PM Notes

Captivation Of The Will: PDF Monday

2012-02-20T07:23:00.006-07:00

Today's PDF:

To Access More PDF Sheets:

Renaissance: Word Of The Week

2012-02-18T07:13:00.000-07:00

The Renaissance was a cultural movement from the 1300's to the 1600's AD. It was a time of great art and a return back to the intellectual and classical works of the ancient period (i.e. Greeco-Roman Era). It served as a bridge between the Middle Ages (400's to 1400's AD) and the Early Modern Age (1500's to 1800's).

Source: Wikipedia.com

The Devil Never Stops Cooking And Brewing The Two Kingdoms Into Each Other

2012-02-17T08:55:00.002-07:00

In light of the the House Committee On Oversight And Government Reform meeting yesterday, I thought that the following quote from Martin Luther on the Two Kingdoms is most appropriate. A special thank you to Eric Ekong for posting the following quote on Facebook.

"Constantly I must pound in and squeeze in and drive in and wedge in this difference between the two kingdoms, even though it is written and said so often that it becomes tedious. The devil never stops cooking and brewing these two kingdoms into each other. In the devil’s name the secular leaders always want to be Christ's master and teach Him how He should run His church and spiritual government. Similarly, the false clerics and schismatic spirits always want to be the masters, though not in God’s name, and to teach people how to organize the secular government. Thus the devil is indeed very busy on both sides, and he has much to do. May God hinder him, amen, if we deserve it!"

Luther, M. (1999). Vol. 13: Luther's works, vol. 13 : Selected Psalms II (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.). Luther's Works (Ps 101:5). Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House.

To read more on the Two Kingdoms CLICK HERE or CLICK HERE.

Examining Law & Gospel And Luther’s 1518 Heidelberg Disputation (Part 5 of 6)

2012-02-17T06:25:00.002-07:00

Tom Baker is the host of Law and Gospel on KFUO Radio in St. Louis, MO. Several years ago he conducted a "Law & Gospel And Theology of the Cross" presentation over several sessions in Jamestown, ND. Both the LCMS and CLBA congregations were involved in this teaching and it was recorded for your enjoyment.

These audio recordings have probably been in the top 10 most influential teachings that I have ever received.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

To read more on this subject:
On Being A Theologian Of The Cross
Walther In The 21st Century

Rev. Harrison Gives A Strong Lutheran Witness Before House Committee On Oversight and Government Reform

2012-02-16T16:04:00.007-07:00

LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison appeared before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Thursday, February 16th, to discuss the recent U.S. Health and Human Services Ruling regarding contraceptives. On behalf of the LCMS, Harrison spoke to the issue violating citizens' freedom of religion and freedom of conscience.

To read more on this subject CLICK HERE or CLICK HERE.

If you are not familiar with the context of today's House Committee meeting and events, the following video does a nice job of giving you a background.

Examining Law & Gospel And Luther’s 1518 Heidelberg Disputation (Part 4 of 6)

2012-02-16T06:17:00.006-07:00

Podcast Powered By Podbean

To read more on this subject:
On Being A Theologian Of The Cross
Walther In The 21st Century

Examining Law & Gospel And Luther’s 1518 Heidelberg Disputation (Part 3 of 6)

2012-02-15T07:16:00.000-07:00

To read more on this subject:
On Being A Theologian Of The Cross
Walther In The 21st Century

How Do You View Christianity? (Recently Updated)

2012-02-14T06:53:00.001-07:00

I have gotten a lot of positive feedback over the last two years from the Plan A and Plan B Teaching Sheet titled, "How Do We View Christianity... Two Ways." I have also heard of several churches that have used this document for Sunday School and Christian Education.

Today I spent some time adding several more of these statements that I've been thinking about. Therefore, I am re-re-releasing this as an updated resource. As I continue to get feedback on it I will simply update the sheet and list the updated date on the bottom of the document.

Enjoy this document!

~matt

Link For:

How Do We View Christianity...Two Ways

Click Here For PDF

Can You Trust Internet Bloggers As A Source Of Theology?

2012-02-13T07:58:00.000-07:00

Picture of pastors who attended the first "Elephant Room"

In a recent article at the Out Of UR Blog the author interacts with several pastors on a video who are discussing the issue of bloggers as being a source of doctrine or opinion. The article states,

"During the first minute and thirty seconds, several members of the group react harshly against Christian bloggers as sources of doctrine or opinion. Painting them as limpwristed, “loving, inclusive guys” living “in their mom’s basement,” the group dismisses Internet-based writers as legitimate sources of doctrinal opinion or interpretation.

This dismissive response of a panel of high profile pastors to the general blogosphere garnered a sharp reaction by bloggers like Zack Hunt over at The American Jesus.

The small spat raises big questions. How does the church view authority in a digital environment? How do we determine if a given voice – whether blogger or pastor – is reliable to shape our theology and practice?

Is legitimacy determined only by the massive number of followers of a celebrity pastor or blogger? If that’s not enough, then what gives weight to the words we speak, type, shout or tweet?"

This was a very interesting read and the source of doctrine in blogging is a very valid subject to consider. What I find missing from conversations like this, is the role of an objective "statement of faith" or the "historical creeds." It seems to me that the questions posed above could be answered if we would consider the importance of the church's historical confessions.

For example:

Question: How do we determine if a given voice --whether blogger or pastor -- is reliable to shape our theology and practice? Is legitimacy determined only by the massive number of followers of a celebrity pastor or blogger? If that's not enough, then what gives weight to the words we speak, type, shout or tweet?

Answer: I agree that pastoral legitimacy is not determined by a pragmatic assessment (i.e. if they have a mega-church then they must be theologically sound). But how do we determine whether a given voice is legitimate to shape our theology and practice? For myself I typically read bloggers that are anchored and sourced in confessions that are larger and much older than the blogger himself. If the blogger doesn't have the foggiest idea what the Apostle's Creed, Nicene Creed or the Athanasian Creed are about, I typically don't waste my time reading their material. Thus I would deferentiate between bloggers who simply are restless and reactionary versus those that blog from a confessional and historical context. For myself I do my best on PM Notes to not be a source of new theology but merely write from a context of theology that is above and over me thus never introducing anything new but speaking a message that echoes from our heritage of Lutheranism.

Simply put, how do we determine if a given voice is reliable to shape our theology and practice? We determine if it is reliable on the basis of the scriptures, the church's historical creeds and the denominational doctrinal confessions (i.e. for myself and other Lutherans, that is the Book of Concord and our denominational statement of faith).

Without the Word, the objective Historical Creeds and a Statement of Faith, I am afraid that it would be all to easy to be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine.

(Note: If you are interested, I have listed 6 documents and 18 Historical and Contemporary Theological Influences that govern and shape the theology of the PM Notes blog. They are listed at the About Page.)

Examining Spiritual Growth In The Christian Life: PDF Monday

2012-02-13T07:20:00.005-07:00

Today's PDF:

Examining Spiritual Growth In The Christian Life

To Access More PDF Sheets:

CLICK HERE

Examining Law & Gospel And Luther’s 1518 Heidelberg Disputation (Part 2 of 6)

2012-02-12T06:13:00.002-07:00

Podcast Powered By Podbean

To read more on this subject:
On Being A Theologian Of The Cross
Walther In The 21st Century

Have You Found Jesus? Very Funny

2012-02-11T13:52:00.001-07:00

This has been circulating on Facebook.

Enjoy the Laugh. You might need to take a minute to check the whole picture out in order to 'get it!"

Examining Law & Gospel And Luther’s 1518 Heidelberg Disputation (Part 1 of 6)

2012-02-11T06:00:00.004-07:00

Tom Baker is the host of Law and Gospel on KFUO Radio in St. Louis, MO. Several years ago he conducted a "Law & Gospel and Theology of the Cross" presentation over several sessions in Jamestown, ND. Both the LCMS and CLBA congregations were involved in this teaching and it was recorded for your enjoyment.

These audio recordings have probably been in the top 10 most influential teachings that I have ever received.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

To read more on this subject:
On Being A Theologian Of The Cross
Walther In The 21st Century

Re-examining The Idea Of "Christian Progress" ~ Truthfulness (Part 6)

2012-02-10T07:10:00.000-07:00

"Truthfulness should be a mark of sanctification. As Paul put it, we are not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought (Romans 12:3).

The talk of progress and growth we usually indulge in leads us all too often to do just that. But if we are saved and sanctified only by the unconditional grace of God, we ought to be able to become more truthful and lucid about the way things really are with us. Am I making progress? If I am really honest, it seems to me that the question is odd, even a little ridiculous. As I get older and death draws nearer, it doesn‟t seem to get any easier. I get a little more impatient, a little more anxious about having perhaps missed what this life has to offer, a little slower, harder to move, a little more sedentary and set in my ways. It seems more and more unjust to me that now that I have spent a good part of my life “getting to the top,” and I seem just about
to have made it, I am already slowing down, already on the way out. A skiing injury from when I was sixteen years old acts up if I overexert myself. I am too heavy, the doctors tell me, but it is so hard to lose weight! Am I making progress? Well, maybe it seems as though I sin less, but that may only be because I'm getting tired! It's just too hard to keep indulging the lusts of youth. Is that sanctification? I wouldn‟t think so! One should not, I expect, mistake encroaching senility for sanctification! But can it be, perhaps, that it is precisely the unconditional gift of grace that helps me to see and admit all that? I hope so. The grace of God should lead us to see the truth about ourselves, and to gain a certain lucidity, a certain sense of humor, a certain down-to-earliness. When we come to realize that if we are going to be saved, it shall have to be absolutely by grace alone, then we shall be sanctified. God will have his way with us at last."

Taken From Gerhard Forde's Article On Lutheran Sanctification.

To Read More In This Series CLICK HERE.

Composing 95 Theses For A Modern Reformation?

2012-02-09T09:47:00.000-07:00

Last week I was on vacation with my wife to a White Horse Inn Conference at Sea. At the conference one of the objectives, other than relaxing, was to begin a five year process of composing 95 Theses for a Modern Reformation. This is a five year process that White Horse Inn is undertaking.

What are the 95 Theses? The original 95 Theses were 95 statements that Martin Luther drafted in 1517 A.D. confronting the church on various abuses and struggles. From my understanding, copies of the 95 Theses were made and within 2 weeks everyone in Germany had a copy. Within 2 months all of Europe was reading and discussing the theses. The 95 Theses are thought of as the starting point of the 16th Century Reformation. To learn more about the 95 Theses CLICK HERE.

But why 95 Theses for today's American Church? There has been a tremendous concern among some pastors and theologians about the health and status of today's church. Many are calling for a Modern Reformation of the church today. For myself I have expressed my concerns in a previous post titled, "The Pelagian Captivity of Evangelicalism. What the Reformers Would Think of Modern Evangelicalism."

The group that I was involved in drafted up 5 Theses on the topic of mankind, sin and man's anthropology... aka, mankind's sinful nature. They are posted below.

Obviously this is just the tip of the iceberg. This is a 5 year process where countless theses will be submitted, dissected and processed. For now, our prayers are with the White Horse Inn staff and ministry as they continue in this wonderful endeavor!

If you could construct several theses for the modern church today, what would they be?

Reformed Theology: Word Of The Week

2012-02-08T07:11:00.002-07:00

Reformation Theology:

Generally, all the churches that grew from the sixteenth-century revolt against the Roman church, can be called reformed. However, the term "Reformed" specifically designates that branch of the Reformation of the western church originally characterized by a distinctively non-Lutheran, Augustinian sacramental theology.

Source: www.reformedtheology.org/SiteFiles/WhatIsRT.html

Re-examining The Idea Of "Christian Progress" ~ Vocation (Part 5)

2012-02-07T07:04:00.013-07:00

"How does the one who has died and is being made new, the one who has been taken off his or her own hands, enter into the battle in this world? The answer comes in the concept of carrying out one‟s vocation as a Christian in the tasks and occupations of daily life. We always get nervous about what we are to do, it seems. The magnificent hot-air balloon syndrome seduces us into thinking our sanctification consists in following lists of pious dos and don‟ts. That always seems more holy. But it is in the nitty-gritty of daily life and its tasks that our sanctification is hammered out.

Precisely because of the totality of the gift, the new being knows that there is nothing to do to gain heaven. Thus the Christian is called to the tasks of daily life in this world, for the time being. Students, for instance, are sometimes very pious and idealistic about “doing something,” and so get caught up in this or that movement “for good.” It never seems to dawn on them that perhaps for the time being, at least, their calling is simply to be a good student! It is not particularly in acts of piety that we are sanctified, but in our call to live and act as Christians."

Taken From Gerhard Forde's Article On Lutheran Sanctification

To examine more articles in this series CLICK HERE.

Next and Last Posting In This Series: February 9th of 2012

The Shape Of Christian Teaching

2012-02-06T07:28:00.005-07:00

Today's PDF:

The Shape Of Christian Teaching

To Access More PDF Sheets:

CLICK HERE

New? Welcome To PM Notes!

2012-02-05T23:01:00.000-07:00

Over the past several months PM Notes has received a lot of new readers and website traffic. Therefore, I thought it would be beneficial to put together a brief overview of the blog and resource page for those of you that are new!

Blogging
Daily blog posts are arranged by date & subject on various topics from various authors. For searching ease a Google search engine is located at the top right of the blog page allowing you to search the whole blog for any topic/theme. CLICK HERE for the top 10 posts from 2011.

