2014 Fall - Higher Things Magazine (with Bible Studies)

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Crucified the

Crucified HIGHER THINGS 2014 CONFERENCES

Retrospective Issue!

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HIGHER THINGS 2014 CONFERENCES www

. h i g h e r t h i n g s . o r g / FA L L / 2014

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Cross train your brain.

“The Core really made me think outside of the box and forced me to answer difficult questions, not accepting an “I don’t know” or “I don’t care” answer. It involved a lot of connection-making, which really helped me articulate my responses to difficult questions.”

Education should strengthen your brain, challenge you to ask questions, and build a strong foundation for your future.

In Concordia University Irvine’s *nationally recognized Core curriculum, you will learn about God and service to the world through the cross of Christ. You will cross disciplinary boundaries by studying biology with theology, mathematics with philosophy, and history with literature. You will wrestle with questions and concepts of life that have endured across the centuries. You will cultivate sound academic habits and skills that apply across the curriculum, to your future careers, and life.

Exercise your mind. Exercise your faith. Cross train your brain.

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*Concordia University Irvine is a member of the Association for Core Texts and Courses’ Liberal Arts Institute. This prestigious institute— composed of 12 universities that include Columbia, St. John’s, Pepperdine, and Notre Dame—promotes “the integrated and common study of world classics and texts of major cultural significance” in general education programs across North America.

www.cui.edu/core

Scan here to learn more about the Core.

Contents T A B L E O F

Volume 14/Number 3 • Fall 2014

Special Features 4

Dare to Be Lutheran: What Does This Mean?

By Rev. George F. Borghardt Rev. Borghardt reminds us that “Dare to be Lutheran” is more than a motto—it’s a phrase that points us back to the Solas of the Reformation: faith alone, grace alone, Scripture alone and it declares boldly: It’s all about Jesus!

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Legacy Hardware

By Stan Lemon Higher Things’ own tech guru, Stan Lemon, reflects back on his 10 years with Higher Things and expresses his excitement about the future as HT continues to promote our basic Lutheran distinctives.

Kick Your Conference Experience into High Gear: Be a CCV

By Kaitlin Jandereski Have thoughts about being a college conference volunteer for next year’s Te Deum conference? Kaitlin is our latest, greatest cheerleader for the cause with her memorable list of the pros of being a CCV.

10 It’s Time to Silence the Whispers

By Rev. Harrison Goodman Just like Paul encourages Timothy “Let no one despise you for your youth” (1 Timothy 4:12), Rev. Goodman urges us to remember that young people aren’t the church in seed form, they already ARE the church.

12 Seven Apologists Every Christian Should Know, Pt. 2 The Convincing Case of William Lane Craig

By Rev. Mark A. Pierson Christian apologetics at its best is what you’ll be served up if you watch or listen to any debate featuring William Lane Craig, a highly regarded Christian philosopher. Rev. Pierson explains just what makes Craig such a skilled defender of the Christian faith.

14 Crucified! Photo Retrospective

Did you attend? Maybe you’re in there somewhere. Even if you haven’t yet attended a conference, you’ll get a taste of this unique experience.

20 Communion Is for Real

By Daniel Baker Regardless of your opinion of the movie, Heaven is for Real, it fared well at the box office, but Daniel, especially when reflecting back on his HT conference experiences, rejoices that Communion is as REAL as it gets: real food for our souls, real flesh and blood, and real forgiveness.

22 Uncle Walther Wants You!... to Become a Lutheran Teacher

By John Brandt Countless kids dream of being a teacher and if you are one of those, you might want to consider directing that desire toward teaching at a Lutheran school. John, a teacher himself, lays out the perks of this vocation.

Regular Features

18 HT 2015 Conferences Te Deum Registration Details!

28 Catechism Table of Duties: To the Young, the Old and Everyone

By Rev. William M. Cwirla Rev. Cwirla covers the last of our Table of Duties catechism studies. It all comes down to: faith in Christ, love for neighbor and a keen appreciation for what we have in the Small Catechism.

30 Bible Study Table of Duties: To the Young, the Old and Everyone

Be sure to check out this sample of one of our student Bible studies which links up with Rev. Cwirla’s Catechism article on P. 28.

HigherThings

®

Volume 14/Number 3/Fall 2014

Bible Studies for these articles can be found at: higherthings.org/ magazine/biblestudies.html Editor

Katie Hill Art Director

Steve BlaKey Editorial Associates

Rev. GReG almS Rev. Paul BeiSel Rev. BaRt Day Copy Editors

lu FiScHeR Dana niemi Bible Study Authors

Rev. JoHn DRoSenDaHl Rev. JacoB eHRHaRD Rev. Samuel ScHulDHeiSz Subscriptions Manager

elizaBetH caRlSon IT Assistant

Jon KoHlmeieR ___________

Board of Directors President

Rev. GeoRGe BoRGHaRDt Vice-President

Rev. DR. caRl FicKenScHeR Treasurer

cHRiS loemKeR Secretary

Rev. Joel FRitScHe Rev. BRent KuHlman eRic maiwalD Sue PelleGRini matt PHilliPS Rev. cHRiS RoSeBRouGH ___________

Executive Council Deputy Executive/Media

Rev. maRK Buetow Conference and Retreats Executive

San anDRa oStaPowicH Business Executive

connie BRammeieR Technology Executive

Stan lemon

Higher Things Things® Magazine ISSN 1539-8455 is published quarterly

by Higher Things, Inc., PO Box 156, Sheridan, WY 82801. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the executive editor of Higher Things Magazine. Copyright 2013. Higher Things® and Christ on Campus® are registered trademarks of Higher Things Inc.; All Rights Reserved.

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LUTHERAN! What Does This Mean?

By Rev. George F. Borghardt

DARE TO BE

Photo courtesy Rev. Jack A. Kozak, Hope Lutheran Church, Akron, Ohio

Dare to be Lutheran. It’s been our motto at Higher Things from the very beginning. We even trademarked it a few years ago! We dare you to be Lutheran, to live Lutheran, to grow up Lutheran, and continue to BE Lutheran.

But isn’t that arrogant? Isn’t that closed-minded? Shouldn’t you be daring youth to be Christians? Isn’t that good enough? Do you seriously think that Lutherans are the only ones who are right? Don’t you think that this just feeds more of that “only Lutherans go to heaven” stereotype?

A Lutheran is a Christian who believes that Jesus alone saves by grace alone, received by faith alone. We know this from Scripture alone. It’s as certain as 2+2=4. No one was ever called arrogant or closed-minded for believing that 2+2=4. It’s not five. It’s not three.

Those other answers are wrong.

It’s not arrogant for Lutherans to believe we’re right either. It’s absolutely true that Jesus alone saves. He alone is right. Oh, we aren’t the only people who are right. The Gospel has a way of slipping through in places you wouldn’t expect! And we should never say we are right simply because we are Lutherans or that we are right in and of ourselves.

We are right by Jesus alone, by grace alone, according to Scripture alone. We confess this Gospel only by the working of the Holy Spirit in us. We don’t make ourselves right. We certainly don’t deserve to be right. We are Lutherans by grace alone.

“Daring to be just a Christian” can’t be enough because so much of Christianity today is filled with all sorts of things that aren’t really Christian at all. It’s Evangelicalism. It’s filled with grace-talk that is followed immediately by works-talk. They say contradictory stuff like, “Jesus saves you by grace alone, all you have to do is this, that, and the other thing. And once you’re saved, Jesus expects you to change, to be better, to make your salvation sure or maybe you weren’t really truly Christian in the first place after all.”

That’s not daring to be Lutheran!

That’s daring to be the same old sinner you were the day you were conceived, living out your inborn, selfmade religion—that’s the religion that believes what you do and don’t do will put you in God’s good graces and make Him like you. That’s no dare at all.

Jesus lived His life for you. Jesus died the death you deserve on the Cross. He now lives, and true Life is found only in Him. What you do doesn’t save you— all it can do is damn you. But He was damned for you so that in Him, you will never see hell. So dare to be different.

Dare to be Lutheran.

Not every Lutheran is the same, either. There is an alphabet soup of Lutheranism out there—some of which you need to dare NOT to be. If it looks like generic Christianity, worships like generic Christianity, is centered on you and not on Jesus crucified for you…it’s not Lutheran.

What kind of Lutheran do I need to dare to be? The Christ’s-cross-alone, received-by-faith-alone from-Scripturealone kind of Lutheran, of course! The-

Lord-be-with-you and with-thy-Spirit kind. The Holy-Baptism-saves kind.

The Lord’s-Supper-gives-me-Jesus’True- Body-and-True-Blood kind. The my-pastor-forgives-my-sins kind. The Bible-is-the-authoritative-Word-of-God kind of Lutheran. Dare to be THAT kind of Lutheran.

So why is this important? I’ve not always been Lutheran. I grew up Roman Catholic. The Lord converted me my freshman year of college. I had always heard what I had to do to be saved… maybe. Only in the Lutheran church did I hear that Christ saves totally by grace alone. It changed my life.

I’m mostly grown up now. I have three kids. I don’t want them to go on the same journey I went on. I want them to grow up Lutheran. I want them to believe what we believe and to receive the comfort and peace that comes only from the pure Gospel. I want them to receive the Sacrament with me. It’s important to me; it’s a matter of life and death. I’ll bet it’s important to your parents, too.

For, if you are a Lutheran, why would you want to be anything else? If the Gospel has become clear to you that salvation and heaven and faith and life are all about Jesus’ cross alone without any merit or worthiness in you, why would you want to trade that for anything else? Why would you want to be anything else?

Dare to confess that Jesus alone saves you. Dare to believe that His salvation is by grace alone, not by what you do or don’t do. Dare to confess that Jesus is received by faith alone. Dare to base your faith only from Scripture alone.

Dare to be Lutheran!

Rev. George F. Borghardt serves as the Senior Pastor at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in McHenry, Illinois. He is the President of Higher Things. His email is revborghardt@higherthings.org.

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By Stan Lemon

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R

ecently, it dawned on me that I’ve been on staff with Higher Things for ten years. That makes me the second longest tenured staff person in the organization. When I say it out loud it sounds like a really long time. A whole decade!

I’m the technology executive for Higher Things, which is a fancy way of saying I make sure the website runs, your magazine subscription gets recorded somewhere and you can register for the summer conferences.

In the technology world nothing lasts ten years.

Nothing. Normally by the ten-year mark, any

technology actively collecting dust gets called “legacy hardware.” It should be, and likely will be taken to the local Staples or Best Buy to be recycled. Technology changes very fast. In a year’s time, a new cell phone can exceed the capabilities of last year’s top computer. Nothing lasts; everything changes. Yet, here I am.

