“In It but Not of It”

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christian, Christianity, faith, Jesus

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries “In It but Not of It” April 29, 2018 Romans 12:1-2 – I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God. Ercan Ozer is a shepherd in the mountainous region of Muradive, Turkey. Whether Ozer is a good shepherd or not, that I cannot say. I do know that today he has fewer sheep to take care of than he used to have. That is because, not so long ago, 80 of his sheep committed suicide. According to his telling, one of his flock decided it could fly. To test the theory, sheep number one walked off the side of the mountain. The long and short of his story is this: he was wrong. Amazingly, rather than learning from the mistake of sheep number one, a second sheep, sheep number two, followed the first. Sensing a pattern was developing, Ozer sprang into action and inserted himself between his flock and the cliff. Things happened very quickly after that. In order: sheep number two also found out she could not stay airborne for any length of time. Even with their shepherd between them and open air, the flock continued to surge ahead. Like a river flowing around a rock most of the flock simply bypassed Ozer and stepped out into space and into sheep baaa-lhalla. As we said above, 80 sheep died, and Ozer found himself with a flock considerably diminished in size. Years ago, I remember my father asking, “Ken, if everybody jumped off a bridge, would you do the same?” It was his way of telling me that I shouldn’t be a blindly following sheep. Instead, he wanted me to do the right thing, the smart thing, even if that meant I wasn’t going to be a card-carrying member of the flock. It was good advice. Indeed, it is the kind of advice Christians should follow. I know it is good advice because in John 17, Jesus said, “I have given them Your Word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” Writing to the church in Rome, Paul rephrased Jesus and said it this way: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God.” And if you’ve been listening to your pastor on a Sunday morning, he has probably said it this way: “We are in the world, but we are not of the world.” Now let’s make it simple. Christians have been rescued from the punishment of sin by the Savior, Jesus. When that happened, the Holy Spirit made changes in us. Those changes mean the world no longer dictates what we think and what we do and what we want. Replacing that old-world view, we find our thoughts and actions centering on the Lord who has saved us at the cost of His own Son’s life. True, we still are living with the things and the people of this world, but we will no longer follow them as they disobey and disregard the loving Lord. THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, we are people who live in this world, but no longer are of this world. Grant us the discernment to walk Your path rather than the world’s superhighway to nowhere. In Jesus’ Name I ask it. Amen. ©Lutheran Hour Ministries, All rights reserved. | 660 Mason Ridge Center, St. Louis, MO 63141

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“A Gift for God”

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Christ, Christianity, faith, forgiveness, God, Gospel, Jesus, Joy, LCMS, religion, sin

(REBLOGGED WIH PERMISSION)

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries “A Gift for God” January 12, 2018 Psalm 51 (excerpts) – Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your steadfast love; according to Your abundant mercy … Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be justified in Your sight … Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. … O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise. For You will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; You will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. There is a story which comes from the Middle Ages. It speaks about an angel who wanted to give God the gift which the divine Lord valued the most. The angel traveled to earth and began his search. It took a few hundred years, but the angel eventually returned to heaven with a glass vial. In the vial was sand which had been stained red by drops of blood taken from a martyr who had died in his Savior’s service. It was a magnificent gift, a moving present, but the bloodied sand was not the gift the Lord most desired. The angel returned to earth and, once again, began his wanderings. He stopped and was touched to see a poor widow offer up a few coins to people who had even less than she. Yes, the angel was moved by the dear lady’s actions, but he knew those coins would not be the gift the Lord loved the most. The search continued. Occasionally, the angel found something which had possibilities. He came upon a cross which had been used by a great preacher; there were the shoes of a missionary who had shared the Gospel in a heathen land, and he was delighted by the laughter of a child who was loved by Christian parents. “These are all wonderful gifts,” the angel said to himself, “but they are not the gift which God values most.” Once more the angel began his search on earth. There the angel saw two men sitting by a fountain. One of the men bent down to drink and in the water saw his sin-ravaged face. Overcome by all he had done wrong — and who he had become — the man wept. The angel, ever so quietly, moved up and collected a tear of repentance. But the angel did not return immediately to heaven. The angel listened as the second man spoke of the Savior and the hope which comes from sins forgiven. Once again, the first man cried. But this time he cried with joy at the good news of the Gospel. He had been given faith in Jesus as his Savior. His sins were gone. He was forgiven. He had eternal life. The angel captured one of those tears as well. The angel brought the tear of repentance and the tear of faith to heaven. Those two tears, mixed together, were presented to God, and God smiled. Tears of repentance, tears of Gospel joy. According to the story, that was the gift which God loved the most. Tears of repentance, tears of Gospel joy. I know they are what we need the most. THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, may I always give thanks for Jesus who is Your gift to me. May my praise be sincere and unceasing. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen ©Lutheran Hour Ministries, All rights reserved. | 660 Mason Ridge Center, St. Louis, MO 63141 Lutheran Hour Ministries is an auxiliary of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod | Lutheran Church—Canada