PDF Teaching Sheets
On the archive site you will find over 150 various teachings sheets that have been produced from studies at Lutheran Brethren Seminary, Concordia Seminary and from the pastoral ministry over the last 11 years. They are designed and formatted for the average layperson. Simply CLICK HERE to be redirected to the download page.

PDF Articles
The PDF Article Page hosts a number of valuable articles on various topics. Several of the articles are only published and available at the archive page. Each of the articles are saved in the PDF format for easy download and access. CLICK HERE for the PDF Article Page.

The Lutheran Lexicon
The Lutheran Lexicon is a collection of definitions to help you in your reading of the "PM Notes" blog and other Christian material. It is written from a Lutheran Perspective and has each definition source posted below the selected word. This is a great resource that will serve you in helping clarify some of those complex terms that you may have come across in your readings; terms that you may have been to afraid to ask others what they mean. My hope for The Lutheran Lexicon is to define words that have difficult definitions. In other words, have you ever looked up a term and after reading the definition said, "I am even more confused"? Hopefully this lexicon will help with this problem. Oh, and in case you are wondering... a Lexicon is simply a Dictionary! CLICK HERE to be redirected to the Lutheran Lexicon.

Video
PM Notes also hosts a video page that has many popular videos as well as specially edited videos. Several of the videos combine graphics with segments from various radio talks shows. The video page also has several teaching videos from Sidney Lutheran Brethren Church's Beginning Koine Greek Class. CLICK HERE for the Video Page.

Audio
PM Notes also has an audio link to the part-time online Bible and Theology radio program called "The Great Exchange" and Sidney Lutheran Brethren Church's Podcast page. CLICK HERE to be redirected.

Follow On Facebook:
CLICK HERE

Facebook & Links

Finally, but not least, there is a Link Page. The Link Page has a blogroll list as well as links to valuable ministry websites. CLICK HERE for the Link Page. Also, for you Facebook users, don't forget to follow PM Notes on Facebook.

Re-examining The Idea Of "Christian Progress" ~ Taking Care (Part 4)

2012-02-05T07:00:00.003-07:00

"If we are turned around to get back down to earth by grace, then it would seem that true sanctification would show itself in taking care of our neighbor and God‟s creation, not exploiting and destroying either for our own ends, religious or otherwise. It would mean concern for the neighbor and society, caring for the other for the time being. Here one should talk about the place of morality and virtue and such things. Although we do not accept them as the means by which we are sanctified, they are the means by which and through which we care for the world and for the other. This is what the Reformers meant when they insisted that good works were to be done, but one was not to depend on them for salvation."

Taken From Gerhard Forde's Article On Lutheran Sanctification

To examine more articles in this series CLICK HERE.

Next Posting In This Series: February 7th of 2012

Re-examining The Idea Of "Christian Progress" ~ Spontaneity (Part 3)

2012-02-04T06:54:00.004-07:00

"What is a truly good work, one that might qualify as the fruit of sanctification? One, I think, that is free, uncalculating, genuine, spontaneous. It would be like a mother who runs to pick up her child when it is hurt. There is no calculation, no wondering about progress, morality or virtue. There is just the doing of it, and then it is completely forgotten. The right hand doesn‟t know what the left is doing. Good works in God‟s eyes are quite likely to be all those things we have forgotten! True sanctification is God‟s secret."

Taken from Gerhard Forde's Article on Lutheran Sanctification

To examine more articles in this series CLICK HERE.

Next Posting In This Series: February 5th of 2012

Everyday Is "Not" A Friday

2012-02-03T07:20:00.000-07:00

Picture by: Leif Halvorson

The seven sections of Joel Osteen's new book, "Everyday A Friday" are as follows:

Don't Give Away Your Power
Know What To Ignore
Live Without Crutches
Laugh Often
Celebrate Yourself
Travel Light
Be A Dream Releaser

While we could spend time on this blog posting picking apart the section titles I would rather redirect you to a much more thorough review of the book by Brian Wolfmueller on Issues, Etc.

Issues, Etc. Book Review Part 1
Issues, Etc. Book Review Part 2

Brian Wolfmueller also posted a wonderful articles called, "Joel Osteen Versus Martin Luther." It is amazing to see both of the theologies laid side by side. Comparing and contrasting is very powerful.

Re-examining The Idea Of "Christian Progress" (Part 2)

2012-02-02T07:29:00.002-07:00

In response to a previous posting on the idea of "Christian Progress" in Sanctification, I received an email from a dear and well respected friend. He states,

"Does the believer show any progress as a person in living a righteous life even though he will always have the old nature. For example, does the believer experience what the Apostle Paul said when he said that the grace of God teaches us, trains us (Titus 2:11-12). Is there anything learned over time, or is it just moment by moment? Does a person really experience any change of mind, like hating what you used to love and loving what you used to hate? Can this be talked about without implying that the old nature is reformed? I think a discussion of this might balance out the teaching about living in newness of life which you gave. You did not ask in your opening if there could be progress in reforming the old nature, as I understood it. You seemed to be asking whether there could be progress in a Christian life. Just a thought."

In followup to his questions I thought I would make this into a 6 part series. We have covered one side of the coin in saying that the old nature does not make progress. However, is there progress in the new nature? How can we think about this? To glean some insights on this I am going to appeal to a previous blog posting where I posted an article by Gerhard Forde where he speaks about a Lutheran View of Sanctification. Here are his generalized thoughts on the subject:

"Under the pressure of the total gift, we might actually begin to love God as God, our God, and to hate sin. Think of it: We might actually begin to dislike sin and to hope for its eventual removal. Ordinarily we feel guilty about our sins and fear their consequences, but we are far from hating them. I expect we do them, in spite of all fears and anxieties, because we like them. Sanctification under the invasion of the new, however, holds out the possibility of actually coming to hate sin, and to love God and his creation, or at least to make that little beginning. It is not that sin is taken away from us, but rather that we are to be taken away from “sin”heart, soul and mind, as Luther put it.

In that manner, the law of God is to be fulfilled in us precisely by the uncompromising totality and unconditionality of the grace given. Sanctification always comes from the whole, the totality. Whether it takes place in little steps, in isolated actions against particular sins, in those tender beginnings, it is always because of the invasion of the new. Always the totality is intensively “there” the total crisis, the entire transition, the dying and becoming new. What is the result of this? It should lead, I expect, to something of a reversal in our view of the Christian life. Instead of viewing ourselves on some kind of journey upward toward heaven, virtue and morality, our sanctification would be viewed more in terms of our journey back down to earth, the business of becoming human, the kind of creature God made. Our problem is that we have succumbed to the serpent‟s temptation, “You shall not die, you shall be as gods.” Creation is not good enough for us; we are always on our way somewhere else. So we even look on sanctification in that “light” our “progress” toward being “gods” of some sort. If what we have been saying is true, however, our salvation, our sanctification, consists in turning about and going the other way, getting back down to earth. The trouble we have is that it is a long way back for us. To get there we must learn to trust God, to be grasped by the totality of his grace, to become a creature, to become human."

Next Blog Posting In This Series: February 4th of 2012

Postmodernism: Word Of The Week

2012-02-01T07:08:00.000-07:00

Postmodernism is the basic philosophy of western civilization in our current age. It began to appear on the cultural scene roughly around the 1970's as modernism began to fade.

In looking to our culture it is easy to see that discussion of 'spiritual things' is more allowable than it was a generation ago. However, in terms of knowledge and truth, postmodernism is as relativistic, and maybe even more so than modernism. Thus, any hope at having 'true' diaglogue over things of absolute truth is virtually impossible. Postmodernism links the meaning of words to personal preference and experience rather than anchoring words to an outside objective approach. The openness to the 'spiritual' in postmodernism has given rise to opportunities for dialog. However, personal experience can color understanding and certainly makes communication difficult.

Source: The Lutheran Wiktionary

So How's That 2012 New Year's Resolution Going?

2012-01-31T07:10:00.000-07:00

Guest Blogger: Pastor Adam Berge

We are about a month into 2012. Did you make any New Year’s resolutions? Are you trying to shed a few pounds, spend more time with family and friends, pay off some debt, or organize your garage? These are some of the top ten New Year’s resolutions each year. Do any of these resolutions sound familiar? Maybe you had them last year and gave up on them sometime before February.

New Year’s resolutions can be really hard to keep. You are not accountable to anyone but yourself, so it is easy to understand why people tend to lose their resolve. But what if you were accountable to someone else? Would that help? Who would you ask to help you keep your New Year’s resolution?

We are accountable to God, not for keeping our top ten New Year’s resolutions, but for keeping God’s top Ten Commandments. He promises punishment and wrath for all those who lose their resolve and fail to keep His Commandments. This is extremely bad news, because all of us have fallen short of God’s expectations.

But for those who are able to hear it, God has another word for us, a word of hope. He has punished His son in our place for the times we have failed to keep His Commandments. His wrath toward us is gone! He declares that we are forgiven because Jesus took the penalty for our sin.

How does a person receive the benefits that Jesus has won for us by dying on the cross? It is not by our resolve to keep His commandments. But it is by faith, or by trusting that Jesus has kept God’s commandments for us. And also by trusting the Jesus has willingly suffered the punishment of our sin and failures. May God grant you faith to believe this great news in 2012.

Two Approaches To Christian Spirituality: PDF Monday

2012-01-30T07:25:00.001-07:00

Today's PDF:

Two Approaches

To Access More PDF Sheets:

CLICK HERE

Atheists Must Be Divine!

2012-01-29T07:10:00.000-07:00

Atheism is the belief that there is no god(s) whereas, agnosticism believes that the idea of there being a god(s) is unknowable. Both Atheism and Agnosticism both have their feet embedded concretely in the modern scientific method. Holding to the scientific method, they will typically reject any reality that cannot be empirically verified. By setting this rule up a-priori and allowing for no other evidence, they inevitably win the God debate. From the get-go the deck is stacked against any Theist before the debate even begins. It is like saying, "the only evidence I accept as evidence is that which is verifiable by empirical science, and since you have no empirical evidence-- I win." The problem with this is that the Atheist always insists that the burden of proof is upon the Theist due to the Theist making an assertion of a deity. This presupposition misses the whole point though. The Atheist is also making an assertion--that the only reality that exists is that which can be verified by the Enlightenment method, the scientific method. The Atheists though, does not believe they have to prove their assertion, because to them it is not an assertion, it is a fact for them. This is the Enlightenment's myth of naturalism and rationalism.

So, the Atheist believes their presuppositions are the default position. This places the burden of proof upon the Theist... if the Theist is unable to make a persuasive case for the existence of God, then the atheist is justified in his/her atheism.

The problem is that many so-called Atheists are really not Atheists. Rather they are "Anti-Theistic." These Anti-Theistic claims of there being no God in essence do not pass their own criteria of the necessity of empirical data. Dr. Chalmers discuss this saying,

"To be able to assert that there is no God, we must walk the whole expanse of infinity, and ascertain by observation that no evidence of God exists anywhere. Grant that with the narrow limits of our observation no traces or vestiges of Deity be found, does it follow that throughout all immensity a Being, with the essence and sovereignty of a God, is nowhere to be found? Before we can assert that there is a God, we must have seen on some portion of nature to which we have access, the print of his footsteps, or have had direct intimation from himself, or been satisfied with authentic memorials of other days. But before we can say, there is no God, we must have roamed over all nature and seen that no mark of a Divine footstep was there and we must have gotten intimacy with every existent spirit in the universe and learned from each, that never did a revelation of the Deity visit him; and we must have searched, not into the records of immensity not one trace of a living and reigning God ever had been made."

Chalmers goes on to say, "An Anti-Theist, one who dogmatically asserts, 'there is no God,' must arrogate to himself the ubiquity and omniscience of a God." In other words, for the Atheists to say, "There is no God," they must possess attributes of divine quality and knowledge so as to make this claim.

Foster comments further on this subject,

"By what great process could a man arrive at the immense intelligence that can enable him to assert that there is no God? What ages and what lights are requisites for this attainment? This intelligence involves the very attributes of a Deity, while a Deity is denied; for unless this man is omnipresent, unless he is at the same moment in every place in the universe, he cannot know but that there may be in some place manifestations of a Deity, by which even he would be overpowered. If he does not absolutely know every agent in the universe, the very one that he does not know, may be God. If he is not himself the chief agent in the universe, and does not know what is so, that which is so may be God. If he cannot with certainty assign the cause of all he perceives to exist, that cause may be God. If he does not know everything that has been done in the immeasurable ages that are past, some things may have been done by a God. Thus, unless he knows all things, --that is, unless he precludes another Deity by being one himself, he cannot know that the being whose existence he rejects does not exist."

Thus, it is then impossible for Atheists to insists that God does not exist, unless they are Divine. For unless they are Divine the cannot provide sufficient empirical data to substantiate their claims of God not existing.

A Special Thanks to Dr. Gaylan Mathiesen for his insights on this topic.

The Real Scandal Of The Evangelical Mind

2012-01-28T12:04:00.001-07:00

Jesus Overturns Everything

2012-01-28T07:28:00.000-07:00

"The teachings of Jesus overturn some of the most basic human attitudes and values, and challenges hearers to radically new programs of life and action. His message, which some will find too uncomfortable and will therefore oppose, while others will simply fail to see the point at all. Even those who respond to it will find it constantly upsetting to their fundamental assumptions and demanding a program of re-education which will substitute 'the things of God' for 'the things of man.'"

