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Christ on Campus

Christ on Campus: Fish Don’t Want to be Caught

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by Rev. Philip Young

It happens quite frequently when people find out that I do college ministry. They comment with words similar to this: “That’s awesome! What a tremendous opportunity!” I agree wholeheartedly with that assessment. But then comes the question, “How large is your group?” I tell them: “Three so far.” (We’ve been up to five and down to two.) The response? An uncomfortable “Oh.”

For some reason, many people think that college ministry should be easy. They have in their minds our Lord’s words to Peter and Andrew, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19), and they believe that the college campus is the ideal setting to fish for men. It actually is, but that doesn’t mean that the fish jump into the boat any more than they do in any other setting in the world.

I’ve watched fellow pastors analyze LCMS campus ministry opportunities by looking at the size of the school. For example, the thinking is that since there are over 5,000 students at a particular school, surely we should be able to get our share of converts and have at least 50 (1 percent) in a college group. It doesn’t always work that way. In fact, not even all the LCMS students come to Lutheran student groups or attend church.

Regarding Christ’s words about fishing for men, a wise pastor once taught me that fish don’t want to be caught. Peter and Andrew were fishermen, and they knew this truth. That’s why they cast a net. The fish that they sought on a daily basis were happy to swim away, but the net brought them in.

Now what is it about colleges, especially public and private secular institutions, that would make students want to be caught by the Holy Spirit and renounce their Old Adam? I could make the case that colleges are the hardest places to fish with their deep, dark depths of evolutionary theory, atheism, sexual perversion, false religions and communism. But too much of that talk could make you think that fishing for Christ is dependent on the fishermen.

So often the “so-called” campus ministry experts say that you have to entice and lure students with free food and dynamic music and sports programs and exotic spring break destinations. Fish are smart! I’ve had the worm stripped clean from my hook tons of times. I’m happy to give out free pizza (as long as there is slice of pepperoni left for me), but pizza will not be the means for bringing in the catch for Christ.

The net that God gives his Church is the Means of Grace—the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Word and Sacrament. Recall what Jesus told his disciples after the resurrection: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20a). Our Lutheran Confessions say, “To obtain such faith [justifying, saving faith] God instituted the office of preaching, giving the gospel and the sacraments. Through these, as through means, he gives the Holy Spirit who produces faith, where and when he wills, in those who hear the gospel. It teaches that we have a gracious God, not through our merit but through Christ’s merit, when we so believe” (Augsburg Confession V 1-3). Therefore, sound teaching of the Holy Scriptures and the Divine Service are to remain foremost in pastoral campus ministry efforts.

From one semester to the next, I don’t know what kind of catch God will bring in. From the Word, though, I do know the character of fish, whether in schools or out. There is nothing that the Holy Spirit will use to gather them other than His appointed means.

To all our campus ministry pastors, sponsor congregations, and students: Rejoice when even one is unwillingly caught in God’s net and hauled aboard!

Rev. Philip Young is pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Nashville, Tennessee, and he serves as the pastoral advisor to the Lutheran Student Fellowship group at Vanderbilt University.

Categories
Catechesis

“Jesus” Isn’t Enough

Rev. Mark Buetow

You’re bound to hear it from your non-Lutheran friends. Perhaps a family member will say it or you’ll hear it spoken by campus “Christian” groups. Pastors (hopefully never yours) will even tell people. “Sure, we all have differences but what matters is that we all believe in Jesus.” It sounds good. It sounds nice. It sounds like one of those things you’d hear said to prevent people arguing over something like religion. Isn’t there enough to worry about in the world with all the non-Christians who make fun of or persecute Christians? Why should Christians argue? “It’s enough that we all believe in Jesus and know He’s Lord.”

Except that it’s not enough. Because there’s more than one Jesus out there. That was true even way back in St. Paul’s day. Even before that, back in the Old Testament too. When Aaron made the golden calf and Israel worshiped it, Aaron said it was a feast day to “Yahweh,” the true God. They said a false god was the true God. In Paul’s day, lots of Jesuses were being preached. He even got on the case of the Corinthian Christians about it: “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted — you may well put up with it!” (1 Corinthians 11:4). The fact is, there is only one true Jesus and He doesn’t want you confused. After all, it’s Jesus Himself who says, “You will know the Truth and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:32) Not some of the Truth or a quarter or half. All of the Truth.

Here’s the irony: the less detailed we get about Jesus, the less He’s our Savior. Someone might argue that it’s not a big deal whether we agree that babies should be baptized or that the Lord’s Supper is the true body and blood of Jesus or just a symbol. But if you start chiseling away at the words and gifts of Jesus, you are whittling away His forgiveness and salvation. At that point, Jesus becomes just something you know, or just something you do or choose instead of the One who is true God and true man who did all the work of our salvation and who delivers that forgiveness and salvation to us with no strings attached.

The Catechism works this out as it simply and clearly teaches us that Jesus is true God and true man and that He redeemed you with His holy, precious blood and His innocent suffering and death. The Holy Spirit calls, gathers, enlightens and sanctifies you so that in Christ’s church you daily and richly have all your sins forgiven. In the church is where Jesus delivers to you the forgiveness He accomplished for you on the cross. When you are baptized, no matter what age, Jesus is forgiving your sins, rescuing you from death and the devil and giving you eternal salvation. When your pastor absolves you, it is just as valid and certain that your sins are forgiven as if Jesus Himself told you. When eat and drink Jesus’ true body and blood in the Lord’s Supper, Jesus Himself is giving you the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation.

