Children of the Promise by CLB Network

Faith Fellowship Church of the Lutheran Brethren

•

March/April 2011

•

Vol. 78, No. 2

Children of the

PROMISE www.ffmagazine.org

In This Issue 4 6 8 10 11 12 13 14 16

Father Abraham Brad Pribbenow

Father-heart of God

FAITH & FELLOWSHIP

The Wonder of Our Heavenly Father Mark Erickson

Director of Communications: Tim Mathiesen tmathiesen@clba.org | twitter: @ffmag

Snap Shot

Editor: Brent Juliot bjuliot@clba.org

Whose Synod is This?

Publisher/Graphic Designer: Troy Tysdal ttysdal@clba.org

Richard Iverson

Volume 78 - Number 2

Brent Juliot

Roy Heggland A Reflection of God’s Heart Riley Sexton

Do You Innovate? Richard Iverson Children Walking in Truth David Veum

18 19 20

Church & Synod News WM CLB National Convention Cheryl Olsen re:Think Tim Mathiesen

Thy Word Have I Hid... James Olson

Illustration: Megan Behrens: Cover Illustration Scott Erickson: p.5, p.10 Photography: Katie Tysdal: Prayer Photo p.2, p.3 Gaylan Mathiesen: p.14 Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright ©1973. 1978. 1984. International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

Prayer

The Prayer Highway SHEL SORENSEN

Time for a checkup on your prayer life? I read a new description of prayer the other day: “Prayer is the highway that faith takes into the power of God.” Wow, that’s a fresh way of looking at prayer, isn’t it! But maybe we get hung-up on the question, “How much faith do I need?” Fortunately, Jesus gave us the answer. Remember the story in Mark 9 and Matthew 17 about Jesus and the man whose son was seized by an evil spirit? The father pleaded with Jesus, “Take pity on us and help us.” Jesus replied, “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Then it says, “Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’” Whereupon Jesus commanded the evil spirit to leave and restored the boy to his grateful father. 2

Faith diluted with doubt—and still Jesus answered the father’s prayer. The story doesn’t end there. Later when talking with his disciples, Jesus explained, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed… nothing will be impossible for you.” A mustard seed? That was the smallest seed the farmers sowed in Israel at that time. If he had said we need faith the size of an eighteen-wheeler, it would be hopeless. But as we pray we need only to persist with the faith God has given us, small though it may be; that’s where we experience the grace of God. So as you pray this year, be confident that your prayers are not a footpath, but a highway into the power of God. Pray on. Shel Sorensen is the CLB Prayer Team Coordinator. The CLB Prayer Team is on-call to pray for requests from our family of churches. E-mail the team at: pray@prayclb.org

Faith & Fellowship

Glimpse Children of the Promise

ROMANS 4:13-17

TROY TYSDAL “Where do I belong?” It’s a question that had a built-in answer for a firstcentury Jew. “We are children of Abraham, children of the promise.” In Genesis, God promised Abraham that he would make him into a great nation, that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky, and that all the people of the earth would be blessed through him. For firstcentury Pharisees and Sadducees, the religious leaders of the Jews, their faith was in their genealogy. They believed their connection to Abraham and his righteousness earned them favor with God. What they failed to realize was that God chose Abraham, not because of the blood in his veins or his good deeds, but because of the faith that was found in him. One day while John the Baptist was baptizing along the Jordan, a group of Pharisees and Sadducees approached him and stood on the river’s bank. They had come to observe John and to put their holiness on display for the sinners standing in line to be baptized. John immediately saw their hypocrisy and said, “Do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our Father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham” (Matthew 3:9). The words of John the Baptist give us a glimpse of God’s incredible power. If God can speak into the darkness and call forth light, surely he can say to the stones in the river, “Rise up, and become children for Abraham,” and they will do just that. John’s words capture the essence of what God does when he creates faith in us. By the power of his Word and his Holy Spirit, he penetrates the hardened hearts of nonbelievers, people as helpless as the stones in the river, and www.ffmagazine.org

they are transformed into children of Abraham, children of the promise—not by birth, but by faith. Romans 4:13-17 “It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. For if those who live by the law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression. “Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: ‘I have made you a father of many nations.’ He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.”

veins. He is God in the flesh, and yet a descendant of Abraham, sent to the cross so that the world might receive the blessing promised to Abraham. After Jesus rose from the dead, his story spread through the earth, creating faith where faith had not been before, turning stones into children, and expanding Abraham’s family into incredible numbers. “Where do I belong?” Have you asked yourself that question? For us who believe, it’s a question with a beautiful answer. We are children of Abraham, heirs to the promise of salvation. Once dead in our sin, now alive by faith. Once rejected, now restored by the perfect blood of Christ. Once orphans, now members of an eternal family promised long ago. Transformed by faith into children of Abraham, we are sons and daughters of God. Troy Tysdal is Church Resource Coordinator for the CLB and serves as associate pastor at Stavanger Lutheran Church in Fergus Falls, MN.

