Anonymouse has left a new comment on your post "Leave the False Prophets Alone During Holy Week":
It's too bad you don't take such words to heart, especially on a day like today. This isn't the first time someone's told you to repent. I pray that you do before you're called out of this world.
***
GJ -
Chief of sinners though I be,
I don't post anonymousely.
ICHABOD, THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED - explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, to attack Objective Faithless Justification, Church Growth Clowns, and their ringmasters. The antidote is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Isaiah 55:8ff. Romans 10. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the National Council of Churches.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Another Pusillanimouse Post
ELCA Treasurer Christina Jackson-
Skelton Slashes Budget
ELCA Council Reduces Churchwide Staff, Budgets for 2009
09-076-JB
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Responding to an overall decline in mission support funds, the Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) reduced the churchwide organization's current fund spending authorization for 2009 by $5.6 million to $76.8 million. Its action, taken without comment, resulted in elimination of a number of churchwide staff positions and vacant positions, and affected churchwide ministries.
Your Future with ELCA and Thrivent
Find out more about Ebenezer Lutheran/HerChurch.org with Pastor Stacy Boorn.
This used to be an Augustana Synod church. Augustana, as in Augsburg Confession.
Good Friday Vespers Service
Good Friday Vespers Service
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship
Bethany Lutheran Worship, 6 PM Phoenix Time
The Hymn #172:1-5 Herzlich tut mich 2.55
The Order of Vespers p. 41
The Psalmody Psalm 22 p. 127
The Lections
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
John 19:1 –19:42
The Sermon Hymn #172:6-10
The Sermon – The Crucified Messiah
The Prayers
The Lord’s Prayer
The Collect for Grace p. 45
The Hymn #175 Hamburg 2:42
KJV Isaiah 52:13 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. 14 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: 15 So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider. 53:1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? 2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
KJV John 19:1 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. 2 And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, 3 And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands. 4 Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him. 5 Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man! 6 When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him. 7 The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God. 8 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid; 9 And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? 11 Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin. 12 And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar. 13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14 And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! 15 But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. 16 Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away. 17 And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: 18 Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst. 19 And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin. 21 Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews. 22 Pilate answered, What I have written I have written. 23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. 24 They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did. 25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! 27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home. 28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. 29 Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. 31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: 34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. 35 And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. 36 For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. 37 And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced. 38 And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. 39 And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. 40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. 41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. 42 There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.
Dietrich’s Collect for Maundy Thursday
O Lord Jesus Christ, we thank Thee, that of Thine infinite mercy Thou hast instituted this Thy sacrament, in which we eat Thy body and drink Thy blood: Grant us, we beseech Thee, by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may not receive this gift unworthily, but that we may confess our sins, remember Thine agony and death, believe the forgiveness of sin, and day by day grow in faith and love, until we obtain eternal salvation through Thee, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
The Crucified Messiah
KJV Isaiah 52:13 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. 14 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: 15 So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.
Every child knows the meaning of this Old Testament prophesy. It was written centuries before Christ was born. Imagine someone from King Arthur’s Court predicting what would happen today. That is how distant this prophesy was (not in exact years), so far back in time that one can hardly imagine so many years. And yet, these verses, in fact the entire chapter is a vivid portrayal of the crucifixion of Christ.
Paul uses this verse in Romans 10, teaching us that faith comes by hearing. To be more accurate, he is saying that faith comes by preaching. It is not the act of hearing itself that brings about faith but the Holy Spirit working through the spoken Word of God. Faith comes by sermons, we might say. Who has believed our sermon?
KJV Romans 10:16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
God’s love for His people was so great that He began preaching the Gospel to us when Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden (Genesis 3:15). If Isaiah was early, think how ancient those words are that we remember tonight. God said to the serpent, “You will bruise his heel, but He will crush your head.”
From the beginning God placed faith in the hearts of people through the spoken Word. Every time God promised the Messiah through His prophets, the Gospel was being preached and believed. And “it was reckoned as righteousness.” Justification by faith began with Abraham, long before Moses. And Moses also believed and preached.
God entrusted this Word to prophets. Christ appointed apostles who then trained pastors to serve under them. I know one person who does not accept any sermon as the Word of God. He said he can only be taught by direct quotation of Scripture. But Jesus said, “Whoever hears you hears Me.”
KJV Luke 10:16 He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.
Some people did not even pay attention to Jesus, who taught them:
KJV John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life
So we are inclined to say, “Who is this, a mere man, to tell us what God thinks and says?” But that is exactly what pastors have been called by God (through the congregation) to do. In the same way the head of the household is placed in that role to teach his family the Word of God. True, many men despise this role and reject it. But it is still God’s decision and appointment, God’s Creation and order. Those who acknowledge this as good and wise will benefit from it.
Satan is especially enraged that an ordinary person, a sinner, is entrusted with the one weapon that can defeat him – the Word. So Satan rages especially against anyone who teaches God’s Word, using every trick to make him give up his trust in Christ. If he is poor, others mock the minister for being poor. If he has sickness in his family, supposed Christians mock him for not enjoying God’s blessings. (Paul Gerhardt lost his entire family except his son, and he was kept in poverty. Yet almost every Christian will sing “O Sacred Head” today.) If he is faithful, he will see cathedrals of false doctrine rise up around him. Just today I spoke with a friend about three different Lutheran ministers we knew who were no atheists. Satan is busy at work, misdirecting our eyes from the Word, to bow before the devil’s transitory wealth and power.
Isaiah
This Isaiah prophesy is poetic and filled with contrasts. They remind me of the great Philippians hymn/creed, where the humiliation and exaltation of Christ are contrasted. Christ is exalted because of His abasement, one so horrible that we can hardly imagine it. The first real portrayal of a crucifixion came in the recent movie, The Passion of the Christ. Some derided the brutality of the movie, but Roman justice was far worse than anything put on a movie screen. The Word reveals more than a movie dares.
52:13 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. This exaltation serves as a title for the entire passage. The Servant will be exalted by becoming the crucified Messiah.
52:14 Just as many were astonished at you, So His visage was marred more than any man, And His form more than the sons of men;
This is a precise portrayal of the results of Jesus’ severe beating and crucifixion. His appearance was so marred that He became repulsive to look at.
15 So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.
The sprinkling of the nations can be both the Holy Baptism and the Holy Communion which He instituted. The most powerful men on earth, the kings, will be silenced upon learning that the unimaginable has been accomplished by this supposed criminal, this despised and rejected Man.
Isaiah 53:1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
KJV Romans 10:16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Faith grows from hearing the Gospel promises. The most powerful way to convict people of their sin is to show that Jesus bore their sin on His cross. This is not logic and certainly not marketing. It is God’s revelation, His mystery revealed by the Holy Spirit.
The one doctrine most heatedly rejected in these times is Christ dying for the sins of the world. The apostates rail against this, even though it is clearly the basis for the entire New Testament, and the Old Testament as well.
Isaiah 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Unlike the way the world works, Jesus does not attract through His looks or His Hollywood charisma. The humiliation of Jesus was that almost no one stood by Him during His last hours, no one except John and a few women, including His mother. The vast crowds and His disciples left Him to die alone.
Isaiah 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Verse 4 tells us how terrible the crucifixion would be. Verse 5 teaches us what the crucifixion means. It would have a purpose. The Son of Man would be wounded to pay for our sins, beaten for our evil. His whipping would be to give us peace through the forgiveness of sins. “By His stripes we are healed.”
For those who believe in Jesus, and this comes only through the work of the Holy Spirit in the Word, these words are a great comfort. We already know this, but in hearing it again our faith is deepened.
The next two verses contrast the Good Shepherd and the wandering sheep:
Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
Although we are constantly going astray, He did not waver in his role as the innocent Passover Lamb, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Luther has two very good points to make about the crucifixion. One is that we should never dwell upon the cross in this way, saying, “Look at what those Jews and Romans did to the perfect Son of God!” That is all wrong and contrary to this lesson. Instead we should say when we meditate on the cross, “Look at what I did to Jesus. Those are my sins that He bore. I was the transgressor and He was whipped. I rebelled against God’s Law and He was humiliated and mocked. I am the cause of His suffering.” Otherwise, although the Romans and the Jewish leaders played a role, we miss the whole concept of His atoning death. If Jesus died because of THEIR sins and not because of MY sins, then I am not expressing faith in the cross.
Secondly, Luther correctly taught that the surest form of sorrow for sin is not weeping, or feeling bad, or outward and emotional signs of repentance. No, the surest sign of genuine repentance (which is a work of the Holy Spirit and not from our own efforts) is when we are forgiving toward others. Whenever we stew about wrongs committed against us, and many of these things do happen, since we do them to others as well, then we are saying, “I would like to enjoy complete and free forgiveness of my sins, but I will not give an ounce of mercy to anyone else.” That is a failure to grasp the meaning of forgiveness, a failure to be thankful for forgiveness.
Isaiah 53:8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
Why did Jesus die on the cross? He was tortured to give us peace, not agitation. The first step is taking away our sins through His atoning death. God says, “Here is a great Treasure, an infinite source of forgiveness, the cross of My beloved Son, where He poured out His blood for your sins.” The more God teaches us this great truth, the more we trust it and grasp it as the greatest and most life-giving truth on earth. Through this trust in our hearts created by the Word God grants us forgiveness. God says, “You must do one thing absolutely to receive the forgiveness of sins. You must believe the Gospel of forgiveness.” In believing and holding on to this truth, we receive the what the promise offers.