If you take away baptism, or the Lord’s Supper or make Jesus into just an example of how you’re supposed to live, then what good is He? If Jesus didn’t die for you, with no conditions for you to fulfill, what kind of Savior does that make Him? Truth is: A Jesus who isn’t dead on the cross and risen from the dead, who doesn’t baptize you with real forgiveness, speak for real through your pastor, or come Himself to you in His body and blood, is no Jesus worth having. He may be a “great teacher” or even a “Savior” or “Lord,” but those words can mean anything and nothing all at the same time. They mean what people think they mean, which is usually something like, “Jesus died for me BUT, now I have to do this or that to make Him MY Savior.”

“Jesus” isn’t enough if by “Jesus” someone means, “Jesus far away who sounds nice but really leaves everything up to me and is whatever I think He is.” But Jesus is everything when it is the real and true Jesus who gives us His Word so we may never doubt but always be certain that He’s a real and true Savior: True God. True Man. Crucified. Risen. Word. Water. Body. Blood. THAT Jesus is not just enough, but more than enough. He’s everything for you and all that you need. When someone wants to talk about “Jesus,” tell them THAT Jesus is the only one that’s any good for either of you and for the whole world. Those fake Jesuses are out there. Yet the real Jesus is not the Waldo to be found among them but the true and shining light that scatters the darkness and illumines His church.

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Life Issues

What Does God Want Me to Be When I’m an Adult?

With school finally over and a summer job or college on the horizon, you may be wondering what the future holds? Here’s something to help you think about the Lord’s plans for your future! For more great articles in our quarterly magazine, subscribe to Higher Things online or a print copy of the magazine today! http://dtbl.org/2084

Rev. Rick Marrs

Before the 1800s, answering lifelong career questions was fairly straightforward for young people. Most of them did what their parents did (e.g., farming, local merchant, trade skill) or whatever apprenticeships their parents arranged for them, sometimes starting before they were teenagers.

That was true for boys, at least. Girls got married and became mothers and cooked and cleaned and milked cows. But in our diverse culture and economic system today, teenagers literally have tens of thousands of career options available to them. While having options is a blessing, having that many options can be overwhelming. Think about how easy it is to choose between two to three flavors of ice cream in your home freezer and how difficult it can be to choose between the scores of tasty options at Baskin-Robbins. Then consider how difficult your ice cream selection would be if that was going to be the only flavor you could have for ten years!

Questions, Questions
Teens realize that much hinges on their career selection. Not only will their career choice directly impact how they will spend more than 80,000 hours of their lives, but it will influence their marriage and family, their type of home and neighbors, their socioeconomic status, and the like. This process of career decision-making (and it is a process, not a one-time event) leads to many important, inter-related questions for teens:

“Should I do what I’m interested in or what I’m good at?

“Should I seek the vocation that will pay the most money, or do something I’ll be happy (yet poorer) doing?

“What if I start in one career and then change my mind?

“Who can help me make such important decisions?”

“And how does God’s will work into all this?”

Help!
Who can help? Most high schools have counselors who have been trained to know how to give career guidance to teenagers. They may introduce you to computer programs (like Discover) or inventories (like the Strong Interest Inventory or the Self- Directed Search) that can help you sort out your interests, abilities, values, and decision-making processes. Many of these programs and inventories are available to take online for a fee, but your counselors will likely be able to provide such services for no cost, and they can then help you understand the results.

One of the most helpful models used in these programs is called the Holland Hexagon. This heavily researched theory proposes that there are, broadly speaking, six categories of careers and six types of people who feel compatible with those careers. Realistic people prefer jobs in which they are doers, handling mechanical or material problems (e.g., engineers, builders, farmers, athletes). Investigative people like math and science. Artistic people like art, music, and drama as a way to express themselves. Social people like to help others (e.g., counselors, teachers, pastors). Enterprising people like to work with people also but in more persuasive modes, like business and sales, politics and law, etc. Conventional people are the organizers in life, keeping records and analyzing information (e.g., accountants, administrative assistants, etc).

Actually, all people are some combination of all six types, and nearly all jobs require some skills in all six areas, but people do tend to have two or three areas that are of greater interest to them than the others. Simply put, people who find a vocation that matches their interests and skills are generally more satisfied than those who enter a vocation that is a mismatch for them.

High school and college counselors can also help you learn to investigate career options. Most teens simply do not know how people in various occupations actually spend their time and energy. It is important to read books, articles, and Web site descriptions about various occupations. Teens can also ask to shadow adults in their work for a day. Many adults are impressed with teens who take such initiative and are intrigued by what they do.

A Word of Warning
One modest warning about some career counselors: if you are considering a church-work career, some counselors may subtly steer you away from it. My experience suggests that career counselors are not necessarily anti-church or anti-Christian, but they have subtly bought into the world’s notion that really bright people should seek after high income, high status jobs. If you make good grades and have high test scores, your counselor may suggest that a career in medicine or law or engineering would be best for you because you can make more money. If you are considering a church-work career, but they push you to consider a higher paying career, this may be your opportunity to gently and respectfully tell your counselor about the hope (and riches) in Christ that are yours (1 Peter 3:15).