Unlike Abraham, Jesus Christ was chosen precisely for the blood in his 3

Father Abraham BRAD PRIBBENOW

ne song that is etched in my childhood vacation Bible school memory is the song “Father Abraham.” Do you remember it? “Father Abraham had many sons; many sons had father Abraham; I am one of them and so are you; so let’s just praise the Lord.” Accompanying the repetition of these lyrics was the progressive flailing of limbs and other body parts, until our “whole self” got into the act (I get tired just thinking about it!). Silly song lyrics aside, it is true that Father Abraham does have many children. How do we know this? Not because the children’s song says so but because Jesus says so. Jesus says in John 8:37-39 that all those who receive God’s Word and believe his promise, as Abraham did in Genesis 15:6, are made righteous like Abraham. In fact, they are not only children of Abraham, but children of God. We are first introduced to Abraham’s story in Genesis 11:27 as he and his father’s household move from Ur of the Chaldeans to a region just north of Canaan called Haran. Then in Genesis 12:1-3 (NASB) we read: “Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.’” GOD CALLS... Did you ever wonder why God called Abraham? It might not have crossed your mind that God had others he could have called in place of Abraham. One look at the genealogy in Genesis 14 shows that there were a number of Noah’s immediate relatives 4

alive during this time. Even Shem, the eldest of Noah’s sons, could have been a candidate! Would not the eldest son of the righteous man, Noah, have made a better choice than an unknown, untested idol worshipper from some foreign land? Yet we see here one of the many instances where the Lord pursued someone whom we’d least expect to be of interest to him. Abraham—an idolatrous man from a pagan family who had no knowledge of God or intention to seek him—yet was loved by God. It should come as no surprise then that Jesus shared this same mission: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10; note also the reference to Abraham in Luke 19:9). Martin Luther wrote that “even the greatest saints were human beings who could fall into sins and often fell horribly; but when they were saved and later on were endowed with various gifts, this is entirely the result of God’s mercy, who calls us by His Word and does not cast us aside” (LW, vol. 2, 249). Just as God called Abraham, he also sees fit to call you and me—sinners saved by his grace. GOD BLESSES... God’s promise to bless is central to all of the promises and intentions expressed in Genesis 12:2-3. At the heart of all that God does and intends for his creation stands his desire to bless us (note it is repeated five times in vv. 2-3)! This fact finds expression in the first two questions of the Introduction to Luther’s Small Catechism. They read, “What are God’s thoughts about you? God’s thoughts about me are thoughts of love and blessing (John 3:16; Psalm 139:17). What is God’s will for you? God’s will is that I be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (John 10:10; 1 Timothy 2:3,4).”

The ultimate blessing of God is not material. In fact, although it comes to us in this world, it is ultimately not something that this world can contain. The true blessing of God is the gift of being in fellowship with him by grace through faith in his Son, Jesus Christ! By the mercy of God we are named by him as his people and brought into the Church through the gift of his Son. This is God’s good intention for his creation! GOD MAKES US A BLESSING... And his creation includes “all the families of the earth.” The pattern Faith & Fellowship

of God’s activity throughout the Scripture is not just to bless one person, or one family, or one nation as an end in itself. Rather his pattern is to call one person, one family and one nation and then through them to carry out his plan to reach many others. A closer look at the grammar of Genesis 12:1-3 reveals this same intention. God called and blessed Abraham so that (i.e., with the exclusive purpose that) others might be blessed through him. God’s purpose in calling and blessing Abraham is fulfilled as that blessing extends to people the world over. We stand as www.ffmagazine.org

recipients of that blessing. What’s more, we are also part of bringing that blessing to even more people today. The Apostle Paul states that through Adam all the families of the earth were cursed (1 Corinthians 15:22). Yet he also proclaims that through Jesus Christ this curse of death is reversed. Those who are dead in their sins can now find life through faith in Jesus Christ. As the Apostle Peter said: “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to himself” (Acts 2:39). God surely has his eye on “all the

families of the earth.” He would think of nothing less! For no one is outside the loving gaze of our Heavenly Father! And so this Easter it is our glorious privilege once again to stand up and declare to all the world God’s gracious intention for them in Jesus Christ. May God bless you. May he bless his Church. And may he make us a blessing to all the families of the earth! Rev. Brad Pribbenow is currently enrolled in the Ph.D. program for Biblical Studies at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO.

Father-heart of God RICHARD IVERSON

Y Papa!” said Ian, our soon to be adopted four-year-old Ecuadorian son. He saw Jose (name changed) coming close to me this past fall at the orphanage that was home for both Ian and Jose, and Ian got defensive. He was claiming me as his own. I was glad! Little did Ian know that we had been working for nearly two years so he could join our family. Before he claimed us, we had already claimed him as our own. Our family’s journey into adoption has been like a long walk. Having been blessed with four biological daughters, we had a sense that our nest (and minivan!) was full. We had no thought or plan to grow our family through adoption. But about six years ago God started working on our hearts about opening up our home to another child. We observed other parents who were growing their families through adoption, and we began to ask the Lord if he would want us to welcome another child into our home. After much discussion and wrestling with 6

God, we started the process that has changed our life dramatically. We took our first step into adoption four years ago when we adopted Isaac, a newborn infant, into our home. Isaac, whose birth mother is Puerto Rican and birth father is African-American, was originally from Florida. He was born with a serious heart defect that has required three surgeries. He has recovered from those surgeries and is now an active, growing, ball-loving boy. The future will hold challenges for him physically, so we are learning to put his future in God’s hands. With Ian joining our family last fall, we now have two four-year-old boys and four daughters ages 13, 15, 19, and 21, as well as a son-in-law as of last June 26. The table at Christmas time was full! We have learned much in this process—both about ourselves and about God’s heart for us, because he has also adopted us into his family. I mentioned earlier that we had worked for nearly two years on Ian’s adoption, something that he was not aware of

when he grabbed my leg and claimed me as his Papa. I know that many adoptive parents have worked longer than that to bring their adoptive child into their family. When did God start his plan to bring us into his family? It is easy to think that it started when we can remember it starting. Reality is that God started his adoption plan before our first father, Adam, became the first prodigal and left the Father in the garden. God was active behind the scenes, writing our adoption story in history and recording it for us in the scriptures. It involves Abraham, Moses, and David and culminates in the coming of Jesus. Before I turned to God in repentance and faith and cried “MY Papa,” God had already done all that was necessary to welcome me with open arms into his gracious embrace. He wrote my adoption papers with the ink of his blood, paying the price for my rebellious prodigal spirit by his own death. Yes, the adoptions of our two sons have cost us, but I did not have to die a lonely, painful death to Faith & Fellowship

