Who Builds the Church?

Just so we are clear about this...

It is not we who build.  (Christ) builds the church.  No man builds the church but Christ alone.

We must confess - He builds.  We must proclaim - He builds.  We must pray to Him - He builds.

Church - stay a church! But church, confess, confess, confess! Christ alone is your Lord; from His grace alone can you live as you are.  Christ builds.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, from "Treasury of Daily Prayer," page 841

The Happiness Advantage

Countless studies have found that social relationships are the best guarantee of heightened well-being and lowered stress, both an antidote for depression and a prescription for high performance.

Shawn Achor, "The Happiness Advantage," page 14 

The importance of our baptism

All of life is lived from the standpoint of our baptism.  It is the start and ending of our day, that event thata begins our life in Christ and will, on the day of our death, complete it.

William Weedon, "Thank, Praise, Serve, Obey," page 36.

"The Country is Under Attack"

On September 10, 2001, I flew from Hilton Head Island, SC to Washington DC to attend the New Pastors Orientation with the Southeastern District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.  As we flew in to Reagan International Airport I was surprised how near the airport was to the Pentagon Building.  It was almost that I could reach out and touch it.

That afternoon we heard a series of presentations and enjoyed a nice dinner.  I met with a classmate and we had a enjoyable time together, sharing stories about Seminary life while we watched Monday Night Football. I slept well that night.

The next morning we met in the basement of the LCMS church in Alexandria, Va.  We were not very far into the first presentation when the secretary of the church descended the steps into the basement.  She was wiping tears from her eyes.  She was choked up as she said, "The country is under attack."

We went upstairs to the reception area.  A small television was on, the rabbit ears not providing a very clear picture.  As looked on we then learned that a plane had flown into the Pentagon, the building I thought I could reach out and touch.  It was hard to take it all in.

We went downstairs to pray and while we were gathered an Air Force pilot joined us.  She reported that there was a fourth plane that had been hijacked and was headed back to DC.  She related that the Air Force had been ordered to take the plane down if it was clear that the plane was headed toward the Capital. She asked for prayers for the pilots and the civilians on the plane.  That flight later crashed in Shanksville Penn.

As I gathered my things the church secretary came to me and said, "George, we need to find another way for you to get home.  All airports have been closed."  Fortunately, my classmate told me he could drive me to Raleigh-Durham airport and see if I could rent a car to get the rest of the way home.  And he said if we couldn't find a car he would drive me the rest of the way home.

As we drove out of Alexandra we were amazed at the number of American Flags hanging from overpasses.  People stood on the side of the road waving the Flag.  It was wonderful to see the patriotism.

We got to Raleigh-Durham and went to the Hertz desk.  No cars.  Then we drove over to the Avis lot.  They had two cars left and they gave me one.  No charge, just the promise that I would deliver it to the Hilton Head Island airport.

I kept the radio on as I drove home.  In those early hours there was very little information available.  President Bush promised that the perpetuators would be hunted down and destroyed.

I crawled into bed around 3 am.  I hugged my dear, sweet wife hard.  We gave thanks to God for His protection and asked that He comfort the families who lost loved ones and heal those who had suffered injuries.

That evening about 150 members of Congress gathered together to sing "God Bless America."  And that was our prayer in the days, weeks, months and years to come.

But I am saddened that there are those, who live both outside but inside America who celebrate this day.  One evil influencer says that America deserved 9/11.  There are pockets of people in our Country who cry out "Death to America."  What has happened to us? Why are those who enjoy life in America wish to destroy the freedoms we enjoy?

It moves me to sing with all the lung power I can muster, "God bless our native land; Firm may she very stand through storm and night.  When the wild tempests rave, Ruler of wind and wave, Do now our country save, By Thy great might."

Lord, have mercy.

   

The Light in the Tower

One day in 1514, Luther was studying the Letter to the Romans.  As usual, he was in his private office, a room on the second floor of a tower attached to the monastery.  As he worked his way through the first chapter, he came to verses 16 & 17: "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes; first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the Gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written (Habakkuk 2:4), 'The righteous will live by faith'."

