Jesus: Judge, Sinner, Savior by CLB Network

Faith Fellowship Church of the Lutheran Brethren

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March/April 2012

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Vol. 79, No. 2

JESUS

Judge • Sinner • Savior www.ffmagazine.org

In This Issue 4 6 8 10 11 12 13 14 15

Divided by Christ Daniel Berge

The Greatest Sinner Who Ever Lived Pat Thurmer

FAITH & FELLOWSHIP Volume 79 - Number 2

When He Comes David Overland

Family Matters

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

Snap Shot

Editor: Brent Juliot bjuliot@clba.org

Roy Heggland

Ryan Nordlund Do You Innovate? Cheryl Olsen Abounding in Hope 2012 Biennial Convention My Experience at LBS J-Term 2012 Matthew Nelson

16 18 20

I Feel Like Bragging Dale Varberg Church & Synod News re:Think Troy Tysdal

Living with Hope Scott Skones

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

Pray on!

Prayer and Faith JOHN HEIE

Have you been praying for a specific request for months, even years? If you are praying this way, it is evidence of your faith. You believe that God can answer your prayer. If you didn’t believe that, you would stop bringing that request to God, wouldn’t you? Your perseverance in prayer reflects your faith. You are also following Jesus’ admonition to his disciples to “always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1-8). But then there is a potential trap that the devil sets for us. He tells us that we have to have the answer just the way we want it, just like we asked. We yield to this temptation because we don’t see God’s big picture. We really don’t believe the verse that we are so familiar with, Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good for those who love 2

him, who have been called according to his purpose.” So perhaps the ultimate evidence of faith is when we can persevere in prayer, in a spirit of complete surrender, with the belief that God hears us and will answer in his way, according to his purpose, and in his time? Remember, he makes everything beautiful in his time (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Rest in that promise! And rest in the fact that God has a perfect, even if sometimes mysterious, plan for your life! John Heie is a member of the CLB Prayer Team. 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 When God Comes Down BRENT JULIOT JOHN 2:13-17 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” In the second chapter of his gospel narrative, John recounts the story of Jesus changing the water into wine at a wedding reception. In the next chapter, John relates the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus about being born again, culminating in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world…” But between these familiar and much-loved passages, John has sandwiched this account of Jesus cleansing the temple. This appears to be a case of temporary insanity on the part of Jesus. The Jesus we know and love, who works miracles to bless people and graciously invites sinners to find eternal life in himself, has suddenly lost his cool and become an angry, destructive wild man. What’s going on? Has he really lost his composure? Why is he so angry? What’s become of our gentle savior? The fact is, this is Jesus, too. Perhaps we settle for a simplistic view of Christ because it suits us. Jesus came as a humble servant born in a manger, walked the road of suffering and death for us, and now lives eternally to bless us and help us in time of need. Jesus is all about us. Jesus lives for us, exists for us. Isn’t this starting to sound backward? The cleansing of the temple might serve www.ffmagazine.org

as a reminder to us that, actually, we now live for him. When Jesus walked this earth, it was not as the agent of God. Jesus did not enter the temple as God’s agent to judge corruption any more than he was simply God’s representative dying on the cross for our salvation. He was not just an agent of God. He is God—in the flesh. God died on the cross for sinners. And in John 2, it is the holy God who actually walks into the temple dedicated to his worship—and he does not like what he sees. He knows in advance what he will encounter there. He does not suddenly lose his self-control and fly into a furious rage. His actions are a deliberate response to people who have made a mockery of his house, who have turned it into a profitable, corrupt business place and in the process have displaced Gentile God-seekers from their promised place in his house. Human greed has overtaken the spirit and practice of both worship and mission. And God in Christ passes and executes judgment. If we don’t do it more often, Lent can

and should be time for a check-up, for self-evaluation. Do we see our Christian institutions as God sees them? Has our church, our congregation lost its focus? Has the spirit and practice of worship and mission been overtaken by something extraneous? More to the point, do we see ourselves as God sees us? As individuals, are we who know Christ living as people who really know him? Or have we modified, simplified our view of him to make our own lifestyles and choices more comfortable? As Jesus comes to his holy temple today—that is, to your heart, your life—what action will he take? 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.

Divided by Christ DANIEL BERGE

eah, me too. I love Jesus,” replied our neighbor next door. My wife had just attempted to move the conversation toward spiritual matters, with hopes of sharing Jesus with our neighbor. At first glance this might seem like the kind of response we’d be excited about hearing. But, for some reason, we didn’t feel like we were talking about the same Jesus. These particular neighbors had exhibited enough questionable behavior that we didn’t really think they had a living faith. A few months later, after they had disappeared from the neighboring apartment, an officer came to inform us 4

that they had been producing meth right next door to us. Could we have been talking about the same Jesus? One overwhelming theme of our present culture is the theme of tolerance: nobody has any right to pass judgment on anyone else. This non-judging culture has created a non-judging Jesus in its own image. I’ve heard more than one person “appreciate” Jesus’ non-judging teaching as an example for all of us. But, we must ask, is that the true Jesus? Certainly we know that “God is love,” and we know that Jesus shared that message with us here on earth. We remember the stories of Jesus providing

for the needy, offering care to people whom society had discarded, and loving the unloved. It can seem like the Jesus we remember is so kind, so meek, so gentle—like a lamb—that he has decided to pass over sin, without judgment. But are we forgetting what else Scripture teaches about this lamb? One of the biggest challenges to seeing Jesus as non-judging comes from the book of Revelation. There the Lamb of God is often spoken of, but the “nonjudging Jesus” who is accepted by our culture isn’t there. “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in Faith & Fellowship