In practicing this forgiveness we enjoy a double blessing. It is far better to be forgiving than to be full of revenge. (Unfortunately, it is also much more difficult, but it gets easier with practice.) And in addition—this is the second blessing—the person forgiven also enjoys this peace of God. Revenge and bitterness are doubly difficult on people, both in giving and receiving. It is very contagious.
To enjoy this blessing of forgiveness, we have to dwell on the meaning of the cross of Christ rather than whatever annoys us at the moment. I don’t mean to minimize this, because some people have really been the victims of various kinds of assault and robbery. I knew a woman who was beaten almost to death for a few dollars in the cash register. However, when we think about the immensity of God’s forgiveness of all of our sins, then we can be more expansive in forgiving others. We can do that for two reasons. One is that forgiveness is not wasted. If someone is forgiven and yet goes on doing more bad things, then God will add up the totals later. God is just and will be not be mocked. Secondly we can be forgiving because we need to be in that pattern of behavior, which belongs to Christ, rather than following the unbelieving world in exacting revenge.
Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
The first place to begin practicing this forgiveness earned for us by Christ is within our own families. That is where the greatest and most important conflicts arise. When we apply this lesson of forgiveness, we enjoy the benefits and see its blessings in our children, who also have the peace that passes understanding from this message of the Gospel.
Isaiah 53:12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Those who know the brief story of taking the strong man’s palace will recognize the Old Testament version. Christ defeated Satan on the cross and took away the spoils of the strong man who guarded his own palace, the earth.
KJV Luke 11:21 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: 22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.
The cross has defeated sin, death, and Satan because the Messiah crucified for each and every one of us has won the victory.
Quotations
GOOD FRIDAY, 1998
"Thus, we know how and where the Holy Spirit is to be found, and we need not be in doubt nor waver, gazing here and there for special revelations or illuminations. Each one should hold to the Word, and should know that through it alone, and through no other means, does the Spirit enlighten hearts and is He ready to dwell in them and to give true knowledge and comfort through faith in Christ."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 300.
Not for Us To Judge Results
"Be not worried because of this! for even though a man preach and continue in the Gospel for many years, he must still lament and say: Aye, no one will come, and all continue in their former state. Therefore you must not let that grieve or terrify you."
Sermons of Martin Luther, II, p. 305. Luke 24:36?47.
"But when St. Peter stood up and preached, they made a mockery of it and considered the apostles drunken fools. When they had urged the Gospel a long time, they gathered together three thousand men and women. But what were they among so many? Yea, no one could discern that the Gospel had accomplished anything, for all things continued in the same state as before. No change was seen, and scarcely anyone knew that there were Christians there. And so it will be at all times."
Sermons of Martin Luther, II, p. 306. Luke 24:36?47.
God Builds with the Word
"The Word and the gifts of the Holy Spirit are materials with which He builds. Though the dwelling is not altogether completed, yet through His grace and love it is accepted of God."
Sermons of Martin Luther, III, p. 322.
Only the Word
"Secondly, it is shown here that this Word precedes, or must be spoken beforehand, and that afterwards the Holy Spirit works through the Word. One must not reverse the order and dream of a Holy Spirit who works without the Word and before the Word, but one who comes with and through the Word and goes no farther than the Word goes."
Sermons of Martin Luther, III, p. 329.
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship
Bethany Lutheran Worship, 6 PM Phoenix Time
The Hymn #172:1-5 Herzlich tut mich 2.55
The Order of Vespers p. 41
The Psalmody Psalm 22 p. 127
The Lections
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
John 19:1 –19:42
The Sermon Hymn #172:6-10
The Sermon – The Crucified Messiah
The Prayers
The Lord’s Prayer
The Collect for Grace p. 45
The Hymn #175 Hamburg 2:42
KJV Isaiah 52:13 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. 14 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: 15 So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider. 53:1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? 2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
KJV John 19:1 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. 2 And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, 3 And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands. 4 Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him. 5 Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man! 6 When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him. 7 The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God. 8 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid; 9 And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? 11 Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin. 12 And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar. 13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14 And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! 15 But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. 16 Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away. 17 And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: 18 Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst. 19 And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin. 21 Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews. 22 Pilate answered, What I have written I have written. 23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. 24 They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did. 25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! 27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home. 28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. 29 Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. 31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: 34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. 35 And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. 36 For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. 37 And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced. 38 And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. 39 And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. 40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. 41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. 42 There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.
Dietrich’s Collect for Maundy Thursday
O Lord Jesus Christ, we thank Thee, that of Thine infinite mercy Thou hast instituted this Thy sacrament, in which we eat Thy body and drink Thy blood: Grant us, we beseech Thee, by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may not receive this gift unworthily, but that we may confess our sins, remember Thine agony and death, believe the forgiveness of sin, and day by day grow in faith and love, until we obtain eternal salvation through Thee, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
The Crucified Messiah
KJV Isaiah 52:13 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. 14 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: 15 So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.
Every child knows the meaning of this Old Testament prophesy. It was written centuries before Christ was born. Imagine someone from King Arthur’s Court predicting what would happen today. That is how distant this prophesy was (not in exact years), so far back in time that one can hardly imagine so many years. And yet, these verses, in fact the entire chapter is a vivid portrayal of the crucifixion of Christ.
Paul uses this verse in Romans 10, teaching us that faith comes by hearing. To be more accurate, he is saying that faith comes by preaching. It is not the act of hearing itself that brings about faith but the Holy Spirit working through the spoken Word of God. Faith comes by sermons, we might say. Who has believed our sermon?
KJV Romans 10:16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
God’s love for His people was so great that He began preaching the Gospel to us when Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden (Genesis 3:15). If Isaiah was early, think how ancient those words are that we remember tonight. God said to the serpent, “You will bruise his heel, but He will crush your head.”
From the beginning God placed faith in the hearts of people through the spoken Word. Every time God promised the Messiah through His prophets, the Gospel was being preached and believed. And “it was reckoned as righteousness.” Justification by faith began with Abraham, long before Moses. And Moses also believed and preached.
God entrusted this Word to prophets. Christ appointed apostles who then trained pastors to serve under them. I know one person who does not accept any sermon as the Word of God. He said he can only be taught by direct quotation of Scripture. But Jesus said, “Whoever hears you hears Me.”
KJV Luke 10:16 He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.
Some people did not even pay attention to Jesus, who taught them:
KJV John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life
So we are inclined to say, “Who is this, a mere man, to tell us what God thinks and says?” But that is exactly what pastors have been called by God (through the congregation) to do. In the same way the head of the household is placed in that role to teach his family the Word of God. True, many men despise this role and reject it. But it is still God’s decision and appointment, God’s Creation and order. Those who acknowledge this as good and wise will benefit from it.
Satan is especially enraged that an ordinary person, a sinner, is entrusted with the one weapon that can defeat him – the Word. So Satan rages especially against anyone who teaches God’s Word, using every trick to make him give up his trust in Christ. If he is poor, others mock the minister for being poor. If he has sickness in his family, supposed Christians mock him for not enjoying God’s blessings. (Paul Gerhardt lost his entire family except his son, and he was kept in poverty. Yet almost every Christian will sing “O Sacred Head” today.) If he is faithful, he will see cathedrals of false doctrine rise up around him. Just today I spoke with a friend about three different Lutheran ministers we knew who were no atheists. Satan is busy at work, misdirecting our eyes from the Word, to bow before the devil’s transitory wealth and power.
Isaiah
This Isaiah prophesy is poetic and filled with contrasts. They remind me of the great Philippians hymn/creed, where the humiliation and exaltation of Christ are contrasted. Christ is exalted because of His abasement, one so horrible that we can hardly imagine it. The first real portrayal of a crucifixion came in the recent movie, The Passion of the Christ. Some derided the brutality of the movie, but Roman justice was far worse than anything put on a movie screen. The Word reveals more than a movie dares.
52:13 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. This exaltation serves as a title for the entire passage. The Servant will be exalted by becoming the crucified Messiah.
52:14 Just as many were astonished at you, So His visage was marred more than any man, And His form more than the sons of men;
This is a precise portrayal of the results of Jesus’ severe beating and crucifixion. His appearance was so marred that He became repulsive to look at.
15 So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.
The sprinkling of the nations can be both the Holy Baptism and the Holy Communion which He instituted. The most powerful men on earth, the kings, will be silenced upon learning that the unimaginable has been accomplished by this supposed criminal, this despised and rejected Man.
Isaiah 53:1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
KJV Romans 10:16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Faith grows from hearing the Gospel promises. The most powerful way to convict people of their sin is to show that Jesus bore their sin on His cross. This is not logic and certainly not marketing. It is God’s revelation, His mystery revealed by the Holy Spirit.
The one doctrine most heatedly rejected in these times is Christ dying for the sins of the world. The apostates rail against this, even though it is clearly the basis for the entire New Testament, and the Old Testament as well.
Isaiah 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Unlike the way the world works, Jesus does not attract through His looks or His Hollywood charisma. The humiliation of Jesus was that almost no one stood by Him during His last hours, no one except John and a few women, including His mother. The vast crowds and His disciples left Him to die alone.