O Holy Night

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Bible, christian, Christianity, Christmas, faith, God, holidays, Jesus, Lutheran, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, religion

“O Holy Night…” **

How I see Christmas:
The secular Christmas takes Christ out but emphasizes good works and sharing. The world takes that as the central theme of Christmas. Yet the Bible clearly says that all of our good works are like filthy rags.
(Isaiah 64:6English Standard Version (ESV)
We have all become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.
We all fade like a leaf,
and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.)

 

Non-Christians also see “peace” as a theme. Yet, Jesus said he came to bring a ‘sword’.
(Matthew 10:34English Standard Version (ESV)
34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.)

Christians see Christmas as Emmanuel, meaning God with us. With this in mind, Jesus’ birth is simple and a miraculous gift from God. His birth makes us humble and we fall on our knees.

We repent of our sins and receive His forgiveness. We partake of the Eucharist and receive life. Only then can we share and pass on His gifts of love, joy, and celebrate in Jesus as a result of the Holy Spirit within us.

**
“O Holy Night…” **

How I see Christmas:

The secular Christmas takes Christ out but emphasizes good works and sharing. The world takes that as the central theme of Christmas. Yet the Bible clearly says that all of our good works are like filthy rags.
(Isaiah 64:6English Standard Version (ESV)
We have all become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.
We all fade like a leaf,
and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.)

 

Non-Christians also see “peace” as a theme. Yet, Jesus said he came to bring a ‘sword’.
(Matthew 10:34English Standard Version (ESV)
34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.)

Christians see Christmas as Emmanuel, meaning God with us. With this in mind, Jesus’ birth is simple and a miraculous gift from God. His birth makes us humble and we fall on our knees.

We repent of our sins and receive His forgiveness. We partake of the Eucharist and receive life. Only then can we share and pass on His gifts of love, joy, and celebrate in Jesus as a result of the Holy Spirit within us.

**
“O Holy Night
O holy night the stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new glorious morn
Fall on your knees
O hear the angels’ voices
O night divine
O night when Christ was born
O night divine o night
O night divine

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new glorious morn
Fall on your knees
O hear the angels’ voices
O night divine
O night when Christ was born
O night divine o night
O night divine”

(Picture above From SELC -Siberian Ev. Lutheran Church)

 

 

The 500th Anniversary of the Reformation 1517-2017

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Christianity, faith, Gospel, Jesus, Joy, LCMS, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, Lutheran Church-MS in Siberia, Reformation, religion, Triune God

REBLOGGED FROM: Rev. Alan Ludwig’s LCMC-MISSION LETTER 40

Pastor Ludwig serves in Novosibirsk, Siberia, Russia at the Lutheran Seminary

missionletter40

 

 

A Primer We Need

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Bible, Christianity, faith, hope, LCMS, love, Lutheran

YES, AT OUR WEDDING THIS WAS READ! IN 1992…

Concordia and Koinonia

Today’s appointed New Testament reading in the Daily Lectionary is the “Love Chapter”, 1 Corinthians 13:

13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ² And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³ If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

⁴ Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant⁵ or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;⁶ it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

⁸ Love…

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“Doggy Doors”

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Bible, Christianity, faith, LCMS, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
By Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour

 

“Doggy Doors”
July 1, 2017
James 1:14-15 – But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
Ask around and the experts will tell you about the greatest fights in history. In the top 10, most would likely list the “Thrilla in Manila” between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Others would mention the 1952 battle between Rocky Marciano and Jersey Joe Walcott. That battle was won by Marciano who finished his career undefeated.