“His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is The Word of God” Revelation 19:12-13

righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:11-16, ESV). Treading the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty! What kind of Jesus is this! While we are usually quick to point out the love of God, we tend to neglect the wrath of God. As seen here in Revelation, the Scriptures present our meek nonjudging lamb (Jesus) as the dispenser of God’s wrath; the very one who “judges and makes war.” This “other” side of Jesus is not found only in Revelation. While our culture teaches us to only recognize the peaceful Jesus, Matthew records Jesus saying, “Do not think I have come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34). While our culture teaches us to only recognize the non-judging Jesus, John records Jesus saying, “[The Father] has given him authority to execute judgment, www.ffmagazine.org

because he is the Son of Man” (John 5:27). While our culture teaches us to only recognize the tolerant Jesus, all four gospel writers record Jesus clearing the temple in a fit of righteous zeal. (Matthew 21:12-17; Mark 11:15-18; Luke 19:4546; John 2:12-17.) We tend to dismiss the judging side of Jesus, and even the wrathful side of God as something ancient. Something that a by-gone era had to worry about, but now we live in the era of tolerance (we must know better). Today’s world says things like: “God no longer has absolute standards; Jesus wouldn’t be that nitpicky.” The bad news: today’s world is like grass, it withers, it fades, it dies. We cannot allow ourselves to remake God—Jesus—in our own image. We cannot replace the judging Jesus with a Jesus who is simply there to help us feel fulfilled. We cannot look into our own thoughts and feelings to understand how God wants us to live. God has revealed who we are (sinners who damn themselves) and who he is (just judge) throughout all of Scripture. If we, the people of the twenty-first century, want to steer clear of these truths because they are not tolerant enough, we are also steering clear of God’s grace. If we forget about God’s wrath, and the coming judgment of our Lord Jesus Christ, we do not have a need to be saved from anything. If we forget about how holy, holy, holy

the creator and sustainer of the universe is, we do not have a need to be sheltered from his judgment. If we make being tolerant to ourselves and our neighbors the highest virtue, we’ve lost the ability to speak God’s Word. So what do we do in the face of the Lamb of God who “judges and makes war?” Ultimately, we look at the full revelation of God. Jesus is the judge, but also the one who bore our judgment. Through faith in him we are delivered from “the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.” The Lamb of God is best known to us as the one who was offered up as a sacrifice for the judgment due to us. We must remember our God is the true God, in both his wrath and his love. For “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,” nor to avoid passing judgment on the world’s faults, “but to save the world through him” (John 3:17). Daniel Berge is a student at Lutheran Brethren Seminary in Fergus Falls, MN.

The Greatest Sinner Who Ever Lived PAT THURMER

e love the many names and titles of Jesus such as: Lord, Savior, Redeemer, Christ, Shepherd, Lamb, Light of the World, I AM, Prophet, Priest, and King, to name just a few. But what about this name for Jesus? SIN. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:21 that, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us.” It seems almost blasphemous to say it, but it is true. Jesus became SIN for us. We marvel at Christmas time at the descent of God from the glory of heaven into human flesh. The fact of the incarnation demands our awe and wonder. Only eternity will reveal to us the enormity of that journey. But the descent of God in Christ wasn’t complete at his birth. He plunged further still by living and walking the sin-stained roads of earth with us. He radically identified with us when he was baptized in the sinfilled waters of the Jordan. Martin Luther 6

believed that it was there at the Jordan that Jesus actually took upon himself the sin of mankind and carried it from that day forward to the garden of Gethsemane and to the cross, where the depth of his descent horrifies us. He became sin for us! Paul goes on in verse 21 to reveal his purpose. We make much these days of the “purpose-driven way,” but here the ultimate purpose and hope is revealed, “so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” He became SIN so that our name and title might be changed. Because Jesus became SIN, in him we become RIGHTEOUS! Luther called it a divine exchange. In his legendary novel, A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens wrote of a young Englishman trapped in the hatred and violence of the French Revolution. Captured by revolutionaries, the man was sentenced to death on the guillotine. But just before his scheduled execution, he was visited by a French friend who bore

an incredible resemblance to the doomed man. After the guard left, the Frenchman ordered the prisoner to exchange clothes with him. Moments later the guard unknowingly escorted the Englishman to safety while his French friend was executed in his place. An extraordinary exchange. Jesus, the friend of sinners, clothed himself in our sin and he clothes us in his righteousness. That divine exchange means life for us. In his commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians, Luther wrote: “All the prophets of old said that Christ should be the greatest transgressor, murderer, adulterer, thief, blasphemer that ever was or ever could be on earth. When he took the sins of the whole world upon himself, Christ was no longer an innocent person. He was a sinner burdened with the sins of a Paul who was a blasphemer; burdened with the sins of a Peter who denied Christ; burdened with the sins of a David who committed adultery and murder, and gave Faith & Fellowship

the heathen occasion to laugh at the Lord. In short, Christ was charged with the sins of all men, that he should pay for them with his own blood. The curse struck him. The Law found him among sinners. He was not only in the company of sinners. He had gone so far as to invest himself with the flesh and blood of sinners. So the Law judged and hanged him for a sinner.” Think about the collective guilt of humankind throughout history and include in that the cruelty of all wars, all crimes, all murders, the holocausts and every other heinous act ever committed against humanity. Then add to that the guilt of all other injustices that have ever occurred including the false accusations and all the lies that have ever been told. Add to that the guilt for all deeds of hate, envy, pride and gossip that has ever or will ever occur. Then add the guilt for all the ways people have neglected to show kindness, offer help or give of themselves. www.ffmagazine.org