I first got interested in Higher Things because the organization was all about “cultivating, encouraging and promoting a distinctively Lutheran identity.” You may recognize that phrase—it’s right out of the Higher Things mission statement. I was wrapping up college, was recently engaged to my wife, and in a year’s time I planned to go out and conquer the world as a graduated person. I relished being Lutheran. I craved knowing other Lutherans like myself. Higher Things was there, like a gigantic Lutheran magnet drawing young people of all sorts together to be distinctively Lutheran. I wanted to be a part of that.

Ten years later, Higher Things really hasn’t changed much.

It’s still cultivating, encouraging and promoting the same thing—a distinctively Lutheran identity. It’s what separates Higher Things from other attempts at youth ministry.

So this phrase “distinctively Lutheran identity” sounds great on paper, but what does it actually mean? The Augsburg Confession, the founding confession of the Lutheran church says this: They (that’s we Lutherans!) teach that men cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works, but are freely justified for Christ’s sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor, and that their sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake, who, by His death, has made satisfaction for our sins. This faith God imputes for righteousness in His sight. (AC IV) Distinctively Lutheran means teaching Jesus Christ and Him Crucified, FOR YOU. It’s not a works-righteousness religion. It’s not a me-first religion. It’s not an I’m-going-todo-better religion. It’s a Crucified religion. It’s a crosscentered, Jesus-clinging religion.

It’s a faith that rests solely on Jesus Christ and what He did.

It’s a faith that takes comfort and joy in His doing when it’s given at the font, the altar and in the words of a lowly sinner whom we call Pastor.

What’s drawn me to ten years of Higher Things conferences in a row is the way in which HT promotes and cultivates being “distinctively Lutheran.” It’s actually really simple when you boil it down: the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

It’s this ridiculous notion that God descends to mankind and takes on our flesh. He

lives perfectly, suffers perfectly and then dies perfectly. He does all these things in our place, so that we don’t have to. Then He gives that perfectly lived, perfectly suffered and perfectly died life to us to be our own. He gives it to us in the waters of Holy Baptism—our birthright to a distinctively Lutheran identity. He gives it to us when we eat of His supper, which is His last will and testament—a distinctively Lutheran nourishment for body and soul. He gives it to us when we hear with our ears from the Office of the Holy Ministry that we are forgiven—a distinctively Lutheran proclamation. He gives it as a gift to infants, toddlers, teenagers and even adults!

This distinctively Lutheran identity is confessed at your baptism. It’s confessed again as you grow up and partake of the precious Body and Blood of Jesus. It’s confessed when you show up at a Higher Things summer conference and hear Jesus for you. It’s confessed as you grow up in the church, marry in the church and then raise your own children in the church. This distinctively Lutheran identity doesn’t change. Yes, it’s by all standards “legacy hardware.”

It’s reused, repeated and recycled. It’s the same sweet truth—that Jesus died FOR YOU. Higher Things, just like your Pastor and your church, doesn’t water down this distinctively Lutheran identity. We don’t alter it. We don’t pretend you need to hear something different. We point you back to Good Friday and to Easter Sunday and teach you to take comfort in the gifts of Jesus.

As I grow older, I find myself inevitably changing. My friends tell me I’m a little more tame—a “2.0 version” they like to say. Some of that may be maturity, but it’s more likely exhaustion from chasing three kids around the house day in and day out. It’s pure gift to me that what I have heard taught at Higher Things conferences is the same thing, that distinctively Lutheran identity that I hear taught at my home congregation. What my Pastor preaches faithfully from the pulpit is not magically transformed into a gimmicky bumper sticker of faith when I show up at Higher Things conference. No, it’s the same—the consistent, singular truth that sinners of all ages need: the forgiveness of sins won for us by the very Son of God! Stan Lemon is Lucy, Hank and Evelyn’s dad, Sara’s husband and serves as the Technology Executive for Higher Things. You can reach him at stan@ higherthings.org

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Kick Your HT Conference Experience into High Gear:

By Kaitlin Ja

ndereski

Be a CCV A

fter the last word of the last stanza from the last hymn of yet another Higher Things conference is all said and done, all of the youth attendees pack up their belongings, load their vans and head home. They get up the next morning, eat their Chex cereal, listen to some country radio, and perhaps never give a thought about the College Conference Volunteers (CCVs) who helped put the entire conference together again.

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Wait, what?

Okay, I get it. We CCVs—we’re not always the coolest bunch of kids on the block. We cut in front of you in lines, we sometimes give you the wrong directions, and we wear the same shirt all conference long.

But I think if you decide to take the CCV plunge for yourself, you’ll discover that it’s an amazing experience!

Here’s why: • CCVs get to meet people from all different states with all different accents. (And Canadians, too, eh!)

• Most people play Uno. CCVs play Killer Uno. • Pastor Buetow takes the entire staff, which includes

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the CCVs, for morning Starbucks runs. (If you’re from a small town like me and have never tried Starbucks before, my recommendation for you: The peach cobbler frappuccino. One word: Ahhhhh-maz-ing.)

Cutting in front of people in the meal lines is indeed a perk. Well, a perk for the CCVs. But we get to do it because we need to make sure we are available for whatever is coming next in the conference.

CCVs get to steam the banners that are used for chapel. C’mon! You know you’ve always wanted to say that you did that!

CCVs supervise free-time activities, like dodge ball, karaoke, Minute-to-Win-It, and the annual Higher Things talent show.

Even the Conference Executive, Sandra Ostapowich, wants to hang out with the CCVs! Hellooooooo late night trips to Steak ‘N’ Shake!

CCVs meet people who are experiencing Higher Things for the first time ever and people who are experiencing Higher Things for the fourteenth time.

Yet each person they meet is freshly amazed at the pure theology delivered during the services, the classes, and the plenary sessions.

CCVs get to pack every.single.bag. For every.single. group. That’s a lot of bags.

Exhibitors are friendly and they’ll talk to CCVs when nobody else will. Actually, exhibitors will talk to anyone when no one else will. But, you get the point.

During announcements, Pastor Borghardt will make the CCVs jump on stage. In case you were wondering, it’s a good way to get over stage fright.

CCVs get to meet the Higher Things’ vicar and laugh when everybody calls him “Victor” because that’s not his real name, but everybody thinks it is.

CCVs might be busy all day long, but they still get to take a break, attend the church services and be fed the solid preaching of the Word from the pulpit.

CCVs try to be asleep by 12am (because they were working all day and they’re tired and normal people

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are in bed already), but they get to stay up all night talking with their other CCV friends instead.

CCVs get to sit with the pastors at lunch and talk theology.

CCVs get to lead Sandra Ostapowich and Pastor Borghardt to the first plenary session of the week.

And then they get them lost and leave them wondering why the heck they even brought you on board as a CCV. (Or maybe that only happened to me.

Yeah, probably just me. Uffda! Sorry, guys.)

CCVs get to meet hundreds of people with the same beliefs that they have. And then CCVs also give those hundreds of people directions to the buildings that they’re trying to find (and try not to get them lost)!

CCVs get to sell merchandise, which may or may not lead them to fall into a desire to covet ALL of the items for sale.

We CCVs love to laugh and we even love to laugh so hard that we really do cry. #Winning Water. CCVs get to carry lots of water bottles and hand them off to the breakaway teachers.

If you ever wanted to dress up like a minion and run around on stage during Friday Announcements like a—well —like a minion, this is your chance! But only if you’re a CCV. PLUS, Pastor Buetow is the CCV’s very own Dr. Gru and speaks in a Russian accent to accentuate your minion experience.

Just like at their home congregations, CCVs have a second family within the Higher Things’ staff. The camaraderie is unparalleled!

Like you, CCVs leave each conference, happily drenched with the Gospel, knowing Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Kaitlin Jandereski was a CCV for Gainesville, FL’s 2014 Higher Things’ conference and is a future deaconess. She currently lives in a small town called Bad Axe, Michigan and can be reached at jande1kb@cmich.edu.

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Whispers

It’s Time to Silence the

By Rev. Harrison Goodman

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I learned something at Higher Things.

These kids aren’t the next generation of the church. They’re the church right now.

I hear the same whispers over and over.

Different voices, same concern. “Pastor, when I was growing up the Sunday School had so many more children.”“Pastor, I remember when the church was full on Christmas.”“Pastor, there’s way more gray hair than not in here. What’s going to happen in 20 years when we’re all gone?”

I hate those whispers.

I’m the pastor of two churches in a small agricultural town of about 400, and another small agricultural town of about 200. I’m pretty sure the whispers I hear aren’t just in the small towns, though. I see giant churches casting aside everything they were called to hold dear in an attempt to chase down “youth” to stave off the same whispers I hear out in the sticks.

I used to give the usual rundown. I’d say, “Yeah, I know, but farming has changed in the last 40 years. Now one guy in his 50s with two grown kids farms what 10 families of 6-8 used to work. I know it looks different, but as long as there’s farming, there’ll be people out here, and as long as there are people, there will be church.” Still, the whispers sink in sometimes, and I get afraid, too.

For a while I treated our youth group like a bunch of baby birds in the nest. These are our most important resource, and our only hope. One day, they’ll be like us, but not yet. This summer, I took them to a Higher Things conference. We fundraised under the mantra “this is the next generation of our church.” It was a huge success. It struck at everyone’s fear. Without these kids, we’ll be nothing.

One day, they will be the church. One day, they will take over for us.

I was so wrong.

I learned something at Higher Things, too. These kids aren’t the next generation of the church. They’re the church right now.

I watched 400 Christians who happened to be teenagers hear the word of God, receive His Body and Blood, cling to His promises, and sing them back. This is what the church is.

This isn’t a bunch of kids who are begrudgingly attending a church service so they can go play laser tag later. Those kids don’t sing. They sit quietly and roll their eyes. Those kids need someone to let them bat around a beach ball during something we’d never call “worship” except that we want them to like it enough to stick around in a few years. I didn’t see any of those kids. I only heard the church. Our kids sang.

Our kids sang because they’re not the next generation of the church waiting in the wings. They’re the church right now. For all our fear, sometimes we lose sight of this. These

kids are the church, and if they are the church, then they need what the whole church needs. They don’t need beach balls. They need Jesus. They need the forgiveness He won upon the cross, and they need the Sacraments through which He delivers that forgiveness. Market research doesn’t make kids sing hymns. Faith does. This is what the church sounds like.

I won’t pretend that the church doesn’t face problems.

