The Seventh Sunday after Trinity, 2021. Abundance Before We Ask

The Seventh Sunday after Trinity, 2021

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Daylight Time

The melodies are linked in the hymn title. 

The lyrics are linked from the Bethany Hymnal Blog.

• The melody site is linked here.
• TLH lyrics are found here.

 Video of the Bethany service for today.

The Hymn #12       This Day at Thy Creating Word - Bishop How                                  

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16

Oh, clap your hands, all ye people! 

Shout unto God with the voice of triumph.

Psalm. He shall subdue the people under us: 

and the nations under our feet.

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

O God, whose never-failing providence ordereth all things both in heaven and earth, we humbly beseech Thee to put away from us all hurtful things and to give us those things which be profitable for us; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth, etc.

The Epistle and Gradual       

Come, ye children, hearken unto me: 

I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

V. Look unto Him and be lightened: 

and let your faces not be ashamed. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

V. Oh, clap your hands, all ye people:

shout unto God with the voice of triumph. Hallelujah!

The Gospel              

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

The Sermon Hymn #288    Lord Help Us Ever To Retain - Loy       

           

Abundance Before We Ask

The Communion Hymn #409         Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus 

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 #216          On Christ's Ascension                  

In Our Prayers

• Ivy Anderson's birthday was May 18th.
• Christian Jackson's birthday, Tuesday. 
• Alicia Meyer's birthday- July 27th.
• Tests and treatment - Kermit Way, Pastor Jim Shrader, Randy Anderson (rehabbing leg).

Norma Boeckler's Christian Art Books

KJV Romans 6:19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. 20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. 21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. 22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

KJV Mark 8:1 In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them, 2 I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat: 3 And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far. 4 And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness? 5 And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven. 6 And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people. 7 And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them. 8 So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets. 9 And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.

SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

Lord God, heavenly Father, who in the wilderness didst by Thy Son abundantly feed four thousand men besides women and children with seven loaves and a few small fishes: We beseech Thee, graciously abide among us with Thy blessing, and keep us from covetousness and the cares of this life, that we may seek first Thy kingdom and Thy righteousness, and in all things needful for body and soul, experience Thine ever-present help; through Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

Abundance Before We Ask

Background for the Gospel Lesson, Mark 8:1ff

The Old Testament is full of examples of God acting without being asked. God's Exodus took His people out of slavery in Egypt and provided for them throughout the journey. They complained about their difficulties, but God gave them freedom from the Egyptian soldiers, manna from heaven, birds to vary their diet, and water from a rock. It is no accident that this miracle took place in the desert, because the Gospels show how the Old Testament is a foreshadowing of the New Testament. This Gospel shows how compassionate and loving Jesus Christ is, so we should always trust Him to care for us and provide for us.

KJV Mark 8:1 In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them, 2 I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat: 3 And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far. 

When people complain about Christianity, they frequently skip over the portrayal of Jesus in the Scriptures. There we have the complete portrait of Christ and more details than we can hope to have. That message can be summarized in a few words. Jesus - the Son of God - is perfectly in harmony with the Father and clearly revealed by the Holy Spirit. Everything Jesus says and does in the Bible (going back to Genesis 1 and Exodus 3) is subordinated to the Father's will and plans. Therefore, the portrait of Jesus in the Bible is also the nature of the Father and fully revealed by the Spirit.

There are hundreds of ways in which this is forgotten or covered up, such as making the Bible into a history book written by ordinary men. But there are thousands of ways to discover and reveal and explain how this is true - Jesus is the face and voice and will of the Father.

The first point to remember about this miracle is that the multitude followed Jesus into the desert and stayed with Him three days. Assuming they brought food with them, all that food would be gone after three days. The folly of exploring the Grand Canyon as an amateur is not knowing the heat uses up water and food calories. Slowly starving in the heat makes people listless, even when water is available. 

Before anyone asked for food, Jesus told His disciples that He would provide for those people who followed Him into the desert. Saying that they had nothing to eat emphasizes His divine knowledge and power.

4 And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?

The disciples, the forerunners of all church councils, said, "Impossible. Look at the facts. No one can obtain enough food to feed all these people in the desert." I was at a church council meeting where everything was going well, moving along, until one member said to this all-male group, "How much chicken are you buying for the Men's Night." I noted the time of this question, which was debated by everyone for 45 minutes. Later the retired chemist said, "Our meetings are too long." I said, "You asked the chicken question, which was discussed 45 minutes."

That illustrates how the material world occupies us, ignoring that God provides and that God provides beyond anything we can imagine.

The disciples were talking themselves into doing nothing since nothing was possible. Jesus worked another way.

5 And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven. 6 And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people. 