Isaiah 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Verse 4 tells us how terrible the crucifixion would be. Verse 5 teaches us what the crucifixion means. It would have a purpose. The Son of Man would be wounded to pay for our sins, beaten for our evil. His whipping would be to give us peace through the forgiveness of sins. “By His stripes we are healed.”
For those who believe in Jesus, and this comes only through the work of the Holy Spirit in the Word, these words are a great comfort. We already know this, but in hearing it again our faith is deepened.
The next two verses contrast the Good Shepherd and the wandering sheep:
Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
Although we are constantly going astray, He did not waver in his role as the innocent Passover Lamb, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Luther has two very good points to make about the crucifixion. One is that we should never dwell upon the cross in this way, saying, “Look at what those Jews and Romans did to the perfect Son of God!” That is all wrong and contrary to this lesson. Instead we should say when we meditate on the cross, “Look at what I did to Jesus. Those are my sins that He bore. I was the transgressor and He was whipped. I rebelled against God’s Law and He was humiliated and mocked. I am the cause of His suffering.” Otherwise, although the Romans and the Jewish leaders played a role, we miss the whole concept of His atoning death. If Jesus died because of THEIR sins and not because of MY sins, then I am not expressing faith in the cross.
Secondly, Luther correctly taught that the surest form of sorrow for sin is not weeping, or feeling bad, or outward and emotional signs of repentance. No, the surest sign of genuine repentance (which is a work of the Holy Spirit and not from our own efforts) is when we are forgiving toward others. Whenever we stew about wrongs committed against us, and many of these things do happen, since we do them to others as well, then we are saying, “I would like to enjoy complete and free forgiveness of my sins, but I will not give an ounce of mercy to anyone else.” That is a failure to grasp the meaning of forgiveness, a failure to be thankful for forgiveness.
Isaiah 53:8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
Why did Jesus die on the cross? He was tortured to give us peace, not agitation. The first step is taking away our sins through His atoning death. God says, “Here is a great Treasure, an infinite source of forgiveness, the cross of My beloved Son, where He poured out His blood for your sins.” The more God teaches us this great truth, the more we trust it and grasp it as the greatest and most life-giving truth on earth. Through this trust in our hearts created by the Word God grants us forgiveness. God says, “You must do one thing absolutely to receive the forgiveness of sins. You must believe the Gospel of forgiveness.” In believing and holding on to this truth, we receive the what the promise offers.
In practicing this forgiveness we enjoy a double blessing. It is far better to be forgiving than to be full of revenge. (Unfortunately, it is also much more difficult, but it gets easier with practice.) And in addition—this is the second blessing—the person forgiven also enjoys this peace of God. Revenge and bitterness are doubly difficult on people, both in giving and receiving. It is very contagious.
To enjoy this blessing of forgiveness, we have to dwell on the meaning of the cross of Christ rather than whatever annoys us at the moment. I don’t mean to minimize this, because some people have really been the victims of various kinds of assault and robbery. I knew a woman who was beaten almost to death for a few dollars in the cash register. However, when we think about the immensity of God’s forgiveness of all of our sins, then we can be more expansive in forgiving others. We can do that for two reasons. One is that forgiveness is not wasted. If someone is forgiven and yet goes on doing more bad things, then God will add up the totals later. God is just and will be not be mocked. Secondly we can be forgiving because we need to be in that pattern of behavior, which belongs to Christ, rather than following the unbelieving world in exacting revenge.
Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
The first place to begin practicing this forgiveness earned for us by Christ is within our own families. That is where the greatest and most important conflicts arise. When we apply this lesson of forgiveness, we enjoy the benefits and see its blessings in our children, who also have the peace that passes understanding from this message of the Gospel.
Isaiah 53:12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Those who know the brief story of taking the strong man’s palace will recognize the Old Testament version. Christ defeated Satan on the cross and took away the spoils of the strong man who guarded his own palace, the earth.
KJV Luke 11:21 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: 22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.
The cross has defeated sin, death, and Satan because the Messiah crucified for each and every one of us has won the victory.
Quotations
GOOD FRIDAY, 1998
"Thus, we know how and where the Holy Spirit is to be found, and we need not be in doubt nor waver, gazing here and there for special revelations or illuminations. Each one should hold to the Word, and should know that through it alone, and through no other means, does the Spirit enlighten hearts and is He ready to dwell in them and to give true knowledge and comfort through faith in Christ."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 300.
Not for Us To Judge Results
"Be not worried because of this! for even though a man preach and continue in the Gospel for many years, he must still lament and say: Aye, no one will come, and all continue in their former state. Therefore you must not let that grieve or terrify you."
Sermons of Martin Luther, II, p. 305. Luke 24:36?47.
"But when St. Peter stood up and preached, they made a mockery of it and considered the apostles drunken fools. When they had urged the Gospel a long time, they gathered together three thousand men and women. But what were they among so many? Yea, no one could discern that the Gospel had accomplished anything, for all things continued in the same state as before. No change was seen, and scarcely anyone knew that there were Christians there. And so it will be at all times."
Sermons of Martin Luther, II, p. 306. Luke 24:36?47.
God Builds with the Word
"The Word and the gifts of the Holy Spirit are materials with which He builds. Though the dwelling is not altogether completed, yet through His grace and love it is accepted of God."
Sermons of Martin Luther, III, p. 322.
Only the Word
"Secondly, it is shown here that this Word precedes, or must be spoken beforehand, and that afterwards the Holy Spirit works through the Word. One must not reverse the order and dream of a Holy Spirit who works without the Word and before the Word, but one who comes with and through the Word and goes no farther than the Word goes."
Sermons of Martin Luther, III, p. 329.
Leave the False Prophets Alone
During Holy Week
KJV Matthew 21:12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, 13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Anonymouse has left a new comment on your post "Sausage Factory Prez To Preach for Patterson on Ea...":
It is rather sickening to visit here today, I should have known better. It is Good Friday and Greg's blog carries word of a pastor who is going to have the privilege of sharing the great news of Jesus' resurrection with people on Easter Sunday and instead of rejoicing, this becomes something to use in order to lob insults? I hope everyone sees how spiritually sick that truly is. All of us need to stop at the cross today, examine our lives carefully and then be awestruck at what our dear Lord paid to provide forgiveness for each of us. I guess the jaded tone of this site just struck me harder than usual on this special day. I'm not bitter, nor angry, nor entertained, just saddened by what you and your followers have become, Greg.
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GJ - I recall that Jesus spoiled Holy Week by driving the moneychangers from the Temple and cursing the fig tree (as representing the falsehoods embraced by Israel).
Now that the political plans of Church and Chicanery are exposed, they suddenly become pious and want only spiritual Valium on this blog, which is subtitled: The Glory Has Departed.
I love the sanctimony dripping from the comment above. Too bad he did not have the courage to sign his name. I think he is angry and bitter that Church and Change is now known for what it is, a den of thieves, a pit of vipers, white-washed sepulchres full of dead-men's bones.
No one is required to read this blog. I only expected a few dozen to bother, so I did not have to send out email doctrinal bulletins, with all the trouble involved in changing addresses and losing track of people.
A large number of WELS pastors and laity read this blog. Many different WELS members supply me with well-documented information.
Another Angry, Bitter Post from Church and Chicanery
Anonymouse has left a new comment on your post "Perish Services in WELS Reads Writing on the Wall:...":
Just face it, this blog is dedicated to anger, bitterness, and gossip. There is no basis in fact, just assumptions and "obvious" conclusions which are wrong.
If you actually check things out for yourself, you'll find plenty of liberties taken with the truth and omission of fact that would damage the vitriolic mission of Greg Jackson.
A guy with an axe to grind makes some interesting entertainment, nothing more.
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Another Angry, Bitter Post from Church and Chicane...":
FYI. The anger, bitterness, and gossip is directed at the failed leadership who mismanaged synodical funds and go on to focus on the survival of the institution rather than spreading the Word of God.
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Another Angry, Bitter Post from Church and Chicane...":
The church and change monkeys will always rise up and defend the brethren. They can't stand it that someone is speaking out against this movement to become a non-denominational synod. During the reign of Gurgel everyone was allowed to do as he pleased. Now Pope Gurgel is staking his claim in Texas. I can't wait to see Rev. Gurgel on the bass guitar.
Sausage Factory Prez To Preach for Patterson on Easter Sunday
Holy Word in Austin suddenly announced that the WELS seminary president will preach for Easter. There was no previous announcement, so this may be a last-minute arrangement to shore up the Church and Chicanery house of cards (or hall of mirrors).
How dedicated to Church Shrinkage is Wendland?
He began attending Al Sorum's congregation and suddenly Al Sorum was teaching at Mequon. For those who do not know, Sorum makes Valleskey look like Martin Chemnitz.
Patterson has been called to Mequon twice, but apparently did not want to leave his ranch in the hill country, his home in the suburbs, and his African safaris behind.
Patterson gave a paper (as did Paul Kelm!) on how to improve seminary education. Prange was the third. Apparently Leonard Sweet was busy that day.
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Sausage Factory Prez To Preach for Patterson on Ea...":
Patterson on how to improve seminary education: "1) start your own Rock n Roll church. 2) send the seminary students on a field trip to hunt zebra in Africa 3) grant writing 101 - 201 -301 4) call the former synod Pres to your church to manage/drain your coffers ..."
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Sausage Factory Prez To Preach for Patterson on Ea...":
I guess this is how the C&C dark cabal show solidarity and lock and load the spitball straws.
