D A R E
T O
B E
L U T H E R A N
Higher Things
Inside this issue:
• Why Don’t Parents
Understand?
• A Lesson in Islam • How Not to Feel Alone in a Crowd W W W. H I G H E RT H I N G S . O R G
/ WINTER / 2007
We’ve compiled a sampling of some notable blurbs from the Higher Things blogs. Check them out and read more online at http://blog.higherthings.org/.
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H I N G S __
Contents T A B L E
O F
FEATURES 4
Clothed in Christ—Free in Christ B y Dcs. E mil y Ca rde r Some religions treat girls with far less respect than they deserve. But how does our Lord view women? How does He encourage them to live? What does He do for them? To see how Christ is at work for girls (and boys too), read Deaconess Carder’s article.
6 Misfits
B y Dr. P et er S cae r Do you ever feel alone in a crowd? Or like you don’t fit in? Or that there’s no one to sit with at lunch? No worries. You’re not alone. You’ve got the whole magazine staff! Um, we mean that your heavenly Father loves you, and His opinion of you is far more important than what the cheerleaders think. If you’re still not convinced, Dr. Scaer just might change your mind.
8 Broken Homes
B y R ev. T i m P a uls Growing up in a broken home is hard, but far too many teenagers today are doing just that. How do you deal with separated parents? Is there any reassurance that things will get better? If you need answers, Pastor Pauls shows just where you can find them in God’s Word.
10 Dating
B y B e t ha ny S m i t h It’s a touchy subject, that dating. And not only is it confusing and difficult, but to make matters worse, no one seems to have any conclusive answers. Is there even a golden rule for dating? Check out Bethany Smith’s article for a little clarification.
12 Forgiving the Unforgivable
B y R ev. G e org e F. B org har dt I II Forgiveness isn’t easy. It’s much more fun to hold our grudges and our hurt feelings. But thankfully, our Lord doesn’t act like us. He forgives us even though we have sinned and don’t deserve it. So, if you need a little reminder that Jesus’ death on the cross is your forgiveness, this is the article for you.
23 Islam 101
B y Dr. A da m Fra ncis co How much do you know about Islam? Is it the world’s fastest-growing religion? Is Allah just another name for God? Will mankind abandon the madness of cheap sandwich bags? Oh, wait. Wrong article. Anyway, Dr. Francisco’s written up a little refresher course for you on this dangerous religion.
Also in this issue:
2 Blog Gems 16 2008 Amen Conference Info
Volume 7/Number 4 • Winter 2007
24 Free State: Lutheranism, Political Liberty, and the U.S. Constitution B y Dr. G e ne Ve it h You probably didn’t hear this in your U.S. history class during freshman year (you weren’t sleeping, were you?), but the Lutheran Reformation played a vital role in the formation of America’s Constitution. Don’t believe us? Dr. Veith has done the research for you already, and you won’t even have to buy the textbook.
26 The Christmas Gift of Parents
B y R ev. Todd P epe rk or n Ugh. Parents can be so annoying. They’re old fashioned, they don’t understand you, and they’re always trying to run your life. Why don’t they just give it up already? Wait. What? Could it possibly be that God has given you parents because they’re good for you? Pastor Peperkorn has an insight that you just might find helpful.
COLUMNS
14 Christ on Campus
B y K a r l Ho u s e r Remember those kids running around in green T-shirts at the Higher Things conferences? Those were Christ on Campus Volunteers (CCVs). If you’ve ever wondered about the secret life of CCVs, what they do, and how they got the job, Karl Houser gives you an inside look.
19 The Football Star, Part 2
B y K a thy Lu de r The policeman has finished his report. The doctor has sent Kathy home from the hospital. Now is the time for reflection, both from Kathy and the one who was sent to keep her safe.
30 Friends in Heaven
B y R ev. Dav id Pe ter s en Sometimes it’s hard to imagine what heaven will be like. Will you know who your grandma is? Will you still have brown hair? Will you be able to crack jokes? Will the magazine staff still be misfits? Pastor Petersen has some reassurance for you. So, don’t worry. You will still be you in heaven.
HigherThings Volume 7/Number 4/Winter 2007 Editor
REV. TIM PAULS Managing Editor ADRIANE DORR Assistant Editor
JULIE BECKWITH Art Director STEVE BLAKEY Editorial Associates
REV. GREG ALMS REV. PAUL BEISEL REV. BART DAY REV. DAVID PETERSEN Bible Studies Editor REV. DAN MACKEY Business Manager LYNNETTE FREDERICKSEN Subscriptions Manager ELIZABETH CARLSON You could rearrange the letters in “Higher Things” to spell “Rest Nigh High.” We don’t know why you would. But you could.
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Christ on Campus Executive REV. MARCUS ZILL Conferences Executive
REV. GEORGE F. BORGHARDT III Interim Internet Services Executive REV. MARK BUETOW Publications Executive CAROLYN COCKEY Retreat Executive
LANDON REED _____ BOARD OF DIRECTORS President
REV. KLEMET PREUS Vice President REV. WILLIAM Secretary SANDRA
CWIRLA
OSTAPOWICH
Treasurer LYNN FREDERICKSEN
REV. JOEL FRITSCHE REV. BRUCE KESEMAN REV. BRENT KUHLMANN REV. LARRY NICHOLS MARK PFUNDSTEIN ___________ Higher Things Magazine ISSN 1539-8455 is published quarterly by Higher Things, Inc., 5009 Cassia, Boise, ID 83705. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the executive editor of Higher Things Magazine. Copyright 2007. Printed in the United States. Postage paid at St. Louis, Missouri. For subscription information and questions, call 1-888-448-2359 or e-mail subscriptions@higherthings.org. (This phone number is only used for subscription queries.) For letters to the editor, write letters@higher things.org. Writers may submit manuscripts to: submissions@higherthings.org. Please check http://higherthings.org/magazine/writers.html for writers’ guidelines and theme lists. ___________ Higher Things Magazine is available in Braille and on audiocassette tape for the visually impaired. Contact Lutheran Blind Mission at 7550 Watson Road, St. Louis , MO 63119; call toll-free 1-888-215-2455; or e-mail at blind.mission@blindmission.org.
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Clothed in Christ W
hat’s a girl to do now that Jesus has set her free? Freedom in Christ is pretty radical to get used to. That’s what sanctification is all about! Sometimes it’s hard knowing just what we ought to do, say, and become. Sometimes our old sinful nature gets in the way of our new Christian freedom. It can be painful learning that even though we are justified in Christ, that doesn’t mean we have the freedom to be foul-mouthed or that dressing like Britney Spears is the wisest choice. We’re not set free from sin to sin. We are freed from the Law to live within the Law, but that still doesn’t answer the question: What’s a girl to do now that Jesus has set her free?
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Religions like Mormonism and Islam, and even other denominations, offer some specific answers, and that’s attractive to some girls. They tell them what to do. Islam tells women to wear a burka, often veiling the face. At first thought, many would wonder, “Who would want to do that?” But the fascinating answer is that many Muslim women—even given the choice—refuse to give up these garments even in countries where women are allowed every social, political, and educational opportunity. The clothes that Islam calls for gives them a sense of privacy and helps to remind them of a woman’s place. In return, men treat them with greater respect. What female wouldn’t want to be treated with honor? No one treats a woman with greater respect and honor than Jesus, and He’s about more than dress. Through the washing of water and the Word, He makes her His own bride. He clothes her with Himself—His own righteousness. He places the crown of life upon her head. She becomes an heir of the kingdom of God. Special clothing identifies people. The burka is one example, but there are more. Infants are often dressed in white for their baptisms. Brides wear white gowns and veils for their special day. Jesus marks the infant as His own. The bride becomes a man’s wife. Through these events, we see Christ working in His Church. While Baptism marks where Christ is present for us, a wedding can remind us of the relationship Christ has with His Church. It would be impractical for Christian women to go about their daily work dressed as brides, so we don’t. That is one of the wonderful freedoms about being clothed in Christ. He has fulfilled the entire Law for us, so we are freed from all its requirements. For the Muslim women, the burka is a requirement. She must wear it. Her salvation is tied to those robes. In the end, burka becomes a burden and a prison. When there is no Savior, you’ve got to keep the Law perfectly to be saved. For Muslims, Mormons, and even some Christian denominations, Jesus isn’t the Savior, but a brother-type example to follow. Muslims and Mormons even say that Jesus was a prophet but not the only-begotten Son of God. Each day for their followers is filled with the burden of knowing they must earn their way to heaven. Sometimes these religions
Can't get enough HT? Check out http://higherthings.org/magazine/issues/winter2007.html for Bible studies.
st—Free in Christ
By Deaconess Emily Carder
even say that material wealth, happiness, or even world peace are signs of being right with God. Nothing can be further from the truth! When Jesus wraps you in Himself in Baptism, He never lets go, no matter what the circumstances look like. Ask yourself this question: What is most important? My family, friends, my health, and all my worldly goods, or my Baptism? If catastrophe should strike, leaving you alone and injured (as it did Job), the kingdom of heaven would still be yours. What is given to you in Christ can never be taken from you. Jesus continues to overcome the tribulations of this world (John 16:33). They cannot harm us because we are in Him. He is where our peace and freedom lie. In Baptism, you are made in Christ’s image once more. You are freed to be who and what you are in Him. When the serpent tempted Eve, he told her she could be like God if she ate of the tree. Eve didn’t have to do anything to be like God. She was created in His image. Deceived by the serpent, Eve took the fruit and ate it. All mankind fell into sin when her husband ate too. Muslims, Mormons, and other denominations are like this as well. They tell us we have to do something to either be like God or to save ourselves. But Jesus does the work to make us His own. What’s a girl to do now that Jesus has set her free? Live as one who is clothed in Christ. Live as one set free from sin and one who rejoices to be forgiven. Gather where the Lord gathers you for grace. The baptized, who are clothed in Christ, need to be where Jesus is, where He is spoken into their ears through the pastor’s preaching and Absolution, where His body and blood are put into hands and mouths in the bread and wine, and wherever Baptism is going on. Wherever these things are happening, there is Jesus at work for you, for me, for us. He is setting His people free. Dcs. Emily Carder teaches elementary children at Good Shepherd Lutheran School in Brandon, Mississippi. She is a wife, the mother of a daughter and a son, and the grandmother of three girls. Her e-mail address is dcs_carder@comcast.net.
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D
n owd? Especially whe cr a in e ar u yo n he es e even w t fit in? When it com n’ o you ever feel alon do st ju u yo e lik Ever feel pimples, the cracking e you are in a crowd? th — st or w e th is school ice e, high school is a sl m to being a misfit, high so r Fo s. es dn ar in cial awkw le to find your place gg voice, the general so ru st nt ta ns co a are r others, it’s the lines of division , ol of paradise, while fo ho sc gh hi In . ld cliquish wor s to athleticism, from ok lo what can be a very om fr ng hi yt er hes, ey are drawn on ev y growing moustac ad re al e ar everywhere, and th ys gu an of ity. Some freshm ember well a group m re I . ty er academics to matur ub p of . ly on the edge e!), “You’re not a man m t n’ as while others are on w it o, (N e in be t a friend of m some folks seem to , re Su .” girls chanting abou fit is m a ’re y ’re a misfit.You am, the student bod te l al b ot You’re not a boy.You fo e th of in the capta ms too). part of the in crowd— aders. (No doubt, they have their proble in? eerle us? Where do we fit of st re president, and the ch e th t ou ab t But wha
lone. e not a ut ’r u o y , misfit ies abo ou’re a o many mov not to y if t u ds,” es s, b it help ouldn’t mak e of the Ner roll also if e r u ts eveng ood w ck and I’m no Hollyw up, it was “R movies. Ro “Misfits,” and n e h t , g ld a were called growin Ringw at I can If you n I was rable Molly out an album nd, from wh keep e h W . e you se mis he Kinks put ame name. A , and people tty, all tho Be n y, t es ver a io t d n me p by th popular as e , like an Ugly too. In my u . o p r a g g a o s rd fills the er, there was shows are a feel awkwa other folks d ally t o re V y t T la n e , n a d e n m n m e p th s, so hat hap ies a it t f v e u t o is e o y b m m n n , if ith ohn th you ca tell, tee g songs. So ered w e prophets. J emiah t t li is in writ e Bible sts. Jer than th orth, th ch stranger e eating locu d. To make w ’s it woun et mu r what rt whil ion, And, fo s. You can’t g t in the dese al and tightly miah’s isolat ou llow tion Jere odd fe d an odd life , highly emo intensified r e e e v v a li n h t Baptis o a bit of a lo rd seems to was als orse, our Lo sw matter
6
Misfits
Sc ae r
T H I N G S __
Important HT Consumer Tip: Your church's baptismal font may contain dihydrogen monoxide! If it does, do not panic.
