“Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” Genesis 3:16-19

This passage of the Bible is one which few accept. Why? Because it speaks of the curse brought upon all mankind by the sin of Adam and Eve in the garden; and who wants to acquiesce to a life filled with pain, sorrow, hard work, trouble, hardship and, finally, death and decay?

To the woman God said, “I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” How many women are willing to submit themselves to such a life of sorrow and pain?

To Adam God said, “Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”

One doesn’t have to be a farmer to know that the ground brings forth thorns and thistles, but the curse includes the fact that we will have to labor and work hard to earn and produce our daily bread; yet we so often forget this and seek an easier way. We grumble and complain about the need to labor and work long and hard hours, but we shouldn’t expect things to be easy in this sinful world.

We also will all die and return to the dust of the ground. We try to put this truth far from our minds and we live as though death will not overtake us, but it will! We will return to the dust of the ground from which we were formed and created. Some go to great lengths to avoid the inevitable, but they too die.

And why all this suffering, sorrow, toil, pain and death? It is because of sin – because Adam and Eve doubted and disobeyed God’s word to them and because we are born in sin and disobedience to the perfect will and design of our Creator. The Bible tells us that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), and these words are true. We die because we are sinners, and there is nothing we can do about it

Yet God has provided a solution to our self-inflicted dilemma. He sent His only-begotten Son into the world a true man to fulfill all righteousness for us, living in perfect obedience to the holy will and commandments of the LORD, and then to bear in Himself the full punishment for the sins of the world, by suffering and dying upon the cross, that we might be pardoned and acceptable in God’s eyes. This Jesus has done. He lived a holy life in our stead and then suffered and died upon the cross for our sins and rose again on the third day. In Christ Jesus, God offers and gives to us sinners forgiveness for all our sins and everlasting life with Him in heaven. As the Scriptures say, “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Yes, as sinners, we suffer the heartaches, pains and sorrows of this world. We have to spend our days here laboring for our daily bread. And, finally, when our days here are done, we die and our bodies return to the dust (cf. Psalm 90). But as believers in Christ Jesus who died for our sins and rose again in victory, we are assured that we too shall be raised up on the Last Day to life eternal. We are assured and take comfort in the fact that Jesus is right now preparing a place for us and will come again to take us to be with Him forever in the mansions of His Father’s house (cf. John 14:1ff.). For us “to die … is to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better”! (Philippians 1:21,23). Indeed, we live by faith in the Son of God who died for us, rose again, and is coming to take us to be with Him forever! We endure the pain and suffering of this world in eager anticipation of the life which is to come for Jesus’ sake!

O dearest Jesus, You lived the holy and sinless life which I should have lived, and You took the punishment I should have suffered when you were condemned and forsaken of the Father upon the cross. Thank You for paying the price for my sin and opening up for me the way of eternal life. Graciously receive me into Your everlasting kingdom and give me never-ending life with You in heaven. Amen.

The Augsburg Confession

Article XVI: Of Civil Affairs

Of Civil Affairs they teach that lawful civil ordinances are good works of God, and that it is right for Christians to bear civil office, to sit as judges, to judge matters by the Imperial and other existing laws, to award just punishments, to engage in just wars, to serve as soldiers, to make legal contracts, to hold property, to make oath when required by the magistrates, to marry a wife, to be given in marriage.

They condemn the Anabaptists who forbid these civil offices to Christians.

They condemn also those who do not place evangelical perfection in the fear of God and in faith, but in forsaking civil offices, for the Gospel teaches an eternal righteousness of the heart. Meanwhile, it does not destroy the State or the family, but very much requires that they be preserved as ordinances of God, and that charity be practiced in such ordinances. Therefore, Christians are necessarily bound to obey their own magistrates and laws save only when commanded to sin; for then they ought to obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29).

The Distinction between Orthodox

and Heterodox Churches

by Dr. Franz Pieper

Editor’s Note: Dr. Franz Pieper was professor of theology at Concordia Seminary (1878 to 1887), became president of the same institution in 1887, and was also president of the Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and other states from 1899 until 1911. He served as editor of Lehre und Wehre, the faculty journal of Concordia Seminary. From 1882 to 1899, Pieper served on the Board of Colored Missions for the Evangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference of North America. He is the author of Christliche Dogmatik (3 vols., 1917-1924; translated as Christian Dogmatics, 1950-1953). He died in St. Louis in 1931. This essay was delivered by Dr. F. Pieper in 1889 to the Southern District Convention of the Missouri Synod. The original essay was translated by three former Synodical Conference pastors: G. Schweikert, P.T. Meicher and E.L. Mehlberg and appeared in a 1948 issue of the The Okabena Lutheran.

Thesis III

It is, therefore, not a matter of indifference which church group a Christian joins; but he has God’s earnest command strictly to distinguish between orthodox and heterodox churches, and, avoiding all church fellowship with the heterodox, to adhere only to the orthodox Church.

If, as we have seen in the Second Thesis, it is true that God wants only orthodox churches, and if the existence of heterodox churches is to be traced back to Divine permission only, then, as stated now in the Third Thesis, it is “not a matter of indifference which church group a Christian joins.”

Many Christians suppose that it makes no difference which church group a Christian joins, and they act accordingly. When they come to a place where any kind of Protestant church is found, they join it as members. There are people who were successively Reformed, Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, depending upon the place where they lived. And we should not be surprised when this happens among the sects, for they are not certain about their distinctive doctrines, because they are not grounded in God’s Word.

But even such who want to be Lutherans, and who confess that the doctrine which they have learned from the Lutheran Catechism is the correct one, often have few misgivings about joining heterodox congregations. They, therefore, also act accordingly, as though it makes little difference to which church group a Christian belongs. But this is altogether wrong. Only then would this be a matter of indifference if, before God, there were no difference between orthodox and heterodox churches. But, now, there is a great difference, as we have seen in our Second Thesis — a difference so great that God wants only the orthodox Church, and, on the other hand, in His Word clearly condemns heterodox churches. Therefore, it is the duty of every Christian who wants to be guided by God’s Word alone to distinguish strictly between orthodox and heterodox churches. Before he joins a church group, he must answer the question: Is this church orthodox or not?

God also expressly requires that of Christians. “Beloved,” we read in 1 John 4:1, “believe not every spirit, but try the spirits; whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” And the Lord Jesus exhorts all Christians (Matt. 7:15): “Beware of false prophets.” So, those Christians who do not want to distinguish between true and false prophets, and, consequently, also not between orthodox and heterodox churches, are disobedient to an express command of God.

In our day, people either do not make this distinction at all, or at least not in the right manner. They not only fail to declare it the Christian’s duty to distinguish between orthodox and heterodox church bodies, but they even declare it to be a Christian virtue when people pay no attention to the doctrinal differences. Yes, they call it presumptuous when a church body maintains that in all articles of Christian faith it has the revealed truth of God’s Word. Thus, we are ridiculed in the General Synod, yes, even in the Council, because we make a strict distinction between orthodox and heterodox churches. The sectarians, indeed, also speak of the “orthodox,” that is, right-teaching preachers and church bodies. These, however, are not people who adhere to all doctrines of the Christian faith, but such who, in the general falling away, at least still confess a few important doctrines. They call such church bodies “orthodox,” which perhaps still believe that the Holy Bible is God’s Word, and that Christ is God’s Son; also that through conversion man comes to God, and through faith in Christ can be saved, even though they at the same time deny other doctrines clearly revealed in God’s Word. But that can never be called the right manner of distinguishing between orthodox and heterodox church bodies. Whoever judges on the basis of God’s Word can call only those teachers and church bodies orthodox which are obedient to God’s command, adding nothing to His Word and taking nothing away from it.

If you therefore ask on what basis a Christian must distinguish between heterodox and orthodox churches, the answer is: On the basis of beliefs, on the basis of doctrine. Only on that basis can a true judgment be reached; not on the basis that outwardly a Christian life appears to prevail in a congregation or that the minister gives the impression of being a pious man. That can all be sheep’s clothing which conceals the errorist, as Christ the Lord says in Matt. 7:15: “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing.” Moreover, you cannot judge on the basis that a man appeals to Scripture and quotes Scripture; but Christians must examine whether the doctrine of Scripture is really also being taught. The devil, too, in the temptation of Christ, quoted Scripture.

Yes, Christians should not even be influenced by signs and wonders, for those wonders may likewise be only seeming wonders, deception, and Satanic delusion. Already in the Old Testament, God called the attention of His believers to this. In the passage already quoted, Deut. 13:1-3, it is stated: “If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or wonder, and the sign or wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” This is a very powerful passage to show that in judging church bodies and teachers we should look alone at the doctrine to see whether they teach God’s Word purely and clearly. Even signs and wonders are not infallible distinguishing marks. These can look outwardly like wonders, but in reality be deception, or an effect produced by the devil. Signs and wonders should influence us only then when they are accompanied by the correct doctrine. If false doctrine is present, we should call him who presents it a false prophet, even if he would show us things that are ever so astounding. The Pope’s coming, according to 2 Thessalonians 2, is after the working of Satan with all kinds of lying power and signs and wonders. Of the Last Times, Christ the Lord says, Mat.24:24: “There shall arise false christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” Accordingly, the Christians have the duty on the basis of doctrine to distinguish between orthodox and heterodox churches.

But can they do this? Certainly! For Christ the Lord tells them to do this, and this at the same time implies that by God’s grace they can do it. Many suppose that only pastors are in a position to distinguish between orthodox and heterodox churches. But this is altogether wrong. Precisely all Christians, and not only the pastors, are exhorted by Christ the Lord, in Matt. 7:15: “Beware of false prophets.” And John says: “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1); this passage is likewise addressed to all Christians alike. Christ the Lord has so arranged it, that all His dear Christians, the unlearned as well as the learned, can distinguish between truth and falsehood in spiritual things. He has revealed all doctrines in perfectly clear passages, in passages which can be understood by the unlearned as well as the learned. The Holy Scriptures are such a testimony, that makes wise also the simple (Psalm 19:7). When, therefore, a Christian simply holds to the Word of Scripture, then he can very well distinguish between truth and error.

That the Christians sometimes are confused and imagine that they do not know which is the true doctrine, is due to the fact, that they lose sight of the Word of Scripture, that they want to judge this matter with their blind reason, and not with God’s Word, which refutes all errors as soon as it is brought into the discussion. Thus, for example, there once was a dispute in a Methodistic gathering concerning perfect sanctification of a Christian already in this life. Most of them claimed that a Christian, already here on earth, can be entirely without sin. Then, one man arose and said that he had committed no sin for years! Another arose and, instead of making a long reply, simply quoted 1 John 1:8: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” By this one passage all were silenced. Before the eyes of all, the error was condemned by the clear Word of God. And so it is with respect to every doctrine.

The Christian who knows his Small Lutheran Catechism can defend himself with this knowledge against all errors, for the fundamental articles of Christian doctrine are the very ones against which the errorists offend.