Praise the [praise-band] and pass the ammo!
After all, what's an extra few hundred spent on last minute airfare halfway across the country to Texas? Remember the Alamo! er, the CORE!
+Diet O. Worms
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Sausage Factory Prez To Preach for Patterson on Ea...":
Who is paying for Paul Wendland's trip? I am afraid this is another boondoggle paid for by faithful supporting members. What purpose can his trip serve? It looks like the WELS mafia really exists.
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Sausage Factory Prez To Preach for Patterson on Ea...":
Patterson is already lining up a female minster. Check out their parenting seminar led by Pastor Cindy and Chad. love and no logic [and that links to: http://www.loveandlogic.com/
women teaching men
The COP meets in Austin. Gurgel heads to Austin. The sem prez preaches in Austin. What message is being sent? "The south/church and changers will rise again!"
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Anonymouse has left a new comment on your post "Sausage Factory Prez To Preach for Patterson on Ea...":
Very obviously you know nothing about Paul Wendland. Another fine example of Greg Jackson's talent for character assassination!
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GJ - Telling the truth is not character assassination. The Church and Chicaneries are determined to enthrone their false doctrine and get rid of any and all opposition.
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Sausage Factory Prez To Preach for Patterson on Ea...":
It is obvious that Patterson is being molded and shaped to step in as district or synodical president.
The changers are very coy in how they place their supporters. The synod-bots will shriek and holler when they are exposed.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Ski Kelms* Craig Groeschel
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Did The CORE Model Itself after This Babtist Churc...":
The CORE must have been reading your blog because there are now listings on their events page and their calendar. The calendar shows the sermon series for the next several weeks. Compare the topics to those listed here:
http://open.lifechurch.tv/series/83
Urban Legends
View this series. Series ID: 83
4 week series
Do you know someone who's seen Bigfoot's tracks? What about Nessie in Loch Ness? Of course, almost every kid has learned that there really are alligators in the sewer. You know how it goes: someone sees something and tells someone who then tells someone else. On and on and on it goes until its hard to separate fact from fiction. This doesn't just happen with alligators and Bigfoot... it happens with spiritual truths as well. Join us as we separate fact from fiction and debunk spiritual myths.
Click below to explore this series.
At The CORE - A sermon series called Urban Legends.
http://open.lifechurch.tv/Series/66
The Sickness Within
View this series. Series ID: 66
5 week series
Is it really what's inside that counts? If so, what's going on inside you? Worry? Doubt? Loneliness? Lust? Sometimes the internal struggles that no one else sees are the ones that blind us the most. We'll get the inside story on how God offers hope and strength for overcoming these battles in this series, The Sickness Within.
Click below to explore this series.
At The CORE - a sermon series called The Sickness Within.
Must be a coincidence.
+Martinus
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From the Orace of Twitter, back in action:
RT @llcooljames: If people say evil things about you and it's true, correct yourself. If it's a lie laugh at it. Thnks LL gr8 2 remember.
about 7 hours ago from TweetDeck
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GJ - So why is he still preaching Groeschel's sermons?
*To kelm or to parlow: copying another parson's sermons and taking credit for them. In the Patterson Circuit, a copied sermon is called a doebler. Kelming and parlowing are often followed by large but undeserved grants. A doebler is always backed by rock music and disappointing grant allotments.
The final Main Session with Andy Stanley was just phenomenal. We began with awesome worship. Today though, they began with a Christian rapper, Toby Mac. Our school kids would have loved it. I’m not sure that they would have believed that it was church though.
When Andy began his session. He started by saying that he was not going to follow his notes in the Drive ’08 Journal Book. Instead he was going to do something that he called, “Recent Random Thoughts On Church Leadership.” He shared 5 points and 5 takeaways. I think that he was at his absolute best this afternoon.
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Ski Kelms* Craig Groeschel":
Kelming and parlowing have reduced WELS to the tragic state it is in today: disrespect for the Word, unethical behavior, stupidity, ignorance, laziness, stubbornness arrogance, etc. etc. etc.
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Ski Kelms* Craig Groeschel":
It's disgusting to me that this so-called church is allowed to continue as a WELS project. Sad part of it is, most people sitting in the pews throwing their weekly offering into the plate, have no idea it could be going to fund The Core. As long as they are open for business as a WELS entity, I cannot give synod a dime of my hard-earned money. What's the point of going to four years of college and another four years at the Seminary if all you need to do is copy and paste a different church's work whom we are not even in fellowship with. Ski disgusts me.
DMLC Grad Appointed at University of Phoenix
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Paul Danuser as the new Campus College Chair for Education at the Phoenix Campus.
Paul earned a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Elementary Education from Dr. Martin Luther College (New Ulm, MN) and a Master’s of Arts Degree in Secondary Education from the University of Phoenix.
LDS Gets It Right, But Calls It a Typo
PROVO, Utah – Thousands of issues of Brigham Young University's student newspaper were pulled from newsstands because a front-page photo caption misidentified leaders of the Mormon church as apostates instead of apostles.
An apostate is a person who has abandoned religious faith, principles or a cause.
The photo in The Daily Universe on Monday was of members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, a governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, at the weekend general conference.
The caption called the group the "Quorum of the Twelve Apostates." The mistake happened when a copy editor ran a computer spell check and apostate was suggested as the replacement for a misspelling of apostle.
"Unfortunately that's the one she clicked on," said Rich Evans, the paper's editorial manager. "It still should have been caught by two more levels of review after that, but again with deadline looming, the worst possible thing happened."
The typo was an honest mistake, said Carri Jenkins, spokeswoman for church-owned BYU. She said most of the 18,000 copies of the student paper were retrieved Monday morning and replaced with 10,000 corrected copies later in the day.
No university or church administrator has sought to punish anyone, Jenkins said.
"This is extremely rare," she said. "The focus today has been how and why the error occurred and what we can do to make sure that this does not happen again."
Bruce Becker's Anti-Biblical Question Echoes
Ba-da-bing!
Congregations of Influence in the WELS
Our own St. Matthew Church has been recognized as a "Congregation of Influence in the WELS." Thirty-four other congregations across the United States have also been recognized with this special honor. Recognition comes from two areas:
1) Consistent growth over the course of several years
2) High percentage of members in worship
Each congregation is asked to have as many members as possible respond to this question. "What factors beyond the power of the Gospel are prompting the growth of your congregation?"
Each response is to be around 300 words and all responders will be anonymous. If you are willing to serve in this capacity, please e-mail Pastor Enderle or send an e-mail to church@stmatthewsonline.org.
Church Dedication
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Read the pastor appreciation page.
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GJ - I just copy and paste. It's called kelming in Milwaukee. In Fox Valley, the pastors will say to the secretary, alternately, "Would you parlow this report?"
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Not Alone +++ PAS has left a new comment on your post "Bruce Becker's Anti-Biblical Question Echoes":
Skubalon!
Skubalon!!
Skubalon!!!
I checked the site and you weren't making this up!
"What factors beyond the power of the Gospel are prompting the growth of your congregation?"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
300 Words?!
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GJ - I do not make things up. Church and Chicaneries write my satire for me, even though they take themselves seriously.
The original question came from Bruce Becker, C and C Board Member, head of Perish Services, now a paid Mark Jeske Stormtrooper.
Did The CORE Model Itself after This Babtist Church?
Our expanding research team found this link on Facebook.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Rock 'n' Roll Church ...
Every rock 'n' roll preacher needs a rock 'n' roll church. This year, I had the privilege of meeting Sara Chappel, a Toronto journalist, over the phone. (Check out Sara's work on FaithWriters.com.) When Sara and I talked, she was trying to get a handle on the church in Canada. I told her the Central Baptist story. Here's what she took from our conversation.
Greg Glatz has written much of his doctoral dissertation and most of his sermons at a Winnipeg Starbucks, where the staff know him and, unbidden, keep him caffeinated as he taps away at his laptop and chats on his cell phone. Today, he’s hunkered down in the coffee shop against a brutal cold-snap that’s left Winnipeg ice-bound in -40 degree weather. His latte and his cell phone are both within arm’s reach, and he trades back and forth between them with an ease that’s almost hypnotic.
Glatz is the pastor – or “guru,” as he’s described on the church’s website – at Central Baptist Church, a “micro church with a mega mission” in Winnipeg. He sees nothing unusual in the image of a minister writing in a Starbucks, rather than in a dusty study surrounded by equally dusty academic tomes. In fact, it’s a perfect illustration of the kind of church he hopes to create, and the kind of church he thinks will survive an age of increasingly individualized religion. “We need to get out of our doors and into the world, which is where Jesus sent us,” he says. “I’m tired of people defining church by one hour on a Sunday morning.” So the church closes its doors on some Sunday mornings, to enable its members to go into the world and participate in community activities like charity walk-a-thons. Many of the activities of the church focus on meeting in coffee shops, or at blues concerts – anywhere other than the traditional pews n’ pulpit.
Glatz says his style of ministry is designed for “post modern pilgrims” – people disenchanted with the finger wagging and “thou shalt nots” of traditional organized religion. Church-goers – especially those with no previous religious background – “don’t want to be told what to believe and what they can’t believe. They don’t want to be dogmatized. They’re looking for guides and gurus.” To that end, he focuses on helping people experience the divine, rather than prescribing rules and beliefs. For Glatz, this “experiential” approach involves one of his twelve guitars and the church’s in-house band. It also means he uses contemporary phrases and imagery to bring Christianity closer to his congregants; one of his sermons about communion – written at Starbucks – was called “Bite Me.” Not surprisingly, many of Glatz’s parishioners are “refugees,” as Glatz calls them, from more traditional congregations, and many have no church background at all.