R.T. France

Book Review: He Is Risen! (Humphrey)

2012-01-27T07:08:00.000-07:00

"He Is Risen!": A New Reading of Mark's Gospel by Hugh M. Humphrey
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Hugh Humphrey’s book, “He is Risen” is a contribution to the ongoing discussion and study of the Gospel of Mark. Humphrey has several main themes that he discusses in this book, themes such as: Mark’s supposed concentric pattern, the historical context of Wisdom and the resurrection as the main them of the book of Mark

Concentric Structure
Led by his form and redaction criticism, Humphrey deviates from traditional outlines on the structure of the book of Mark towards a horizontal story-line of the story of Jesus’ life and death with a central section. He calls this a concentric structure. In other words, he sees the early portions of the book of Mark funneling and moving towards a central point. Once the central point has been reached the story then reverses itself and moves away from the central point of the book.

Wisdom
From Humphrey’s concentric outline he deduces that Mark is presenting the person and work of Jesus founded upon and in the context of the Jewish wisdom scriptures. The wisdom scriptures supposedly form the background of Mark’s writing in which they are very much tied to the person and work of Christ. Humphrey’s assessment is that the Wisdom Literature, such as the Wisdom of Solomon, was tied to Mark’s writing of the Gospel. The righteous man as described by the Wisdom of Solomon is applied to the person of Jesus Christ.

Resurrection
Finally, Humphrey adduces that the central focus of the book of Mark is not the crucifixion of Jesus but primarily the resurrection. He claims that “Jesus’ resurrection is the ideal and the model of how all men and women are to live before God.” According to Humphrey the resurrection is the turning point, it is the event that “alters the course of the situation of men irrevocably, for it confirms the truth of what Jesus taught as the righteousness expected by God.”
Concerns

Reading Humphrey’s book is valuable in understanding the various exegetical and various renderings of the Gospel of Mark. However, for me it was a painful read due to his form and redaction criticism presuppositions, as well as his mingling of Law and Gospel.

I struggle with Humphrey’s appeal to the Wisdom of Solomon as a contextual background application for the Gospel of Mark due to it not being a part of the cannon. While there are many truisms that Jesus and the disciples hit on that are consistent with the Wisdom of Solomon, to my knowledge Jesus never quotes from this book. For example, Humphrey appeals to the Wisdom of Solomon for exegetical help in diagnosing what is meant by the phrase “Kingdom of God.” I personally feel much more comfortable appealing to an accepted canonical book such as the book of Daniel for exegetical help in fleshing out the meaning of this phrase. (See Daniel 2:44-45 & Daniel 7:14)

I obviously struggle with Humphrey’s mingling of Law and Gospel. Phrases like, “that he give up his life is made the model and paradigm and fundamental teaching of the ‘secret’ of entering into the kingdom of God.” Also phrases like, “to teach them privately time and again what they must do to enter into the kingdom of God… who can teach his disciples what is pleasing to God.” Humphrey’s exegetical use of the Wisdom of Solomon has mingled the Gospel with Law turning the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ from something that Jesus does for us into a model and example of what we must do. I respectfully submit that Humphrey has made Jesus into a new Moses.

View all my reviews

Conveying His Story In Worship, Not Eating Cake With Lots Of Frosting

2012-01-26T07:30:00.003-07:00

Guest Blogger: Rev. Patrick Thurmer

When I attend a Christian concert or worship service, I am neutral about the "type" of music. To me, whether the music consists of hymns, country, gospel, rock, classical or any other genre is irrelevant to me if the message of the lyrics are understandable and theologically sound. In other words I attend an event to hear the message. If the message isn't sound or understandable, it's irrelevant to me if the guitar player was masterful or if the vocalists were American Idol quality.

The musicians at a concert I attended awhile ago came from another church in another town and were talented and sincere. I had no issue with them or their musical ability. I listened intently to the lyrics of the band. Unfortunately it was difficult to understand the words and no lyrics were provided in print or projected form. I listened intently to what lyrics I could understand and the message was fairly consistent from song to song. For the most part the lyrics throughout the evening were:

"You know MY heart..."
"You know MY desire..."
"I'M gonna lean on Him"
"Meet ME at the river"
"I will reach out to You"
“I'M leaving my doubts behind"
“I'M giving You..."
“I will follow..."
“Share the love”
“WE need to be His hands and feet”
“I'M lovin life”“I give my life”
“All I have is Yours”
“You are MY reward”
“I surrender all”

It's was all "good" stuff.. but it was very "me" centered as it dealt primarily with what I get or what I give. By the end of the concert, I was a bit discouraged by the message even though the 'music' was fine.

It strikes me that the message of the songs that evening began, continued and ended with the message of Romans 12. The first word of Romans 12, "Therefore", which refers back to all that the apostle Paul laid out as the foundation to chapter 12 was neglected in the message of the concert. Romans 1-11 was assumed and never stated verbally or vocally.

After the concert I felt like I ate cake and frosting for 90 minutes with no nutritional meal preceding it. The lyrics primarily focused on our response to all that Christ is and has done for us without ever really singing about Him. If I was an unbeliever, I would have left the concert thinking that these people are excited about someone, but I have no idea who or why. There was no law to convict and no gospel to save.

It’s a tragic mistake when the subjective side of the Christian life (our feelings and response to the Gospel) is emphasized with little attention given to the nature and character of God, His Holy law, the depravity of man, the objective message of Christ, the cross and the resurrection or other truths found in Romans 1-11.This is my criticism of too much of the music written in these times by Christian artists. There is a tremendous need for lyrics that effectively convey the whole counsel of God...

At a concert like this, one of two things need to happen: At worst, something should be said at the beginning of a concert as a qualification... something like: "We're assuming all of you are Christians and have been convicted of sin, convinced of your utter depravity and hopelessness, and amazed by the life giving message of the cross and overwhelmed by the grace, mercy, forgiveness and reconciliation provided by Jesus Christ and therefore we won't be singing about any of THAT."

At best, the lyrics of the songs themselves will explicitly tell THAT message with a small proportion of the songs dealing with how we may respond to that good news. It seems to me that if it took Paul eleven chapters to lay the groundwork for chapter 12, at least that proportion of our music should convey the objective truths of the faith and 1/12 as much should deal with our response.

My purpose for writing this isn't to say: "Lets not have concerts anymore" or "I hate contemporary Christian music" or "Songs can never deal with our response to the Gospel". RATHER, my purpose is to say, lets make it better, let's encourage sound theology in music, let's encourage musicians to write lyrics with theological depth.

I don't want to discourage the good efforts of those who organize concerts or lead music in worship. I simply want what we do sing to reflect the essentials of what we confess.

Also, the point of this isn’t to pit contemporary Christian music against traditional hymns. Both can be theologically sound or theologically shallow. The point is that whatever we sing, we should convey HIS story.

Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like ME.

95 Theses For A Modern Generation

2012-01-25T23:43:00.000-07:00

This Friday my wife and I are taking off for Florida for a much needed vacation and a 95 Theses Conference Cruise. For those of you that know me well, you can give me a hard time on this later.

I am thoroughly looking forward to this time to relax and be fed by Biblical and Historical Truths. While I am gone the blog will be on autopilot; postings will happen automatically. I look forward to sharing with all of you when I get back, sharing from all the wonderful gifts that will be given from the White Horse Inn Hosts!

Grace and Peace.
PM

A parting thought:
While the blessings of the Internet include the opportunity to share the proclamation of Christ with readers near and far, and while reading the Word and a good blog posting is a good thing, nothing can replace gathering with a faithful congregation to receive the gifts of Christ in Word and Sacrament. God works faith through His Word, where and when He wills, but no one receives the joy of gathering with fellow believers through a screen. Likewise, the blessing of receiving the Body and Blood of Christ only happens when you gather with other Christians. While I pray that you are blessed through "PM Notes," I even more pray that you are regularly gathering with a faithful pastor and congregation.

Thanks to Pastor David Warner for the previous paragraph.

Prevenient Grace: Word Of The Week

2012-01-25T07:24:00.002-07:00

Prevenient Grace:

Also known as prepartory grace. The Holy Spirit working through the Gospel comes to an unconverted person, who is incapable of choosing salvation, and awakens them and enables them to make a choice under the operation of the Holy Spirit of whether or not to accept salvation. Prevenient offers the will the restored capacity to respond to grace, thus making the person an active, willing participant in receiving the conditions for justification.

Prevenient Grace is the official doctrine of the Church of the Nazarene and Methodism. It is also found in the roots of pietism and puritan theology. It is embraced primarily by Arminian Christians who are influenced by the theology of Jacob Arminius or John Wesley.

Subjective Feelings Follow Faith

2012-01-24T23:51:00.000-07:00

A special thank you to Kurt Hein for posting this on Facebook!

Why Do So Many Hate Religion, But Love Jesus?

2012-01-24T00:29:00.005-07:00

Have you been following all the internet talk over the "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus" video that went viral several weeks ago? Here is the original video below done by Jefferson Bethke.

Following the video Rev. Jonathan Fisk followed up with his own video where he had a Lutheran response. Check it out below.

Just recently a video was released from a Roman Catholic position titled, "Why I Love Religion, And Love Jesus." You can check this one out below.

There is no doubt about it that this original video hit a nerve in North American spirituality, receiving 15,000,000 hits in a couple of weeks. Instead of me offering up my own response/reaction to these videos, I would like to take a moment and redirect us to ask, "What is it that has caused so many to react so strongly in favor of the original video? Why do so many hate religion, but love Jesus?" In other words, I would like ponder for a moment several possible reasons why people have had such a strong favorable emotional response to the original video from Jefferson.

My personal belief is that there are many in Modern Evangelicalism that are simply tired or frustrated. They are reacting to the Pelagian Captivity Of Evangelicalism. Without even knowing it, they are attacking the church (i.e. religion) in an attempt to throw off the pitfalls of Pelagianism and Finneyism. They want freedom from this captivity. The reason for attacking 'religion' is that the only religion that they have known is a church dominated by the theology of Pelagianism and Finneyism. This poor theology has been so intertwined with their local church and epistemology that they cannot distinguish between the bad theology and Christ's church. Therefore, they have been throwing the baby out with the bath water. In other words, in reacting to Pelagianism and Finneyism they are lumping everything into the term "religion" and forsaking Christ's church while trying to keep Jesus. Taken to the extreme these individuals are fast becoming what Rod Rosenbladt calls the mad alumni of Christianity. They have been broken by the theology of the Modern Evangelical Church and it has wounded them deeply. Rosenbladt states in his presentation, "The Gospel For Those Broken By The Church:"

I find that these “angry ones” have usually not switched from Christianity to another religion. Nor have I found that they have switched from one Christian denomination to another. Instead, I find that they are angry at any and all religions and anyone who represents any religious position — but especially Christianity. And that is natural. After all, it was Christianity, as they see it, that “used them up and threw them away.” I suppose the most visible examples would be men like the late comedian Sam Kinison and ex-Roman Catholic George Carlin. You may (and probably do) know better contemporary examples than I know. All of us are in the vicinity of people like this at one time or another, maybe know a few of them as friends, or have at least met one or two in passing. Why do I say that? Because such people are, as I said, not all that uncommon these days.

Now I certainly can’t this evening exhaust the dynamic involved in such people (again, I’m no clinical psychologist). But I still think a lot of the “mad alumni” also often have a nameable history, just as the “sad alumni” have one. People like this often speak as if Christianity “baited and switched” them — just like a used car salesman “baits and switches” a young couple at a car lot.

Christians promised them a new life in Christ in such a way that it was going to be a life of victory, God’s designed route to earthly happiness, a new, divine power that would solve the problems so obsessing them. Then, when the promises didn’t seem to work the way they were supposed to, the church put it back on these believers that they were somehow “not doing it right.”

They weren’t reading their Bible enough.

They weren’t praying enough or praying right.

They weren’t attending enough church meetings.

They weren’t making right use of the fellowship.

You name the prescription, you “fill-in-the-blanks” any way you want to.

Some pastor or layman told them that Christianity was failing them because “they weren’t doing it right.”

And often, these believers took that counsel to heart and set themselves to trying to “do it better” or “do it right” so that “it would work.”

But again, Christianity seemed “not to deliver on its promises.” It “didn’t work.” As they see it, they “gave it every shot” and Christianity “failed to deliver.” And then, to boot, they were called guilty “for not doing it right!” These people feel not just disappointed; they feel betrayed, “conned.” And they are deeply angry about it.

Or take another example: those who heard much of Christ and His saving blood and cross in an evangelistic meeting, became Christians, and then heard very little of that wonderful message in the week-by-week pulpit ministry of their congregation. Instead, they heard recipes as to how to conquer sin — over and over and over. These people also often “give up on Christianity.” And they are angry about it! Really angry. And I don’t blame them, really. Nor should you. The church has an obligation to preach the Gospel to these people on a weekly basis. And deep down, they somehow know that. But if that isn’t what happens, they react. I would, too! After all, what does the church have for a man, a woman, a child other than Christ and; His work on their behalf? Not much! Not compared to the Gospel of Christ preached as crucified for them and for their sin, Christ risen from the dead for their justification. Not compared to being absolved, not compared to eating the body of Christ given into death for their sin and drinking the blood of Christ shed for their sin.

Is there anything we can do that is of genuine help to such angry “alumni” of Christianity? I think so. And the answer I’m about to give you comes right from a guy close to one of those angry ones. From whom? From Sam Kinison’s brother, Bill! How so? One night I happened to be watching a “60-minutes” interview with Bill Kinison. After Sam was in an auto accident on a lonely highway near Las Vegas, he lay dying. Bill was cradling Sam’s head in his arms as Sam died. Some time later, the interviewer asked Bill about Sam’s hatred of Christianity. And Bill looked at the interviewer and said, “What? You think Sam was not a Christian believer? You’re wrong! Sam died as a believer in Jesus Christ. You’ll definitely see Sam in heaven! Sam never was angry with Jesus. He was angry at the church!” And I jumped out of my chair and yelled, “That’s it! There it is! There is the answer – and from Sam Kinison’s brother!”