Luther paused.  "Now wait a minute," he told himself. What does God mean when he talks about the 'righteousness from God? And how does man become righteous, or just, before God? Oh, I know. God shows His righteousness by punishing sinners every time they do wrong.  And the only way a man can become righteous is to do all that God wants him to do'."

"But, no, that can't be right.  Paul says man is made righteous or just by faith, by believing in something God has done for him.  Well, what has God done for man to make him righteous or holy? Let me see now.  Paul says the Gospel is the power that saves.  Now what the the Gospel talk about? Oh, yes, it tells about Jesus Christ.  Jesus kept the Law perfectly, yet He was punished on the cross. But why? Because He had done something wrong? No, because I had."

"I see the answer! God punished Jesus in my place, the same Jesus who had kept God's holy Law. By punishing His Son, God carried out His threat that sin will be punished by death.  All I have to do is accept this fact and I need not fear that God will punish me with eternal death.  I am holy in God's sight because I know and believe that Jesus is holy for me and has taken my punishment."

Luther had just had his great "tower experience."

From "Luther - Biography of a Reformer" by Frederick Nohl, pages 45, 47.  Concordia Publishing House 

Slow Down!

Oh, to write like the sainted Peter Marshall...

In the name of Jesus Christ, who was never in a hurry, we pray, O God, that You will slow us down, for we know that we live too fast.  With all of eternity before us, make us take time to live - time to get acquainted with You, time to enjoy Your blessings, and time to know each other.

Turn today on its head.  Slow down.  Take your time.  What doesn't get done today will wait until tomorrow.  Spend time with the Lord.  Be engaged with your family and friends.  May the Lord answer this prayer for us all today - slow us down, O Lord! 

It's Back - the Friday Funny!

Coming home from work, a woman stopped at the corner deli to buy a chicken for supper.  The butcher reached into a barrel, grabbed the last chicken he had, flung it on the scales behind the counter, and told the woman its weight.  She thought for a moment and then said, "I really need a bit more chicken than that," she said.  "Do you have any larger ones?"

Without a word, the butcher put the chicken back into the barrel, groped around as though finding another, pulled the same chicken out of the barrel and placed it on the scales.

"This chicken weighs one pound more," he announced.  The woman pondered her options and then said, "OK, I'll take them both!" 

Martin Luther says, "Hang On!"

Going through a challenging time in your life? Frustrated with certain people or situations? Ready to give up on your marriage or job or future.  Martin Luther has a message for you:

Hang on.  God will remain faithful.  Don't despair.  Cling to the truth the psalmist proclaims: "Wait with hope for the Lord.  Be strong, and let your heart be courageous." (Psalm 27:14).  The Lord won't extinguish a smoking wick but instead will make it glow brightly.  He won't break the damaged cattail but instead will strengthen it (Isaiah 42:3).

From "Faith Alone," August 3 devotional reading 

A sweet thought about your dog

Don't know where I found this but I really like the thought:

How beautiful it is - to love a dog

for all their life, 

and remember them

for all your life

Top Ten Reasons Why People Don't Go To Church

10) The glare from the pastor's forehead is too blinding

9) Three letters - NFL

8) I don't have kids yet

7) I have kids

6) People that happy give me the creeps

5) I can worship God in the outdoors...at the football stadium

4) I'm a good person and I want to avoid being told otherwise

3) They don't serve a good cappuccino during the coffee hour

2) When I want to feel guilty I just call my parents

1) No one asked me to go 

A true friend is...

About 25 years ago I heard John Maxwell speak at one of his leadership seminars.  He is a dynamic speaker and prolific writer who once was a pastor but now helps people learn how to get more out of themselves and others.  In working through one of his books I came across this definition of a true friend by author Richard Exley:

A true friend is one who hears and understands when you share your deepest feelings.  He supports you when you are struggling; he corrects you gently and with love, when you err, and he forgives you when you fail.  A true friend prods you to personal growth, stretches you to your full potential.  And most amazing of all, he celebrates your successes as if they were his own.