What Does God Want?
And how does God’s will work in this career decision-making? Our culture would lead us to believe that career choice is only about self- fulfillment. However, young Christians should be aware that the Lord has created the infrastructure of our world’s economy. Most people’s work allows them to contribute thousands of hours of good works that God has prepared in advance for them to do (Ephesians 2:10) in order to help feed others (through farmers, truckers, grocers), to heal others (through doctors, nurses and therapists), to care for others (through administrators, counselors, social workers), to educate others (through teachers, administrators, government officials), to protect others (through police, firefighters, soldiers), to build and repair things (through manufacturers, carpenters, mechanics), to share the Gospel professionally (through pastors, DCEs, deaconesses), even to entertain and provide beauty for others (through musicians, actors, artists). These roles are what Luther called vocation, God’s calling (voca) for us all. Beyond our callings as workers, we also have callings as fathers, mothers, children, citizens, and Christians. All of these are blessings to us from God that we are called upon to balance and do as a loving response to Christ blessing us in the Gospel.

The Lord will likely NOT Facebook you or send you an e-mail telling you what profession He wants you to enter. But He will provide you, if you are looking, with a variety of possible experiences that you can then pray about and sift through to decide how you think He has gifted you and how you would like to use those gifts.

Categories
Life Issues

Speaking Hope to Homosexuals

With so-called “gay marriage” once again in the news, here’s and article from the Fall 2010 issue of Higher Things magazine that will give you some wisdom and help in speaking the truth in love to someone you know that may be struggling with homosexuality.

The scariestmoment of my life was the day my 11th grade composition teacher asked me to stay after school.“I’m concerned”he said.“You seem unhappy. Is something bothering you?”My heart stopped.Did he know? “No,”I lied,“everything’s fine.”“Are you sure?”he pressed“Is there anything you need to talk about?”It was hard to breathe.“No,really, there’s nothing at all,”I answered.After an uncomfortable silence he said,“Well,OK, you can go. But remember if anything bothers you, you can talk to me.”“Sure,”I said,“I’ll remember.”

How could I tell a teacher that I was homosexual? I didn’t want to be. I wasn’t born homosexual. But I didn’t choose it either. I had tearfully begged God to change. But nothing had changed. I was sexually attracted to other boys.

How could I tell anyone that it hurt whenever my father said he was proud of me because I thought that if he knew he would be ashamed? How could I tell anyone that my worst fear was my mother crying if she found out? How could I tell anyone how lonely I was, how scared and how ashamed?

Today states are passing laws allowing gay marriage. Schools host days of silence promoting gay pride.Many TV shows have a stereotypical gay character.Yet, high school and college students who face homosexual temptation are just as afraid of telling their parents and their pastors as I was when I was 17.One person they are more likely to tell, however, is a friend.That means that by the time you graduate, chances are good that at least one friend will tell you he or she is gay.What can you do? What can you say?

You can lovingly share both Law and Gospel.

The Law
DON’T be dishonest.The Bible says homosexual behavior is sin.Tell your friend you hope and pray he will not give in to temptation. Pretending homosexual behavior is okay may make him feel good but it is not kindness to shut the door to Jesus’forgiveness by hiding the truth.At the same time,remember your friend may have often felt rejected.Arguing with him will make him feel that Jesus is just another person who hates gays.Tell him calmly and firmly that the Bible says homosexual behavior is sin.

DO let your friend know you are in this together because you are a sinner,too.Many kids who struggle with homosexual feelings think that Christians believe themselves to be better than everyone else. It may surprise him to learn that Christians admit they are sinners.Tell him he is not alone—we all share the problem of guilt and temptation.

The Gospel
DON’T make false promises.The Bible never says that God will take away our struggles this side of the grave, or that God will change your friend if he has enough faith. Some people who face homosexual feelings will change and be able to marry someone of the opposite sex.Many others will not.There’s no guarantee.

DO point your friend to God’s love in the Cross.Tell him Christ forgives each and every repentant sinner. Even if your friend seems unrepentant,tell him Christ wants to forgive him. Sometimes kids who struggle with homosexuality appear rebellious because they’ve given up hope that God can love them. Let him know Jesus is a friend of sinners, and that he doesn’t have to“like girls”in order for Christ to love him.The Cross paid for it all. It is not your job to change your friend.You are called to point him to the forgiveness of Jesus.

Be a Friend
DON’T be afraid to ask questions.Ask what he is afraid of, if he is lonely or what hurts him about peoples’ reactions.Questions let him know you really are interested in being his friend.

DO treat him as you did before.He’s still your friend. Loneliness is one of the biggest fears.Joking, laughing together and hanging out will let him know you care— that he has a place where he belongs. Remember how Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners. Show him the friendship of Christ.

As for me,well, I’m still scared and lonely sometimes. God hasn’t miraculously changed my desires (though He’s always given me the power to resist). But that’s okay because I have something better than sex and someone who is there when I’m lonely.

I can stand in front of the altar and say“I am a poor miserable sinner.”It feels good to know that God knows the real me and that He responds,“For the sake of My Son, you are forgiven.”

I have His Word and His promises given to me in baptism and communion. I come back to these things again and again because they make me hungry for God’s love. It is a good hunger,full of anticipation. Sometimes I feel like a starving kid who can’t even imagine what a thanksgiving feast will taste like but can smell it cooking and knows it’s coming soon.What joy that is!

I am sad for those who do not know God’s love. I understand their needs. I know their desperation. I know that their loneliness can be like physical pain. But you have so much more to offer your friend in God’s Law and Gospel than the world can ever give. It is so much better to hunger for God’s love than to find false happiness in the gay lifestyle.