What did I mean, “That’s it!”?

We can respond to the angry and say something like, “Oh, oh, oh, I see! You’re not angry at Jesus Christ. You’re angry at the church!” “Boy oh boy, join the club! So am I! And so are a whole bunch of other Christians!” [Here, if we had time, I would digress on how Christians angry with Christ will be saved by His cross, too. But this is not the time for that.]

Now this response takes more than a few minutes of thought on our part. That is, “Am I ready to say such a thing?” And that’s not an easy question. For many of us—especially for us clergy—that to be angry with mother church is the same as rejecting Jesus! It is not. But I’m recommending, at least in conversation with “the angry”—that we, all of us—identify with the anger of these people at the church, that we say, “Well, of course you are angry! With what it did to you? It would be insane not to be angry at it! I just misunderstood. I thought you had dismissed Christ, were rejecting His death for your sin. Thanks for clarifying.”

So what am I going to do?

I’m going to talk about the Gospel as if it can be believed in totally apart from the church! You say to me, “Rosenbladt, that isn’t how Scripture presents the church!” I answer, “I know. But first things first! This guy needs Christ, Christ as priest, Christ as having bled for his sin, Christ as giving eternal life to sinners for free.” And in his mind, the church is what is keeping him or her away from Jesus Christ! If he comes to trust Christ and Christ’s sin-bearing death, the guy might later on deal with passages about “not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together . . .” But not now. To this guy, the church and its behavior is the “scandal!” (The real scandalon, according to Paul, is that we are sinners under condemnation, and cannot do anything to make things right with the holy God. The true scandalon is that Someone Else is going to have to satisfy God’s justice for us because we are unable –and unwilling – to do that).

...We might be surprised to find that this guy is a Christian. He’s just vowed never to let a church do to him ever again what was done to him earlier. Do you know a church that won’t? (Don’t answer too quickly. There are not a lot of these – no matter what the “label” on the door.) Most of today’s churches will just re-inflame his anger, giving him “law-Gospel-law.” Find one for him instead that will speak to him of Christ—after he is a believer. If you don’t know one, tell him that. At least it’s honest.

While I was very opposed to Jefferson Bethke and his video at first, I am slowing having a change of heart, I am beginning to give him some grace. The reason why? In reading in between the lines, I have a sneaking suspicion that what Jefferson Bethke is reacting to is not "religion" but rather Pelagianism and Finneyism. If this is the case, I can agree with Jefferson Bethke because both Pelagianism and Finneyism are the daughters of the age old enemy of the Cross, Legalism. As far as the church though? I can't agree with him if he is applying the term religion to "the church." Even though the church has often been unfaithful, she is still my mother and the bride of Christ.

What are your thoughts?

Glory Vs. Cross Theology: PDF Monday

2012-01-23T07:41:00.003-07:00

Today's PDF:

Theology of Glory Vs. Theology of the Cross

To Access More PDF Sheets:

CLICK HERE

He Weeps And Angers With Us To The Point Of The Cross

2012-01-22T20:27:00.000-07:00

Here is a sermon from the January 22nd Worship Service at Sidney Lutheran Brethren Church preached in the context of the city's recent loss and tragedy surrounding Sherry Arnold. May it be a blessing to you.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

To access more sermons from SLBC CLICK HERE.

Previous Blog Postings On This Subject:

Comfort For Sidney During The Search For Sherry Arnold (Part 1)

Comfort For Sidney During The Loss Of Sherry Arnold (Part 2)

Best Friends Forever And Church Assimilation? (Encore)

2012-01-22T07:23:00.000-07:00

There is a concept called the ‘Friendship Factor.’ The Friendship Factor says that some 70-90% of people who join a church join primarily for the reason of friendship. The power of friendship and kinship tends to be a primary reason or opportunity for assimilation of people into the church body. I appreciate and think it is a wonderful strength to allow ministry to happen through the natural ‘oikos' or family. Furthermore, assimilation does happen as friendships are made and established and people are incorporated into serving in the church body. However, is this what ultimately unites the church... friendships and family? Or is there something more profound that unites the church than simply a blood relationship or common interests?

The downfall to the Friendship Factor of Assimilation is that this way of integrating people into the church does not go far enough, or it might simply be the wrong way of assimilating to begin with. For example, if people are assimilated into a church on the basis of the Friendship Factor, then the assimilation is only as good as the relationships are. Furthermore, church unity is then hinged upon friendships and family. From personal experience I have seen how assimilation into a church can happen on the basis of the Friendship Factor but dis-assimilation can also easily occur when those same friendships destroy assimilation and end up in people leaving the church on the basis of personalities. I have also seen in where a new individual tries to connect to a church body only to fail because he/she does not have the right family ties or the right interests to conjure up a fruitful friendship that would connect him/her to the church body.

Thank God that assimilation can happen in a very different way. Praise God that what binds us together as a church body is something eternal and non-perishing. An eternal assimilation happens as ‘our’ unique personal stories are assimilated into a grand and divine story; God's story of redemption in Jesus. God’s story doesn’t become a part of our story; rather we are assimilated into the grand meta-narrative of God’s redemption. As members of the church we join together 'into' the bride of Christ; as common sinners with a common bridegroom... Christ. We grow into the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Our assimilation into the church does not come through a blood line but comes through faith in the promised words of scripture. The Word does not change and is an objective standard and a rich source for all to be incorporated into. Think about the foundation of being assimilated into Christ! It isn't that friendships and family are not important, rather, the body is joined together in an eternal perspective that runs much deeper than common interests and family ties. This kind of assimilation provides a much greater foundation for the church body and grants the church with the ability to weather the storms of personality struggles and inter-personal conflicts to a much greater degree than simple Friendship Assimilation because there is unity and assimilation in Spirit and Truth. Therefore, Friendship Assimilation can be put into proper context and thought of as a way of connecting people to a much richer assimilation, the grand story of God’s redemption in Christ.
Thank God that our assimilation is in Christ and not BFF!

Is God A Bush? Examining The Lutheran View Of Communion (Audio Posting)

2012-01-21T06:58:00.000-07:00

Embedded Audio File Below:

Podcast Powered By Podbean

To read more on this subject CLICK HERE.

Top 10 Reformation Rooted Bumper Stickers Slogans

2012-01-20T07:17:00.000-07:00

10. Prosperity? Yeah, Jesus is mine!

9. Law without Gospel leads to Legalism.

8. Yes, I am the wretch in that song.

7. Worship is not giving God your best but receiving God's best.

6. It is not about you, it is about Christ for you.

5. I NEED Good New, NOT Good Advice!

4. Your Jesus needs a cross

3. ~~Vice to Virtue~~; Virtue to Grace

2. The Gospel is for Sinners only.

1. It is "Jesus" with a period, not a comma.

According to Joel Osteen, Mormons Are True Christians

2012-01-19T07:27:00.003-07:00

The video footage below is of Joel Osteen’s interview on “FoxNews.” In the video Joel Osteen is asked if Mormons are true Christians. He responds, "In my mind they are."

Before I expound on this video, let me first say that I am not in favor of Mitt Romeny for the Republican Candidacy. I am not opposed to Romney because of his religion though. I agree wholeheartedly with Martin Luther when he stated, “that he would rather be ruled by a competent Turk (Muslim) than an incompetent Christian." I believe a proper understanding of the Bible's teaching of the Two Kingdoms allows one to hold to this position. Please understand me though, my preference is always for a competent Christian in the White House. However, just because someone calls himself/herself a Christian doesn't make them competent. I have long said that we don't need more Christian Lawyers, Christian Teachers, Christian Doctors, etc... Rather we need more Lawyers that are Christians, more Teachers that are Christians and more Doctors that are Christians. With that said, let us move on to Joel Osteen's quotes.

What is so fascinating is that Joel Osteen agrees with Chris Wallace's question that Mormons are true Christians. When challenged though, Joel states that he is not the judge of the "little details."

What is tricky in this situation is that Mormons and Christians use similar faith-talk words that often times mean different things. In other words, when one says, "I believe in Jesus" what do they mean? This could mean any number of things such as:

I believe that Jesus was a historic teacher and man only
I believe that Jesus was a created being formerly Michael the Archangel
I believe that Jesus was a good rabbi
I believe that Jesus was a spirit being
I believe that Jesus was true man and true God
I believe in following Jesus as a model for better living

Therefore, it is of utmost importance that we flesh out these "little details" to see what is behind the words that are being used. Questions like, "What do you mean? Can you please rephrase that for me?" are great to ask so as to bring forth an understanding of what is actually meant.

In order to get a little more clarity on this I went to Mormon.org. I logged on to an online conversation with one of their missionaries to see if I could obtain some information on these "little details." My conversation is below.

From my conversation with Emma I learned two things. The first was that she was a very patient and kind missionary towards me. The second is that as a Mormon missionary, she also doesn't get hung up on the, "little details."

What are your thoughts?

To Learn More About Mormons CLICK HERE to access a teaching sheet on their beliefs.

Predestination: Word of the Week

2012-01-18T07:08:00.013-07:00

Single Predestination:
Single predestination is the teaching that God elects men to be saved from the foundation of time. In Lutheran doctrine, single predestination must be distinguished from double predestination. Single predestination is for the sake of the Gospel but does not hold to God electing some to damnation. It is a doctrine of comfort; one that grants assurance to the believer.

Double Predestination:
The Calvinist teaching that God, by His sovereign will, has elected some to everlasting salvation (elect) and some to everlasting condemnation (the reprobate.) This is contrary to the Lutheran view of predestination, that God' eternal predestination is a gift given through the cross of Christ and that condemnation comes only as a result of rejecting this gift.

Source: The Lutheran Wiktionary

So What's Your Perspective On Repentance?

2012-01-17T07:31:00.000-07:00

"My sinful nature needs

to be reformed daily."

"My sinful nature needs

to be crucified daily."

Check Out The Following:

Galatians 3:10

Galatians 5:24

Colossians 3:5-ff

Understanding The Differences Between: Typology, Allegory And Prophecy. PDF Monday

2012-01-16T06:57:00.000-07:00

Today's PDF

Understanding the Differences Between:

Typology, Allegory and Prophecy

To Access More PDF Sheets:

CLICK HERE

New Poll On PM Notes! Make Sure To Vote. Closes On March 1st.

2012-01-15T23:06:00.002-07:00

I received a recommendation from a reader of the PM Notes blog to develop a poll based off of the following blog post. (Click Here To Access the Post) So, off to your right in the column panel you should see two polls where you can vote. Keep in mind that this is a non-scientific poll simply for your own enjoyment. The two questions will flesh out our readership's Material and Formal Principle. The poll will close on March 1st of 2012.

If you happen to have any other suggestions for the blog, please don't hesitate to contact me.

PAX

New Testament Parables Are Like Modern Political Cartoons!

2012-01-15T07:24:00.003-07:00

http://foundationsofmyfaith.blogspot.com/2011_04_01_archive.html

Parables, are they earthly stories with a heavenly meaning? While there is some truth to this definition, C.F.D. Moule offers up a much more comprehensive understanding of parables. He states,

"A parable is like a modern political cartoon. A good cartoon presents an interpretative analogy, and it is for the viewer to work out its meaning, first by understanding it, then by reacting to it critically and, finally, by taking action accordingly. If the viewer is half-witted or stupid or so shallow as to be virtually incapable of being educated, no doubt he will see nothing but the mere picture, and he will not get further than saying that he likes it or dislikes it. But anyone with a grain of intelligence will respond in one way or another. He will say, 'Yes of course that is exactly what is happening. I hadn't seen it so clearly before, but now I know that I mustn't vote Conservative [or whatever it may be] again.' Or perhaps he will say, 'Yes, I see what the cartoonist is getting at, but I don't think his interpretation is fair. He is being cruel to X, who isn't really doing what the hog in the picture is doing.' The moment the viewer is responding in one way or another, he and the cartoonist have entered into a partnership in creating something; education is proceeding."

R.T. France expounds a bit more on this subjecting stating, "Even those parables that take the form of a 'story' are often not simple illustrations of heavenly truth. They tend to puzzle as much as enlighten, and are designed to shock and challenge rather than to offer reassuring explanations or illustrations of moral platitudes."

The parables of Jesus challenged the original audience and still challenge us today. When their meanings are discovered they bring about a call of response to our attitude, worldview, actions, etc... When one understands the parables of Jesus, one typically has already been changed, not just enlightened. (R.T. France ~ Commentary on Mark)

To spend some more time re-thinking the parables of Jesus CLICK HERE. Enjoy.

Re-examining The Idea Of "Christian Progress" In Sanctification

2012-01-14T07:29:00.001-07:00

Lately, I have been wrestling with my long held view of seeing Sanctification as Progress. The problem that I am having is that the older I get and the more I study the Word, the more sin I see in myself and around me. I don't really feel as if I have 'progressed' or moved on to more holiness. A former parishioner once told me that I was too hard on myself, but I am not too sure about that, because the way I typically try to justify myself is... well, pretty pathetic.

I have taken some comfort in the Apostle Paul though. After 30 years of being a Christian he identifies himself in 1 Timothy 1:15 as the worst of sinners. But what about this idea of progress then? What gives?