It’s always been the last gate against the gates of hell. It has always stared down sin, death, and the devil. I understand where the whispers come from. I’m not advising you to put your head in the sand. I’m saying fix your eyes on the cross—we’re going to be okay.

It’s time to silence the whispers. It’s not our job to keep the church going one more generation. It’s God’s job. This is the point Luther hammers home in his Small Catechism. It states, states,“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.”

We can’t save ourselves from sin, death, and the devil. Only Jesus does that. We can’t build or maintain a church by ourselves either. Only the promised Holy Spirit does it. The Holy Spirit is at work in the church wherever the Word of God is taught purely and the sacraments are administered rightly. What gives me hope is that I see God’s children of every age gathered around those gifts, which really do something. Through them, the Holy Spirit calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. I think He’s doing a pretty good job.

Rev. Harrison Goodman serves St. Paul Lutheran Church in Winside, Nebraska and St. Paul Lutheran Church in Carroll, Nebraska. Rev. Goodman and his wife recently celebrated the birth of their second child. He can be reached at hgoodman01@gmail.com.

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7

Apologists Every Christian Should Know PART 2

William Lane Craig

Must-Reads Reasonable Faith: The standard college textbook on apologetics.

————————— On Guard: An easier (yet still robust) introductory text.

————————— A Reasonable Response: Craig answers readers’ hard questions about the truth.

—————————

Three collections of essays, edited by Craig and fellow philosopher and apologist, Paul Copan, address a smattering of recent apologetic issues:

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————————— Contending with Christianity’s Critics ————————— Passionate Conviction ————————— Come Let Us Reason

The Convincing Case of William Lane

Why Philosophy What would you think

of a war general who told his enemies precisely when, where, and how he was going to strike? How about a quarterback who posted his playbook online?

You would likely think such people were not only out of their minds, but also destined to lose. But what if I told you there is a Christian apologist who is so skilled at defending the faith that it makes no difference if his opponents know his every move because he is going to win anyway? If this sounds too good to be true, then it’s time for you to meet William Lane Craig.

With a Ph.D. in philosophy, another doctorate in theology, and over 250 publications under his belt, Craig is well equipped to handle virtually any objection to the Christian faith. His specialty, however, is defeating atheists in formal debates. Time after time, Craig takes on the world’s top unbelievers and emerges victorious. That is not to say he wins every point, but when the dust settles and the debate is over, there is little doubt that Craig has presented a more convincing and logical case than his challenger. And this is precisely why atheists keep lining up to take their shot—they want to be known as the one who finally takes down Craig. But as some extended YouTube viewing should make clear, the odds of that happening anytime soon are slim indeed. (Perhaps this is why some refuse to debate him. The famous atheist Richard Dawkins, for example, makes drive-by insults instead of engaging Craig directly.)

Since Craig’s expertise revolves around refuting those who deny the supernatural, he regularly squares off against philosophers—that group of intellectuals who, as the recent movie “God’s Not Dead” implies, can seem especially eager to dismantle people’s Christian faith. But of course, Craig is a philosopher himself, as are countless other believers. And it just so happens that his convincing case directly deals with two philosophical issues: God’s existence and miracles.

A Little Logic Can Go a Long Way The classical proof for God’s existence that Craig uses most efficiently is the Cosmological Argument. This line of reasoning seeks to demonstrate the existence of a “First Cause” of the universe: that there is Something behind the cosmos that brought space, time, and matter into existence. The argument only works, however, if the universe itself is not eternal but had a beginning. For years, many atheists denied that the origin of the universe required any explanation.

They simply asserted that it had always been here. But the overwhelming evidence acquired over the past century in the field of astrophysics has helped put a stop to that. For example, it has been proven that the cosmos is expanding at a constant rate, which means it cannot have existed eternally in the past. Thus, it is now widely accepted by scientists that the cosmos began to exist, with its beginning commonly referred to as the “Big Bang.”

Craig builds on this scientific information with a logical precision that appears insurmountable. His argument follows the standard form of a syllogism—a point-by-point argument in which conclusions must follow from the given premises (or statements). The classic example of a syllogism is as follows: 1. All men are mortal.

2. Socrates is a man.

3. Therefore, Socrates is mortal.

Craig:

Is Nothing to Fear Based on points 1 and 2, Socrates cannot be immortal—the third point is certain.

Now consider Craig’s version: 1. Whatever begins to exist has a cause.

2. The universe began to exist.

3. Therefore, the universe has a cause.

Point 1 essentially says every effect has a cause, which is true by definition.

In fact, to deny point 1 results in a logical absurdity, for the alternative is that something came from nothing— that out of nothingness something created itself. It is also entirely beyond human experience, for an event occurring without a cause has never been observed. So point 1 is undeniably correct, and point 2, as stated above, is firmly established by astrophysics.

Based on the laws of logic, then, the conclusion in point 3 is unavoidable.

The universe must have been created by a “First Cause”—that is, by Something outside of it and prior to it—which is otherwise known as God. Skeptics and the Supernatural Apologetic literature often skips over the issue of miracles because once God’s existence is established it seems redundant to say God can do whatever He wants whenever He wants. But Craig knows that many who say, “There is a God,” are also skeptical of miraculous events. They may not be full-blown atheists, but their suspicion of supernatural claims makes them doubt much of what Jesus did. And belief in “God” without belief in the crucified and risen Christ saves no one.

It is therefore important to consider Craig’s defense against two popular objections against miracles.

First, there is the so-called “Yeah, right” argument. In this view, it is always more reasonable to assume

a naturalistic explanation than to think something supernatural really occurred. And this does make a certain amount of sense. After all, do you believe every claim you hear of the Virgin Mary appearing in the clouds or on someone’s tortilla? No, you likely assume it is more reasonable to think people are mistaken or are lying. Add to this the belief that science is the great myth buster which allows us to understand how the world works without superstitious explanations, and the response of “Yeah, right” sounds like a dose of healthy skepticism.

The problem, however, is that a blatant refusal to believe in miracles actually amounts to an unhealthy and unscientific approach to the truth. Claims of what did and did not happen need to be investigated on their own merits, not decided before examining the evidence. Otherwise, a dogmatic commitment against the supernatural will prevent one from knowing if a miracle ever occurred, even if one actually did. For example, if Jesus walking on water is automatically dismissed as a lie from the disciples, or immediately explained as Jesus having hitched a ride on a floating piece of ice, then if He really did defy gravity you would never know it. To say, “I don’t care how many facts you provide, or how many credible witnesses there are, I simply refuse to accept the claim,” is clearly a shortsighted prejudice, especially since our understanding of science is constantly changing.

Second, it is often claimed that there is uniform experience against miracles—that nobody has ever really witnessed one—and so we know miracles don’t occur. But this is a textbook case of circular reasoning.

Certainly if miracles have never happened then they never have, but we can only know there is absolute

By Rev. Mark A. Pierson

uniform experience against them if we know that all reports of miracles are false. And we can only know that all such reports are false if we already know that miracles do not occur. Thus, we are arguing in a circle.

Proceed with Caution, yet also with Confidence Chances are you won’t debate philosophy professors or loudmouth atheists in front of thousands. You likely will, however, have numerous opportunities to share your faith. When it comes to defending the existence of God and the miraculous, Craig has spent decades studying, lecturing, and writing on these topics, making him a thoughtful, articulate, and logical apologist from whom we can and should learn. Keep in mind, though, that if skeptics are not willing to listen to reason, or have poor critical thinking skills and no attention span, Craig’s arguments might be wasted on them. Also be mindful of the fact that philosophical issues are necessarily deep issues, requiring careful navigation and more “homework” than merely watching videos online.

While philosophy remains the handmaiden of theology, and is especially useful for apologetics, there is no substitute for proclaiming and hearing the truth about God in Christ. For as the Logos, Christ reveals the astonishing logic and wisdom of His Father—that He is merciful to sinners!—which is far more significant than simply knowing God exists.

Rev. Mark A. Pierson is assistant pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Long Beach, California, and has a passion for evangelism and apologetics. You can email him at markapierson@gmail.com

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Crucified Crucified HIGHER THINGS 2014 CONFERENCES

HIGHER THINGS 2014 CONFERENCES

Gainsville, FL

University of Florida • (July 1-4, 2014)

———————————

Mequon, WI

Concordia University – Wisconsin (July 8-11, 2014)

———————————

Logan, UT

Utah State University • (July 22-25, 2014)

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Calvin College Grand Rapids, MI

July 21-24

Concordia University Nebraska Seward, NE

July 28-31

“The band of the apostles in glory sing Your praise; The fellowship of prophets their deathless voices raise.

The martyrs of Your kingdom, a great and noble throng, Sing with the holy Church throughout all the world this song: ‘Oh all majestic Father, Your true and only Son, And Holy Spirit, Comforter—forever Three in One!’” (LSB 941, st. 2)

This summer’s 2015 Higher Things Conferences will rejoice in the gift of the Te Deum, a hymn of praise that gives us a foretaste of what’s happening in worship in heaven and on earth.

University of Nevada Las Vegas, NV

July 14-17

Higher Things 2015 Conferences

Te Deum

Visit tedeum2015.org or email conferences@higherthings.org for more details.

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Te Deum

Higher Things 2015 Conferences

July 14-17

University of Nevada Las Vegas, NV

July 21-24

Calvin College Grand Rapids, MI

July 28-31

Concordia University Nebraska Seward, NE

Why Higher Things?

We live in a culture of blurry religious distinctions and do-it-yourself spirituality. Youth, especially, need solid ground that will nurture lasting Christian faith. Rather than treating youth as an adolescent subculture and confusing them with religious experiences that cannot be replicated at home, Higher Things believes in challenging youth to learn the pure doctrine of the Christian faith. By teaching them the same message that they hear at home, youth grow in the fullness of the Christian faith as they come to appreciate historic liturgical practice and its unique focus on God’s gifts of forgiveness, life and salvation for us delivered in Word and Sacrament.

The Theme: Te Deum

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Te Deum, Te Deum Laudamus, “We Praise You, O God.” All praise, all glory, all honor, all everything goes to you, O Lord, for You sent Your Son who died on the cross for us. He rose again. He saves. He is the sacrifice that makes us — and our praise — acceptable to You. In the Te Deum, we confess all that God the Father did for us in the sending of His Son. And by faith, we join our voices with those apostles, prophets, martyrs, and of the whole Church of all times and places, in praise and worship of the Holy Trinity…giving us a glimpse right into the divine Throne Room of heaven itself!

This summer’s 2015 Higher Things Conferences will rejoice in the gift of the Te Deum, a hymn of praise that gives us a foretaste of what’s happening in worship in heaven and on earth.

