Let's Make A Deal 2:20 PM

In reading through Genesis 15:1-ff we come across the story of Abraham being promised a biological child with his wife Sarah.  This child was no ordinary child but the one in which the descendant, Jesus, would come about as promised back in Genesis 12:1-3 and declared in Genesis 3:15.  


What makes this story so unique is that for one, Sarah was 65+ years old... her biological clock had run out, she was totally barren.  The second is the way in which God makes the promise to Abraham.


As typical of ancient covenants, several animals were cut in half and laid forth on the ground with half on one side and the other half of the animal on the other side.  Many times these covenants were made between a powerful ruling king and a subordinate participant.  Once the agreement was settled, the subordinate participant would walk between the cut up animals as a pledge that such a fate would come upon him if he were to violate the agreement.  I can imagine the subordinates saying to themselves, "If I don’t follow through with this agreement I am going to be butchered like these animals, the pressure is on, I better not mess this up." 


As previously mentioned, in this passage the Lord comes to Abraham in a vision and makes the promise of an offspring, an heir (i.e. the promised Messiah).  To seal the deal, God called Abraham to go forth and collect several animals and cut them up in the ancient covenant manner.  One might then expect to see Abraham anxiously walking through the animals with a knot in his throat from the stress of entering the promised descendant covenant, however, something interesting happens.  While Abraham is in a deep sleep, God, not Abraham, goes between the animals.  God makes the covenant, God makes the deal. 


Think about this for a moment, God goes through the cut up animals not Abraham.  God is active and Abraham is sleeping.  God makes and seals the deal and Abraham is a passive, inactive, sleeping recipient.  The covenant is unilateral or one could say that the deal is unconditional from Abraham's perspective!


God essentially takes the burden upon Himself of making sure that Abraham would be given an heir.  God is taking the burden of the covenant and the consequences of a possible broken covenant upon Himself while Abraham is completely passive.  


This is a not only a great example of grace but 'is' grace alone!  God's working of salvation through history and His working of salvation on the cross are both His doing, work that is given to us as sheer gift.  From scripture we see that mankind is completely passive and dead in sin, 'not' active and drowsy in sin.  Yet, God accomplishes salvation on behalf and in spite of mankind being dead and passive.  Ironically, according to the Lutheran Study Bible, "it is God's own Son who will assume the burden of our breaking God's Law, being sacrificed on the cross to atone for our offenses."

What great news that God went through the animals so as to seal our eternal covenant.  What great news that Christ became disfigured on the cross, like the cut animals, for our failures.  What great news that Christ assumed the burden and consequence of our breaking of the Law.   What great news that God has made a deal in Christ and continually gives this salvation to us in the way of gift.  

Let's Make A Deal?  The deal if finished in Christ... Amen!

Ministry in a Post-Christian World 7:19 PM

Ministry in a Post-Christian World
by Dr. Eugene Boe
Academic Dean
Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology
Lutheran Brethren Seminary

2010 CLB Convention
June 21, 2010

This seminar was the opening session that was meant to lay the foundation for the rest of the seminars at this year's Convention of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren.

Watch other videos from the 2010 Convention

Worship Services are Online! - Biennial Convention 2010 8:35 AM

The Worship Services and Morning Bible Hours are being uploaded as they are ready. Sunday Evening (President Joel Egge) and Monday Morning (Pastor Chris Priestaf) are online at the CLB Vimeo website. The others will be uploaded as they are ready.

We will be providing the MP3's (and some video) of the seminars in the next couple weeks, as well. We will obviously let you know when those are ready.

Follow and add your own twitter and Facebook updates about the convention at the Faith & Fellowship convention page

CLB Biennial Convention Seminars 11:14 AM

We have posted the seminars that will be taking place during the CLB Biennial Convention this coming Monday and Tuesday. You may have noticed the previous post highlights the Social Networking seminar that will be offered. You will find a list of that seminar and the rest of them at the CLB Convention blog.
Click here to read the > list of seminars

If you are unable to make it, you can follow the social networking and updates at the Faith & Fellowship Convention page and hopefully feel like you were part of the gathering in a small way.
Click here to visit the > F&F Convention page

Your Ministry & Social Networking 1:04 PM

If you’re attending the 2010 Biennial Convention of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren June 20-22 next week in Fergus Falls, MN, you’re invited to attend a panel discussion on using social networking in ministry. We’ll be discussing how we’ve using social networking tools as part of our church’s ministries and answer some of the basic questions you may be asking yourself about how you can use these tools in your own congregation. We’ll cover the pros and cons of using blogging, Facebook, and Twitter in ministry settings, provide guidance for those who want to get started, and field your questions. We’ll have a great conversation–if you’re experienced with social networking, come and add to the dialogue.