Gerhard writes: “As the Church differs from secular associations which are outside the Church through the preaching of the Word and the administration of the Sacraments, so it also differs from heretical communions which are in the Church through the pure preaching of the Word and the correct administration of the Sacraments.” (L. de ecclesia par. 131.)

We distinguish between erring churches, and the godless mass of people outside of the Church. The latter are those communions that, though they still call themselves churches, nevertheless no longer teach anything of the saving Gospel, or as our older teachers expressed it, have no essential parts of the revealed saving truth at all anymore. In such church bodies, insofar as their doctrine is concerned, nobody can come to saving faith. Such communions in our day are the Unitarian groups. These teach no Triune God. Consequently, they also do not teach that Jesus Christ is true God and as true God became man to redeem mankind by His substitutionary life, suffering and death. Consequently, nobody within this communion can come to faith in Christ as the Savior of sinners; accordingly, this group and similar ones no longer merit the name of “Christian fellowship.” They are altogether outside of the Christian Church, as it is also confessed by our Church in the first article of the Apology to the Augsburg Confession. We do not place these wholly un-Christian groups on the same level with heterodox churches. In all these heterodox churches it is still confessed that Christ is God’s Son, and that He died for the redemption of man, though indeed at the same time many errors are also being preached. But, nevertheless, souls can still come to faith in these churches. Now, we are not dealing here with the difference between the orthodox Church and the world, but with the difference between the orthodox and the heterodox Church, that is, between churches which confess the revealed truth in all articles of doctrine, and such churches which reject the truth and support error in a number of teachings.

Therefore a Christian can and should distinguish between orthodox and heterodox churches. He should then also act according to this knowledge. While avoiding all fellowship with the heterodox, he should adhere only to the orthodox Church. This God’s Word declares in all passages which admonish the Christian not to listen to false prophets, but to flee from them. For by belonging to heterodox congregations you listen to their preachers, the false prophets, and thus do the very opposite of that which Christ has commanded regarding false teachers. The passages already quoted, therefore, belong here: Matt.7:15: “Beware of false prophets”; and 2 John 10,11: “If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine” – the doctrine revealed in God’s Word, the doctrine of Christ – “Receive him not into your house, neither bid him Godspeed,” namely, as a brother in the faith. That you should not become a member of a heterodox fellowship is set forth also in Acts 20:30,31. Here the Apostle says: “Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.” And for that time he gives the warning: “Therefore watch and remember that by the space of three years, I ceased not to warn everyone night and day with tears,” that is to say, abide in the true doctrine which in the last three years I have taught you with such great labor and care, and do not adhere to those who speak “perverse things.”

Then, 2 Cor. 6:14-18 says most expressly: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”

Objections have been raised against the use of this passage as proof that God has forbidden fellowship with heterodox churches. The objectors claim that this passage speaks of unbelievers, and not of erring believers. But erring churches are, to the extent that they err, also unbelieving. They are unbelieving with respect to quite a number of Bible passages. And to this they add the terrible sin, that on the basis of their errors they have established sectarian communions in the Christian Church. Thereby they split up Christendom and oppose, fight against, the orthodox Church. Word for word, the passage, 2 Cor. 6, applies to the erring churches insofar as they are such.

It says: “What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?” To preach false doctrine, and to believe false doctrine is the greatest wickedness there is, a sin against the First Commandment. Luther stresses this so frequently. He always repeats: “False doctrine is a sin against the First Commandment.” Whoever sets aside God’s Word, twists God’s Word around, puts his own meaning into God’s Word, he does not permit God to be his God, he acts unrighteously. God often says in His Word: “Thou shalt not steal.” But just as clearly and even much oftener we find it said in Scripture: You shall not believe false doctrine, you shall not preach false doctrine, you shall not listen to false doctrine. Now, just as he is unrighteous who steals, contrary to God’s command, so especially also is he unrighteous who, contrary to the equally clear command of God, preaches, accepts, or promotes false doctrine, and that in any amount whatever. When God says you must not steal, then you should not steal even a little bit. The same holds true in respect to hearing and preaching false doctrine. You already become a partaker of unrighteousness by spreading and advancing only one doctrinal error. The first part of Christian righteousness and Christian life is the trusting acceptance of the whole Word of God.

We read further: “What communion hath light with darkness?” But false doctrine is darkness, just as true, revealed doctrine is the light in this world. “What concord hath Christ with Belial?” All false doctrine is a work of the devil. It is lying in spiritual things against God. And the real father of this lying is the devil. Whoever supports false doctrine is doing the devil’s work. “What agreement hath the temple of God with idols?” The Church is God’s temple, and it is His temple for the very reason that God’s Word is proclaimed therein. Insofar as man’s doctrine, error, is preached in the Church, you teach the worship of a different god than the true one who has revealed Himself in Scripture. Yes, insofar as a different doctrine than God’s Word is proclaimed in the Church, you really turn God’s house into a temple of idols. That the coming out from among them, of which 2 Cor. 6 speaks, applies in particular to separation from the heterodox, is set forth in Rom. 16:17, where we read: “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.”

The objection is raised: “You yourselves admit that also in heterodox bodies there are still dear children of God, and yet by separating from these churches, you separate yourselves from these children of God; yes, you condemn them by avoiding these heterodox churches. In that case, isn’t it better to practice fellowship with the heterodox?” First of all, we answer: No! It cannot be better, because God expressly forbids us to do this. Moreover, we do not even separate ourselves from the children of God among the sects, but from the sects as such. Rather, the sects separate these dear children of God from us. They hold those who belong to us — for children of God are determined to accept the whole Word of God — captive among themselves. So these believers must outwardly support the wicked cause of the sects while in their hearts they belong to us. These children of God would at once come over to an orthodox congregation if they were better informed. It is also for the benefit of the children of God among the heterodox that we refuse church fellowship to these churches. Thereby we are constantly reminding them that they are in the wrong camp. According to God’s Word, Christians do not belong in the company of those who openly contradict some doctrines of Christ. Many a person for this reason also steps out of the wrong camp into the right one.

It must also by all means be held, that we do not cause any divisions in the Church when we avoid fellowship with the heterodox. According to Rom. 16:17, they cause divisions and offenses in the Church who teach doctrines besides the revealed truth. According to the Word of God, the situation is this: Whoever adheres to false teachers, and thereby strengthens their cause, cooperates in the division of the Church. But he that avoids false teachers and their followers, and practices no fellowship with them, is engaged in the holy work of preventing divisions within Christendom. But, sad to say, the devil has been successful here in falsifying the concepts and the language. The destroyers of unity are called the promoters thereof, and, on the other hand, the promoters of unity are called the destroyers thereof.

Now, what is included in avoiding all fellowship with the heterodox? It does not include that you avoid also all civil association with the heterodox. It also does not include that you should not occasionally, opportunely, speak with the heterodox about spiritual matters. We should rather do as St. Peter exhorts in 1 Peter 3:15-16: “Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear: having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.” From our association with them, the heterodox should also notice that we have no passion for quarreling and condemning, but that we are God-fearing, truth-loving, peaceful people who act as we do only because we respect God’s Word — by the Command of God, which forbids fellowship with the heterodox, everything is forbidden whereby we strengthen the evil work of the heterodox body.

Christians, therefore, should not become members of heterodox bodies, indeed, under no circumstances. If in a certain place no orthodox church is found, the Christian must be content with private, home worship, for God has nowhere given release from this word: “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.” Rom. 16:17. That divinely commanded avoiding of heterodox churches includes also this, that a Christian under no circumstances contribute to the building funds of sects, or even to the expenses of the Roman Church, for thereby he promotes heterodox churches. And a Christian should then, when he is approached for such a contribution, briefly and earnestly give the reason for refusing his support. He should openly state that according to God’s Word he is obliged to reject the false doctrine which the heterodox church teaches and therefore cannot help to bring it into house and home. You should in such cases not brush off those who desire an offering, perhaps by saying that you have no money, etc. Then they think that you are merely too stingy to give them something. No, here is the opportunity frankly and openly to confess your faith.

The following testimonies were pointed to as a confirmation of what was set forth in Thesis III.

After the Apology makes the concession that also the Baptism performed by unbelieving pastors in the name of the Church is effective, it continues: “Impious teachers are to be deserted (are not to be received or heard) because they do not act any longer in the place of Christ, but are antichrists. And Christ says Matt. 7:15: Beware of false prophets. And Paul, Gal. 1:9: “If any man preach any other gospel unto you, let him be accursed. “ (Trigl. p.243-5, par. 48.)

Smalcald Articles: “Paul commands that godless teachers should be avoided and execrated as cursed, Gal. 1,8; Titus 3,10. And 2 Cor. 6, 14 he says: Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what communion hath light with darkness? To dissent from the agreement of so many nations and to be called schismatics is a grave matter. But divine authority commands all not to be allies and defenders of impiety and unjust cruelty.” (Trigl. p.517, par. 41.)

Furthermore: “Because Paul, Gal. 1.7f., enjoins that bishops who teach and defend a godless doctrine and godless services should be regarded as accursed.” Trigl. p.525, par. 72.)

Luther says: “Whoever knows that his pastor teaches Zwinglianism, should avoid him, and rather forego receiving the Sacrament all his life than to receive it from him, yes, rather also die and suffer all things.” (Warning against Zwinglianism. XVII, 2440.)

(To be continued next week with Thesis IV)

Bible Study in Preparation for Sunday

Scripture Readings appointed for Sunday are Psalm 5; Acts 16:16-40; 2 Timothy 4:6-22; Luke 18:9-17. Please read them in their context as you prepare for worship on Sunday.

The Adult Bible Class will continue in the Gospel of John at chapter 12:30ff. What question did the people raise about Jesus’ statement that He would be lifted up? Will the Christ abide forever? Cf. Luke 1:31-33; 2 Samuel 7:13. And, who is the Son of man? Cf. Daniel 7:13-14. Who was the light of which Jesus spoke in v. 35ff.? What did He mean by these words? How was this true? How is it still true today? Upon whom were they to believe? What did Jesus do after He spoke these words? Why did He hide Himself? Did the people, even after they had seen so many of His mighty miracles, believe on Jesus? What word of God did this fulfill? Where is this recorded in the Bible? Cf. Isaiah 6:1ff.; 53:1ff.; Matthew 13:10ff. How is this still true today? Who else also came to believe in Jesus? Why wouldn’t they confess Him? How does this happen yet today? What did Jesus cry out at the feast? What does this mean? Cf. John 14:6ff. How is Jesus the light of the world? Will the one who believes on Jesus walk in darkness? What does this mean? Cf. 1 John 1:3 – 2:2. What does Jesus say of those who reject His Word and do not believe on Him? What will be their judge on the Last Day? How does this apply to us and people of all time? Whose Word did Jesus speak? What message and word did Jesus proclaim? How does this relate to what ministers and teachers proclaim in the church? How is it that Jesus’ word will judge us and all people on the Last Day?