Jesus multiplied the little they had, barely enough for the disciples. I wonder if one of the disciples thought or  said, "Not OUR bread!" The people were seated on the ground and organized in groups for the distribution and for counting. A crowded mass of people, shoulder to shoulder, could not be served. 

Luther on child-faith:

3. You have often heard that there are also two kinds of possessions, spiritual and temporal. To-day’s Gospel treats of the temporal and bodily blessings, teaches us the faith of the child, and it is a picture for the weak, in that they should look to God for everything good, and that they might thus later learn to trust God and depend upon him for spiritual blessings.

For if we are instructed in the Gospel, how Christ feeds our stomachs, we can then conclude that he will also feed and clothe our souls. For if I cannot trust him to sustain my body, much less can I trust him to sustain my soul forever. For example, if I cannot trust a person that he will give me one dollar, how can I trust him that he will give me ten? If I cannot expect from a person that he will give me a piece of bread; much less could I have any hope, that he would give me a house and yard, and the whole earth.

4. Now, he who cannot, like the babe on its mother’s breast, have a child faith, will hardly hope that God will forgive him his sins and save his soul forever; for the soul is inexpressibly more than the stomach, for which also Christ has compassion as the Gospel to-day proves. Therefore St. Peter said correctly in 1 Peter 2:1-3: “Beloved brethren: Putting away therefore all wickedness, and all guile, anal hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, long for the spiritual milk which is without guile, that ye may grow thereby unto Salvation; if ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” For it is not enough that a babe should imbibe milk, but it must also grow large and strong, that it may learn later to eat bread and hard food.

Luther's child-faith comparison is perfect, because babies are so trusting that they only need mother's voice and touch to feel calm again. The baby sees his mother as the source of comfort, food, dryness, and love. God gives babies such an abundance of charm that their antics, crying, fierce looks creates smiles and baby-talk to soothe them. Babies are born PhDs in human psychology, but that evaporates by the time they are parents, so it has to be re-learned from the next generation.

Likewise, child-faith strengthens us through experience so we learn how much God can do, which gives us patience and endurance during difficult times.

7 And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them. 8 So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets.

As one of our members observed, fear is a great motivator, so it is used to control people through propaganda. But faith conquers the fear that would consume us and rob us of the intelligence God has given us. Not everyone stayed with the lessons taught, but those who did realized later that fearsome threats can be placed in perspective through faith. This enormous crowd had more at the end than they had at the beginning.

 9 And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.

Luther:

13. Behold, what a sympathetic Christ we have, who even provides food for our poor stomachs. Here new hope is awakened and man is comforted through the words of Christ; as he says: They lie there and wait for me until the third day. I must give them also what they need. Here you see that all who thus faithfully cling to the Word of God will be fed by God himself; for that is the nature and the power of faith, which flows alone out of the Word of God.

14. Therefore, beloved friends, let us once make a beginning to believe; for unbelief is the cause of all sin and vice, which now have taken the upper hand in all stations of life. How does it come to pass that everywhere there are so many foolish women and rogues, so many rank imposters, thieves, robbers, usurers, murderers and sellers of indulgences? It all comes from unbelief. For such men judge alone according to human reason, and the reason judges only according to that which it sees; but what it does not see, it does not wish to lay hold of. Therefore, if it does not place its confidence in God through faith, then it must despair in itself and develop rogues and rascals. Observe, thus it comes to pass wherever men permit their reason to govern them, and are not ruled by faith.

Faith is God is rare today, because this faith is seldom taught and often mocked. I see professors of the Bible holding themselves above the Bible, mocking the Bible, and using it only for their own shallow philosophies. So not only is the secular world looking at everything as if God did not exist, but also the religious world is finding comfort in the good things in life and never opposing anything that is damaging to faith.

To start faith over again, among those those who have lost their way, one must begin with the nature of Jesus as described in the Gospel of John most clearly.  He is all-compassion, always teaching faith in Him, the face and voice of God the Father. 

The foundational sin is not believing in Jesus - that

1. He was and is God born in the flesh.
2. That was born of the Virgin Mary.
3. That He was appointed to die for our sins.
4. That He taught and healed people.
5. That He turned water into wine, walked on water, fed the multitudes, raised the dead - and rose from the dead.
6. That He taught His core followers after He rose from the dead and set up the Christian Church.
7. That the Apostles believed and taught His Word, turning the Roman Empire Christian, using the Word and the visible Word of the Sacraments.

Luther's Sermon on the Miraculous Feeding in the Desert

SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY.



Text. Mark 8:1-9. In those days, when there was again a great multitude, and they had nothing to eat, he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and ,if I send them away fasting to their home, they will faint on the way; and some of them are come from far. And his disciples answered him, Whence shall one be able to fill these men with bread here in a desert place? And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven. And he commandeth the multitude to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he brake, and gave to his disciples, to set before them; and they set them before the multitude. And they had a few small fishes: and having blessed them, he commanded to set these also before them. And they ate, and were filled: and they took up, of broken pieces that remained over, seven baskets. And they were about four thousand: and he sent them away.