By Dr .P et er
H I G H E R
telling him that he couldn’t ha ve a wife and fa In fact, he was mily. n’t even allow ed to a wedding. No attend a funera parties for the l or prophet (Jerem 16:1–9). And th iah en, there’s Ezek iel. Poor guy. N was he sent by ot only God to be a pr ophet, but he to act out the also had prophecies in a strange publ order to warn ic way. In the folks abou t the fall of Jeru Ezekiel was to salem, ld to make a lit tle model of th Jerusalem, lie e city of on his side for 390 days, and cake cooked on eat barley human dung (E zekiel 4:11). At times, as if on other a dare, our Lord commanded Ez to clap his hand ekiel s and stamp hi s feet (6:11) or groan loudly (2 to 1:11). No doub t, Ezekiel must felt ridiculous. ha ve Apostles often felt this way to Paul called him o. St. self a fool for C hrist and moa God had made ned that him “a spectacl e to the world angels and men , to ” (1 Corinthians 4). Why were th prophets so od e d? There was a method to the madness, I thin k. By their stra nge behavior, the prophets w ere telling us th at what the world thinks im portant, really, in the end, doesn’t matte r.
ct hard. But the fa a misfit can be g in be , If . re es su ag To be s its advant the outside ha a tually develop is that being on ht e, you mig ac id ts lf. se ou ur e th yo t on abou you’re t the world and ou t ab no or y, m st hu ne ards ho sense of or is a step tow m d, hu ow of cr e e ns th se Plus, a apart from ty. By standing e preacher of What m to mention sani w n to say ith th gi atters a be u yo , tle lit t your s even a nity.” Conformity went to chool? , vanity, all is va school ity an “V , es P st ia a rd the rich others isn’t all Eccles that you kids wo on all this rem the standards of to d an w ld or e w r iniscing re a sec n be mind to the would b ond-cla e Alligator shir , but wh be. In fact, it ca to up d e ke a ac s t p cr e s s s plauded n I that it’ . Pengu classma ns, we’re in the course, in r that as Christia be em m Re . learn fro when in doub for their big h te. The girls, Go s signaled ng nform, conform numbi air and t, anyth d help t m the B you want to co If it. e of t t in r h no ib e t g e n bu le m d expens ? What , outsider. For “H go out world ive is go y leg-warmer r t, the ultimate ris Ch e H of t.” e s. Of ag no od. And im im make th of fashion. Joh eally matters? H to the wh n th Clo at d His own knew into His own, an en by His on it, m point. Money? e Baptist wor thes? They we at do we e ak m rs ca fo , ily m e a roug ost of m ar thin a You can by His fa od en. to rs de h un y n ’t is co d camel h friends take it w tossed was m t of His untrym os m by w a d in te it ir a ha h s t c d ted he t o you. An order to rpose, and that good friends, an d, lookin at to pursue rash. Matthew theirs on stuff ed. He had a pu er g ev rs t t b pe h smile, h r e a e a e H , c c t ill k m o ’s ever see gnized long sin inistry. A But st r salvation. So, ou t ou ab t g h a fifty-y c s in is e br t for beau been fact and ear-o purpose was to Not only is Chris ty? Bea “Seek fi uty fade left his job in u are not alone. el yo rst the k ld playing foot fe at ho th w s ow lk kn s. Athle and ball? W ingdom l lot of fo Grab on fu aw an e t ic ar h e s er at then of God.” ? You to C He alrea ? Our joy life, and be with you, but th Rem dy is on hrist, and seek u. Take heart. En yo as ay His app ember what’s Lord says, w your sid e m the sa roval, kn re e. t. owing t al. yourself in Chris hat Dr. Peter Scaer is Assistant Professor of Exegetical Theology at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana. His e-mail address is scaerpj@ctsfw.edu.
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Broken
No big deal. Right? It’s no big deal to be a kid in a broken home. Right?
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After all, it’s common. The Census Bureau reports that about 67 percent of kids in America live with both parents. That means 33 percent—one third!—don’t. Media coverage obsesses when a celebrity gets arrested. But when over 24 million kids are in broken homes, it’s too everyday to be news. Meanwhile, broken homes are a staple of TV and movies. Maybe it’s because a broken home makes for more creative tension. Maybe Hollywood really does war against traditional families. But the message is that it’s no big deal. But it is. Growing up in a broken home is tough. If that’s you, you don’t have the advantage of your mom and dad in the same house. It may be a joint custody deal, where they each have a home and you shuttle back and forth. It may be that you’ve never met your dad.You may have parents who are civil to each other; on the other hand, they may be openly hostile. They may be well-behaved, or they may be sleeping with the one who broke the marriage apart, even while you’re visiting. They may be repentant or unapologetic or distantly numb. This is bad for the adults, but it’s far worse for the kids. Kids from single-parent homes are more likely to struggle in school. They’re at least three times as likely to become addicted to drugs; at least twice as likely to have sex before marriage; and have a higher rate of smoking, alcohol use, and even arrests. After all, parenting is a full-time commitment for two people married to each other. Kids need attention, love, caring, instruction, affection, time, security and more. That’s how God designed things to be. Single parents are often exhausted from doing the work of two, and they may well be clinically depressed after the devastation of divorce. They simply can’t provide the same attention and support that two parents could. Left on their own, it’s no surprise that the kids are lonely; and three tempting ways to cope are to grow more lonely (leading to depression), find an escape (like drug and alcohol abuse), or find some sort of companionship (thus the temptations of premarital sex or criminal gang activity).
Even if you haven’t given in to these temptations, you know things could be better. You’ve been robbed of a lot of childhood, not to mention the ongoing example of how a family should work. Worse, it has a profound effect on your life—present and future, even though it’s not your fault. It’s not fair. But it is the situation you’re in, beyond your control. So how you respond will be crucial— both psychologically and theologically. Psychologically, a counselor I know would tell you that it’s all about the choices you’ll make from here. This is true. You can’t control your parents, but you can control what you do from here. (While we have no free will when it comes to salvation, we have some freedom over our daily acts.) There are some common, damaging choices like manipulating your parents’ guilt or making their lives miserable by backtalk, disobedience, or getting into trouble. You’ll be tempted to internalize the hurt and stop communicating with anyone. Not only do these choices make matters worse for everyone, but they prepare you for misery throughout life. Is it fair? Is it easy to make the right choices? No. It’s easy to give up and simply blame your parents, but you have the choice to act differently, act better. Better choices would include these. Choose to stay focused on your schoolwork; and where you need help, choose to ask the teacher or a knowledgeable student for help. Choose friends who will support good behavior. Choose to talk to a counselor who works with kids from broken homes, to help you sort out what you feel, talk through anger, and repair what has been damaged. (I understand that this costs money, but it’s a worthwhile investment in the future.Your pastor can help you find one who will support you in the Christian faith too.) Choose to speak with your parents about how they can help you: for instance, a parental visit might be great, but not the night before you have two final exams. In some cases, sadly, it may be necessary to ask your parents to behave better if their lifestyle includes sins (like an adulterous relationship) that hurt you. Is that a tough
n Homes By Rev. Tim Pauls
talk? Absolutely, but still a better choice than saying nothing at all. Does it break the 4th Commandment? No. It speaks the truth and encourages them to fulfill their responsibilities as parents. There’s one more good choice to mention: choose to talk to your pastor. A pastor is not the same as a counselor, though some are trained in counseling. (I, for one, am not. In fact, I’ve run this article past a psychologist I know more than once to make sure it’s on target.) Counselors are there to help you with those choices we’ve mentioned, to help you adjust and deal with your situation as best as you can. Pastors are there to tell you God’s Word, to care for your soul. Your pastor can see how God speaks to all of this in His Word. He can hear your private confession and pronounce Absolution. He can tell you about God’s faithfulness for you. You see, the devil loves to pick off kids from broken homes. Parents are supposed to be God’s instruments and a reflection of God’s love for you. That mirror is broken along with the home; and tragically, the kids sometimes reject God because He calls Himself our “Father,” and they’re fed up with parents. Don’t be fooled: the devil delights to give you any reason to reject the only One who is always faithful. David once wrote, “When my father and my mother forsake me, Then the LORD will take care of me” (Psalm 27:10). At times, parents fail miserably, which makes this world that much tougher. This doesn’t mean that God has forsaken you; instead, for
you, He sent His Son into this world. Jesus was forsaken. He was forsaken by his family of disciples, who left Him to suffer scourging and death to look after themselves. He was forsaken by His own Father on the cross, but why? Because His Father was unfaithful? No. God is faithful to you, so much so that He sacrificed His only Son on the cross for you. Jesus suffered the anger of man for you. Not all of your anger is righteous; so your Savior died for your anger that is sinful. You’re going to want to withhold forgiveness from your folks, so Jesus has died to forgive you. Even when you know the right choices to make, you won’t always make them: so Jesus chose to become flesh and go to the cross and suffer in your place, that He might choose you for eternal life. Because you’ll want to strike back at your parents and not honor them, Jesus prayed, “Thy will be done” to His Father, even when it meant the cross. He did this for you. There is never a day when the Lord forgets that He’s written His name on you in Baptism. There is never a Lord’s Supper where He fails to give you His body and blood to forgive you and strengthen your faith. There is never a moment that He does not keep His promise, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). This promise is for you…and for your parents. A broken home is still a heavy cross to bear. Forgiven, you have the Lord’s promise that He has overcome the world for you, and that He is with you always, to the end of the age. Rev. Tim Pauls is associate pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Boise, Idaho. He is also the Higher Things Editor. His e-mail address is tpauls@goodshepherdboise.org.
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Dat
Dating—this one little word has the power to strike fear, longing, romance, excitement, and even loathing into the hearts of teens and their parents alike. From formals like prom and homecoming dances to the most casual visit to a coffee shop, dating is all around us. But how should a Christian approach dating? I would suggest that the first course of action is turning to the Word. No objections? Ok, let’s see if Scripture offers any dating advice.
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Scripture has quite a bit to say on the subject. There’s Genesis 2, which makes it clear that God created man and woman and intends them to be together. Or take Genesis 29 where Jacob works for fourteen years to be a worthy husband for Rachel. Then there’s Proverbs 31, which details the attributes of a virtuous wife. Part of God’s will for us is that we refrain from sexual immorality (1 Thessalonians 4:2). Ephesians 5 even reveals to us what is expected of the husband and wife in the marriage relationship, while Matthew 5:32 contains hard words against divorce. And let us not forget the big fish, the Sixth Commandment, which forbids adultery. This brief overview tells us a lot about men and women, husbands and wives, but what about dating as we know it today? Sure, it is clear that God has certain expectations of our behavior both before and during marriage, but is there a form to be followed in preparation of tying the knot? Is dating preferable to matchmaking by a third party, or is an old-fashioned courtship superior to purchasing a wife? How long should you date before marriage? Even more specifically, should he pay for dinner when you’re out, or should she offer a tip? Should he be expected to open all the doors and let her proceed before him, or should she follow him out of respect for God’s order of creation?
The reality is that Scripture doesn’t directly answer these questions. And when something is neither commanded nor forbidden by God, it is called adiaphora, which means “indifferent.” Adiaphora is a matter of Christian freedom. And dating is adiaphora. “So,” you say, “we’re right back where we started. Thanks for nothing!” No, not quite. In light of Scripture, and my own observations and experiences, I humbly offer my own bit of dating advice. RULES. The society we live in today tends to take an extremely casual view of dating. Except for certain expectations of basic manners, rules are basically nonexistent. Many couples engage in sex, move in together, and even buy houses together while still in the dating stage. As Christians, we are in the world but not of the world, so such behavior is unacceptable. In order to prevent
Can't get enough HT? Check out http://higherthings.org/ magazine/issues/winter2007.html for Bible studies.
there is a time for everything under the sun. Waiting for the right person is so much better than wasting time with someone who is wrong for you. If you are already seeing someone, there is no need to rush to the altar.
Remember, “do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires” (Song of Solomon 2:7). But when temptation threatens to overtake you, consider 1 Corinthians 7:36–37. Maybe it is time for marriage! FAITH. What it all comes down to is that even for something as seemingly commonplace and normal as dating, we still fall on the mercy of Jesus Christ. Despite the noblest rules and the most valiant effort to live up to your principles, and despite having the patience of Job in your search for your soul mate, you will face obstacles. You may lose that patience while you wait, and you may cross the line with your boyfriend or girlfriend. For those who struggle with sins of the flesh, repent. Look to the cross. You are forgiven. For those who struggle less, beware lest you give up sins of the flesh for sins of the heart—pride, self-righteousness, and the like. Repent. Look to the cross. There really is no golden rule for dating, but you can proceed with the knowledge of one who knows what God expects of your conduct, with humility in the certainty that at some point you will fail, and with comfort in the sure promise of forgiveness.
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By Bethany Smith
ting sin, many young people establish certain rules to follow. This is a noble goal, but you must remember that even the strictest precautions will leave opportunity to fail. A dear friend of mine did not kiss her husband until their wedding day, yet she confessed to me that such a rule—strict by many standards—is not enough to prevent sin. Jesus says that lust in the heart is the same as adultery (Matthew 5:28). So don’t be like the Pharisees who devised arbitrary rules to live by in an attempt to relieve their consciences. Sin is sin. TIME. Patience is a virtue. I remember the longing and loneliness that accompanied me through high school and much of college. Whenever a friend assured me that someone would come along, I always thought, “Easy for you to say!” How quickly we forget that
Bethany Smith dated and survived. She is now happily married. E-mail her at confessionalgirl@ yahoo.com.
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Forgiving All the
Unforgiv By Rev. George F. Borghardt III
ll sins are forgiven by the death of Christ of the cross. The Gospel is in the all. Not a sin is left out. Not a sin is left unanswered. Not a single one. Every last sin is forgiven, done, and answered for in Jesus Christ.
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All means not just your sins or my sins; that’s everyone’s sins. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. “All are justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23–24). Freely given—that’s gift. Freely received—that’s faith. He does it. He does the redeeming. To redeem means to buy back. The one who paid the price for your sins is Christ. That’s what Jesus did with His innocent suffering and death. Christ did the paying for the all of the Gospel. He didn’t redeem you with gold or silver, but “with His holy precious blood, and His innocent suffering and death.” He did it for you. He did it for free. Not one sin has been left unredeemed, and not one person has not been died for. But there’s that person with that horrible thing he did to you. You know the one. You know the thing, that awful, unimaginable thing. It caught you completely by surprise, took the wind right out of your Christianity. It felt like a punch in the stomach. Life will never be the same. You’ll never get over it. You can’t even look at her. Can you ever forget? Can you ever forgive? Should you? The all of the Lord’s forgiveness includes that sin too, doesn’t it? Yes. Christ answered for all sins on the cross, even that one, especially that one. He died for the ungodly. That’s you. All also includes the ungodly person who sinned against you too. All. That really is all. Christ has forgiven you all your small and your terrible sins. He forgave the time you did youknow-what at you-know-where. He forgave that time you got yourself into that thing you shouldn’t have gotten into. And He forgave the time you said those hurtful words you really shouldn’t have said. You know what I’m talking about. You know what He forgave, don’t you? So what happens when you, who have been forgiven all your terrible sins, don’t forgive the sins of others? Can you expect to be forgiven?
