“Why even bother with Lutherans?”

Posted on July 11, 2011 by theoldadam

  Square Peg in a Round Hole by danstorey14

 

 

 

 

 

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This is part one (to be continued):

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click here > A Different Christian Paradigm

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A portion of Pastor Mark Anderson’s class from Sunday July 11th, 2011 at Lutheran Chruch of the Master, Corona del Mar, CA.

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Thanks, Pastor Mark.

Thanks to the late Dr. George Forell who went to be with the Lord this past April.

And thanks to flickr and danstorey14, for the photo.

 

 

 

Filed under: Pastor Mark Anderson, Why Bother with Lutherans? | 5 Comments »

The Cross: The Twofold Scandal [1]

Posted on July 9, 2011 by theoldadam

Wondrous Cross by NickD58

 Paul in 1 Cor 1: 23-25: “Jews seek miracles and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified….”  The cross is a scandal, a two-fold scandal:

1) The scandal of particularity.[2] That is to say, how can the finite world contain the infinite God?  The God, who is infinite and above all, who makes everything out of nothing, has become an individual, a male who lived between 4 B.C. and 30 A.D. in a place called Palestine and died on a cross. This is the scandal of particularity. We can only look at this in awe and wonder.  It’s like in the book of Job, chapters 38-42, where God says to Job, “Where were you when I created the foundations of the earth?” God is the One who has done all this. Who are you, lowly man, to claim that you understand and that you had a part in what this is all about?

2) The scandal of holiness becoming sin and taking on death.[3] That the one who is holy would take on sin is far different and far more astounding than that the infinite would become part of the finite.  We have that verse that Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin that in Him we might become the holiness of God.” He took our sin, we take his holiness.

The cross is more than the central symbol of Christianity; it is the starting point, the fulcrum, for all that is said about sin and salvation. The cross itself defines what sin is and what salvation is.

On the cross the last judgment has taken place. This is to say: The Lord God himself saw that we had a problem called sin, death, and the devil. He handled it his way on the cross. And it is finished (John 19:30).

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I do realize that this is not really all that good of news for some of you who feel as though this cross thing is cutting into your religious project.

But to many others it is really great news that ALL that needed to be accomplished was accomplished on that bloody cross. And is still BEING accomplished for us in His Word and Sacraments, which is how God has decided to actually DO that cross to us, and the resurrection that followed.

As Louie, down at the docks would say, “You gotta problem wit dat?”

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 [1] A 2005 CrossAlone District summary statement of  “the scandal of the cross.”

[2] Often loosely associated with the slogan finitum capax infiniti.

[3] Rudolf Otto’s The Idea of the Holy (1917) takes up an entirely different conceptuality.

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From  CrossAlone-Lutheran-District.

Thank you.

 

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Filed under: CrossAlone Lutheran District, The Scandal of the Cross | Leave a comment »

“The Bible says this and the Bible says that…”

Posted on July 7, 2011 by theoldadam

Under Arrest by Greater Manchester Police

I hear so many tortured (and torturing) souls quoting the Bible as to “WHAT WE MUST DO”  that it is enough to make one lose their lunch.

Whether it’s comments on this blog, or preachers on the radio or t.v., or blog post on other Christian blog sites…or wherever.

Biblicism robs and destroys assurance and freedom.

 “Sure the Bible says that  we are saved by grace through faith, not of works lest anyone should boast, but over here in 2nd Philopians 7, it says that YOU MUST EXAMINE YOURSELF AND SEE IF YOU ARE REALLY SAVED OR NOT!!!!

Well, are you living on that thin margin of income and donating (TAX BREAK!) the rest to the poor? Visiting the prisoners in the jails and prisons? OF COURSE YOU ARE!!! JESUS told us to do as much… so if you aren’t doing it, and doing it with a pure heart with no begrudgement, then YOU HAVE FAILED the test. Maybe you really aren’t a Christian after all. Maybe you are nothing but a self-deluded backslider, who talks a good game, but really only “sacrifices” for the neighbor when it is convenient and won’t put too much of a dent into the pile that you are amassing for yourself and your own family.

Are you a Biblicist?  Do you like to throw Scripture verses around to fit into your neat and tidy view of the Christian life and your own sanctification project, and to lord it over others who are not quite as “good” as you are?

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Thanks to flickr and  Greater Manchester Police, for the photo.

 

 

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Filed under: Bible Thumpers, Sanctification | 30 Comments »

My yoke is easy, My burden is light…

Posted on July 5, 2011 by theoldadam

The Good Shepherd 96 C Bosseron Chambers by Waiting For The Word

Here’s Pastor Mark’s message for the 3rd Sunday after Pentecost.

 

 

 

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click here > My Yoke is Easy, My Burden is Light

 

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Thanks, Pastor Mark.

And thanks to flickr and Waiting for the Word, for the photo.