JESUS FEEDS THE FOUR THOUSAND WITH SEVEN LOAVES AND A FEW SMALL FISHES.

PART. I. CONCERNING FAITH.

1. Beloved friends, I hope you thoroughly understand this Gospel; for you are now sufficiently established in the truth to know what we should expect in the Gospel and what is presented to us there, namely, the true nature and life of faith. Because of this Christ is pictured and represented so lovingly in all the Gospel lessons. Although his history and works are ever changing, yet the plain, simple faith remains ever the same. To-day’s Gospel paints to us the Lord in a way that we may fully know how we should esteem him, namely, that he is merciful, meek and loving; that he gladly helps everybody and freely associates and deals with all people. And such a picture as this faith really craves.

2. Therefore the Scriptures present to us a double picture; one is that of fear or the overpowering picture of the severe wrath of God, before which no one can stand; but must despair unless he has faith. In contrast with this the picture of grace is presented to us in order that faith may behold it and obtain for itself an agreeable and comforting refuge in God, with the hope that man cannot expect so much from God, that there is not still much more to be had from him.

3. You have often heard that there are also two kinds of possessions, spiritual and temporal. To-day’s Gospel treats of the temporal and bodily blessings, teaches us the faith of the child, and it is a picture for the weak, in that they should look to God for everything good, and that they might thus later learn to trust God and depend upon him for spiritual blessings.

For if we are instructed in the Gospel, how Christ feeds our stomachs, we can then conclude that he will also feed and clothe our souls. For if I cannot trust him to sustain my body, much less can I trust him to sustain my soul forever. For example, if I cannot trust a person that he will give me one dollar, how can I trust him that he will give me ten? If I cannot expect from a person that he will give me a piece of bread; much less could I have any hope, that he would give me a house and yard, and the whole earth.

4. Now, he who cannot, like the babe on its mother’s breast, have a child faith, will hardly hope that God will forgive him his sins and save his soul forever; for the soul is inexpressibly more than the stomach, for which also Christ has compassion as the Gospel to-day proves. Therefore St. Peter said correctly in 1 Peter 2:1-3: “Beloved brethren: Putting away therefore all wickedness, and all guile, anal hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, long for the spiritual milk which is without guile, that ye may grow thereby unto Salvation; if ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” For it is not enough that a babe should imbibe milk, but it must also grow large and strong, that it may learn later to eat bread and hard food.

5. But “to feed on milk” means, to taste the favor and the kind grace of God. “To taste the goodness of God” means, to experience it in one’s life.

For should I preach a hundred years of God, how kind, sweet and good he is, that he condescends to help man, and I have not yet myself tasted it through experience; thus all is still in vain and no one is in this way taught to trust God rightly. From this you can conclude what a rare person a true Christian is. For there are many who say they trust in God for their daily bread; but that floats only upon the tongue and hangs in the ears; it never enters the heart where it belongs.

6. Now let us observe in this example, what the life and nature of faith are.

The apostle in the Epistle to the Hebrews 11:1, writes thus: “Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen.” That is as much as to say, faith is the means by which one trusts in possessions he does not see, namely, that I should expect temporal things which I can neither see nor hear, but I must only hope for them; as is the case in today’s Gospel. There were many people together, about four thousand, who with their wives and children had had nothing to eat for the space of three days (I judge that can be called fasting), but were extremely hungry, far from home, without any provisions on which the body lives. Now the apostle says, faith is that through which I hope for things I cannot see.

Such a faith the great multitude of people here has; they see no food and yet they hope that God will nourish them.

7. Now, what does Christ do in this case? What attitude does he take to this transaction? He must not have had much tact, for he goes to the disciples and asks, how shall one feed all these? They reply, Oh, who will be able to feed such a great multitude of people with bread in the wilderness? But here you see how little human thoughts and faith harmonize; here you see, the wiser reason is, the less it accomplishes in the works of God. Therefore Christ asked his disciples that everyone might learn to know by experience what reason is, and acknowledge how reason and faith in no way agree. Here we learn to blindfold reason, when we begin to believe, and then give reason a permanent furlough.

8. Take an example: If I were a man who had a wife and children, and had nothing for them and no one gave me anything; then I should believe and hope that God would sustain me. But if I see that it amounts to nothing and I am not helped with food and clothing, what takes place? Then, as an unbelieving fool, I begin to doubt, and go and take whatever is at hand, steal, deceive, cheat the people and make my way the best I can and may.

