The Real Thing

Sometimes lost in our disagreements within God’s church are the things that really matter. We argue about doctrine, but often fail to realize that we are justified by our faith in the Risen Christ, alone. Not by our works and not because we cling to sound doctrine. But, sound Christian doctrine does matter, and it matters greatly. When we are marked by our Lord as His, we no longer are dead within our sin. We are a new creation. We turn away from the flesh and reach for the Spirit. In our efforts to please the One we love, we endeavor to obey His commands. We fill our lives with all the things that bring us closer to our Savior. Even though we are no longer under the law, we obey out of our love for Him who took our sins to the cross, suffered and died so that we may live. Whatever your sin, it does not matter to our Lord, who forgives us if we only ask for His forgiveness. Jesus said, Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Some would cite this as a reason to allow those who fall into sin, to continue in sin because we are also sinners, no better than they, with no authority to offer correction. On the contrary, if a brother or sister falls into sin, it is our responsibility as a child of God to encourage that person back to the narrow path.

This is why it is so disturbing to those true to the Lord when they see a church fall away from Him, enamored with the things of this world. Our Lord and Savior hung on that cross, bearing the sins of all humanity for all time. He sacrificed Himself, suffering a horrible, excruciating death, receiving the punishment that we so justly deserve. And part of that punishment entailed God totally withdrawing from Jesus, leaving Him utterly alone, having to endure the awful burden of the past, present and future sins of the entire world. He offered Himself for us, each and every one of us. His blood bought us our salvation. Try to understand the suffering our Savior endured for us. Pilate had Jesus scourged as part of his punishment. A scourge was a cat of nine tails whip with wide metal hooks that actually tore out pieces of flesh with every lash. Every sin we commit caused those pieces of flesh to be torn out of our Savior. And death by crucifixion was slow and extremely painful. One had to hold up their entire body weight to keep from suffocating, then when totally exhausted, their own body weight would cause them to suffocate. And Jesus had to hold up His weight with limbs that were nailed to the cross. All this because he loved each and every one of us, with only one string attached, that we believe.

But, out of this terrible suffering came something so wonderful, so amazing that the world has been changed forever. Jesus defeated the powers of death and rose from the dead, paving the way for us to also defeat death. Once we believe, we are no longer under penalty of death. This world too shall pass away, but when we leave this world, something so very special awaits us. Our Lord and Savior promised in John 14:1-4, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.” The way to our Father’s house is through faith in the Risen Christ. When we believe. we are born again and become a new creation. When we believe we die to this world and begin our new life as a child of Christ. Nothing is the same. We live differently than we did before. We live to please our God.

John 14:23-24, Jesus said “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.” As Christians, we love our Lord above all else. We follow what He has taught. We joyfully obey God’s law. We look forward to our new life with our Lord. Jesus Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Divide and Conquer

In the science of computers, divide and conquer is an important process used in problem solving. This method breaks down a problem into two or more sub-problems of the same type, until these become simple enough to be solved directly. The solutions to the sub-problems are then combined to give an answer to the original problem. In politics and society, it is a combination of strategies that are used to gain or maintain power. Most effective is the strategy of breaking up opposition that organizes into groups. This will limit, reduce or eliminate any power that they may have gained. Apparently, the leaders of the ELCA have been doing their homework. ELCA congregations that have discovered that the leadership of the ELCA is engaged in an effort to minimize or eliminate classic Lutheran teaching, have found that their path to engage in prayerful discernment is being obstructed by their synod bishops, and in some cases, other ELCA pastors that are sympathetic to the ELCA’s direction.

Some of the tactics that the leadership of the ELCA are using is not unlike the union thug-like behavior witnessed in Wisconsin over the bill to limit public union collective bargaining privileges. Apparently the descent into the dark ages by invoking “Inquisition” tactics needed an upgrade. Non-members that support the ELCA have been showing up during congregational meetings. Pastors from other ELCA congregations are contacting members of other congregations that are discussing the doctrinal shifts of the ELCA, attempting to cause dissention. Synod bishops are attempting to force their way into the pulpit to preach pro-ELCA sermons while relegating the presiding pastors to assistants. Congregants that question the actions of the ELCA and are vigilant in their efforts to inform others are called before their respective pastors and church councils and cited as persistent trouble makers. Many who respond to news items about churches that are in discussion or have decided to vote about their affiliation with the ELCA are filled with derisive comments from those that support the ELCA, whether or not they are members of that congregation. Pastors in congregations that are in the discernment process are chastised and threatened by synod bishops. And the ELCA would have you believe that they are doing God’s work!

Titus 1:15-16, “To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. 16 They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.” We are to love our God with all our hearts, with all our minds, with all our strength and with all our soul. And secondly, we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. Does the leadership of the ELCA show love to those that question their quest to redefine Lutheranism by placing man in authority of Scripture? Isn’t it just better to agree to disagree and part ways amicably? Apparently not. So many congregations are leaving or redirecting benevolence, it is putting quite a large dent in the revenue stream of the ELCA. And without your donations, how will they be able to issue all their social statements and offer support for Palestine, led by the terrorist organization Hamas, that has a stated goal to eradicate Israel and kill every Jew. Even though the leadership of the ELCA disparages and minimizes those traditional Lutherans that believe in the authority of Scripture, they do love your financial contributions. For the love of money is the root of all evil and the leaders of the ELCA do nothing to persuade us otherwise.

1 John 2:9-11, “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. 10 Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. 11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.” The leaders of the ELCA guide their membership into darkness. The leaders of the ELCA cry for unity in their religion of acceptance, tolerance and diversity, while they disregard the Truth that is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. For, if the leaders of the ELCA truly followed the teachings of Christ, they would not conspire to destroy those that are true to our God.  Those that accept the authority of Scripture want only for the ELCA to return to God.  Pray unceasingly for the Spirit to open the hearts and minds of the leaders of the ELCA so that they abandon their foray into apostasy and return to the Lord. There are far too many of our brothers and sisters in Christ that are lost within the ELCA, truly believing that they are following the proper path.