No, absolutely not. Without the Lord’s forgiveness, there is no heaven, no life, no paradise. There is only death, hell, and torment for you. That’s the Law, and there’s no dodging it. If you say that all sins are forgiven by the cross, all except that one particular sin that person did against you, you reject the Gospel. You deny the all of the Lord’s forgiveness and set yourself outside the faith of Christ. Is it really worth going to hell to not forgive that person? Surely not, especially when the all of the Gospel covers both of you. You are forgiven on account of Christ. And that person is forgiven on account of Christ too. Don’t let that person’s not being sorry determine whether you forgive or not. Don’t think your lack of forgiveness is justified because that person isn’t sorry enough for your satisfaction. Christ didn’t wait for you to be sorry to forgive you. He died for sinners who weren’t the least bit sorry. He died for those who killed Him. He died for all your sins, and He died for all that person’s sins too. You know full well that you don’t get forgiveness simply because you forgive. No, Christ forgives you, and so you forgive. Forgiving others isn’t a work that earns you God’s forgiveness. That’s backwards. He takes His forgiveness and splashes you, and that forgiveness overflows onto those around you, even to that person who did that thing that hurt you so much. Still can’t bring yourself to forgive them? The pain is certainly real. The hurt really does run deep. If you force yourself to forgive, you might work up some forgiveness for a bit. But then that person will say or do something or you’ll hear that he said or did something, and it will all come rushing back. You’ll be back to where you started with all the pain, all the rage, all the unforgiveness. So, what then? You get your life filled again with His forgiveness. You are forgiven. You are enlivened to forgive others at the same place where you yourself have
ivables received all your forgiveness—His Word, His Baptism, His Absolution, His Supper. His forgiveness enlivens you to forgive as He overflows His forgiveness to those around you. Christ’s forgiveness is for all sins. Christ’s forgiveness is for all people—for you and for those who sin against you. All even means the sins of those who sin against you are forgiven too. “So will we truly, on our part, also heartily forgive and also readily do good to those who sin against us.” Rev. George F. Borghardt III is the Assistant/Youth Pastor at St. Mark Lutheran Church in Conroe, TX. His e-mail address is revborghardt@ higherthings.org.
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Boulder, CO (University of Colorado) ✠ University Lutheran Chapel, Minneapolis, MN (University of Minnesota) ✠ University Lutheran Church and Student Center, Champaign, IL (University of Illinois) ✠ University Lutheran Church, Bloomington, IN (Indiana University) ✠ Zion Lutheran Church, Alva, OK (NW Oklahoma State University) ✠ Zion Lutheran Church, Morris, MN (University of Minnesota–Morris)
✠ All Saints Lutheran Church, Slippery Rock, PA (Slippery Rock State University) ✠ Christ Lutheran Church, Superior, WI (University of Wisconsin–Superior) ✠ Christ the King Lutheran Chapel, Mt. Pleasant, MI (Central Michigan University) ✠ Concordia Lutheran Church, Louisville, KY (University of Louisville) ✠ Concord
Veritable
I
Hulks
A CCV’s Experience at a Higher Things Conference
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really didn’t have time to be a volunteer at last summer’s Higher Things conference. Or maybe I didn’t want to take the time. I signed up to do it so long beforehand, and as the event approached I couldn’t help but think about the work I had to miss and the other things I needed to do. But since I’d signed up, duty said I had to go. I would do it for my parents. I would do it for my church. I would do it for this magazine that I get. I was helping them out, putting my own best interests on the back burner. I was being a really good guy. At least that’s how I felt. Perhaps not just about being a CCV , but about my life as a Christian in general. Sometimes it is hard, going to college, to stay on the same path. Sometimes it is hard to be a Lutheran, to find a new church and like-minded friends. It is easy to forget what it all meant to begin with. It’s funny that this last conference’s theme was “For You.“ I think that might have been exactly what I needed to hear. I fell into thinking that I was doing all these things for someone else; by the end, I realized the benefits for me.You get out what you put into something, right? But I could not have put into my experience as a CCV what I got out of it, whether because of my own shortcomings or what I learned and what I received. I can’t help but think it was, in these ways, tantamount to my faith as a whole. The conference almost laid before me an analogy of life-asusual. It gave me an understanding of the gifts I’ve received as a Lutheran that I could not have gotten elsewhere but from God. It refreshed me and reminded me that I live in Christ, and He continually strengthens that life and faith in His Word and Sacraments. And because I’m alive in Him, even ordinary things have significance.
of the
By Karl Houser
I did about as much in my first CCV week as I have since the school year began. I met more people, made more friends, learned more things, and went to more church. I could go on. It was fast-paced, high-energy, an emotional high. From the moment I became a CCV, my time was not my own. Once the announcement was made that the college volunteers were here to help, my special CCV green shirt may as well have been a target. Lost groups spotted me from across the campus. Speakers with computer problems seemed to know where I was at all times. Questions about parking would find me like a heat-seeking missile. I would need to be up by seven in the morning for a chance at breakfast. The day would often not end until one thirty in the morning. Time was short and the campus was big; running errands meant literal running. It was likely the hardest I have worked in a long time. What a blast. I came to this conference with no knowledge of anyone I would be working with and left trying to get to a fellow CCV’s upcoming wedding. I started upset about losing a week of work and ended up canceling an extra week to volunteer again in North Carolina. I can’t remember when these things happened, when they had time to happen. I remember bits and pieces. I remember 2:00 a.m. was too early to sleep and going outside instead to listen to one CCV play his guitar while the rest of us practiced cartwheels (I didn’t get any better). I remember karaoke. I guess I came away with quite a few anecdotes, which are always handy. But more importantly I came away with quite a few friends, which come in handy just as often. Of course, there was a little bit of catechesis in there too. I’m thankful for the chances I had to listen to the
Andrew’s Lutheran Church and Campus Center, Laramie, WY (Univ. of Wyoming) ✠ St. Mark Lutheran Church, Conroe, TX (Sam Houston State University) ✠ St. Paul’s Lutheran Chapel, Iowa City, IA (University of Iowa) ✠ Trinity Lutheran Church, Norman, OK (University of Oklahoma) ✠ University Lutheran Chapel,
dia Lutheran Church and Student Center, Vermillion, SD (University of South Dakota) ✠ Gloria Christi Lutheran Church, Greeley, CO (University of Northern Colorado) ✠ Grace Lutheran Church, Muncie, IN (Ball State University) ✠ Luther Memorial Chapel and University Student Center, Shorewood, WI (UW–Milwaukee) ✠
Volunteer Variety
✠ The campus ministry arm of Higher Things ✠ Pastors and laity interested in confessional Lutheran campus ministry ✠ A great source for campus ministry resources ✠ Discussion forums for college students and campus ministry workers ✠ College retreats and service opportunities ✠ A growing and developing network of campus ministry chapters ✠ A great resource for apologetics
Christ on Campus Chapters Twenty-seven strong and growing! The newest chapters include: ✠ Christ Lutheran Church, Superior, WI (Serving students at the University of Wisconsin–Superior) ✠ University Lutheran Chapel, Boulder, CO (Serving students at the University of Colorado) Join the network. Apply online to be a Christ on Campus Chapter today.
conference speakers, even that was tricky with CCV duties. We had to set aside meeting times so we could figure out who would get a chance to go to which session. We had to trade, compromise, negotiating like I hadn’t done since I trafficked Pokemon cards at recess. I wanted a session on free will, someone else wanted to know more about Santa Claus. We figured it out pretty well. Some of those sessions meant a lot to me too. I met with some amazing people with qualities that I’d like to find in myself. I met pastors who were well-versed in subjects that I found interesting. I was inspired; I was encouraged. I even think I learned a little. Lessons learned? For starters, life can be both so busy and mundane that we lose focus on service—God’s service to us and ours to others. We get stuck on ourselves, but believe we’re not. Our time isn’t our own, after all; it’s given to us. I’m newly thankful for God’s gifts of encouraging friends, and especially His unfailing grace in Christ. I need to remember that I was created to serve others and how much God serves me. It is probably an understatement to say I’m glad I went and equally so to say I’m better for it. I look forward to next year’s Higher Things conference, and hopefully seeing a few old friends. I’m glad that this year I know enough to look forward to it.
Upcoming Spring 2008 Retreat Locations More information (speakers, themes, registration information) available soon online. Feb. 8–9 Feb. 16–17 April 4–6
University Lutheran Church, Bloomington, IN St. Paul’s Lutheran Chapel, Iowa City, IA St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church and Campus Center, Laramie, WY
2008 Annual Campus Staff Conference Make plans to join us May 28–30, 2008, in Knoxville, Tennessee, for the Sixth Annual Christ on Campus Staff Conference. Registration opens on January 15, 2008.
Learn more about Christ on Campus http://christoncampus.higherthings.org
If you’re a college student interested in serving as a CCV in 2008, please check out www.amen2008.org for more information on how to apply or contact the Christ on Campus Executive, Rev. Marcus Zill. –Ed.
Apply to be Christ on Campus Volunteer at AMEN:
Karl Houser is a student at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. He served as a Christ on Campus Volunteer at both 2006 For You conferences.
Contact: Rev. Marcus Zill, Christ on Campus Executive: zill@higherthings.org or (307) 745-5892
http://www.amen2008.org
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Lutheran Campus Ministry, Knoxville, TN (University of Tennessee) ✠ Lutheran Student Fellowship at Berkeley, CA (University of California–Berkeley) ✠ Lutheran Student Fellowship of Pittsburgh, PA (University of Pittsburgh and others) ✠ Lutheran Student Fellowship at Stanford, Palo Alto, CA (Stanford University) ✠ Lutheran Student Fellowship at Vanderbilt, Nashville, TN (Vanderbilt University)
Christ on Campus is:
✠ Lutheran Student Fellowship at Wright State University, OH (Wright State) ✠ Mt. Olive Lutheran Church, Duluth, MN (University of Minnesota–Duluth) ✠ Redeemer Lutheran Church, Chico, CA (Chico State University) ✠ Redeemer Lutheran Student Fellowship, Dickinson, ND (Dickinson State University) ✠ St.
$325 per registration
Amen - St. Louis St. Louis University St. Louis, MO July 1– 4, 2008
$350 per registration
Amen - Irvine Concordia University – Irvine Irvine, CA July 15 –18, 2008
Check out www.amen2008.org for more information!
A Higher Things Lutheran Youth Conference
2 Corinthians 1:20
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.
$300 per registration
Amen - Poconos University of Scranton Scranton, PA June 24–27, 2008
Information about the 2008 Higher Things Conferences Amen - Poconos University of Scranton Scranton, PA June 24–27, 2008
What To Expect
Amen - St. Louis St. Louis University St. Louis, MO July 1– 4, 2008
$300 per registration
$325 per registration
WORSHIP – Conferences provide many opportunities for youth and chaperones to participate in our best possible expression of traditional, Christ-centered, Lutheran worship. Three times a day, services are conducted from the Lutheran Service Book by LCMS pastors. The preaching and singing at a Higher Things conference is an amazing thing to behold. Smaller groups are also invited to pray the service of Compline together each night before lights-out. Youth really come to appreciate the liturgical traditions of our churches when they are taught why we do what we do, so materials and opportunities to learn about our historical worship practices will be provided for groups both before and during the conferences. WORK – “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young,” St. Paul tells Timothy (1 Timothy 4:12). How can young people "Dare to be Lutheran" if they don't know what it means to be a Lutheran in this world? Catechesis (religious instruction) at Higher Things conferences is known for being fairly intense so come prepared to learn! Many people today don’t think youth are capable of learning about doctrinal issues or that they’re even interested in doing so. We have found just the opposite to be true! At our conferences, youth have many, many opportunities to learn more about their faith and its uniqueness in the Christian world. Sectional workshops are offered on a variety of subjects of interest to young people to help them understand and express a faithful perspective when talking to their friends, teachers, and families. Catechetical speakers at Higher Things conferences are pastors or laity in the LCMS.
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PLAY – One of the reasons youth come to conferences is to meet other Lutherans from around the world. Higher Things conferences incorporate many fun activities as an integral part of the week! Each site we visit offers new and very different ways for youth to enjoy themselves and get to know each other; baseball games, karaoke, laser tag, hiking, square dancing, bowling, and improv comedy have all been some of the ways we’ve had fun at past conferences. We also schedule some free time so that groups can have an opportunity to have fun together during the week as well. Higher Things dares to be Lutheran, meaning that we don’t hide our uncompromising emphasis on the Gospel and all that Christ has done for us. Youth tell us again and again that they love Higher Things conferences because they get to spend four days immersed in hearing the about their Savior and their Christian faith.
Preconference Events
To prepare for attending the 2008 conferences, Higher Things has made resources available for groups to hold preconference lock-ins. These events allow for congregations in a regional area to come together and the youth to get to know each other before they even get to a
Amen - Irvine Concordia University – Irvine Irvine, CA July 15–18, 2008 $350 per registration
conference. Groups can then also link up to reduce transportation costs by traveling together to conferences. The 2008 preconference lock-ins will focus on learning about worship and why Lutherans do what we do in our services. E-mail retreats@higherthings.org for information on planning these events in your area.
Who May Attend
Higher Things conferences are planned for high school age youth, but registrants may be any youth who has been confirmed before the date of the conference, including college students. Non-LCMS youth may attend with the approval of a registered group’s pastor and group leader. Unfortunately, spouses, personal assistants, and other adults cannot be accommodated as unregistered conference participants. Higher Things recommends a ratio of one adult for every seven youth in your group, and one male adult if there are male youth and/or one female adult if there are female youth in your group. Each group must be accompanied by at least one chaperone. All adults in a group must also complete the registration process. Chaperones must be at least twenty-one years old at the time of registration and approved by the group’s pastor for their role.
Christ on Campus Volunteers
Once again, college students have an opportunity to apply to serve the conferences as Christ on Campus Volunteers (CCVs). Those selected to serve as CCVs will receive a discount on their registration fees and help by assisting the staff and speakers during the conferences. Fifteen CCVs will be accepted for the Scranton, Pennsylvania, and St. Louis, Missouri, conferences, and twelve CCVs will be accepted for the one in Irvine, California. Young adults enrolled this academic year in college or graduate school may download application forms from our conference Web site. Applications will be received from November 1, 2007 to March 1, 2008.
Registration
Conference registration fees include all the conference activities, most meals, on-site housing, T-shirt, oneyear subscription to Higher Things: Dare to Be Lutheran magazine, and more! A $100 non-refundable deposit per person must be paid at the time of registration. Conference registration will be open from November 1, 2007, to March 1, 2008, or when each conference fills, whichever happens first. All fees must be paid in U.S. funds. Group leaders may register and pay deposits online or download registration forms at www.amen2008.org. If the conference of your choice reaches capacity before your registration is processed, you may opt to be placed on a waiting list for that conference, transfer your group’s deposit and registration to one of the other conferences, or receive a refund of your deposit. Preferential registration for the AmenIrvine conference will be given to congregations located from the Rocky Mountains westward. Other groups will have opportunity to register, but due to very limited capacity, we recommend that groups identify a second choice conference as well. Watch www.amen2008.org for more information coming soon.