Glatz’s church is small, even by modern standards, although, since he’s been pastor, it’s doubled in size and is holding strong. He has a regular crowd on Sundays of about 60 people, and, although he’d like his congregation to be a little bigger – say, 85 or so – he’s perfectly happy with his small-but-strong congregation. In fact, he sees the mega church movement – congregations in the thousands, stadium seating, and massive television presence – as a dead end. “Mega is dead,” he says flatly. “Gen-Y’s – 20-somethings – aren’t finding what they want in those churches. They want house churches, coffee shops. As a rule, those churches are losing a whole generation. We’re going to have a whole lot of white elephant buildings sitting around in 10-20 years.” Although he’d welcome the extra revenue that more parishioners would bring in, Glatz’s overarching desire to build real connections between real humans means that the mega church model is completely inappropriate to his mission. For Glatz, the future of the church lies in being able to take the church into the world to make connections with people, many of whom only have the dimmest idea of what church actually means, and many of whom want to make their own decisions about what to believe.
My thanks to Sara for feeling our vibe.
posted by The Rock 'n' Roll Preacher at 8/15/2007 03:09:00 PM
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Rev. Greg Glatz
Age: 44
Gender: Male
Astrological Sign: Cancer
Zodiac Year: Dragon
Industry: Non-Profit
Occupation: Rock 'n' Roll Preacher
Location: Muddy Waters : Manitoba : Canada
Audio Clip
About Me
Rev. Greg Glatz is a postmodern pilgrim who brings the passion for guitar and God together as the Rock ‘n’ Roll Preacher. Greg is the lead pastor at Winnipeg’s Central Baptist Church and the lead guitar player for the Royal Unruh Band. He also plays guitar in the church house band and for several local projects.
Greg is a doctoral student at George Fox University in Portland, OR. He previously completed a B.A. in ancient/medieval history and languages at the University of Manitoba and a M.Div. at North American Baptist Seminary. Greg was a contributing author to Leonard Sweet’s 2008 book, Church of the Perfect Storm and has been an ongoing contributor to ChristianWeek.
Greg has one amazing wife, two incredible kids, and twelve guitars. You can find him Sunday mornings down at the church house, or tune into the GodTalk Radio Show on Sunday nights from 9-11 on CJOB 680 AM or streamed live on the world wide web.
What reason do you have to believe the earth is flat?
Are you kidding? I've lived on the prairies my whole life: how could the earth be anything except flat?!?
Interests
music guitars radio books web design cars
My Blogs Team Members
Notes from The Rock and Roll Preacher
Short remarks Brenda Arndt smash Eldon Kitty Myron D. Arndt
GodTalk Radio Show
Postmodern Pilgrims Hal Tippy Cakes G.I. Jazz Doug Koop FridgeOwl Stefany Rose Rolly George Nathan Heather
Perish Services in WELS Reads Writing on the Wall: Mene, Mene, Tekel, Go Back to Fuller and Stay There
The Ad Hoc Commission Report is summarized and linked here.
The Together message is linked here.
KJV Daniel 5:22 And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; 23 But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified: 24 Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written. 25 And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. 26 This is the interpretation of the thing:
- MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.
- TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
- PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
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Perish Services, bereft of Bruce Becker but burdened with Paul Kelm, will fight for its life in the next few months before the convention.
The Love-Shack-in-Exile is now located at Holy Word, Austin, Texas, where disgraced SP Gurgel is working with Kudu Don Patterson to retake the synod for Church Shrinkage. The Church Shrinkers have had their way since 1977, when Ron Roth started the pathetic organ of false doctrine called TELL. While talking growth, the Shrinkers have taught false doctrine, lined their pockets with synod money, and devastated the synod, defenestrating anyone who dared question their infallibility.
Patterson's wealthy suburban church can afford multiple safaris in Africa and two properties owned by Kudu Don, and yet they still have their hands out for synod subsidy when other entities are truly suffering from a lack of funds.
I heard Mark Jeske speak with typical arrogance about his desire to see Northwestern College closed. Apparently the faculty did not bow down to him while he was a student there. Or they mentioned Lutheran doctrine often enough to irritate him. Jeske will be another focal point in saving Perish Services.
Do not forget A-town, the Fox Valley churches led astray by John Parlow, Steve Witte, and Ron Ash. They are self-indulgent, bongo-drum beating beehives of anti-Lutheran activity. Parlow is a failure who could not scrape up enough funds to have one campus (denied, of course - anonymously). Like Jeske and Patterson, Parlow gets fat subsidies when his congregation should be supporting others.
The CORE is the shining light, the best example of what Perish Services, Church and Chicanery, and Schwaermer training has to offer:
- The name Lutheran abandoned as an obstacle.
- The word church also left by the wayside as a barrier to growth.
- Reaching out to WELS members; aka, skimming the cream while calling it a mission.
- Rock music.
- An obsession with hedonism.
- A full-time assistant to help with work that is clearly not being done anyway - minimal worship and Bible study, no Lutheran content provided, maximum Tweeting.
- And of course, wasting a great deal of money while providing a high visibility embarrassment to all Lutherans, regardless of race, gender, synod, country of origin, or sexual orientation.
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Perish Services in WELS Reads Writing on the Wall:...":
St. Peter's in Freedom, WI is the parent of their whorish daughter congregation, The CORE. Perhaps they've taken Freedom too far in their thinking of what is God-pleasing.
Certainly no one can claim this is a good use of resources and proper stewardship. Is there really no better use for $100,000 or whatever this costs to get off the ground?
They may gently reassure themselves that it is free grant money, so it doesn't really cost the congregation cash to run CORE. But it does cost them their reputation as proper stewards and discerners of right from wrong.
I Cor 4:1-2:
Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Perish Services in WELS Reads Writing on the Wall:...":
I think you guys should worry more about minding your own p's and q's and let the Lord decide how he wants his church to grow. If it is of man it will fail. If it is of God it will succeed and we must have the wisdom and MATURITY to accept either outcome as the Lord sees fit. You guys are the first to throw stones and yet how innocent are all of you? What divisive talk. You cling to your own understandings and you are as guilty as those you are accusing. You decry the mysteries of God and yet presume to know it all. May the Lord have mercy on all of us!
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GJ - The Church and Chicaneries wanted to be judged by their results. That is fine, though anti-Biblical. They have decreased the size of the denomination during 30+ years of population growth. They have bankrupted the Wisconsin Synod during a time of enormous gift-giving through St. Marvin of Schwan. As Donald Trump would say, upon emerging from yet another bankruptcy, "You're fired!"
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Chris Jackson - Not Doing Well
My wife, often known as Mrs. Ichabod, is not doing well. She is still--or again--suffering from pneumonia. That is not a good combination with a bad heart and a history of Valley Fever (a local disorder which never goes away completely). She is allergic to the favored big gun in antibiotics (Levaquin), thanks to previous use.
She has great fun hearing about responses to Ichabod. I noticed two more followers on the list.
Modifying Parlow's motto, I would say, "Blog fast - the Word is efficacious."
Your prayers are appreciated.
Update, Maundy Thursday - Chris is definitely better this morning.
For Want of a Tweet, A Church Was Lost
Gesammelte Werke der Skitheologie - ganz kapoof!
Relax and laugh by scanning the eructations of the Pricey Executive Assistant.
RT @pwilson: RT @garylamb: If you ever want to know if your team understands & backs your vision observe what makes them angry.
about 4 hours ago from TweetDeck
been quite a day. headed to bed for what is hopefully a restful night's sleep. i need one.
about 18 hours ago from TweetDeck
RT @tonymorganlive: age group that uses twitter most? would you believe 45 to 54? http://bit.ly/kIkzk
about 18 hours ago from TweetDeck
2nd edition of video blog from @gotocore. check it out. http://bit.ly/bFkxC
about 23 hours ago from TweetDeck
Here is the video linked above:
Are all the people in the video unchurched mission prospects? Or local WELS members?
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "For Want of a Tweet, A Church Was Lost":
When Ski says in the video that "we at the CORE are committed to transforming the city for Jesus", it implies that the other area WELS churches aren't doing anything. Sort of a "CORE to the rescue" idea. Seems like a slap in the face to the faithful Christians who have been proclaiming the Gospel in Appleton for many years. Curious.
+Martinus
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A view on the Lutheran liturgy as Gospel proclamation is found here.
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "For Want of a Tweet, A Church Was Lost":
CORE aka the ALIBI provides a great cover for persons who wish to conceal their religious beliefs – assuming they have some. Here is a nondescript organization perfected for denial: not Lutheran, not WELS, not Christian, etc., yet anything you want it to be in a given situation. This is real cowardice when facing a critical crowd. It certainly does not witness of Christ.