Remember to Pray

Remember to pray for our church and for all our members, that none be lost to Christ’s kingdom but that all continue in repentance and be strengthened and built up in the true and saving faith in Christ Jesus through the hearing and study of His Word. We pray for God’s healing and strengthening of our congregation. We continue to pray for all who have been sick or who are suffering among us – especially for Dawn Hiebert, who is recovering from knee surgery; Dick Stueland, also recovering from knee surgery; for Sam Rusch, who has had repeated stays in the hospital; the mother of Dick Rusch; for Dick Rusch who is recovering from shoulder surgery; for Regina Wood (the sister of Lonnie Moll), who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and is recovering from surgery and starting chemotherapy; and for Bonnie Hawes and her family, upon the death of her brother, Vernon Rooker – for those who have been absent from us, for our extended families and for Christians who are alone and have no congregation. Pray for God’s help with our church’s financial needs. Continue to pray for the Lutheran Churches in the Philippines, for Christians in Nigeria, Haiti and Chile, and for believers around the world who are persecuted or suffering for their faith in Christ Jesus.

Events and Announcements

The church council will meet tonight at 7 p.m.

Anyone wishing to help with costs involved for Sam Rusch to visit the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota may place a gift in the offering with the designation: Sam Rusch.

The choir will be practicing after church on Sunday. More voices are always welcome.

A special Reformation Eve gathering, with a meal and a hay ride, is planned for 5 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 30. Members and guests are welcome and invited. A sign-up sheet for the supper is in the back of the church.

Information for bulletins or newsletters may be sent to Pastor Moll by calling him at 479-233-0081 or by e-mail at goodshepherdrogers@yahoo.com.

“But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.” Psalm 5:7

[Except in direct translation from the German Scripture quotations, Scripture in this Newsletter is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.]

What are ministers to preach from the pulpits and teach in their churches? The Apostle Paul leaves no question in his letter to Timothy: “Preach the Word.”

Though people may not always want to hear it, a minister’s job is to preach and apply God’s Word – nothing more and nothing less. His own opinions or the popular talk of the day have no place in the churches, for the churches belong to Christ Jesus and only His Word is to be taught there.

Jesus Himself, before His glorious ascension, commanded His disciples to teach (or disciple) the nations by going out, baptizing in the name of the Triune God and teaching them to observe all that He commanded (Matthew 28:18-20).

Why was Timothy to preach the Word, and why should ministers today use great care to do the same? It is God’s inspired and inerrant Holy Scriptures which make us wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus (cf. 3:14-15). Through God’s Word, we come to see ourselves as we truly are – sinners deserving of God’s wrath and punishment – but the Word also tells us of Christ Jesus, His holy life in our stead and His innocent sufferings and death upon the cross for our sins and the sins of the whole world (cf. Romans 3:23-24; 1 John 1:7 – 2:2)).

As Paul wrote to Timothy, the inspired Scriptures are profitable and useful for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness that the man of God might be perfect or complete – having all he needs to live for Christ and serve Him with good works (3:16-17).

What we need to hear that the Holy Spirit might convince us of our sin and comfort us with forgiveness and life in Christ is the Word! What we need to hear and know if we desire to live for our God and Savior is the Word! It is through the Word that we are brought to faith and through the Word that we are kept and preserved in the faith unto life everlasting. And that same Word is our guide for holy living.

Though many ministers and churches seek to increase their numbers with new programs and other words which are pleasing to the world, they do nothing to build up the kingdom of Christ, for His kingdom is built when and where His Word is preached and proclaimed. Only Jesus has the words of eternal life, and only Jesus’ Word is to be proclaimed in His churches (cf. Ephesians 5:23ff.).

As Jesus said, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). Ministers and churches who desire the working of God’s Spirit and who desire life will preach Jesus’ Word – the Holy Scriptures – and nothing else!

Dear Lord Jesus, grant that we might hear Your Word and know You as our Savior, and grant us men who will faithfully preach Your Word, nothing more and nothing less. Amen.

[Scripture from the King James Version of the Bible]

“And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Genesis 3:14-15

Though, perhaps hard for us to fully understand, the serpent was cursed with a greater curse than that of the rest of God’s creatures for its role in the temptation and fall of mankind. Not only would it have to die, but it would spend its lifetime on its belly, eating the dust of the ground. There would be enmity between the serpent and the woman, and between the serpent’s seed and the woman’s seed. This enmity speaks of much more than a normal distaste for snakes and even destroying them when opportunity arises. It speaks of the offspring of the devil’s lie and the Seed or Offspring of the woman who would crush the serpent’s head and undo the damage done by the temptation of the devil in the garden.

The devil would fail in his attempts to deceive and mislead the promised Seed of the woman – Jesus Christ, Son of God and Mary’s Son – for Jesus did not give in to the devil’s temptations but was holy and without sin (cf. Matthew 4:1-11; Hebrews 4:15). And, Christ Jesus, when He suffered and died upon the cross for the sins of the world, paid in full the punishment for all mankind’s sin and destroyed the devil’s work, opening up for all of us a way of salvation through faith in Him and His shed blood (cf. Hebrews 2:14-17). And so, though the old evil foe bruised the heel of Christ Jesus when He suffered in agony upon the cross; Jesus crushed his head and destroyed his evil work, opening up for us the gates to heaven by paying in full for all our sins and then rising again from the dead in victory on the third day.

The devil used God’s holy law to bring about mankind’s condemnation by tempting Adam and Eve to disobedience and bringing them under the curse of the law. Jesus, true man as well as true God, obeyed God’s law in the stead of all mankind and then suffered the just punishment for the sins of the world, rising again on the third day in proof that our sins were paid for in full and are pardoned and forgiven. He did so that the law would be fulfilled for all mankind and the just punishment for sin fully satisfied for all people (cf. Galatians 3:10, 13).

It is also true that there is enmity between the offspring of the devil (the unbelieving) and the children or offspring of God through faith in Jesus Christ (the believers). Thus, true believers continue to suffer hatred and persecution here in this world from those who do not trust in Christ Jesus or follow Him. But, in the end, all who have not trusted in the innocent sufferings and death of God’s Son for their salvation will be condemned and cast into the eternal torments of hell; and all who have trusted in Christ Jesus will live forever with Him in the paradise of God (2 Thessalonians 1:3-10).

In Jesus’ own words, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life … He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3: 16, 18).

Dear Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of man, thank You for redeeming me from the curse and condemnation of God’s holy law by keeping it perfectly in my place, bearing my punishment upon the cross and rising again on the third day. Graciously keep me trusting in You and You alone for my salvation. Amen.

The Augsburg Confession

Article XV: Of Ecclesiastical Usages

Of Usages in the Church they teach that those ought to be observed which may be observed without sin, and which are profitable unto tranquility and good order in the Church, as particular holy days, festivals, and the like.

Nevertheless, concerning such things men are admonished that consciences are not to be burdened, as though such observance was necessary to salvation.

They are admonished also that human traditions instituted to propitiate God, to merit grace, and to make satisfaction for sins, are opposed to the Gospel and the doctrine of faith. Wherefore vows and traditions concerning meats and days, etc., instituted to merit grace and to make satisfaction for sins, are useless and contrary to the Gospel.

The Distinction between Orthodox and Heterodox Churches

by Dr. Franz Pieper

Editor’s Note: Dr. Franz Pieper was professor of theology at Concordia Seminary (1878 to 1887), became president of the same institution in 1887, and was also president of the Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and other states from 1899 until 1911. He served as editor of Lehre und Wehre, the faculty journal of Concordia Seminary. From 1882 to 1899, Pieper served on the Board of Colored Missions for the Evangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference of North America. He is the author of Christliche Dogmatik (3 vols., 1917-1924; translated as Christian Dogmatics, 1950-1953). He died in St. Louis in 1931. This essay was delivered by Dr. F. Pieper in 1889 to the Southern District Convention of the Missouri Synod. The original essay was translated by three former Synodical Conference pastors: G. Schweikert, P.T. Meicher and E.L. Mehlberg and appeared in a 1948 issue of the The Okabena Lutheran.

Thesis II

The Divinely ordained external form of the Church is its orthodoxy. Heterodox church bodies have their existence only by God’s permission.

If a man has become a Christian, and if God does not take him immediately from earth into heaven, he should then not want to stay alone by himself but seek the outward fellowship of other Christians. That is God’s will. Consider the time of the Apostles. Wherever these men preached, those who had come to faith by the preaching of the Apostles entered into an outward fellowship with one another. And these communions which developed in the various localities, the Holy Scriptures called churches or congregations. Paul speaks in 1 Cor. 16:19 of the “churches in Asia”; 2 Cor. 8:1 of the “churches in Macedonia”; 1 Cor. 1:2 of the “church of God at Corinth”; Acts 8:1 of the “church at Jerusalem”; yes, in Rom. 16:5 of a “church in the house” of Priscilla and Aquilla. These are the so-called local congregations.

These are not something alongside, or outside, of the universal Christian Church, but they, together with the individual believing souls who are cut off from all outward fellowship with others, make up the universal Christian Church. These local congregations are founded by Christ. And to every local church, Christ has given all spiritual treasures and rights, as we see plainly, for example, in Matt. 18:17-20: “Tell it unto the church; but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them.” Here the universal Christian Church is not meant, for you cannot call it together, but the local congregation, as Christ expressly says: “Where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them.”

Every Christian should, if he has the opportunity, join such a local congregation. With respect to the local congregation, Heb. l0:25 says expressly: “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is.” Regarding fellowship in the local congregation, Acts 2:42 speaks with praise: “They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship.” And verse 44: “And all that believed were together.” That Christian sins most grievously who does not join a Christian congregation when he has the opportunity, for such affiliation is God’s will. He who refuses to join a Christian fellowship, although he could, resists God’s will. After intensive and continued instruction he must finally be told: It is all a lie when you say that you have faith. Yes, the failure to join a Christian congregation can under certain circumstances just as clearly reveal unbelief as when a man is a drunkard, an adulterer, or the like.

Accordingly, it is God’s will that a Christian should join a Christian congregation. But if we now look at the congregations which call themselves Christian, we see that they do not all agree in confession of faith. The question confronts the Christian, which visible church should he join? Or, if he already is a member of a church, as is often the case, should he remain in this fellowship or look for another one? A Christian should and will govern himself in all things according to God’s Word. In order to answer this question, we set up, in accordance with God’s Word, the general proposition:

“The Divinely ordained external form of the Church is its orthodoxy. Heterodox church bodies have their existence only by God’s permission.”