Truly, those were epic contests, but they were mere skirmishes when compared to the 2016 battle waged by “Boone the boxer.” Before I go further, allow me to share that Boone the boxer is a dog owned by the Scott Gray family of Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Dog or no, right before Halloween last year, Boone got himself into a prime-time fight. And if you’re wondering how this battle began, I can tell you: the Gray’s house has a dog door to make Boone’s comings and goings more convenient.

Unfortunately, that dog door can be used by other animals — other animals like skunks, for example.

The Grays were not at home the night an uninvited skunk came in through the doggy door. A few hours later when the family returned, Boone and the skunk were still at it. Mr. Gray managed to corner the skunk in a bedroom and have it removed by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Experts were called in to tell how the Grays might restore their home to pre-fight conditions.

What the experts said was this: get rid of your clothes; toss your furniture; tear the sheet rock off its studs, and begin over. The insurance company agreed that doing those things would be the way for the Gray family to proceed. Oh, the insurance company also said something else, something like “While we feel sorry for you, and deeply regret what has happened to your home, you should know your homeowner’s policy does not cover your domicile for damages done by skunks that gained entrance through a doggy door left open.”

As this devotion is written, the Grays have shelled out $70,000 and they estimate they will spend another $50,000 before they are done reclaiming their home.

Now there ought to be a devotional point to this sad story — and there is. The point is we need to watch what comes into the homes of our hearts.

James talks about the process of how a sin begins in a simple way. It all starts when a heart which ought to be owned by the Lord has been built with a doggy door. It doesn’t take too long before an unchristian temptation saunters in. Left unchecked, that desire will grow and become a sin which, as James says, “brings forth death.”

Now, unlike the Gray family, we do have good news for those who find their hearts have been befouled by sin. We have a Savior who can, for people of faith, remove that sin and set things straight. Scripture is clear: if we confess our sins, the Lord wall forgive us our sins. But, the Bible tells us God’s people are smart if they don’t leave open a doggy door for sin, in the first place.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, grant me the faith and the wisdom to stop sin before it starts. Keep my heart dedicated to giving thanks for the Savior who has done all to win my forgiveness and salvation. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.

The above devotion was inspired by a number of sources, including one written by Adalberto Toledo for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette on June 6, 2017.

 

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Lutheran Hour Ministries

 

Today’s Bible in a Year Reading: Ecclesiastes 10-12; Acts 10:24

 

Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin!  Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int’l LLL (LHM).

 

“Empty “

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Christianity, faith

(Compendium: REBLOGGED WITH PERMISSION)

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

 

“Empty “

May 30, 2017

Colossians 2:8 – See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

My mother used to say that every day a person ought to learn something. Now that “something” doesn’t have to be a big something; it just should be something. Today I am pleased that I have learned the definition of a term — a term I had never heard being used before. Now, if you haven’t yet managed to learn something today, let me share that knowledge with you.

The term is “slack fill.” Would you like to take a guess as to what slack fill means?

No, it has nothing to do with a pair of jeans which, having been washed in hot water and thrown in the dryer, are overly tight.

Slack fill is the term various industries use to explain why their big boxes of stuff are only half-filled with product. Did you ever buy a box of breakfast cereal and, having opened it, found you needed a flashlight to see where the contents began? That’s slack fill in action. Manufacturers say slack fill happens two ways: it can happen accidentally when the product settles, or it happens deliberately because a product needs room to breathe.

No matter how you look at it, slack fill means you have more container than product.