“The band of the apostles in glory sing Your praise; The fellowship of prophets their deathless voices raise.

The martyrs of Your kingdom, a great and noble throng, Sing with the holy Church throughout all the world this song: ‘Oh all majestic Father, Your true and only Son, And Holy Spirit, Comforter—forever Three in One!’” (LSB 941, st. 2)

Registration

Please note: Registration windows have changed! Download a Registration Packet with detailed registration information and instructions at TeDeum2015.org.

Registration will open on November 1, 2014 and close as each site reaches capacity. We work very diligently to keep costs as low as possible while providing the best conferences we can – every year! The per-person rates below are based on the date your group’s registration fees are paid in full.

Additional fees may apply for registrations and changes made after May 1, 2015. Balances paid after May 1, 2015 will be subject to a $25 per-person late fee. See the detailed Registration Packet for more information about fees and deadlines.

University of Nevada — Las Vegas (July 14-17, 2015) Calvin College (July 21-24, 2015) Concordia University — Nebraska (July 28-31, 2015)

EARLY BIRD! Nov. 1, 2014 through Jan. 31, 2015

REGULAR Feb. 1, 2015 through April 31, 2015

LATE (on or after May 1, 2015)

$345

$375

$400

Your Registration Fee includes: • Conference Programming (Planning, Catechesis, Worship, Entertainment) • Three (3) Nights of Housing (double capacity) • Nine (9) Meals (Tuesday supper through Friday lunch) • Conference Handbook • Daily Services Book • Conference T-Shirt • Free issue of Higher Things magazine Not only can you register your group online at TeDeum2015.org, you can pay deposits and your balance online too! All you need is a valid HT Online account. If you don’t have one yet, you can sign up for one at www.higherthings.org.

Age Requirements

Higher Things conferences are generally planned for high-school-aged youth, but registrants may be any youth who have been confirmed prior to the conference, including middle school and college students. We recognize that the ages of confirmed youth vary from congregation to congregation, and just ask that if a group is bringing young people who are not yet confirmed or in high school, their group leaders be prepared to provide additional supervision accordingly.

Chaperones

Chaperones must be at least 21 years old at the time of Registration, and approved by the group’s pastor to serve in that role. There must be at least one (1) male chaperone for up to every seven (7) male youth in a registered group, and at least one (1) female chaperone for up to every seven (7) female youth in the group. There is no restriction on the number of chaperones that may register with a group. All chaperones and other adults in a group must complete the registration process.

If you are unable to recruit the necessary number of chaperones from your congregation for your youth to attend a conference, Higher Things will be happy to help you find other groups from your area who would be willing to “share” their chaperones with you.

Conference Capacities

The Higher Things conference at the the University of Nevada — Las Vegas has a capacity of 500 registrants. The conference at Calvin College has a capacity of 900, and the conference at Concordia University — Nebraska has a capacity of 700 registrants.

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Communion is for Real A

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By Daniel Baker

s I walked down the middle aisle of the auditorium, along with many other Lutheran youth at the Higher Things Crucified conference this last summer in Logan, Utah, I soaked in the glistening hymns being sung. I stepped down toward Pastor Mark Buetow, who served me the body of Christ saying, “Daniel, take and eat the body of Christ given for you.” Again, when I received the blood of Christ, my name was spoken, and I was given Christ’s blood, which was shed for me. How great it was to hear it proclaimed BY NAME that Christ is for me! He is real. Communion is for REAL.

For those of you who have seen the movie Heaven Is For Real, I have no doubt that the movie itself was heartwarming and encouraging in its own way. I am not using the “is for real” part of the name for any specific disregard of the movie. Rather, I am declaring that the Sacrament of the Altar, Holy Communion, should be held to at least the same standard of reality as heaven.

The Lord’s Supper is a taste of heaven on earth and points to the time when Jesus comes again and we celebrate/feast with Him forever. After all, it is Jesus’ own sacrifice for us on the cross, made personal and tangible to us through His very own Body and Blood given with the bread and wine, as expressed in An Explanation of the Small Catechism, “The bread and wine in the Sacrament are Christ’s body and blood by sacramental union. By the power of His word, Christ gives His body and blood in, with, and under the consecrated (blessed) bread and wine” (An Explanation of the Small Catechism, CPH, 1991). The beauty of this is that we are not simply eating and drinking in remembrance of Christ, but that we, through Christ’s word, are forgiven of our sins by looking to His sacrifice as we eat of His Body and Blood. By our faith in Jesus, we freely receive the gifts of forgiveness, life and salvation.

Honestly, I think our non-Lutheran brothers and sisters miss out on a great deal when it comes to Communion. I have watched them look for Jesus, or try to get close to Jesus, in all the wrong places, like in the emotions they feel through music, various church programs and even through Jesus “speaking to them.” If you believe Communion is only symbolic, then it’s like closing a door in Jesus’ face when He’s coming to YOU. Think about it. Jesus took on flesh and blood for us. He became human in every way but was without sin. He created us to think and experience things in physical terms, so how good He is to us to give us the gift of His Supper—something we can taste, smell and see with our senses. It’s like when Thomas said, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” So what did Jesus do? He offered Himself for Thomas to do just that. “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:25-28). Communion is for REAL. Pastor Timothy Pauls had a great breakaway session in Logan, where he compared various teachings of Lutherans, Roman Catholics, Reformed and other Protestants. I was surprised at some of the background information, especially how it came to be that many Christians see Communion as a memorial only. He had it laid out so well and really helped me to understand the differences and appreciate what we celebrate as Lutherans. Surely non-Lutherans do partake of the Lord’s Supper, however they often serve it inconsistently and rarely, but it seems to me that what it really comes down to is the lack of value they give it. I have learned over the years and personally experienced myself that this gift from Jesus may seem like only bread and wine to most, but in reality, it is the REAL Body and Blood of Christ, the REAL sacrifice broken and shed for us, and is the REAL deal. Communion is for REAL. Every conference I attend (Logan was my third) has magnified this reality for me. We begin and end with the Divine Service. Whenever I am blessed to receive the Body and Blood of the perfect Pascal Lamb, who was crucified for all of the sins I have and will ever commit, I get to depart in peace because I have true peace, completely confident that I have received REAL forgiveness of sins, from Christ himself. What can be more REAL than this?

Daniel Baker is a freshman at Northern Arizona University, in Flagstaff, where he attends Peace Lutheran Church. He spends his time studying exercise science to become a physical therapist and playing soccer and has his sights set on being a CCV at the Te Deum conference next summer in Las Vegas. Feel free to contact him at dkb99@nau.edu.

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Uncle Walther Wants

YOU!

to be a Lutheran Teacher

By John Brandt

W

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hen Crucified 2014 on Concordia Wisconsin’s campus ended, I greatly enjoyed listening to my daughter recount her week as a College Conference Volunteer (CCV). She mentioned President Harrison’s outstanding plenary session, the intriguing breakaway sessions she attended and her circle of CCV chums that keeps expanding with every Higher Things conference. I was happy for her and the young men and women that would return to their families, friends, congregations, and schools with a week’s worth of Divine Service, Matins, Vespers, Evening Prayer, Compline and Lutheran instruction by confessional Lutheran pastors and speakers.

Now what? How can the ripple effect of a great, confessional Lutheran youth conference benefit the young men and women long after Chris Loemker has played the last note of the last hymn during the closing service of a Higher Things conference?

Consider becoming a Lutheran school teacher.

Before I attempt to convince you, let me digress.

Perhaps it was because I was in the middle of reading my students’ Beowulf essays, but when I glanced at the C.F.W. Walther poster in my room (Yes, I really have his poster on my high school classroom wall) I thought it resembled the iconic Uncle-SamWants-You poster. The connection clicked. C.F.W. Walther… and principals and teachers and parents and future students want you to be a Lutheran school teacher.

Visually, Walther as Uncle Sam isn’t that much of a stretch. Well, not if you squint long enough.

Not seeing it? Keep squinting. In the meantime, let me explain why I think you should consider my proposition.

Your interest in Higher Things is what every Lutheran school needs. We need young men and women who desire to become experts in English, history, math, music, physics and other subjects. We need young men and women who understand the importance of teaching God’s Word in all its truth and purity (Titus 1:9). We need young men and women who understand the important distinction between Law and Gospel. We need young men and women who possess a passion for the Divine Service and liturgical worship. We need young men and women who know the difference between teaching about the saving Gospel and actually teaching the saving Gospel. We need young men and women who understand and use hymns that teach Christ and His redemptive work on the cross.

As a Lutheran teacher you will have daily opportunities to share God’s Word with your students.

You can instill the value of great hymns by teaching and singing them with your students. Remember what singing “We Praise You and Acknowledge You, O God” was like at the conference? What about “God’s Own Child I Gladly Say It”? As a teacher at a Lutheran school, you are free to share the hope and truth of those and many other hymns by teaching and singing them for chapel or a classroom assignment or even during indoor recess.

This past year, my A.P. literature class was reading George Orwell’s 1984 and we were discussing the destruction of words and the harm it causes. It was a perfect transition to the importance of remaining steadfast in God’s Word and examining this excerpt

from Luther’s Large Catechism, “Therefore, you must always have God’s Word in your heart, upon your lips, and in your ears. But where the heart is idle, and the Word does not make a sound, the devil breaks in and has done the damage before we are aware.” (LC I 100) The night’s assignment was to explain parallels between Ingsoc’s Newspeak and Matthew 13:24-30. Now that’s my version of a Lutheran teacher’s trifecta: literature, the Book of Concord, and God’s divine Word!

Each day will be filled with opportunities like that to share God’s wisdom, love and mercy with your students.

As a Lutheran teacher you can also be a Lutheran drama director, forensics leader, choir instructor, and coach. These roles will present many opportunities to teach, counsel and remind your students they are cleansed in Christ’s blood and their worth is found in Christ crucified, not in trophies, ribbons or conference championships.

The final reason you should consider becoming a Lutheran teacher is the day of your installation where you will vow…

• to uphold the Word of God as the only infallible rule of faith and practice.

• that the “three ecumenical creeds are faithful testimonies to Holy Scripture and that you reject the errors they condemn.”

• “to faithfully serve God’s people in the teaching ministry in accordance with the Word of God, the Ecumenical Creeds, and the Confessions, or Symbols of the Church.”

• “to grow in love for those you serve, strive for excellence in your skills, and adorn the Gospel of Jesus Christ with a Godly life.” (Lutheran Service Book: Agenda) Lutheran schools desperately need young men and women who dare to be Lutheran and who dare to teach Lutheranism.

