Witness, Mercy, Life Together.

A simple, yet beautiful understanding of our purpose and life as the church - the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod! Enjoy

WISDOM UNDER GOD’S WORD vs. ABOVE GOD’S WORD

“Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” James 3:13-18 (ESV)

Because the devil’s very nature is pride, we are all by nature vain, conceited, proud, selfish, self-centered and self-willed.
No one is born meek and gentle. However, some are wiser than others in their own eyes. When they are going through times of spiritual growth, i.e. dying to self and living in Christ, then God’s Spirit indeed can humble them and God’s chastisements can keep them humble. Unfortunately, many of those who are wiser in their own eyes will come forward with their own wisdom. Such wisdom is set forth as holy and righteous and is offered for the sake of the others and the church. What is unknown to such wise ones is that what they call wisdom; God calls foolishness and idolatry because it does not rest on the whole council of God. Inasmuch as it has not the unifying power of God’s Word, it soon begins dividing those God has made one in Christ. Such wise ones think that they alone have the eyes to see the both flaws and defects of the church and its members, as well as the good and right for all. They believe themselves called and obligated to correct and improve the church. So certain are they in their ideas and wisdom that if others do not follow where they lead, it confirms their wisdom rather than making them question it. Such wisdom is born of our sinful pride and as such creates “envy and self-seeking.” It causes many in the church to be tossed to and fro from this idea to that, causing “confusion and every evil thing.”
Such sages of wisdom are not easily persuaded; for while they would never admit it, their attitude, words and actions convict them of “knowing it all.” They appeal conscience, declaring that they cannot bear this or that. One must marvel as such a sensitive conscience! Yet one must ask to what is the conscience sensitized: to God’s Word or their own holy ideas?
What blessed meekness, gentleness and unity would be manifest if such wise ones consciences’ were sensitized to the peril of those caught in their sin? If such people took the sins of others in the church to their conscience with Christ’s love, they would have something to do besides complaining about others and sowing seeds of division, confusion and conflict.
The Lord tells us “do not boast and lie against the truth.” Such behavior is not “the wisdom that descends from above” for “that wisdom is pure,” not mixed with the devil’s spirit of pride that rules one’s sinful nature.
How does such withholding of fellowship and participation with the saints of which Christ has made them one – make for peaceful union in Christ and His bond of peace?
This text presses on to ask, “Is it reasonable, meek, gentle, or willing to yield” if one refuses to take part with the saints in worship and service of our Lord because the saints do not manifest enough holiness and perfection to warrant such participation?” Only sinful pride could blind such a person to the fact that they have no holiness or perfection apart from what is freely given them in Jesus Christ.
Does not the baptized believer willingly give God’s Word its right to speak, to have the final say in all matters of forgiveness, fellowship, unity, and participation in the Body of Christ? Is not the baptized believer willingly corrected by the Word of God that they may receive God’s forgiveness?
Only sinful pride prevents such reasonableness, meekness, and willingness to yield to the Word of God. Those who have this “wisdom that descends from above” live by faith in meekness and willingness. They sow peace and reap the blessed fruit of unity and fellowship in Jesus Christ.
What is so often forgotten is the glorious power of the blood of Christ to create this bond between God the Father and fellow believers. This blood of Christ cleanses each of us of our sins and sinfulness. This blood of Christ prefects all our good works. The blood of Christ saves us from our wisdom and that of the world. This blood of Christ seals us with the forgiveness and favor of God. This blood is the price paid to bring us back to God and back to each other. This blood is our life-blood with God and with one another. As there is no forgiveness of sins where there is no shedding of blood, neither is there unity and fellowship with this blood that bonds us to God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit, AND to one another.

Gracious and loving God, help each of Your children that none of us withdraw ourselves from Your grace, Your Word, Your worship. Let no seed of sinful pride sprout and grow up in us and create confusion and conflict, lest these works of the flesh harm us and others. Give to each of us the “wisdom from above”, let us by faithful and right behavior show our unity with You in the works of wisdom’s meekness and gentleness. All this is asked through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

FORMAL AND MATERIAL PRINCIPLES OF THEOLOGY

While at some meetings recently, I heard one of the main speakers complained because the Missouri Synod’s constitution was altered to make the Formal Principle and it perpetuation the first objective of Synod over the Material Principle. This speaker advocated that the Material Principle, i.e. evangelism, should be the first objective of the Synod and its congregations. While this speaker in no way dismissed the Formal Principle, I was amazed at his opposition to its priority of the Material Principle.
After much further discussion and thought, it seems to me that many choose to ignore, if not outright reject, the Formal Principle as the starting and stopping point in doing all theology. Such willful ignorance or rejection is born of the belief that all theology must begin with the goal of theology – i.e. the salvation of souls.  In truth, the only reason for NOT starting and stopping all theology according to the Formal Principle, is that it would limit the means and the methods by which one would be otherwise free to use in achieving the ends of the Material Principle.
What is forgotten by such eager evangelists is that the Formal Principle is more than the starting and stopping point of all theology – it is the sole source of all theology and the sole means by which the Material Principle is accomplished. If one throws out the Formal Principle, the Material Principle of salvation by grace through faith alone will soon be altered to another outcome by another means. Lord have mercy.