What do you think?

From "Becoming a Person of Influence," page 155 

Why opposition to the Gospel is good

For the more violently the world rages against the Gospel, the better the position of the Gospel is.

This should be a very pleasant comfort for us.  For it is sure that the world hates and persecutes us for no other reason than that we present the truth of the Gospel.  It does not accuse us of being thieves, adulterers, murderers, etc.; but what it despises in us is solely this, that we teach Christ faithfully and purely, and that we do not forsake the heritage of the truth.

Therefore we should know for certain that our doctrine is holy and divine, because the world hates it so bitterly. Otherwise there is no doctrine too wicked, stupid, ridiculous or dangerous for the world to accept it, embrace  and defend it gladly, in fact, to treat it reverently, support it, fawn upon it, and convert everyone to it.

The teaching of godliness, life and salvation, together with its ministers, is the only one that it despises and treats in an utterly shameful way.  This is evident proof that the world is angry with us only because of its hatred of the Word.  Therefore when our opponents raise the objection against us that our doctrine produces nothing but war, sedition, stumbling blocks, sects, and endless other evil, let us reply: "Blessed be the day when it becomes possible to see all this! But the whole world is in an uproar.  All right.  If it were not in an uproar, and if the devil were not in such a rage and we not creating such havoc everywhere, we would not have the pure doctrine which such tumults and havoc inevitably follow.  Therefore what you see as evil we regard as the highest good."

From Luther's Words, notes on Galatians, page 47.

Interestingly, Luther wrote this in 1535.  Yet, his words describe almost perfectly the condition of our world today. Opposition to the Gospel never changes.  It seems that Luther would say, "Good! Get the Gospel out to the world now

Hopeless - flee to the God of Hope

All hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.

That's how Luke, the author of the Acts of the Apostles', put it.  He was accompanying Paul on his trip to Rome for Paul's hearing with Caesar.  In chapter 27, he tells how the ship they were sailing on ran into a violent storm and not one action the crew took seemed to lead to safety.  As Luke recounts, they all had given up hope of being saved.

But Paul comes with good news.  An angel, a messenger from God, came to Paul and assured the apostle that he would stand before Caesar and plead his case.  Not only that, Paul learned that not only he would be saved but all on the ship would live to see many more days.

Does Paul put his faith in his safety because an angel appeared to him?  No, Paul's faith is rooted in something much greater than an angelic being. His faith is securely placed in God's Word.

So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.  (Acts 27:25)

Paul teaches us something very important.  We have times in our lives when events or circumstances can make life feel hopeless.  And it's impossible to live without hope.

Where does the Christian turn when a loved one is fighting for life...when financial disaster is impending...when a grandchild is making one bad choice after another...when the love of your life says, "I don't love you anymore."

Hopeless situations call on us to flee to the God of hope.

But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.  (Psalm 39:7)

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints...  (Ephesians 1:18)

Through (Christ) you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him, and so your faith and hope are in God.  (1 Peter 1:21)

What to do when life seems hopeless? Stand on the promises of God's Word.  He will never leave us or forsake us.  He is our mighty fortress to whom we can turn.  He never slumbers nor sleeps but is always watching over us.  He cares for those who belong to Him.  (See Deut. 31:6 - Psalm 46:1 - Psalm 121:4,8 - Psalm 23)

Life is never hopeless when you are standing on God's Word and promises.  Trust in the Lord.  Your hope is in Him! 

Tim Tebow - a man to be respected

I have a ton of respect for Tim Tebow.  His immense football talent was so often overlooked by his unapologetic confession of Jesus Christ as His Lord and Savior.  Tebow faced his critics head on by giving credit to God for the gifts that enabled him to be an athlete that accomplished so much.  He won the Heisman Trophy as the best college football player while playing at Miami and he led the Denver Broncos to an exciting playoff run in 2011.