Lutheran schools want you to be a Lutheran teacher!!

John Brandt has been a Lutheran high school English teacher for 29 years and currently serves Lutheran High School North in Macomb, Michigan as the Academic Dean, English dept. chair and teaches A.P. Literature and expository writing, while coaching the Freshmen Fillies, Lutheran North’s freshmen girls’ basketball team.

He would love to answer any of your questions about becoming a Lutheran teacher. You can reach John at brandtlhn@gmail.com.

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Pray Dominican Republic

for Rev. Joel and Clarion Fritsche Church Planter Serving the Lord in the Dominican Republic

Rev. Joel and Clarion Fritsche serve the Lord as career missionaries of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in the Dominican Republic. In this role, Joel plants new churches in this country. He forms and develops groups of believers into mature, self-sustaining and self-replicating congregations through Word and Sacrament ministry.

Before becoming a career missionary, he served as a pastor at Our Savior Lutheran Church, Cheyenne, Wyo., at Our Savior Lutheran Church, Houston, Texas, and, most recently, at Zion Lutheran Church, Staunton, Ill. He has also been actively involved with Higher Things as the board secretary and through various teaching opportunities.

Clarion received a bachelor’s degree in education from Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon, and taught at several Lutheran schools.

Joel and Clarion have three beautiful children, Slav, Sergei and Andrei, who join them on the mission field.

Please pray for the Fritsches as they have answered the call to serve God’s children in the Dominican Republic!

My personal support for Rev. Joel and Clarion Fritsche H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 24

• Pray daily for Joel and Clarion and how you can support their ministry.

• Tell others about Joel and Clarion’s ministry.

• Give securely online at www.lcms.org/fritsche.

Support

• Learn about LCMS mission work at • Support and adopt a missionary.

Call 888-843-5267 or visit www.lcms.org/fritsche

Dominican Republic

Away from Home, At Home in Christ When: Where: Cost: Teacher: Contact:

October 24-25, 2014 University Lutheran Church — Bloomington, IN $50/person Rev. Dr. Carl C. Fickenscher II Rev. Rich Woelmer — rwoelmer@gmail.com; (812) 336-5387

Feeling Blessed?

When: October 31-November 1, 2014 Where: St. Paul Lutheran Church — Chatfield, MN Cost: $50/person Teacher: Rev. Dr. Peter Scaer Contact: Judy Goldsmith — judyg@rochester.lib.mn.us; (507) 867-4604

How Do You Spell Bible? J-E-S-U-S! When:

November 8-9, 2014

Where: Cost: Teacher: Contact:

Zion Lutheran Church — McHenry, IL $50/person Rev. Mark Buetow Rev. George Borghardt — revborghardt@gmail.com; (815) 385-0859

I am Baptized into Christ!

When: November 8-9, 2013

Where: Faith Lutheran Church — Plano, TX Cost: $50/person Teacher: Rev. Duane Bamsch Contact: Rev. Steve Kieser — church@faithplano.org; (972) 423-7447

Blood Everywhere!

When:

November 8-9, 2013

Where: Cost: Teacher: Contact:

Trinity Lutheran Church — Evansville, IN $50/person Rev. Jacob Sutton Rev. Jacob Sutton — pastor.sutton@immanuelth.org; (812) 867-5279

Download Registration Packets and register online for these Higher Things Retreats at www.higherthings.org/retreats.

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Now Available for Nook, Kindle, and Other E-readers!

HIGHER THINGS

Reflections Higher Things is pleased to provide free daily devotions, called “Reflections,” for youth and their families. These Reflections are centered on the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and are based upon each day’s texts from the weekly readings in the one-year lectionary and from Luther’s Small Catechism.

You can download and print a seasonal Reflections booklet, subscribe to the daily Reflections and receive them in your e-mail box or connect to an RSS Feed and Podcast by visiting: www. higherthings.org/reflections.html

H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 26

Have you ever wondered what it means to support

?

Have you been a faithful contributor and ever asked, “where does the money go?”

It goes back to the youth in providing conference scholarships, defraying the expenses of our college conference volunteers, and enabling us to keep the costs of conferences, retreats, and publications as low as possible.

That’s why we continue to enlist your support.

Please give it your most prayerful consideration, as we greatly value your partnership with us as we support parents, pastors, and congregations in daring our youth to be confessing Lutherans.

Your gifts can be directly made on our web site at www.higherthings.org or send a check to Higher Things, PO Box 155, Holt, MO 64048. Higher Things is a registered 501(c)(3) corporation and is a Registered Service Organization (RSO) of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod.

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Catechism

To the Young, Old, Table of Duties:

We have one more round of the Table of Duties in the catechism. We’ve covered Preachers and Hearers, Rulers and Citizens, Husbands and Wives, Parents and Children, Bosses and Workers. So what’s left in the temporal kingdom? Not much except some general stuff for the young, the old, and everyone.

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First, to the youth. “Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’” (1 Peter 5:5).

Yeah, I know. It’s hard to be humble when you think you know everything. Do you know what the word “sophomore” means in Greek? It means “wise fool.” Having survived freshman year, a sophomore thinks he knows everything. A senior might beg to differ.

Respect your elders—not just your

parents but everyone who is older than you.

They may not be as quick on the computer as you are, or know all the current songs and movies, but they have a lot of experience at this business of life, and they’d love to pass some of their wisdom along to you. Youth are like apprentices, learning on the job from those who are more experienced. A little humility goes a long way toward learning something. If you think you know it all, you’ll never learn a thing, and you will be a sophomore forever.

and Everyone My maternal grandmother lived with us when I was growing up. Grandma could be a pain at times. It was like having two German mothers. But Grandma was also very wise, and if you took the time to listen to her stories, you could learn a lot. When she was making an important point, she would always point her index finger at you. That finger pointed at me a lot, and I’m thankful for it.

Now to the elderly. “She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day, but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives” (1 Timothy 5:5-6).

It’s lonely when you get old. Your friends and family have died, the kids don’t visit much, and you’re all by yourself. Sometimes older people feel useless and are hanging on, waiting to die.

The apostle Paul reminds those who are old and alone that they have the time and perspective for prayer. Even when you can’t leave your home or even your bed, you can pray.

There’s a wonderful older lady in our congregation who doesn’t get out much anymore. She’s not a widow; her husband still lives with her. But she is a fine example of a woman of prayer. She prays for everyone. And she writes these wonderful hand-written cards to encourage those for whom she is praying.

I’ve received several of her cards myself. They’ve often brightened an otherwise dreary day. Even when we can’t do anything else, we can do the most important thing: pray.

Finally to all of us—young, old, preacher, hearers, rulers, citizens, husbands, wives, parents, children, masters, and servants—one little word: love. All the commandments are summed up in one word. Love. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Love fulfills the law before men. Faith in Christ fulfills the Law before God, but love fulfills the Law before the neighbor and serves the neighbor. Love is faith exhaling. God breathes love and life into us, and we exhale “faith toward Thee and fervent love toward one another.”

Finally, pray with supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings. Prayer is the last word of the Table of Duties and of the Catechism. Priests talk to God, they intercede

By Rev. William M. Cwirla

and give thanks, and you are a baptized priest of Christ’s royal priesthood. It is your priestly privilege and duty to pray for all people, for rulers, for your neighbors, your pastors, your parents, everyone. If you don’t, who will?

The Table of Duties reminds me of a favorite passage in the Lutheran Confessions dealing with the Christian life. In Luther’s day, the big question was, “What does the Christian life look like?” Some sought it in the monasteries and convents. But the Augsburg Confession put it this way: “For this is Christian perfection: that we fear God honestly with our whole hearts, and yet have sincere confidence, faith, and trust that for Christ’s sake we have a gracious, merciful God; that we may and should ask and pray God for those things of which we have need, and confidently expect help from him in every affliction connected with our particular calling and station in life; and that meanwhile we do good works for others and diligently attend to our calling.” (Augsburg Confession XXVII) Faith in Christ, love for neighbor. This is how we as the baptized live before God and the world.

The Table of Duties ends with a little rhyme: Let each his lesson learn with care And all the household well will fare.

I pray that you never tire of the Catechism, but continue to learn it, recite it, pray it, and grow in it. It is the crown jewel of the Reformation— arguably the finest piece of Christian instruction ever written. It is biblical, Christ-centered, simple, plain, memorable, and devotional.

Learn it well, and well you will fare.

Rev. William M. Cwirla is the pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Hacienda Heights, California, and is a president emeritus of Higher Things. He can be reached at wcwirla@gmail.com.

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Table of Duties

To the Young, Old, and Everyone A Higher Things Bible Study • Fall 2014

Opening Prayer Lord, help us walk Your servant way, Wherever love may lead, And bending low, forgetting self, Each serve the other’s need. LSB 857:1

1

Read Philippians 2:1-11. How does Christ humble himself on our behalf? According to St. Paul, what is the Christian definition of humility?

2 3

Read 1 Timothy 5:5-6. How does prayer serve your neighbor?

What are some specific ways in which you can be of service to the elderly in your congregation or neighborhood?

4

What does Jesus say to anyone who is experiencing loneliness? Read Matthew 28:18-20.

5 H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 30

Pastor Cwirla writes, “All the commandments are summed up in one word. Love.” How does Christ fulfill the love that the commandments require?

6

“Faith in Christ, love for the neighbor.

This is how we as the baptized live before God and the world.” Where do you find this teaching in the Scriptures? See Ephesians 2:8-10. Where do you hear this teaching in the Divine Service? See Post Communion Collect.

Closing Prayer Heavenly Father, grant Your mercy and grace to Your people in their many and various callings. Give them patience, and strengthen them in their Christian vocation of witness and mercy to the world, and in service toward the neighbor in Christ’s name; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Higher Things

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The Convincing Case of William Lane Craig: Why Philosophy is Nothing to Fear A HIGHER THINGS BIBLE STUDY Fall 2014 Leader’s Guide

Opening Prayer: Thou camest to our hall of death, O Christ, to breath our poisoned air, To drink for us the dark despair That strangled our reluctant breath.

How beautiful the feet that trod The road that leads us back to God! How beautiful the feet that ran To bring the great good news to man!

LSB 834:3 1. Pastor Pierson uses the word “apologist” to describe the work of Christian scholar William Lane Craig. What does the word “apologist” mean? What does a Christian apologist do? See 1 Peter 3:15 and Jude 3.