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Church and Chicanery's Mission Does the Vision Thi...":
With all of the "relevant" message jazz and focus on bringing in the "unchurched" etc., and use of so called contemporary Christian music, it makes me wonder why we even ever bothered with having had to memorize hymns. You know, the ones that actually contain doctrine, warnings of straying, warnings of false doctrine, talked clearly of the Trinity, and yes, all focused on Christ and the cross and what He did for us. There sure doesn't seem to be much of that in the new paradigm churches. Although I did memorize the refrain from a contemporary song that a WELS pastor on the staff of St. Marks, (when they were still in Greenbay), had written and the worship team performed. It went, and I quote, "Yes Lord, yes Lord, yes Lord, Yes. "Yes Lord, yes Lord, yes Lord, Yes." As Luther would say, “what does this mean?”
Do you think that CORE will have their partners, (nee members) do any memorization of hymns? And what do other WELS people, who will no doubt be going there, think about their having had to learn and memorize such great things? I can imagine that they will only be thinking, "See, it didn't really matter, all that matters is the 'heart of worship', at least people are coming now." It will likely contribute to what I call the dumbing down of Lutheranism and the lessening of decent education and quality catechization.
I truly do wonder what impact this kind of re-invented church will have on what was once known as Christian or Lutheran worship. Certainly there will be classes and memorization and good quality education teaching the full counsel of God. There will, won't there?.......won't there?........hello..........won't there?.......is anyone listening?..... ......hello.............I think it's dead...............hello....
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "For Want of a Tweet, A Church Was Lost":
Plagiarism alert - in response to the quote from Anonymous about the "Yes, Lord" refrain, unless the pastor at St. Mark's was named Darrell Jackson, this chorus is awfully close to the one from the contemporary Christian song "Trading My Sorrows."
http://www.christianlyricsonline.com/artists/darrell-evans/trading-my-sorrows.html
+Martinus
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Navigation: D \ Darrell Evans \ Trading My Sorrows
I'm trading my sorrow
I'm trading my shame
I'm laying it down for the joy of the Lord
I'm trading my sickness
I'm trading my pain
I'm laying it down for the joy of the Lord
Chorus:
And we say yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord
Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord
Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord Amen
I'm pressed but not crushed persecuted not abandoned
Struck down but not destroyed
I'm blessed beyond the curse for his promise will endure
And his joy's gonna be my strength
Though the sorrow may last for the night
His joy comes with the morning
Endorsements Keep Rolling In
grene has left a new comment on your post "Rock and Roll Blog Swan Song: Not With a Bang... B...":
I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Miriam
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Endorsements Keep Rolling In":
Pertinent quotes for consideration by the CORE and other similar churches:
“One of the most popular current errors, and the one out of which springs most of the noisy, blustering religious activity being carried in evangelical circles these days, is the notion that as times change the church must change with them. Christians must adapt their methods by the demands of the people. If they want ten-minute sermons, give them ten-minute sermons. If they want truth in capsule form, give it to them. If they want pictures, give them plenty of pictures. If they like stories, tell them stories. If they prefer to absorb their religious instruction through drama, go along with them—give them what they want. ‘The message is the same, only the method changes,’ say the advocates of compromise.”
- A.W. Tozer
“The devil has seldom done a cleverer thing than hinting to the church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them…providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in the Scriptures as a function of the church…the need is for Biblical doctrine, so understood and felt that it sets men aflame.”
- CH Spurgeon
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GJ - Tozer and Spurgeon are two old fuddie-duddies who had the Church and Chicaneries pegged long before Fuller Creek regenerated the rascals as pod-people of the New Age. Note how often the Pricey Executive Assistant shares her Buddhist/business management wisdom with everyone.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Church and Chicanery's Mission
Does the Vision Thing
RT @perrynoble: God asks leaders 2 do lots of things...but never 2 compromise His vision & become a coward when facing a critical crowd!
about 15 hours ago from TweetDeck
been quite a day. headed to bed for what is hopefully a restful night's sleep. i need one.
22 minutes ago from TweetDeck
Prophecy sent to Ski: "You will outgrow the Imax!"
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Church and Chicanery's Mission Does the Vision Thi...":
Isn't Perry Noble the guy who berates his members and ridicules traditional Christian worship practices?
http://apprising.org/2009/03/perry-noble-sounding-not-so-noble/
No wonder there is criticism of him - and justifiable at that. Not sure this is the type of minister a "WELS" church should befriend or "tweet." Oh, I forgot - we've rid ourselves of troublesome labels like "Lutheran" and "WELS".
+Martinus
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Church and Chicanery's Mission Does the Vision Thi...":
I'm sure the suspense is unbearable...
For those of you wondering, the church pictured as Pastor Ski's annex is actually St. Paul's (WELS), a block away from the Popcorn Cathedral (Real. Buttery. Relevant.)
St. Paul's website is:
www.stpaulappletonwi.com
The blessed saints that worship at St. Paul's and teach their little lambs at the school offer this confession on their website:
"As Christians united in common faith, St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church exists to nurture believers and bring the lost to faith in Jesus through God's Holy Word and Sacraments."
(Real. Worship. Here.)
+Diet O. Worms
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In fact, this is an untouched photo of St. Paul (WELS) in Appleton.
Electronic Banner Changes To Keep the Mission Relevant
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Electronic Banner Changes To Keep the Mission Rele...":
Evidently the cross is no longer relevant, but CORE is.
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Electronic Banner Changes To Keep the Mission Rele...":
"The Core" is also the title of a 2003 science fiction film about drilling to the center of the earth. This movie has been universally panned as one of the worst science fiction movies of all time -- if not THE worst. I sat through this movie once on a trans-atlantic flight and laughed the whole time becuase of how awful it was. Whenever I hear "The Core" I think of unrealistic action, bad acting, stupid plot lines, an underdeveloped message, and phony dialog. Then again, maybe the name fits perfectly.
Church and Change Board Goes Stealth
The Church and Change board members must not like the attention they are getting. Earlier, the board links included a bio and a photo of each board member. Note the changes to their Least Wanted List:
- Ski has no bio and no photo.
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Church and Change Board Goes Stealth":
Something else has gone blank - Pastor Ski's Twitter page. Hmm.
+Martinus - Brian Arthur Lampe (CEO ministries, UPS driver) has no bio and no photo.
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Church and Change Board Goes Stealth":
I'm mystified as to what qualifies Brian ARTHUR Lampe to teach others about ministry. Read some of the papers from his site - www.ceo-ministries.com. Not exactly earth-shattering revelations and not very well-written or formatted. Yet they are presented as if his knowledge is superior to all others.
+Martinus
"Brian Arthur Lampe delivers a one-two punch to the devil and his schemes with his high powered, enthusiastic, energetic life-applying Biblical motivational speaking. We are on a quest for authentic God. By including Brian Arthur Lampe, you will have more than just a rally or a Bible study. You and your congregation will be providing men, women, and youth with an encouraging process that teaches them how to live lives of authentic Christianity as modeled by Jesus Christ and directed by the Word of God." Christian Speaker Network describes Brian's denomination as Christian.
[GJ - Is the Christian Speaker Network another WELS group?...or it isunionistic? Aren't you glad Gurgel shut down Church and Chicanery?] - John Huebner still has a bio and a photo.
- Barry Spencer has a bio but the photo has disappeared.
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Church and Change Board Goes Stealth":
Surprise - Barry's back. His photo has reappeared. However, not sure what this means in his bio: "Barry feels it is important to empower God’s people to discover and embrace relevant and innovative methods for carrying out gospel ministry." Our focus should be on relevant and innovative methods now, rather than simply preaching the Gospel?
+Martinus- Sarah Owens still has a bio and a photo.
- Jeff Davis, professional fund-raiser, has a photo but the bio is deleted.
- Ron Ash, retired from Freedom, Wiscosin, chairman, has a bio and photo.
- John Huebner still has a bio and a photo.
Ichabodians, do not worry. I have copied all the photos to my directory.
This disappearing act is why I copy content and post it.
Heretic today, gone tomorrow.
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Church and Change Board Goes Stealth":
No wonder they scurried.
http://www.wels.net/cgi-bin/site.pl?2601&collectionID=1743
The ad hoc report really laid the wood to the Perish Service crew, at least using as diplomatic language as could be offered.
Read pages 19-20, esp. 812-817.
+Diet O. Worms
Eructations from the Cathedral
from the Delphic priestess.
loswhit wow! heaven is going to be awesome. makes the daily struggles of a bad monday seem so small - so worth the fight #twiblestudy
about 15 hours ago from TweetDeck in reply to loswhit
[Office Space: Brian, Chotchkie's Waiter: "Okay. Sounds like a case of the Mondays."]
RT @perrynoble: God asks leaders 2 do lots of things...but never 2 compromise His vision & become a coward when facing a critical crowd!
about 15 hours ago from TweetDeck
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Eructations from the Cathedral":
What is the purpose of The CORE's website since it is so rarely updated? The last entry in "News and Events" is from February. The "Calendar" contains no entries. And the little Flash movie of Ski that you have to wait through before you get to the site itself is not only annoying -- it's really bad website design. For a church that wants to be "cutting edge", it's seriously lacking in the technology department. Other than the "deep" Bible studies they offer on Twitter, of course. And their online Bible information course called "The Road", which is under lock and key in "The Valley".
+Martinus
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Eructations from the Cathedral":
anon 4:22. The pic is real, except for the photoshopped text in the signage to the right of the big "core" sign. The real sign actually reads "Real. Relevant. Popcorn."
Just Kidding. The big sign actually says, "Evangelical Lutheran Church."
LOL! Had you going there.
"Real. Relevant. Rockin' A-Town."
