July 4 – 9
4 Genesis 3 – THL 261 Discrediting God’s Word is the primal sin. 5 Genesis 4 – THL 292 What makes the world a better place to live in? 6 Jeremiah 7:17-29 – THL…
Guard the Precious Deposit
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)
When our young people are confirmed, they vow to hold to what they have been taught from the Bible. They promise to “suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it.” Recognizing this as a promise that can be kept only with divine help, they humbly answer, “I do so intend, with the help of God.”
Announcements
50th Anniversary Observance In thanks and praise to our Savior Jesus, all are invited to join us for worship and a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Grace Ev. Lutheran Church of Valentine, Nebraska, on…
Biology and Theology—At Odds?
We, our children and young people, need to know how our Christian faith is under attack from pro-evolutionist elements in the church (!) as well as in the secular, humanistic world outside of it.
How sad that the church—external Christianity—is more and more caving in to theistic evolution. This is happening in our day not so subtly (see footnote 1). Various aspects and assertions of evolution are more and more being accepted under the guise of science even in formerly conservative, Bible-believing circles.
Case in point: last fall a young thirty-something husband and wife, new arrivals in town, dropped by for worship at our CLC church (Redeemer, Cheyenne). After the worship service, in the process of telling us they were searching for a conservative Lutheran Church, they proceeded to inform us that both of them were instructors in the field of biology at the local junior college.
In the Beginning
On vacation in Washington D.C. last summer our family visited a number of the famed Smithsonian museums in that city. The one that struck me most was the National Museum of Natural History which was featuring an exhibit on human origins.
The director of the Museum, Cristián Samper, said this about the purpose of the 20.7 million dollar exhibit: “The hall offers the opportunity to explore the scientific finds that shed light on one of the really significant sparks to human curiosity—our own origins.”
Expect a lot but don’t claim too much
Where were you on Saturday, May 21, 2011, the day the world did NOT end?
Another scholar got it wrong, deceived by his own intellect. We expect more from a Bible student, but things haven’t changed much since the days of Moses (read Deuteronomy 18:22). While Mr. Camping claimed too much for himself (we claim only what the Bible allows us to claim), we lived May 21, 2011 as Commencement Day at Immanuel Lutheran College, Eau Claire, Wisconsin—another day of His grace.
July 18- 23
18 Genesis 7 -THL 212 The Ark provided refuge for air-breathing creatures. 19 Genesis 8 – THL 123 for over a year; then they repopulated the planet. 20 Matthew 7:24-27 -THL 335 Don’t skimp…
Jesus — Giver of the Holy Spirit
These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you. But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you;
Opening Devotion – CLC Coordinating Council
“If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” 1 Corinthians 15:19
Whenever I read this Word of God, I can’t help but shake my head at the striking example of hypocrisy.
Throughout this dying world, millions of people believe that Jesus Christ is dead. They may think that He was a real, historical figure or they may think that He never existed. In either case, the hope that people attach to Him is viewed as empty and meaningless. It is seen only as a crutch to get weak people through life. As Karl Marx put it: “Religion…is the opium of the people.”
The Amazing Power of God’s Word
“By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” Hebrews 11:3
It is that time of year when we enjoy getting out in nature and looking at the beauty of God’s creation.
Family trips taken to national or state parks often become treasured memories. We recall the wondrous vistas from a mountain-top or even just a bluff, the grandeur of the vastness of the sea, the mysteries of a cave, or the beauty of canyon formations.
Even watching the sun set over a lake can call forth a confession of faith from the child of God who marvels at how God called all this forth with the power of His Word.
Of course, visits to publicly-run parks may also mean that we encounter the evolutionist’s view on the origins of the universe. What evolutionists see as a chance happening—that supposedly took place with countless millions of precisely accurate accidents occurring at the exactly necessary moments so that the world came into existence with all its wonders—we creationists see and know as the wonderful works of God!
The nature scenes which cause us to marvel as we make our way on our summer vacation trips are evidence of the majesty and power of God. With the power of His Word He called things as if they were—and indeed they were there in all their complexity, in all their beauty!