A Little Night Music

 

Perhaps the Big Five Apostates - ELCA-LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic) - might want o heave their mistakes out the windows of their carved oaken district and synodical offices. Even the Little Schoolhouse on the Prairie (ELS, Bethany College Seminary and Retirement Home) has that touch of wealth - the copper-top chapel, the oversized Schwan buildings.

As the son of a retail baker and donut shop expert, I can offer some simple suggestions that have everything to do with the effective power of the Word (John 16:8 - a shocker for all of them). The bakery made very high quality bakery goods with the best ingredients and hard-working employees. The shop itself was very small so the overhead was small. My father pointed out that he saw 200 bakeries rise and fall over his decades in business. Almost retired, the customers were delighted to have candies he created from his home, to keep it going in retirement.

ELCA advocates abortion in their health plan - "For the life of the world." That does not bother the Waltherian Four at all.

What did the Apostles have when Jesus ascended into Heaven? They did not have the hierarchy and greedy salaries with benefits, armored with relatives to keep the power and squash the willing. What do the synodicals have today that is not hilariously wasteful, greedy, and racing downhill into dissolution? or dissolution. 

The Apostles and their associates risked their lives and taught the Gospel. They died at a rapid pace to guard the message of Jesus. 

Bethany Lutheran Church is providing a series of lessons, KJV, for the Acts of the Apostles. The videos are free and easy to use here. 

No! The Big Five Apostates - ELCA-LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic) must use Management by Objectives to spend enormous amounts of money and wasted time to repudiate the Means of Grace. There is no difference between Liz Eaton's gay-lesbian brigades and Waltherian denials of the same. They will work very closely together and they will down even faster. 

"Whee! Fuller, Willow Creek, Andy Stanley, Purpose Driven, and many more!"

Reformation Seminary Lecture - KJV Acts 2 - Part 2 - 11 AM Central

KJV Acts 2 - Part 2

21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:

23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:

24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

25 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:

26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:

27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.

29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.

30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.

33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.

34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,

35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool.

36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;

45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

Send in the Clowns - Don't Worry They're Here

 

The famous Broadway show, "A Little Night Music," spawned one of those permanent clever songs. I could quote all of it, but the professionals frown on too much sharing. The famous line made me think of the disasters facing the hard work, enthusiasm, panic, blaming, plagiarism, and bankruptcy of the Lutherans. The top three - or rather the bottom three - absorb most of the Lutheran members left - ELCA, LCMS, WELS.

"Don't you love farce?"

 "My fault, I fear."

"I thought that you'd want what I want
Sorry, my dear."

These proud sentinels of the synods have trapped themselves in their own illusions. If only they could find the right excuses, the best financial numbers, the most easily blamed.... 

The bottom three (to be more blunt) perhaps fear the truth about their own work. They abhor the best and only English Bible - the King James Version. Their choices are ridiculous, unless one counts the corrupt Bibles that generate cash for their bleeding losses.

Their hymnals have excluded the best while trying to borrow as much as they can from anti-Lutheran song disasters.

Their efforts to have conferences give them the lift and sweetness of cotton candy.

If the Apostles did so much with nothing, why are the Apostates losing everything with the help of their Father Below?

 "Quick, send in the clowns
Don't bother they're here."

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Lent 5 Judica - "But a godless person feels and experiences death, and is terrified before it forever. Thus to taste death may well be called the power and reign or the bitterness of death, yea, it is the eternal death and hell. The Word of God makes this difference. A Christian has that Word and clings firmly to it in death; therefore he does not see death, but his eyes are filled with the life and the Christ in that Word; therefore he never feels death."

 

Luther's Sermons - John 8:46-59.
Judica. Fifth Sunday in Lent

10. How does it then come to pass that man does not see nor taste death, and yet Abraham and all the prophets are dead, who notwithstanding had the Word of God as the Jews say? Here we must give attention to the words of Christ, who makes the distinction that death is a different thing than to see or taste death. We all must face death and die; but a Christian neither tastes nor sees it, that is, he does not feel it, he is not terrified before it, and he enters death calmly and quietly, as though falling asleep, and yet he does not die. But a godless person feels and experiences death, and is terrified before it forever. Thus to taste death may well be called the power and reign or the bitterness of death, yea, it is the eternal death and hell. The Word of God makes this difference. A Christian has that Word and clings firmly to it in death; therefore he does not see death, but his eyes are filled with the life and the Christ in that Word; therefore he never feels death. But the godless possess not that Word, therefore they see no life, but only death; and they must also feel death; that is then the bitter and eternal death.

11. Now Christ means here that whoever clings to his Word will in the midst of death neither feel nor see death, as he also says in John 11:25: “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me though he die, yet shall he live,” that is, he will not experience real death. Here we see now what a glorious estate it is to be a Christian, who is already released from death forever and can never die. For his death or dying seems outwardly indeed like the dying of the godless, but inwardly there is a difference as great as between heaven and earth. For the Christian sleeps in death and in that way enters into life, but the godless departs from life and experiences death forever; thus we may see how some tremble, doubt and despair, and become senseless and raging in the midst of the perils of death. Hence death is also called in the Scriptures a sleep. For just as he who falls asleep does not know how it happens, and he greets the morning when he awakes; so shall we suddenly arise on the last day, and never know how we entered and passed through death.