How easily we pass by the treasures of the Gospel and take them for granted. Our minds are so perverse, unaided by the Holy Spirit, that we can read a passage and imagine it says the opposite.
The Greek class finished Chapter 16 of John, a reminder of how potent the Word of God is, when read phrase by phrase. We just sent three copies of this Gospel - in Spanish - to Mercy Hospital because the medical staff wants to learn Spanish to do their work better. They could easily have the same experience in Spanish, German, or Russian.
Our neighborhood girl has the same Gospel, so she can learn Spanish better.
Every week I check over meanings with the parsing link and Lenski, sometimes with Strong's collection of the same words. We get used to English phrasing so the raw Greek makes it vivid, such as Jesus saying to His disciples - They will kill you and thinking they are presenting an offering to God.
Both parts of that warning are missing in the script of seminary recruiters. After all, they want more students to pay the bills, not fewer.
The antagonism of the New Pharisees - the synod leaders - is explained simply. "They do not know the Father or Me." People are used to thinking that the district presidents know something and do what is best for their sect and a particular congregation. They forget that those same men got there by sandbagging their opposition. They are worse than secular politicians because they are completely lawless and can hardly be taken to court for their crimes. Everyone assumes the best, contrary to the facts.
It has taken 30 years of newspaper coverage to reveal the Church of Rome for what it is, a hiding place for ordained criminals. Oh, but it was better in the old days! If you are delusional about that, do not read about the Irish homes for young girls or the selling of babies in Spain.
All these robed felons have one thing in common - their assumption of Pharisaical piety can dazzle the majority of people. Thus it was in Jesus' time - the Pharisees were honored for their obedience to Moses, but that left an enormous cavity in societal values. Jesus changed that by saying, in effect, "Forgiveness and salvation do not come through the perfection in Moses' Law but through faith in Me, Whom God sent."
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| Reconciling Works is an advocacy group. |
People read this polemical blog and object that it is polemical - a war against apostasy. I leave the atheists alone for the most part, although I know two WELS Church Growthers who became atheists. They are out in the open, serving their Father Below.
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| Pick out the believers - none of the above. |
Unbelief explains the dogma and actions of WELS-ELS-CLC-LCMS leaders and teachers. They make that plain in their routine repudiation of John 16, the very Word of Jesus, Whom they pretend to honor and serve. They cannot even explain their own delusions, but vainly repeat the slogans of rationalism as a defense. According to the Book of Concord, they should be deprived of food, baited with dogs, driven from town, and pelted with manure.