See this is what shameless unbelief does. But if I am a believer then I close my eyes and say: O God, I am thy creature and thy handiwork and thou hast from the beginning created me. I will depend entirely upon you who cares more for me, how I shall be sustained, than I do myself; thou wilt indeed nourish me, feed, clothe and help me, where and when you know best.

9. Thus faith is a sure foundation, through which I expect that which I see not. Therefore faith must always have sufficient, for before it should fail the angels would have to come from heaven and dig bread out of the earth in order that believing persons should be fed. Yes, the heavens and the earth would have to pass away before God would let his believers lack clothing and the other necessaries of life. The comforting and powerful Word of the divine promise requires and demands this. David boasts of this in Psalm 37:25: “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” And in the verses just preceding in Psalm 37:18-19 he says: “Jehovah knoweth the days of the perfect; and their inheritance shall be forever. They shall not be put to shame in the time of evil; and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.”

10. But when one inquires of reason for counsel it soon says: It is not possible. Yes, you must wait a long time until roasted ducks fly into your mouth, for reason sees nothing, grasps nothing, and nothing is present. Just so the apostles do also here who thought: Yes, who will provide food for so many, no one is able to do that; but had they seen a great pile of money and in addition tables laden with bread and meat, they would soon have discovered good counsel and been able to give good consolation; that would. have gone according to their thinking very reasonably. However, since they saw nothing they could find no counsel, but held it to be impossible that one should thus feed so many people, and especially since no provisions were at hand.

11. We have said enough concerning faith through which we entrust the stomach to God for his care, and believe that he will not allow us to come to distress because of the lack of temporal things. Now concerning spiritual blessings, when we are about to die, I wish also to say: then we will find and see before our eyes very death, and yet we would gladly wish to live; then we will see before us very hell, and yet we would gladly wish to possess heaven; then we will see God’s judgment, and yet we would gladly see his grace. In brief, we will not see a single one of the things we would like to have. No created thing can help us in the presence of death, hell and the judgment of God; and if I believe, I will say: Yes, faith is the fundamental principle by which I secure what I do not see; hence, if I believe, nothing can harm me. Although I see nothing now but death, hell and the judgment of God before my eyes, yet I must not look at them; but fully trust that God, by virtue of the power of his promise, not because of my worthiness, will give me life, salvation and grace. That is cleaving to God by faith in the right way.

12. This is here beautifully painted in the visible picture of the four thousand men who hang on God alone through the faith that says: yes, God will indeed feed us. Had they judged according to reason, they would have said’ Oh, we are so many, we are here in the desert, we have empty and hungry stomachs; nothing can help our condition. There was nothing of which they could speak; but they had a good refuge without any human disputing with God, they commended themselves to him and freely laid all their need upon him. Then Christ comes, before they have any care and before they ask him to come, and takes all more to heart than they do themselves, and says to his disciples: “I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days and have nothing to eat; and if I send them away fasting to their homes, they will faint on the way.”

13. Behold, what a sympathetic Christ we have, who even provides food for our poor stomachs. Here new hope is awakened and man is comforted through the words of Christ; as he says: They lie there and wait for me until the third day. I must give them also what they need. Here you see that all who thus faithfully cling to the Word of God will be fed by God himself; for that is the nature and the power of faith, which flows alone out of the Word of God.

14. Therefore, beloved friends, let us once make a beginning to believe; for unbelief is the cause of all sin and vice, which now have taken the upper hand in all stations of life. How does it come to pass that everywhere there are so many foolish women and rogues, so many rank imposters, thieves, robbers, usurers, murderers and sellers of indulgences? It all comes from unbelief. For such men judge alone according to human reason, and the reason judges only according to that which it sees; but what it does not see, it does not wish to lay hold of. Therefore, if it does not place its confidence in God through faith, then it must despair in itself and develop rogues and rascals. Observe, thus it comes to pass wherever men permit their reason to govern them, and are not ruled by faith.

PART 2. CONCERNING LOVE.

15. Now just as you have learned faith, so should we learn love; for Christ wishes to set before us a twofold picture, namely, a picture of faith, that we should not be over-anxious; also a picture of love, that, as he does to us, is anxious about our welfare, feeds us and gives us to drink and clothes us, only out of free love, not for the sake of his own advantage or because of our worthiness; so should we also do good unto our neighbor, freely and gratuitously, out of pure love, by which, as he is a Christ to you, you should thus also be a Christ to your neighbor.

16. Therefore you see that all the works of the priests, monks and nuns are vain and cursed; for they are not directed to the end to serve their neighbors; but only that they may merit much before God through their works. For true Christian works must be directed entirely and freely to the end that they be done for the good of our neighbor, only freely given and scattered broadcast among the masses; as Christ also did who cast his good deeds away freely for the people to scramble after, and gave his doctrine, word and life for the Church. Blessed are they who accept this giving with thanksgiving.