Hmmmph. Now I can't remember what it really said. Since I'm churched, and not part of their target demographic of "un-churched, but available for Sunday night rock concerts" I guess it went right over my head.
+Diet O. Worms
Shroud of Turin - In the News
and burned at the stake, on Friday the 13th.
I was recruited for Demolay--due to Masons in the family--
but I declined the opportunity to wear those cool rayon robes.
ROME, April 7 (UPI) -- Research suggests the Shroud of Turin -- said to be Jesus' burial cloth -- was hidden by medieval knights for more than a century, the Vatican said Sunday.
The Vatican's weekly newspaper said a researcher in the Vatican Secret Archives has found a document that suggests the shroud was hidden by the Knights Templar and secretly venerated for more than 100 years after the Crusades, The Times of London reported Monday.
The newspaper said the shroud disappeared in 1204 during the Fourth Crusade and was not seen by anyone outside the order until the middle of the fourteenth century.
Researcher Barbara Frale told the Vatican's L'Osservatore Romano that the missing years had long puzzled historians. The findings are based on a document in which a young Frenchman who entered the order in 1287 testified that he was instructed to venerate the shroud during his initiation, Frale said.
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GJ - Some claim that the Free Masons came directly from the Knights Templar. The Masonic Lodge has many clones (Red Man's Lodge, Modern Woodmen, Oddfellows) in America. In England the Anglican clergy and the royal family have been the mainstay of the Lodge.
The Shroud has no history until it was connected with the Knights Templar. Some think it is Demolay portrayed as a second Christ. When carbon dating showed the Shroud was new rather than old, the Vatican reworked the story. Why kill the goose that lays such golden eggs? The Shroud is a money-maker.
Here is a story I ran into while searching for a little background.
WELS Enthusiasm Leads to Rome, Pasadena, and Willow Creek
Interesting dialog between Dave and a WELS members. Sounds like we're about to lose one to Rome.
Dialogue With a Lutheran Inquirer, on Lutheran-Catholic Differences
Monday, April 06, 2009
This is an exchange I had with a friendly Lutheran woman, on the CHNI board; posted with her permission.
* * * * *
Hi [name],
So nice to "meet" you, and welcome to our forum. I hope you enjoy it here and find what you want and need.
I hope you all can help me. I have a few specific questions that may seem like I'm trying to play devil's advocate or to stir up trouble, but I assure you I'm not; I am a sincere seeker! I converted to Catholic many years ago but didn't stay in very long, and even though I joined the Lutheran church a few years ago, I read Catholic web sites all the time. Hm, what does that tell me?
Understood. I'll try my best to offer some decent answers.
Anyway. Here are some things I thought of yesterday while sitting in church. I've read a whole lot of posts here but have not been able to find any answers written in the way I'm asking these questions. My faith issues are sort of reaching critical mass. (no pun intended!)
Please don't get too scholarly on me though; I'm not that bright!
Depends on how difficult the questions are to answer! Sometimes an objection can be voiced in one sentence, but it takes 10 pages to properly answer. But I'm just a regular old layperson and not a scholar. I have no formal training in theology.
1. The thing that set this off most recently was a Bible study about marriage. Even the pastor couldn't come up with a definitive answer about divorce; he allowed as how the person could divorce for infidelity or desertion, and "there's always forgiveness", and that was about that. Not only that, but some participants in the class didn't even agree with him, taking the stance of no divorce allowed. Well, even though I'm a Lutheran, I don't think that's right. That's not a question so much as it is an expression of frustration. I don't see any ultimate authority being exercised there. Maybe Protestants don't need ultimate authority despite all that has been written on the subject. It just doesn't sit right with me. Oh, and BTW, I am even divorced and remarried and I'm still uncomfortable with it.
The traditional Catholic position is that a valid sacramental marriage between two baptized Christians is indissoluble. You are right to be uncomfortable, because you instinctively know that marriage was meant to be lifelong. Catholics, of course, have this thing called annulments: which is a determination that an ostensible marriage may not in fact have been so, because key conditions were not met. For a treatment of the divorce issue, that incorporates some input from Protestant commentators, see my paper:
Biblical Evidence for the Prohibition of Divorce (+ Discussion)
2. Catholics say that the Church is protected from error by the Holy Spirit so the Catholic Church has to be the right one. Well, what if the invention of the printing press and Luther's hellraising was God's way of making sure the gates of hell did not prevail against the church? You know, like the guy sitting on top of the house in a flood, praying for God to rescue him, waving off helicopters --with God answering, "I sent you three helicopters, why didn't you take one of them?" What if the road made a major fork back in the 16th century and Catholics don't recognize it; sort of like the Jews not recognizing Jesus as the obvious Messiah?
I understand the reasoning (having once held it myself) but I don't think that case can be made, because many things in Luther's teaching essentially departed from what came before. If indeed, this was a true reform (as is claimed by Lutherans and Protestants in general) and not a revolt or revolution, then it would have to be shown that distinctively Lutheran teachings were consistent with prior Church history. I've documented myself how Luther introduced at least 50 doctrinal novelties, even before he was excommunicated (in his three great treatises of 1520):
50 Ways In Which Luther Had Departed From Catholic Orthodoxy or Established Practice by 1520 (and Why He Was Excommunicated)
Lutherans often claim, e.g., that their teachings are more in line with the Church Fathers than Catholic teaching is. I think (with all due respect; and I do love and respect my Lutheran brothers and sisters) that if that debate takes place, the Lutheran loses every time. They just don't have the historical facts on their side. It's a question of fact. I've engaged in several of these debates myself, with educated Lutherans (one of them a professor of history). Each issue has to be approached in its own right, and then it is an historical discussion. What did the Fathers believe?
3. Luther's personal offensiveness is justifiably castigated by Catholics: "How could such a vulgar, rude, (etc.) man possibly be used by God for His purposes?" Well, I can see that, but how about St. Peter himself who denied Jesus three times? Or, other saints or religious who had great saving faith but might have been obnoxious as well? The Pope when teaching about faith and morals is said to be infallible, but everyone knows that there have been personally reprehensible Popes in history. Maybe Luther was a guy like that?
Yeah; we understand the difference between impeccability and infallibility. You are right. There is, however, a big difference in Luther's case. St. Peter wasn't introducing anything himself, of his own authority. He was a disciple and eyewitness of Jesus, and simply passed on what he had seen and had been taught.
Luther, on the other hand, was introducing new teachings that hadn't been held prior to his time (contrary to the claims made), and he was dogmatically claiming that he was right and that the entire Catholic Church, with its 1500 year history, was wrong. This is vastly different from Peter or indeed any pope whatever. I recently did a big study of Erasmus' response to Luther, in the former's book, Hyperaspistes (1526). He makes several cogent points about Luther's anti-traditionalism and how implausible it was. Here are a few examples:
We are dealing with this: would a stable mind depart from the opinion handed down by so many famous men famous for holiness and miracles, depart from the decision of the church, and commit our souls to the faith of someone like you who has sprung up just now with a few followers, although the leading men of your flock do not agree either with you or among themselves . . . (p. 203)
And here once more you have the impudence to scoff at orthodox Greek writers whom you deprive of all authority by a marvellous assumption, that the saints have sometimes erred because they are human . . . (p. 207)
Therefore do not insist that on the issue of free will you have the advantage of having Augustine so often on your side -- as you boast, though I will soon show that this is quite false -- lest we turn your comparison back against you. Or if you deprive them [the Church Fathers] of all authority, stop making use of their testimony. If they said many things devoutly, many things excellently, although they sometimes made mistakes, allow us to make use of what they said well, as you claim the right to do also. (p. 208)
. . . you demand that we reject their [the Church Fathers'] authority, that we hold to your teachings as if they were articles of the faith. At least grant us, for their teachings as well as yours, the same right to suspend judgment about either. (p. 225)
. . . I called into question which interpretation we should follow, that of the ancient Fathers, which has been approved for so many centuries, or yours, which has sprung up so recently. (p. 244)
Now look at the laws which you prescribe, though you are not yet the victor: lay down whatever arms are supplied by the ancient orthodox teachers, the schools of the theologians, the authority of councils and popes, the consensus of the whole Christian people over so many centuries; we accept nothing but Scripture, but in such a way that we alone have authoritative certainty in interpreting it; our interpretation is what was meant by the Holy Spirit; that brought forward by others, however great, however many, arises from the spirit of Satan and from madness; what the orthodox taught, what the authority of the church handed down, what the people of Christ embraced, what the schools defend is the deadly venom of Satan; what I teach is the spirit of life; believe that in Scripture there is no obscurity at all, not even so much as to need a judge; or, though all are blind, I am not blind; for I am conscious that I have the Spirit of Christ, which enables me to judge everyone but no one to judge me; I refuse to be judged, I require compliance; let no one be the least bit moved by the multitude, the magnitude, the breadth and depth, the miracles, the holiness of the church's saints; they all were lost if they meant what they wrote, unless perhaps they came to their senses before the last day of their lives; whoever does not believe my proofs either lacks common sense or commits blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and subverts Christianity. If we accept such laws as these, the victory is indeed yours. Then again, you demand that we not believe the ancient orthodox Fathers because they sometimes disagreed amongst themselves, whereas the few of you fight very much with each other about the prophets, images, church rules, baptism, the Eucharist; and you want us nevertheless to believe your teachings, especially because every day we expect new ones. And we are called blasphemous because we still cling to the old church and do not dare to join your camp . . . I am not making any of this up; I am saying what is certain and well known. (p. 261)
You might be interested in this whole series of papers:
Luther Meets His Match, Part I: Correspondence Between and Concerning Erasmus and Luther: 1517 to 1534
Part II: Luther's Relentless, Slanderous Insults of Erasmus in Bondage of the Will and Table-Talk
Part III: Erasmus' Hyperaspistes (1526): Luther's Extreme Dogmatism (To Disagree With Luther is to be Damned)
Part IV: Erasmus' Hyperaspistes (1526): The Rebellious and Anti-Traditional Elements of Luther's Revolt
Part V: Erasmus' Hyperaspistes (1526): Excoriation of Luther's Ubiquitous Personal Insults and Calumnies
Part VI: Erasmus' Hyperaspistes (1526): Sola Scriptura & Perspicuity (Total Clarity) of Scripture Critiqued
Part VII: Erasmus' Hyperaspistes (1526): Luther's Dissembling, Hypocrisy, Arrogance, Inflammatory Rhetoric, Etc.