Add to that already huge package the guilt of all unclean, unkind or imperfect thoughts that anyone has ever had. And then finally add to that the guilt of all your sin. Then think about all of these and all other sins that have ever occurred throughout the centuries of time and pack all of it in one bundle of guilt and then take that huge bundle and put it on the back of Jesus. That is what occurred. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us.” God made him who was pure without spot or blemish, God made him who was perfect in every way, to be that package of sin. Jesus became my sin, Jesus became your sin. And then to top it off God judged Jesus to be GUILTY for the whole package and to die the death he died. The weight of that, the horror, the dread and the enormity of it all is incomprehensible.

It caused Jesus to cry out to his Father, “My God.... Why have you forsaken me?” The One who was eternally existent with the Father, the co-creator of all that is, the only Son of God, the second member of the Trinity knew for the first time the full fury and wrath of the Father for sin and the incomprehensible despair that accompanies it. As repulsive as it may sound to us, only in this truth—that Jesus became SIN—is our hope and our salvation found. Rev. Pat Thurmer is pastor of Living Faith in Cape Coral, FL. VISIT ONLINE

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When He Comes DAVID OVERLAND

is first appearance on the earth was anything but noteworthy. No fanfare, no birth announcements, no splashy headlines in the Nazareth Gazette; his birth hardly caused a ripple. The world could have cared less that he had arrived. They had bigger things to worry about. Taxes were on their minds. They were carefully watching the super power of the day as it imposed its political will, its military muscle, and its economic power on increasingly large numbers of peoples and nations. There were rumors of uprisings and revolutions, and talk of how that would affect economic stability. Morality had degenerated into an 8

“anything goes” arena of perversity. The rich were oppressing the poor. People had bigger things to worry about than a poor peasant couple giving birth to a little boy in a stable. His future didn’t seem any brighter than his parents’ present. Who cared about him? For thirty years he lived incognito. Outside of his parents, nobody suspected, much less knew, the Son of God had come to earth. Rumors about his “unusual birth” circulated in his home town but there was no reason to suspect he was God. I mean, he was swinging a hammer with his father Joseph. When he reached the age of thirty, some

things began to change that caused people to sit up and take notice of Jesus. He demonstrated unusual power that stopped people in their tracks. Nature bowed to him, demons obeyed him, authority accompanied him, wisdom flowed from him and miracles testified to him. But the last picture many had of him: he was nailed to a cross, arms extended, a crown of thorns beaten into his bloody head. He died. He was no more. He had spoken of his death and he had spoken of his resurrection during the last three years of his life. His followers didn’t know what to make of it. It upset them. They had tied their future to his. Faith & Fellowship

“Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.” Revelation 1:7

They needed him to live in order to secure their future. Anyway, how could they understand resurrection? It wasn’t until after he had died and they had seen him, met with him, spoken with him, eaten with him in his resurrected state that something else he had spoken of began to make sense to them. He spoke of a day when the Son of Man would come again. When the Son of Man makes his second appearance on earth, then the whole world will concern itself with his presence. Oh, the world scene will not be pretty. There will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world. But when Jesus Christ comes again, the whole earth will tremble. When the trembling all comes to a head, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to another. The Lion of Judah has come! There is no safe place to run to, no place to hide; the day of the Lord is at hand. The Lord God has pulled back the veil from the Son of Man and he will be seen in all his majestic glory. When he comes, every www.ffmagazine.org

eye will see him, even those who pierced him. Judgment is at hand. The day of separation has come. No longer will people scoff at him, curse him, ignore him, or use him—for every person will be exposed before him. Their mourning is not the mourning of repentance; it is the mourning of lost opportunity because Jesus has not come to redeem the world but to judge the world. The world will see him as the firstborn from the dead and they will see him as the ruler of the kings of the earth. The great day of wrath has come and “who can stand in his presence?” We have the answer from John the apostle, who was graced with a preview of a heavenly scene. A great multitude, such a large multitude no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language was standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” One of the elders asked him, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?” John responded, “Sir, you know.” The elder replied, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Make no mistake about it. God will see

to it that the whole world knows that he has exalted Jesus to the highest place. They will know that he has given him the name that is above every name and the whole world will bend their knee before the Lion of Judah. Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. The veil that covered his deity will be forever lifted and his glory will forever be known. The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. Rev. David Overland is pastor of Maple Park Church in Lynnwood, WA.