17. I say this only for the reason that you may see how all parts of the Gospel lessons tend in the direction and will have nothing more, and God also requires nothing more from us, than that we surrender ourselves to the service of our neighbor, and accordingly sustain him in the name of God and in the place of God, do him good and show him a service; for God does not need our good works, as Psalm 50:7-13 says: “Bear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify unto thee: I am God, even thy God. I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices; and thy burntofferings are continually before me. I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he-goats out of thy folds. For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the mountains; and the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee; for the world is mine, and the fullness thereof. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?”

18. Just so he says to us also; behold, Israel, that is thou believing one, I am thy God and thou art not my God; I will give to you and not you to me.

Hear, Israel, I will not be angry with thee that thou dost not offer me any sacrifices; for what thou hast in thy barn, house and yard, that was all mine before it was thine; for I have stored it away there, Here he spoke very pointedly to the Jews who prided themselves highly on their sacrifices.

Now, since he rejects our offering, what will he then have? The Psalmist in the verses immediately following says: “Offer unto God the sacrifice of thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the Most High; and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” That means, I wish to have thy heart, rest thou in me and believe me to be a kind and gracious God, that I am thy God: then you will have enough.

Therefore he says also in the following Psalm 51:14-19: “Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation; and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. For thou delightest not in sacrifice; else would I give it: thou hast no pleasure in burnt-offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”

19. In this confidence and hope let thy faith run its course, to acknowledge God as thy friend, to cleave to him and in the greatest need to flee to him, and to one else. Believe it and expect it, then he will help thee, this thou shouldst not doubt; therefore in harmony with this, thou shouldst serve thy neighbor freely and gratuitously. These two thoughts are presented to us in this Gospel.

From Plagiarism to Criswell to the Temptation of Bigness

I was refreshing my memory about W. A. Criswell plagiarizing portions of one of the  books he published - Why I Teach That the Bible Is Literally True. Criswell used portions of R. A. Torrey's book - verbatim - without quotation marks or citations.

That led me to get the book about Criswell by Joel Gregory - Too Great a Temptation.

Gregory's two-year stint trying to become the senior pastor at First Baptist, Dallas, led him out of the ministry. He now has this business - Gregory Ministries. When he wrote the book, he was selling funeral planning.

One theme of the book is the Baptist obsession with enormous churches. The bigness in the South is startling. The Lutheran executives doubtless still lust for the same kind of clout. Two of the congregations named with awe in this book are Hybel's Willow Creek (ending in sex scandal) and Jack Hyles' First Baptist in Hammond, Indiana (which has a legacy of abuse from Hyles, his son-in-law, and dozens of their associate pastors in other churches under his wing).

But the point is - those cisterns of corruptive are gigantic, and that is the defining metric. In this book, Gregory's history is constantly measured in terms of explosive growth where he served before the Criswell experience. These miniature cities of Southern Baptist piety are measured by size and real estate and wealthy connections, much less by faithfulness to the Scriptures.

I learned that Baylor University, central to this narrative, really is a Southern Baptist university, with a seminary named after the pastor who preceded Criswell at First Baptist, Dallas. Baylor was owned by the Southern Baptists of Texas until the Baylor board decided it was completely independent of the denomination, but still nominating 75 - 100% of its own board members as Southern Baptists.

It troubles me that ELDONA's own church historian denies the Southern Baptist nature of the school where he earned his PhD. I asked a Lutheran in Texas, very close to the Baylor scene, and he agreed that Baylor was definitely Southern Baptist.

In spite of his own PhD from Baylor, Gregory does not know much about the history of Biblical apostasy in America. Gregory blamed it on Bultmann, post-WWII, but the same issues (Virgin Birth, Resurrection, Miracles, Divinity) were revised by Rauschenbusch - a Baptist! - in 1917. The key Biblical issues were being denied before that, and taught here, thanks to the glory of European study in the 19th century.

So I am thinking that one's lack of knowledge about Baylor may come from Baylor not being very good at training its PhDs. 

First Baptist, Dallas not only suffered from bigness worship but also from the adoration of the pastor, which gave Criswell enormous power to do what he wanted, often to the detriment of the congregation. But that was inherent to the Southern Baptist strategy - encasing the community in a bundle of real estate, social activities, sports, games, and children's activities where they could dwell in peace. First Baptist had 47 kitchens, many of them owned and kept locked by a number of groups within the church. Gregory reported that he needed a guide to find placed within the complex. 

Criswell's wife had her own Bobble Study of 300 people, in spite of Southern Baptist rules about women teaching men. That, of course, was a power center by itself. As explained to me, Southern Baptists can meet at someone's home for a designated Bobble Study and never step foot in the church for 20 years - and that includes the leader. This is naturally the influence of Pietism and its cell/koinonia/share/care/small group plan. The real church is the small group. 