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Celestial Report From: St. Lichstacht, Guardian Angel Date: Day 732,720 of the New Creation The Baptized: Blessed Kathy Describe the Incident, including the Cause and Resolution:
The demons ambushed our Blessed Kathy, intending harm to her body, mind, and soul. They lured her in with the risky pleasure of teenage infatuation. It was custom tailored to her weaknesses. She was not corrupted directly, but she made foolish choices. She sinned by going to a perilous gathering. She skated around the edges of Holy Marriage for her own selfish wishes. She partially succumbed to the peer pressure touted by the Defector to “not judge.” Not only did she endanger herself, she also placed the Blessed Molly in danger. She condoned, by silence, the sinful behavior of others. This tragedy has already served as a warning to the Blessed Kathy. The Evil One is powerful when compared to humans. By His unfathomable grace, our Father delivered her from a worse fate and also from death. We know, of course, that our Father’s ways are not our ways. Sometimes He does allow evil a temporary foothold. He uses death itself to bring His saints to Himself. But this time He intervened, and she was largely spared. We pray that she come to know the danger she faces from the Enemy, the world, and her own sinful flesh, lest she become complacent or fall into that wicked trap set by the Father of Lies that takes our Father’s grace for granted or that thinks bad things don’t happen to Christians. In this terrible event, our Father once again demonstrated His power and patient mercy. He never left the Blessed Kathy. The Spirit of our Father was calling to her even when she put herself at grave risk by suppressing her conscience. She was dangerously close to losing faith, to driving off our Father’s Spirit, by this suppression. But He remembers His promises. He remembers Kathy because He remembers His Son. He remembers His blessed sacrifice for her, the blood that cries to heaven for mercy, the justice that requires heaven’s protection. He looks to the righteousness of Jesus Christ, whom He sent to earth to be humanity’s Savior. Glory be to God on high! He was slain from the foundation of the world to make Kathy His. Peace on earth! Good will to men! He was raised again for her justification. She has been reconciled to Him and declared righteous. His innocent heel was bruised, He died, but that giving death crushed Satan’s seed and He has risen victoriously. Thus is our Father pleased with the Blessed Kathy, even as He is pleased with His Only-Begotten. His life and righteousness count for her. He could no more let hell have her than He could leave His Holy One in the grave. He delights in her so much that He loves to hear her prayers and answers even before she prays—God be praised! The Enemy snapped his jaws in vain. His prey escaped in the twinkling of an eye. The chains that hold him are sturdy and short. No saints go to Hell. He gets not a single saint. They all belong to God. The devil cannot even have the smallest of sparrows or frailest of lilies. Yet, as we well know, he still wins many battles in the fallen kingdom of the air. He causes great sufferings and sorrows on old earth. But not tonight. Tonight, the desire of all holy angels to keep all the Baptized from harm was also the perfect will of our Father. Thus did He, in mercy, provide an escape from greater harm for the Blessed Kathy. It was my delight, at His instruction, to set the trophy into her hand. She was thus liberated and removed from danger. How our Father will use this for good in His Son is not yet completely known, though some good has already been seen. We’ve all guarded those whom our Father has allowed to be hurt, but His mercy is perfect and pure, and our angelic understanding is limited. We do His will, not our own, and His will is always good and always best. He wills to forgive sins. He wills to bless men through faith. Sometimes our desire cannot be met for the sake of good. But not today! Today we had the blessed confluence of angelic instincts perfectly matched to our Father’s gracious wisdom: the Blessed Kathy was rescued.
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Thus was she delivered from worse harm by divine intervention. More gloriously, she remained by His grace in the faith. God Himself, who loves her, intervened for her. The salvation won on Calvary’s holy beams was given in time to her so that she would trust in Him and be saved. Her struggles are not over. She must for now bear a heavy weight. Physical violence and impurity inflict a terrible burden upon the baptized who are yet waiting for transfer to glory. Our legions, all of whom also love her, will keep watching over Blessed Kathy and also praying for her. And in it all we rejoice in this: she believes in Jesus. He has saved her. She will join us in heaven. By His grace, she will come to better know whence comes her help, how to pray, to rely ever more fully and confidently upon Our Father’s grace, to wait for and expect heaven. We are all eager to talk to her, to let her in on all the good that God has done for her and how He watched and adored her while she was on earth. For now, we must wait. Once again, what we angels would have now, in our holy ignorance, comes only in our Father’s time, at His Word, by His mysterious and ever gracious wisdom. Reverently submitted, St. Lichstacht 10/7/07
Dear Diary, I just got back from the hospital. It’s 4 a.m. Molly’s asleep. She won’t leave me alone. The doctor tried to make her leave while I was examined, and she practically tore his head off. I’m glad she’s sleeping, because I want to be alone. I wish I could sleep. I want to stop thinking for a while. I can’t believe I was so stupid, that I even wound up there. Molly keeps saying it wasn’t my fault and that she is sorry. I want to tell her it’s okay, that I’ll make it, and that it wasn’t her fault. But the reality is I’m still scared. That is why I can’t talk about it. I’m afraid of what I’ll say. I don’t know where that trophy came from. One second I didn’t have it, then I did. Thank God for it! Thank God. He provided the escape. I know He did. He answered my prayer. I want to tell Molly all that, but I can’t. Not yet. Right now it just makes me cry. It hurts too bad. Molly and Mom want me to talk. Dad’s going to fly home early. They’re scared for me. I’m still afraid too. I’m afraid of seeing Rick again. I don’t want to go back to school. And the devil isn’t limited to Rick. He’s out there. He hates me. He wants to destroy me. I’m afraid. But I’m also thankful. I was rescued. I’m scared and relieved at the same time. Does that make sense? I know it doesn’t. It doesn’t make sense to me either. I’m mixed up and conflicted. But I can’t stop my mind. I have Jesus. I’m scared, and I’m safe. I’m sad, and yet I’m confident that Christ is risen, that no one can take me from Him, that He doesn’t hate me for being stupid but loves me. I was rescued. The Lord was with me. It could have been worse, but it wasn’t. Thanks be to God! His mercy endures forever. The scary thing now is that everything is scary. My feelings are so huge that Jesus looks small. I know He’s not, but it feels that way. I’m safe in the death of Jesus Christ. He lives and so will I. That is my hope and my comfort. That’s what I believe and what I wait to see. Jesus is with me. He protects me. I am not fine. But I am alive. I’m not physically hurt, except for some bruises. My heart hurts. I will get better. And I will go to heaven. I will be free of trial and temptation, of sinful and stupid choices. I will be free of fear. Jesus heard my prayers. He will bring me home. He will rescue me from this vale of tears. I’m not okay, but I will be. I believe that. I will get better. Then, I will tell Molly and Mom all of it. I promise. I will warn them. And I will comfort them. I will tell them about guardian angels and the promise of the resurrection. I will not forget. I was spared this night. Jesus loves me.
Some Further Thoughts… As noted by readers, this hasn’t been a typical story for Kathy Luder. For five years, she’s encountered situations which are resolved in two pages, Gospel and all. It’s the formula of short stories and thirty-minute sitcoms. It’s not real life. In a wide variety of situations, God’s deliverance isn’t apparent right away. He leaves His people to endure and trust His promises for a while, and they sometimes bear scars until the Last Day. The story’s first part spoke about setting limits, resisting peer pressure, and making good choices. In confirmation class lingo, the Law was acting as a curb, discouraging evil. Illicit partying happens a lot in high school. The evil is cloaked as part of growing up. The devil delights to hurt bodies, minds, and souls. We’d rather have you avoid the scene and all the dangers it offers. Part one also raised the question: why did this happen to Kathy? We’re deluded if we think the world works by rewarding the good and punishing the bad. If we believe that vicious lie, then we’ll start to blame Kathy. We also acknowledge that not every girl is given an escape like Kathy. A football trophy isn’t always nearby. Horrible things happen. When this lie takes hold, it blames victims for what others have done. It isolates them in crushing shame that isn’t theirs. Especially for them, we need to condemn the lie that bad things happen only to those who deserve them. We acknowledge that tragedy can befall anyone, no matter how carefully they try to live. Furthermore, there’s no guarantee that we’ll know why the Lord permits such things. Answers aren’t always given. Meanwhile, the devil whispers, “Where is God now?” For starters, you know where He’s been: on the cross. Jesus’ Father forsook Him because He bore all sin—all of yours and all the world’s. Therefore, God will not forsake you. He promises instead to deliver you from evil—all of yours and all the world’s. To the repentant sinner, He says, “I forgive you. All your guilt is gone.” To the one who has suffered the evil of others, He says, “I have suffered others’ sins and borne shame that was not Mine. Before Me all your shame, including what has been unjustly placed upon you, is gone. No one knows your pain more than I do. I am not far away. I will always keep My baptismal promise. You’re Mine.” Jesus delivers us from all evil, including the evil we don’t want to talk about. Ultimately, He delivers us from the evil inflicted upon us by others. His grace is not just for when we tell a little lie or cheat on a test. It is deliverance from terrible evil too. If we only look at little sins, forgiveness will look small.We begin truly to appreciate the light of the Gospel when we see how dark the sin from which we are delivered. It seems appropriate to work through this in a magazine targeted to high schoolers. That’s an opinion. Not all will agree. But this is certain: in an evil world, Jesus’ promises remain. Rejoice in your Baptism. Run to hear His Word and receive His Supper. Whatever the dangers of this world, that is where Jesus is for you.
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Islam 101 M
By Dr. Adam S. Francisco
ost historians agree that, sometime in the early seventh century in what is now called Saudi Arabia, a man named Muhammad (570–632) laid the foundation for the religion of Islam. Despite its rather humble origins though, it quickly spread across Africa and Asia. Following Christianity, it is now the second largest religion in the world. Muslims believe that Muhammad was more than an ordinary man. He was a messenger through whom God spoke His message to humanity. This message was recorded in a book called the Qur’ān, which Muslims believe is the very word of God. One of the central themes of the Qur’ān is the reality of eternal life. Over and over again, it promises eternal life to those who believe and obey Allah (an Arabic term for God) and threatens those who do not with eternal damnation. Beyond this, Muslims believe that there is only one God, whom they term Allah. They do not worship several different gods like other eastern religions. Instead, like Christianity, Islam is a monotheistic religion. However, don’t be misled to think that Muslims and Christians worship the same God. Actually, it is clear from the Qur’ān itself that Allah is quite different than the God of Christianity. The biggest difference is that Allah does not and
cannot have a son. In other words, Jesus is not in any way seen as the eternal Son of God. The Qur’ān considers the biblical teaching of Jesus’ divinity, and the doctrine of the Trinity as a whole, to be an outright abomination. And yet, the Qur’ān does consider Jesus to be a prophet. It even teaches that He was born of the Virgin Mary. Still, Jesus is no more than a human being. In fact, the Qur’ān claims that at the final judgment, Jesus will return and condemn Christianity for claiming that He was both man and God. This radical theological difference is equally matched by some of the differences in the narrative of Jesus’ life in the Qur’ān. Indeed, some very interesting stories about Jesus can be found in it. For example, Muslims claim that Jesus spoke to Mary immediately after He was born. Another story claims that He caused a clay replica of a bird to come to life. Most troubling of all, however, is the Qur’ān’s claim that Jesus
was not crucified. Instead, and without explaining how, it teaches that someone was crucified in His place. Despite the theological differences between Islam and Christianity—or Islam and any other religion—many believe that the Qur’ān teaches respect for and tolerance of non-Muslims. Some have gone so far as to suggest that Islam accepts and encourages religious pluralism. This is simply not true. The Qur’ān is quite clear on this issue. In Qur’ān 9:33, Muhammad was called to be a prophet, to spread the message of Islam, and cause it to rule over all other religions. This is still the mission of Islam today. This should not frighten us. Rather, it should spur us into action. We must be prepared to respond to the challenge of Islam. Most importantly, even though Islam is fundamentally anti-Christian, we must not avoid our Muslim neighbors and friends. They, like all non-Christians, desperately need to hear the timeless yet historical and saving truth, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself (2 Corinthians 5:19). Adam S. Francisco is Guest Professor of Historical Theology at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and can be contacted by e-mail at adam.francisco@ctsfw.edu.