Categories
Higher Homilies

The Ascension of Our Lord

Last Thursday, the church celebrated the Ascension of Our Lord. Pastor Kuhlman’s Ascension Sermon reminds us where Jesus is now that He has “ascended to the right hand of the Father.”

Rev. Brent Kuhlman

Luke 24:44-53 / Acts 1:1-11

The “cloud” hid Him from their sight. Hidden. But still present. Yes, that’s right. “Lo I am with you always to the end of the age,” (Matthew 28:20).

The Ascension doesn’t mean that Jesus is gone and that it’s up to us to go up to Him. He’s still with His died for and redeemed people. He never left. It’s just that we don’t see Him.

The crucified and risen Jesus — is now the enthroned-at-the-right-hand-of-the-Father Jesus. He reigns! He lords His Good Friday and Easter Sunday over you. What He did on the cross He did for you. It counts for you. He is the sacrifice that atones for all sins. His Blood is for all sinners.

So I repeat. The days and years between the Ascension and the Last Day are the times for hearing and listening to Jesus. He is physically present. It’s just that we don’t see Him with our eyes. But we hear Him with our ears. Now is the time to listen. Now is the time the sheep are given to listen to the Good Shepherd’s voice.

Thus His mandate that the apostles preach in His Name “repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”

There you have it. That’s the church’s agenda. That’s the kingdom of heaven on the earth: when sinners repent. Repentance. That means, first of all, that you confess you’re a sinner. A big-time one. A hard-core one. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Total sinner. Like King David you say: “I have sinned against the Lord.” And then even more: “I deserve nothing but His temporal and eternal punishment. After all, the wages of sin is death.” The enthroned Lord Jesus comes to you in His Holy Spirit filled Word of the Law and says: “Do this.” And what do you? You don’t do it! He says: “Don’t do that.” And what do you do? You do it! He convicts you of your sin. That you aren’t in control. That you’re nothing –except a helpless, deceived, dead in your sins, damned sinner! That’s the first part of repentance.

The second is faith. And that’s the heart of repentance. Faith that trusts another Spirit-filled Word of mercy: the forgiveness of sins. Preach in my Name Jesus says: “Repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”

What are your sins? What have you done? What have you left undone? You are forgiven. The Lord Jesus doesn’t count your sins against you. Refuses to. He gave His life into death for you. For the forgiveness of all your sins. Name the sin. He died for it. Including all the ones you don’t remember or can’t ever recall.

Jesus isn’t in the mood to condemn. He loves to bless. So as the cloud hides Him from our sight He stretches out His arms in blessing. And that blessing is the preaching in His Name repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

The crucified and risen Jesus is the ascended Jesus. He is closer to you and me now than when He was with the apostles that Ascension Day a long time ago.

Jesus baptized you with His hands. With His own breath He put His Name on you at the font. After all, to be baptized in His Name is to be baptized by God Himself. Jesus buried you into His Good Friday death that counts for all your sin. And in your Baptism Jesus bestowed on you the Holy Spirit. Your little Pentecost! Power from on high with that washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. Born again in your Baptism. Christ’s very own new creation.

And every day Jesus sees to it that you live in your Baptism. The old Adam – daily drowned with all sin and evil desires. And then the new man daily emerges and arises to live before God in Christ’s borrowed righteousness.

Oh yes, Jesus is physically with you. In just few minutes He will reach out to you with His hands and bestow His Body and Blood in the Sacrament. And there He is to bless: “given and shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins.” Listen. His words give exactly what they say.

Jesus has not abandoned you. He never really left. And He’s seeing to it that through His church there is preaching done in His Name so that you repent and believe that you are forgiven. In His Word and Sacraments the crucified and risen Jesus reigns among sinners. Reigning with His word of forgiveness that gives life and salvation.

In the Name of Jesus.

Categories
Catechesis

Would Somebody PLEASE Do Something About Death?

Rev. Mark Buetow

Death. It happens suddenly in a horrible wreck on the highway. It happens slowly over a long battle with cancer. It happens to children in an accident. It happens to someone at the end of a long life. It happens in many ways, but one thing is for sure: Death happens to everyone.

We try to avoid it. Live carefully. Live a healthy lifestyle. Avoid dangerous things. Fight against death with medicine and medical technology. Put death off as long as possible with potions and creams and drugs and surgeries that try to erase the signs of aging. But as hard as we fight, death always wins. At some point, the lotions and potions won’t help. The doctors and the drugs and the machines can’t do anything else to stop it. Death comes, sooner or later, one way or another.

Well, what about God? We could ask Him to do something about death. But wait! He DID do something about death. He died! Crucified. Like a sinner. He took the curse on Himself. And make no mistake, death is an enemy and a curse. But God did it. He died. Died as if death were His fate too. Except Jesus didn’t stay dead. Christ is risen! On the third day after He died, Jesus’ tomb was empty! Jesus was and is alive!

What does that mean for death? It means that death is no longer the worst thing ever. It is no longer the final enemy. It is no longer our fate and lot in life and then that’s it. Rather, Jesus has made sure that death is turned into a rest. A sleep. A nap. It’s no mistake that Jesus once says about a dead little girl that she is “sleeping.” It’s no mystery that in the early church people who died were said to have “fallen asleep.” And Jesus Himself says that He will come again and wake us up and give us eternal life!