Unethical behavior by pastors who have supposedly taken another call or retired is described in great detail. Here WELS and the Southern Baptists are in complete agreement about previous pastors causing enormous harm to please themselves. The CLC (sic) has the same low standards, adding "the DP's mother.

Dr. Joel Gregory

July 27, 2005

Dr. Joel C. Gregory

Dr. Joel C. Gregory - Texas Baptist pastor, former president of the Baptist General Convention Texas, publisher and founder of Gregory Ministries - has been appointed professor of preaching at Baylor University's George W. Truett Theological Seminary for the academic year 2005-2006. Gregory is currently a Distinguished Fellow of Georgetown College, the oldest Baptist college in Kentucky.

The well-known preacher, scholar and author will begin teaching at Truett in the fall.

"At Truett Seminary, we intend to make preaching a priority," said Dr. Paul W. Powell, dean of Truett Seminary and special assistant to the president for denominational relations. "We sought Joel Gregory because I believe he is the finest preaching professor we can put before our students."

"It is an honor that Dean Paul Powell and the faculty of Truett have requested me to join with them in their vision," Gregory said. "I hope to help that excellent faculty in their quest to make Truett a center for contemporary biblical preaching in the historic, mainstream Baptist tradition."

Gregory has been a guest preacher at the Truett Preaching Conference for the last three years, as well as an adjunct instructor for I-term and summer classes.

A Baylor alumnus, Gregory earned his bachelor's degree summa cum laude in 1970 and his doctorate in 1983, both from Baylor. He received his master of divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he taught preaching 1982-85.

While earning his degrees at Baylor and Southwestern, Gregory served as a student pastor at Edgefield and Emmanuel Baptist churches of Waco, Acton Baptist Church of Granbury and Cottonwood Baptist Church of Falls County. From 1977-82, he pastored Gambrell Street Baptist Church in Fort Worth, before joining Southwestern as an assistant professor of preaching.

In 1985, Gregory became pastor at Travis Avenue Baptist Church, the largest Baptist congregation in Fort Worth. He was then called unanimously in 1990 by First Baptist Dallas, historically the largest church in the Southern Baptist Convention, to serve as pastor. He held that position for two years, highlighted by preaching to President George H. W. Bush and speaking at the Barcelona Olympics.

Gregory has served in many leadership positions on the local, state and national levels. He was unanimously elected as president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas in 1988 and 1989, and delivered the annual sermon at the 1988 Southern Baptist Convention meeting in San Antonio, "The Castle and the Wall," in an attempt to mediate the breach in the denomination.

Following his resignation from First Baptist of Dallas, Gregory wrote a best-selling memoir of his life, Too Great a Temptation. The book has been produced as a play, God's Man in Texas, written by Baylor graduate David Rambo, and is one of the 10 most-performed plays in the United States over the last five years. Gregory also has written or edited several other books, including Growing Pains of the Soul, Homesick for God, James: Faith Works, and Gregory's Sermon Synopses. In addition, he collaborated with the late Earl Allen on Southern Baptist Preaching Today and Southern Baptist Preaching Yesterday and with Dr. Frank Pollard on The Preaching Pastor. Gregory is currently writing the major article on "Expository Preaching" for the Interpreter's Dictionary of Preaching, published by Abingdon Press and edited by Baylor graduate Dr. Cleo Larue, professor of preaching at Princeton Theological Seminary.

An active speaker at churches, conferences and conventions, Gregory has spoken in 46 states and in Middle America, South America, England, Europe, the Far East and the Middle East. He has been a guest preacher at Westminster Chapel, Spurgeon's College, the Barcelona Olympics, Interlaken, Baptist seminaries and scores of university campuses. In 1990, he addressed the Baptist World Alliance in Seoul, Korea. He has more recently been guest instructor in continuing education at Princeton Theological Seminary, as well as lecturer at the United Theological Seminary doctor of ministry intensive.

Gregory also has been associated with two Fort Worth-based publishing groups, Magnolia Media Group, where he was senior vice president from 1994-99, and ACP LLC, where he has served as publisher and CEO since 1999. In 2004, he founded Gregory Ministries for the purpose of advancing the Kingdom of God through speaking, writing, media, Internet, consulting, homiletical education and ministerial counseling. He now serves as a distinguished fellow at Georgetown College in Kentucky. Under those auspices he will be conducting a seminar on biblical preaching at Regents Park College, Oxford, in August. Gregory also works with a retreat for ministerial renewal and restoration, Restoration Ranch, located in east central Oklahoma.

Gregory is a member of the Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth where he shares teaching responsibilities in the Chapel Bible Class. He is the father of two sons, Grant Joel, 31, of New York City, and Garrett Summers, 28, of Fort Worth.