God desires to have only an orthodox Church, or, in other words, it is God’s will that all Christians should belong only to an orthodox church. This truth is flatly denied nowadays. This accounts for the fact that even Lutherans speak of sectarian churches as “sister congregations.” They say, that as God desires to save people out of all nations, so He also desires to have various churches with various faiths. False reasoning is also employed for the purpose of calling the truth of our Thesis into question. They argue: If there are true children of God in heterodox churches, as you yourself concede, then it cannot be true that only the orthodoxy of the Church is pleasing to God. The Holy Scriptures, however, everywhere testify to the truth of our Thesis. Let us here present just a few basic reasons.

That God desires only an orthodox Church is manifest already from the fact that God has given us the Holy Scriptures, and in them has revealed all articles of Christian doctrine. Now, as surely as God has revealed all doctrines in order that they be accepted in faith, yes, under threat of His wrath has forbidden us to add or subtract anything from them, so surely God wants the Church to be orthodox and that alone; For an orthodox Church is one that believes and confesses all the doctrines revealed in Holy Scripture. The correctness of our Thesis is further proved by all passages of Scripture in which it is said that all Christians, no matter of what nation, should have only one set of beliefs, the one revealed in God’s Word. In the well-known words of 1 Cor. 1:10, we read: “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” There are many differences among Christians in those things which belong to natural life, in culture, manner of living, etc. Christians may also establish different external forms of church liturgy. But in one thing, among Christians, whether they are white or black, educated or not, there should be no difference but the most complete uniformity, namely, in beliefs, in doctrine. This Eph. 4:3-6 also proves: “Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” Accordingly, as certainly as all Christians should have only the one creed as revealed in Scripture, just as certainly God also wants the Church to be orthodox, and that alone. In Eph. 4:11-14, the Apostle says that Christ gave some to be Apostles, some to be prophets, etc. For what purpose? That all might come to the unity of the one faith in, and confession of, the Son of God.

That God wants the Church to be orthodox in its external form, is evident also from the commission to the Divinely ordained office of the ministry. For every command of God in Scripture to preach the Word refers only to the preaching of the pure Word. When Christ the Lord says: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15), He expressly adds, “teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” (Matt. 28:20.) In Jer. 23:28, the Lord speaks to the preachers: “He that hath My Word, let him speak My Word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the Lord.” The praise of a true preacher according to Scripture is therefore this, that he preaches God’s Word purely, that is, without admixture of his own thoughts. In 2 Cor. 2:17, St. Paul confesses of himself: “For we are not as many which corrupt the Word of God.” But those preachers who depart from God’s Word, who mix the truth with error, are threatened in Scripture with God’s wrath. We read in Jer. 23:31-32: “Behold I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that use their tongues, and say, He saith. Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the Lord, and do tell them, and cause My people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the Lord.”

That God wants the Church to be orthodox is evident also from the description which Scripture gives us of Christians. Christ says of them: “My sheep hear My Voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27.) According to the Scriptures, it belongs to the make-up of a Christian that he obeys only the voice of Christ, by faith adheres solely to God’s Word. Insofar as the Christians depart from the Word of Christ, they follow another, and deny Christ. In praise of the Jerusalem congregation, it is said: “They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine.” (Acts 2:42.)

Furthermore, all Christians are expressly warned to guard themselves carefully against false prophets. “Beware of false prophets,” Christ exhorts them in Matt. 7:15. And St. John impresses upon them, 2 John 10: “If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine – namely, the doctrine of Christ – receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed,” that is, as a brother in the faith. Yes, the orthodoxy of the Church is such a serious thing with God that in the Old Testament, when He employed bodily punishments in the Church, He commanded His believers to stone the false prophets who led the people away from the Lord’s commands, even when that false prophet was the nearest relative. Thus we read in that noteworthy passage of Deut. 13:6ff.: “If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou has not known, thou nor thy fathers; namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; thou shalt not consent unto him; nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him: but thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die.”

Thus God had ordained it in the Old Testament. In the New Testament this bodily punishment is expressly done away with. But with this law in the Old Testament, God has shown what a most serious thing the orthodoxy of the Church is to Him. In the New Testament, Paul expresses something similar when, in Galatians 1:9, he pronounces the curse upon all who stubbornly falsify God’s Word.

That God desires to have only an orthodox Church is evident also from the names which are given the Church in the Holy Scriptures. In I Tim. 3:15, it is called “the house of God,” a spiritual house that God has built for Himself, and in which God alone is Master. As otherwise in an orderly house, the master’s word prevails, so also in the Church, God’s house, God’s Word alone should rule, rule in everything that it says. The preachers must therefore preach the Word of God alone. He that sets God’s Word aside deposes God from being Master of the house. The preachers, as stewards in God’s spiritual house, must demonstrate their faithfulness by not preaching their own wisdom, but the pure Word of God. Therefore, we read in I Pet. 4:11: “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God.”

The Church, moreover, is called God’s and Christ’s kingdom, (John 18:36). As in the domain of an earthly king his word rules, so also in the spiritual kingdom, the kingdom of Christ, Christ’s Word alone should rule. For Christ has made His Word the law in His kingdom. He says in John 8:31-32: “If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” In Isaiah 8:20 we read the well-known words: “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them!”

Furthermore, the Church is called the Bride of Christ. She should therefore cleave to Him alone. This is done, first and foremost, in this way that she gives heed alone to the Word of Christ, in faith adheres alone to His Word, and permits nothing to separate her from that Word. Insofar as the Church listens to the word of another, she becomes unfaithful to Christ. Hence, the Israelite Church, insofar as she fell away from God, is often called an adulteress. Therefore the Church is also exhorted in Psalm 45, verses 10 and 11: “Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father’s house; so shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for He is thy Lord; and worship thou Him.” And St. Paul warns the Corinthians, 2 Cor. 11:2-3, against false doctrines by reminding them how the Church, as the Bride of Christ, should not allow herself to be led away from God’s Word, and in that way be defiled. In brief, wherever you look in the Scripture and whatever side of the Church you may consider, this truth always confronts us: God wants the Church to be orthodox in its external form. This truth must really become a living part of us. Then we have the right foundation for judging orthodox and heterodox church bodies.

Luther always comes back to this, that in the Church only the true doctrine should be proclaimed, that is, that the Church should therefore be orthodox. On 1 Peter 4:11 he writes: “If any man speak, let him speak it as the Word of God: that is a very necessary doctrine in the Church. And if it had been maintained until now, the world would not have been filled with Antichrist’s lies and deception…. For in Christendom, affairs are not so conducted as in earthly government and in those things which concern external matters and goods. In the latter men rule as they understand it and as their reason teaches. They have the right to establish law and order and, in accordance with them, command, punish, receive, and give. But in the Church we are dealing with a spiritual government where consciences are bound by God. And what is spoken, taught, commanded, or done there, must be carried out in such a way that you know that it is valid and stands in God’s sight; yes, that it proceeds and moves before Him, so that you can say: God Himself has said and done that. For in this house where He lives and rules, He should and will, also as the rightful Master, say and do everything Himself, even though He uses the mouth and hand of men to accomplish it. Therefore, first and above all things, both preachers and hearers must here see to it that in matters of doctrine there be clear and sure proof that such teaching really is the true Word of God, revealed from heaven to the holy patriarchs, prophets, and Apostles, confirmed by Christ Himself and commanded by Him to be taught. For it cannot by any means be tolerated that the doctrine is handled as each individual pleases, or to suit his own fancy and to harmonize it with his human reason and understanding, or to toy and juggle with Scripture and God’s Word, so that it is explained, directed, stretched, and patched at will for the sake of pleasing the people or for the sake of peace and unity. For in that case there would be no sure and abiding foundation on which the consciences could rest.” In the Church only God’s Word should be proclaimed. Insofar as man’s word is proclaimed, the Church is no Church at all.

Luther writes concerning the above-mentioned passage, “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God”: “If anyone wants to speak, let him keep his own words to himself; let them count for something in the earthly government and in the home. Here in the Church he should speak nothing but the Word of the mighty Master of the house: otherwise it is not the true Church. Therefore the rule must be: God speaks. It has to be that way on this earth. If a prince wants to rule, then his voice must be heard in his country and home. Now if that is the case in this miserable life, so much the more should we let the Word of God be heard in the Church and in eternal life. All subjects and governments must be obedient to the word of their lord. This we call administration. Therefore a preacher is God’s steward by virtue of His command and office, and dare say nothing else than what God says and commands. And though one does much babbling outside of God’s Word; still the Church is not in the chatter, no matter if they should become mad and absurd. They only cry ‘church, church, you must hear the Pope and the bishops.”’ (Sermon on the 1st Pentecost Day, XII, 1413 ff.) Insofar as in the Church not God’s Word but man’s word is proclaimed, the church is no longer God’s house, but the devil’s. It is a terrible defilement of the house of God where God’s Word is not preached in its purity in the Church; and God will severely punish such defilement of His house.

Luther, in the above mentioned reference, writes further: “For this cause we must look to Christ and hear Him, how He describes the true Christian Church against their false hue and cry. For you should and must rather believe Christ and the Apostles, so that you speak God’s Word, and do as St. Peter and Christ the Lord here declare: Whoever holds to My Word, there is My dwelling. There is the Master Builder: My Word must remain in it, or it shall not be My house. Our papists want to do it better; let them therefore remain in the danger. Christ says: ‘We will make our abode with him,’ and there the Holy Ghost operates. It must be a people that loves Me and keeps My commandments. That, in brief, is what He wants…. On the other hand, under earthly government the Christian hears something different, how men should punish the evildoers and protect the good, and of stewardship. But here in the Christian Church it should therefore be a house in which only God’s Word is proclaimed.” Under earthly government it is indeed different. The citizens of different kingdoms can obey the most widely differing laws. But every citizen is guided by the country in which he lives. If he finds himself in America, he complies with American law; is he in China, then he lives according to Chinese law. It is not thus in the Church. As there is only one Church, one kingdom of Christ on the whole earth, so there is for all citizens of this kingdom, whether they are Americans or Chinese, only one law, the Word of Christ, as it is revealed in the Scriptures. Therefore, Luther also says that it is vain for them to cry “church, church,” if God’s Word is, nevertheless, not even preached among them.

When Luther discusses this subject, he can never exhaust it to his own satisfaction. Yet another passage may therefore be presented: “From this you can now answer those criers and spewers who have nothing in their big mouths but ‘church, church.’ Now tell me, dear Pope, what is the Church? Answer: The Pope and his Cardinals. Why listen here, you self-deceived and foolish man, where is it written in God’s Word that Father Pope and Brother Cardinal are the true Church of God? Or do you say this perhaps because the fine-feathered parrot and the black jackdaw have babbled this? Christ tells you and me something far different, namely, that is My Church where My Word is preached and maintained pure and unadulterated. Therefore St. Paul warns that we should flee and avoid those who want to lead us away from God’s Word. For whoever defiles God’s temple, which we are, him shall God in turn destroy, I Cor. 3:17. Now St. Peter also says, I Peter 4:11: Watch yourself, if you desire to preach, then you should preach nothing but God’s Word, otherwise you will defile God’s Church.” (Taken from the same quotation.)