make it happen. The price I paid is a pittance compared to the price that our Lord has paid to welcome us into his family. I have learned that love grows as it is given away—that more kids in the house doesn’t mean less love to go around, but more. There are more people that love each other in the same square feet! More hugs, more smiles, more laughter, more forgiveness, more need of grace. We have learned about sharing and giving and loving in ways that are not always easy. But it has helped us turn from our self-absorbed lives to serve our neighbors. It has opened our eyes to the needs of those around us and the importance of welcoming the fatherless into our home. We are learning that love is not a matter of DNA as much as it is about kindness, gentleness, joy, patience and keeping the promises we make. It is doing the right thing over and over again for the right reasons. Every adoption story has some sadness in it—a young mother makes a loving but difficult choice to place her www.ffmagazine.org

child into another family. A couple of boys will have to journey through the dynamic of grieving the loss of people that they did not have the chance to know and love. God rebuilds the broken places and uses that process for his glory, yet we know it doesn’t remove all the sadness or pain. It is how God works. He doesn’t erase the pain of life. Rather, we carry it with us and God causes us to bear fruit in the midst of the pain and sadness. Joy and sadness are not mutually exclusive. Our Lord knows this. Hebrews 12:2 says, “[Jesus] who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross” (ESV). Adoption has been one way that we have experienced and come to understand the father-heart of God for us. In the movie The Blind Side, the Tuohy family welcomes a young man named Michael Oher into their family. The Tuohys are a wealthy white family; Michael Oher is a young black high school student without a family. He’s from the tough side of town. In one scene Leigh Anne Tuohy, the

mom of the family, is having a meal with some of her friends. One of her friends comments, “Leigh Anne, you are changing that young man’s life!” Leigh Anne thoughtfully responds, “No, he is changing mine.” That is how I feel about our story. I think about Jose and get teary, wondering to whom he will say “My papa.” That would not have happened before our adoption journey. Adoption has changed me. I am glad. I am so glad that God has claimed me as his own son. I was orphaned and my Heavenly Father claimed me as his own. He gave me his name. He gave me an inheritance, and gave me a family. It will take eternity to wrap my soul around those gifts. Adoption has changed me. I am glad. Rev. Richard Iverson is pastor at Hope LBC in Barnesville, MN.

The Wonder of Our Heavenly Father MARK ERICKSON

doption stories are often rollercoaster stories of emptiness and anguish, of waiting and hoping, of heartache and supreme joy. What adoption story has more meaning and power than that of a little baby conceived in dysfunction or disadvantage who is adopted into an anxiously waiting, healthy family where that child’s basic needs are abundantly met? Try this one: The message of the Bible is that a perfectly righteous God has made the supreme effort and sacrifice necessary to welcome (adopt) rebellious sinners into his eternal family! Scripture teaches that when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden they were fundamentally alienated from God; their face-to-face intimacy was gone. This alienation was passed on to all of their children, so that even today this is the natural condition into which every human being is born. We are spiritual orphans by nature. Our only inheritance as such is meaninglessness, alienation, fear, and ultimately death forever. However, in his love and mercy God sent Jesus, his only begotten Son. Christ was the means by which God could adopt unrighteous people into his perfectly righteous family without compromising his righteousness. To accomplish this feat, Jesus lived a completely righteous life, then offered his righteous life as a sacrifice on the cross. As he hung upon the cross, Jesus willingly took upon himself all of the sins of all humanity and all of God’s righteous judgment against all of our unrighteousness. By Jesus’ supreme sacrifice God’s perfect standard of justice was satisfied. Whoever believes in what Jesus did is reconciled with God; his or her sins forgiven. 8

Other scriptural metaphors for what God does for sinners include: born again (or from above), grafted in, justified, pardoned, and adopted. These are extremely meaningful metaphors that illustrate aspects of what occurs when a person becomes a Christian, whether it is unconsciously (as with a child in holy baptism) or more consciously (as in the case of an older child or adult). Arguably, the most dominant of those metaphors is justification. It pictures a court trial in which the defendant is clearly guilty of wrongdoing (sin) and is about to be sentenced. But someone else steps in and offers to pay the penalty on behalf of the guilty party. The guilty one is set free, cleared of all charges. Note that the guilty person is not actually innocent, but is declared not guilty by the judge. Another fascinating metaphor for salvation is found in Romans 11:1324, where Paul pictures the inclusion of “wild” Gentiles in God’s Kingdom. They are grafted into the “tree” of true righteousness from which some Jews were “broken off” on account of their stubborn unbelief. These metaphors all emphasize the gracious work of God through Jesus Christ to change an otherwise desperate situation into one of hope and joy, reconciliation and unity. Although it is not mentioned frequently in the Bible, adoption is present in both Old and New Testaments. It is no less beautiful or powerful than other metaphors as an illustration of what God does for sinners who believe in him. Adoption, as a human activity, is a legally binding declaration that someone has become a parent of someone other

than his or her natural, biological offspring. But it is so much more than a legal declaration! It is a huge change in which loving companionship and intimacy replaces loneliness; fulfillment replaces emptiness; and joy replaces sorrow. The one who is adopted now belongs to a family. He or she is legally able to receive support, care, discipline, and an inheritance—all the same rights and provisions of any natural child born to the adoptive parents. In Galatians 4, Paul uses the metaphor of adoption to show the Galatian believers that it will be counter-productive for them to return to the dead-end of legalism as some troublemakers in the Galatian province were trying to pressure them to do. Up to this point he has been arguing that the message of Jesus is directly from Jesus himself to Paul and cannot be changed without eternal Faith & Fellowship

consequences. Paul tells them that, for the Law to make them acceptable to God, they must keep not only the Sabbath and circumcision rules, but every detail of the Law—something that no one can do. Even before the Law was written down, says Paul, God credited Abraham with righteousness. This came not through his obedience or goodness, but through faith that God would do as he promised. In Galatians 4:1-7, Paul teaches that— thanks to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus—the Law has been fulfilled on our behalf. It cannot erase our sin or deliver God’s promises. Paul illustrates by the analogy of adoption: Judaism in that day was like a child of a wealthy father who was too young to inherit his father’s wealth. Although he was the heir and in a sense owned it all, as a child he was not really different than one of his father’s servants! The irony! www.ffmagazine.org