End of a Movie - "Was It All Worth it?"

I have been telling people, "Wait until the Joe Pye and Clethra bloom. Then we we will see butterflies and hummingbirds." 

Yesterday, before the rain, which only arrived this morning, I looked out the kitchen sink widow and saw two hummingbirds fighting over a brilliant red-orange gladiolus. I knew they were around, front and back, because the feeders went down gradually.

I also saw some butterflies around the Rose Garden. But the biggest thrill was enjoyed by Ranger Bob. He told me not to put a feeder close to where we sat on the porch, which is only slightly elevated above the garden. The porch is perfect in the afternoon shade, facing east.

When spring began, I moved the middle feeder almost next to where we sit. Christina came out to join us, too. But Bob had the special seat. Before anyone else sat down, he sat to relax and look over the garden. A hummingbird came within a few inches of his face and did an up-down and left-right survey of this familiar human.

"He was scanning you, Bob. You are a good guy in his database."

Bob said, "That was the greatest feeling, to have that tiny bird looking me over."

We saw two hummingbirds flitting through the garden, plus a husband-wife team of cardinals resting in the comfort of Joe Pye, then in the maples.

 Buckwheat

Seeing four hummingbirds reminded me of the old movie where an actor struggled for years to become established on the stage, going through many crises. One of the actors said to him, before he went out on stage to face thunderous applause, "Was it worth it? All the suffering?"

He said, "Yes" and took his place on the stage.

Gardening is the perfect way to get neighbors laughing when everything goes wrong. One summer, buckwheat took over the entire garden. When the crew cut them down with weed-whackers, it was just at the point when the prolific plants were mature with their prolific seeds. The crop re-established itself immediately and hid the roses again. Our neighbor and her son pointed at the sea of tall buckwheat and laughed. I was glad I did not know Laotian.

Acting with God's Creation in mind is always going to work in the long run. The imponderables are the only constant, but the final results are worth labor. Paul was the one who coined the term - "Your labor of love," writing to the Thessalonians. Parish work is closely related to Gardening.

 The bravest bird is the smallest.

Second Edition of The Bible Book: The KJV Reborn for Those Who Love the Word of God - Now Being Processed

Two gentlemen have already sent their list of potential corrections of the first edition of The Bible Book: The KJV Reborn for Those who Love the Word of God.

Some errors are obvious, like John Bunyan's name spelled as John 8unyan. Other corrections exposed the backwards way of writing this book. I was going to focus on text criticism, and that is where I started, but it seemed that most of the audience would need massive help - and strong black coffee - to plow through that section first. Afterwards, I gathered five more books on that topic alone, such as the Letis book and a printed Bible with all the alterations in it.

I agree with the anonymous editor who said the text criticism section needed a lot more clarity. That will be a complete re-write.

Thank you all for the encouragement and help.

“O, wad some Power the giftie gie him
To see his books as others see them!
It wad frae monie a blunder free us,
An' foolish notion.”

Apologies to Robert Burns

When We Pick Up a New King James Version of the Bible, Westcott-Hort Pops Out in the Footnotes

Count Tischendorf was the self-promoting snake oil salesman who sold the Western world on his find of "the oldest and best" New Testament in Greek. And then he added to his crown with the Vaticanus, making Aleph (Sinaiticus) and B (Vaticanus) the first two, best two standards for the New Testament. 

Chicago Inerrancy Conference, 1978 - My wife and I attended that meeting and received a number of free books and a copy of the New King James Version of the Bible, a product of Thomas A. Nelson (serving as TAN Publishers for virulent anti-Protestant Roman Catholics). Herman Otten sold The Truth about Luther, a TAN book, for Reformation Day. As he said about the Church Growth Movement, "I sell to both sides."

One religious book store owner said the New KJV was best thing ever.

David W. Daniels has a new book on the New King James, The Bridge Bible. Some clergy use it in the Little Sect on the Prairie, the Church of the Lutheran Confession (sic), and the ELDONUTs. 

Where Is the Loyalty? Camouflage in the Footnotes

Camouflage is basic to warfare, so the enemy does not see the soldiers and equipment lined up to defend or to attack. At Ft. Knox, they camouflaged the garbage cans for a laugh, and we enjoyed the look. "The garbage will survive the first strike, no doubt."

The New King James is camouflage for Westcott-Hort/Nestle Aland. Once the credibility of that group is established, the concept of a precise, dependable translation is gone.

The NKJV publishers use the (M) to designate the Majority Text and the (NU) to cite the Nestle Aland UBS text.

Most people will skip over the footnotes, but they establish the Nestle Aland UBS text (which changes annually) as equal or superior. The so-called translation of the NKJV has already been changed once, and there is no reason to stop changing.

