Pastor Mark Anderson | The Old Adam Lives!

(continued) Part 2 – Baptism, and some ways to speak about it out there, in the culture.

Posted on December 7, 2012 by theoldadam

_

Here’s the 2nd part of Pastor Mark’s class on Baptism, and how to speak with people about religion in a way that hits home for them.

Some very good ideas here. Love to hear your thoughts on what is presented, and if you have some ideas, as well:

Click here > Baptism frees from the self-justification project

________________________________________________________________________________________

Thanks, Pastor Mark.

And thanks to flickr and RYCF, for the photo.

Filed under: Baptism, Pastor Mark Anderson, Pastor's class, speaking Hope to the culture | 4 Comments »

Baptism. And connecting with a culture that does not value the things of God.

Posted on December 4, 2012 by theoldadam

Pastor Mark teaches on Baptism. And speaks about why so many in society, AND in the church, do not value it. *

This 1st part of the class highlights some of the existing challenges. The next part (that I will try and put up within a few days) focuses more on what we can do about connecting with a culture that does not want what we have to offer.

Baptism. And talking to people about things that really matter.

Click > Baptism. And talking to people about things that really matter.

Pastor Mark’s blog post for today, dovetails nicely with this class:

http://www.lightofthemaster.net/apps/blog/galatians

___

*This is not to say that we believe that those Christians who do not value Baptism are not Christian.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for the class, Pastor Mark.

And thanks to flickr and Elvert Barnes, for the photo.

Filed under: Baptism, Connecting with a culture that does not want us, Pastor Mark Anderson, Pastor's class | Leave a comment »

What would you tell someone ‘about your church’?

Posted on December 3, 2012 by theoldadam

962967597_72037ccd59_z

What would you say to people? To those out there who are being had by the world, the flesh, and the devil ?

Pastor Mark has a few suggestions for us in his 1st Sunday in Advent sermon:

(under 18 min. in length)

Click > Tell us about your church

_________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you, Pastor Mark.

And thanks to flickr and worsum 1968, for the photo.

Filed under: Advent, Pastor Mark Anderson | Leave a comment »

The Reformation’s truly radical understanding of the Christian faith

Posted on November 30, 2012 by theoldadam

This is an excerpt from Pastor Mark’s class this last Sunday.

Good stuff. To any newcomers…hang onto your hat!

Listen > The radical nature of the reformer’s understanding

(it’s only 16 minutes long)

Or…

The Radical nature of the Reformer's understanding of the gospel

_______________________________________________________________________

Thanks, Pastor Mark.

Thanks to flickr and Jon Wu, for the photo.

Filed under: Pastor Mark Anderson, Pastor's class, Reformation radicality | 1 Comment »

Do you like the religious/ascendancy project?

Posted on November 25, 2012 by theoldadam

Many do.

If you do, there’s probably not a lot to sway you from that course. At least for the time being.

But if you see yourself starting to despair a bit because you just can’t quite cut the mustard in keeping up with all that you should be doing, and or you are still doing those things that you know you shouldn’t be doing…or you are starting to notice (in your most honest moments and reflections) that you might be becoming a bit prideful, because you delude yourself into believing that you really aren’t doing so badly at all this ‘Christian progression/self-sanctification’ stuff….then maybe there is some light at the end of the tunnel.

If you’re in the latter category (see world’s 2nd longest sentence above) then this might mean something to you:

click > ‘Two HUGE ISSUES in a proper understanding of the Christian faith‘

_______________________________________________________________________

Thanks, Pastor Mark.

And thanks to flickr and chawayipiran, for the photo.

Filed under: Free will, Freedom, Pastor Mark Anderson, Sacraments, Sermon | 3 Comments »

“Now Thank We All Our God”

Posted on November 22, 2012 by theoldadam

Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,

who wondrous things hath done, in whom his world rejoices;

who from our mother’s arms hath blessed us on our way

with countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,

with ever-joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us;

and keep us in his grace, and guide us when perplexed,

and free us from all ills in this world and the next.

All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given,

the Son, and Holy Ghost, supreme in highest heaven,

the one eternal God, whom earth and heaven adore;

for thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.

– Martin Rinckart

_________________________________________

Thanksgiving Eve sermon by Pastor Mark:

click > ‘How could Martin Rinckart write that hymn?’

_

______________________________________________

Wishing you all a blessed Thanksgiving.

Filed under: Pastor Mark Anderson, Sermon, Thanksgiving | 10 Comments »

“Destroy this Temple and I will raise it again in three days.”

Posted on November 19, 2012 by theoldadam

Impressed with all the great things that man can do?

Some of it is pretty impressive. But none of it will last.

Listen to > “Destroy this Temple and I will raise it up again in three days.”

_____________________________________________

Thanks, Pastor Mark.

And thanks to flicker and isawnyu, for the photo.

Filed under: Destroy this Temple and I will raise it again in three days., Pastor Mark Anderson, Sermon | 2 Comments »

What is the most errant and damaging belief in most Christian churches?