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FREE STATE:
Lutheranism, Political Liberty, and the U.S.Constitution
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n Germany in the 1840s, some of the absolute rulers had the bright idea of bringing the Lutherans and the Reformed into a single state church. Creating this happy ecumenical union meant, of course, that the Lutherans had to compromise their theology on so-called little points such as Holy Communion. As was the habit of German absolute rulers, especially the most enlightened and ecumenical ones, they brutally suppressed the Lutherans who objected, throwing many pastors into dungeons. H I G H E R
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Thus began a vast migration of the hardcore Lutherans from Germany to America and elsewhere. These Lutherans, who would rather leave their homes and families than compromise their faith, became the founders of what would become the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. (This is why to this day, the LCMS, as well as the Wisconsin Synod and groups with a similar heritage, are so leery of ecumenical unions and doctrinal compromise.) One of the earliest groups of Lutheran immigrants found themselves in the wilderness of nearly-unsettled Wisconsin. They cut down trees for
room to grow their crops and used the logs to build their homes and their church. They exulted in their new freedoms and loved their new country. They named their settlement Freistadt, that is, “Free State.” Lutherans came in droves to take advantage of America’s constitutional liberties, but did Lutheranism play a role in America’s founding? Yes, indeed, though not as you might expect. Even though the Lutheran doctrine of the two kingdoms forbids the Church from meddling in politics and casts a skeptical eye on political revolutions, without the Lutheran Reformation, America’s Constitution would literally be unthinkable. The Two Kingdoms under One King Lutherans do not believe in establishing a theocracy or in making the Bible the law of the land. They do not believe that America is God’s chosen nation, or that only Christians should rule, or that the Church should establish a Christian republic. Some Christians talk that way but never Lutherans. Lutheran political teachings are summed up in the doctrine of the two kingdoms, which is connected to the distinction between Law and Gospel. God governs His spiritual kingdom by means of His Word, which brings people to faith through the power of the Gospel of Christ, calls them into the
community of the Church, and sustains them by Christ’s sacramental presence for everlasting life. God governs His earthly kingdom by virtue of His rational created order, His moral law, and human vocations, through which He provides for the needs of believer and non-believer alike. According to the doctrine of the two kingdoms, God is already ruling as King even in the secular realms. The Church’s business is to proclaim the Gospel, not to exert political power. The state’s business is to enforce the first use of the Law (to restrain outward evil so that sinners will not destroy each other), not to evangelize. Both churches that seek to govern politics and states that seek to govern religion are confusing Law and Gospel. Both politicized churches and theologized states are confusing Law and Gospel. The doctrine of the two kingdoms, however, does not mean that anything goes in the secular realm, as is sometimes assumed. Those who deny the creation, act irrationally, undermine His moral law, and do not respect vocation are not following the doctrine of the two kingdoms. Nor does it mean that every ruler has the authority of God. According to Romans 13, God works through the vocation of lawful magistrates to punish evildoers and rewards the innocent. But God calls and authorizes no ruler who instead punishes the innocent and rewards evildoers. Reformation and Revolutions The most direct impact of the Reformation on the rise of political liberty was in Luther’s promotion of universal literacy. He wanted everyone from all social classes, including women, to be able to read the Bible. This meant opening schools for everyone. Luther could have started learn-to-read-the-Bible schools, then sent the peasants back to their farms, but instead he and Philip Melanchthon started schools grounded in the classical liberal arts. Liberal came from the Latin word for “freedom.” The curriculum was designed to form a free citizen as opposed to the mere joboriented training that the Greeks and the Romans gave to slaves. Once the masses of ordinary people had access to that kind of education, self-government was only a matter of time. Furthermore, as M. Stanton Evans observes in his book The Theme is Freedom, it was the Bible that first limited the power of kings. While neighboring pagan kings claimed to be gods, the Hebrew prophets taught that their own kings were subject to the higher Law of God. Thus was born, conceptually, the rule of law. This principle—that rulers, too, must obey the law and that governments consist of laws and not men—would prove fundamental to the Constitution. Evans shows also how the Bible, with its transcendent moral law and the value it ascribes to individual life, led to the acknowledgment of human
rights. Already in the Middle Ages—despite the lack of self-government—rulers and peasants alike had distinct legal rights that the others were not to violate. One of those rights, sealed with the Magna Charta, provided for representative legislatures. During the Reformation, the smaller, local governments of the German princes asserted their rights and stood up against the emperor to defend Luther and the Gospel. This was a blow for decentralized governments against the large, allpowerful sovereignty of the empire. In the generations after Luther’s death, Europe was torn by the Thirty Years’ War, which began when a Protestant legislature in Prague deposed its king for attempting to reimpose Catholicism. Similar assertions of the authority of legislatures over kings in the name of the Reformation took place in other nations, including England. The American founders based their revolution against the king of England on their rights to legislative representation under English law. Whereas the French Revolution was an Enlightenmentinspired attempt to destroy the old order, the American Revolution justified itself in terms of that order, invoking the rule of law. Though Lutherans to this day will debate whether the Americans were right to cast off the authority of King George, the legitimacy of the American government was established beyond doubt with the Treaty of Paris wherein King George himself granted his former colonies their independence as sovereign states. Yes, that pastor during the Revolutionary War who, at the end of the worship service took off his vestments to reveal the uniform of a Continental Army officer, his new calling, was a Lutheran named Peter Muhlenberg. And two Lutherans, Jacob Broom and Thomas Mifflin, were signers of the Constitution. But the Constitution bears the fingerprints of the Lutheran reformers in more important ways.The awareness of human sinfulness, cultivated in the Reformation, led the founders to put into place a careful system of checks and balances to prevent any individual or part of the government from wielding unrestrained power. Luther’s emphasis on the freedom of conscience and that religious beliefs must not be coerced loomed behind the Bill of Rights. And whereas Germany tried to make Lutheranism into a state church—a theological disaster according to LCMS founders—the Constitution’s separation of church and state arguably established as state policy the Lutheran doctrine of the two kingdoms. Dr. Gene Edward Veith is the Provost at Patrick Henry College, the Director of the Cranach Institute at Concordia Theological Seminary, and the author of seventeen books. His e-mail address is geveith@phc.edu.
Can't get enough HT? Check out http://higherthings.org/magazine/issues/winter2007.html for Bible studies.
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Christmas Gift of
Parents
or Why Your Parents Aren’t as Dumb as You Think They Are
“When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.” - Mark Twain
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here are few things in life more annoying than parents, especially when you’re between the ages of about thirteen and eighteen. They are intrusive, ask too many questions, have all of the rules down, and more than anything, they just don’t get what you’re going through.
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Mark Twain was right. To the fourteen-year-old, parents just don’t understand what life in high school is like. They are awkward and embarrassing to be around. So, what are you to do? Live in a box under the highway? Pretend you’re adopted and that you don’t really know them? Make every conversation into a battle zone where you pick the rules? You can do all these things and probably have. Well, maybe not the living in a box part. But high school is hard enough without having to face a war every time you go home. So, how do we understand parents as a gift from God and not as a trial to undergo each time we see them? Here are a few tips for the teenager who wishes his parents would be less seen and heard. Parents don’t understand what high school life is like today. They can’t. If they could, they wouldn’t be your parents. It’s not their job. Do you really want your parents talking like you, acting like you, and being a part of your social life? Blech! You don’t understand what a parent’s life is like. In just the same way, there is no way you can understand the responsibility and plain work being a father or mother is day after day. They sacrifice, they worry, they pray, they hope, plan, dream, and hurt for you every day. Usually, you don’t know about these things until much later, but every once in a while there may be a glimpse.
Can't get enough HT? Check out http://higherthings.org/ magazine/issues/winter2007.html for Bible studies.
By Rev. Todd A. Peperkorn
The
Frankly, understanding is overrated. You don’t have to understand one another to love and appreciate one another. Oh, I suppose a certain level of understanding is necessary. But your parents love you and want to take care of you whether they understand you or not. I guarantee they are just as mystified by you as you are by them. But that’s okay. There are lots of things that I don’t understand in the world (e.g., math, geometry, physics, chemistry) that I can appreciate and benefit from. Parents and children should love and be loved by each other, even without some great level of understanding. Honor and respect for your parents isn’t based on what their failings are but on the fact that they are a gift from God. Martin Luther put it this way: We must, therefore, impress this truth upon the young (Deuteronomy 6:7) that they should think of their parents as standing in God’s place. They should remember that however lowly, poor, frail, and strange
their parents may be, nevertheless, they are the father and mother given to them by God. Parents are not to be deprived of their honor because of their conduct or their failings.1 Now, what these things mean for you is that even though it may appear that your parents are ignorant, behind the times, and don’t know everything they should, they are still your parents, they still love you, and they sacrifice for you every day whether you realize it or not. If we want to talk about mutual understanding, think of what it must have been like for our Lord. And He went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And His mother treasured up all these things in her heart (Luke 2:51). There you have a twelve-year-old who really does know all things and a mother who really doesn’t understand what her Son is going through! Yet, our Lord was submissive to His mother and stepfather even though they didn’t understand Him. Furthermore, He did this for you. Sons and daughters will always go through a time when they have trials with their parents. But Jesus kept the Law for you, so that you are free. You are free to receive your parents for who they are and not for what you want them to be. You are free to recognize their weaknesses and failings and to love and honor them nonetheless, knowing that our Lord perfects what we cannot do on our own. So, even if parents are as ignorant and dumb as you may think they are (even though they’re not), God would still have us honor them, hear them, and follow their instructions. Why? Because God has given them to you. They are your first birthday gift, just as Mary was to our Lord as His birth. Merry Christmas! Rev. Todd Peperkorn is the pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He was the grand poo-bah of Higher Things Magazine from 2001–2006. He can be reached at pastor@messiahkenosha.org. Book of Concord, Large Catechism, p. 371.
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All praise to Thee, eternal God, Who, clothed in garb of flesh and blood Dost take a manger for Thy throne, While worlds on worlds are Thine alone. Hallelujah! Once did the skies before Thee bow; A virgin’s arms contain Thee now, While angels, who in Thee rejoice, Now listen for Thine infant voice. Hallelujah! A little Child, Thou art our Guest That weary ones in Thee may rest; Forlorn and lowly is Thy birth That we may rise to heav’n from earth. Hallelujah! (TLH 80) This public domain hymn is taken from The Lutheran Hymnal © 1941 Concordia Publishing House.
A blessed Christmas to you from Higher Things.
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10th
Join us for the annual CHRIST ACADEMY at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana
June 15-28, 2008
hrist Academy is a two-week residential program for high-school-aged men, founded by Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne. It is a place where students can study about Christ who is present in His Word and Sacraments and who died that their sins would be forgiven. It is a place where students can experience seminary life. It is a place where students can explore the possibility of one day becoming a pastor.
C
✠ ✠ ✠ ✠
Worship, the Center of the Experience Life-Changing Studies Clarity of Direction Fun Activities For more information, please call:
1-800-481-2155 www.ctsfw.edu christacademy@ctsfw.edu
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Friends in
Heaven by Rev. David Petersen eople in heaven have faces. They are still themselves. Mary remains the mother of Jesus, Abraham the father of Israel. The apostles are still the apostles. There are positions of honor on our Lord’s right and left hands. Those places will be filled. Wouldn’t it be a wonderful piece of irony if it turned out that our Father had reserved those places for James and John or for Salome? The works of the saints follow them. All shine according to their works and life on earth, the fruits of the faith God has given. They are not all the same. They retain their nation, tribe, people, and tongue. They retain, in some fashion, their positions and their good works from earth. In St. John’s vision of heaven, the angels, the multitude, the elders, the patriarchs, the martyrs, and the four living creatures are distinguished one from another. Who you are now is who you will be in heaven, only more so. You will finally become most fully yourself, as you were meant to be. All that you aren’t because of sin will be restored. Your gifts and talents, personality and intellect, will be free of all envy, malice, and greed. You will be the person that God has always loved, the one redeemed and forgiven by Him, still with your humor and interests, joys, and praise. God Himself has crafted and designed you. And thus you will honor and praise Him as only you can. You will shine according to the unique grace that He has given you. You will be unique yet united, distinct but not separate. This is the life of the saints in heaven. They are united one to the other, in perfect accord and harmony, fully rejoicing in the gifts and talents of others, even as they excel at their own. They are washed in the blood of the Lamb. They are as pure as the holy angels. They are perfect in the grace of Jesus Christ who is risen from the dead. He forgives sins. That forgiveness sanctifies sinners. He removes all jealousy and strife. So while the saints in heaven have their individuality, they also have Him. In Him, they are united, fully in love with all their brothers and sisters as wonderful and distinct gifts of God.
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The Third Article: I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
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What does this mean? I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true.
God’s grace in Jesus Christ forgives sins. It does not end personality. You are not your sins. The forgiveness won for you by Calvary’s sacrifice removes both guilt and punishment. To be forgiven is to be innocent of all sins in heaven, as though you had the righteousness of Christ himself. Of course, you are not completely in heaven just yet. You are innocent there, but temptation still afflicts you here. So do guilt and regret. To be sanctified, to grow in the grace of Jesus Christ, you keep on being forgiven. Forgiveness begins and leads to sanctification. It delivers and leads you to holiness. So God brings you to Holy Absolution, to the Holy Supper, to hear the Word of God, to pray, and so forth, so that you remain and abide in His Word and serve him in innocence. In these ways, He continues to wash and cleanse you of your sins, to unite you to the saints in heaven, and to lead you to holiness. Your sanctification is not yet complete, so you still struggle with sins. You still need what God gives. But the good work begun in you will be complete. Your sanctification will be full. You will be perfect, which means “complete,” completely who you should be in Christ. In the day of Jesus Christ, you will be raised from the dead and free of all temptation, all second thoughts, all guilt, shame, and regret. You will be free from selfishness. You will be as good as your Father declares you to be, good in ways and degrees unique to you. You will still need your Father’s gifts, but then not for forgiveness but just for joy. You will leave behind your fallen flesh and sinful desires. You will receive new flesh, a perfect, completely human and eternal, holy body. You will be you. Only sin will be left behind. In this grace, you will retain your intellect, personality, humor, gifts, talents, experiences, and interests. You will be more fully you than you’ve ever been before, remaining unique and special to God, but finally, and at last, without sin. This is also true of your fellow believers. If you love your believing grandmother now, you will love her then and for the same reasons. You get to keep your believing family and friends in heaven. But then you will be free to love them purely and wholly, without envy, malice, or greed. By the blood of Jesus Christ, you will love as you should.They will by worthy of it and return it without fail. You will be you. They will be themselves. And it will be good. Rev. David Petersen is pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and is also on the Higher Things editorial board. His e-mail address is David.H.Petersen@att.net.
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Broken Homes: No Big Deal? Bible Study Leader’s Guide Pastor Robin Fish
Pastor Pauls briefly examines the modern phenomenon of “the broken home” and the pain that it causes. But is it a “modern” phenomenon? No. Divorce is mentioned in Deuteronomy. Adultery is named already in Exodus. While it is probably true that it is a much more common problem today among the people of God than, say, in the day of Moses, it is still a problem as old as the hills, and therefore addressed in some fashion in the Bible. Let us see what wisdom we can uncover in God’s Word about the issues that touch on the Broken Home. I. Broken homes do not arise out of the will of God, but the sins of men and women. The damage that they do is the same. Read Exodus 20:5-6. A. Does this verse apply here? Yes. The pain and trouble occasioned by the breaking up of a home is the result of sin— sins of the parents. One or both parents have placed something other than God in the center of their life. That act of unbelief ‘visits’ the iniquities—and the pain—on the children of that marriage. B. Where does the pain of the broken home really come from? From sin. Divorce is never the will of God, even when it is the lesser of two evils in a relationship. Rarely, if ever, does a dissolving family walk humbly before God and repent and live in faith. The result is pain and injury—the sort that Pastor Pauls describes in his article. C. What does this verse suggest is the necessary step to stop the damage caused by situations like broken homes? Confess, repent, and lean on God, and I say that as one who has endured divorce and a broken family (as a husband and father). II. It is tempting to place all of the blame for the pain on parents. Nevertheless, what is our responsibility toward our parents? Read Ephesians 6:2-3. A. Are there any exceptions here for the sins and casual weaknesses of parents? No. God does not suggest that if our parents misbehave we can ignore them or disrespect them. Like them, we are sinners. Like us, they have weaknesses that are inconvenient and even painful for us at times. God makes honoring parents a priority in the lives of sons and daughters. B. What promise—if any—is made here? The promise that “it may be well with you.” There is great blessing in this. Much of the pain of the broken home (for the children) is in failing to love and honor the parents. Instead people tend to choose favorites, flee from close connection with the parents, and even punish their parents by words and behaviors. All of those responses create the conditions in the life of the children that make worse the damage done by the pressures of the broken home.