John 8

Try to make sense of the Woman Caught in Adultery, based on the useless footnotes.

Mark 16

The ending of Mark is verse 8 or verse 20?

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.

New International Version says -

[The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have verses 9–20.]

Wrong Diagnosis, Bad Practices, Expected Results

The LutherQueasies and the ALPB Online Forum Hot Air Merchants repeat the same verities as their managers. I like to torment both groups because they add another five or six views per day. They may complain about a current Ichabod post to their families, so that is good for a few more page views. It's all about the numbers.

At this point they have about 50 years with Fuller Seminary, Willow Creek, and the late Crystal Cathedral. They use the hot words that move people to act on foolishness, so they can be synod stooges honored at the next banquet, meeting, or parish closing.

"Testing the spirits" has never been their strong suit. 

1 John 4 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try [test] the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

Lettuce use a gardening example. (That's the horticultural subjunctive). For a healthy plant or seed, growth will come from sunshine, rainwater, and the nutrition of the soil, aided by soil fungi.

These components are already provided and engineered by the Creator. 

1. Note the living Seed of the Word, the seed sown, the seed that falls into the ground - all have the energy of life which only God can create.
2. Consider the rain and snow-melt - both considerably superior to chlorinated tap water. Rain and snow-melt are blessed with usable forms of nitrogen which do not burn or harm plant life. They lack chlorine bleach, which holds back plant life and seed germination.
3. The energy of the sun makes it possible for a seed to germinate, form different kinds of cells, and grow into an infinite variety of plants. The engineering makes it clear that there is a vast number of growth settings - soil, moisture, temperature, shade versus sunshine. 
4. Finally, and most mysterious (but right in front of us) - all the living elements of Creation work together to help the others grow strong, grow healthier, and recover from catastrophes. Fire and flood create new growth to make a rebirth possible.

As the Minnesota farmer told me, "Irrigation will keep a crop alive, but only rain can make it grow."

Fuller and other felonious fakes were ideal for city-slickers, who do not comprehend what the farmer concluded in one sentence. Now congregations and their bullying overlords are drowning in chlorinated tap water while being denied the Word of God, which has Three Promises.

A. The Word will never return to God empty - which means, the Word is never lacking in effect. Get that - DMins or Demons of Dogmatic Demagoguery?

B. The Word will always accomplish God's purpose (not man's). This is rather simple but absolutely lost on the entire Church Growth Industry.

C. The Word will always prosper God's will. So not only does God work through the Word alone, but also so powerfully that no one can doubt it.

 WELS, LCMS, ELS, and ELCA pastors spend $30,000 or more to forget this passage. One ELS pastor was totally smitten and joined ELCA. He had been on the ELS doctrinal committee, examining future pastors! 

 

 Judging and ignoring the Isaiah passage means certain failure on all fronts. 

"We did everything we could, and spent all your money, but your parish died anyway." The Church Doctor - he does post-mortem for reduced prices. Whadda-guy!

Flowers in the Front Yard, Vegetables in the Backyard - Garden Tradition

 Poke Week quickly turns buds (loved by insects) into berries, and berries into new starts, since 60 species of birds enjoy the berries.

I was enjoying the majestic growth of the Joe Pye in the front yard when I noticed two Pokeweeds elbowing their way into the sunshine. I have plenty of Poke in the back, so I was not welcoming to the latest incursion in the front. I grabbed my rose clippers and cut down both near the bottom of their greedy stalks.

They may may an effort to grow back the rest of the summer. The two have already done a lot in loosening and feeding of the soil. If birds want to plant their favorite food, I would rather have them plant wild strawberry, which blooms early and all summer long, in the shade and sun. They form a mat on the ground and do not compete with the flowers.

 Poke berries are supposed to be toxic to humans and beneficial for humans. They have very little taste, so I have only tried a couple of them. I experienced no benefits except red-stained teeth.

 We have to have some feelings for Poke, based on their offering a home for pollinating insects and food for the birds.

I have a moderate sized Poke growing among the Joe Pye in the backyard, recently edited garden. I could cut it down, but I know the Joe Pye will be more vigorous next year and throw shade on the Poke.

I have noticed that the birds are not buying the back-to-nature philosophy of modern woke hippies. Birds want packaged, highly promoted bird food from various sources. If they are out of store food, they perch near me and chatter or scream their needs. They have grass, loaded with worms and bugs, bushes good for safety and even more bugs, and trees for nesting, safety, and a Ft. Knox of insect food.

I have something they need more than food - water from two little swimming pools, water from the AC drip on the front porch, and water in the bird bath - inspected by Inspector Bob.

This is my health and wellness posting. If I do not publish early in the morning, I get emails, "Are you OK? I haven't seen a post yet."

 They are more concerned about breakfast than publishing.