The seminar will be held in the seminary building at three times during the convention: Monday, 6/22, 2:30, and Tuesday, 6/23, 1:30 and 2:30.

Panel discussion participants include Pastors Mark Johannesen from Good News LBC in McAlisterville, PA, Chris Leingang from Faith Fellowship in Kelso, WA, and Ryan Nilsen from Praise Christian Fellowship in Barkhamsted, CT.

See you there!

"The Glimpse Project: Taiwan" Preview 10:32 AM

A short preview of the third installment of the Glimpse Project. Shot in Taiwan in May 2010. Due to be released September 2010.

MP3 of The Gospel-Driven Life 9:54 AM

I just started off my morning with a warm latte and listening to Michael Horton's 4 part teaching seminar on his new book titled, "The Gospel-Driven Life."  

The "Gospel-Driven Life" is Horton's follow up to his book, "Christless Christianity."  I haven't listened to the whole series yet or finished this book yet... but so far I am very blessed by it.


I plan on copying the remaining 3 parts to CD and listening to the whole series on the way down to convention!  If you are inclined to do the same thing, the 4 part MP3 series is found at:

http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/gospeldriven.html

Enjoy...

The Seduction of Extremes 12:19 PM

In reading Pastor Erick's recent posting titled, Falling Off the Horse, I was reminded of a book that I read two years ago titled, The Seduction of Extremes.  In this book Peter Kurowski starts off with the same story of the drunken peasant saying,

"...man, by nature, is like a drunken peasant riding on a horse.  He rides a few yards and falls into a ditch on the right.  After a rude lesson on gravity, he gets back up and rides a little farther only to fall next in the ditch on the left.  Right. Left.  Right.  Left.  All the way along, the zigzagging drunk continues this right/left fall-guy routine.  We never do find out if the poor chap made it back home."

Not only do we clumsily fall to the right and the left, it seems as if we are pulled or as Kurowski would put it, seduced, to an extreme position.  

Kurowski, talks about the two extremes of legalism and lawlessness in the metaphor of a seductress.  He says that Lady Lawlessness and Lady Legalism, "lead to self-worship.  Each is an opposite in one way but a clone in another."  He goes on to say that both of these seductive extremes are used by the devil to, "pull people away from God's most dramatic display of love in history--the cross." 

In the spiritual realm Lady Legalism is, "...the narcissistic notion that human beings earn our way to heaven in some measure by fulfilling the law of God.  ..a radical close-mindedness that detests change, lives by the Law and is severely judgmental and suspicious of all not so minded."  Whereas Lady Lawlessness is a, "....do-your-own-thing declarations of independence.  ...a radical openmindedness that opposes stricture of all kinds, scoffs at tradition, is antinomian if not libertine, and worships change for the sake of change." 

Kurowski comments on Luther's perspective on this subject saying, "he [i.e. Luther] recognized a theology of the cross that engendered attacks from all sides even though it was God's greatest display of love.  For the legalist, the cross destroys the illusion that we can do something apart from God thus rendering God less than almighty.  For the person bent on lawlessness, the cross says 'look how awful all lawlessness is that the holy Son of God must suffer so for the sin of mankind!'   With the deepest of convictions, Luther believed this message alone could bring about the needed changes in the church, in culture, and in individual lives."  Kurowski goes on to say, "Nothing has changed.  Only through a paradoxical vision from a meaty, mighty, majestic gospel can the love of the absolute paradox, Jesus Christ, keep societies from being seduced by the self-centered, self-flattering nudity of Lady Legalism and Lady Lawless; the poster prostitutes of secularism."