This is a fact not lost on a Missouri man who is suing Hershey’s Chocolate for the small amount of candy he received when he bought a box of Reese’s Pieces and Whoppers. The man, Robert Bratton, says his Reese’s® Piece’s box had about 29 percent empty space, and the Whoppers had a, well, there’s no other way to say it — it had a whopping 41 percent of empty.

As of right now, nobody knows what the outcome of the suit will be. Hershey’s wants legalities to cease immediately since everybody understands the idea of slack fill, and the amounts of candy are printed on the box. Mr. Bratton says that everybody does not understand slack fill, and he wants the court to decide how much empty carton is too much empty carton.

I’m sure the court will eventually decide those differences. Sadly, there is no earthly court with the authority — or ability — to rule on the differences between the Lord’s truth and Satan’s slack fill.

When the devil tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, his promises were slack filled. He promised they would be just like God, that they would be just as smart as God, that the Lord’s warnings about the forbidden fruit were ridiculous and could be discarded without any negative repercussions or ramifications.

It was a fancy package that Adam and Eve bought. In doing so they bought a fancy package that failed to deliver on its promises and enticements.

In contrast, we have the words of the Faithful, Holy Lord. What He says is — you should excuse the expression — the Gospel truth. When He says, the soul which sins will die (see Ezekiel 18:20), you can believe it. When He says faith in the Savior is the only path to heaven, you had better trust Him. Maybe that’s why the Bible says, “Thy Word is truth” (see John 17:17) rather than “The Bible is slack full.”

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, it is one thing to be deceived by half-full boxes; it is quite another to buy into Satan’s pseudo-truths. Let my faith always be placed in and centered on the Savior whose life was spent taking away the sins of the world. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.

The above devotion was inspired by a number of sources, including one written by Michael Hartorne for Newser on May 20, 2017. Those who wish to reference that article may do so at the following link, which was fully functional at the time this devotion was written. Please click here.

“Making a Stand”

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Christianity, Jesus, LCMS, Lutheran

(REBLOGGED WITH PERMISSION) Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries October 27, 2016 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who … in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:4-5, 8 Milliken University is a fine private school in Central Illinois. At their football game on September 24th, some of the members of the team decided to “take a knee” rather than stand for the national anthem. In doing so, they followed NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick who, in his protest against racial injustice, has also not shown respect for the anthem. The reaction of the local community was one of outrage. In response the Milliken football team decided on another course of action: they would remain in the locker room until after the anthem had been played, and then they would all spend a moment in personal reflection on those who had made sacrifices for the country and how they can live up to the idea of “liberty and justice for all.” And that’s what they did… except for Connor Brewer, a defensive lineman. The picture of Brewer, standing alone on that football field while the anthem was being played, was picked up by the news media. Some said he was a hero, while others complained he had betrayed the solidarity of his team. Brewer, himself, out of respect for his coach and fellow players, declined to be interviewed. So there you have it: Americans making use of their freedom of speech to convey a message. No one can doubt they are acting according to conscience, nor dare we think those protesters have proceeded without first having searched their hearts. Still, the responses to what they have done have not been especially positive. That is because most have forgotten you do not right a wrong by doing another wrong. You cannot help someone you feel has been mistreated by mistreating the values of someone else. In this case, discussion has revolved more around the protest than the cause which motivated it. St. Paul makes the point better than I ever could when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:23: “‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up.” Now I don’t expect the world will pay much attention to the inspired words of the apostle. People outside the Christian community will continue to indiscriminately use their “rights” to correct all manner of real and imagined wrongs. But we believers should be different. Following the Savior’s example we should, in humility, look to the interests of others. Following Jesus, we should bring about positive changes, by reaching out to others and encouraging them to be better than the world. THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks for the Savior who gave up heaven and humbled Himself so that all who believe on Him might be forgiven, saved and be changed for the better. May my Christian life be conducted in a way that will strengthen others rather than tearing them down. In the Savior’s Name I pray it. Amen.   LHM Home | About Us | Jobs | Policies (*updated) | Disclaimer | Contact Us ©Lutheran Hour Ministries, All rights reserved. | 660 Mason Ridge Center, St. Louis, MO 63141 Lutheran Hour Ministries is an auxiliary of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod | Lutheran Church—Canada

Making Decisions-Right and Wrong Ways

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Bible, Book of Mormon, Christ, christian, Christianity, cults, false doctrine, General Conference, LCMS missionaries, LDS, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, Mormons, Word of God

[POSTED BY THE COMPENDIUM]

I’m posting 2 reblogs on decision making. Both were back-to-back in my inbox.