The fact is, death has been overcome. Yes, we still die. This world and everything in it is passing away. But Jesus says His Word will never pass away and it’s that very Word which promises we shall rise from the dead when Jesus comes again. It’s Jesus’ very Word which promises that we have an everlasting life awaiting us because He died and then rose again.

This is the Easter season, the forty days starting with Easter in which we celebrate that Jesus is risen from the dead and what that means for us who are dogged by death all the time. It is the promise and hope of a life beyond this life which sometimes ends abruptly or else fades away slowly. When we are sick and suffering and death is close, and on our minds, and at our doorstep, we simply smile and remind death of what Jesus did and that it cannot harm us.

Science and medicine and makeup and exercise and diet and all that can’t stop death. Well who can do something about it, then? Jesus did. His own death on Good Friday and His resurrection on Easter are the real, true, and lasting answers to the problem and curse of death. Jesus did something about death. He beat it. And His victory over death is for everyone. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Allelluia!

Categories
Catechesis

Catechism: Hallowed Be Thy Name

In this last article spotlight from our Spring Apologetics issue, we present a regular feature, an article looking at a portion of the Catechism. Pastor Cwirla takes a look at the meaning of the First Petition of the Lord’s Prayer and teaches us what it means that God’s name is holy and kept holy among us. It’s a great reminder of the regular content HT Magazine offers each and every issue!

Rev. William M. Cwirla

Hallowed. Now there’s a strange word! We don’t use it very much. We may occasionally refer to the “hallowed halls” of some historic old building or the “hallowed ground” of a former battlefield or cemetery. Most familiar of all is “Hallowe’en.” (Yes, the apostrophe belongs there!), All Hallows’ Eve, the evening before the Feast of All Hallows (Saints).

To hallow something is to hold it sacred and holy. Hallowed ground is holy ground. To hallow is to set something apart for holy, uncommon, godly use. So it is with God’s Name. God’s Name is holy in itself. We don’t make it holy; it simply is holy. Our prayer is that the Name of God may be holy among us.

God has a name. He went by many titles in the Old Testament, among them El, Elohim, El Shaddai, El Elyon, and Adonai. But those were not names of God but titles and confessions of God’s majesty and transcendence. When Moses stood before the Lord in the burning bush, he specifically asked for God’s Name. “Whom shall I say sent me? What is His Name?” And God revealed His name to Moses: YHWH. “I AM who I AM.”

Jesus puts human flesh on the Name. He is YHWH, “I AM” in the flesh. And so it is at the Name of Jesus, an ordinary human name, that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that this man named Jesus is the Christ and the Lord (YHWH). The second commandment lies behind this petition. “You shall not misuse the Name of the Lord your God.” What we say and do will bring either honor or dishonor to God’s Name. When we speak lies, engage in falsehood, deception and false theology or treat God’s Name superstitiously like some sort of lucky charm, we dishonor it. When we live lives that are contrary to God’s Word and will, we bring dishonor to God’s Name.

On the other hand, when we believe on God’s Name and call upon it in every trouble, when we pray, praise and give thanks, and when we lead holy lives of faith in Christ, trusting Him for our forgiveness and to help us love our neighbor with works of goodness and mercy, we bring honor to God’s Name.

Do you remember Isaiah, the prophet? When he saw God enthroned, he confessed, “I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips.” Do you recall what God did? He sent an angel to take a burning coal from the incense altar and touch it to the lips of the prophet.

Unless our lips are burnished by the Word, we will not honor God with our lips. Unless the Lord opens our lips, our mouths cannot declare His praise. The petition involves not only our lips but also our lives. God’s Word must have its way in our hearts, creating and enlivening faith. God’s Name is hallowed, holy among us, when we believe His Word and confess it, and when that Word bears the fruit of love for those around us in our lives of service.

“Hallowed be Thy Name” is the first of the seven petitions of the Lord’s Prayer, and rightly so. It begins with 
our Baptism and our baptismal identity as the children of God. God has placed His Name on us in our Baptism (Matthew 28:19-20), and in Baptism we are permitted to lay claim to the Name of God as one of God’s family.

Name and family go together. Our last names tell something about where we came from and who our people are. My name “Cwirla” is a very unique Ukrainian surname. Anyone I meet in this country by the name of Cwirla is a near relative. My name identifies me as one of the family, linking me to everyone who bears the family name.

When we speak and act dishonorably, we bring shame and dishonor on our family name. Our fathers and mothers would be right in saying, “Remember who you are and the name that you bear.” When we speak and act honorably, we bring honor to our fathers and mothers and all who bear the family name. How much more can we say this in Baptism! In Baptism you are part of God’s family, calling upon your Father in heaven, through your brother Jesus, by the Holy Spirit.

Father in heaven, “May your name be holy. Hallowed be Thy Name.” Father, remind us of who we are as your children. Shape our words and our works by your Word. Put to death the lies of the Evil One and the works of the old Adam in us. Put your Word into our ears and upon our lips, that we may call upon you in every trouble, prayer, praise and given thanks. Grant that we would honor your Name in all that we say and do as your baptized children. Amen.

Rev. William M. Cwirla is the pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Hacienda Heights, California, and the President of Higher Things. He can be reached at wcwirla@gmail.com.

Categories
Catechesis

Islam, Muslims and the Gospel

This week’s article from the Spring Apologetics Issue highlights the religion of Islam and shows you how to confess the faith by taking the conversation back to who Jesus really is and what he has done of us.