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F cus Family Matters

ROY HEGGLAND

n the gospels we see Jesus as a real person, subject to trials and temptations. He was human in every way except that he never sinned. He became hungry and thirsty, tired, sad, happy, surprised, angry, and disappointed. He laughed and cried. His feet probably hurt after a long day of walking. He suffered the same things we do; splinters, blisters, colds, headaches, stomach aches, scrapes and bruises. He was often misunderstood by his friends. His own brothers didn’t believe what he said and probably thought he was crazy. He enjoyed the company of people and loved to eat and drink with them. He enjoyed a good party. He loved to tell stories and even more, loved the people to whom he told them. Little kids were special to him and he wanted them to always have access to him. He touched them and blessed them. He wasn’t afraid of associating with the outcasts of society and didn’t seem to worry about his reputation within the community. Sometimes, like us, the busyness of life was too much. So he needed to get away for rest and peace.

You know how you are always ready to talk about your kids and grandkids, often without even being asked? I am, and I have a hard time not embellishing the stories I tell about them. They are just really special to me and I will always be their defender and cheerleader. I am interested in the smallest details of their lives and can’t wait to hear the latest and greatest. They are the apples of my eye! Do you realize that Jesus is also like a parent or grandparent when it comes to talking about his followers and cheering them on? The big difference is that when Jesus says to the Father, “Look at (fill in your name)! She (He) is perfect in every way,” he’s not bragging or embellishing the truth. You really are perfect because you are in him, the very Son of God, who completely and perfectly lived, died, and lives again for you. Listen to Hebrews 7:25, “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” Jesus is telling the Father that we are his! With Jesus, the creator and sustainer of all things, as our cheerleader, how can

CLB Mission Statement: In response to God’s person and grace, we worship him with everything we are in Christ, serve one another in Christian love and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with all people. CLB Vision Statement: 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. Family Matters: We ask that you prayerfully consider partnering with us as we seek, with God’s help, to proclaim the good news we have been given to the ends of the earth.

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we ever think we are losing the game? The outcome is sure and the shouts from heaven are urging us to keep looking at the goal—Jesus. Many more need to hear the Good News that Jesus did it all for them, too. Will you join us in supporting our congregational ministries through the Church of the Lutheran Brethren so that we may continue the mission to which God has called us? Your gifts and prayers will make a difference in the lives of those whom he will touch and cheer on. Thank you. Roy Heggland serves the Church of the Lutheran Brethren as Associate for Biblical Stewardship.

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RYAN NORDLUND

The Fab Five

n the early 90s the Michigan State Spartans had a group of basketball players known as “The Fab Five.” These five young men got this title because of what made them the same… and because of what made them unique… AND because of how they impacted the game of basketball. What made them the same was that they were all freshmen… what made them unique was that they all eventually became starters (this was very unique for top Division I college basketball teams)… And to describe how they impacted the game of basketball, well, ESPN did a documentary on the Fab Five and there’s not enough room to go into that. In the early 2010s the Lutheran Brethren found a group of five godly men that, I believe, deserve the title “The Fab Five” even more. These five godly men deserve this title because of what makes them the same… and because of what makes them unique… AND because of how they are impacting pastors and congregations in the Lutheran Brethren. What makes these five men the same is their love for Jesus, and their common desire to see that local pastors and congregations are as healthy (in all aspects) as possible and to assist the Lutheran Brethren in vision and mission. What makes these five men unique is the various gifting that God has given to each of them. And when you take all their uniqueness and combine it with how they are the same, they definitely deserve the “Fab Five” title. Their impact on pastors and congregations in the Lutheran Brethren is what makes our Regional Pastors a team that is truly fabulous. In my short time as a pastor in the Lutheran Brethren, and even during my education at our seminary, I have already seen much of what they do… and it is www.ffmagazine.org

Warren Geraghty, Gary Witkop, Art Hundeby, Joel Nordtvedt, and Stan Olsen

fabulous. I have seen, first hand, how regional pastors enter a tough situation in a church and assist the leaders through it. I have seen how these five men do what they can to find the right fit for pastors and the churches they will serve. I have seen how they bring their knowledge directly into the local churches by presenting seminars and by bring God’s Word to the congregations. But most recently, I saw them all at work, together, as they led the Pastoral Candidate Program sessions at Inspiration Point Bible Camp. I, along with three other local pastors and wives, received their combined wisdom, experience, and passion as they shared about aspects in ministry that simply can’t be covered in seminary. It was amazing to watch these five men pour their lives into ours and it is obvious that there is genuineness about them. These men aren’t interested in status. They don’t care if they receive any recognition for their work in the Gospel.

They don’t seek after sympathy or pity when they are away from their homes and families for long periods of time. But they do have my gratitude for being selfless servants. And even more than the basketball players at Michigan State, these five men—Art Hundeby, Warren Geraghty, Stan Olsen, Gary Witkop, and Joel Nordtvedt—truly deserve the title, “The Fab Five.” Ryan Nordlund is lead pastor of Grace LBC in Bismarck, ND. VISIT ONLINE

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CHERYL OLSEN

What are You Studying?

ad Girls of the Bible, and What We Can Learn From Them, by Liz Curtis Higgs, made such an impact with the Women’s Bible Study at Calvary in Fullerton, California, that one woman collected some of the books and shared the same Bible study with some of her co-workers that summer! Now she’s befriended a couple more women who are learning with her. With chapters like “Jezebel: Bad to the Bone,” and “The Woman at the Well: Bad for a Season, But Not Forever,” each chapter also features a fictional account of a similar contemporary woman. Women today can relate, whether Christian, or not quite there yet. Using Women’s Ministries in the form of weekly Bible Studies in many churches and homes, God is reaching out to women from coast to coast! What are some of their recommendations? “We just did Jennifer Rothschild’s study, Me, Myself and Lies: A Thought Closet Makeover. It was GREAT! I loved her use of Scripture and her theology is consistent with ours. Also it generated good discussion and impacted our lives. I highly recommend it.” -Betti Lang, DeWitt, Iowa

“Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, by Joanna Weaver. It was an excellent book! Touched on so many aspects of our lives. It wasn’t applicable only to married women or moms, or even only to women. One of the ladies in our group had her dad read it. I highly recommend it!”