The late Gerhard Forde has been most helpful to me in understanding progress in the life of a Christian, not as movement of me towards a goal. Rather he states that the goal moves in on me and you! He states in his book "Justification By Faith--A Matter Of Death and Life,"

"The 'progress' of the Christian is the progress of one who has constantly to get used to the fact that we are justified totally by faith, constantly has somehow to 'recover,' so to speak from that death blow to pride and presumption--or better, is constantly being raised from the tomb of all pious ambition to something quite new. The believer has to be renewed daily in that The Old Being is to be daily drowned in repentance and raised in faith. The progress of the Christian life is not our movement toward the goal; it is the movement of the goal in upon us."

Forde goes on to say,

"The sin to be removed is precisely such understandings of progress. The justification is not a mere beginning point which can somehow be allowed to recede into the background while the supposed 'real' business of sanctification takes front and center."

Finally he states,

"Only those who are so grasped that they stand still here and confess to sin and give God the glory, only they are 'sanctified.' And there cannot be more sanctification than that! Whoever knows this knows that there is an end to the old, there is a death involved, and that being a Christians means ever and anew to be blasted by that divine lightning and to begin again. As Luther said, 'To achieve means always to begin again anew.'"

This view of sanctification does not see progress as movement. For Martin Luther and Forde, this idea of progress involves death of the old sinful nature and resurrected life. This is exactly what the Apostle Paul is presenting in Colossians 3 when he calls us to "put to death" whatever is earthly and to be "clothed" with the new self. Death and Life, not moral reforming of the old flesh.

You see the problem with seeing sanctification as a movement of progress is that we end up trying to "reform" the sinful nature when all along the scriptures do not call our sinful nature to be "reformed" but rather to be "crucified." This idea of sanctification is much more radical than mere movement. It calls for an event of death to the old sinful nature. "For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God..." (Galatians 2:19-20)

"So, Pastor Matt what you are saying is that there is no progress in this life for us as Christians?" Actually, no. There is progress, but not as movement and not in the way that attempts to reform and/or modify the sinful nature. The progress that Paul, Luther, and Forde are pointing out is a dying of the old and being raised in the new. Listen to our Confession of Faith (The Small Catechism):

What does such baptizing with water signify?

Answer: It signifies that the old Adam in us, together with all sins and evil lusts, should be drowned by daily sorrow and repentance and be put to death, and that the new man should come forth daily and rise up, cleansed and righteous, to live forever in God's presences.

Baptism... is simply the slaying of the old Adam and the resurrection of the new man, both of which must continue in us our whole life long. For we must keep at it incessantly, always purging out whatever pertains to the old Adam, so that whatever belongs to the new may come forth."

Christian progress... a daily dying of the Old Adam and daily resurrecting in Jesus. Progress for us my friends is to begin again daily in Jesus' death and resurrection for us.

Jesus VS. Religion? You Be The Judge!

2012-01-14T00:01:00.001-07:00

There is a new viral video that is circulating called, "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus." I watched it the other day and cringed at portions of this video but also found myself offering up "Amen" at some points. Check it out below.

The next day Rev. Jonathan Fisk did a video response. Check it out below.

While, I can certainly sense and identify with the first video, I am going to have to side with Rev. Fisk. I have to confess that I have spoken in frustration against the church and have actually used several of the arguments against the church that the first video presented. However, as much as I get frustrated with the church, she will always be my mother. This very unfaithful bride of Christ is the one that baptized me, kept me and has delivered me the Gospel. The church is my family. Water is thicker than blood. Our enemy my friends is not the church but it is legalism and hypocrisy that is found in each and everyone of us!

For more reading on this subject may I suggest the following posts:
The Love For A Harlot
Cameron Diaz and Fiona the Ogre

Comfort For Sidney Montana During The Loss Of Sherry Arnold (Part 2)

2012-01-13T20:50:00.003-07:00

Today tragic new was released by officials on the death of Sherry Arnold who went missing last Saturday. While the details of her death and the identity of the suspects were not released, the shock, pain and weight of her death rippled throughout the city of Sidney.

This is the news that many did not hope for and others, like me, have been resistant to hearing. In a way, the news of death brings that extra amount of pain to already lingering emotions of doubt, anxiety, fear and the like.

In my previous posting (Click Here) we talked about how the afflictions of life bring about all sorts of questions. We also explored Psalm 119 where the why question, the source of the affliction, was not really answered in the way we would hope for. Rather than asking why, the text in Psalm 119 encouraged us to ask, "Where to now?" As I shared in my previous post, this did not mean that we needed to give up hope nor abandon the search for Sherry. Rather, what Psalm 119 showed us was that the Psalmist was driven by his afflictions, sorrow, pain and doubt to the Scriptures. Every time the Psalmist was afflicted it drove him to the Word, where God would speak.

Today, the degree of affliction has increased. We are faced with the issue of death. What does God say about death? When confronted with death we can't help but think about our own mortality and limitations. Death is unsettling anytime we come into contact with it. It stings. So how does God respond?

When we look at John 11:1-6, 32-44, 25-26 we see the story of a man named Lazarus. In this story, Lazarus died. He was also loved by Jesus. This love of Jesus for Lazarus wasn't simply a glittery kind of love found in perfumed love cards. This love of Jesus for Lazarus was a love that drove Jesus to tears. In John 11:33 we see that Jesus wept. Jesus stood there and wept, He had sorrow, He shed tears in a silent manner. But why the tears. Jesus expressed his tears and sorrow because He had witnessed the effects of the wretched and deadly grip of sin on mankind. He wept over death, He wept over the death of Lazarus that was a result of this world that is in bondage to sin and death.

Today, my friends, Jesus weeps with you. Our savior weeps over the death and suffering in our lives. Jesus wept over death because it is not the way things are supposed to be.

God created us originally in harmony, in peace, but sin entered the picture and marred our relationship with God, it turned the world upside down and made things simply wrong. Christ weeps because of the pain of sin in our lives and He weeps with us when we experience the sorrow from this broken world of death that we live in with all of its chaos. What a God that we have that will weep with His children. He weeps with us because He loves us. His tears are because He loves you.

Not only does the scriptures say that Jesus wept over death, it also says that He was "deeply moved". As Jesus approached the tomb of Lazarus, He not only wept but He "snorted at death." In a literal sense he was "ticked off" with death. He snorted at death, He was disgusted at death, He sighed at death, He mumbled in anger towards death, He expressed hatred and anger towards the tomb of Lazarus.

Today, my friends, Jesus angers with you. Again what comfort for us that when we are angry at death, when we are frustrated and upset at death, we can know that we have a Savior who understands. When we anger and shake our fist at death and scream out in pain we have a Savior who angered at death too. When we punch at death we have a Savior that identifies with us When we yell at death we have a Savior that identifies with us. When we grit our teeth at death we have a Savior that identifies with us. What I find so amazing is that Jesus, God in the Flesh, could be angry at death without being angry at Himself.

In our text we see that Jesus not only pulled inward with tears but He also expressed His frustration with death outwardly; He wasn’t restricted to just one end of the emotion spectrum, rather He expressed them simultaneously.

I think it is safe to say that our responses to death and dying, that being tears and anger are natural responses. The one thing though is that they are merely responses, they are our emotions, feelings and pain due to death. Beyond these emotions there is painfully not much else we can do with our responses to death and suffering. While it may be of comfort to know that we have a God who identifies with us, who understands our emotions and pain that still doesn’t address the problem of death itself. Jesus cares but there has to be more! What does God say about death? When death calls, does God have an answer... does God act? If Jesus weeps with us and angers with us over death we can confess that He does care, but is he powerless? What is Jesus’ response to death itself?

What is so amazing is that Jesus Christ wept and angered at death, but He was not limited like us to mere emotions. Rather He wept and angered at death, He wept and angered at sin to the point of the cross. Jesus angered and wept at sin and death to the point where He did something about it. God’s anger and tears over death and sin moved Him right into the center of sin and death, The Cross. Jesus weeps over death to the point of the CROSS. Jesus angers over death to the point of the CROSS In other words, God so loved this world that He gave His one and unique Son. Jesus came not to be served but to ‘give’ His life as a ransom for many. Throughout the Gospels we see that Jesus' journey was always towards the cross. He was born 2000 years ago in the Bethlehem. Born to die. The mission of Jesus was the cross.

Look to the cross what do you see? We see not just a victim but we see God in the flesh paying for your sins and replacing your sin with his righteousness. Look to the cross what do you see? We see not a dead savior but we see and empty cross with shed blood that confesses that our Savior is not restricted to death and a payment was made. Look to the empty tomb what do you see? Jesus certified his work on the cross by rising from the dead. His resurrection assures us that His work on the cross really did take away our sin and that Jesus was really victorious over death and the devil.

In verses 25-26 we read, “I am ‘the’ resurrection and ‘the’ life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die… Do you believe this.” In other words, Jesus is life and the resurrection. In Christ, you will never, ever, die.

My friends, there is nothing in this life that can go back and keep Jesus from making a payment on the cross. There is nothing in this life that can go back and keep Christ in the grave. In Jesus Christ you have life. In Jesus Christ you have eternity. In Jesus Christ you have hope. Believe upon Christ my friends.

Just as Christ simply called Lazarus by name, and the grave was completely powerless in holding Lazarus back from the call of His Lord and Savior, in Christ the grave is not the final word.

“So when the devil throws your sins in your face and declares that you deserve death and hell, tell him this: 'I admit that I deserve death and hell, what of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where He is there I shall be also!'" (Martin Luther)

Grace and Peace to you my friends.

Note: This is the sermon for Sidney Lutheran Brethren Church's upcoming worship service on January 22nd. You are welcome at the Light on the Hill.

Picture Source: Passion of the Christ Photo taken from ~ www.thepassionofchrist.com

So What Are Good Works Like?

2012-01-13T00:05:00.001-07:00

What are good works like? It seems to me that the Christian market place is plastered with self-help books, Godly principle books and 10 step method books. The idea of good works also brings up the idea of Life Coaches, spiritual gift tests, application sermons and all the rest. Sometimes I wonder if we have made the idea of Good Works too complex and missed the simplicity of it. Gerhard Forde in his book, "Justification By Faith--A Matter of Death and Life," offers up some great insights for us to consider. He states,

"Faith doesn't ask about good works but does them without all the theological fuss and bother. Good works are works done in faith, the faith which has simply gotten over looking at itself and its 'progress' and begun to look at the neighbor. Good works should be quite as natural and spontaneous as a parent running to pick up and comfort a child who has fallen and gotten hurt. One doesn't stop to think about it. (Let me see now, should I do this or shouldn't I? Is it necessary?); one doesn't even worry about whether it is a good work or not--one just does it. And after it is over, one forgets about it completely. That is what good works are like. They are probably those works we have forgotten all about."

Comfort For Sidney Montana During The Search For Sherry Arnold

2012-01-12T00:28:00.004-07:00

Sherry Arnold

This last Saturday, news came filtering through Facebook, word of mouth, the radio and the newspaper that Sherry Arnold, a 43 year old school teacher from Sidney, had gone missing. From my understanding she was out for a run early in the morning, however, had not returned. Later that day, search efforts were on the way in the air, by foot and with the use of all terrain vehicles. Since Saturday the FBI has become involved and the local volunteer search efforts have been put on hold.

Needless to say, this has caused a plethora of emotions for all of us as residents of Sidney. "This isn't suppose to happen in Sidney!" "What can we do to make this right?" "Was she abducted?" "Are we safe, are our children safe?" "What can we do to protect ourselves?" "We need to pray." The lists could go on and on.

Behind these statements we have a wide range of emotions as we try to process the events of this last week. Fear sets in, anxiety shakes our foundation and doubt/frustration emerge due to our own helplessness in not being able to fix the situation.

AHHHGGG! Why did this happen? Where do we go from here?

In the midst of my own personal angsts in life as well as walking in the pains of life with others, I have often tried to find the perfect answer that would answer the great "Why Question," so as to make everything all better. When doubt, fear, anxiety and frustration set in and questions abound we search for the answer to "Why?" However, when it comes down to it, even the best of answers to the "Why Question" sometimes can't deal with our deepest pains and discomfort buried deep within our souls.

I return often to Psalm 119 in the midst of soul struggles. The author of Psalm 119 talks about one who has sorrow, is in need and is afflicted. What is profound is that the why question, the source of the affliction, is not really answered in the way we would hope for in this text. Rather than asking why, the text encourages us to ask, "Where to now?" Please don't misunderstand me though. I am not encouraging us to give up hope nor abandon the search for Sherry. Rather, what I am saying and what Psalm 119 is showing us is that the Psalmist is driven by his afflictions, sorrow, pain and doubt to the Scriptures. Every time the Psalmist is afflicted it drives him to the Word, where God speaks.

What happens when we are driven by our pains to the Scriptures? God answers. God answers our pain with the cross, Jesus' pain. As we gaze upon the cross, we are shown God's love towards us. As we gaze upon the cross, we are shown forgiveness. As we gaze upon the cross we know that God will hold us and never let us go in this life or the next. As we gaze upon the cross we see that God forsook Jesus so that we will never be forsaken, thus the phrase, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" is surely true for me and you. As we gaze upon the cross we can know that we are buried deeply in the wounds of Jesus. As we gaze upon the cross we hear, "take courage my flock, do not fear, for I am with you."

Amid our tears, O Lord, grant us comfort. You know and understand the depths of our sadness our groans of misery too deep for words. Lord, look upon our tears, consider the agony of our hearts and minds and souls, and forgive us all of our sins. Do not leave us in despair. Comfort us through Your Gospel, which promises strength and help to the troubled and weary. Be our comfort, our shield and strength, our fortress and strong tower, our help and constant companion, that we may praise You for Your faithfulness unto all eternity; through Christ, our Lord. Into your hands, we commend ourselves entirely; let us never come to ruin. Amen. (Last Paragraph Adapted From "The Lutheran Book of Prayer")

Anyone with information about Sherry please contact the Sidney Police Department, 406-433-2210.