Dr. Adam S. Francisco

Islam is and will continue to be a hot topic when talking about religion. There are a number of reasons for this. First, is its historic and present connection to violence, and even though many often argue against this, it is the obvious one. Second, is the emergence of Muslim advocacy groups in the media.

However, the one that is sure to keep Christians interested in the discussion is the increasingly common assertion of Islam that it is a legitimate religious alternative to Christianity. In view of this, it is important that Christians understand Islam and equip themselves to address Muslims with the Gospel.

Islam is a relatively new religion. It began with the preaching of a man named Muhammad (570-632 A.D.) in the Arabian town of Mecca. Although he was initially ignored and derided as an imposter, he was eventually acknowledged by those who became Muslims as a prophet through whom the creator of the universe spoke.

His message was recorded about twenty years after he died from the memories of his earliest companions in a book called the Qurán. Even though it is virtually impossible to verify its claims, Muslims regard it as the very word of God, wherein humans are taught how to order their lives in pursuit of and preparation for the “Day of Judgment.” Over and over it promises eternal life to those who believe in and submit to the law of Allah (an Arabic term for “God”), and threatens those who do not do so with eternal damnation.

Muslims regard Allah as absolutely sovereign, completely inimitable (or matchless), and essentially “one.” This, however, should not lead one to think that Muslims and Christians worship the same God. It is clear from the Qurán itself that Allah is quite different than the One True God. The Qurán rejects the holy Trinity and claims that Allah does not and cannot have a son.

The Qurán views Jesus as a mere human, and it in no way conceives of Him as the eternal Son of God. In fact, it considers the biblical teaching of Jesus’ divinity and the doctrine of the Trinity as a whole, to be an outright abomination.

The Qurán does consider Jesus to be a prophet, though. It even teaches that he was born of the Virgin Mary and assigns him the honorific title of Messiah. He does, however, play a different role as a prophet of Allah who taught Islam long before Muhammad, and, because Christians deviated from his teaching, they believe Jesus will eventually condemn Christianity.

This significant theological difference is equally matched by some of the differences in the narrative of Jesus’ life in the Qurán. For example, Jesus is said to have spoken to Mary immediately after He was born. It claims that He performed a number of miracles, including bringing to life a clay replica of a bird. And most troubling of all, it asserts that Jesus was not crucified but instead ascended into heaven while someone was crucified in His place.

It is this last detail that poses a tremendous barrier in Christian-Muslim discourse. For if Jesus did not die on the cross, the Gospel—the Good News that Jesus’ death and resurrection reconciled sinners to God—is unintelligible. Moreover, if Jesus did not die, then He did not rise from the dead. This, according to 1 Corinthians 15, renders the Gospel false.

So what’s the Christian to do who finds him or herself in conversation with a Muslim about religious matters such as these? First, we must not run or hide from having such conversations, regardless of how uncomfortable they may make us. Second—and this may seem counterintuitive—we must embrace such conversations, for these are the sorts of interactions that get to the heart of the matter.

It is a demonstrable fact of any normal approach to the events of history that Jesus was crucified on a Roman cross. Two eyewitnesses—Matthew and John—record it. Two companions of eyewitnesses to Jesus’ life—Mark and Luke—record it. The first and second century pagan and Jewish (respectively) Roman historians Tacitus and Josephus record it. It was, in the ancient world, a public fact (see Acts 26:26). There is no good factual reason to deny the crucifixion and death of Christ. The fact that the Muslim relies on a seventh century text like the Qurán betrays the ideological bias of someone who refuses to consider primary sources written much closer to the time when Jesus lived.

The question this begs to answer is: Why did Jesus die on the cross? There are lots of ways to answer this. Paramount in Christian-Muslim discourse is the legal answer. He had claimed to be coequal with God the Father. This, in the Jewish context of first century Palestine, was punishable by death, and is what led to His crucifixion.

But this is only half of the story. The Gospel writers claimed—from what they learned through the ministry of Jesus—that His life, death, and resurrection would take away the sins of the world.

Now, it is one thing to claim something. It is an entirely different thing to prove it. But Jesus did just this when He rose from the dead three days after His death. It is this event—also testified to by eyewitnesses—that serves as the final evidence of Jesus’ deity, as well as the proof that our sins have been forgiven and our justification has been made complete. This great news is not just for us, however. It is for the Muslim, too. May the Lord grant every Christian the courage and wisdom to declare this witness to Jesus when the opportunity presents itself!

Dr. Adam S. Francisco is an associate professor of history at Concordia University in Irvine, California. He can be reached at adamsfrancisco@aol.com

Categories
Catechesis

Answering the Knock

Confessing the faith means more than giving a defense just to unbelievers. What if you encounter someone who believes but believes in something false? In this week’s Apologetics Issue article, Pastor Kuhlman teaches us how to react when the Mormons come knocking.

Rev. Brent W. Kuhlman

There they are! You spot them. White shirts. Black ties. Handsome young men. Sometimes they’re lovely young girls. They come in pairs. Walking down your street. Or riding bicycles on the sidewalk. Walking right up to your house! Then to your door. The doorbell rings. You open the door. And the first words out of their mouth are: “Hello, we’re from The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints (LDS).” Mormons!1

Be warned! They don’t come a knockin’ to chat about the weather or about how nice your house is. They are on a mission! A very dark mission to turn you from the Christian faith. To get you to deny your baptism. To deny the holy Trinity. To get you to trust in what you do or don’t do perfectly for “salvation.” To get you on the road to becoming a god yourself!2 And it all starts with that opening greeting at the door: “We’re from The Church of Jesus of the Latter-day Saints.” Their official name reveals a great deal of what Mormons believe. Let’s break it down.