Paul tells the Galatians not to go back to a slavish spiritual immaturity, but to grow into maturity through faith alone. Faith that trusts God to keep his promises without feeling the need to “help” God by trying to keep some of his laws. Paul urges the Galatians to recognize that through their “adoption as mature sons” they are “old enough” to inherit what has been promised! As evidence of that adoption, they (and we today) not only inherit all that God has promised, but we have the privilege of knowing God intimately. An expression of this intimacy is in calling the Almighty Creator “Abba”—the equivalent of the American term “Dad.” Having been adopted, all fear, formality and distance are gone. We really belong in God’s family and we stand to inherit all that he promises in Christ Jesus. The privilege is ours, not because we somehow impressed

God, but because God loved us and acted on that love. It was costly love for him, but a free gift for us! Rev. Mark Erickson is professor of New Testament and Practical Theology at Lutheran Brethren Seminary in Fergus Falls, MN. Visit Lutheran Brethren Seminary online at www.lbs.edu

snap

shot

BRENT JULIOT

Adopt A People

esus called the Church to carry his gospel to the ends of the earth in order that, one day, every “nation, tribe, people and language” may be represented before his throne. We understand that, in calling the Church, Jesus entrusted this mission to individual congregations—including each of ours. Individual Lutheran Brethren churches are able to do this in partnership with their sending group, Lutheran Brethren International Mission (LBIM). Looking at the need for Christ in the world today, LBIM has focused on particular people groups where there is currently little or no witness of Christ and no existing church native to that culture. The goal is to establish such churches, and that they will then in turn seek to plant more churches in their own people group and eventually in other people groups. One way a local congregation may take ownership of its mission to the world is through the concept of “adopting a people group.” Steps to adoption include prayer, research, consultation with LBIM, and then a formal commitment. What specific things might an adopting congregation be committing to do? Continued prayer, continued learning, support of missionaries, and direct shortterm mission efforts to that people group. How does it work? How will it feel for the local congregation? For one thing, the adopting church will find that LBIM is a partner with them in their new ministry. LBIM will support them on a long-term basis with ideas, motivation, training, and communication about the adopted people group and efforts to plant the seed of the gospel among them. Similar to the adoption of a child, the local church will find the people group adoption to be a challenge that provides increased responsibilities and increased opportunities. The church will take on an active role in prayer, financial support, 10

mission planning, and missionary care. The opportunity comes not only in knowing missionaries well, but in knowing a people group well, through first-hand experience. The church has a vital interest, not only in the lives of their missionaries, but in the specific ministry work of their missionaries and in the lives of specific individuals in the adoptive people group. For example, when a missionary comes “home,” he or she will more likely be asked “how’s Abdul?” than “what do you eat over there?” What lasting benefits will the adopting congregation experience? The church knows that it is actively fulfilling the Great Commission of Christ. It has a significantly richer and more personal involvement with LBIM than just providing funds. The congregation is

better informed, more prayerful, and more motivated—both for the unreached people group and for local ministry. And this local church may very well send out its own people as missionaries. Your congregation is invited to partner with LBIM in adoption of an unreached people group. Rev. Brent Juliot is Editor of Faith & Fellowship Magazine, teaches math at Hillcrest Lutheran Academy, and serves as senior pastor at Stavanger Lutheran Church in Fergus Falls, MN.

LBIM

www.lbim.org

For information on people group adoption contact: lbim@lbim.org

Faith & Fellowship

Join The Mission

Whose Synod is This?

(Do you know where your child is?) ROY HEGGLAND

little over 100 years ago, five small churches in the Midwest joined together to form a mission society so that they could send missionaries to China. Through the years, God added more churches to our number so that today there are 115 churches in the U.S. and Canada; our international mission focus has shifted to Taiwan, Japan, Chad and Cameroon; and our mission society has grown to encompass a seminary, church planting, youth ministries, publishing and pastoral care. The informal association that was created by those first churches has grown to become a denomination called the Church of the Lutheran Brethren (CLB). It is easy for us (even those who have been members of the CLB all of our lives) to forget that our synod is the creation, the child, of our local churches. It exists only to serve as the representative of our local churches in carrying out the Great Commission and has no mission, goal, or reason for existence apart from our congregations. Many of our parishioners have no idea how their local church is connected to those people from Fergus Falls, Minnesota who occasionally bring a greeting on Sunday morning during their worship services. Perhaps it’s worth repeating the Vision Statement of the CLB: “We see God stirring in our church a fresh passion to reach beyond our own comfort to all people among whom God places us. We embrace God’s mission to bring the life-changing gospel to unreached people in Asia and Africa, and we sense God convicting us to more intentionally reach out to people who live in our midst in North America as well.” So when you think about the ministry of your local church, please remember that your congregation is a member of the CLB Family and the mission of your congregation includes ALL that the CLB does. As children depend on the care of their parents, the CLB looks to you for your prayer and support. Roy Heggland is Chairman of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren Council of Directors.