-Carrie Leingang, Kelso, Washington

“I have done a women’s study a few different times in various churches using the book, Calm My Anxious Heart: A Woman’s Guide to Finding Contentment, by Linda Dillow. It lends for wonderful discussion... superbly relevant topics on worry and anxiousness geared wonderfully for women. Very easy read, non-judgmental, yet gently shares the truth, with Scripture quoted everywhere. Good stories, good for all ages. Highly recommend it!” -Alyssa McIvor, Yuma, Arizona

“I really enjoy reading Lysa TerKeurst. A friend of mine and I are leading a small group through her book Made to Crave. It is focused on realizing our cravings for food (or shopping or sex or sports or whatever, but she focuses on food) are really a God-created craving for HIM! The second hour of the group we do a zumba-like workout. We had to add a second meeting time because demand was so high. We have about forty to fifty women who are committed and loving it. I highly recommend Lysa TerKeurst” -Kjirsti Nilsen, Barkhamsted, Connecticut

“We are using Sheila Walsh’s The Shelter of God’s Promises DVD series with a variety of women from different backgrounds and stages in their faith. It’s been a wonderful study.” -Donna Wolderich, Ferndale, Washington

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BIENNIAL CONVENTION AUG 2-5, 2012

Thurs d ay Speaker: David Rinden Theme: Promised

Fr id ay a.m. Speaker: Dick Mattila Theme: Delivered

Fr id ay p.m. Speaker: David Foss Theme: Received

Sund ay Speaker: Joel Egge Theme: Proclaiming

Ab ou nd ing

HOP E Saturd ay Ke y note Sp e a ker H.B. L ondon H.B. London served 31 years in pastoral ministry and 20 years as Vice President at Focus on the Family. He now runs a nonprofit ministry called H.B. London Ministries in LaQuinta, CA.

Womens C onvent ion Saturd ay August 4 Speaker: Rhea Briscoe Rhea is a keynote and conference speaker who has a passion to see women experience the freedom and power found in Jesus Christ.

Website: www.clba.org

J-Term Lutheran Brethren Seminary Presents

Congregation Renewal and Mission

My Experience at LBS J-term 2012 MATTHEW NELSON

Full Sessions Available Free Online www.LBS.edu/JTerm2012 SMALL GROUPS: Rev. Matthew Buccheri Assistant Pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in NYC

RELIGION AND POLITICS: Dr. Robert Benne Director of the Center for Religion and Society at Roanoke College, VA NEGOTIATING IDENTITY: Dr. Ethan Christofferson CLB Missionary to the ‘Hakka’ People in Taiwan

BIBLICAL STEWARDSHIP: Mr. Roy Heggland CLB Associate for Biblical Stewardship

F cus CLB

www.clba.org/giving

Lutheran Brethren Seminary 815 Vernon Ave West • Fergus Falls, MN 56537 • 218-739-3375 Website: www.LBS.edu

y first time at the Lutheran Brethren Seminary J-Term was a helpful and encouraging experience. I was looking forward to “getting my feet wet” in Lutheran Brethren circles and this was a great way to start. J-Term helped connect me, as a new member of a Lutheran Brethren church, with the heart of the CLB. I enjoyed the fellowship with other members from all over the country and even the world. I especially enjoyed getting to know our brothers from CLB–Canada to the north. It was encouraging to take classes with the current seminary students as well as the seasoned veterans in ministry (one of whom I heard had planted dozens of churches through his decades of proclaiming Christ!). I was able to personally meet some of the seminary professors, as well as national and international CLB leadership. This was valuable for becoming part of the family and developing friendships, but also for networking with the people I will be ministering alongside. Learning from Dr. Ethan Christofferson, one of our missionaries to the Hakka people of Taiwan, was a highlight. The J-Term classes were beneficial. It was good to learn about different aspects of ministry and different methods of ministering. I appreciated the format, because it brought different perspectives to the conversation table. We were able to discuss current, critical and sometimes controversial topics that we all are dealing with in our own congregations. I think that it was healthy to bring those things up in such an atmosphere. We could digest it together in a supportive and biblical environment and have the professors there to help us along. The J-Term topics varied greatly and were designed to get through to a variety of people and to address a variety of issues. We realized that in some cases we should meet the issues head-on, responding proactively with scriptural wisdom and discernment. Matthew Nelson is pastor of youth and worship at Sidney Lutheran Brethren Church in Sidney, Mt. Faith & Fellowship

UPDATE

Living with Hope

MISSION:MINOT

SCOTT SKONES

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”