But now there actually exist many heterodox churches, that is, such church bodies which do not in all parts remain with the truth which God has revealed. That there would be such church bodies is foretold in Scripture. This fact should therefore not seem strange to us. St. Paul says to the elders of Ephesus, Acts 20:29-30: “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.” And these men who will speak false doctrine will succeed in gaining a following. In 1 Cor. 11:19 the Apostle actually says: “There must be also heresies,” that is, parties which will spread false doctrine, “among you.”

Now we ask: What is God’s will concerning these heterodox church bodies? Especially in our time, as already indicated, it is generally said that it is according to God’s will that there are different churches with different faiths. The different confessions, it is said, are the necessary consequences of this, that God leads persons and nations of differing abilities into the Church. Therefore the different tendencies in the Church, they say, have equal rights. It is said of us that we demand too much when we maintain that all Christians should have the same faith. This view is as wrong as it is widespread. As surely as God has revealed only one doctrine in the Holy Scriptures, and as surely as He commands all Christians to accept this one doctrine and forbids every departure from it, so surely it is not pleasing to God that there are heterodox church bodies. That such church bodies exist is not desired by God, but only permitted. God’s providence (rule of the world) has no more to do with the existence of heterodox church bodies than with every other sin. And this does not contradict the truth, that there are still dear children of God in heterodox churches. God, so to speak, just makes the best He can out of the heterodox church bodies. Also in these church bodies children are born to Him, insofar as in them parts of His Word are still preached. But God does not want them to exist as heterodox church bodies, or insofar as they depart from His Word. This we must firmly maintain on the basis of God’s Word. We must remember what these heterodox church bodies, as such, are, namely, churches which have inscribed false doctrine on their banner, and have established a separate communion. The Reformed, as an example, have founded a separate church body by writing on their banner false doctrine concerning Baptism and the Lord’s Supper; namely, that Baptism is not the washing of regeneration, and that in the Lord’s Supper the true body and the true blood of Christ are not present. That such a church body exists is only by God’s permission.

But then, why does God permit heterodox church bodies to arise? The Word of God answers that. Not as though God wants to have heterodox bodies together with orthodox bodies for the sake of variety in the garden of His Church, but in order that the Christians keep their distance from heterodox church bodies. I Cor. 11:19, indeed, says: “There must be also heresies among you.” But he does not add: God wants it that way in the Church, and now you have free choice to belong to any kind of group; but rather: “That they which are approved may be made manifest among you.” Thus, God permits the formation of sects also for this purpose, to test His own, whether they are sincere and honest about His Word, whether they will hold fast to His Word also then, when, under very deceptive circumstances, they are perhaps tempted to depart from His Word, and cling to error. We find proof for this in Deut. 13:3. This passage says in respect to a false prophet, even when he comes with signs and wonders: “Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” Thus, these are times of trial for the Christians when God permits false prophets to come. God then tests the obedience of His Christians. For it is not God’s will that the Christians should join with false prophets, but that they should keep away from them, follow the voice of their Shepherd alone, and reveal themselves as the lambs of Christ, as Luther says in his writing against Hans Wurst: “When it happens that people disagree in doctrine, it has this effect, that it separates them and reveals who the true Christians are, namely, those who keep the Word of God in all its purity and excellence.” (Erlanger Ed. 26, 28.)

The same author writes: “These are not the words of an angry judge, but they are fatherly words. As though He wanted to say: I have given you My Word that you accept it with a good and peaceful heart, and hold to it; but I will send false apostles and will try you out, whether in all seriousness you will love Me and My Word.” (W.I, 2299.)

(To be continued next week with Thesis III)

Bible Study in Preparation for Sunday

Scripture Readings appointed for Sunday are Psalm 121; Acts 16:1-15; 2 Timothy 3:14 – 4:5; Luke 18:1-8. Please read them in their context as you prepare for worship on Sunday.

The Adult Bible Class will continue in the Gospel of John at chapter 12:20ff. Who at the feast desired to see Jesus? To whom did they make their desire known? How did word come to Jesus? What did Jesus say this meant? Why was this so? How would the Son of man be glorified? What did Jesus mean by His parable about the corn (kernel) of wheat? How was this true of Jesus? How is it also true of us? What will happen to the one who loves his life in this world and seeks to preserve it? What about the one who, in comparison to loving life in this word, hates it and lays it down and uses it for Christ and His kingdom? How is this true? How does it apply to you and to me? How can we serve Christ Jesus? Who must we follow to serve Christ? Where will Jesus’ servants be? With whom? Who will honor those who live their lives for and serve Christ Jesus? Why was Jesus’ soul troubled? What was He about to face? Was Jesus asking to be spared from going to the cross and suffering for the sins of the world? Why not? What had He come into the world to do? What was Jesus saying when He said, “Father, glorify Thy name”? What came from heaven? What did it say? What does this mean? How is this true? What did the people say when they heard the voice from heaven? Why, according to Jesus’ words, did this voice speak from heaven? How would the world be judged? Who is the prince of this world? How would he be cast out? What did Jesus say about His being lifted up on the cross? Who would He draw to Himself? How would this be? Of what was Jesus speaking? What question did the people raise about Jesus’ statement that He would be lifted up? Will the Christ abide forever? Cf. Luke 1:31-33; 2 Samuel 7:13. And, who is the Son of man? Cf. Daniel 7:13-14. Who was the light of which Jesus spoke in v. 35ff.? What did He mean by these words? How was this true? How is it still true today? Upon whom were they to believe? What did Jesus do after He spoke these words? Why did He hide Himself? Did the people, even after they had seen so many of His mighty miracles, believe on Jesus? What word of God did this fulfill? Where is this recorded in the Bible? How is this still true today?

Remember to Pray

Remember to pray for our church and for all our members, that none be lost to Christ’s kingdom but that all continue in repentance and be strengthened and built up in the true and saving faith in Christ Jesus through the hearing and study of His Word. We pray for God’s healing and strengthening of our congregation. We continue to pray for all who have been sick or who are suffering among us – especially for Dawn Hiebert, who is recovering from knee surgery; Dick Stueland, also recovering from knee surgery; for Sam Rusch, who has had repeated stays in the hospital; the mother of Dick Rusch; for Dick Rusch who is recovering from shoulder surgery; for Regina Wood (the sister of Lonnie Moll), who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and is recovering from surgery and starting chemotherapy; and for Bonnie Hawes and her family, upon the death of her brother, Vernon Rooker – for those who have been absent from us, for our extended families and for Christians who are alone and have no congregation. Pray for God’s help with our church’s financial needs. Continue to pray for the Lutheran Churches in the Philippines, for Christians in Nigeria, Haiti and Chile, and for believers around the world who are persecuted or suffering for their faith in Christ Jesus.

Events and Announcements

The church council will meet Wednesday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m.

Anyone wishing to help with costs involved for Sam Rusch to visit the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota may place a gift in the offering with the designation: Sam Rusch.

Anyone wishing to help with the travel expenses of Ray and Bonnie Hawes to return to Kansas for her brother’s funeral may do so on Sunday or designate an offering for that purpose.

The choir will be practicing after church on Sunday. More voices are always welcome.

Information for bulletins or newsletters may be sent to Pastor Moll by calling him at 479-233-0081 or by e-mail at goodshepherdrogers@yahoo.com.

“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: He that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.” Psalm 121

[Except in direct translation from the German Scripture quotations, Scripture in this Newsletter is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.]

Many, even today, would have us believe that we cannot be saved unless we keep the laws given to the children of Israel through Moses. They say trusting in Jesus’ perfect righteousness and His innocent sufferings and death in our stead is not enough. You must be circumcised; you must observe the Sabbath and other Old Testament holy days; and you must follow the Old Testament dietary laws, they say.

This, of course, is nothing new. Those exact demands were made upon the church of God at Antioch when Paul and Barnabas were there. Certain men came down from Judea and taught the believers, “Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved” (v. 1). As a result of the dissension which followed, Paul and Barnabas traveled to Jerusalem to meet with the apostles about the matter. And, there too, were certain believers of the sect of the Pharisees which said it was necessary for Gentile believers to be circumcised and to keep the law of Moses (v. 5).

The temptation to add to the Gospel is one we all face. We tend to think we must do something, or add our works to those of Christ, if we are to be saved. We fail to remember that we are indeed complete in Christ Jesus. He fulfilled all righteousness for us, and He paid in full for the sins of the whole world when He suffered and died upon the cross. His resurrection is proof that God accepted His sacrifice for sin and justifies and accepts us for Jesus’ sake (cf. Rom. 4:25; Col. 2:6ff.).

What did the apostles in Jerusalem say? Peter said, “We believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.”

In fact, the apostles and the church in Jerusalem, at the direction of the Holy Spirit (v. 28), determined to lay no other burden upon the churches than to abstain from meat offered to idols, from blood and things strangled, and from fornication – and that was because of the offense it would cause to the Jews and those who had been taught the law of Moses.

Do we add to the Gospel? Must we do more than trust in Christ Jesus to be saved? As the Bible says, “A man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (Rom. 3:28). “To him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Rom. 4:5).

We are complete in Jesus. We were circumcised with the circumcision made without hands when we were baptized into Christ and became partakers of His death and resurrection – receiving through faith forgiveness for all our sins and new life with Him (cf. Col. 2:10ff.).

Therefore, we let no man judge us “in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ” (Col. 2:16-17).

Thank you Christ Jesus for granting to us full and complete salvation. Amen.

[Scripture from the King James Version of the Bible]

It is indeed a serious thing to offend – that is, to cause to sin and fall from faith in Christ Jesus – one who believes in Jesus, and especially so when it is a little child. Jesus says it would be better for him to have a millstone hanged about his neck and be cast into the sea than that a person should offend a little one who trusts in Him (cf. Matthew 18:6).

What shall we say to these words? Jesus holds up little children and their faith as a model for us all. He said, “Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3). Little children who, when they hear the Word of God, believe and trust that Jesus forgives them, loves them, excepts them, are a model for the rest of us who are so often troubled by doubts and fears.

When the people brought infants to Jesus to touch and bless them, Jesus’ disciples would have turned the people away, but Jesus said, “Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein” (Luke 18:15ff.).

But woe to those who would keep little children and babes from the Lord Jesus! Woe to those who would deny to them the “washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5)! Woe to those who do not teach their children the Word of God! Woe to those who by their own poor example and sinfulness turn their children away from the Lord Jesus who loves little children and shed His blood on the cross to redeem them! Woe to those who by rejecting Biblical truth and teaching the lie of evolution turn their children or other children from their one and only Savior! Yes, “offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.”

And, if we have caused a believer to stumble, if we have caused a child or new believer to doubt God’s Word or turn from a confident faith in Christ their Savior, if we have kept a child from Jesus by denying baptism or neglecting to teach God’s Word or take them to services at God’s house, what can we do? The answer is Jesus! Turn to Him for pardon and forgiveness. He died for the sins of all and rose again in victory. He offers to you and to me forgiveness and life everlasting. Trust in Him!