www.clba.org/giving

The Word of God is true and his mission continues to this day. On behalf of its congregations, the Church of the Lutheran Brethren is faithfully committed to our call of training, creating a foundation, and sending workers into the harvest. Join the Mission: You bring the gospel into Islamic villages in Chad, to the Hakka people in Taiwan, and to the native people in Japan. You send Faith & Fellowship magazine into thousands of homes encouraging and resourcing Christians. You train pastors and missionaries that teach the inerrancy of Scripture and proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. You do all that through prayer and faithful giving. The CLB Synod is Yours! We ask that you prayerfully continue to partner with us as we seek, with God’s help, to proclaim the good news we have been given to the ends of the earth.

www.clba.org/giving

500,000 450,000 400,000 350,000

Church of the Lutheran Brethren Fiscal Year-to-Date Contribution Report Received as of January 31, 2011 Fiscal year: May 1, 2010 - April 30, 2011

300,000 250,000 200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000 0 -50,000 -100,000 -150,000 -200,000 -250,000 -300,000 -350,000 -400,000

May

Jun.

Anticipated

www.ffmagazine.org

JOIN THE MISSION

Jul.

Aug. Actual

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

Accumulated Difference Anticipated vs. Actual

A Reflection of God’s Heart RILEY SEXTON

e remember first meeting each of our children. Those treasured moments are significant, tender, and full of joy. We first met Jude, not in a state of exhaustion after hours of birthing labor, but instead exhausted from three days of flights and car travel. Meeting this new child was a less painful experience for my wife! We had an entirely different sense of nervous anticipation—yet still incredible and life-changing. We had first seen Jude’s picture and description three weeks earlier. Eve (our third child) began sleeping with his picture immediately, and our other two kids took his picture everywhere and told everyone about him. Over ten months later, Eve is still sprinting into his room the minute she hears him awake. This all came about through the impact of Scripture. It was not related to any specific passages about orphan care. It was Nehemiah 1 and 2. Nearly two years before I held Jude for the first time, I had challenged our church to consider that God might be calling us to leverage for something after his heart. It could be our time, resources, influence, money, etc. The challenge stuck with me and I prayed about it regularly. What did it mean for me? For us as a family? As the question continued to come up, Candra and I attended a leadership conference where some people spoke briefly about adoption. We looked at each other, overwhelmed with the sense that God wanted us to expand our family. Until then, I had felt we were through having children. Almost in an instant, my position changed dramatically. What did we have to leverage for something after God’s heart? Something he was already using and will continue to use—a loving and stable family, a warm and suitable home, and the resources to provide for another child. Psalm 68:56a says, “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families…” I understand that passage differently because of adoption. Maybe I am the lonely one who is being set in 12

a family, more than my children. God is giving the gift to me, horizontally (my family) and vertically (with him). Holding my youngest son for the first time I realized powerfully that, in Christ, God gives us all that he is and has. Even then, everything I was and had became available to Jude whether he knew what it meant or not. He was adopted and enveloped into our family. How amazing that God does this in an even greater way for each one of us! I understand that one reason some husbands are slow to consider adoption is that they wonder if they could really love a child that “wasn’t theirs.”

None of our kids are really ours—that’s our approach to parenting. They are God’s and he has entrusted them into our care. He loves them more than we could and wants far more for them than we could ever imagine. As a reflection of God’s heart, we want the very best for each one of our children and would do anything for them—regardless of how and when we first met. They are each amazing gifts. Rev. Riley Sexton is pastor at Journeys Church in Saskatoon, SK.

Faith & Fellowship

RICHARD IVERSON

Small Churches: Reaching Unreached People Groups

ur church, Hope Lutheran Brethren of Barnesville, Minnesota, is in the prayer and investigation stage of choosing to adopt an unreached people group, specifically the Bagirmi people of Chad. Bethel Lutheran Church of Fergus Falls has already adopted the Bagirmi, so we would be able to partner with them and other area churches that are considering this adoption. The idea of partnering together started over Chinese food as area pastors gathered for our monthly cluster meal. Pastor Dave Foss of Bethel suggested the possibility of a number of churches working together to adopt the same people group, as it would be such a large task for any one church to tackle on its own. We see great benefit in working together, and have taken the approach that each church will do what it feels God has called it to do. We will resist the temptation to compare ourselves to one another, but rather ask, “Lord what do you want us to do?” The first benefit is in pooling our energy, dollars, and manpower resources towards the same goal. In early February, we partnered in sending a team of three men, two from Hope and one from Bethel, to visit the Bagirmi people with missionary Dan Venberg. We couldn’t do this without assistance from Lutheran Brethren International Mission and the encouragement of people from Bethel who have gone to Chad before. Another benefit of this adoption approach is that a missionary may connect with a number of supporting churches in a geographic area. This will make home assignments (furloughs) easier on missionaries. A large part of their support team will be more centrally located rather than spread out across the continent. www.ffmagazine.org

Bethel has made a substantial faith commitment to support a missionary to the Bagirmi in the future. The temptation is for churches like Hope that are smaller in numbers and budgets to think that we can’t do anything because we are smaller. It is the “poor me, I am a small church” syndrome, that leaves God out of the picture and may be an excuse for small-heartedness. We at Hope are praying for God’s leading. We thank God for what he is doing through Bethel, and are asking how God

would want us to be involved with reaching people who have no access to the gospel— unless we bring it to them. Rev. Richard Iverson is pastor at Hope LBC in Barnesville, MN.

