IMMANUEL LUTHERAN COLLEGE CHAPEL MEDITATION (Third in a Series) Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were… GOD’S OBSCURE SAINTS
The Death of John Huss (1369-1415) “But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and… Forerunners of the Reformation
The sixteenth century Lutheran Reformation was a great gift from God, for through it God restored to us His greatest gifts. Our full and free Salvation in and through Jesus Christ had been put on the shelf by the Roman Catholic Church, which then substituted works that man himself had to accomplish, and God’s undeserved Grace had been shelved in favor of the notion that God infuses grace into man, enabling people to do His will and thus supposedly merit eternal life.
Those precious gifts were all but lost because God’s Word had been put away on a shelf and all but forgotten, being replaced by the teachings of men.Using the Reformation
In his short epistle Jude wanted more than anything to write about the wonders of “our common salvation” (v. 3), which is the marvelous gospel of God’s gracious love and forgiveness through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. We have been led by the Spirit to appreciate how “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them” (2 Corinthians 5:19).Contend Earnestly for the Faith!
Most kids are curious, and I was no different. When I asked my father why a certain pasture which we passed almost every Sunday had a small fenced-off area serving no apparent purpose, he explained what could not be discerned at a distance. A spring of water was being protected from cattle which in the past had blocked up the water’s flow with their trampling hooves.
Isaac was confronted by a similar situation (recorded in Genesis chapter 26). There was a famine in the land, and Isaac was living in Philistine territory by permission. Despite the famine, Isaac’s herds increased, and his planted crops yielded bountifully. The Philistines, envious of his wealth, filled in all the wells his father Abraham had dug there in the hope of limiting Isaac’s power. Then they demanded that Isaac vacate the area.Keeping The Wells Unblocked!
We understand and appreciate the difference between a church denomination or congregation and the Church—the spiritual Israel, “the Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints” (The Apostles’ Creed).
Through membership in our local congregations the Spirit strengthens us in the Christian faith through His Word and Sacraments; there we praise and worship Him together; there we gather with like-minded believers to encourage and build one another up in our holy faith.
Christ-believers understand their Lord’s directive to “go to church” (Colossians 3:16, Romans 10:17; Hebrews 10:25) as coming from His unconditional love for their spiritual welfare.
But let us consider that, first and foremost, we are at the same time Membership Has Its Privileges
EDITOR’S NOTE: This month and next we look at some of the people who preceded the Reformer, Dr. Martin Luther (1483-1546). They might be called “forerunners” of the Reformation, for through them the stage was… Forerunners Of The Reformation
I am a typical consumer. If a new grocery store opens down the street and advertises lower prices, I’ll abandon my old store without a second thought. After all, saving fifty cents a gallon on milk… Consumer-Driven Or Spirit-Drawn?
(Editor’s note: CLC Missionary Matthew Ude was chaplain for the June 2013 CLC General Pastoral Conference at Immanuel Lutheran College, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and devotions such as this were shared with the pastors.)
“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” (Romans 12:10, ESV)
What this Bible passage says is clearly something we need a little work on, so I would like everyone to stand at this time and hug the persons sitting next to you (pause). CLC PASTORAL CONFERENCE DEVOTION • June 16 2013
IMMANUEL LUTHERAN COLLEGE CHAPEL MEDITATION (Second in a Series) “Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John… GOD’S OBSCURE SAINTS