 

 

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

“I heard myself saved”

Posted on July 3, 2011 by theoldadam

When I hear God’s Word proclaimed… both the law which shows me my need and drives me to despair and the gospel which meets my need and gives me life, I find myself believing it.  It isn’t a decision on my part, it simply happens.  I didn’t believe, then I found myself believing after the hearing of the message of Christ. 

That “experience” of hearing myself saved, occurred at my baptism and it occurs regularly when I hear the gospel.  It is life to me.  I love to hear it again and again.

I’m told that there is an old word or expression in Norwegian that means just that: “I heard myself saved”.  I don’t know that word,  but I’d love to learn about it.  (If anyone knows it, I’d love to hear from you)

This thought has significance to me in these ways:
It impacts my idea of evangelism.  There is enormous freedom in it.  Evangelism no longer carries with it the idea of needing to convince or somehow persuade unbelievers to decide or accept or respond in a particular way to God’s redemption story.  My only responsibility is simply to proclaim His word, both the Law and the Gospel.  It does it’s work.  I don’t always know when it is doing its work to hearers and that’s okay.  I simply proclaim the message God has given us to proclaim. 

In much of ‘evangelicalism’ today, there is a western idea imposed upon the gospel that demands a purpose driven, decision making, evidence showing, prosperity producing, particular way of doing evangelism.  I think that way works against the gospel because it clouds the message and makes hearers feel more like a project than recipients of the best news they have ever heard. 

“Conversion” may look much different than what we’ve been conditioned by our ‘evangelical culture’ to expect.  It may look more like a nod, a smile, or a simple sigh of relief.  I think many of the passages of scripture used to tell people exactly what they need to say and do to be saved, were meant to be assurances for believers rather than a club to beat unbelievers.  Indicative statements have been made into imperatives. 

My experience in ministry has shown this whole idea to be true.  I’ve known many individuals with a disdain for Christ who, after hearing the message of the gospel again and again, found themselves eventually resonating with Him.  I didn’t always know when it happened, it just did.  The good news had its effect.  That makes me want to tell it more and more.

All of this doesn’t fit nicely into a graph or a year end annual report on numbers of conversions.  It doesn’t jive with our bottom line ways of thinking but I’m confident that in God’s economy none are missed.

                                                                                                     Patrick Thurmer

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Thank you, Pastor Pat Thurmer.

Living-Faith-Church

 

 

 

 

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Filed under: Pastor Patrick Thurmer | 5 Comments »

Luther on the Holy Spirit creates faith

Posted on June 30, 2011 by theoldadam

 

 Martin Luther by hallaw4“Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that the believer would stake his life on it a thousand times.  This knowledge and confidence in God’s grace makes men glad and bold and happy in dealing with God and with all creatures. And this is the work which the Holy Spirit performs in faith” (LW 35:370-71).

“I believe that by my own reason or strength I cannot believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him. But the Holy Spirit has called me through the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, and sanctified and preserved me in true faith, just as he calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth. . . . In this Christian church he daily and abundantly forgives all my sins, and the sins of all believers, and on the last day he will raise me and all the dead and will grant eternal life to me and to all who believe in Christ” (Small Catechism, BC, Tappert 345).

“The Holy Spirit is no skeptic, and it is not doubts and opinions that he has written on our hearts but assertions more sure and certain than life itself and all experience” (LW 33:24).

“In short, enthusiasm clings to Adam and his descendants from the beginning to the end of the world. It is a poison implanted and inoculated in man by the old dragon, and it is the source, strength, and power of all heresy, including that of the papacy and Mohammed.  Accordingly, we should and must maintain that God will not deal with us except through his external Word and sacrament. Whatever is attributed to the Spirit apart from such Word and sacrament is of the devil” (Smalcald Articles III/VIII/9-10; BC Tappert 313).

 

    This is a sermon that carries on with those quotes from Luther:

 >>> Luther’s-explanation-of-the-3rd-article-of-The-Apostle’s-Creed

 

I put a link to this sermon in a comment I made last week on The Gospel Coalition’s site, and the blog stats show that it was very popular. Not that that matters..

The angels in Heaven rejoice over just ONE who hears, and believes.

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Thanks be to God! 

And that is not to say that the good folks over there (The Gospel Coalition) don’t already have faith. I’m sure they do.

Shoot, there may even be some in the congregation where I worship who have it also!

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Thanks to CrossAlone Lutheran District, for the quotes.

Thanks to Pastor Mark for the sermon.

And thanks to flickr and hallaw4, for the photo.

 

 

 

 

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Filed under: Faith, Pastor Mark Anderson | 10 Comments »

A new(er) Lutheran denomination

Posted on June 29, 2011 by theoldadam

Many churches formerly in the ELCA (The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) have decided to leave the ELCA and join together with LCMC (Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ).

Many of those churches (for legal reasons) could not leave their affiliation with the ELCA without complicated ramifications that involve property issues, etc., and have decided to have dual affiliations. Choosing to not have much to do with the ELCA, and to identify with a more centerist Lutheran confession, the LCMC.