LBIM

www.lbim.org

For information on partnering in a people group adoption contact: lbim@lbim.org

Children Walking in Truth DAVID VEUM

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. 3 John 1:4

ast summer a good friend called with some great news. His adult son had just told him the evening before that he wanted to follow Christ. My friend was ecstatic. Far more important than his son’s excellent job, athletic ability, or status in the community, was the simple fact that his son was walking in the truth. We experience a similar joy as a Lutheran Brethren Seminary (LBS) faculty when we hear that our graduates are walking in the truth of God’s Word. Just last week one pastor described for me how he helps seekers discover peace with God. He shows them from God’s law that they are sinful, lost, and facing eternal judgment. When they humbly agree without excuses that this is true, he then tells them what Christ has done in bearing their sin to the cross and suffering God’s judgment in their place. He directs them to the promise of God’s Word that God forgives their sin fully for Jesus’ sake. When he sees that they have by faith believed the gospel, he leads them in a prayer of confession and repentance. As this pastor told me about his work with seeking sinners, I was captivated by his words. I was drawn to Christ again. We want all of our graduates to walk in this same truth as they serve our Lord. This fits so well with one of our core values as the 14

Church of the Lutheran Brethren (CLB): “We long for people to trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, to come to know him in a personal way.” To keep these core values before us, we have included the following strategic direction in the seminary plan*: “Serve the congregations of the CLB in a manner consistent with the CLB Statement of Faith and Core Values.” “As the Statement of Faith declares our core beliefs, our Statement of Core Values explains how we desire to live out our faith.” To discover how well we are fulfilling this major direction, we want to do the following. 1. Communicate the vision and ministry of LBS to congregational leaders within 100% of the CLB congregations. 2. Complete an annual survey of congregational leaders in preparation for the annual strategic plan update. 3. Survey the congregations served by recent LBS graduates to discover the effectiveness and value of the ministry preparation provided by LBS. 4. Create a structured environment(s) for theological discussions with congregational leaders. 5. Through the Alumni Relations Committee, complete a survey of LBS Alumni regarding the value of the educational programs. We look forward to hearing of many people coming to trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord through the ministry of our graduates and the congregations they serve. This happens as they proclaim everywhere that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin, and people believe and follow this Savior. What could bring us more joy! Dr. David Veum is President of Lutheran Brethren Seminary in Fergus Falls, MN. *View LBS Strategic Plan at www.lbs.edu

Faith & Fellowship

IS GOD TRYING TO GET YOUR ATTENTION? God is calling people into the ministry. Is He calling you?

ANSWER THE CALL! Lutheran Brethren Seminary: 218-739-3375 â&#x20AC;˘ www.lbs.edu Preparing Lutheran pastors, chaplains, and missionaries.

Thy Word Have I Hid... JAMES OLSON

hen I was born in 1925, my parents were Lutherans who faithfully attended church. My five siblings had been baptized as infants, yet my parents were not born again Christians. In the late 1930s, however, after hearing the gospel in a special evangelistic meeting, my father was saved. I still remember his first testimony. He stood up in church and said, “I am a sinner. God knows it, so the rest of you might as well know it too.” A few years later my mother and oldest sister had the same experience of salvation. CONVERSION Our church didn’t have any youth group, so after confirmation most of us pretty much went our own way. As a teenager dealing with peer pressure, wanting to be somebody, feeling the lure of the world— 16

these were very difficult years for me. I wore a smile on the outside that didn’t picture my true feelings on the inside. I feared God to death. I was not prepared for eternity. I thought going deeper into sin might erase the turmoil within. My church attendance became irregular and nearly ceased. At that time, however, the Lord called again through some special meetings to which I was invited. I thought, “I’ll go, then make a quick exit after the service.” I don’t remember the message that night, but the invitation song gripped me— “Almost persuaded… almost, but lost.” It seemed that the Lord and the devil were battling for my soul. I felt that this might be God’s last call to me. I prayed the simple prayer: “God be merciful to me a sinner.” The Lord had won! But then followed two days where I felt I was

in “no man’s land.” I didn’t feel like I belonged to the Lord and I didn’t want to go back to the devil and the life I was living. Two nights later on December 5, 1942, the evangelist preached on Matthew 9:2— “Son, be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven you.” This became my assurance of salvation. God was now my father and I was his child. There was a sudden change. I had tried the “rest,” now I would try the “best.” I found my Bible, wiped the dust off it, and started to read it again. I did so, not because I had to, but because I wanted to. What we studied in the catechism also became alive and real to me. CONSCRIPTION In the early 1940s came World War II. Over ten million young men were called up, and some women also volunteered Faith & Fellowship

How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:9-11

to help defend our liberty and the free world. When our numbers came up, we went. When young men left for service from our community, the local American Legion gave each one a New Testament, complete with a metal front cover. The idea was that if worn over the heart this would protect you! I also had my Bible with me. I took my Infantry Basic Training at Camp Joseph T. Robinson just north of Little Rock, Arkansas. We lived in simple shacks without windows. They did have screens and shutters. One night when the shutters were open, it rained, and my Bible got wet. The pages were discolored, but still readable. In December 1944, the German Army counterattacked in Belgium and pushed the Allies back for a while. It was “The Battle of the Bulge.” Because our forces over there needed infantry replacements, our seventeen-week basic training was cut to fifteen. We were given a six-day delay for a short visit home before reporting to Fort Meade, Maryland. There, in a gym packed with G.I.s, a lecturing officer plainly told us, “You are going over and some of you are not coming back.” At this, each one looked at the man next to him, thinking, “He must mean you and not me.” Seeing our reaction, the speaker added, “I knew this is what you would do.” He warned that from now on our letters home would be censored, so we must not write anything that might benefit the enemy if it fell into their hands. There followed a full field inspection. We dumped everything out of our duffle bags. We could each take only eight pounds of personal belongings, including washcloth, two towels, toothbrush and paste, and shaving kit. Besides these permissible belongings, I had my Bible. When the inspector, a young Second Lieutenant, saw this, he asked, “What do you intend to do with that?” “I plan to take it with me,” I replied. He then told me that I should send it home. When he went on to the next person, I wrapped my Bible in a towel and put it back in my duffle bag. www.ffmagazine.org