Hebrews 10:23

t’s been the most uncomfortable, soulchurning, excruciating journey I’ve ever experienced. Flood waters in our neighborhood rose to cover our entire main floor within a few days of the June 22 evacuation. The water disappeared in July, but the flood remains. For 4,000 families in the Minot, North Dakota area, it will continue for months and even years. In the midst of a trial or crisis, it can be difficult to self-evaluate. People have asked how I’m “dealing with everything so well.” I wish I could answer that it is a result of my tremendous faith, but that’s simply not true. I learned within the first few days of this horrible flood, while trying to muster just enough strength from within to keep my head above water, that I ultimately must look to Christ and his people for true and lasting hope. Through the summer and fall of 2011, Our Redeemer’s Church hosted around 2000 flood relief workers from a variety of denominations. I had teams at my house, worked alongside crews as they did demolition work on houses in my neighborhood, and had coffee with people who traveled for hours to lend a helping hand. These men, women, teenagers, and children did not just help fix houses. God used them to provide strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow! In October, I made 150 new friends from Bethesda Lutheran Church in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. These amazing people removed moldy sheetrock, shingled houses, cleaned basements, pushed wheelbarrows, and even helped clean up one of our flood-ravaged local parks. Beyond all this physical work, they contributed in other ways: delivering blankets to flooded families, encouraging and praying with hurting homeowners, www.ffmagazine.org

leading Sunday morning worship, and sharing God’s Word with us. Work crews came from CLB churches in the following states: North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Colorado, and Pennsylvania. We also received monetary donations from many Lutheran Brethren churches to help feed crews and provide grants to over 50 families facing financial pressure. Even greater than the work accomplished by these teams and donors is the wake of hope they have left behind. Hope that comes from knowing that there are people who care enough to drive hundreds or thousands of miles to help out. Hope in seeing houses take shape. Hope in hearing teenagers laugh as they work together. Hope that comes when someone has helped shoulder your burden—even if only for a weekend. The road to recovery for the Minot area is long and tiring. Help is still needed. As a church, we are in planning stages

for another large-scale push to bring the hope of the Gospel to the residents of Minot this spring and summer. Would you consider how you can be involved? More information will be available in the coming weeks. Please visit the Mission Minot website to see how you can bring hope to this hurting community: www. missionminot.com. Scott Skones is Technology Facilitator at Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Brethren Church, Minot, ND.

MISSION:MINOT FOR INFORMATION ON HOW YOU CAN HELP

Phone: 701-838-0750 www.missionminot.com

LBIM I Feel Like Bragging DALE VARBERG

feel like bragging about my church, the Church of the Lutheran Brethren, and especially about its mission work in Africa. But my mother told me that bragging is wrong, at least if it is about yourself and your interests. So I’ll put it differently. I want to give thanks to God for what he has done through the CLB in Africa. Specifically I want to give thanks for three things that have blossomed under the influence of the CLB. I refer to a notable project that nears completion and to two impressive African men who are becoming international leaders in the evangelical world. First the project. Our Cameroon and Chad mission fields are a mosaic of tribes each with their own languages. From the beginning of mission work in 1920, the CLB understood the necessity of literacy work—reducing these languages to writing, teaching people to read, and then translating the Scriptures into these native languages. In each of the major tribes this work was begun by our pioneer missionaries, carried on by their successors, and is being brought to conclusion largely by talented national linguists. Just a few months ago an estimated 20,000 people celebrated the launching of the Giziga Bible, this bringing to six languages the number of translated Bibles now in print on our field in northern Cameroon. Three more Bibles are in the final stages of translation. When they are done, our Cameroon field (geographically a very small part of Cameroon) will have nine complete Bibles, this out of a total of 17 that will be available in all of 16

Cameroon. These nine Bibles actually serve tribes whose homelands lie both in Cameroon and Chad and so most believers on our two African fields will be able to read the Bible in a language they understand. The CLB translation story is truly remarkable. I feel confident in saying that no denomination of our size has even come close to our record of translation work. This work partly explains the extraordinary growth of our church in Cameroon and Chad which numbers over 120,000 believers in each country. And what is so special about these translations is that their impact will continue indefinitely into the future. For this I congratulate our missionaries and national linguists and I give thanks to God. Luc Gnowa is the first of two African men I want to highlight. Many of you remember Luc because he spent 1992-94 in America, studying theology at our CLB seminary and management at Fergus Falls Community College. He has returned to America a few times since then and he has just finished spending 10 days in our home. I have been pestering him with all kinds of questions about his background, his faith story, and his present work. Luc, a member of the Tupurri tribe, was born in 1957 to impoverished pagan parents. His father died when Luc was three, his uncle who had subsequently married his mother died when Luc was ten, and finally his mother passed away when Luc was twelve. Only then was Luc able to start elementary public school and begin the educational process that he pursues to this day (he is presently working on a

Ph.D. through the University of Senegal). More significantly at age thirteen, Luc discovered the Sunday School and church in his village, began attending, and met missionary Nina Loftus. This godly woman took a special interest in Luc. In fact Luc gives her credit for his spiritual growth which culminated in a public confession of faith at a Bible camp in August 1976. She saw wonderful potential in Luc and eventually recommended him to become director of our Cameroon publishing house. This led the CLB mission board to bring Luc to America for further training. In 1992, I met Luc as he came to Minneapolis to study English before going on to Fergus Falls. He lived in our home that first summer. After completing his studies in Fergus Falls in 1994, Luc returned to Cameroon fully intending to take over leadership of the CLB publishing house. But God had bigger plans for Luc. The Cameroon Bible Society, headquartered in Yaoundé, was in disarray and suffering from weak leadership. The Society asked Luc to take over and with the approval of the Church he did so. His spiritual and managerial skills came to the fore and soon Luc had introduced procedures and efficiencies that made the Cameroon Bible Society a model for all of Africa. In good measure, the completion of its many translation projects is due to the skill, rigor, endurance, and discipline that Luc has displayed. Before long, Luc was being asked to take on additional responsibilities in the larger Bible Society world. Today he is Vice Chair of United Bible Societies for all of Africa. He is on Faith & Fellowship