Though we often think of the phrase “make an apology” as a means of saying we’re sorry, the other use of that word is to make a defense. Thus, Christian apologetics is the field of study that seeks to defend the Christian faith. A Christian apologist is one who declares and defends the Christian faith. 1 Peter 3:15 is one of the key passages for Christian apologetics in the New Testament. Here Peter uses the Greek word “apologia” when instructing Christians to always be ready to make a defense for the reason for the hope that is within us.

2. The article repeatedly makes use of the word logic and philosophy. How is logic and philosophy a handmaiden to the Christian in defending and proclaiming the Gospel? What happens when logic and philosophy cease to be a handmaiden and become a master?

Pastor Pierson demonstrated that when logic and philosophy are servants, used ministerially, they can be, and are, great allies of the Christian apologist. Logic, reason, and philosophy are tools that are useful, for example, in building an argument to demonstrate a proof for God’s existence, such as the Cosmological argument found in this article. Logic and philosophy can also be used in making other positive arguments that demonstrate the truth of the Christian claims. However, when logic and reason cease to be a servant and instead lead into a rationalistic view of faith, these gifts of God have been abused and misused. For example, many think that Christian apologetics is an attempt to argue someone into the Kingdom of heaven. If logic and philosophy are not given their proper role this misunderstanding could result.

However, this is not the work of apologetics. It is, rather, to sweep aside objections to the cross of Christ so that the cross may be seen clearly. Also, when logic and philosophy are used magisterially, both the defense and the proclamation of the Gospel suffer as a result.

3. What does Martin Luther say about the use of reason and logic in the Small Catechism? See his explanation to the First Article of the Creed as well as the Third Article of the Creed.

Luther has been known for saying some rather disparaging things about human reason: “It is the devil’s whore” and so forth. Yet, the context is the key to understanding Luther and reason. In the first article, Luther lists human reason as one of God’s gifts which he bestows upon us and still preserves for our benefit. It is only when man attempts to use his reason to overtake or overshadow the work of the Holy Spirit that Luther has a problem with it. This is why in the third article, Luther explains that we cannot by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ as Lord or come to him. Faith is always a gift. That’s the Holy Spirit’s work. And yet faith is founded on fact, and that is where reason can contribute a good gift for God’s people.

4. Describe briefly the cosmological argument using a specific example in creation. What is cosmology? Where do you go in the Scriptures to find what God’s Word says about cosmology?

Examples could range from anything to the human eye or the complexity of the brain, or the DNA code, which is essentially blue prints. There are a lot of ways to demonstrate in our natural world around us that “something came from something else”. Cosmology comes from two Greek words: kosmos (world) and logia (word or study of). It means the words of the world, or the study of the world. Cosmology usually includes questions about origins, existence, and the end of the world we live in. There are numerous places in the Scriptures to look at Cosmology. The chief one that comes to mind is Genesis, though the Psalms and Prophets, as well as the New Testament have quite a bit to say about Cosmology as well.

5. In addition to knowing the Scriptures and Small Catechism, why is it important to be familiar with evidence for the truthfulness of Christianity outside of the bible?

First of all, there are many things that we need to know for life in general that are not found in the Bible. The Bible’s main purpose, according to John 20, is to give us Jesus and that by believing in Him we may have life in his name. So, it’s good to be familiar with evidence outside of the Bible for the substantiation of Christian truth claims because the Bible is not the only piece of evidence when it comes to demonstrating that the Christian faith – and the events recorded in the Bible – are actual historical events that happened in real space and time, and not a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. For example, it was thought for many years that Christians had made up the name of Pontius Pilate in the New Testament because archaeology and history had yielded little about his personage outside of the NT. However, in 1961, the “Pilate Stone” was discovered which contains proof outside of the NT that the Roman Proconsul did in fact exist in the first century. Archaeology, history, and apologetics works to help corroborate the facts we see in the Scriptures. Knowing and learning about the evidence for Christianity outside of the Bible is also helpful in talking with unbelievers because it will give you common ground upon which you can discuss and demonstrate the historicity of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

6. What are the pros and cons of the Cosmologial Argument outlined by Pastor Pierson and taught by William Lane Craig? What do the Scriptures teach us about creation and Jesus? See John 1:1-14; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:1-3.

Pros: The cosmological argument uses logic appropriately; it also demonstrates an intellectual argument for demonstrating the existence of God; it can also be useful in talking with people

who are likewise intellectually minded. Cons: The fact that someone believes in a first cause does not make them a Christian, only a deist or a theist; and secondly, though this argument has many merits, it not get you directly to the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is a stepping stone that may be useful. But you also may be served well by an argument that treats Jesus’ death and resurrection as historical events and begin with that. Part of how you go about defending the faith depends on who you talking to. Each of the three readings listed have one major thing in common; they all point to Christ as the one who assisted in creation (the Word!) and who still supports and sustains it in his ascension and reign in heaven. In other words, these passages take us from a Cosmological argument to a Christological one centering the salvation and sustenance of the cosmos in the person and work of Christ.

7. Miracles often come up in discussions about Christian apologetics. What are some of the most important miracles in the Scriptures?

Answers may vary for this. Encourage participants to think about both the Old and New Testaments. Arguably, the most important miracle in the Scriptures is the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. All the other miracles point to this or flow out of it.

8. Read St. Paul’s words in Ephesians 4:1-16. How do his words guide and shape our manner of speaking when discussing the Christian faith with our unbelieving neighbor?

St. Paul encourages Christians to speak the truth in love. That is, we should boldly and confidently declare the truth of the Gospel, of Jesus’ dying and rising for us, of the work of His Word and Sacraments. But we should do this not in arrogance or pride, but out of love for our neighbor. This often requires patience and many conversations, especially with unbelieving family, friends, or neighbors. Take the time to answer their questions. And if you don’t know the answer to something, it’s okay to say, “I don’t know; but let me get back to you. I’ll ask my pastor or someone who might know.” It’ll show you care about enough not to fake an answer and you’ll get another opportunity to share the Gospel with them – a double bonus! St. Paul also reminds us to pray that the Spirit would continue to work through God’s appointed means of grace so that the gift of faith would be given to that person we’re talking with about Christianity.

Closing Prayer: Almighty God, You have called Your Church to witness that in Christ you have reconciled us to Yourself. Grant that by Your Holy Spirit we may faithfully declare and defend the good news of Your salvation for us and for all men, so that all who hear Your promises may receive the gift of salvation; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

The Convincing Case of William Lane Craig: Why Philosophy is Nothing to Fear A HIGHER THINGS BIBLE STUDY Fall 2014

Opening Prayer: Thou camest to our hall of death, O Christ, to breath our poisoned air, To drink for us the dark despair That strangled our reluctant breath.

How beautiful the feet that trod The road that leads us back to God! How beautiful the feet that ran To bring the great good news to man!

LSB 834:3 1. Pastor Pierson uses the word “apologist” to describe the work of Christian scholar William Lane Craig. What does the word “apologist” mean? What does a Christian apologist do? See 1 Peter 3:15 and Jude 3.

2. The article repeatedly makes use of the word logic and philosophy. How is logic and philosophy a handmaiden to the Christian in defending and proclaiming the Gospel? What happens when logic and philosophy cease to be a handmaiden and become a master?

3. What does Martin Luther say about the use of reason and logic in the Small Catechism? See his explanation to the First Article of the Creed as well as the Third Article of the Creed.

4. Describe briefly the cosmological argument using a specific example in creation. What is cosmology? Where do you go in the Scriptures to find what God’s Word says about cosmology?

5. In addition to knowing the Scriptures and Small Catechism, why is it important to be familiar with evidence for the truthfulness of Christianity outside of the bible?

6. What are the pros and cons of the Cosmologial Argument outlined by Pastor Pierson and taught by William Lane Craig? What do the Scriptures teach us about creation and Jesus? See John 1:1-14; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:1-3.

7. Miracles often come up in discussions about Christian apologetics. What are some of the most important miracles in the Scriptures?

8. Read St. Paul’s words in Ephesians 4:1-16. How do his words guide and shape our manner of speaking when discussing the Christian faith with our unbelieving neighbor?

“Communion is for Real” A HIGHER THINGS BIBLE STUDY Fall 2014 Leader's Guide Introduction: This study highlights some of the basic scriptural passages for learning that Jesus Christ is truly present in the Sacrament of the Altar and gives us His true body and blood to eat and drink for the forgiveness of sins.

1. Read Exodus 12:1-14. What were the Israelites to do with the Passover Lamb? What was the Lord's Promise? How often were they to eat this meal?

The Passover lamb was to be killed and then eaten. Its blood was painted on the door frames. The Angel of Death would not touch the Israelites whose homes were protected by this blood. The meal was to be eaten every year forever.

2. What is Jesus called by John the Baptist? See John 1:29. How does Jesus fulfill the events of the Passover for us? What details of Jesus' suffering and death are foreshadowed in the Passover Meal of the Old Testament?

Jesus is the Passover Lamb by whom the Lord rescues us from slavery to sin. Jesus, too, is killed when He dies on the cross and He is eaten, when He gives us His flesh and blood to eat and drink in the Lord's Supper. His blood is also “painted” upon us (in Holy Baptism). This sacrifice and meal are the means by which Christ rescues us from sin and death.

3. Read Matthew 26:17-19, 26-29. What meal was Jesus eating with His disciples? How was this meal different? What does Jesus say about the bread? What does He say about the wine (cup)? Why are these things given?

Jesus is celebrating but also fulfilling the Passover Meal. He is the true Passover Lamb and so He is both the celebrant of the Lord's Supper but also its gift and food. The bread is His body; the wine is His blood. They are given to eat and drink for the forgiveness of sins.

4. Why do we confess that the bread is the true body of Christ and the wine is His true blood? Why are the bread and wine not just “symbols” of His body and blood.

We believe what Jesus' words say. This does not mean we understand how His body and blood can be present with the wine and bread, but we believe that they are because He says that they are. The problem with saying that the bread and wine are only symbols is that (1) It goes against the simple words of Jesus and (2) the true body and blood are how Jesus does things. Ask, for example, whether the Israelites actually ate the Passover lambs or if they just ate cardboard symbols? That wouldn't make any sense! We believe that the Lord's Supper is what it is because of what Jesus' words say.

5. What does Jesus say about eating His flesh and drinking His blood in John 6:53-58?

Jesus says that those who eat His flesh and drink His blood will be raised from the dead. He lives in us and we in Him. This is not just a metaphorical connection, but a real and true indwelling of the Lord who lives in us. He gets there by giving us His very body and blood to eat and drink.

6. In the Small Catechism, LSB p. 327 read “What is the benefit of this eating and drinking?”

What do we receive when we eat and drink Jesus' body and blood in the Sacrament of the Altar? Are these gifts real? What do they mean?