The LCMC denomination has been growing steadily since 2000 and now in 2011 it is approaching 700 congregations in it’s organization.

Here’s a list of their congregations in 42 states around the country and in Canada, Mexico, Guam and Puerto Rico:

     click here>  LCMC-Congregations-directory

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I’m sure there are some very good and faithful centerist Lutheran congregations in the LCMC. There may be some that are a little fringy. I really don’t know. But if you are looking for a Lutheran congregation for yourself or someone you know, some of these congregations may be worth checking into.

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Filed under: LCMC | 1 Comment »

Preach the Gospel, not the text -1

Posted on June 27, 2011 by theoldadam

 

gerhard_forde by theologyethics

What’s a preacher to do?   Preach the text?    Or the gospel?

Even Gerhard Forde said preaching is “doing the text” to believers.

But doesn’t that work better with some texts more than others?

For example, when the lectionary has those “take up your cross” texts which presuppose that we can and must do something to make salvation work: “He who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me” (Matt 10:38).

What do you do with a text like that?

What did Forde do?

In this sermon, On Death to Self, Forde preaches the gospel even though he is preaching about “dying to self,” and “taking up your cross.”

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From the CrossAlone Lutheran District web site.

                                                                      CrossAlone

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Thank you, CrossAlone.

Thanks to flickr and theologyethics, for the photo.

 

 

 

 

 

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Filed under: CrossAlone Lutheran District, Gerhard Forde | 1 Comment »

‘The Word’

Posted on June 26, 2011 by theoldadam

Open Bible by revgerPastor by latteontheroad

Baptismal font by apvphotoscommunion - bread and wine by The Pink Rose

It’s not just the Bible, although the Bible proclaims Him.

He’s not a blot of ink on a piece of paper. Although that is one of the ways He has decided to make Himself known, and accomplish His will.

The Word (God Himself) is “living and active”. 

He’s not dependent on the messenger. He USES the messenger. He IS the message. He IS a force unto Himself. 

He calls the shots. He makes things happen. He forgives people’s sin, He raises from the dead. He is the Word.

Our authority to proclaim this Word comes from…Him, and Him alone.

Proclaim what Word?

What did He proclaim?  That He, Jesus, was God in the flesh, and that He forgives sinners their sins. That He takes all their sin unto Himself. That He will one Day make  ALL things new again. That He will raise you from the dead, and bring you unto to Himself for judgement. That the cross was the judgement. That He bought and paid for your sins there. That you are forgiven for Jesus’ sake.

He has decided to use the Bible, preaching and teaching about Himself, and the Sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion to make Himself known in His saving grace. To create faith in the hearer, reader, receiver.

He spoke all things into existence and He still does.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

The Word… IS GOD.

He was around LONG before the Bible. Christ was around LONG before His preachers were. He was around LONG before the bread and wine and the water were.

He is not dependent on any of those things being perfect… (nor) acting perfect, or being pure. If you think that He cannot use ordinary earthly elements to accomplish His purposes  then you are sadly mistaken and misguided. That goes for the Book, that goes for the preacher (you and I included), and that goes for the water, the bread, and the wine. When the Word is attached to ordinary things and proclaimed in It’s purity, then they accomplish His perfect will.

The Lord our God made Himself know in an earthly man. A real man who needed to eat real food, who cried real tears,  and who shed real blood.

The finite contains the Infinite. That is the principle here. 

 Perfect preachers or perfect churches are not necessary. Pure bread and pure water are not necessary. Bibles without errors are not necessary.

When the Word is attached to all those things and the gospel is proclaimed in it’s purity, then those ordinary things become pure, infallible, perfect, Living Word of God…for YOU!

That is the doctrine of the Word to which Lutherans subscribe.

That is the truth of it.

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Any objections? (of course! There are ALWAYS objections!)

Go ahead. Let’s hear why something is needed in addition to Jesus.

Add-on’s  to Jesus seems to be our specialty!

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Thanks to flickr, revger, latteontheroad, apv photos, and The Pink Rose, for the photos.
 
 
 
 
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Filed under: The Word | 16 Comments »

“A Lutheran Pastor Shows the Need for the Catholic Church”

Posted on June 25, 2011 by theoldadam

St. Peter's tomb inside the Vatican by npadgett1890

Really?

Joe Heschmeyer has featured Pastor Mark in his latest blog post. Joe asserts (by listening to a class Pastor Mark gave on the authority of the Word and the origins of the Bible) that Pastor Mark shows the need for the authority of the Roman Catholic Church.

How he arrived at that assumption, I’m not quite sure.  But he lays it out here:

click here > Shameless-Popery

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Here is the class  from which Joe reached his erroneous conclusion:

click here for the pastor’s class > Did-the-Bible-Drop-out-of-Heaven?

 

 The fun just never ends here at the Old Adam lives!

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 Thanks to flickr, and npadgett1890, for the photo.
 
 
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Filed under: and Holy Scripture, Shameless Popery | Leave a comment »

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