Pragmatism: Word of the Week

2012-01-11T07:03:00.010-07:00

Pragmatism is an American philosophical tradition which began in the late nineteenth century with Charles Sanders Peirce. Pragmatism embraces the idea that truth is just whatever helps us get around in life. If it works and there are good results... then it must be true, good and right.

Pericope Commentary On Mark 1:14-20

2012-01-11T01:41:00.001-07:00

Mark 1:14 begins Act One of Mark’s Gospel. Mark sets the stage with comments that are framed in the context of the Wilderness in verses 1-13 but now shifts to a new discourse where the events hover around Galilee. While people had to make a special journey to John the Baptist in the wilderness, here we see Jesus going to where people are in the province of Galilee.

The opening verses of verses 14-15 are incredibly important for us to consider. This whole pericope is not primarily about the calling of the disciples but primarily about what the disciples and Christ are going to deliver in the upcoming ministry. The following phrase is important to understand the main thrust of this pericope,
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news.”

The phrase, “Kingdom of God” is open to a lot of varied interpretations; however, I have always favored a very Christocentric approach to this phrase. I have heard it stated, “Where the kingdom is, there you will find the king. Where the king is, you will find the kingdom.” In Mark’s text the kingdom of God is not like any ordinary earthly kingdom. The kingdom of God is drawing near; meaning that the kingdom is present in its fulfillment of Jesus. (See Daniel 2:44-45, 7:14).

The words Repent and Believe are not the Gospel; rather they are the response to the Word or the fruit of the Spirit working through the Word in the individual. R.C.H. Lenski states that they are both imperatives and durative presents, the one is to continue as long as the other. In other words, repentance and faith are not onetime events, but continue throughout the life of the believer. The word repent can be properly thought of in the narrow sense as personal contrition and sorrow for sin brought about by the Divine Law. The word believe is to receive and have confidence in the good news of the Gospel, the forgiveness of sins. Faith is brought about as the Gospel is delivered and heard. Both repentance and believing are wonderful gifts of response that God works in us as He draws near to us in His Word.

As far as verses 16-20 we see that Jesus calls his first disciples to leave their fishing vocation to follow him. Two cautions in considering this portion of the text. The first is to realize that this is not the disciple’s first encounter with Jesus as we see with the context of John 1:35-42. Secondly, we need to be careful to notice that the disciples did not leave their possessions for the purpose of notching up good deeds, cataloging merit, nor did they abandon and sell everything they had. (Note: In Mark 10:28-30 Peter says that they left everything, not that they sold everything. Keep in mind that they returned to fishing after the crucifixion in John 21:1-3, most likely used their own boats to cross the Sea of Galilee several times with Jesus and went to the home of Simon and Andrew after being called as disciples.) They simply left their fishing business to practically follow the blessed call of being a disciple. The leaving of their possessions was a result of Jesus divine calling, a result of following Jesus and a result of joining in the mission to proclaim the Good News while journeying towards Jerusalem. In other words, one needs to be cautious not to hyper-spiritualize this leaving and possible selling of some of their stuff in following Jesus. Let me flesh this out a bit further. One could read verses 16-20 like, “Look how obedient the disciples are in selling everything they had in order to follow Jesus… am I that willing to sell everything to follow Jesus?” This is putting the cart before the horse, emphasizing the wrong syllable and exaggerating their leaving of possessions. Rather, it is better to see the text the following way, "Jesus called the disciples to join in proclaiming the good news, to follow Him and to be made into fishers of men… which resulted in them leaving stuff. Look at the Word, how it caused them to obey immediately! What a gracious invitation that is also extended to me. I get to follow Jesus, share the Good News and be made into a fisher of men… which means I may need to leave some of my prior stuff." Focusing on what we are giving up puts the attention back on mankind and our actions rather than the divine calling and gracious invitation of Jesus. Keep in mind that the imperative of Jesus (i.e. follow) is what empowers the action of the disciples to follow. I humbly suggest that we focus on Jesus’ effective and gracious invitation to the disciples and our congregations where Jesus will make us become fishers of men in proclaiming the Good News. If all of this ends up in us leaving stuff, then so be it, it is secondary to the message of the Kingdom of God that draws near to us!

Possible Gospel Handles for the Text
-Mark shows us that the Kingdom of God drew “near” in Jesus. The Kingdom of God draws “near” to us today as Jesus meets us in the Word to grant us repentance, faith and call us into a following relationship with Jesus.
-Jesus called the disciples to follow Him in proclaiming the good news of the kingdom. He invites/calls us into this opportunity to follow Him and share the blessed message of the Kingdom that gifts repentance and faith. (Matthew 28:18-20)
-Jesus, is calling you unto Himself where He will do a work of making you into a fisher of men!

What's Your Perspective On The Word and Faith?

2012-01-10T07:25:00.000-07:00

"As I hear the Word of Christ,

the Word enables me to have faith."

(i.e. Informative words that I act upon.)

"As I hear the Word of Christ,

the Word creates faith in me."

(i.e. Performative words that act upon me.)

Check Out: Romans 10:17; 1 Peter 1:23-25 & Hebrews 4:12

Taking A Closer Look At Islam: PDF Monday

2012-01-09T07:24:00.000-07:00

Today's PDF:

Taking A Closer Look At Islam

To Access More PDF Sheets:

CLICK HERE

As A Doctor Must Go Among The Sick, So A Wise Man Must Mix With Fools.

2012-01-08T07:01:00.000-07:00

"As a doctor must go among the sick, so a wise man must mix with fools." Dio Chrysostom, Orat. 8.5

It would be ridiculous for a doctor to refuse to meet with sick patients or for a teacher to not meet with his students! Furthermore, it is ridiculous to think of Jesus, our savior, not calling and dining with sinners. It is also ridiculous to consider a Gospel that is not for sinners.

In Mark 2:17 Jesus says, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners." It is pretty clear from this passage that Jesus was intent on calling sinner but does this text mean that Jesus came only for sinners and that he has no compassion, concern or empathy for the righteous? Because in all seriousness, those that believe they are righteous by their own accomplishments and works are truly the weaker brother aren't they?

The expression of Jesus in Mark 2:17 as well as the expression in Hosea 6:6 are, "properly interpreted as expressions of priority rather than of exclusion." (H.Kruse, VT 4 (1954), 385-400) By showing the priority of the sinners over top of those that perceived themselves to be righteous, Jesus was contrasting the two groups.

I am reminded by a quote from the book, The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, that has evolved into my pastoral jargon over the years. "When the unadulterated Gospel of Grace is proclaimed; the religious will get angry and the wounded will get healed." I have also recently heard it said that, "the deceived hate the Gospel and the desperate need it." It was no different for Jesus in his ministry. E.P. Sanders in his book, Jesus, rightly offers up the idea that no one objected to the repentance of sinners from Jesus' ministry. However, what was so offensive for the religious elite of the 1st century was that Jesus proclaimed the pure good news of forgiveness where it was needed and essentially created a new community of the forgiven that did not conform to the status quo and the acceptable religious climate of the day.

More specifically what was and is so offensive about the Gospel is two fold:

1) The Gospel is for sinners only. The Good News is forgiveness for sins. What makes the Gospel really good news for so many people is... that they know the bad news of their sin problem is forgiven for Christ's sake. So, in a way, the personal application of the Gospel to the individual presupposes that one knows their sin problem. Can there be good news when there is no such thing as bad news?

2) The Gospel makes an unconditional declaration of forgiveness. The Good News of the Gospel tells sinners that for Christ's sake that they are forgiven. No working, no huffing and puffing, no pulling one's boot straps and no spiritual ladders to climb! Jesus, with a period not a comma.

This kind of Gospel poses a problem for those that perceive themselves as righteous. The righteous want the Gospel but don't want to admit sin. Admitting sin would put a major kink into their righteous resume. Thus they inadvertently and many times intentionally redefine the Gospel as God's favor for mankind's good workings. They condition the Gospel and put the Gospel in debt to their actions, whatever those actions might be. This restricts the Gospel for righteous circles only and eliminates sinners from the equation, unless they step it up morally speaking. As a result, a spiritual Gospel monopoly develops. Furthermore, the unconditional, free gift of the Gospel is scandalous to the ear of the person striving for righteousness. It exposes the foolishness of works righteousness! The picture of a sinner saved by Grace alone for Christ's sake alone can indirectly and subtly communicate to the religious person, "Why are you so foolish working and huffing for righteousness when it is a free gift?" Thus, the Gospel undercuts the franchise of acquiring righteousness before God by works. As a result the righteous person will scoff at, undercut and oppose the unconditional Gospel. "It is too easy. It is scandalous, nothing is that free!" They will also persecute those that promote it because the unconditional Gospel undercuts the religious person's spiritual empire of works, it destroys the religious pecking order.

As a result, the Gospel in the church can many times not be extended to the sick. The Gospel which is for sinners turns into the Gospel for the righteous. Instead of the doctor going to the sick, he ends up going to the healthy. Rationally, things become inverted and simply just wrong.

Jesus, explicitly states that he came not for the healthy but for the sick. He came not to call the righteous but the sinner. His statement was to stress the priority of the Gospel for sinners! This was consistent with the pursuing nature of Jesus. He came not to be served but to serve. He dined with the tax collectors and sinners. He ate at Zacchaeus' house. He touched lepers. He sought lost sheep. He embraced children. He raised a dead girl. He called a tax collector as a disciple. He was crucified with criminals.

Aurelius Ambrose once said, "Because I always sin, I always need to take the medicine." We always do sin and we certainly do need the medicine! The good news for us today is that we have a savior of sinners, His name is Jesus Christ. He is a friend of sinners, who came for you and me. The Great Physician is in, He is here for you. Jesus is for you, He is all about the forgiveness of your sins!

She Is Definitely A Pastor's Kid! Anya Prays The Lord's Prayer.

2012-01-07T08:50:00.001-07:00

This is a video that I took of my little girl about 6 months ago. I know that I am bias, but you have to admit that this is pretty cute. Enjoy.

The Great Exchange: The Atonement

2012-01-07T07:33:00.002-07:00

Episode #3: The Atonement

Airing Date: December 22nd of 2011

Hosts: Leif Halvorson, Matt Richard, Mike Hussey

Click Here To Listen to Episode #3

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Synopsis

How does God reconcile to himself fallen man? Just how does this righteousness come to us. Do we get righteousness by an injection or is it credited to our account?

On this episode of the Great Exchange the idea of the Atonement will be discussed. Everything from Christ as Victor to Christ as Victim. Furthermore, the tension between infused righteousness and imputed righteousness will be discussed.

Enjoy

Law Without Gospel Unfortunately Produces Pride And Despair

2012-01-06T09:57:00.003-07:00

Picture Source: http://gnesiolutheran.com/preaching-law-gospel/

I just read a Resurgence blog article titled, "Law Without Gospel Makes People Give Up." It is an article that has been tailored from a Tullian Tchividjian blog posting. The basic idea of this article is that a message of Law without Gospel is often used to prohibit licentious living. However, Law without Gospel essentially makes things worse, not better. It makes people want to simply give up. Let me flesh this out a little more with a very personal example.

In a previous church that I was acquainted with the Pastor's sermons existed of 90% Law, 5% Gospel and then another 10% Law. "But Pastor Matt, that adds up to 105%." Yes, I know. It was a lot of law. It isn't that the Law is bad, for Paul says that it is good. The Law is good when it is used properly. You see, this pastor preached Law to convict the congregation of sin, this is a good thing. Then he ushered in a very weak Gospel that relieved a bit of the conviction of sin only then to place the church back under Law by giving them lists, commands, imperatives, etc... Law, Gospel, Law. Crushed, Relieved, Burdened. This was the pattern each and every week. Not only did the pastor error in not letting the Gospel have the dominate position in the sermon and life of the church, but the third point of Law in his sermons undercut and displaced the little Gospel that was preached in his second point. As a result this small church didn't have access to the Gospel, they were faced with the reality of their sin each and every Sunday with essentially no solution to this sin problem except to try harder and do better.

In Tullian Tchividjian's blog post he shares a letter from a layperson who states,

"When mainly law is preached, in my opinion, that leads to the realization that I can't follow it, so I might as well quit trying. When the remedy to the law is not presented, the hearer is left without any power to perform good works."

It was very apparent in this church as attendance slowly dwindled that despair had set in. "Why go to church to hear about sin and never hear a solution? It's pointless. Ahhh." Despair had set in and many people began to simply stay home. In the words of Rod Rosenbladt people began to essentially say, "It is better to live a life of a Pagan in freedom and be damned than go to church and be damned anyway." Sadly though, this isn't the whole story. On the other end of the spectrum another group emerged. This group didn't resort to despair but their intensity increased with a rugged determination that they were totally able to fix this problem of sin. They resorted to pride. "Sin and struggles? Bring on the lists, rules, challenges and imperatives for we are capable of fixing things!"

As a result of this tragic mishandling of Law and Gospel the church lost people to despair and the church lost people to pride (i.e. hypocrisy). Law without Gospel yields one of the two; despair or pride. According to The Lutheran Study Bible,

"If we think we are living a fairly good life--not like the people we read about in the papers--we become proud and self-satisfied. This was the attitude of the Pharisees in Jesus' day. On the other hand, if we realize the true enormity of our sins--how they daily color our thoughts, words and actions--we can easily fall into complete despair."