Luc Gnowa

the six-member executive committee of the United Bible Societies of the world (141 member countries). And he is Vice President of the French-speaking section of the UBS. He travels the world in connection with these responsibilities; his most recent trip took him to Peru and thence to America. Luc is married to Lydia, daughter of Ephraim who was one of our first ordained Tupurri pastors. Luc has four children of his own and is also raising six children for his brother who passed away. He is a leader in the CLB church in Yaoundé which is building a new sanctuary that will hold over 1000 people. Finding adequate words to describe this servant of our Lord is difficult but I’ll try. Luc always tries to do the right thing and usually succeeds. He does his work with competence and grace mixed with confidence and humility. He is one of my heroes. My second African hero is Daniel Bourdanné, a member of the Mundang tribe from Chad. The Mundang Bible was one of the earliest CLB translations and Daniel’s father was one of the earliest Mundang coverts of our CLB work in Chad. Daniel is assured by his mother that in 1960 he was baptized as a child by missionary Don Raun, though Don does not remember it. Having the benefits of a Christian home, Daniel got a good education in Cameroon and went on to get a Ph.D. in biology at the University of Ivory Coast with a thesis on millipedes, those little wormlike animals that have an endless supply of legs. Hired to teach biology by that university, Daniel www.ffmagazine.org

was soon active in the local evangelical student group. Sensing God’s call to full-time Christian work, he resigned his professorship to lead the evangelical student work for all of French-speaking Africa. In 2007, the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students was searching for a new general director. IFES, founded in 1948, is the umbrella organization well known to many CLB people. After an intensive search for just the right person, the executive committee of IFES chose Daniel Bourdanné as their new leader. Now the Bourdanné story takes an unusual and providential twist. Working at the national offices of InterVarsity in Madison, Wisconsin, was Mary Thompson, the National Director of Nurses Christian Fellowship and a long time CLB member. When Daniel came to Madison to touch base with InterVarsity, he was introduced to Mary Thompson. In conversation, they discovered they were both CLBers with many common interests. Mary, who was about to retire to her home church, Ebenezer LB Church of Minneapolis, quickly began planning a reunion of Daniel with missionary Don Raun who was living in retirement in Fergus Falls. Thus in March of 2009 a grand celebration took place. Two people, who had not seen each other since Luc’s baptism in 1960, hugged each other and rejoiced in the presence of several former missionaries and a host of Ebenezer people. I was there and it is a day I will not forget. Since then Daniel Bourdanné has returned again to Ebenezer to speak to appreciative crowds; he says it is like

Daniel Bourdanné

coming home. At one of these sessions I expressed how proud I was of him and his giftedness. He responded with, “I rather am proud of God who found me in darkest Africa, gave me a father who knew the Lord, saw that I had wonderful opportunities for education, and now has led me to serve him as general director of IFES.” He described his mission as head of this organization as being like that of a millipede trying to keep all of its legs moving together. He wants to emphasize three themes in his ministry to students: a deeper commitment to Scripture, a greater sense of community among Christian students, and an absolute dependence on God in prayer. IFES is headquartered in the city of Oxford, England. There Daniel lives with his wife Halymah and their four children. Daniel’s work requires him to travel the world just as does that of Luc. You can sense the same kind of grace, confidence, and humility in Daniel that I earlier described as characteristic of Luc. Both are international leaders in the Christian world, they are about the same age, and they are equally talented. Their travels have brought them together and they have become good friends. I thank God for both of them and I am proud (do I dare say it) that both have CLB roots. Dr. Dale Varberg is a retired mathematics professor from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota.

LBIM

www.lbim.org

Fellowship with one another

MARCH/APRIL 2012

Purifies us from all sin

Walk in the light

The blood of Jesus

1 John 1:7

In Memory Reverend Burton G. Bundy, 85, of Mayville, ND, died Sunday, December 25, 2011, at Luther Memorial home. Rev. Bundy was drafted into WWII with the Army and served in Okinawa, Japan where he was severely wounded. After nearly a year of hospitalization, he returned to North Dakota where he married his first wife Helen (Simonson). Rev. Bundy and Helen had three children together before Helen passed away from complications of multiple sclerosis. On Nov. 28, 1954 Rev. Bundy remarried to Bonnie (Delaney), they would also have three children together. Rev. Bundy managed the Gambles store in Devils Lake, New Rockford, and Williston. In Williston, he and Bonnie became part of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren (LB). Along with others, they established the LB Fellowship Church in Williston, and the LB Church in Crosby. In Sidney Mt, Rev. Bundy served the congregation as their first full time pastor, while he worked on a degree from LB Seminary. A few years later, he and Bonnie moved on to start LB churches in Bismarck and in Fargo. In 1985 Rev. Bundy accepted the role of Executive Director of Home Missions for the Church of the Lutheran Brethren. In 1989 he and Bonnie moved to Fort Collins, Co, to work with a home missions church, and later to Grand Forks, ND so Rev. Bundy could serve as an Associate Pastor. In their later years they returned to Williston and Rev. Bundy served Williston LB Fellowship Church as Visitation Pastor. In his 70’s, Rev. Bundy cast the vision for an LB Church in Watford City, ND. While poor health limited his involvement, the plans moved forward and Living Faith LB Church was born.