C. What does this suggest about wrestling with the pain of “brokenness”? We can deal with the pains better if we deal with them together and continue to live as God’s faithful people. Our parents’ conduct does not give us permission to forget our place in God’s good order. The farther we stray from what God has shown us is our place in that good order in thought, word, or deed, the greater our pains and difficulties will be. D. What do the following passages have in common? Read Deuteronomy 5:33, Deuteronomy 6:3, Deuteronomy 6:18, Deuteronomy 12:25, Deuteronomy 12:28, Deuteronomy 22:7, Jeremiah 7:23. They all teach that doing what is right and good and godly will be a blessing for us and will lead to things “going well with us.” Our circumstances do not determine our blessings or our pains, necessarily. Faithfulness does. III. Read Proverbs 3:5-6. A. What does this passage suggest to you might be the source of the damage done by a broken home? Great damage follows the loss of faith. People often assume that they can live outside of the will of God deliberately and yet remain a Christian and under the favor of God. That belief is usually under girded by the fact that those who live in sin or the rejection of God’s will and ways can still remember believing and cannot feel the difference, so they deceive themselves by believing that they still believe. Divorce doesn’t mean that you no longer believe, in every case, but it establishes conditions where many walk away from God in their hearts and in their conduct without being forced to confess it. Children of divorce are caught in the corrupting web of influence no less than their parents. B. What does this proverb suggest is the necessary ingredient to a good life? Trust in the Lord, that is, faith! When we try to apply our reason to our situation independent of God’s Word and guidance, we will inevitably make a mess of things. Walking humbly with God—which includes confession and repentance—in the essential ingredient to a good life for God’s people. Divorced people can confess their sin and repent and still be unable to repair the marriage. The children of divorce can also confess their sin in the consequent behaviors and words arising from the broken home. Forgiveness always heals the Christian heart—and trust in God always shields us from the damages done by fear and anger and dangerous cocktail of emotions that the breaking of families create. IV. Read Hebrews 13:5&6. A. What promise here brings us comfort, and why? God promises that He will never leave us nor forsake us. Although the immediate context of this verse is financial security, the issue of security is much the same, and God is exactly the same—the promise that whatever else we may lose, we will not lose Him, not He us, is valid for our purposes here, as well. God and His people are our first family. There is great comfort there when we trust in Him. B. What can we confess even in the face of the pain of a broken home? God is still with us. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:28). “In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (Psalm 56:11). “The Lord is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me?” (Psalm 118:6).
Broken Homes: No Big Deal? Bible Study Pastor Robin Fish
Pastor Pauls briefly examines the modern phenomenon of “the broken home” and the pain that it causes. But is it a “modern” phenomenon? No. Divorce is mentioned in Deuteronomy. Adultery is named already in Exodus. While it is probably true that it is a much more common problem today among the people of God than, say, in the day of Moses, it is still a problem as old as the hills, and therefore addressed in some fashion in the Bible. Let us see what wisdom we can uncover in God’s Word about the issues that touch on the Broken Home. I. Broken homes do not arise out of the will of God, but the sins of men and women. The damage that they do is the same. Read Exodus 20:5-6. A. Does this verse apply here? Yes. The pain and trouble occasioned by the breaking up of a home is the result of sin— sins of the parents. One or both parents have placed something other than God in the center of their life. That act of unbelief ‘visits’ the iniquities—and the pain—on the children of that marriage. B. Where does the pain of the broken home really come from? From sin. Divorce is never the will of God, even when it is the lesser of two evils in a relationship. Rarely, if ever, does a dissolving family walk humbly before God and repent and live in faith. The result is pain and injury—the sort that Pastor Pauls describes in his article. C. What does this verse suggest is the necessary step to stop the damage caused by situations like broken homes? Confess, repent, and lean on God, and I say that as one who has endured divorce and a broken family (as a husband and father). II. It is tempting to place all of the blame for the pain on parents. Nevertheless, what is our responsibility toward our parents? Read Ephesians 6:2-3. A. Are there any exceptions here for the sins and casual weaknesses of parents? No. God does not suggest that if our parents misbehave we can ignore them or disrespect them. Like them, we are sinners. Like us, they have weaknesses that are inconvenient and even painful for us at times. God makes honoring parents a priority in the lives of sons and daughters. B. What promise—if any—is made here? The promise that “it may be well with you.” There is great blessing in this. Much of the pain of the broken home (for the children) is in failing to love and honor the parents. Instead people tend to choose favorites, flee from close connection with the parents, and even punish their parents by words and behaviors. All of those responses create the conditions in the life of the children that make worse the damage done by the pressures of the broken home.
C. What does this suggest about wrestling with the pain of “brokenness”? We can deal with the pains better if we deal with them together and continue to live as God’s faithful people. Our parents’ conduct does not give us permission to forget our place in God’s good order. The farther we stray from what God has shown us is our place in that good order in thought, word, or deed, the greater our pains and difficulties will be. D. What do the following passages have in common? Read Deuteronomy 5:33, Deuteronomy 6:3, Deuteronomy 6:18, Deuteronomy 12:25, Deuteronomy 12:28, Deuteronomy 22:7, Jeremiah 7:23. They all teach that doing what is right and good and godly will be a blessing for us and will lead to things “going well with us.” Our circumstances do not determine our blessings or our pains, necessarily. Faithfulness does. III. Read Proverbs 3:5-6. A. What does this passage suggest to you might be the source of the damage done by a broken home? Great damage follows the loss of faith. People often assume that they can live outside of the will of God deliberately and yet remain a Christian and under the favor of God. That belief is usually under girded by the fact that those who live in sin or the rejection of God’s will and ways can still remember believing and cannot feel the difference, so they deceive themselves by believing that they still believe. Divorce doesn’t mean that you no longer believe, in every case, but it establishes conditions where many walk away from God in their hearts and in their conduct without being forced to confess it. Children of divorce are caught in the corrupting web of influence no less than their parents. B. What does this proverb suggest is the necessary ingredient to a good life? Trust in the Lord, that is, faith! When we try to apply our reason to our situation independent of God’s Word and guidance, we will inevitably make a mess of things. Walking humbly with God—which includes confession and repentance—in the essential ingredient to a good life for God’s people. Divorced people can confess their sin and repent and still be unable to repair the marriage. The children of divorce can also confess their sin in the consequent behaviors and words arising from the broken home. Forgiveness always heals the Christian heart—and trust in God always shields us from the damages done by fear and anger and dangerous cocktail of emotions that the breaking of families create. IV. Read Hebrews 13:5&6. A. What promise here brings us comfort, and why? God promises that He will never leave us nor forsake us. Although the immediate context of this verse is financial security, the issue of security is much the same, and God is exactly the same—the promise that whatever else we may lose, we will not lose Him, not He us, is valid for our purposes here, as well. God and His people are our first family. There is great comfort there when we trust in Him. B. What can we confess even in the face of the pain of a broken home? God is still with us. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:28). “In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (Psalm 56:11). “The Lord is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me?” (Psalm 118:6).
Dating Bible Study Leader’s Guide Pastor Matthew Brackman
I. To date or not to date? That is the question. A. Why do we date, court or otherwise go out? Read Genesis 2:18-25. One of the main reasons we date is to find a companion who is our match, helpmate, husband or wife. B. Since Adam and Eve were created perfect and in the image of God, how might the bringing together of a husband and wife reflect who our Triune God is? Read 1 John 4:8 and Genesis 1:26-28. 1. What does 1 John 4:8 say God is? What does being this way require? God is love. To love requires one who loves and someone who is loved—it requires a relationship. 2. What does Genesis 1:26-28 say about our God’s image? God is a relationship within Himself in being Father, Son and Holy Spirit (note the “us” in v26). A visual diagram of this could be the Father as the Lover, the Son as the Beloved and the Holy Spirit as the Love that binds or proceeds from them. 3. Does our relationships with one another reflect God’s own image? Yes, by being relational, we reflect God’s image. 4. If our relationships reflect God’s image, why do we date? By dating we are building relationships and seeing with whom we might have the closest relationship of all apart from our relationship to God. By doing this, we are seeking to find the best way to reflect God’s image in our own relationship. C. Do I have to date and get married? Read 1 Corinthians 7:6-9. 1. What is the apostle Paul’s relationship status? Paul is single (unmarried). 2. Does God have a problem with people staying single? It doesn’t appear that He has; rather, the Holy Spirit through Paul encourages it. 3. What then is the answer to “Do I have to date and get married?” The answer is “No.” We are not required to date or to marry (v6). 4. According to 1 Corinthians 7:7, what does God consider either being married or unmarried? God calls each of us to serve him in various ways—being married or unmarried are both “gifts from God.” 5. Read Philippians 4:10-13. What in Paul’s attitude should be reflected in ours when it comes to dating and getting married? Here Paul says that he is content in all things. Likewise, we are to be content with what the Lord gives us. Through Him we can have fun dating and even survive break-ups and such. Through Him we can rejoice in being single or married.
II. How and why do Christians act the way they do on dates? A. I don’t want to get too serious. What about “kissing friends” or “friends with benefits”? Read Galatians 5:16-21. Kissing and intimate contact often happen as relationships deepen and grow; however, we are commanded, as it says in the explanation of the 6th Commandment, to lead sexually pure and descent lives. Dating and making out to satisfy one’s lustful desires is contrary to God’s will and is also contrary to loving one’s neighbor. Following lustful desires can harm and destroy your faith and also your earthly relationships. B. According to the 6th Commandment, where do acts of intimacy properly belong? The Lord commands that we are to keep sexual relations and other associated activities solely between a husband and wife. C. We don’t avoid inappropriate kissing, touching or sex just because it’s a rule. There’s more to it than that. We behave on dates and in every other aspect of life because of who we are, or rather who we have been made in Christ. According to the following passages, are there any other reasons Christians act the way they do on dates? 1. Ephesians 4:22-24 We are no longer the old sinful person. We have been raised with Christ and are changed, as in that Baptism drowns the old sinful nature and we are raised up a new creation (SC, Baptism, Fourth: What does such baptizing with water indicate? Romans 6:4). Lusting and pursuing those desires is against our new nature. It is not who we are as a new man or new woman in Christ. 2. 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. The temple is intended for God-pleasing activities. The temple is where one serves the Lord. We serve Him with our bodies. It is who God has called us to be. 3. Genesis 39:6-10 We are called to be people of God. Young men: you are called to be men; not pigs. Young women: you are called to be women; not objects. God said of Adam, “It is not good for man to be alone.” We are created to be in relationships, finding and having companionship. This reflects that we were created in God’s own image, an image of love. Therefore, it is a gift from God to be married (or have a girlfriend or boyfriend). Yet it is also a blessing to be single, as was the case with Paul. There is no command to marry or to stay single, but we are each called with different callings, each of us to serve God and our neighbor. With God and neighbor in mind, Christians therefore act the way they do on dates and relationships. We have been made new men and new women in Christ—it is in this we rejoice!
Dating Bible Study Pastor Matthew Brackman
I. To date or not to date? That is the question. A. Why do we date, court or otherwise go out? Read Genesis 2:18-25. One of the main reasons we date is to find a companion who is our match, helpmate, husband or wife. B. Since Adam and Eve were created perfect and in the image of God, how might the bringing together of a husband and wife reflect who our Triune God is? Read 1 John 4:8 and Genesis 1:26-28. 1. What does 1 John 4:8 say God is? What does being this way require? God is love. To love requires one who loves and someone who is loved—it requires a relationship. 2. What does Genesis 1:26-28 say about our God’s image? God is a relationship within Himself in being Father, Son and Holy Spirit (note the “us” in v26). A visual diagram of this could be the Father as the Lover, the Son as the Beloved and the Holy Spirit as the Love that binds or proceeds from them. 3. Does our relationships with one another reflect God’s own image? Yes, by being relational, we reflect God’s image. 4. If our relationships reflect God’s image, why do we date? By dating we are building relationships and seeing with whom we might have the closest relationship of all apart from our relationship to God. By doing this, we are seeking to find the best way to reflect God’s image in our own relationship. C. Do I have to date and get married? Read 1 Corinthians 7:6-9. 1. What is the apostle Paul’s relationship status? Paul is single (unmarried). 2. Does God have a problem with people staying single? It doesn’t appear that He has; rather, the Holy Spirit through Paul encourages it. 3. What then is the answer to “Do I have to date and get married?” The answer is “No.” We are not required to date or to marry (v6). 4. According to 1 Corinthians 7:7, what does God consider either being married or unmarried? God calls each of us to serve him in various ways—being married or unmarried are both “gifts from God.” 5. Read Philippians 4:10-13. What in Paul’s attitude should be reflected in ours when it comes to dating and getting married? Here Paul says that he is content in all things. Likewise, we are to be content with what the Lord gives us. Through Him we can have fun dating and even survive break-ups and such. Through Him we can rejoice in being single or married.
II. How and why do Christians act the way they do on dates? A. I don’t want to get too serious. What about “kissing friends” or “friends with benefits”? Read Galatians 5:16-21. Kissing and intimate contact often happen as relationships deepen and grow; however, we are commanded, as it says in the explanation of the 6th Commandment, to lead sexually pure and descent lives. Dating and making out to satisfy one’s lustful desires is contrary to God’s will and is also contrary to loving one’s neighbor. Following lustful desires can harm and destroy your faith and also your earthly relationships. B. According to the 6th Commandment, where do acts of intimacy properly belong? The Lord commands that we are to keep sexual relations and other associated activities solely between a husband and wife. C. We don’t avoid inappropriate kissing, touching or sex just because it’s a rule. There’s more to it than that. We behave on dates and in every other aspect of life because of who we are, or rather who we have been made in Christ. According to the following passages, are there any other reasons Christians act the way they do on dates? 1. Ephesians 4:22-24 We are no longer the old sinful person. We have been raised with Christ and are changed, as in that Baptism drowns the old sinful nature and we are raised up a new creation (SC, Baptism, Fourth: What does such baptizing with water indicate? Romans 6:4). Lusting and pursuing those desires is against our new nature. It is not who we are as a new man or new woman in Christ. 2. 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. The temple is intended for God-pleasing activities. The temple is where one serves the Lord. We serve Him with our bodies. It is who God has called us to be. 3. Genesis 39:6-10 We are called to be people of God. Young men: you are called to be men; not pigs. Young women: you are called to be women; not objects. God said of Adam, “It is not good for man to be alone.” We are created to be in relationships, finding and having companionship. This reflects that we were created in God’s own image, an image of love. Therefore, it is a gift from God to be married (or have a girlfriend or boyfriend). Yet it is also a blessing to be single, as was the case with Paul. There is no command to marry or to stay single, but we are each called with different callings, each of us to serve God and our neighbor. With God and neighbor in mind, Christians therefore act the way they do on dates and relationships. We have been made new men and new women in Christ—it is in this we rejoice!