When they say “the” church, the emphasis is on the definite article. It means exactly what it says! “The” means “only.” As in the one and only church that exists on the earth. Seriously! No joke! They’re part of it. You’re not. That’s why they are there at your door. That’s right. I said it. And it bears repeating. Mormons believe that they are the only true church on the earth.

Mormons believe that true Christianity went the way of the dodo bird or the dinosaurs (extinction) shortly after the death of the apostles. Up until 1820 the church of Jesus Christ did not exist! Really? For all those centuries Christianity didn’t exist? That’s right! That’s the entire point of their greeting.

Therefore, the Mormon god of this world, heavenly Father, who was once a man like we are, together with his son the Mormon Jesus, got the true church of Jesus Christ cranked up once again in 1820. It happened when a young man named Joseph Smith was praying in the woods to find out which denomination was true. Supposedly, that’s when Heavenly Father and Jesus show up in a vision and declare (and I paraphrase): “Joseph! All the denominations on the earth are false! We’re going to restore the true church again in these latter days! And we’re going to use you to do it! Mormonism is Christianity! Christianity is Mormonism! Now get to work! Spread the news!”

Then, in 1823, according to Latter-day Saint history, Joseph Smith received a visit from Moroni, the son of the prophet Mormon. Moroni revealed ancient gold plates that were written in the language of Reformed Egyptian (no such language, by the way). Smith is said to have translated the golden plates with a seer stone. The translation is the Book of Mormon, another supposed testament of Jesus Christ.

Bottom line: This is exactly why the Mormon missionaries are after you! In order to truly be a Christian you have to convert to Mormonism. You have to become a member of The [one and only] Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints! Do not be fooled! Do not be deceived! Mormonism is not Christianity! Christianity is not Mormonism! Not even close! First, officially the LDS denies the Trinity even though they use the same terms as “Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.” When Mormons say Father they usually mean “Heavenly Father” (one of millions of gods)–the only God for this world. Did you catch that? Only for this world! That, of course, implies that there are other divinities with their own worlds and your goal as a Mormon is to achieve such godhood and have a world for yourself!

Second, do not be deceived when Mormons speak of Jesus. He is a different Jesus than the Bible teaches and the Creeds faithfully confess. For Mormons, Jesus is the first spirit child of Heavenly Father and that Satan is also his spirit brother. In addition, they believe that Jesus was conceived by Heavenly Father through physical relations with the virgin Mary and that Jesus married several women in his life. When Mormons speak of Jesus as their Savior or Redeemer they usually are working with three definitions: 1) Jesus did not do everything for your salvation but he did conquer physical death; 2) Jesus paid your debt and he is very patient with you as you work very hard to pay him back in full by your obedience to Mormon teachings (e.g. married in the temple, doing your mission, proxy baptisms for the dead, moral living, etc.), and 3) Jesus is your example, i.e. he shows you how to save yourself (become a god)!

Christianity is just the opposite. God is one divine being or essence (Deut. 6:4; 1 Corinthians 8:4; John 10:30). God is three distinct persons (Psalm 2:7; John 10:30; 15:26; Galatians 4:6; Matthew 28:19-20; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Matthew 3:16-17). Trinity! Triune! Three persons–one God! One God–three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!

Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit when Gabriel preached the divine word into Mary’s ears (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38). He is the only-begotten Son of the Father from eternity (John 1:1, 14, 18; 3:16; Romans 8:32. Jesus alone does the salvation verbs in Scripture. God was in Jesus reconciling the world to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:19). It is only the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7). Faith only in the crucified and risen Jesus is what saves sinners (John 3:15-16, 36; 6:29, 40; 11:42; 20:31; Romans 1:17; 3:21-28; 4; 5:1-2; Galatians 3:11, 26; Ephesians 2:4, 8).

In addition, Jesus promised that not even the gates of hell would prevail against His church (Matthew 16:18). The church has always been around! Wherever the Word is taught in its truth and purity and the sacraments are administered according to Christ’s mandate and institution, the Lord Jesus is sustaining His church.

Finally, because of what Jesus has done for you and for your salvation, you are content to be creatures. We reject the satanic temptation to be like God (Genesis 3:5)! The Lord has good use for you as a human in service for your neighbor–even if that neighbor is a Mormon. And that can begin by replying: “Well hello there! I’m a died for and baptized Christian! Come on in and let me tell you about Jesus and his church to which I belong!”3

1 ”Mormon” is the name of a prophet in the Book of Mormon. Joseph Fielding Smith, a Mormon prophet, stated: “we should all emphasize, that we belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the name the Lord has given by which we are to be known and called,” (Book of Mormon Manual, 126).
2 The Mormon terms of “exaltation,” “gaining eternal life,” and “having an eternal family” are synonyms for a Mormon’s ultimate goal: godhood! The essential text that teaches this goal is Doctrine and Covenants 132:19-20. One of the first things that a Mormon child learns is this couplet: “As man now is, God once was; As God now is, man may be,” (The Life and Teachings of Jesus & His Apostles, 59).
3 To help you to witness to Mormons see 
Mark J. Cares, Speaking the Truth in Love 
to Mormons (Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1993).

Rev. Brent W. Kuhlman is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Murdock, NE. He can be reached at kuhlman.brent@gmail.com

Categories
Catechesis

Did the Resurrection Really Happen?