In summary, "...the core paradoxical teaching of justification should signal how a gospel-centered disposition will eschew all extremes.  It frees people from the curse of the law (Gal. 3:10); from eternal death (Rom. 6:23); from the tyranny of the devil (Eph. 6:12-13, Col. 1:13); and frees us to live lives in step with freedom (Gal. 5:1).

Source:  Peter Kurowski, The Seduction of Extremes (Pleasant Word, 2007), 18-21, 51.

Beware the Me-Monster 11:38 AM

"Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves."

- Philippians 2:3

The Glimpse Project: Japan is online 9:27 PM

We are excited to announce that episodes of The Glimpse Project: Japan are available online! The episodes have been uploaded to the International Mission group on the CLB Vimeo account.

Click on the episodes below and you will be directed to the video.

SPIRITUAL CLIMATE
An overview of the cultural environment in Japan as it relates to the spiritual condition of the Japanese people.

PATH OF BELIEF - TAKANOSU
A segment featuring the varied aspects of Arnie and Bonita's ministry in Takanosu.

PATH OF BELIEF - SENDAI
A focus on the Dean & Linda's ministry in Sendai in reaching people with the gospel.

TAEKO’S STORY
How God is using a weak woman to spread His gospel.

HIKARI’S STORY
The awe-inspiring testimony of Hikari K., complete with supernatural signs from God.

HEART FOR THE JAPANESE
The missionaries share their heart for the people of Japan .

KEIKO’S STORY
The testimony of how Keiko came to understand God’s love for her.

CHURCH CONDITION
The many challenges that the Lutheran Brethren Church of Japan faces today.

MISSIONARY KIDS
Some of the things MKs deal with as they grow up in a culture that is different from their parents, though it has always been their home.

FOOD IN JAPAN
Ever wonder what missionaries eat?

BEING MISSIONARIES
Dean and Linda highlight some of the cultural differences of living in Japan and share about what it’s like to be a family on the mission field.

Visit the International Mission website here. Learn more about The Glimpse Project here.

Freedom For The Gospel 10:46 AM

“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow... The power of sin, death and the devil has been destroyed by the cross of Jesus… God declares you perfect because of the accomplished work of Christ… There is now no condemnation for those of you who are in Christ… Because of Jesus’ righteousness God is well pleased with you… You are accepted, accepted, accepted by a Gracious God through Christ… Jesus Christ has set us free from the demands and expectations of the law…”

My soul resonates with joy when I proclaim and hear Gospel statements like the ones listed above. My heart gets fired up over the freedom that comes from the Gospel. My hands clasp together in a victorious manner over the power of the Gospel. I also find myself smiling with a subtle yet triumphant half-smile due to the conquering and fulfilling nature of the Gospel. However, over the years I have found that every time that I hear or proclaim the free message of the Gospel that a faint conditional statement is also heard in the distance. What happens is that after the fired up heart, clasping hands and half-smile, a conditional statement seems to come creeping out of the depths of my sinful flesh saying, “yeah but, just because Jesus died for sin, it doesn’t mean that we have a license to sin. We need to be careful of having too much freedom for we do not want to end up in lawlessness land.”

I have found that as Christians we many times attribute ‘lawlessness’ or we could say ‘the license to sin belief’ to the preaching of the Gospel. Somewhere in our thinking we rationalize that if the Gospel is presented as “too free, too unconditional or that Jesus fulfills the law for us” that the result will be lax morality, loose living and lawlessness. It is as if we believe that the freeing message of the Gospel actually produces, encourages and grants people a license to sin. Because of this rationalization we find ourselves strapping, holding and attaching restrictions to the Gospel so that we might prevent or limit lawlessness. In other words, the Gospel is placed into bondage due to our rationalization and reaction to lawlessness.

In Galatians 2:17 Paul says, “If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not!” In this verse the Apostle Paul shows us that it is not a fair conclusion to link lawlessness to the freeing message of the Gospel. To put it in another way, the proper effect of the Gospel of Jesus (i.e. justification by faith alone) does not grant a license to sin nor lead us to lawlessness. The Gospel is not and cannot be held responsible for lawlessness. For if lawlessness did come about by the preaching and teaching of the Gospel, then that would make Jesus Christ a promoter, supporter and distributor of sin and rebellion! In other words, Paul is declaring, “God Forbid this rationalization!”