Posted on November 15, 2012 by theoldadam

Here’s a clue:

“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,…”

Colossians 2:13

I can just see Jesus standing at the tomb of Lazarus hands folded and silent, surrounded by the weeping entourage as one of the exasperated, grieving sisters tugs at His sleeve;

‘Jesus why don’t you do something?’

“I’m waiting’, He replies.

‘Waiting for what?’

‘I’m waiting for Lazarus to make a decision.’

The trouble with Jesus was that He refused to play by the rules of conventional, religious wisdom. That wisdom stated that God rewards the good and punishes the sinner. But Jesus unsettled the conventional wisdom. He forgave people who by their obvious misconduct revealed themselves to be truly wicked. And, to add insult to injury, He blasted the good religious folks who by their obvious outward conduct appeared to be godly. With Jesus on the loose nobody knew what would happen next. Sort of like grace. Jesus spoke and acted as if He were actually in charge, as if He had the final authority over life and death.

That, of course, is our problem with God.

We too have a conventional religious wisdom. And that wisdom tells us that we have a free will that must choose God. God may be the Creator of the universe, the One who is beyond time and space, eternal and almighty, but where we are concerned, God stands with His hat in His hand waiting for us to decide.

We like this conventional, free-will view of God because it keeps us in the center of the action, where we can work on our variously defined programs of godliness and success, showing God how serious we. This is precisely what Jesus ran into among the religious of his own time. Claiming to be all about God, they were actually all about themselves, even if their intentions were good. That, in the final analysis, is what free will religion comes down to. It’s not about God, it’s about me. And the insistence on hanging on to even a little bit of freedom where God is concerned, reveals that the will has already made its decision. It has decided for the self, and that leads not to life, but death.

Jesus came to the grave of Lazarus to say something and to do something full of grace – free, unmerited grace. He came in His own time and on His own terms. And when He arrived He took control of the funeral. He commanded the grave to be opened and he called Lazarus out of the cold grip of death by a word.

Hanging on to the illusion of free will is about as useful as the dead hand of Lazarus clutching his burial shroud. So,that same Word of death-defeating grace and power must be spoken to you. God saves you by His grace. God chooses you.

In the absolution and your baptism, this same Jesus who was plunged into death, wades into death’s deep waters to find you – and does some free-will choosing of His own.

“May the peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

________________________________________________________________________________________

From Pastor Mark Anderson’s Daily Devotional blog site.

Thank you, Pastor Mark.

Filed under: Free will, Pastor Mark Anderson | 8 Comments »

If Christians around the world could just believe this one overarching truth, there would be another Reformation

Posted on October 29, 2012 by theoldadam

“I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.“

– John 8

________

Ask most Americans what they value most and the response will probably be ‘freedom’. Ask them to define freedom and the answers will have something to do with being able to do as we please. Interestingly, the founders of this country defined freedom as being able to do as we ought, not necessarily as we please.

Freedom is actually defined by its choices as reflected in this classic definition;

“Freedom is the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action.”

The implications are obvious. Authentic freedom only belongs to those who always and in every thought, word, and deed choose the right and the good. A simple inventory of our own life’s timeline of thoughts, words and deeds, will reveal that we are anything but free. For our choices of thoughts, words, and deeds often reflect not the absence but the presence of “necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action.” And that which is present in us driving these things is sin.

We don’t like hearing this of course. ‘What do you mean I’m not free? Of course I am! I have free will, don’t I?” Actually, there is a no better witness against us than our so-called free will. It is our ample backlog of free willed thoughts, words and deeds that contain the record of the countless ways we have chosen the bad instead of the good. This is the truth. And unless we know and hear the truth about ourselves, we will continue to live the lie, calling bondage freedom. But the implications are even more serious.

True freedom belongs belongs to God alone. Only God is free because only God’s willing always, and in every sense results in the good. This why to claim freedom for yourself – including free will – is, in fact, blasphemy against God. For such a claim shows contempt for God , wittingly or not, by claiming for yourself something that belongs to God alone.

Jesus was speaking to a fundamental truth; if you sin you are slave to sin. You are not free. And because of sin we have no permanent place with God. For the wages of sin is death. But to this ominous and sobering reality our Lord added an even greater truth; “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

In Jesus God has done some free will choosing of His own. And God’s choosing is not polluted with the taint of self interest. Out His great love for us – we who are bound in our free-will pretensions – He has chosen to extend grace and mercy.

The ringing note of this glorious grace so struck the Apostle Paul that he could sum up the whole Christian life in one, simple declaration, “For freedom Christ has set us free.” This is the authentic paradigm of the Christian life and faith. For we are not the free ones who simply misuse our freedom, and must be coerced into choosing rightly. We are the bound ones, enslaved in sin, who must be set free, and have been, “by The Man of God’s own choosing”, Jesus Christ our Lord.

– Pastor Mark Anderson

>>>>>>>>>>> Lutheran Church of the Master Corona del Mar, CA

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

From Pastor Mark Anderson’s Daily Devotional blog site

Thank you, Pastor Mark.