Our next stop was at Camp Miles Standish—near Boston, for a final field inspection. My Bible showed up again and it seemed even bigger than before. This time our inspector was a staff sergeant. He asked the same question. I gave the same response. Then he said, “Good deal. Take it with you.” COMBAT and SPIRITUAL CONFLICT With 7,000 other doughboys bound for Europe, we boarded a former luxury liner, the Wakefield. The conversion from luxury liner to troop carrier was 100%. There wasn’t a bit of luxury left in it. We were stacked five high and rubbing elbows with our seasick neighbors. So I had my Bible with me in basic training, through inspections, across the stormy north Atlantic, through England, France, Germany, and deep into the heart of Austria. Here, on May 6, 1945, our 71st Division, having penetrated the farthest east of any American unit, met the Russian army coming from the east on the River Enns near the town of Styr. Squeezed between us, however, were Hitler’s elite shock troopers, who made a last-ditch stand. We suffered our heaviest casualties of the war that day. I was never wounded, but I saw shrapnel cut the grass around my feet. This was close enough. May 8 was V.E. Day (Victory in Europe). There was celebration back home, but for us simply relief that the fighting had ended. It was a time of spiritual darkness and discouragement for me after seeing the loss of life on both sides. I concluded that the gospel is the only solution for real peace in this world, and committed my life to help spread the good news of Jesus. The war was over in Europe, but not in Asia. So we were put on the rifle range. We heard rumors that we would cross Russia in trucks and attack Japan from the west. Fortunately, the war in Asia ended, so this rumored trek across eleven time zones never materialized. (I never imagined then that my wife and I would later go with other Lutheran Brethren volunteer “soldiers of the cross”

to establish a spiritual “beachhead” along the Japan Sea coast in Yamagata and Akita prefectures in Japan.) CALLED After serving in the Army of Occupation and being discharged in August 1946, I entered the Lutheran Brethren Bible School in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. This was a culture shock in adjusting from army life, where we had seen the ravages of war, starvation, suffering, death and sin in the raw. However, I enjoyed the fellowship and learning from teachers who were in tune with God. After graduating from the Bible department in 1948, I spent on year at an Indian Mission in North Dakota, mainly helping to construct a children’s home. The following year I returned to seminary, graduating in 1951. This was followed by one year of internship at Elim Lutheran Church near Osakis, Minnesota. My wife Evie and I both felt called to be missionaries in Japan. After our marriage in 1952, we served there from 1954 to 1989. Returning to the States, we started an outreach to Japanese people in the Seattle area. Our son Roger and his wife Susan, who had also been missionaries in Japan, took over the Seattle outreach in 2004. CONCLUSION Now that I have shared God’s mercy to me in life, I can go back and complete the title of this article. The Psalmist asks and gives the answer to a relevant question in Psalm 119:9, “How shall a young man cleanse his way?” The answer is, “By taking heed according to your word…” Then in verse 11, “Your word”—a GOOD POSSESSION—“I have hidden in my heart”—a GOOD PLACE—“that I might not sin against thee”—for a GOOD PURPOSE. Rev. James Olson is retired and living with his wife Evelyn in Shoreline, WA.

Fellowship with one another

MARCH/APRIL 2011

Purifies us from all sin

Walk in the light

The blood of Jesus

1 John 1:7

In Loving Memory

Pastors in Transition

C. Lloyd Bjornlie July 25, 1925 - January 9, 2011

On January 9, 2011, at Broen Memorial Home, in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, Rev. Lloyd Bjornlie left this world and began his walk on the shores of heaven with Jesus, the Savior he loved. Lloyd served as Principal of Hillcrest Lutheran Academy from 1954 to 1964, and as President of Lutheran Brethren Schools from 1972 to 1984.

Pastor

New Position

Brad Hoganson

Associate Pastor at Hillside Lutheran Brethren Church, Succasunna, New Jersey

Dirk McIvor

Associate Pastor at Victory Church, Yuma, Arizona

Danny Bronson

Pastor at Birch Hills Community Church, Birch Hills, Saskatchewan, Canada

Robert Lawson

Pastor at Living Faith Church, Watford City, North Dakota

Mark Johannesen

Associate Pastor at Word of Life Lutheran Brethren Church, LeSueur, Minnesota

Community

Community of Joy (Eagan, MN) Turns 25

Lloyd is survived by his wife, Eleanor.

Dinner April 9th • Celebration service April 10th at 10:30 a.m. For information: Kay Stalcar at 651-687-9010 • www.cojlbc.org

Elder Ordination

J-Term Audio Available Download the audio of both lectures by Dr. Joel C.

On Sunday February 13, Yellowstone LBC in Billings, Montana ordained Jim Skramsted and Dick Anderson as Elders. Participating in the service were Regional Pastor Gary Witkop, Pastor Matt Lundgren, Elder Larry Tanglen, and Elder Larry Vigesaa. To God be the glory for these willing and committed servants!

Session One: Reading Culture: Keeping Conversant with the World around Us Session Two: Law and Gospel Reflected in the Literature of our Culture. Download J-Term audio online at www.lbs.edu

Faith Fellowship Bookstore

2011

VBS

• • • •

Concordia Group Standard and many more!