If this isn't tragic enough, as new people would visit they were met with militant and prideful people that supposedly had their life together and were, in theory, successfully making things work! For a newcomer they were faced with a crossroad. They either saw the large burden of the Law and left or they rolled up their sleeves and tried to assimilate into working hard with others to overcome the problem of sin by the way of human effort.

This is tragic and way too common. Tullian Tchividjian helps us in properly understanding the Law saying,

"...the law and the gospel do very different things. The law reveals sin but is powerless to remove sin. It points to righteousness but can't produce it. It shows us what godliness is, but it cannot make us godly. As Martin Luther said, 'Sin is not canceled by lawful living, for no person is able to live up to the Law. Nothing can take away sin except the grace of God.' The law is impotent--it has no strength, it has no power, it offers us nothing. Sinners already are powerless to obey the demands of the law, and the law offers them no assistance--absolutely none."

So if Law-Gospel-Law preaching produces despair and pride what is the solution? We don't answer the proclamation of the Law with the solution of more Law. Law does reveal sin, but it doesn't absolve it. Law does show what Godly living looks like but it can't motivate it. That belongs to the blessed and divine Gospel! The Gospel absolves. The Gospel forgives. The Gospel justifies. The Gospel motivates. The Gospel sanctifies. Law-Gospel-Law? No way. Rather, Law-Gospel-Gospel!

The Christian life is not Law-Gospel-Law but simply Law-Gospel. The reason being, Jesus alone is the antidote to sin and the fulfillment of the Law. What hope we have in Law-Gospel preaching; freedom from pride and despair and freedom in the full saving grace of God!

The Great Exchange: The Doctrine of Man

2012-01-06T07:29:00.006-07:00

Episode #2: The Doctrine of Man

Airing Date: August 19th of 2011

Hosts: Leif Halvorson, Matt Richard, Mike Hussey

Click Here To Listen to Episode #2

Podcast Powered By Podbean

The Great Exchange: Law And Gospel

2012-01-05T07:22:00.010-07:00

Episode #1: Law and Gospel

Airing Date: July 14th of 2011

Hosts: Leif Halvorson, Matt Richard, Mike Hussey

Click Here To Listen To: "Law and Gospel" Part 1 of 2

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Click Here To Listen To: "Law and Gospel" Part 2 of 2

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Synopsis

All Scripture is either Law or Gospel. That is, either it is God's Law speaking to us, telling us what to do and what not to do, or it is God's Gospel telling us what God has done for us through Jesus Christ.

The Law may be characterized as telling it listeners what to do and what not to do. The Gospel may be characterized as always telling its listeners what God has done for them in Jesus Christ.

In episode #1 the Law and Gospel will be explored and the positive and negative implications will be expounded on due to how they are distinguished.

To catch more Great Exchange Episodes: CLICK HERE

(Synopsis Definitions from The Lutheran Lexicon and The Lutheran Wiktionary)

(Bump music is "I Am Free" by the Newsboys)

Pelagianism: Word of the Week

2012-01-04T07:24:00.000-07:00

The theology of Pelagianism comes from a fourth century British monk named Pelagius. He taught that man is basically good and can move toward God by his own power, without the grace of the Holy Spirit. Man can convert himself to God, believe the Gospel, whole-heartedly obey God's Law and thus merit forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

Source: Tim Ysteboe, We Believe (Faith and Fellowship, 2010), 55-56.

Learn To Read & Write New Testament Greek Here: Aspect Chart

2012-01-03T07:17:00.006-07:00

This is the last video in the "Learn to Read and Write Koine Greek" series. You can access all the resources by CLICKING HERE. I hope you have enjoyed this series!

Divine Election/Predestination... A Lutheran Perspective: PDF Monday

2012-01-02T06:40:00.010-07:00

Today's PDF Sheet

Divine Election & Predestination, A Lutheran Perspective

To Access More PDF Sheets:

CLICK HERE

The Top 10 Blog Posts From 2011

2012-01-01T06:34:00.016-07:00

As we begin 2012 on PM Notes, let us pause today and examine the Top Ten Posts from 2011. It was a great year!

Other Notable Posts:

I look forward to 2012! We will be on a great journey of learning the scriptures, being formed by the Gospel and gaining insights into dividing Law & Gospel. Thanks for a great year!

A Possible New Year's Resolution For You To Consider

2011-12-31T17:03:00.000-07:00

Tonight I noticed the following post on a friend's Facebook page and thought that it was worthy to re-post here.

"If you're looking for a worthy New Year's Resolution, this is it:

'It ought to be the primary goal of every Christian to put aside confidence in works and grow stronger in the belief that we are saved by faith alone. Through this faith the Christian should increase in knowledge not of works but of Christ Jesus and the benefits of his death and resurrection.'

Martin Luther, The Freedom of the Christian (Minneapolis, 2008), page 55.

Happy New Year!

PM Notes: A Year In Review

2011-12-31T07:22:00.004-07:00

About a year ago I decided to take the plunge into daily blogging. Well, some 407 posts later and some 49,000 plus page views later... here we are.

It has been a great year blogging on PM Notes. Not only has the blog been very well received it has also been a great discipline for me. It has forced me to digest various theological ideas as wells as allowing me to be shaped by the scriptures.

A quick thank you to all of you who have encouraged me in this endeavor. Also a thank you to many who have sent me material to post.

For 2012 my hope is to continue blogging everyday, however, for 2012 I will be receiving some blogging support from various colleagues from time to time.

Grace and Peace to you all and may you have a blessed 2012 as we are continually buried in the wounds of our Savior.

Pastor Matt
PM Notes

Confessions Of A Pastor: Words Of Wisdom For The Pastor

2011-12-30T07:27:00.002-07:00

I received this from Pastor Erick Sorensen. What a wonderful blessing. He states,

A few years ago my buddy Jeff Proctor sent me this little article from his Pastor, Rev. David Petersen. David Petersen had sent this to some seminarians. I still look at this note often as it has been a source of constant encouragement. I hope it will bring the same to you.

1) Two Rampant Lies: Growth Without "Church Growth" and "Confessional Success."

Embrace the Theology of the Cross. Resist the temptation to count the people. Take your hits. You can't win. You can't make it work. No matter how gentle and kind, articulate and patient, you will lose. The Gospel always loses. That is how it wins. Be wary of seeming success. Let no one judge your practice or your wisdom. Preach the Truth. Confess your sins for they are many. Eat the Body. Pray for the end. Do no be dismayed by your failure. Be deaf also to the praise of men.

2) General Advice For Preaching

Always preach Law and Gospel. There is nothing else. It is always what God's people need.

Always tell the Truth. Don't water something down to avoid giving offense or to make it more palatable.

Always preach for conversion, as a dying man to dying men. Preach as though this is the only and last sermon your hearers will hear. Always preach against yourself. You are the only one you really know. Your sins and weaknesses are the same as the hearers. Yours is the common lot of man. It is the same with the comfort you need and for which you thirst. Preach, also, for yourself. Don't preach about yourself. Don't say: "When I was asked to preach I thought..." or "When I heard what the text for today was I considered..." That only draws attention to yourself. It is not about you. Get to the point. Preach with the authority you have been given. Be confident in the Word of God. Lose yourself in the pulpit.

3) General Advice for the Ministry

You are a servant of the Word. Follow Him. The Way of the Cross is a lonely, narrow path but it leads to heaven. Be more afraid of God than you are of the people. It is not the one who signs the check who provides daily bread. Do the right thing. Tell the Truth. Suffer the consequences. That is what a servant of Christ does.

It is the Preaching Office. Don't forget that. Your relationship to the congregation is the same as the prophets to Israel. Work on teaching and converting your own people-- which includes scores of folks not on the books. Preach the Gospel to them -- from the pulpit, the podium, the bedside, and behind the desk. They come looking for marital advice? Tell them about Jesus dying for them. They come looking for sympathy and a listening ear? Tell them about Jesus dying for them. They have a new baby, lost their jobs, are afraid of retirement? Tell them about Jesus dying for them. No matter what the circumstances, what the situation, you preach Christ crucified. Never compromise the simple Truth that has saved you.

Believe your own preaching. Jesus died also for you. He called you to this Ministry. He knows what he is doing. As good or as bad as it gets, it will not last forever. He is coming back to claim His own.

Who's In Charge Here, Anyway?

2011-12-29T07:15:00.000-07:00

Guest Blogger: Pastor Adam Berge

As parents of five young children, my wife and I sometimes ask the question, "Who's in charge here, anyway?" Occasionally, our lovely children have the opinion that they are the boss and we exist to serve their every want and need. I'm sure I was never like that, right Mom? Anyway, we parents get to fin loving ways to remind our children of the reality that "the buck stops here" --with mom and dad.

I think people by nature, want to be the boss. But we get into trouble when we bring this idea into how we relate to God's Word: the Bible. We can either place ourselves under the authority of God's Word, or we place ourselves above God's Word. Does God's Word judge me, or do I judge God's Word? This reminds me of a conversation I had with a person who basically said, "I don't like the God of the Bible, my God is different."

Whether or not we like the God of the Bible doesn't change the reality that God IS the boss-- the buck stops with Him. Therefore, it would be childish to pick and choose what parts of the Bible we like and which parts we don't like. We can't change what the Bible says because "times are different now." Whether we admit it or not, God is our judge; we are not His judge. Do you ever wonder how God will judge your life?

Here is the good news about God being our judge: we can trust what He says! He says we are guilty because of our sin, but He chose to punish Jesus instead of us. Therefore, God declares His verdict toward us: "You are considered righteous, because of Jesus!" Since God is the boss, we can trust His judgment. If we wanted to be the boss, who would we trust?

To listen to Pastor Adam's Sermons CLICK HERE

Pietism: Word of the Week

2011-12-28T07:04:00.014-07:00

Pietism is a theological movement that emphasizes subjectivism and individual piety. In Pietism, the religion of the heart is placed in opposition to doctrine and theology, or a theology, or a religion of the head. Because true religion is found in the heart in Pietism, personal devotion and a moral life are prized above the Sacraments.

Pietism can be found in every major Christian denomination, but is most prevalent in Methodist and Neoevangelical congregations. Pietism has, at various times, also been extremely influential in the Lutheran Church.

Pietism as a way of thinking... has the tendency to rest the assurance of one's relationship with God upon an experience of God, an experience arising out of one's own piety. (Prenter)

Source: The Lutheran Wiktionary

Learn To Read & Write New Testament Greek Here: Time And Type Of Aspect

2011-12-27T07:11:00.002-07:00

So, we are finishing off our beginning Greek class at Sidney Lutheran Brethren Church. After this post we will have one more post fleshing out a handy chart on the Time and Type of Aspect. For now enjoy the videos below and the posted videos in the archive page.

A Highlighted Summary Of Law & Gospel: PDF Monday

2011-12-26T07:20:00.008-07:00

To Access Today's PDF:

Highlighted Summary of Law & Gospel

To Access More PDF Teaching Sheets:

CLICK HERE

You Are Highly Favored!

2011-12-25T13:00:00.003-07:00

To listen to more sermons check out the SLBC Podcast Page.

CLICK HERE

The Christmas Message Is For Sinners

2011-12-25T07:22:00.006-07:00

Picture Source: http://www.mishmashmaggie.com/2009/12/fourth-day-before-christmas.html

"And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus; for He shall save His people from their sins" ~ Matthew 1:21

The Child which is born shall be called Jesus. His name embraces His entire nature and His life's purpose. He is the Savior who has come to save his people from their sins.

Had there been no sin on earth, there would have been no Christmas. Had there been no sinners, there would have been no need of a Savior. For this very reason the Christmas Gospel is a message for sinners. And only those who acknowledge their sins can understand the true meaning of Christmas.

The name "Jesus" is the hope of the world; it is the radiant dawn over a generation living in the night of sin; it is salvation and victory for the sinner; it is release for him who is in captivity; it is hope, it is a future, it is eternity. Without Jesus the world is hopeless darkness. With Jesus something of heaven comes to earth.

Excerpt take from: Fredrick Wisloff's book titled, "Hvil eder litt ~ Rest A While" (Nordstrand Books, 1963)

God's Christmas Gift Is Jesus Christ!

2011-12-24T07:13:00.001-07:00

"If thou knowest the gift of God..." John 4:10

God's Christmas gift is Jesus Christ.

Lord teach me to know thy gift.

I am weary of the demands of life. I know that Thou hast a right to make demands, and I know so well what Thy demands are. I have sought to meet them. I believe I dare say: "I have tried with an honest purpose--not only once, but many times."

But, Lord, Thou knowest how I have failed. It is a futile task. Each time I have succeeded in rolling the stone almost to the top, it has rolled downhill, and I have had to try again.

But, Lord, now Thou dost offer me Thy gift. O Thou kind and merciful God! All that I lost because I was unable to meet Thy demands I now receive as a gift. In Thy mercy Thou dost bestow upon me all that I need. I only sit still, and Thou dost place Thy gift into my hands. O Lord, continue to give. Give me much for I am in need of much. Grant that also today I may know Thy gift more richly and more gloriously than ever before.