Turning 50!

Maple Park Church of Lynnwood, WA is celebrating it’s 50th anniversary on April 21-22, 2012. There will be a dinner and program April 21, from 5:308:00 pm. CLB President Joel Egge will be speaking Sunday morning at 10:30am. Visit online at www.mapleparkchurch.com

In Memory

Rev. William Colbeck encourages his team just before winning the 1976 District 23 title

Reverend William H. Colbeck, 75, of Fergus Falls, died Monday, November 14, 2011, at his home. Through the teaching and direction of his most influential mentor and friend, Rev. J.H. Levang, Rev. Colbeck came to an assurance of salvation through a Sunday morning message at the age of 15 while attending Calvary Lutheran Brethren Church in Chicago. After graduating from Chicago’s Kelvyn Park High School in 1954, he attended Lutheran Brethren Seminary in Fergus Falls for one year. He then returned to Chicago to begin his undergraduate studies. On August 25, 1956, he married E. Joy (Sandeno). They moved to New York where he served 59th Street Church in Brooklyn as youth pastor while continuing his education at Brooklyn College, graduating in 1959. They returned to Fergus Falls where he completed his seminary training in 1962. They made Fergus Falls their home and raised three children. Joy died September 6, 1994. On January 18, 1997, Rev. Colbeck married Ruthe (Windahl) of Fergus Falls. Ruthe died November 21, 2007. On November 8, 2008, he married Donna (Ysteboe). Rev. Colbeck was a teacher, coach, athletic director, and principal during his 39 years at Hillcrest Lutheran Academy. He was also principal at Morning Son Christian School. He served many church congregations over the years, most recently, Messiah Lutheran Church of rural Underwood. Rev. Colbeck loved the Lord, his family, his schools, and his congregations. He was a servant of God, an encourager, and a leader. He had a heart and love for other people, displayed through his kindness and generosity.

New Location

Grace Lutheran Church of Lynnwood, WA moved in September of 2011. The new location in Edmonds, WA offers ministry opportunities previously unavailable. Visit online at www.gracelbc.com

Faith & Fellowship

Devotional Trail Talk Trail Talk was written for those of you who love the Lord and his creation. It is intended to help draw you near to the Lord as you experience the great outdoors that our Creator has hand-crafted for his and your pleasure. Trail Talk combines the reading of God’s Word and the wonder of his creation bringing to life a new appreciation for the care and precision God put into creation.

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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.

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FF 19

he crowd gathered and shouts of “Hosanna” filled the air. Some in the crowd spread their cloaks along the path, while others cut palm branches from the trees and placed them in the road. It had become custom to cast garlands into the path of a king returning to his kingdom after a long absence, and the people of Judea had waited nearly six hundred years for a descendant of King David to return to the throne in Jerusalem. Many of those in the crowd had followed Jesus from Galilee, while others who had heard the commotion came out from Jerusalem to greet him. Imagine their shock as they saw their king riding on a donkey and weeping over their city (Luke 19:41). Where was the escort of soldiers? Where was his white horse? Where was his crown? Jesus was not the kind of king they had expected, he was not the kind of king they had pictured, but he was exactly the king Scripture had promised. Like the people of Judea, our expectations of Jesus don’t always match the promises made to us in Scripture. We want to shape and mold Jesus into our own personal god. A god that protects our finances, our families, and our freedoms. This is a king we can accept, but is it the king we need? Scripture is always challenging us to see the big picture. Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy...” (Matthew 6:29). He said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul...” (Matthew 10:28). He said, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed...” (John 8:36). Jesus challenges us to focus on eternity, to live for the Kingdom of God, and to know that the trials faced in this world have already been conquered. As Jesus wept over Jerusalem, he wept for people who fail to see the big picture, and as he wept the crowd cheered, “Blessed is the King!” They believed that their struggles in the here and now were about to end. It would take them less than a week to realize that Jesus was not the kind of king they had hoped for, and soon they would chant, “Crucify him,” and crown him with a crown of thorns. Jesus did not come to restore the wealth of Jerusalem, he did not come to temporarily heal the sick, he did not come to crush the oppressive governments of this world, he had something bigger in mind. With his last breath, as his body hung beaten and bruised on a cross, Jesus said, “It is finished!” With three

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Big Picture

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

by: Troy Tysdal

words he promised permanent victory over sin, death, and Satan. With three words he promised permanent healing and guaranteed eternal life for all who believe. With three words he promised paradise in a Kingdom that will have no end. Jesus may not be the king we expected, but he is the king we need, and he was chosen by the wisdom of God. Take comfort, and believe! Troy Tysdal is Church Resource Coordinator for the Church of the Lutheran Brethren and serves as associate pastor at Stavanger Lutheran Church in Fergus Falls, MN.

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