1020 W. Alcott, Fergus Falls, MN 56537

•

Phone: 800-332-9232

•

Email: ffbooks@clba.org

Faith & Fellowship

Unfolding Grace, Giving, Receiving, Celebrating How many of you have held bake sales for teens to go on mission trips? Bought items to support a mission trip? Secretly envied those who were going? Wanted to be used somehow, but didn’t want to fly across the ocean? Now is your chance! As women, we want to be used as the hands and feet of Christ, adopting some of the needs of the Eastern Region as our own. The 2011 Women’s Ministries Annual Conference will be held at Tuscarora Inn, Pennsylvania in conjunction with the Eastern Region Biennial Convention. But we are encouraging women to come a day early to join together as sisters in Christ in actual ministry.

CHERYL OLSEN

Women’s Ministry CLB National Conference

FRIDAY We’ll join in mission as “Hands of Grace.” We will be giving by assisting the non-profit organization, “Connections for Women,” founded by Carol Anderson, our 2009 speaker. Other ministry areas are also being explored (check www.wmclb.com for further details).

JUNE 24-26, 2011

SATURDAY Saturday, we’ll hear our theme, “Unfolding Grace,” unpacked by Cindy, wife of new Eastern Regional Pastor, Warren Geraghty, in partnership with her daughter Ellen Geraghty, recent Fellowship of Christian Athletes staff. Workshops will continue to unfold the topic of Grace: 1) Reaching Out With Grace: Kristina Grandstaff will share about her non-profit History Starts Now project, which fights sex trafficking in New York City. 2) Grace Unknown: What God is doing to reach the lost through CLB international missions (including updates from Ruth Vallevik’s April 2011 trip to Japan). 3) Transforming Grace: A testimony of God’s grace that brought healing, hope, and life out of darkness. 4) Growing Into Grace: Ellen Geraghty, who has worked with the University of Connecticut Women’s Basketball team through Fellowship of Christian Athletes, shares about ministry to young women, about personal witness, and bridging the generations. 5) Grace Under Pressure: Living a grace-filled life whether as a busy mom, an urban professional, or a ministry leader. 6) Grace In Ministry: What ministry looks like, and how God calls and uses his faithful followers.

SATURDAY EVENING & SUNDAY MORNING Saturday evening and Sunday morning, we’ll join in worship with the Eastern Region.

TUSCARORA INN • MOUNT BETHEL, PA

EXPERIENCE NEW YORK CITY East Coast women will show off the City! Many options are open: Friday through Sunday noon, Friday through Monday, or Friday through Tuesday, including a Broadway show. We are excited for you to join us in mission, in learning, and in celebrating together! Costs will vary, depending on how many days you can join us. Check www.wmclb.com for details. If you can’t join us, band together with other women and finance someone from your women’s group as your representative! Cheryl Olsen is Information Coordinator for Women’s Ministries of the CLB. VISIT WMCLB ONLINE

www.wmclb.com

Faith & Fellowship is the official publication of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren, 1020 W. Alcott Ave., P.O. Box 655, Fergus Falls, MN 56538-0655, issued six times a year (January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October, November/December) by Faith and Fellowship Publishing, 1020 W. Alcott Ave., P.O. Box 655, Fergus Falls, MN 56538-0655. Phone (218)736-7357. The viewpoints expressed in the articles are those of the authors and may or may not necessarily reflect the official position of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren of America (CLBA). Periodicals Postage Paid at Fergus Falls, Minnesota 56538.

(USPS 184-600) • (ISSN 10741712)

SUBSCRIPTIONS: Faith & Fellowship is offered to its readers at no charge. We would encourage your continued support with a donation and if you would like to be on our mailing list, please contact our office. Periodicals Postage paid at Fergus Falls, Minnesota. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Please give both old and new addresses and allow four weeks. Direct all correspondence, including submission of articles, to: Faith & Fellowship, P.O. Box 655, Fergus Falls, MN 56538-0655; Telephone, (218)736-7357; e-mail, ffpress@clba.org; FAX, (218)736-2200. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Faith & Fellowship, P.O. Box 655, Fergus Falls, Minnesota 56538-0655

www.ffmagazine.org

FF 19

ot many things bring a bigger smile to my face than looking into a room and seeing my four-year-old and two-year-old playing together. No pushing, no shouting, no angry looks… just pure imagination and giggles of excitement. I wonder if it’s the same for God? When he sees his children working in harmony, faithfully serving him in the Great Commission, does he feel joy? Would that bring a smile to his face? I think so. As we read in this issue of Faith & Fellowship, we have been adopted as God’s children. “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all, and richly blesses all who call on him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’” (Romans 10:12-13). God has chosen us, and we are saved by faith. Paul writes, “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). We are a family of believers. What does this mean for us as a family? What is the significance? We all have a different history, different experiences, and different relationships with our families. Some of us know our families well and some of us do not. No matter what our experience with our earthly families has been, we can rejoice in knowing that—through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ—we have an eternal family and a father who loves us more than we can ever imagine. God’s desire is that we live in a spirit of unity as we follow Christ Jesus (Romans 15:5). “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:10). My daughters don’t always get along, but as the saying goes, “blood is thicker than water.” Their love for each other comes with being part of the same family, and that always brings them back together. In a similar way, the blood of Christ brings us together as part of his family. As Christians, we are unified by Christ’s death on the cross. We are called into unity to glorify and serve our Father in heaven with one heart and mouth (Romans 15:6).

Periodicals Postage Paid at Fergus Falls, Minnesota 56538

Family Unity

For change of address: Faith & Fellowship P.O. Box 655 Fergus Falls, MN 56538-0655

Tim Mathiesen

Tim Mathiesen is Director of Communications & Prayer for the CLB.

www.ffmagazine.org | www.ffblog.org | www.ffbooks.org | @ffmag