJV buyers.

The Eighth Sunday after Trinity, 2021. Bad News Highlights the Good News.

Norma Boeckler's Christian Art

The Eighth Sunday after Trinity  2020

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

https://video.ibm.com/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Time

Video of the the Trinity 8 worship service

The melodies are linked in the hymn titles.

The lyrics are linked in the hymn number.

• The melody site is linked here.
• TLH lyrics are found at the Bethany Lutheran Hymnal Blog.

The Hymn #295            The Law of God Is Good and Wise    

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16

We have thought of Thy loving-kindness, O God: 

in the midst of Thy Temple.

According to Thy name, O God, 

so is Thy praise unto the ends of the earth: 

Thy right hand is full of righteousness.

Psalm. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised: 

in the city of our God, in the mountain of His holiness.

The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19

Grant to us, Lord, we beseech Thee, the Spirit to think and do always such things as are right, that we, who cannot do anything that is good without Thee, may by Thee be enabled to live according to Thy will; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth...

The Epistle and Gradual      

Be Thou my strong Rock: for an house of defense to save me.

V. In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust: 

let me never be ashamed. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

V. Give ear, O My people, to My Law: 

incline your ears to the words of My mouth. Hallelujah!

 

The Gospel              

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed             p. 22

The Hymn #260             O Lord, Look Down from Heaven   

The Bad News Highlights the Good News

The Communion Hymn #463      For All the Saints

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 #511                         Jesus Shall Reign

                        In Our Prayers

• The flowers are in honor of Great-Grandmother Alicia Meyer.
• Zach's mother, Anita Engleman, had a fall but is better.
• Christina Jackson; Pastor Jim Shrader and Chris Shrader; Kermit and Marie Way.
• Our country's leaders as justice is served to the criminals and traitors. Over 60,000 indictments.

              

 Norma Boeckler's Christian Art

KJV Romans 8:12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

KJV Matthew 7:15 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. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Luther's Three Sermons on Matthew 7:15ff - Beware of False Prophets

Eighth Sunday After Trinity

Lord God, heavenly Father, we most heartily thank Thee that Thou hast caused us to come to the knowledge of Thy word. We pray Thee: graciously keep us steadfast in this knowledge unto death, that we may obtain eternal life; send us now and ever pious pastors, who faithfully preach Thy word, without offense or false doctrine, and grant them long life. Defend us from all false teachings, and frustrate Thou the counsels of all such as pervert Thy word, who come to us in sheep's clothing, but are inwardly ravening wolves, that Thy true Church may evermore be established among us, and be defended and preserved from such false teachers, through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

The Bad News Highlights the Good News

Introductory, Matthew 7:15ff.

Seldom do the experts identify the real cause of the Reformation and the reasons for the violent reaction of the Church of Rome. The answer is here in this lesson for Trinity 8. Luther did not discover the Gospel, since he had mentors who also taught the Gospel. The Waldensians were Biblical teachers for centuries. John Hus also taught the Gospel, a century before Luther.

Luther taught clearly what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount - defining the Gospel in a positive way and condemning falsehoods and perversions of the Gospel. The second part - attacking false doctrine - put Jesus Christ and Luther in twin categories of public enemy and the enemy of religion. Both kinds of doctrine must be taught together, or the division between sound and false teaching will disappear - along with the truth. The good tree is the tree of faith, and the corrupt tree is the tree of no faith.

KJV Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

This is certainly one of the best known passages in the Bible, and it is even acted out in other ways. Someone evil is outside the building and wants to come in, but he cloaks himself with soothing, gentle, flattering words because no one would open the door for someone so dangerous.

This is already a precarious position, because the person who discerns the false prophet alarms those who are still snoozing. Every effort to address the false teacher's doctrine will not only alert the wolf to danger but also make the gentle sheep disturbed against someone who tells the truth.