O Jesus, my dear Savior who died and rose again that we might live, forgive me for any offenses I may have caused to other believers and move me to do all in my power to encourage my fellow believers to continue to trust in You alone for full forgiveness and life everlasting. Amen.

[Scripture from the King James Version of the Bible]

“And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him … And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made He a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” Genesis 2:18, 21-24

The beginnings of marriage go all the way back to the sixth day of creation when God said it’s not good for the man to be alone and He fashioned woman from the rib of Adam and brought her to the man to be his wife. It is for this reason that still today a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife and forms a new family unit.

When asked about the permissibility of divorce, Jesus reminded His hearers of this truth, saying, “Have ye not read, that He which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together let not man put asunder” (Matthew 19:4-6). Thus, Jesus Himself tells us that it was never God’s intent for a marriage to end in divorce; and God’s commandment against adultery forbids breaking the vows and commitment of marriage between a man and a woman (cf. Matthew 19:9: Exodus 20:14).

How far short we have come in regard to God’s intent and design for marriage! Husbands and wives divorce, and couples live together without the life-long commitment of marriage. Instead of regarding God’s will and design for marriage between a man and a woman, we abuse our sexuality, lust after one another, and even pervert God’s design in creating woman for the man by tolerating and promoting unnatural acts. While society (and even many churches) winks at our unfaithfulness and disobedience to God’s will and commandments regarding marriage, God does not. God’s Word says, “Marriage in honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers [literally: fornicators or those having sexual relations outside of marriage] and adulterers [those being unfaithful to their marriage vows] God will judge” (Hebrews 13:4).

The Apostle Paul warned the churches: “Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10). God’s judgment against those who live in rebellion against His purpose and design for marriage between a man and a woman is exclusion from His kingdom and a place in the everlasting torments of hell (cf. Revelation 21:8).

But there is yet one hope for all who have come short of God’s perfect will; and that is in Jesus Christ, God’s Son! He upheld and fulfilled the righteous demands of God’s law for all mankind, and He took upon Himself the guilt and punishment for all our sins when He suffered and died upon the cross. His resurrection on the third day proves that God accepted His death as full payment for the sins of the world. God has made us sinners “accepted” through the sacrifice of His own beloved Son, In Him “we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:6, 7).

God calls us sinners to look to Him for mercy and forgiveness; and in Christ Jesus He reaches out to us with open arms, offering us life instead of death, the eternal joys of heaven instead of the never ending torments of hell. Yes, in Jesus there is hope for lost and condemned sinners. In Jesus there is unfailing hope for you and for me!

Dear Father in heaven, I have sinned and done evil in Your sight. Thank You for sending Your Son to pay in full for my sins and the sins of the whole world. Grant me Your forgiveness and a place in Your everlasting kingdom for the sake of Your beloved Son and His holy life and innocent sufferings and death in my stead. Amen.

My Dear Children

Our Faithful God

“Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds” (Psalm 36:5). Graciously enlighten us by Your Holy Spirit that we may know Your faithfulness and trust in the certainty of Your promises to us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

My Dear Children,

There is little faithfulness in this world. Men lie and deceive and break their promises. Even the best intentioned promises of people are often broken. And, certainly too, our faithfulness to God falls far, far short. But God is faithful! His every word and promise is sure. Even when we fail in our faithfulness to Him, “He abideth faithful: He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:13).

1. In 1 Kings 8:56, the Bible says, “Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.” Did the LORD God keep His promises? Was He unfaithful in any part of His promise? Could the same be said of the people of Israel?

2. In Deuteronomy 7:9-10, we read: “Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; and repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face.” What does this passage of God’s Word say about His faithfulness? How long will God keep covenant and mercy with those who love Him and keep His commandments? How will He deal with those who hate Him?

3. In Psalm 36:5, David writes: “Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.” What does this passage of God’s Word say of God’s faithfulness? Cf. Psalm 89:1-2.

4. Read 1 Corinthians 1:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:3. Is God faithful in His dealings with us? How?

5. Read Revelation 1:5; 19:11. What is Jesus called in these verses?

6. In 2 Timothy 2:13, we read: “If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.” If we are unfaithful and unbelieving, is God still faithful?

7. Read Hebrews 6:16-20; 10:23. Can we be sure that we have forgiveness of sins and life everlasting in the Son, Jesus Christ? Why?

GOD

We believe that there is only one true God (Isaiah 44:6; I Corinthians 8:4). This God (called the LORD or JEHOVAH) is one divine Being or Essence, but three distinct Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (thus the name, Triune or Three/One God), each being eternal and equal in power and majesty, because each Person is the LORD God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; I John 5:7; Isaiah 48:16-17; John 1:1; Colossians 2:9; I Corinthians 3:16; Hebrews 9:14; I Peter 4:14). We believe that no one can worship or serve the Triune God except he believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God and the Savior of mankind from sin and its consequences (John 3:18,36; 5:23; 14:6; I John 2:23; 5:11-12). Hence, all who deny the Trinity of God (that God is three Persons) or the Unity of God (that God is one divine Being), or who do not trust in Jesus Christ, the Son, for salvation, do not worship and serve the true God.

Please Memorize: Psalm 36:5; 2 Timothy 2:13; Hebrews 10:23.

The Augsburg Confession

Article XIII: Of the Use of the Sacraments

Of the Use of the Sacraments they teach that the Sacraments were ordained, not only to be marks of profession among men, but rather to be signs and testimonies of the will of God toward us, instituted to awaken and confirm faith in those who use them. Wherefore we must so use the Sacraments that faith be added to believe the promises which are offered and set forth through the Sacraments.

They therefore condemn those who teach that the Sacraments justify by the outward act, and who do not teach that, in the use of the Sacraments, faith which believes that sins are forgiven, is required.

Taking a Lesson from Illness

There’s just nothing quite like being ill for several days to remind a fellow of the truth that it is indeed God who holds our breath in His hand and not we ourselves. Our lives depend upon Him and not He upon us.

Being down with pneumonia, I found it kind of interesting that the disease name “pneumonia” comes from the ancient Greek word “pneo” which means breath and wind, and the related word “pneuma” which means spirit or wind.

Of course, the disease is a lung infection which, if it progresses, can make the simple act of breathing difficult or impossible. It always amazes me that a virus or bacteria so small we can’t see it can cause so much harm.

Perhaps it’s even more amazing that a God so great, with evidence of His working all around us, can so easily be out of sight and out of mind. We so easily forget that He gave us the breath of life and that He can at any time take it from us.

It is as the Bible teaches: “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7). “He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things” (Acts 17:25).

“In [the LORD’s] hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind” (Job 12:10)

“If He set his heart upon man, if He gather unto Himself His spirit and His breath; all flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust” (Job 34:14-15).

The God of the Bible gives us the breath of life, He holds that breath of life in His hand, and in His time He takes it from us.

When a person becomes ill and the medicines and treatments don’t seem to be helping — at least not within the expected time frame — the thought of having the breath of life taken away crosses one’s mind. After all, when one publishes obituaries week after week, it’s hard not to notice how many listed there are younger than I. Why not me? I can think of no good reason but the grace and mercy of God.

I will admit I asked my father-in-law, who lives back in Kansas, if he knew a good backhoe operator who could have things ready in case the need arose. He told me I’d have to dig my own hole. Since I didn’t quite feel up to it, I figured I would rest and pray for recovery instead.

And so, with a new lesson in patience and waiting for God’s timing rather than mine and a reminder of who it is who holds my breath in His hands, I have been resting and am slowly getting better.

And to be honest with you, I’m happy that it is the same God who gave me life in my mother’s womb, who also gave His Son to die in my stead and redeem me, that holds my breath in His hands.

What better place could my life be!

(Editor’s note: Though not quite 100 percent yet, I am feeling much better and do look forward to being back in church Sunday. Sunday just isn’t Sunday without starting the day and the week in church with fellow believers and worshiping the God who gives us life and breath and all things!)

Does the Bible teach the concept of race?

In a day when issues of race and interracial marriage continue to be topics for discussion, debate and even argument, it is fitting that we as Christians are not misled into the evolutionary mindset of this world. To help clarify the issue, I offer the following:

The Bible does not teach the concept of race at all but teaches that all people are descended from Adam and Noah. The Bible says that God “giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation” (Acts 17:25,26).

Thus, everyone in this world is related and a part of the family of Noah. That, of course, means that Adam and Eve and, later, Noah’s sons and their wives had all the genetic makeup for the wide variety of people on the earth today. The fact that certain traits are more prominent in one area than another is only the result of selective marrying and having children together with of those of like traits. Thus, even if it is true that one’s near ancestors have fair skin rather than medium or dark, this does not make them a separate race from their more distant relatives in Central America, Asia or Africa.

The concept of race, as we think of it, is not a Biblical one. If you check the King James Version, the word “race” is only used to speak of a foot contest which is run (though some of the more modern translations now use the word race to refer to varieties of peoples or to the whole human race). Instead, people are identified in the Bible by their families and tribes rather than by race or skin color, and many of those families and tribes derive their names from Noah’s sons, grandsons and great-grandsons.

Skin color was not an issue among God’s people in the Bible. Moses, who led the people of Israel out of Egypt and to the land of Canaan (named after another of Noah’s grandsons) married an Ethiopian woman (a Cushite – a descendant of Noah’s grandson – in the Hebrew but translated as Ethiopian in the ancient Greek. Cf. Num. 12:1). Cushites (or Ethiopians) were apparently people of color, according to Jeremiah 13:23.

The Bible does speak of nations and kindreds of people, but even the English word “nation” comes from the Latin word “natio” which means of common origin or birth. Most nations of the earth were simply the descendants of common ancestors which occupied a certain land or territory and spoke the same language and shared the same culture.

If you don’t believe me, check your Bibles – the only truly authoritative history of the world and mankind. Every one of us – if we are human and not evolved from an ape – is a descendant of Adam and Eve, and of Noah and his wife. After the Genesis Flood, and the Tower of Babel and confusion of languages, the families descended from Noah spread out across the earth. And, yes, if you looked into it, you would be surprised at how many of the ancient names of lands and regions are those of Noah’s sons and grandsons and great-grandsons.

The whole concept of race is really that of an evolutionary world view. The different races are viewed as different threads of evolution from other primates, with some even viewing certain “races” of people as lower on the evolutionary ladder than others.

As Christians, we know better than to think we are descended from apes or chimpanzees, or that anyone else is. We are all God’s creation as the Bible says, “of one blood.” We are all descended from Adam and from Noah. We are all cousins – even if numerous steps removed – of every other human being on this planet.

This becomes especially important when we consider the Bible’s most important message. The Bible teaches that through Adam’s sin all became sinners but also that through Christ’s righteousness all are made righteous.