The first post is from Life After Ministries which is posting about a LDS leader at their General Conference in April 2015. Life After Ministries is a Christian website assisting Mormons with their questions and leading them to the TRUE JESUS. Many Mormons want to leave but don’t know what to do. Life After Ministries assists them with their decision.

In the first post and explanation by Life After Ministries, you can see that the Latter Day Saints (LDS, Mormons) go by “what is revealed” to their ‘prophets’. These revelations are NOT biblical-based but depend of the prophet’s feelings on the subject. Like their religion, which is non-Christian, their doctrines are also not biblical-based. Their Elder talks about making decisions…

In recent years, however, the LDS wants to look like and sound like another Christian Church. Checking what they say with the Bible shows us that they have not changed from their past doctrines or refuted them. To the newly converted in Mormonism, the LDS “seems” Christian but later on those leave the LDS church, usually after a year. As these converts find out more and more, see all the ordinances and rules that they have to follow, they don’t want to stay.

The LDS is an evolving religion and changes constantly with their leadership’s views. It’s sad that the Mormons have no real base to check what their leaders say. The Bible is told to them as ‘translated incorrectly’ but no specific errors are mentioned. The Mormons rely on the Book of Mormon, Doctrines and Convents (D&C), Pearl of Great Price, and other Mormon writings instead. Even the Book of Mormon has over 4000 changes! Their Jesus is of another kind with the words having another meaning altogether. They worship another god entirely.

In reality, it is a false religion and false doctrine. Compare that with Christianity and you’ll see the differences readily. We Christians believe that the Bible is the SOLE scripture and word of God. We can check what others and pastors say with the Bible. We let scripture interpret itself from other parts and verses. All that God wants us to know is in the Bible. There are no ordinances and such to follow but we follow what Jesus said and told us to do.

The second post is from Pastor Klaus of the Lutheran Hour. He speaks of making decisions but from the Christian side. Pastor Klaus show us how to correctly make good decisions with the help of the Holy Spirit. He also tells us what he has learned throughout life.

The comparison of these posts will show you how deceptive the LDS is and that they sound good to the person who doesn’t know their Bible. If only they would check what they hear and read with the Bible many questions and concerns would be clearly answered. That is the primary goal of Christians who witness and minister to the Mormons- have them read and check things with the Bible.

Yes, the Bible has been translated from the original Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic languages. Scrolls and writing have be found to verify that the Bible has been correctly translated. There is nothing that verifies the existence of the Book of Mormon that has been found. We hope that this information helps you with a deeper understanding. Please pray for the Mormons that they will come to the REAL Jesus of the Bible.

Confession is Good for the Soul? Depends…

Tags

Bible, Christianity, confession, Lutheran Church-MS, Pastors

Concordia and Koinonia

What do these people have in common?

1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
6. 
7. 
8. 
9. 
10. 

They all were caught doing wrong. They are all public personalities.  The pattern is this:

1. Like Adam and Eve and us all: they buy a lie, e.g., an easy out, a little bit of ‘fun’, get ahead and be number 1 etc. AND ad nauseum (see Genesis 3:  1-6)
2. Rumors in the news about wrong behavior and so they hide it (Genesis 3: 7-10)
3. Caught! (Genesis 3: 9)
4. Denial by the accused and blaming others as faux confession (Genesis 3: 11-13) , except now they still think the Lord does not see but they want the public to see the genuineness of their ‘confession’ 

Recently, Mr. Armstrong has gone through the mechanics of ‘confession’ in courts of public opinion for the show of ‘absolution’ and the restoration of status and salary.  The requisite crying probably accompanied this ‘confession’ as a ‘sign’ of contrition…

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