Easter is everything! The resurrection of Jesus is the center of the Christian faith. Check out Pastor Fisk’s article on ways we know the resurrection really happened and that the tomb was actually empty. It will help you as you confess the resurrection to those around you.

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2012 Apologetics Issue of Higher Things Magazine.

Rev. Jonathan Fisk

It’s kind of an important question. I mean, if the resurrection didn’t happen, what on earth are we Christians doing? It’s not like it’s gaining us any power or money or anything. But if the resurrection did happen, then why is it that so many people in the world don’t believe it?

The resurrection did happen, and I can tell you how you can be certain of it. More than that, I can do it without telling you that you have to believe it just because the Bible says so. That’s the key thing. A lot of non-Christians in our world think that Christians are just a bunch of willfully ignorant nincompoops who believe in some book that fell out of the sky. But nothing could be further from the truth. Christians are Christians because something happened in history unlike any other thing ever: A guy named Jesus was murdered, but refused to stay dead. It’s not a leap of faith. It’s an historic fact that is as easy to prove as any other bit of history, if you aren’t too close-minded to consider the evidence.

  1. Jesus was a real human. Even without the Bible, modern scholars have to admit that there was a Jewish man named Jesus who lived in the first century. Non-biblical writings like Flavius Josephus, Mara Bar-Serapion and the Jewish Talmud all mention Him as a real, historical figure.
  2. The real human Jesus died by crucifixion and was buried. In the same way, some of these extra-biblical texts mention that Jesus was killed. They don’t go into detail, but only an ignorant person who gets all their information from internet forums will try to tell you that the real Jesus didn’t die, and wasn’t even buried.
  3. This Jesus had real followers who took his death very hard. At this point, we have to start trusting the books of the Bible as eyewitness accounts. We don’t have to believe they are true. We just have to trust that they tell us what the people who wrote them actually thought. That’s what we do with every historical document about any piece of history, at least, until we find other history that tells us something different. So the guy who wrote John’s Gospel around 90 AD also claims he followed this real guy Jesus, and believed He was the Savior of the world before He was murdered, watched Him die, and then fell into despair.
  4. Jesus’ tomb was found empty three days later. Next, the followers of Jesus who despaired after His death also tell us that they stopped despairing because He appeared to them as risen. But not just to them. Extra-biblical sources from Roman historians tell us that after Jesus was killed, “a most mischievous superstition…again broke out.” Yet another document, traced to Jewish sources, tells of a gardener named Juda who stole Jesus’ body. When you put all of these pieces of history together, and combine it with the fact that Christian belief in Jesus’ resurrection all started within walking distance of His tomb, there is only one reasonable historical answer: Somehow, some way, that tomb was empty.
  5. The disciples stopped despairing and started preaching, even though it meant their own deaths. Both biblical and extra-biblical documents tell us that Christianity came from the meeting together of these followers, in order to worship their leader “Christ” and listen to his teachings. Rather than give this up, the same disciples who once fled, willingly faced gruesome and painful deaths.
  6. Antagonists convert. James, Jesus’ brother by blood, and Saul, a man who made a business of killing Christians, were among these converts. More so, Saul’s own writings claim his reason for conversion was a face-to-face meeting with the risen Jesus.
  7. This is the event upon which Christianity is founded. Christianity is not direct proof that Jesus rose, but it is proof that people who knew Jesus personally before His death believed that He rose.
  8. Christianity was founded in Jerusalem. No one in the town where all this was happening could present the dead body so as to put a stop to it. Instead, the “stolen body theory” is preached even 
by the first skeptics.
  9. They worshiped on Sunday. These new Christians, a bunch of Jews (whose religion insists they worship on Saturday) start worshiping on Sunday, because Sunday is the day when they 
believe the resurrection happened.
  10. Do the math. The challenge for the non-Christian or the skeptic (which they are usually unwilling to take up) is to find an alternative historical explanation for where this Christianity came from which also fits all of these simple, documented facts. What could make orthodox Jews change their most sacred rituals, and go to the ends of the earth to tell others about it even though it only gets them killed? They say it was because they themselves saw this man risen from the dead. On top of this, the tomb was clearly empty and the man was nowhere to be found. So, what other explanation for all the facts can you come up with?

Over the last several hundred years the skeptics have tried. There’s the hallucination theory, and the swoon theory and that good ol’ stolen body theory. But none of those theories explain all of the above facts. You can’t steal a swooned body that gets up and walks away. Separate groups of people don’t experience the same hallucination. A Jesus who needed to be taken to the hospital would hardly have convinced terrified disciples to go out and die for him.

The simple reality is that there is only one explanation of the evidence that fits all the facts. It might be unbelievable, but it is anything but unreasonable. So put it in your pocket for the next time a skeptic attacks you with his claims that you are ignorant. Ask him how he explains what Tacitus says. Ask him why the Talmud called Jesus a sorcerer. Ask him to explain all the historical facts. Then, when he won’t (since he can’t), feel free to go right on believing the truth: that the resurrection did happen. Not only is it the best explanation for all of the real historical evidence, it also happens to be what the Bible says was God’s plan for the precise purpose of saving you.

Pastor Jonathan Fisk serves as pastor at Bethany Lutheran Church in Naperville, Illinois. He is also on the board of Higher Things and host of the popular Worldview Everlasting videos. He can be reached at revfisk@gmail.com.