So, what does this mean for us as people of the Cross? It means that there is Freedom for the Gospel! We do not have to hold, restrict and condition the Gospel of Jesus. We get to preach the full freeing message of the Gospel without having to fear that by doing so we are bringing about lawlessness. We get to teach and live the full freeing message of the Gospel without having to worry about issuing a sin license to others. Furthermore, we can also know by Galatians 2:17 that if lawlessness and a license to sin exist, that these perverted freedoms can be traced back to something else other than the Gospel of Jesus Christ, namely our sinful nature.

May our souls resonate today with Paul’s words from Galatians 5:1, “Christ has set us free! This means we are really free. Now hold on to your freedom and don't ever become slaves of the Law again.”

Falling Off The Horse 12:04 PM

It seems no matter how we try not to, we always go to extremes.

Luther said, "The world is like a drunken peasant. If you lift him into the saddle on one side, he will fall off again on the other side. One can't help him, no matter how one tries." Too often this statement is true not just of the world, but of the Church as well. We tend to be re-active, rather than pro-active and as a result we fall.

Fundamentalists went to the extreme of not engaging the world at all (at least so it's taught by Evangelicals), so Evangelicals engage the world so much that at times one cannot tell them apart anymore. The "Jesus People" Movement of the 60's was almost entirely Arminian theologically, but now we hear that the children raised in this movement are rejecting it for the "New Calvinism." Now, I should note, reactions to problems aren't bad; we need to deal with issues of weakness that we see in our Churches. The problem is over-reactions. (Whether New Calvinism is an over-reaction, I don't know).

For Preachers it seems that this problem is widespread. For those who grew up in a legalistic church, the Grace of God is so freeing that they determine to never be like the Pastor they had growing up. So they constantly preach about Grace, with barely a mention of the Law (or if it is mentioned it's mentioned with the force of a feather, a suggestion really, but not really a command).

On the other hand, if one was raised in a church that never preached the Law, when they finally hear the seriousness (and the consequences) of the Law's demands on their lives, they feel they were cheated by their Pastor for "not warning them enough." In turn, they determine that they must let their people know urgently about the Law. So the sermon is 98% Law, 1% Gospel, and the final 1% are conditions on top of the Gospel to make sure you're sincere enough. Usually these conditions sound something like, "If you truly believe, truly repent, if you sincerely, really, truly, positively, without a doubt, mean it with all your heart" then you can be saved.

The fact is, the Bible has two Words:The Word of Law and the Word of Gospel. Both must be preached with full exposure. The law must be preached with it's full force to drive us to Christ (Gal. 3:24); that, as Luther taught, is it's primary use. The law must be preached in such a way that the sinner isn't allowed a shred of wiggle room (being a sinner, I know how easy it is to wiggle!). The Gospel must be preached in such a way that there is no other possible answer for us in this unanswerable dilemma that the Law has brought, except Christ and Him crucified. We let Christ get the final Word.

Pastor Bill Cwirla states it this way:

We do not preach conditional “If Law then Gospel” (“If you...then God will forgive you.”) or “Law but Gospel”

(“You are a sinner but Jesus died for you….”).We proclaim Law and Gospel (“you are a sinner and Jesus died for you”). We allow the paradoxical inner tension of the Word to remain unrelieved and unresolved, as it must be, for the Word to accomplish its killing and making alive work in us.

Both must be there for us to stay on the saddle.

One of my favorite videos from SAGE 11:35 AM

I really enjoyed watching presentations by some of today's Church leaders during Leadership Network's SAGE online conference. I agreed and disagreed with some points of the various 4 to 6 minute presentations, but that wasn't the point of the online conference. The point was to challenge the way church leaders lead and cultivate the mission and vision of their ministries. I learned many practical tips and valuable lessons from the speakers who shared their mistakes over their years of ministry, and what they learned from them.

Below is one of my favorite presentations. Bruce Wesley, pastor at Clear Creek Community Church, shares some complex, yet good thoughts, on raising strong leaders within our churches. How do we train our leaders? We trust that God will work within each of their lives, guiding them and molding them into what he wants them to become. There's also a practical side to leadership, though, and this video touches on that side of ministry.

~ Tim Mathiesen

View the other presentations at SAGE's website