The Football Star: Angelic Deliverance Bible Study Leader’s Guide Pastor Daniel Mackey
We continue the account of the horrific attack that Kathy experienced. Yet, through it all, we behold her through the eyes of heaven as “Blessed Kathy.” Though we stumble and sometimes fall head first into sin and danger, we remain blessed by our heavenly Father who sends His holy angels to watch over us. Let us examine what the Scriptures say about those angels who guard over us. I. Throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry, angels attended and served Him. Read the following passages to identify each occasion and how the heavenly host cared for their King. A. Matthew 1:18-25—How did the angel protect the unborn Jesus? The angel came to Joseph, Mary’s betrothed, in a dream and told him not to fear taking her as wife. In this way, the angel prevented Jesus from being raised in a broken home. Moreover, the angel announces the Gospel that Jesus will save His people from their sins. B. Matthew 2:7-15—Again, how did the angel protect the babe Jesus? Herod the Great sought to kill Jesus, whom he believed was a threat to his earthly throne. The angel appeared in dreams to both the wise men and to Joseph, warning them of Herod’s evil plan, directing Joseph to take his family to Egypt. C. Matthew 4:1-11—How did the angels protect the man Jesus? After being tempted in the wilderness by the devil, Jesus was ministered to by the angels. What exactly this entails is unclear. What we can understand from verse 11 is that God the Father sent His holy angels to care for His beloved Son, as the psalmist declares in Psalm 91:11-12, which is cited in this account. D. Luke 22:39-43—How did the angel protect Jesus before His crucifixion? Verse 43 says that an angel from heaven strengthened Jesus while He agonized on the Mount of Olives. Even Jesus needed encouragement from the heavenly Father to go through with bearing the burden of our sins and taking the full wrath of God’s punishment in our place. II. In Acts 12:1-19, we have an account of the apostle Peter being rescued from Herod Antipas’s prison. Use this passage to answer the following questions. A. What was the fate of James the brother of John? What fate could Peter also expect? What was the reaction of the Church? James was killed with the sword (v2). Peter could expect the same fate, to be seized by the guards and to be paraded before the people to satisfy their bloodlust (vv3-4). The Church’s response was “earnest prayer for [Peter]…made to God” (v5). B. How did God answer the prayer of the Church for Peter? God’s response was to send an angel to rescue Peter (v7).
C. What conclusion did Peter reach concerning God’s sending an angel? Peter declares in verse 11, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.” Peter saw that God was providing for him through His holy angel. D. What did Peter do after he came to the realization that the Lord sent the angel for his rescue? Peter went to where many of the Church had gathered to share with them the good news of his escape (vv12, 17). Verse 12 indicates that the Church was still praying for God’s intervention and release of Peter. They were truly amazed at the miracle (vv1416). E. Immediately following the account of Peter’s angelic escape (Acts 12:20-24), what was the fate of Herod? Whom did God have execute this fate? Why such drastic action on God’s part? Herod gave a speech and the people responded by declaring him to be a god (v22). God responded by sending an angel to strike Herod dead because Herod “did not give God the glory,” meaning that he didn’t refuse the people’s adoration (v23). God acted in such a way so as to preserve His Word (v24). III. Read Luther’s Morning Prayer from our Small Catechism. What is the final petition of the prayer? I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen. God the Father sent His holy angels to preserve Christ Jesus during His earthly ministry—from the moment of conception and all the way to the cross of Calvary. Likewise, God’s angels preserved the Church as we see in the account of the apostle Peter’s escape from Herod’s prison. So, too, as Kathy Luder’s article shows, God still protects His people today. Most certainly, God sends His holy angels to watch over His baptized children. Guardian angels are just one of the many ways those redeemed by Jesus are blessed. It is as Hebrews 1:14 declares, “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?”
The Football Star: Angelic Deliverance Bible Study Pastor Daniel Mackey
We continue the account of the horrific attack that Kathy experienced. Yet, through it all, we behold her through the eyes of heaven as “Blessed Kathy.” Though we stumble and sometimes fall head first into sin and danger, we remain blessed by our heavenly Father who sends His holy angels to watch over us. Let us examine what the Scriptures say about those angels who guard over us. I. Throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry, angels attended and served Him. Read the following passages to identify each occasion and how the heavenly host cared for their King. A. Matthew 1:18-25—How did the angel protect the unborn Jesus? The angel came to Joseph, Mary’s betrothed, in a dream and told him not to fear taking her as wife. In this way, the angel prevented Jesus from being raised in a broken home. Moreover, the angel announces the Gospel that Jesus will save His people from their sins. B. Matthew 2:7-15—Again, how did the angel protect the babe Jesus? Herod the Great sought to kill Jesus, whom he believed was a threat to his earthly throne. The angel appeared in dreams to both the wise men and to Joseph, warning them of Herod’s evil plan, directing Joseph to take his family to Egypt. C. Matthew 4:1-11—How did the angels protect the man Jesus? After being tempted in the wilderness by the devil, Jesus was ministered to by the angels. What exactly this entails is unclear. What we can understand from verse 11 is that God the Father sent His holy angels to care for His beloved Son, as the psalmist declares in Psalm 91:11-12, which is cited in this account. D. Luke 22:39-43—How did the angel protect Jesus before His crucifixion? Verse 43 says that an angel from heaven strengthened Jesus while He agonized on the Mount of Olives. Even Jesus needed encouragement from the heavenly Father to go through with bearing the burden of our sins and taking the full wrath of God’s punishment in our place. II. In Acts 12:1-19, we have an account of the apostle Peter being rescued from Herod Antipas’s prison. Use this passage to answer the following questions. A. What was the fate of James the brother of John? What fate could Peter also expect? What was the reaction of the Church? James was killed with the sword (v2). Peter could expect the same fate, to be seized by the guards and to be paraded before the people to satisfy their bloodlust (vv3-4). The Church’s response was “earnest prayer for [Peter]…made to God” (v5). B. How did God answer the prayer of the Church for Peter? God’s response was to send an angel to rescue Peter (v7).
C. What conclusion did Peter reach concerning God’s sending an angel? Peter declares in verse 11, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.” Peter saw that God was providing for him through His holy angel. D. What did Peter do after he came to the realization that the Lord sent the angel for his rescue? Peter went to where many of the Church had gathered to share with them the good news of his escape (vv12, 17). Verse 12 indicates that the Church was still praying for God’s intervention and release of Peter. They were truly amazed at the miracle (vv1416). E. Immediately following the account of Peter’s angelic escape (Acts 12:20-24), what was the fate of Herod? Whom did God have execute this fate? Why such drastic action on God’s part? Herod gave a speech and the people responded by declaring him to be a god (v22). God responded by sending an angel to strike Herod dead because Herod “did not give God the glory,” meaning that he didn’t refuse the people’s adoration (v23). God acted in such a way so as to preserve His Word (v24). III. Read Luther’s Morning Prayer from our Small Catechism. What is the final petition of the prayer? I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen. God the Father sent His holy angels to preserve Christ Jesus during His earthly ministry—from the moment of conception and all the way to the cross of Calvary. Likewise, God’s angels preserved the Church as we see in the account of the apostle Peter’s escape from Herod’s prison. So, too, as Kathy Luder’s article shows, God still protects His people today. Most certainly, God sends His holy angels to watch over His baptized children. Guardian angels are just one of the many ways those redeemed by Jesus are blessed. It is as Hebrews 1:14 declares, “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?”
Friends in Heaven Bible Study Leader’s Guide Pastor Luke Zimmerman
Pastor Petersen’s article focuses on the end of the Apostolic Creed: “I believe…in the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.” Church scholars use the term eschatology (“study of the last things”) to label these topics. Though they might be “last,” they certainly are not least. What these phrases of the Creed describe is the Christian Hope. It’s what all believers look forward to receiving. One way to look at the “last things” is to think of them as a goal. The “last things” are what we strive for, what we anticipate receiving at the end. That is how St. Paul describes the promise of everlasting life, especially in his letter to a group of fellow Christians in ancient Macedonia (Philippians 3:7-21). I. When talking about goals, we often speak about gains—something we achieve. St. Paul uses the terms “loss” and “gain” to talk about salvation, but in a different way than we normally think about them. Read Philippians 3:7-9. A. What does St. Paul call “a loss”? Why does he consider them to be worth losing? St. Paul is talking about the things he achieved in his life prior to believing in Christ. (See Philippians 3:1-6 for a full description of these achievements.) He has “lost” these. In fact, he calls them “dung” (modern English versions translate the word as “rubbish”). The apostle doesn’t worry about losing them, because he wants to own something else. B. What does St. Paul call “a gain”? How did he receive what he gained? St. Paul identifies Christ and His righteousness as what he gained. He doesn’t gain these things by his achievements, but by faith. This makes it different than other religions that make salvation something for which humans work. The salvation that Christ provides is “gained” by believers, but not because of their effort; instead, it is given to them by grace through faith, added to their ledger by Christ’s work. II. When talking about goals, we often speak about why they are achievable or why we can aim for them. Read Philippians 3:10-14. A. What does St. Paul call his “goal”? What two things does he link together, and what is the significance of this? St. Paul identifies “the resurrection from the dead” as his goal. That is for what he strives. He links Christ’s death and resurrection together. Without Christ’s death, there is no resurrection, no goal for believers to achieve. The two make St. Paul’s own goal of everlasting life possible and even certain. B. Whose goal does St. Paul say the resurrection of the dead really was first? Why can St. Paul call it his own goal? St. Paul says that the resurrection of the dead was Christ’s goal first. That is what Jesus accomplished through His crucifixion. (See John 19:30—here Jesus says that His goal was completed.) Resurrection becomes the goal of all believers, because they “have been made Christ’s own.” It is “the prize of the heavenly call of God.” This is language connected to Holy Baptism, where we first participate in Christ’s death and resurrection.
III. When talking about goals, we often measure how far we have already progressed, so that we know how far is yet to go. Read Philippians 3:15-21. A. What does St. Paul tell the Philippians to do with what they already have in their possession? How does he advise them to do so? St. Paul tells the readers to “hold fast to what we have attained.” Though they don’t have the perfect life now, the saints in Philippi do have salvation; they are Christ’s people and have the promise of everlasting life. He tells them how to hold on to what they have already been given: “Join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us.” The Philippians are to follow the pattern that the apostles and other leaders have set. B. St. Paul describes a group of people who will lose everything that Christ had accomplished for them. What term does he use for them? What is goal they will attain? On what are their minds focused instead of on the goal of everlasting life? St. Paul calls these people “enemies of the cross of Christ.” They are the opposite of the believers and live in opposition to Christ. Instead of attaining the goal of everlasting life, they will reach the goal of “destruction.” He also tells the Philippians that this group of people are focused on “earthly things.” They are more interested in the things of this world instead of the life of the world to come and the goal of everlasting life. C. St. Paul refocuses the readers on what is yet to happen, what is yet to be attained. How does he remind the readers that their goal is different from that of the world? How does he restate the goal they are looking forward to? St. Paul calls his readers “citizens of heaven.” They don’t belong to this world. Their true residence will be somewhere much better. The Christians are anticipating the return of the Savior Jesus Christ from heaven to bring them with Himself to everlasting life. He reminds the believers of what they are looking forward to by describing what is yet to happen: the transformation of their earthly bodies to the glory of Christ. The goal that St. Paul wrote about to the Philippians is our goal, too. This is what we confess with the words of the Creed: “the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.” We look forward to receiving what Christ has achieved for us by His death and resurrection and what He has promised to us through our baptisms. Though we live here on earth, we press on towards the goal: the day when we will be totally delivered from the power and effects of sin, death and Satan, when we will be restored to what we were first meant to be: to live in perfect union with the Lord God and with one another. That is our hope as Christians; that’s our goal. And only through the power of Christ will we reach it, just as He has promised.
Friends in Heaven Bible Study Pastor Luke Zimmerman
Pastor Petersen’s article focuses on the end of the Apostolic Creed: “I believe…in the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.” Church scholars use the term eschatology (“study of the last things”) to label these topics. Though they might be “last,” they certainly are not least. What these phrases of the Creed describe is the Christian Hope. It’s what all believers look forward to receiving. One way to look at the “last things” is to think of them as a goal. The “last things” are what we strive for, what we anticipate receiving at the end. That is how St. Paul describes the promise of everlasting life, especially in his letter to a group of fellow Christians in ancient Macedonia (Philippians 3:7-21). I. When talking about goals, we often speak about gains—something we achieve. St. Paul uses the terms “loss” and “gain” to talk about salvation, but in a different way than we normally think about them. Read Philippians 3:7-9. A. What does St. Paul call “a loss”? Why does he consider them to be worth losing? St. Paul is talking about the things he achieved in his life prior to believing in Christ. (See Philippians 3:1-6 for a full description of these achievements.) He has “lost” these. In fact, he calls them “dung” (modern English versions translate the word as “rubbish”). The apostle doesn’t worry about losing them, because he wants to own something else. B. What does St. Paul call “a gain”? How did he receive what he gained? St. Paul identifies Christ and His righteousness as what he gained. He doesn’t gain these things by his achievements, but by faith. This makes it different than other religions that make salvation something for which humans work. The salvation that Christ provides is “gained” by believers, but not because of their effort; instead, it is given to them by grace through faith, added to their ledger by Christ’s work. II. When talking about goals, we often speak about why they are achievable or why we can aim for them. Read Philippians 3:10-14. A. What does St. Paul call his “goal”? What two things does he link together, and what is the significance of this? St. Paul identifies “the resurrection from the dead” as his goal. That is for what he strives. He links Christ’s death and resurrection together. Without Christ’s death, there is no resurrection, no goal for believers to achieve. The two make St. Paul’s own goal of everlasting life possible and even certain. B. Whose goal does St. Paul say the resurrection of the dead really was first? Why can St. Paul call it his own goal? St. Paul says that the resurrection of the dead was Christ’s goal first. That is what Jesus accomplished through His crucifixion. (See John 19:30—here Jesus says that His goal was completed.) Resurrection becomes the goal of all believers, because they “have been made Christ’s own.” It is “the prize of the heavenly call of God.” This is language connected to Holy Baptism, where we first participate in Christ’s death and resurrection.