I enjoyed reading his book, "Shaken," and copied down a couple of quotes that rang true:

"Bitterness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die." Page 100

"The purpose of life is not to be happy.  It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well."  Page 120

God delights in us too

The delight and pleasure of God are in His beloved Son, and that is where we are too.  What is ours is His; what is His is ours.  So God delights in us too.  If our hearts would take this in, Martin Luther said, that would burst for joy into a hundred thousand pieces.  In a world that is given over to sin, death and the devil, there is one point where the delight of God dwells.  "This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased."  That is where we are in solidarity with Jesus.  With Jesus there is God's delight.  God, Christ, you - all together like one thing.

From "Selected Sermons of Norman Nagel" page 44

What moves us to cry out "Lord, have mercy?"

Only when we hear the bad news that makes us cry out, "Lord, have mercy," are we able to hear the Good News of "It is Finished!"

RJ Grunewald, "Reading Romans with Luther," page 52

Top 10 Signs That Your Pastor Enjoyed Vacation Just a Little Too Much

10) Has ushers greet all worshippers with complementary leis

9) Suggests that the apostle Paul's missionary journeys would have been so much easier with the right "maps app"

8) Encourages the congregation to tithe their frequent flyer miles

7) Wears a different souvenir t-shirt over his alb every week

6) Wants to include a can of mosquito repellent in every visitor gift bag

5) Has congregation file into the sanctuary as if boarding a flight on Southwest Airlines: "Now seating A 1-30 only"

4) Orders clergy shirts from Tommy Bahama

3) Replaces office furniture with beach chairs

2) Stops work at 4 pm each day for a Pina Colada

And the number one sign that your pastor enjoyed vacation just a little too much:

1) Keeps reminding you that is was 65 degrees where he vacationed 

Connected to God the Father

A wonderful insight from Norman Nagel:

It is only because God has come to be our Father that we can pray to Him.  Only because Christ has taken away our sins on Himself and wiped them out by His victorious death can we stand before God, forgiven, His children in Christ.  Only as we are bound to Christ can we come before God as His children, for then God sees us in Christ, wearing the garment of Christ's righteousness.  This is the key to a living connection with God our Father.  All contact, all prayer with Him must be in Christ, in the name of Jesus, that is, with faith in Him.

Isn't that good news!

From "Selected Sermons" page 139. 

Martin Luther on the law and Jesus Christ

 "To the extent we are Christians, we stand above the law and sin.  Christ is the Lord of the law.  He is present and locked in our hearts, just as a precious stone is firmly mounted in a ring.  When the law accuses us and sin terrifies us, all we need do is look at Christ.  When we have taken hold of Him in faith, we have the victory over the law, sin, death and the devil...Because Christ rules over all of these, we won't be harmed." 

From "Faith Alone" devotional, July 14

Top Ten Signs Your Church Consultant Is Off Kilter

10) Consultant believes that the church cannot gain new members by singing old hymns and songs; forbids the band to play any song written before 2005.

9) Consultant has pastor begin each sermon with a joke "just like Joel Osteen."

8) Consultant creates outrage in the congregation by cancelling the coffee and donut hour and installing vending machines.

7) "If you follow my plan, work my plan and don't deviate from my plan, I guarantee that I will fill up this church with new members.  With God's help, of course."

6) Consultant instructs the pastor to always be smiling to project warmth during the service; this becomes especially off-putting during confession and absolution.

5) To increase attendance, consultant creates "Bring your Pet to Church Sunday" which infuriates the custodian on Monday.

4) Consultant urges the church to focus on the important 18-34 demographic group of soccer dads with 2 and 1/2 children who drink microbrews and make less than $30,000 a year.

3) Consultant recommends a new way to increase attendance: let guests and visitors take money out of the collection plate.

2) Consultant replaces small group ministry with a "smaller group ministry" consisting of one person or less per group.

And the number one sign that your Church Growth Consultant is off-kilter is:

1) Consultant suggests that the pastor change his name to "Max Lucado."