We receive forgiveness of sins. The Lord's Supper is our certainty that our sins are forgiven. When we have received the body and blood of Jesus, we can be sure that God has forgiven and forgotten our sins. They will never condemn us. We receive life. Where sin leads to death, the body and blood of Jesus give us life. Consider that death could not keep Jesus down, so it can't keep us down when we have His body and blood in us! We also receive salvation. Like the Israelites were saved from Egypt, so we are saved and rescued from sin and death. The Lord's Supper is the promise of Jesus that Satan no longer owns us and that we are rescued and safe in Christ's kingdom. These are not just good feelings in our hearts, but real and true gifts that mean something, because it is the real and true body and blood of Jesus given us in His Supper.

7. How would you answer someone who asks what the Sacrament of the Altar is and why you receive it?

We can answer as the Catechism teaches: It is the true body and blood of Christ, with the bread and wine, instituted by Christ, given for us to eat and drink for the forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation. We receive it because it is how Jesus gives us His forgiveness and it reminds and promises to us that we have eternal life.

8. Close by singing or reading “What is This Bread?” LSB #629

“Communion is for Real” A HIGHER THINGS BIBLE STUDY Fall 2014

1. Read Exodus 12:1-14. What were the Israelites to do with the Passover Lamb? What was the Lord's Promise? How often were they to eat this meal?

2. What is Jesus called by John the Baptist? See John 1:29. How does Jesus fulfill the events of the Passover for us? What details of Jesus' suffering and death are foreshadowed in the Passover Meal of the Old Testament?

3. Read Matthew 26:17-19, 26-29. What meal was Jesus eating with His disciples? How was this meal different? What does Jesus say about the bread? What does He say about the wine (cup)? Why are these things given?

4. Why do we confess that the bread is the true body of Christ and the wine is His true blood? Why are the bread and wine not just “symbols” of His body and blood.

5. What does Jesus say about eating His flesh and drinking His blood in John 6:53-58?

6. In the Small Catechism, LSB p. 327 read “What is the benefit of this eating and drinking?”

What do we receive when we eat and drink Jesus' body and blood in the Sacrament of the Altar? Are these gifts real? What do they mean?

7. How would you answer someone who asks what the Sacrament of the Altar is and why you receive it?

8. Close by singing or reading “What is This Bread?” LSB #629

“Dare to be Lutheran” Was ist das?

A HIGHER THINGS BIBLE STUDY Fall 2014 Leader’s Guide 1. Pastor Borghardt writes that “a Lutheran believes that Jesus alone saves.” Read Acts 4:12 and 1 Timothy 1:15. Is salvation found anyplace else than in Jesus? Is there a Savior by any other name for you? From what does Jesus save you? What informs you of this salvation?

The very name “Jesus” means “Savior” (Matthew 1:21), so, there is no place else you can look for a Savior. The only Savior who can save you is the one named Jesus. He saves you from your sins, the wages of which would be death—eternal death! God’s Word makes this crystal clear for you.

2. Jesus saves “by grace alone,” explains Pastor Borghardt. Read John 1:17-18 and Romans 3:23-24.

What is it that comes through Jesus Christ? Whose “grace” does Jesus reveal? What is the problem we have, for which much grace is needed? What does God’s grace do about this problem of sin? How exactly does Jesus’ grace accomplish this?

“Grace” comes through Jesus Christ. This is God’s grace toward people revealed to you. You have sinned, and so you fall far short of God’s glory (proper praise). Yet God justifies you by grace, freely declaring you righteous for Jesus’ sake! This is only possible because Jesus has paid your ransom price by His death in your place on the cross.

3. Pastor Borghardt writes how we receive all this “by faith alone”. Read: John 6:28-29 & John 20:31.

What work does God want to be done? Whose “work” is it when you believe? In Whom do you believe? What do you believe about Jesus? What is the result of having faith in Christ alone?

God wants you to believe in His Only-begotten Son, Jesus, Whom He has sent. It is God’s work that makes you a believer, faith being a gift which is worked by the Holy Spirit Who calls you to believe by the Gospel. The object of your faith is Jesus. You believe He is the anointed Christ, promised of old to be the very Son of God incarnate. By believing, you are blessed to be receiving life in Jesus’ name!

4. Pastor Borghardt writes that we know all this “from scripture alone”. Read Luke 24:27 & John 5:39. After Jesus rose from the dead, Whom did He reveal to be the One about Whom all the scriptures taught? Of Whom do the scriptures bare witness? What is the result of recognizing that the scriptures are all about Jesus?

Jesus showed the 11 disciples how all of the scriptures were written concerning Himself as the promised Christ. Jesus makes it clear that God’s Word actually testifies about Him. Since life is only found in Jesus, one finds life eternal in the Bible.

5. Pastor Borghardt challenges the notion that you can “make God like you”. Read Romans 11:5-6 & Hebrews 11:6 What does it mean to be “chosen by grace”? Can you merit or earn grace? Is there anything you can do to earn grace? By Whose work is God gracious toward you? How gracious? Just

how “pleased” is God with you already in Christ Jesus? Can you do anything to make him more pleased, other than believing in Jesus by God’s gift of faith?

In God’s divine “election” He chose to write your name in His Book of Life from all eternity purely out of His love toward you. You didn’t do anything to warrant God’s eternal election of you. There’s no work you have to do to earn God’s favor, because that’s Jesus’ job to live a perfect life of righteousness in your place. Because Jesus was perfect in your stead, and traded your sins for His holy righteousness at the cross, God is 100% gracious toward you in Christ. God is completely pleased with you. You can’t do anything to make Him more than 100% pleased with you. The only thing you do, as God’s gift & working, is to trust Jesus’ work.

6. Pastor Borghardt writes of how it is by Jesus “cross-alone” that you are saved. Read 1Corinthians 1:18 & 1Peter 2:24. How do most people view the message of a “dead god” on the cross? Yet what does that message mean for you? What do you know that Jesus was doing for you when He died on that cross? What is the result of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for you?

It seems foolish to the world that a god would die. What good can a dead god do anybody? But you know that Jesus death for you is the power of your salvation! For you know that the blessed exchange took place for you on the cross, Jesus becoming your sin in death, and you receiving life everlasting from His righteousness! As a result of this sweet swap (Pastor Borghardt’s patent-pending) Jesus wounds on the cross have now healed you forevermore!

7. Pastor Borghardt writes that Jesus was “damned for you”! Read Matthew 27:46 & Galatians 3:13.

What does it mean that Jesus was “forsaken” by His heavenly Father on the cross? What do these words of Jesus from the cross mean for you? What is a curse? What curse were you under because of your sins? What curse does Jesus become for you?

This literal fullness of the Gospel is quite harsh. Jesus is “forsaken” because the cup of all of God’s wrath, anger, and hatred toward sin is poured out in full on Jesus. Jesus drinks this woeful cup willingly, and is thus separated from God’s blessings in your place, so that you will never be so forsaken. A curse is like “Go to hell!” You deserve the eternal condemnation of hell because of your sin. But Jesus willingly becomes the cursed one, suffering the everlasting death of hell in those moments of forsakenness on the cross. In trade for the curse you deserved, Jesus gives you all the blessings He earned by His holy, perfect, righteous life, including forgiveness, salvation, and life eternal in paradise.

8. Close with the following prayer.

Almighty and eternal God, because it was Your will that Your Son should bear the pains of the cross for us, be gracious to us that we may ever trust in Him with steadfast faith, and always hold fast the unchangeable truth of Your word; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

“Dare to be Lutheran” Was ist das?

A HIGHER THINGS BIBLE STUDY Fall 2014 1. Pastor Borghardt writes that “a Lutheran believes that Jesus alone saves.” Read Acts 4:12 and 1 Timothy 1:15. Is salvation found anyplace else than in Jesus? Is there a Savior by any other name for you? From what does Jesus save you? What informs you of this salvation?

2. Jesus saves “by grace alone,” explains Pastor Borghardt. Read John 1:17-18 and Romans 3:23-24.

What is it that comes through Jesus Christ? Whose “grace” does Jesus reveal? What is the problem we have, for which much grace is needed? What does God’s grace do about this problem of sin? How exactly does Jesus’ grace accomplish this?

3. Pastor Borghardt writes how we receive all this “by faith alone”. Read: John 6:28-29 & John 20:31.

What work does God want to be done? Whose “work” is it when you believe? In Whom do you believe? What do you believe about Jesus? What is the result of having faith in Christ alone?

4. Pastor Borghardt writes that we know all this “from scripture alone”. Read Luke 24:27 & John 5:39. After Jesus rose from the dead, Whom did He reveal to be the One about Whom all the scriptures taught? Of Whom do the scriptures bare witness? What is the result of recognizing that the scriptures are all about Jesus?

5. Pastor Borghardt challenges the notion that you can “make God like you”. Read Romans 11:5-6 & Hebrews 11:6 What does it mean to be “chosen by grace”? Can you merit or earn grace? Is there anything you can do to earn grace? By Whose work is God gracious toward you? How gracious? Just

how “pleased” is God with you already in Christ Jesus? Can you do anything to make him more pleased, other than believing in Jesus by God’s gift of faith?

6. Pastor Borghardt writes of how it is by Jesus “cross-alone” that you are saved. Read 1Corinthians 1:18 & 1Peter 2:24. How do most people view the message of a “dead god” on the cross? Yet what does that message mean for you? What do you know that Jesus was doing for you when He died on that cross? What is the result of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for you?

7. Pastor Borghardt writes that Jesus was “damned for you”! Read Matthew 27:46 & Galatians 3:13.

What does it mean that Jesus was “forsaken” by His heavenly Father on the cross? What do these words of Jesus from the cross mean for you? What is a curse? What curse were you under because of your sins? What curse does Jesus become for you?

8. Close with the following prayer.

Almighty and eternal God, because it was Your will that Your Son should bear the pains of the cross for us, be gracious to us that we may ever trust in Him with steadfast faith, and always hold fast the unchangeable truth of Your word; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

“Legacy Hardware” A HIGHER THINGS BIBLE STUDY Fall 2014 Leader’s Guide This Bible study will contrast the ever-changing world around us—especially the rapidly changing technological world—with the unchanging confession of Jesus Christ. In preparation for this study, the leader may want to locate some “legacy hardware,” e.g., old cell phones or computer hardware, as an aid to the opening discussion.

1. What kind of cell phone did you have last year? Two years ago? Ten years ago? How has technology changed in the last ten years?

The discussion will begin with a comparison of the latest cell phones. Youth may compare what they currently have in their pockets and purses to what they may have had a year or two ago.