III. When talking about goals, we often measure how far we have already progressed, so that we know how far is yet to go. Read Philippians 3:15-21. A. What does St. Paul tell the Philippians to do with what they already have in their possession? How does he advise them to do so? St. Paul tells the readers to “hold fast to what we have attained.” Though they don’t have the perfect life now, the saints in Philippi do have salvation; they are Christ’s people and have the promise of everlasting life. He tells them how to hold on to what they have already been given: “Join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us.” The Philippians are to follow the pattern that the apostles and other leaders have set. B. St. Paul describes a group of people who will lose everything that Christ had accomplished for them. What term does he use for them? What is goal they will attain? On what are their minds focused instead of on the goal of everlasting life? St. Paul calls these people “enemies of the cross of Christ.” They are the opposite of the believers and live in opposition to Christ. Instead of attaining the goal of everlasting life, they will reach the goal of “destruction.” He also tells the Philippians that this group of people are focused on “earthly things.” They are more interested in the things of this world instead of the life of the world to come and the goal of everlasting life. C. St. Paul refocuses the readers on what is yet to happen, what is yet to be attained. How does he remind the readers that their goal is different from that of the world? How does he restate the goal they are looking forward to? St. Paul calls his readers “citizens of heaven.” They don’t belong to this world. Their true residence will be somewhere much better. The Christians are anticipating the return of the Savior Jesus Christ from heaven to bring them with Himself to everlasting life. He reminds the believers of what they are looking forward to by describing what is yet to happen: the transformation of their earthly bodies to the glory of Christ. The goal that St. Paul wrote about to the Philippians is our goal, too. This is what we confess with the words of the Creed: “the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.” We look forward to receiving what Christ has achieved for us by His death and resurrection and what He has promised to us through our baptisms. Though we live here on earth, we press on towards the goal: the day when we will be totally delivered from the power and effects of sin, death and Satan, when we will be restored to what we were first meant to be: to live in perfect union with the Lord God and with one another. That is our hope as Christians; that’s our goal. And only through the power of Christ will we reach it, just as He has promised.
Islam vs. Jesus Bible Study Leader’s Guide Pastor Daniel Mackey
In his article “Islam 101,” Prof. Adam Francisco states, “The biggest difference [between Allah and the God of Christianity] is that Allah does not and cannot have a son. In other words, Jesus is not in any way seen as the eternal Son of God. The Qur’ān considers the biblical teaching of Jesus’ divinity…to be an outright abomination.” He further writes, “The Qur’ān claims that at the final judgment, Jesus will return and condemn Christianity for claiming that He was both man and God.” This is a major difference between our view and Islam’s view of God. Therefore, let us examine Scripture’s claim that Jesus of Nazareth is both true God and true man. I. Read the prologue of John’s account of the Gospel in John 1:1-18 to answer the following questions to see how Jesus of Nazareth is true God. A. This passage refers to the Word, also called the true light of men. In verse 17, who is identified by name as the Word? Jesus Christ. B. According to verses one through four, what are four things we learn about the Word? 1) Verse one tells us that the Word is God; 2) verse two indicates the eternal nature of the Word; 3) verse three tells us that the Word is the Creator; and 4) verse four tells us that the Word brings life with Him. C. Contrary to what Muslims believe, what does verse 14 teach about the Word? While Muslims believe that God does not and cannot have a son, this verse (along with the rest of Scripture) clearly teaches that God the Father has a Son, who is full of grace and truth. This Son “became flesh and dwelt among us,” that is, among humanity. D. How does verse 18 further our understanding of the Word and His Father? What does this mean for the Muslims who deny that God has a Son? Verse 18 states that we can only know about the Father through the “only God, who is at the Father’s side, He has made Him known.” Without the Son, we cannot know the Father. What this means is that the Muslims do not know God, because they reject Jesus the Son. II. It’s not only important to know that Jesus is true God but also that He is true man. Read Hebrews 2:5-18 to answer the following questions to see how Jesus the Christ is true man. A. According to verse 16, what two types of beings are compared and contrasted in this passage? “Angels” and “the offspring of Abraham,” that is, humanity. B. Why did Jesus the Christ take on human form, according to verse 14? He did so to share in our humanity, so that He might defeat our enemies, namely death and the devil. C. Because Jesus is also true man, what is His relationship to us? Jesus is called our “brother” in verses 11 and 17.
D. What does Jesus being our “brother” mean? According to verse 10, it means that we are made to be “sons” of the heavenly Father, brought into His glory. Likewise, as it says in verse 11, we are made holy (“sanctified”) for we share in “one origin” with Jesus. This results in our praise of, trust in and fellowship with Jesus as the children of God (vv12-13). Moreover, Jesus being our brother means that He can sympathize with our weaknesses and can help us (v18). E. According to verse 17, what is the most important reason Jesus is our brother? Because Jesus is our brother—because He is true man—He could take our place, paying the price for sin on our behalf on the cross. If Jesus wasn’t true man, He couldn’t have been merciful and a faithful high priest, for He wouldn’t have been able to make proper payment for the sin of humanity. III. Islam says that Allah does not and cannot have a son. If this is true, what does that mean for our relationship with God? How is it important to believe that Jesus is both true God and true man for our own salvation? If the Muslims are correct, then Jesus of Nazareth cannot be God’s Son and we cannot share in that Sonship—we cannot be children of God. Therefore, our entire relationship with God depends on Jesus being both true God and true man, else we cannot call God “heavenly Father.” Our Small Catechism properly teaches that Jesus is “true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary” (Apostles’ Creed, Article II). As we confess in our communion liturgy, God the Father sent His “only-begotten Son into our flesh to bear our sin and be our Savior” (LSB, page 161). It is vitally important to understand that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, for our own salvation depends upon it. It is in Jesus that we have been declared sons of God, as the apostle Paul writes, But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the Law, to redeem those who were under the Law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God (Galatians 4:4-7).
Islam vs. Jesus Bible Study Pastor Daniel Mackey
In his article “Islam 101,” Prof. Adam Francisco states, “The biggest difference [between Allah and the God of Christianity] is that Allah does not and cannot have a son. In other words, Jesus is not in any way seen as the eternal Son of God. The Qur’ān considers the biblical teaching of Jesus’ divinity…to be an outright abomination.” He further writes, “The Qur’ān claims that at the final judgment, Jesus will return and condemn Christianity for claiming that He was both man and God.” This is a major difference between our view and Islam’s view of God. Therefore, let us examine Scripture’s claim that Jesus of Nazareth is both true God and true man. I. Read the prologue of John’s account of the Gospel in John 1:1-18 to answer the following questions to see how Jesus of Nazareth is true God. A. This passage refers to the Word, also called the true light of men. In verse 17, who is identified by name as the Word? Jesus Christ. B. According to verses one through four, what are four things we learn about the Word? 1) Verse one tells us that the Word is God; 2) verse two indicates the eternal nature of the Word; 3) verse three tells us that the Word is the Creator; and 4) verse four tells us that the Word brings life with Him. C. Contrary to what Muslims believe, what does verse 14 teach about the Word? While Muslims believe that God does not and cannot have a son, this verse (along with the rest of Scripture) clearly teaches that God the Father has a Son, who is full of grace and truth. This Son “became flesh and dwelt among us,” that is, among humanity. D. How does verse 18 further our understanding of the Word and His Father? What does this mean for the Muslims who deny that God has a Son? Verse 18 states that we can only know about the Father through the “only God, who is at the Father’s side, He has made Him known.” Without the Son, we cannot know the Father. What this means is that the Muslims do not know God, because they reject Jesus the Son. II. It’s not only important to know that Jesus is true God but also that He is true man. Read Hebrews 2:5-18 to answer the following questions to see how Jesus the Christ is true man. A. According to verse 16, what two types of beings are compared and contrasted in this passage? “Angels” and “the offspring of Abraham,” that is, humanity. B. Why did Jesus the Christ take on human form, according to verse 14? He did so to share in our humanity, so that He might defeat our enemies, namely death and the devil. C. Because Jesus is also true man, what is His relationship to us? Jesus is called our “brother” in verses 11 and 17.
D. What does Jesus being our “brother” mean? According to verse 10, it means that we are made to be “sons” of the heavenly Father, brought into His glory. Likewise, as it says in verse 11, we are made holy (“sanctified”) for we share in “one origin” with Jesus. This results in our praise of, trust in and fellowship with Jesus as the children of God (vv12-13). Moreover, Jesus being our brother means that He can sympathize with our weaknesses and can help us (v18). E. According to verse 17, what is the most important reason Jesus is our brother? Because Jesus is our brother—because He is true man—He could take our place, paying the price for sin on our behalf on the cross. If Jesus wasn’t true man, He couldn’t have been merciful and a faithful high priest, for He wouldn’t have been able to make proper payment for the sin of humanity. III. Islam says that Allah does not and cannot have a son. If this is true, what does that mean for our relationship with God? How is it important to believe that Jesus is both true God and true man for our own salvation? If the Muslims are correct, then Jesus of Nazareth cannot be God’s Son and we cannot share in that Sonship—we cannot be children of God. Therefore, our entire relationship with God depends on Jesus being both true God and true man, else we cannot call God “heavenly Father.” Our Small Catechism properly teaches that Jesus is “true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary” (Apostles’ Creed, Article II). As we confess in our communion liturgy, God the Father sent His “only-begotten Son into our flesh to bear our sin and be our Savior” (LSB, page 161). It is vitally important to understand that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, for our own salvation depends upon it. It is in Jesus that we have been declared sons of God, as the apostle Paul writes, But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the Law, to redeem those who were under the Law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God (Galatians 4:4-7).
The Christmas Gift of Parents Bible Study Leader’s Guide Pastor Eric Brown
I. Read Matthew 2:13-23. A. Joseph is given the responsibility of raising Jesus. To do this, Joseph has to flee to Egypt with his family, a dangerous trip. Are there times your parents take on danger or hardship for your sake? Why do they do this? Use this question as an opportunity for the youth to actually think about some of the sacrifices that their parents make. This can help to give a bit of perspective. B. Joseph, upon the danger passing, brings Mary and Jesus to his home in Nazareth. What would Joseph have provided for his family? Do we receive the same from our families today? This is where you can look at all the things from the 1st Article and the 4th petition, and point out that we get these blessings not by them dropping from the sky, but in the context of our family. Our families are tools that God uses to provide for us. II. Read Deuteronomy 6:1-12. A. While we often may be annoyed with our parents, we can see many of the things they give to us—live in their house, eat food they bought, etc. However, in Deuteronomy there is a different gift that is focused on. What duty does a father have towards his children, and why is this a gift? A father is to teach his children about God and His ways. This point can be used for discussion on the benefits of having parents who are involved in the Church. If there are youth who don’t have parents who participate in the life of the Church, and the group is mature enough, you may be able to get a very good discussion here. B. We see that God desires our fathers to teach us things. How do you respond to the times when your parents try to teach you things? Can you end up making their job of teaching harder? How can you make it easier? Again, this is a question designed to bring about a bit of introspection. The discussion can move to the idea that often our parents have important things to teach us and we should try to learn these things as best we can. C. God often refers to Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The idea that being in the Church is being in God’s Family is an old idea. Why is the idea of being a family so appropriate to the Church? Not only is God like a Father—He is our Father. To be a baptized Christian is to be literally in God’s Family as one of His sons. With His incarnation Christ Jesus literally became our brother—this isn’t just an image, but a reality. We are a family.
III. Read hymn “Oh, Blest the House” (LSB 862, LW 467, TLH 625). A. This hymn takes an interesting stance in its first line—a house is blessed whatever befalls it! Are there times where things have been rough in terms of money or what have you in your house? Looking back, can you see how you were blessed even in the midst of those times? God’s blessings are not always shiny and obvious—quite often it is a matter of God upholding us when things are hardest. This is especially true for families. Can any disaster in life change God’s love for us? Can any trial take that love away from us and prevent us from showing it to our family? B. How does this hymn describe the interaction between parents and children? What do parents bring to the family, and what do children bring to the family? Parents are to pay attention to their children’s needs (note: needs, not wants). Children receive blessings and are, in turn, a blessing and joy to their parents. If the Bible study leader is a parent, this can be a point where a discussion about the joys of being a parent can be brought up.
The Christmas Gift of Parents Bible Study Pastor Eric Brown
I. Read Matthew 2:13-23. A. Joseph is given the responsibility of raising Jesus. To do this, Joseph has to flee to Egypt with his family, a dangerous trip. Are there times your parents take on danger or hardship for your sake? Why do they do this? Use this question as an opportunity for the youth to actually think about some of the sacrifices that their parents make. This can help to give a bit of perspective. B. Joseph, upon the danger passing, brings Mary and Jesus to his home in Nazareth. What would Joseph have provided for his family? Do we receive the same from our families today? This is where you can look at all the things from the 1st Article and the 4th petition, and point out that we get these blessings not by them dropping from the sky, but in the context of our family. Our families are tools that God uses to provide for us. II. Read Deuteronomy 6:1-12. A. While we often may be annoyed with our parents, we can see many of the things they give to us—live in their house, eat food they bought, etc. However, in Deuteronomy there is a different gift that is focused on. What duty does a father have towards his children, and why is this a gift? A father is to teach his children about God and His ways. This point can be used for discussion on the benefits of having parents who are involved in the Church. If there are youth who don’t have parents who participate in the life of the Church, and the group is mature enough, you may be able to get a very good discussion here. B. We see that God desires our fathers to teach us things. How do you respond to the times when your parents try to teach you things? Can you end up making their job of teaching harder? How can you make it easier? Again, this is a question designed to bring about a bit of introspection. The discussion can move to the idea that often our parents have important things to teach us and we should try to learn these things as best we can. C. God often refers to Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The idea that being in the Church is being in God’s Family is an old idea. Why is the idea of being a family so appropriate to the Church? Not only is God like a Father—He is our Father. To be a baptized Christian is to be literally in God’s Family as one of His sons. With His incarnation Christ Jesus literally became our brother—this isn’t just an image, but a reality. We are a family.
III. Read hymn “Oh, Blest the House” (LSB 862, LW 467, TLH 625). A. This hymn takes an interesting stance in its first line—a house is blessed whatever befalls it! Are there times where things have been rough in terms of money or what have you in your house? Looking back, can you see how you were blessed even in the midst of those times? God’s blessings are not always shiny and obvious—quite often it is a matter of God upholding us when things are hardest. This is especially true for families. Can any disaster in life change God’s love for us? Can any trial take that love away from us and prevent us from showing it to our family? B. How does this hymn describe the interaction between parents and children? What do parents bring to the family, and what do children bring to the family? Parents are to pay attention to their children’s needs (note: needs, not wants). Children receive blessings and are, in turn, a blessing and joy to their parents. If the Bible study leader is a parent, this can be a point where a discussion about the joys of being a parent can be brought up.