Excerpt From: Fredrik Wisloff book titled "Hvil eder litt ~ Rest A While" (Norstrand Books, 1963)

2011 PM Notes Promotional Trailer

2011-12-23T10:47:00.005-07:00

As 2011 comes to a conclusion, I decided to produce a Promo Video for 2012. CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE VIDEO. If you have enjoyed PM Notes, would you consider passing this post/video on? The video is intended for the promotion of the blog thus the epic feel! You've gotta love the music from E.S. Posthumus! Keep in mind that the blog also has its own Facebook Page. CLICK HERE to access the Facebook Page. Individuals can also follow through TWITTER or by submitting their email to the email subscription box on the right side of the PM Notes Blog Page. Enjoy the Promotional Trailer. It was sure fun to work on last night!

Do I REALLY Have to Go To Church Tomorrow Night & On Sunday Morning? You Have To Be Kidding Me!

2011-12-23T06:30:00.000-07:00

So, Saturday night is the night! Candles, Oh Holy Night, friends, family and the stillness of Christmas Eve. Saturday night is the night that we celebrate and remember the Advent of Jesus Christ.

Now, what do we do with Sunday, December 25th? Over the last several weeks I have heard the buzz in the air of people wondering what their church is going to do with Christmas day? I am hearing comments like, "If we have a Christmas Eve service does that count towards our worship service for that week, voiding the need for a Sunday service? Is it asking to much of people to attend two services back to back? What about family time, won't church cut into the precious family moments?" While there is a lot to ponder above I have two observations for us to consider.

The first observation comes from Pastor Paul McCain. He states,

"If your congregation even 'considers' cancelling church on Sunday, December 25th, then you are giving up your right to whine about how Christmas has become too 'commercialized.' As reports begin to appear regarding congregations cancelling services on Sunday, December 25th, leaving those congregations silent on a day that is set aside for the celebration of the Nativity of Our Lord and which is also the day of the resurrection (Sunday), the complaints of collective Christianity regarding the secularization and commercialization of Christmas ring hollow. You cannot in one breath announce that the Church will be empty on Sunday because it falls on Christmas and then complain in the next breath that Christmas has lost its focus upon Christ."

Secondly, the complaint about having to go to church comes directly from the Old Adam, our sinful nature. Yes, our sinful nature would rather stay in bed! Trust me on this one, even though I am a pastor, my Old Sinful Nature says, "Do I have to preach two times?" The Old Nature and our default Theology of Glory will typically see worship as something that we "have to do" rather than something that we "get to do." It is so typical for us to begin to believe that going to worship is something that we have to do for God, that somehow God needs us to come to church in order to give our best to Him and that by going we can check it off as a great moral accomplishment. This is the mentality of the Old Adam, it is in constant opposition to the Word. This Old Sinful Nature typically turns gifts into curses.

My dear friends, our divine worship services are really so much more! Worship is a time for us not to go and attempt to give God our best, rather it is a time to go and "receive" from God, to receive God's best! God is not the audience and we are not the speaker in worship. Rather, God is the speaker and we are the audience in worship. This Christmas Eve, we get to gather together as family to receive and celebrate the Advent of Jesus! On Christmas Day, we get to gather together as family to receive and celebrate the Advent of Jesus!

On my Facebook account a good friend stated the following, "I think church on Christmas Eve and again on Christmas Morning sounds wonderful! It's like Good Friday and Easter Sunday, but even closer. We never cancel Easter because we had an extra service on Friday. In fact we make Easter morning a big deal, why not Christmas morning?"

The reality is that we have twice the gifts this Christmas. Gifts... not curses. Two services... twice the gifts! It is like opening gifts on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Morning! Yes!

Jesus came for you! Jesus is for you! Let us receive, celebrate and relish this Gospel on Christmas Eve and on Sunday Morning!

Have A Merry Christmas My Friends; The Gift Of Christ Is For You!

2011-12-22T07:25:00.000-07:00

As 21^st century people we have lived within two very violent centuries in world history. According to Heath White 21^st century people,

“…have viewed how European colonization led to the destruction and uprooting of native cultures and the abuse of African, South American and Asian people groups. In the United States our neighbor saw the brutal oppression of minorities through the bondage of slavery, segregation and the like. In Germany they watched in horror the mass genocide, the holocaust, of 6 million Jews. In the Soviet Union, China and Cambodia they have also observed countless murders due to religious and political beliefs. …at the heart of each of these historical immoral actions stands corrupt authorities manipulating the masses and hiding behind their own justifying statements of manmade absolute truth. These corrupt authorities say, ‘We have a responsibility to enlighten the backward ethnic groups. It is wrong to mix races. The Germans ought to dominate Europe; the Jews must be abolished because they stand in the way. We are pressing on towards a great economic and social utopia.’”

And the litany could go on and on.

It is no wonder that our neighbor may hesitate when claims of absolute truth are made. It is my belief that one of the reasons people reject absolute truth is because of past corruption of truth that positioned people for power, control and abuse. Our neighbor may scream, “I won’t agree with statements of absolute certainty that justified, rationalized and sanctioned the kind of evil of the last two centuries!”

So, as Christians this Christmas, what should be our position on absolute truth and how do we respond to the past two centuries? How do we gift our neighbor this Christmas Season? The answer is in the message of Christmas itself, the person of Jesus.

In John 8:32, Jesus says, “…then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” The truth, which is connected with Jesus, is freedom! In others words, absolute truth is for the purpose of freeing people from their self-imposed bondage of sin, the fear of death and eternal judgment. Christ always spoke the truth in love for the purpose of love. He spoke hard truths to the Pharisees so that they might be free. He spoke tender truths to the prodigals so that they might be free. Christ did not use absolute truth to position Himself in a place of power so that he might be served by humanity rather; He humbly came to serve humanity with the truth. (Mark 10:45)

As Christians we don’t have to use absolute truth to position ourselves for power and control either. We have been freed by Christ and have every spiritual blessing in Christ’s sealed love for us. We have been freed to proclaim Christ’s truth for our neighbor who has been beaten, bruised, manipulated and bound up by harmful ‘man-made’ absolute truths. We have the privilege to gift others with the truth this Christmas, which ultimately frees.

What a Gift this Christmas! The absolute truth of Christmas, Jesus Christ, who came humbly in love to a lost and dying world overrun by powers that sought only to rule, use and destroy!

Christ is your gift this Christmas.

Learn To Read & Write New Testament Greek Here: The Passive Voice

2011-12-21T07:30:00.000-07:00

To learn more about the Passive Voice check out, "Understanding the Passive Voice of the New Testament."

Is Jesus God "Or" Is Jesus A God?

2011-12-21T00:09:00.000-07:00

Sometime ago I had a blog series titled Responding to Jehovah's Witnesses. In this blog series we spent some time looking at John 1:1. In Pastor Fisk's most recent Youtube video he took some extra time to assess the Greek of John 1:1 in connection to Colwell's Rule. Not making sense? Check out the video below.

Virtue To Grace: Why The Converted Need To Be Converted!

2011-12-20T01:24:00.004-07:00

"The Christian life is not an exodus from vice to virtue,

but rather from virtue to grace."

Gerhard Forde

Growing up as a child it was my perception that one needed to be converted. Yes, converted. Unconverted people were those that would smoke, drink, chew and date girls that do. Converted people were those that didn't smoke, drink or chew. Converted people were those that went to church, tithed, said please and thank you and had an aura of cleanliness that was next to Godliness. Irregardless if this was my own legalism informing my perception or if it was the fruit of my church's material principle, the previous ideology sees conversion as converting from vice to virtue.

Vice to virtue conversions see conversion primarily in the external actions of the individual. "I used to be a drunk, now I am not a drunk. Praise God." Vice to virtue conversions see people as a part of the flock based not upon a common confession but upon a common lifestyle or a preset list of social acceptable norms. In order to be converted in a vice to virtue conversion the individual must adhere to a specified set of standards and exhibit the proper fruit. The problem with this vice to virtue conversion mentality is that a person can externally exert all sorts of energy in order to rid himself of his immoral vices. He can polish himself up through effective alcoholic treatments from the doom of alcoholism. He can use effective accountability groups and internet filters to cut out the seduction of pornography. He can curb the sourness of his cursing tongue and the entrapment of gossip through carefully monitored speech. A person can externally rid himself of all of these moral deficiencies and still be eternally lost; that is damned. (Paraphrase of a C.F.W. Walther Quote) The reason for this is that mankind's virtues cannot justify in the eyes of God.

Painfully I have witnessed countless well-meaning Christians, pastors and authors advocating for vice to virtue conversions. The problems with vice to virtue conversions are plentiful. For starters, how does one know if they have fully rid themselves of the vice and how do they know if they have fully embraced the new virtue? One can never have assurance. Secondly, this view of conversion points people to "self." One will always be looking inward to rid vice and acquire virtue by the strength of their will. Thirdly, the vice to virtue convert will always seek a message/sermon that consists of steps, encouragements and principles to aid in the journey from vice to virtue... messages that are Christless or Crossless at best. Fourthly, the vice to virtue convert essentially needs to be converted yet again. Converted? Yes, converted because they are living not in grace but in an alternate reality of moralism.

The vice to virtue convert needs to be converted not from vice to virtue but from virtue to grace. This is a whole paradigm shift. While churches and ministries that encourage vice to virtue conversions can be commended in the realm of morality and external behavior modification, this journey from vice to virtue unfortunately misses the essence of Jesus and His grace. You may respond by saying, "But why not from vice to grace?" It is true that we need to be converted from vice to grace but equally important we need to be converted from virtue to grace. Ellie Corrow states,

"The trouble is that we need to be saved from our 'good works' as much as we need to be saved from our vices. In short we need to be saved from ourselves; our trespasses are not restricted to obvious vices, but also extend to our most pious good works. Why? Because we imagine that they are, indeed, good works that just might improve our standing before God. Our piety can actually stand between us and the Savior. No one says, 'I'm too good to go to heaven' but how many people, even those who should know better, think 'I'm fine, at least I'm not like that tax collector over there."

The problem with virtue is not that good works are inherently evil, rather it is what our sinful nature does with the good works. The Old Adam (i.e. sinful nature) grabs a hold of virtue for itself, raises it up and says, "Look at what I have done." The Old Adam is always looking for a way to justify itself. Thus when we cling to virtue as assurance, worth and/or merit before God we are essentially stating that we don't need Jesus. (See Galatians 5:2) If we can become so virtuous, why would we need Jesus and His cross? This is why Paul consistently condemns vices of all flavors in his epistles and it is also why he considers his virtues as rubbish in Philippians 3:4-9. Nothing, I mean nothing; can be a proper substitute for Christ crucified! Everything is rubbish in justification, both vice and virtues, compared to surpassing value of knowing Christ.

Conversion from virtue to grace is a conversion that is not void of virtue though, for virtues are present in grace! The virtues that are present in grace are Jesus' virtues. Jesus who knew no sin was made to be sin on our behalf so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21) My vices, our vices, are taken up by Jesus and we are 'gifted' the virtues of Jesus as if they are our own. Imputed! Converted from our works to Jesus' works. It is not about our works but about Jesus' work for us.

Virtue to Grace... Grace Alone. Amen.

Introducing: Slave Free Earth

2011-12-19T14:00:00.001-07:00

On December 11th of 2011 we had Will and Cathy Henderson from Slave Free Earth make a presentation at Sidney Lutheran Brethren Church. Slave Free Earth is dedicated to the abolition of sexual slavery worldwide. They cover everything from Safe Houses to Rescue Projects; Awareness Education to Preventative Education; networking to hands on action.

To learn more visit their website and watch their presentation to Sidney Lutheran Brethren Church below:

Law & Gospel: PDF Monday

2011-12-19T07:28:00.001-07:00

Today's PDF:

Law & Gospel

To Access More PDF Sheets:

CLICK HERE

Jesus Is Hunting & Looking For You!

2011-12-18T07:25:00.001-07:00

Guest Blogger: Pastor Adam Berge

What gets you revved up? This week I'm all revved up about 'deer hunting.'

Do you know anybody who has gone deer hunting this year? Have you ever wondered why people go deer hunting? I'm sure different people have different reasons: food, sport, or just the calm peaceful feeling of walking around in the woods with a gun. Many different reasons, but they all have one thing in common: they left their home and are on a very specific mission.

When a person hunts deer, they are totally focused on finding that deer. This focus is seen in what they wear, how they walk, where they stand and even how they smell.

Deer hunters remind me of Jesus. Don't worry, Jesus isn't out to kill you, but He is looking for you. Jesus left His home in heaven and was born as a baby in Bethlehem for a very specific mission. Throughout His whole life Jesus had one mission on His mind. Nobody could deter Him from that Focus. You could see His focus in what Jesus did, said and even where He walked. The last part of His walk involved carrying a cross to His own painful death.

Unlike deer hunters, His mission was not to find and kill, but to die so that we may be found. His mission was to take away everything that was keeping us from God, even our sin. On the cross He cried out, "It is Finished!" His mission is complete, your sins are forgiven! Jesus' mission was for YOU. Believe that God loves you, that Jesus came for you, and that He died for you. Mission accomplished.

Check out some of Pastor Adam's sermons by CLICKING HERE.

Flavius Josephus Validated By New Archaeology Discovery

2011-12-17T07:29:00.044-07:00

For the longest time historians have believed that the Western Wall, like the other walls surrounding the Temple Mount, had been built during Herod's massive efforts of construction in Jerusalem.

This assumption clashed with what the Jewish Historian Falvius Josephus recorded in his historical works... until now.

The new discovery correlates with what was recorded by Josephus. To read more on this CLICK HERE.

The importance of this discovery is that it validates Josephus as a competent 1st Century historian. But why is Josephus important to Christianity you may ask? Josephus is important to Christianity because he provides a valuable historical context and great insights into the 1st Century background of Christianity.

CLICK HERE to purchase the Complete Works of Josephus.