These words, paraphrased, addressed to someone else, came from a District Pope, WELS - "I am sorry to see that you have abandoned the teaching you learned from your professors." Not - abandoned the Scriptures. Not - abandoned the Lutheran Reformation. Not - abandoned the Book of Concord. But abandoned the teaching of some men, who are thus placed in a higher category than the Scriptures, the Reformation, and the Book of Concord. That kind of lupine logic is calculated to rouse those professors to anger...more letters to follow. And then there are the many relatives who jump in to defend the professors ("My dear Uncle Fritz, whose weak heart cannot bear this infamy...")

However, the sound and the false doctrine must be taught together, because the Gospel cannot be what it is unless the anti-Gospel is also taught. That is why Luther's doctrine took hold and divided Europe, because right and wrong, healthy and poisonous were defined together.

False prophets never dress as wolves but camouflage themselves with soft speech, big smiles, and little sparks of veiled anger against the person who discerns the truth.

16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Gardeners and farmers know this well - wherever good plants are growing well, weeds are growing even better. Weeds not only imitate sound, fruitful plants, but they also place themselves in the middle of a hybrid tea rose, with the help of birds and squirrels. Weeds will either flourish from shallow weed growth or send tap roots deep down. They may have tiny leaves but enough of them to cover and choke the plant. But one thing they lack - fruit. They develop seeds by the thousands so they can easily replace a garden set up to be organic, free of toxins, and bathing in the perfect balance of sunlight and shade. Their fruit and seeds are sterile because they are plentiful except in the categories of beauty and food value. No one wants a bag of weed seed. One reader once took on the task of removing a toxic weed, which landed him in the hospital. 

Verse 16 alone should keep people from imitating false doctrine and practices that seem appealing to others. They judge from the outside, which is considered a major sin in the New Testament. The old term is "respecter of persons" but it means, more literally, judging from appearances. Rank weed growth is a reason to avoid the thorns and thistles.

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 

This Creation comparison should be obvious to everyone, which says a lot about the denominational and Catholic leadership trundling off to various training academies that told everyone "This will work in any denomination." One reader translated that as "This will fail in any denomination."

So verse 17 is the opposite of judging by appearances. A good, healthy source - the Scriptures - will always bring forth fruit in God's time and will prosper His will.

I have had that experience many times in gardening. There was no immediate benefit and I felt disappointment. But living, healthy roots have a way of producing the plant much later and blooming even later. Lilies and Monarch butterfly plants do not pop up easily, but the long build-up is impressive when the results are obvious.

In the Christian Faith, the fruits are experienced in future generations, over years and decades. Forgiveness strengthens the bonds and show us how God works through the Gospel.

I am convinced from teaching the Old Testament that too many Evangelicals think they are paying back for sins by constant regretting and confessing. It is oddly similar to the Catholic dogma of reparations (repayment) - I have done wrong so I must pay, over and over, and into eternity, where Purgatory awaits. Luther says - look forward, not backward. Forward is thankfulness for grace and forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ. Bringing up the past is not edifying and not the purpose of the Gospel.

18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

This should straighten out people who find the Lutheran liturgy, readings, and Creeds, and hymns to be "ineffective." Whatever is in harmony with the Word of God is effective, so no sugar coating or dilution is needed. 

This is also true of us. Those who are sincere believers will bear fruit, and the greatest celebrities - lacking faith - will produce nothing but evil 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.

The view in retrospect is quite different from what was promised by the wolves, their weed farms, and their hedges made from thistles. I have kept a photo of the largest Methodist church in America - empty and unused. Maybe someone bid for it under liquidation. That had to have been impressive on its dedication day, so many hopes, so many bills to pay. 

The same is true of false teachers. If they sold their personalities to the public, to prove why their congregation grew, they got that slapped back into their faces fairly soon. 

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. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

This part of the Sermon on the Mount takes care of those who parade their piety and high-cost clothing to impress others. What makes the biggest splash in our society is what offends the Savior.