When it comes to what they had ten years ago, chances are good they had no cell phones at such a young age. The Bible study leader may locate a ten-year-old phone, and remind the youth that before 2007 there was no such thing as an iPhone or smart phone. In the discussion about changing technology the leader can expand the discussion to tablets, laptops, desktops, TVs, and media, in addition to how quickly life changes in general.

2. What kind of God did you have last year? Two years ago? Ten years ago? Read James 1:16-18 and Hebrews 13:7-9. How has God changed over the last ten years?

Scripture reveals God to be changeless. In Him there is no variation or shadow of change. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. This is an attribute of God called the immutability of God. This means that God is changeless in His essence. Ask the youth what this means with respect to the Law (God’s wrath over sin and lawlessness remains unchanged) and with respect to the Gospel (God’s grace can never depart from those who trust in Him).

3. If God does not change, what’s up with all the change in the world? Read Romans 1:18-32.

Do all things change for the better?

Change happens in mankind. It’s not just changing technology, changing music, or changing styles; mankind has exchanged the truth for a lie and worship of the Creator for the worship of the creature. All of creation is subject to the change and decay that is brought about by sin. But this change is much different from the changes we see in technology, where things get faster, smaller, and more powerful each year. The change in mankind due to sin is a lethal change, oriented to the grave.

4. Mr. Lemon writes that the “distinctively Lutheran identity” cultivated and promoted by Higher Things is found in the fourth article of the Augsburg Confession. Read what St. Paul writes in

Romans 3:21-26. Why does this “distinctively Lutheran identity” remain unchanged from the time that St. Paul wrote, through the Augsburg Confession, and even to the work of Higher Things today when the world around us changes so rapidly?

No matter how much the world changes, the truth remains that we are unable to change ourselves in order to be justified, or made right with God. No technology, no new wisdom, no new social movement has the power to win God’s favor. We are freely justified for Christ’s sake, as a gift, received by faith. This justification comes from the forgiveness of sins, which Christ won by His death. This was God’s choice from the foundation of the world.

5. What is distinct about this Lutheran confession of faith that others find foolish and weak? See 1 Corinthians 1:21-25.

St. Paul writes that we preach Christ crucified. It’s foolish to those seeking wisdom and weakness for those looking for strength. Mr. Lemon calls this distinctively Lutheran teaching a “Crucified religion. It’s a cross-centered, Jesus-clinging religion. It’s a faith that rests solely on Jesus Christ and what He did.”

6. Mr. Lemon writes that he finds himself inevitably changing as he grows older—like a 2.0 version. Read Psalm 102:26-27. Who is responsible for the changes in our lives? What kind of change does He work according to Romans 8:12-13?

Though God remains unchanged, He works change in mankind. Through His holy Law He tames and restrains the Old Adam, putting our sinful nature to death in our bodies. Like an old, worn out robe—or legacy hardware—our flesh and blood is perishing. But this change is not for our destruction. It’s so that we would live. While our bodies are perishing, the Spirit is at work beginning a new creation in us.

7. The 2.0 version of you is not the final version of you. Read 1 Corinthians 15:50-58. What is the last change God will work in you?

The resurrection of the dead is the change that will happen on the Last Day at the final trumpet.

What is now perishing will become imperishable; what is now mortal will be changed to immortality. The New Creation that began when the crucified Christ was raised on the third day will be finally completed when the same crucified One returns again to raise the dead.

8. Close with Daily Prayer For Individuals and Families for the appropriate time of day (LSB p.

294-298). Psalm: Psalm 102; Hymn: LSB 878; Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:50-58.

“Legacy Hardware” A HIGHER THINGS BIBLE STUDY Fall 2014 This Bible study will contrast the ever-changing world around us—especially the rapidly changing technological world—with the unchanging confession of Jesus Christ. In preparation for this study, the leader may want to locate some “legacy hardware,” e.g., old cell phones or computer hardware, as an aid to the opening discussion.

1. What kind of cell phone did you have last year? Two years ago? Ten years ago? How has technology changed in the last ten years?

2. What kind of God did you have last year? Two years ago? Ten years ago? Read James 1:16-18 and Hebrews 13:7-9. How has God changed over the last ten years?

3. If God does not change, what’s up with all the change in the world? Read Romans 1:18-32.

Do all things change for the better?

4. Mr. Lemon writes that the “distinctively Lutheran identity” cultivated and promoted by Higher Things is found in the fourth article of the Augsburg Confession. Read what St. Paul writes in Romans 3:21-26. Why does this “distinctively Lutheran identity” remain unchanged from the time that St. Paul wrote, through the Augsburg Confession, and even to the work of Higher Things today when the world around us changes so rapidly?

5. What is distinct about this Lutheran confession of faith that others find foolish and weak? See 1 Corinthians 1:21-25.

6. Mr. Lemon writes that he finds himself inevitably changing as he grows older—like a 2.0 version. Read Psalm 102:26-27. Who is responsible for the changes in our lives? What kind of change does He work according to Romans 8:12-13?

7. The 2.0 version of you is not the final version of you. Read 1 Corinthians 15:50-58. What is the last change God will work in you?

8. Close with Daily Prayer For Individuals and Families for the appropriate time of day (LSB p.

294-298). Psalm: Psalm 102; Hymn: LSB 878; Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:50-58.

“It’s Time to Silence the Whispers” A HIGHER THINGS BIBLE STUDY Fall 2014 Leader’s Guide It can be disheartening to be one of only a few youth in a smaller, mostly aging congregation.

Small congregations don’t have impressive facilities, or dynamic youth programs, or full-time youth leaders. Especially after returning from a Higher Things conference or retreat, youth may feel let down by the downright plainness of their home congregation. This Bible study is to encourage all youth—and especially youth of small congregations—to see and believe the work of God in their congregations, even when it seems that their congregations are not for them.

1. Discuss the demographic makeup of your congregation. Is it like Pr. Goodman’s congregations —small, rural, and mostly older? Is it large, suburban, and filled with youth? What are some of the “whispers” of concern in your congregation?

Pr. Goodman presents some of the “whispers” of discontent in his own congregations. Your congregation may experience some of the same “whispers,” or may have some of its very own.

Youth will probably find some benefit in the makeup of their congregation, though may have some “whispers” of their very own.

2. Read Matthew 18:19-20. Does the Lord take demographics into account for where He is present? What determines where Jesus is present?

The Lord isn’t concerned with demographics. Where His name is, there He is also. Age doesn’t concern Him, and the only number that matters is that two or three are gathered—enough to have a giver and a receiver of the gifts.

3. Read Psalm 71. When does God begin His gracious work in our lives (pay special attention to vv 5-6, 17-18)?

God’s gracious work is begun even when we are yet in our mothers’ wombs. He is the God of youth as well as the God of gray heads.

4. Pr. Goodman writes, “I watched 400 Christians who happened to be teenagers hear the word of God, receive His body and blood, cling to His promises, and sing them back. This is what the church is.” Read Acts 2:37-39. St. Peter says that the promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit is for whom?

It is “for you and for your children and for all who are far off.” The promise of Pentecost—the promise of the Holy Spirit—is for every generation. It is this promise that gathers a

congregation. Direct the youth to look beyond Acts 3:39 to see how Scripture describes the life of the early Christian Church following the gift of the Holy Spirit.

5. Take a look at John 12:20-26. When some Greeks find a couple of the disciples, they say, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Why do you attend youth Bible study, or attend the Divine Service, or sign up for Higher Things conferences?

A state-of-the-art building or a vibrant youth subculture is not what youth need. “They need Jesus,” Pr. Goodman writes. “They need the forgiveness He won upon the cross, and they need the Sacraments through which He delivers that forgiveness.” Whether it’s among 400 youth at a Higher Things conference, or at your home congregation where you’re the only one under 40, the purpose of the Church is to glorify Jesus—to make Him known.

6. Yet the “whispers” remain. There is constantly the accusation that Jesus isn’t enough, that there needs to be more—especially for you. Who is behind these whispers and accusations that Jesus is insufficient for today’s youth? See Genesis 3:1-5; Job 1:6-12. How are the whispers and accusations overcome? See Revelation 12:7-12.

The whispers and accusations begin with Satan, the adversary and accuser of God’s people.

From the beginning, he whispered lies in the ears of mankind and he still accuses us that faith in Jesus is not sufficient. But his accusations have been overcome by the word of angels’ testimony, which is the Word of God, and the blood of the Lamb.

7. It’s time to end the whispers. Whose voice overcomes the whispers of the devil? See John 14:15-17, 25-27; 16:12-15.

The Holy Spirit is the voice promised by Jesus. He calls the Spirit the Paraclete, literally, “One who speaks from the side of.” The Spirit is the One who speaks from the side of God, who takes the Words of Jesus and speaks them alongside of you. He calls you by the Gospel, enlightens you with His gifts, sanctifies and keeps you in the one true faith. He does the same for the whole Christian Church on earth—young and old, big and small.

8. Close with the Collect for the Holy Spirit, LSB p. 310, and LSB 768, To God the Holy Spirit Let Us Pray.

“It’s Time to Silence the Whispers” A HIGHER THINGS BIBLE STUDY Fall 2014

1. Discuss the demographic makeup of your congregation. Is it like Pr. Goodman’s congregations —small, rural, and mostly older? Is it large, suburban, and filled with youth? What are some of the “whispers” of concern in your congregation?

2. Read Matthew 18:19-20. Does the Lord take demographics into account for where He is present? What determines where Jesus is present?

3. Read Psalm 71. When does God begin His gracious work in our lives (pay special attention to vv 5-6, 17-18)?

4. Pr. Goodman writes, “I watched 400 Christians who happened to be teenagers hear the word of God, receive His body and blood, cling to His promises, and sing them back. This is what the church is.” Read Acts 2:37-39. St. Peter says that the promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit is for whom?

5. Take a look at John 12:20-26. When some Greeks find a couple of the disciples, they say, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Why do you attend youth Bible study, or attend the Divine Service, or sign up for Higher Things conferences?

6. Yet the “whispers” remain. There is constantly the accusation that Jesus isn’t enough, that there needs to be more—especially for you. Who is behind these whispers and accusations that Jesus is insufficient for today’s youth? See Genesis 3:1-5; Job 1:6-12. How are the whispers and accusations overcome? See Revelation 12:7-12.

7. It’s time to end the whispers. Whose voice overcomes the whispers of the devil? See John 14:15-17, 25-27; 16:12-15.

8. Close with the Collect for the Holy Spirit, LSB p. 310, and LSB 768, To God the Holy Spirit Let Us Pray.