4. It seems to me that the Protestant way of looking at Sola Scriptura is not really that they think/claim the Bible says of itself that it is the only thing to rely on in faith and practice, but that it is evident from years of objective analysis of what's said in the Bible. That all that is needed for salvation is put forth in the Bible without needing to rely on Tradition or the Magisterium. Of course I know that this way of thinking has caused endless Protestant variations which I think is wrong. Also, this is not to call into question how Protestants got the Bible or anything. What I mean is, I've never heard of a Protestant saying that the Bible itself states that the Bible is all that is needed.
Sola Scriptura means (from many Protestant definitions that I have seen) that the Bible is the only infallible authority, and that no church or pope or particular Christian tradition is infallible. It was a frontal assault against the authority of the Catholic Church. Catholics believe that the Bible is materially sufficient, but not formally sufficient, meaning that all that is required for salvation can be found there, but that authoritative proclamation of correct doctrine is still needed, because men on their own split into innumerable factions, as Protestantism itself has proven beyond any doubt. I wrote a whole book about it recently:
501 Biblical Arguments Against Sola Scriptura
I'd be happy to send you a Word or PDF version for free.
5. For the more "obscure" teachings like Purgatory and the Marian doctrines, Protestants seem to draw a line that they won't cross, saying that those teachings aren't in the Bible even though Catholics point to those teachings' "seeds" in the Bible. So where is that line that they won't cross, delineating which teachings are/aren't in the Bible? Right, I should ask a Protestant theologian that question, but maybe a Catholic could enlighten me without getting defensive, dismissive, or stymied.
It's pretty simple, in the final analysis, I think. For the most part, the "line" is simply that (what is now seen as) distinctively Catholic tradition was rejected by Protestants. The "line" is wherever the Catholic Church disagreed with Luther. It has far more to do with that than it does with what is supposedly "biblical" and what isn't. Also, the line comes as a result of the premises involved in Protestant distinctives, which rule out various traditional Catholic doctrines by logical reduction. A choice was made, and every time we make one choice, many other things are logically excluded.
For example, Luther held to sola fide, which meant that God declares someone righteous (imputed or extrinsic justification). This is how he is saved. This one belief (which I argue is most unbiblical) takes out notions of merit, purgatory, penance, and moral assurance of salvation, as opposed to an absolute assurance. Of course, for many Protestants, the same belief takes out baptismal regeneration. But Luther didn't go that far, and retained that. He was still sacramental to a large extent. The Real Presence is rejected by most Protestants on largely the same basis, because they don't think realism and sacraments are necessary to pass on God's grace. But Luther (and, I contend, the Bible itself) profoundly disagreed. Nevertheless, he felt compelled to reject the Sacrifice of the Mass, that was also firmly taught by the Church Fathers.
Luther also rejected purgatory, also, because he came to believe in a sort of "soul sleep" that even Calvin rejected, as I recently discovered, to my surprise:
Martin Luther's Heretical Notion of Soul Sleep and Rejection of Purgatory and Prayers For the Dead Based on This Denial (+ William Tyndale Agrees)
That's a classic case of false premises causing one to reject something else. If souls after death are unconscious, then obviously purgatory is a senseless position. Luther saw that purgatory was clearly taught in 2 Maccabees. When a few years later he rejected belief in purgatory (he hadn't yet in 1517 or even by 1519 in his famous Leipzig Disputation with Eck), then he also rejected 2 Maccabees. So now part of what was the accepted Bible in Christianity for 1100-1200 years is rejected because Luther had this goofy, heretical, unbiblical view of soul sleep. One thing affects another.
Luther taught sola Scriptura. This takes out (by the nature of logical contradiction) apostolic succession, an infallible church, infallible councils, infallible popes, infallible apostolic tradition, and the hierarchical or episcopal form of Church government. All of that goes once sola Scriptura is asserted. But sola Scriptura was not the patristic or biblical position. I have shown the former in over 100 pages in my book on the Church Fathers and Catholicism. The latter was shown in an entire book, and even from Scripture alone in over 100 pages in my latest book:
Biblical Evidence For Catholicism (Or, "Dave's Topical Bible")
You can have an e-book copy of that, too, for free, if you like.
Does the way I've asked any of these questions make any sense?
It makes perfect sense, coming from your Lutheran presuppositions. One thing follows from another. You seem to be questioning some of those presuppositions (or you are willing to subject them to scrutiny, anyway) and wondering if they can hold up. I maintain that they cannot. Whatever is true in Lutheranism, was already true and present in Catholic teaching for 1500 years.
Truth be told, I'm getting bored like anything going to the Lutheran church. Same old Law & Gospel, same old "faith alone" (except where St. James says *not by faith alone*!), same old "silent where the Bible is silent" etc. etc. etc. BTW, I don't mean to offend any Lutherans/Protestants who read this.
I think there is a lot more to Christianity than Lutheranism (or any form of Protestantism) offers. That's why I am a Catholic (I came in in 1991 after being a fervent evangelical for 13 years, including three spent at a Lutheran church: though I was not fully Lutheran in a doctrinal sense). We believe that Catholicism offers the fullness of fully-developed apostolic Christianity.
Thank you SO much...
My pleasure, I hope my answers (agree or disagree) are helpful to you, in working through these issues; and I'd be delighted to discuss any of these things further. I particularly enjoy dialoguing with Lutherans, as I've had a lot of good dialogues with them (including a series of big, meaty dialogues with two friendly Lutheran pastors).
Dave, I look forward to reading the links you provided. I gotta say, the quote from Erasmus to Luther was kind of surprising. Well, not that a Catholic defending his faith is surprising of course, just that Erasmus' calling out Luther on his attitude shows me that there must be lots of stuff Luther thought that maybe most Lutherans don't know about.
I guess that means that it's over and above Luther's personality, that his basic errors from "stuff he made up" would mean that it's just not a case of God using an imperfect man to keep the Church going? OK, I get that; in fact from the Erasmus quote you provided, it looks as though Luther was trying to have things both ways and even hypocritical, e.g. "don't quote Church fathers if you don't accept their authority" and this in particular, "though all are blind, I am not blind; for I am conscious that I have the Spirit of Christ, which enables me to judge everyone but no one to judge me; I refuse to be judged, I require compliance" which really does uncover Luther's attitude.
It's nice to hear from people who used to be Protestant too! I think your background probably places even more emphasis on Bible study than Lutherans do. We have an anemic Bible study before worship service (as I alluded to with the marriage one) but that's about it.
The books are on their way, in your regular e-mail. Enjoy! And feel free to keep the discussion going in whatever direction you want to take it.
Dave, thanks for your downloads, from what I'm reading so far they'll help me a lot! I will read all of your links as time permits too. Dave, I have just finished the papers you wrote about Erasmus answering Luther. And, I also read a couple of papers having to do with the movie "Luther", Luther's polemics, his unintentional advocacy of the peasants' uprising, and his EXTREME nastiness, vulgarity, etc. It took me a while but--even though I knew about his personality (as I'd asked about in my original post) --good grief, this man was horrible! I won't get into specifics, but I will say that I found myself cheering Erasmus on, and picturing some honest, erudite politician (yeah, assuming there are some still around) having to defend himself and the whole Western Tradition against some unhinged radical who unleashes the devil against it all. (Your turnabout essay about Catholics doing the same thing against the Protestants in modern-day America was brilliant!) Now I will delve into the two you sent me; it does take a while to read while I'm waiting for stuff to happen at work, but I will get it done!
Thanks for reading, [name], and I am happy to be of any service. You can also have my book about Luther if you like, but most of what is in it is on my Luther page somewhere already.
God bless you as you ponder all these things. I don't believe Luther was a "bad" man, but certainly many of his notions and doctrines can be opposed on the grounds of Scripture and apostolic and patristic tradition.
I am WELS [Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod] . . . I am starting to feel increasingly judgmental and thinking about a Catholic Mass when I'm at church, rather than focusing on the sermon. Like, trying to notice when the pastor says stuff about Luther or what Lutheranism teaches, and instead thinking about what the Catholic church teaches, as far as I'm able to. Obviously there's a whole lot of stuff I don't know! . . . I'm continuing to read and think and pray; I always pray and ask God to lead me to the truth, no matter where it is.
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