Romans 5:12 states: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”

The Bible goes on to say at Romans 5:15, 18: “But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many … Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.”

Because we are all descended from Adam, we are all sinners through Adam’s fall. But in Christ Jesus, that second Adam promised already in Genesis 3:15, the sins of all men are paid for in full and forgiven. Christ died for all. He is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world (cf. 1 John 2:1,2; 1 Tim. 2:3-7).

This, of course, means the message of the Bible applies to all people, of every tribe and nation, because all are sinners and because Christ died for all.

And not only are all people of one family and blood by birth, all who place their hope and trust in Jesus Christ are one family in Christ.

“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:26-29).

Bible Study in Preparation for Sunday

Scripture Readings appointed for Sunday are Psalm 62; Acts 14:1-28; 2 Timothy 1:1-14; Luke 17:1-10. Please read them in their context as you prepare for worship on Sunday.

The Adult Bible Class will continue in the Gospel of John at chapter 11:47ff. What did the chief priests and Pharisees call? Why? What prompted this meeting? What did they say? What was their fear about Jesus? How are their fears similar to the fears which some in church leadership positions have yet today? What did Caiaphas say? Did his words bear more meaning that he, perhaps, intended? What do the Scriptures say of Caiaphas’ words? What did his prophecy really mean? What counsel did they take regarding Jesus? How did Jesus respond? Where did He go? Where is this in relation to Jerusalem? Did Jesus come up early for the feast of the Passover? What were the Jews saying and wondering about Jesus? What commandment had the chief priests and Pharisees issued concerning Jesus?

Remember to Pray

Remember to pray for our church and for all our members, that none be lost to Christ’s kingdom but that all continue in repentance and be strengthened and built up in the true and saving faith in Christ Jesus through the hearing and study of His Word. We pray for God’s healing and strengthening of our congregation. We continue to pray for all who have been sick or who are suffering among us – especially for Dawn Hiebert, who is recovering from knee surgery; Dick Stueland, also recovering from knee surgery; for Sam Rusch, who has had repeated stays in the hospital; the mother of Dick Rusch; for Dick Rusch who is scheduled for shoulder surgery on Sept. 30; for Regina Wood (the sister of Lonnie Moll), who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and is recovering from surgery and starting chemotherapy; for Pastor Moll, who is recovering from being ill several days with pneumonia – for those who have been absent from us, for our extended families and for Christians who are alone and have no congregation. Pray for God’s help with our church’s financial needs. Continue to pray for the Lutheran Churches in the Philippines, for Christians in Nigeria, Haiti and Chile, and for believers around the world who are persecuted or suffering for their faith in Christ Jesus.

Events and Announcements

Our evening congregational Bible study will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 13, at 7 p.m. A light supper will precede the study, beginning at about 6:15 p.m.

Anyone wishing to help with costs involved for Sam Rusch to visit the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota may place a gift in the offering with the designation: Sam Rusch.

The choir will be singing “Jesus, Priceless Treasure” in our worship service on Sunday.

Information for bulletins or newsletters may be sent to Pastor Moll by calling him at 479-233-0081 or by e-mail at goodshepherdrogers@yahoo.com.

“Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.” Psalm 62:1-2

[Scripture in this Newsletter is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.]

In the prophet Isaiah, God Himself said: “For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (55:10-11).

And so it was when the Word of God was preached in Pisidian Antioch that some, moved with envy because of the multitudes who gathered to hear the Word of God spoken unto them by Paul and Barnabas, spoke against the Word of God and blasphemed, refusing to believe the truth even though the Spirit of God was at work revealing the way of salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Others glorified the Word of God and heard it, “and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.” They “received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe (1 Thessalonians 2:13).

So it is also when the Word of God is preached today. Some, moved with envy and fearing that the truth of the Word will lead people away from their group or organization, and others, not wanting to have their utter sinfulness exposed, reject the Word and speak against it. Rather than coming to repentance and placing their faith and confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ, they reject the truth and speak against it, even keeping others from coming to know Christ Jesus and the salvation He won for them.

But still others, by the grace and mercy of God, gladly hear and receive the Word. Those chosen as His own by the Father before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:3ff.) are brought to repentance. They acknowledge their utter sinfulness and place their hope and confidence in the perfect life and the innocent sufferings and death of God the Son. They trust in the crucified and risen Christ for full pardon and forgiveness. They rely upon Him for life everlasting and a place in God’s eternal kingdom.

How do you respond to God’s Word when it is preached and proclaimed in its truth and purity? Do you reject the Spirit’s pleadings through the Word? Do you even seek to silence the Word by rejecting and opposing those who preach it rightly and unashamedly? Or, by the grace of God, do you gladly receive it as the very Word of God? Do you acknowledge that God is truthful when He tells us of our sinfulness, and that only in Jesus is there salvation, when we hear of His life, death and resurrection in our stead?

Dear Lord Jesus, grant that I both hear Your life-giving Word and believe it, that I acknowledge my sinfulness and hold fast to You for my salvation. Amen.

[Scripture from the King James Version of the Bible]

This word of God does not teach that unbelievers are capable of choosing to believe or trust and follow after the LORD God. But it does teach us that those who have been called out of this world, enlightened and brought to faith in Christ Jesus are given the free will to choose between following after their Lord and Savior or turning back into sin and unbelief, to walk with the Lord or to turn back into their old ways.

Like the children of Israel in the Old Testament who were redeemed from bondage in Egypt, baptized in the Red Sea, given God’s covenant at Mt. Sinai and led through the wilderness to the land of promise, so we have been redeemed from our bondage to sin by Christ, baptized into His name, instructed in the new covenant of God’s grace in Christ and led safely thus far through the wilderness of this world. And Moses’ sermon – the blessings and the cursings in Deuteronomy, chapters 27 through 30 – apply to us as well.

If we turn aside from the LORD God who has so graciously redeemed us and made us His own, if we choose to turn back into sin and pursue other gods of our own making, we will bring upon ourselves God’s curses – His judgments and punishments. If we, on the other hand, by the grace and mercy of God, continue to hold fast to Christ Jesus and to follow after the Lord, we will receive God’s blessings and life everlasting.

This is what the Apostle Paul also teaches in Romans 6. After expounding on the fact that we are saved by God’s grace and through faith, he writes, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (v. 1-2). He goes on to write, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servant ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (v. 16). If we choose to yield ourselves to sin, it leads to death. If we follow after the Lord Jesus and are obedient to His Word, it leads to righteousness and blessing. He summarizes it all by saying, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (v. 23).

Christ Jesus is our life and the length of our days. He has redeemed us and gives us life everlasting for the sake of His innocent sufferings and death in our stead. Hold fast to Him! Follow after Him! Continue in His Word and walk in His ways. Apart from Him is cursing and death. In Him is forgiveness and life everlasting!

O Jesus, Son of God and our Savior, graciously keep us in the true and saving faith unto life everlasting. Let us ever hold fast to You. Amen.

[Scripture from the King James Version of the Bible]

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth….” Genesis 1:1 (Read Genesis 1 and 2)

How did the heavens, the earth, and everything in them come to be? The Bible clearly tells us that the one true God – Jehovah God, who is one God, yet three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – created them out of nothing by His almighty Word. Reading on in the first two chapters, we see that He said of that which He created, “Let there be….” and “there was.”

It is as the Scriptures teach: “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth” (Psalm 33:6); and, “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear” (Hebrews 11:3).

That the LORD God created the heavens and earth and everything in them in six days is taught not only in the Genesis account, but is repeated as a basis for the observance of the Sabbath in the Old Testament Scriptures. “For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:11).

The Church, which is made up of all true believers of all time, has always held to the truthfulness of the Genesis account of creation and confesses with Nehemiah the prophet: “Thou, even Thou, art LORD alone; Thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all things that are therein, and Thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worhippeth Thee” (Nehemiah 9:6). So also, in the ancient creeds still used today, believers confess: “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth….”

This same God, who called all things into existence by His almighty Word, has also created each one of us. He formed the first man from the dust of the ground, breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). He created the first woman from the rib of Adam (Genesis 2:18ff.) and He created and formed each one of us in our mother’s wombs (Psalm 139:13-16).

Not only has He created us and given us life, He sent His only begotten Son to die for us and bear the guilt and punishment for our sins that we might have life eternal through faith in Him; and He calls us to faith through the hearing of His life-giving Word.

This means that the LORD God has created you, forming you in the womb. And, even though you knew Him not because of the sin inherent in each of us through Adam’s fall (Genesis 3), He came into this world a true man to pay for your sins and make you His own, and He calls you to faith in Him through His gracious word of forgiveness and life in His Son, Jesus Christ!

O LORD God, Creator of the heavens, the earth and all things, thank You for making me, giving me breath and for giving me life through faith in the Son. Graciously keep me in the true and saving faith unto life everlasting. Amen.

My Dear Children

The Unchangeable God

O LORD God, “Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will endure; Yes, they will all grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will change them, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will have no end.” O unchanging God, grant that we hold fast to You in faith, knowing that You are always the same and that Your lovingkindness toward us in Christ Jesus will not pass away. Amen. (Psalm 102:25-27 NKJV)

My Dear Children,

Everything is changing around us. Schools change. Jobs change. Our world changes. People change. Relationships change. We change. We grow up and grow old and change in our appearance and our thoughts. Finally, we die. But God does not change. Not only is He eternal, without beginning and without end; He does not change! What was true of God at the beginning of the world is still true today. What God judged as wrong in the days of the Old Testament prophets, He still condemned in the days of Jesus and does so in our day. Not only do God’s judgments remain immutable (unchanging), His love for us in Christ Jesus does not come and go, but remains constant and never ending!

1. In Psalm 102:25-27, the Bible tells us: “Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will endure; Yes, they will all grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will change them, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will have no end.” What does God here tell us about His immutability (unchangeableness)? Will the heavens and the earth change? Will God change?

2. In Malachi 3:6, we read: “…I am the LORD, I do not change….” What does God say of Himself?

3. In Psalm 33:11, the psalmist writes: “The counsel of the LORD stands forever; the plans of His heart to all generations.” What does this say of God’s thoughts and plans? Do they ever change? Does His Word ever change? Does the counsel of the LORD change from generation to generation? What does this mean for us?

4. James 1:17 says: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” Who is the giver of every good and perfect gift? Is there any variation or shadow of turning with Him? What does this mean?

5. In Hebrews 13:8, we read: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Is Jesus unchangeable? Will His teaching ever change? Will His love and mercy upon His children ever change?

6. Consider what it means to us that God is unchanging. Will His Word ever change? Cf. Matthew 24:35. Will God’s Word ever become outdated? Will our generation be treated or judged any differently by God than other generations before us?

7. What of God’s love toward us in Jesus, will it ever change? Read Romans 8:31-39. If we repent of our sins and turn to God to forgive us for Jesus’ sake, will He always pardon us and wash away our sins in Jesus’ blood? Cf. 1 John 1:7 – 2:2.

GOD

We believe that there is only one true God (Isaiah 44:6; I Corinthians 8:4). This God (called the LORD or JEHOVAH) is one divine Being or Essence, but three distinct Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (thus the name, Triune or Three/One God), each being eternal and equal in power and majesty, because each Person is the LORD God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; I John 5:7; Isaiah 48:16-17; John 1:1; Colossians 2:9; I Corinthians 3:16; Hebrews 9:14; I Peter 4:14). We believe that no one can worship or serve the Triune God except he believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God and the Savior of mankind from sin and its consequences (John 3:18,36; 5:23; 14:6; I John 2:23; 5:11-12). Hence, all who deny the Trinity of God (that God is three Persons) or the Unity of God (that God is one divine Being), or who do not trust in Jesus Christ, the Son, for salvation, do not worship and serve the true God.

Please Memorize: Psalm 102:25-27; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8

[Scripture for this study taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]

The Augsburg Confession

Article X: Of the Lord’s Supper

Of the Supper of the Lord they teach that the Body and Blood of Christ are truly present, and are distributed to those who eat the Supper of the Lord; and they reject those that teach otherwise.

Living in Denial of the Truth

People today are living in denial of a fundamental truth which affects us all, and that denial has far-reaching implications for all of us in every station of life. And, sad to say, this denial has infected churches and religious organizations as well as governments, schools and other secular organizations.

The truth of which I speak is the fall of man and the resulting fallen nature and curse upon all of creation. Not only do people question and deny the truth of the Genesis creation account, but many – even within the visible church – do not accept and take to heart the truths taught in Genesis 3 and related passages of Scripture, and this affects everything, from how people live their lives, to church activities, to government roles.

Adam and Eve disobeyed their Creator and brought upon themselves and all mankind spiritual death and alienation from God. As a result of their sin, all are born sinners, turned in upon themselves and in rebellion against the LORD God (cf. Romans 5:12). As a result of Adam’s sin, “the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth” (Genesis 8:21). Or, as Jesus said, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man” (Mark 7:21-23).

When God confronted Adam and Eve in the Garden, “Unto the woman He said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam He said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” (Genesis 3:16-19).

What people deny and do not take to heart is the depravity of all mankind, the wickedness of our hearts and the inclination to evil. People fail to realize and accept man’s – and especially their own – capacity for evil.

Again and again, when a horrible crime comes to light, we hear people express shock that one who was “such a good person” could do something so evil. But I put forward to you that no one is above the most hideous of crimes – most have already contemplated such things in their hearts and minds.

And if any of you are thinking, “I could never….” you had best reconsider. The Bible says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

Secondly, they fail to recognize and acknowledge that this sin which infects us all has brought with it consequences which also affect us all; namely, spiritual death (or a lack of true love for God and others and the inability to please God), sorrow, pain, suffering, hard work, temporal death and eternal condemnation.

And what are the implications of this denial? I’ll name just a few.

In governments, this denial leads to philosophies and dreams of a utopia on earth. Under Marxist communism, there was the foolish notion that the forced destruction of classes and the holding of all property and industry in common under state control would lead to an end of wars and revolutions and to a united world working together for the common good of all. But because it was based on fallacy, it only led to wars, bloodshed, a police state and, of course, to financial ruin.

Not accepting the truth about man’s nature, rulers today – regardless of whether they call themselves Republicans or Democrats, Socialists or Progressives – still strive toward the goal of absolute democracy and one-world government and somehow believe if they can gain enough power and rid themselves of dissenters, a new world order in which wars and killing will cease and people will all work for the common good is achievable. But they fail to acknowledge the depravity of man – that people are by nature self-seeking and sinful, that there will always be evil in this world, that there will always be wars and bloodshed and wickedness.

Remember what Jesus said: “Ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:6-8).

How different this denial of the truth is from the way America’s founding fathers defined the form of government spelled out in the United States Constitution! They recognized the sinfulness and weakness of men and divided the federal government’s powers into three branches – executive, legislative and judicial – to guard against tyranny and the foolishness and wickedness of man. They recognized the constant dangers of war and cautioned against foreign entanglements. They realized the danger of mob rule and established a republic with checks and balances rather than a pure democracy in which simple majority wins the day. They also recognized the fact that the government they established could not survive if the people abandoned the moral principles taught in the Bible.

In churches, this denial leads to a false understanding of the gospel and misguided programs. Instead of preaching the gospel of Christ’s atoning sacrifice for the sin of the world and of pardon, forgiveness and everlasting life in heaven through faith in His name, churches have turned their attention toward trying to heal this present world and making it a better place to live by encouraging acts of love and charity, working for equal rights, fighting poverty and saving the environment. Because so many church leaders do not truly accept the truths taught in Genesis 3, they fail to preach the truths taught throughout the Scriptures about man and his sinfulness and about the redemption God provided in His own dear Son, Jesus Christ.

As individuals, we all tend to lead our lives in denial of our own sinfulness and propensity to think, say and do evil. We like to think of ourselves as basically good rather than evil and full of wickedness. For as long as possible, we refuse to face the fact of our own mortality. We place our hopes in diets, exercise and vitamins, but death still comes to us all. We don’t wish to accept the fact that living in this world means hard work to earn our daily bread – along with suffering, pain and sorrow. And, without acknowledging our own wickedness and just condemnation, we fail to grasp the need of a holy and righteous God-man Savior who shed His own blood on a Roman cross to make atonement for the sins of the world and make us acceptable unto God the Father.

My point is not just to show the pivotal importance of Genesis 3; it is to show the foolishness of denying it. We can live in denial of sin and the curse, but the consequences will not go away. We and all people are by nature inclined to evil and sin. Wickedness and evil will continue until God judges and purges His creation of all sinners. No church outreach and no ruler or government program will ever heal this fallen world. There will be no lasting peace, no utopia and no paradise in this present world. To think we can achieve it is a denial of the truth!

We – everyone of us – are sinners and suffer the consequences. We are born into this world in spiritual death and alienation from God, and that leads to eternal death and condemnation. We will all die temporal death. Because of sin, this world is under a curse. It’s dying too and, while we can conserve it, care for it and make wise use of its resources, we can’t change its ultimate end.

Rather than living in denial of the truth, we need to acknowledge and accept it. Governments must rule with a right understanding of God’s truth, of sinful people and the fallen world in which we live. Only then can its decisions and policies be wise. Churches need to refocus on preparing lost souls for the world to come rather than trying to preserve the world that is. And individuals need to recognize their own wickedness and guilt before the almighty and holy God that they might also, by God’s grace, come to know and accept the redemption He has provided for all in the sacrifice of the Son, Christ Jesus!

“Our Lord Jesus Christ … gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Galatians 1:3-5).

Bible Study in Preparation for Sunday

Scripture Readings for Sunday are Psalm 1; Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Acts 13:1-13; Luke 14:25-35. Please read them in their context as you prepare for worship on Sunday.

The Adult Bible Class will continue in the Gospel of John at chapter 10:1ff. What parable did Jesus speak to the people in the opening verses of this chapter? What is the earthly story? What is its heavenly meaning or application? What is the sheepfold? Who is in this fold? Who is the door of the sheepfold? How do the sheep enter the fold? Cf. John 14:6. How do thieves and robbers seek to enter into the sheepfold? Who are these thieves and robbers Jesus describes? Cf. Jeremiah 23:1-2; Matthew 7:15-23; Acts 20:28-32; Romans 16:17-18; 1 Timothy 6:3-5; Titus 3:10-11; Colossians 2:8ff. Why do the thieves come? How is this true yet today? Why did Jesus come? How does this apply to us yet today? Whose voice does God’s flock hear? Will God’s children hear the voice of a stranger? What will they do when they hear a strange voice? What will God’s children do when they hear teaching which is not that of their Shepherd and Savior? Cf. Matthew 7:15-23; 1 Timothy 6:3-5; Romans 16:17-18. Who is the Good Shepherd? What did He do for the sheep? How does Jesus’ parable compare to Psalm 23 and other Old Testament usage of the illustration of sheep and their shepherd?

Remember to Pray

Remember to pray for our church and for all our members, that none be lost to Christ’s kingdom but that all continue in repentance and be strengthened and built up in the true and saving faith in Christ Jesus through the hearing and study of His Word. We pray for God’s healing and strengthening of our congregation. We continue to pray for all who have been sick or who are suffering among us – especially for Dawn Hiebert, who is recovering from knee surgery today; Dick Stueland, also recovering from knee surgery; for Sam Rusch, who has had repeated stays in the hospital; and for the mother of Dick Rusch – for those who have been absent from us, for our extended families and for Christians who are alone and have no congregation. Pray for God’s help with our church’s financial needs. Continue to pray for the Lutheran Churches in the Philippines, for Christians in Nigeria, Haiti and Chile, and for believers around the world who are persecuted or suffering for their faith in Christ Jesus.

Events and Announcements

A special congregational dinner has been rescheduled for the second Sunday in September (because of Labor Day weekend) to kick off the new Sunday School and Catechism program for the year and the resumption of church choir practices. A special cookout is being planned for the event.

Information for bulletins or newsletters may be sent to Pastor Moll by calling him at 479-233-0081 or by e-mail at goodshepherdrogers@yahoo.com.

“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” Deuteronomy 30:19-20

[Except where otherwise stated, Scripture in this Newsletter is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.]

Jesus said, “If two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 18:19). In his first epistle, John also wrote: “And this is the confidence that we have in him [Christ Jesus], that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him” (1 John 5:14-15).

But how often we fail to believe these words! We pray to the LORD God, pouring out our troubles and petitions, but don’t really expect an answer. And when God in His own time and manner does answer our prayers, we are either oblivious to it or are astonished that God heard our request and did as we asked.

The church prayed for the apostle Peter when he was arrested by King Herod and held in the prison – Herod intended to kill Peter as he had killed the apostle James – but when their prayers were answered and the Lord sent His angel to deliver Peter, the believers who were gathered together to pray were reluctant to believe. Rhoda heard Peter’s voice as he knocked at the door of the gate, she ran and told the other believers that Peter was outside, but they did not believe her. They accused Rhoda of being mad and, when she insisted it was so, said that it must be Peter’s angel.

Should we be surprised and shocked that God would hear and answer our prayers for Jesus’ sake? After all, He gave us His only-begotten Son to die for us and pay the just penalty for the sins of the world. If He so loved us that He gave us His own Son as our Redeemer, shouldn’t we expect Him to hear and answer our prayers as well for Jesus’ sake!

“If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:31, 32).

Gracious Spirit, You have brought us to know and trust in our Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness and life everlasting. Teach us also to believe His Word and come confidently to the Father with all our prayers and petitions, trusting that He will hear and answer all our prayers for Jesus’ sake. In His name we pray. Amen.

[Scripture from the King James Version of the Bible]