I offer the following as a guide as a refresher in this matter.
PL -

FROM: http://www.worldlingo.com/ma/enwiki/en/Formal_and_material_principles_of_theology

Formal principle and material principle are two categories in Christian theology to identify and distinguish the authoritative source of theology (formal principle) from the theology itself, especially the central doctrine of that theology (material principle), of a religion, religious movement, tradition, body, denomination, or organization.
A FORMAL PRINCIPLE refers to the authoritative texts or revered leaders of the religion.
A MATERIAL PRINCIPLE refers to its central teaching of the religion.
These categories were articulated, developed, and utilized by the Lutheran scholar, F.E. Mayer, in his The Religious Bodies of America in order to facilitate a comparative study of the faith and practice of Christian denominations in the United States.[1]

F.E. MAYER'S FINDINGS

EASTERN ORTHODOX BODIES –
- FORMAL Principle: the Holy Scriptures and "sacred" tradition.
- MATERIAL Principle: "Christ became man that we might become divine" St. Athanasius, i.e. deification of man.

ROMAN CATHOLIC BODIES –
- FORMAL Principle: Scripture, Tradition and Reason.
- MATERIAL Principle: "Man's soul, since it comes directly from God, is good and strives for reunion with God, realized in the beatific vision of God."[2]

LUTHERAN BODIES (which are still hold to and are bound by the Lutheran Confessional writings) –
- FORMAL Principle: the Holy Scriptures as the written Word of God (sola Scriptura, "according to the Scriptures alone"). (Mayer should have included "and the Book of Concord") find a reference to sola scriptura before the Prussian Union please.
- MATERIAL Principle: the Gospel of Jesus Christ that people are justified by God's grace through faith in Christ alone (sola gratia, "by grace alone," solo Christo, "by Christ alone," sola fide, "by faith alone").

ANGLICAN BODIES –
- FORMAL Principle: The Bible (66 books) are the only standard of doctrine.
- MATERIAL Principle:
           Low Church -- doctrine of God's grace,
           High Church -- corporate worship,
           Broad Church -- a life which conforms to the ethical teachings of Jesus.

REFORMED CHURCH BODIES –
- Calvin’s MATERIAL Principle: central concept is the glory of God.
- FORMAL Principle: the Bible is the standard for all conduct.

AMERICAN BAPTIST BODIES –
- MATERIAL Principle: The Absolute Lordship of Jesus Christ.
- FORMAL Principle: The sovereignty of the soul under God in all religious matters.

METHODIST BODIES –
- FORMAL Principle: Scripture, reason, teachings of the ancient Church.
- MATERIAL Principle: the perfected man, i.e. entire sanctification.

FOOTNOTES
1. ^ F.E. Mayer, The Religious Bodies of America, (Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1956), passim.
2. ^ F.E. Mayer, The Religious Bodies of America, (Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1956), p.47.

What is in your definition of "good and right" for your children?

Do the same parents who desperately want the Lord to commit to their child's eternal salvation in baptism - want with the same desperation to fulfill their commitment to their child and God, that he or she above all else shall be brought up in the holy Christian faith through faithful teaching and preaching of the God's Word, worship and the Sacrament of the Altar? 
Consider the following from Pastor Peter of Clarksville, TN

Responsibility and RESPONSIBILITY

Over the past few weeks we have had conversations in the church office about the declining priority of Sunday school and catechism classes among parents and families of the Church. It has included the usual frustrations of attendance, attention, and actions (meaning behavior). In that ongoing dialog we have noticed a few things worthy of a larger discussion.
It is not true that parents and students are unwilling or unable to make commitments and then follow through on them. At first this was where the conversation headed but then we noticed that kids are being hauled to sports practices and games, dance classes, extra-curricular events, and the like. Parents and kids are making commitments – but those commitments are not to the church, not to Sunday school and catechism, and not to the faith in general. The issue we must face is not why parents and families are not up to making and keeping commitments; they are and clearly do. Rather the issue is why the Church is no longer high on the list of priorities, responsibilities, and commitments in these homes.
It is not true that parents are not as involved in the lives of their children as other parents in other generations were. At first we thought the problem in the Church was related to a general distance parents have from their children but then we considered the amount of time they put in together at those sports practices and games (not to mention the travel time for some of these sports leagues). We paid attention to the amount of time parents were spending in the car transporting their children to dance rehearsals or music lessons and then to the performance events. Clearly they are spending a great deal of time together but it is also true that speaking, teaching, and sharing the faith has dropped down on the list of urgent priorities.
I spend several hours with parents prior to baptism and we include some discussion of the promises parents make to raise their children in the faith, to bring them to the worship services of God’s House, and to provide for their further instruction in the faith (what we call catechism classes). There does not seem to be much difference in their attention to this counseling or in their ability to understand and make this commitment while the child is still very small and very far removed from some of this. We talk about praying with their children every night as a discipline that bears rich rewards later when spiritual and life issues confront children and they look for people to talk to about them.
So what happens between those baptismal promises and the adolescent years when the parents have the most to do to make good on those baptismal promises? You can tell me because I do not have much of an answer. Parents still want to do right and do their best for their children but somehow the faith, the Church, and spiritual maturity in that faith are not connected with what is good and right and the best for their children. The great Dale Meyer video (Easter Showers) includes a line in which a lay teacher in the congregation complains about parents who will pay good money for Stride Right shoes for their children but then won’t come in for an hour of baptismal counseling [or bring them to worship and Sunday school and catechism classes]. Parents want to do right for their children but their definition of “right” no longer includes Church, Sunday school, or catechism classes. I wish I knew why.... and how to change it...

Pastor Peter
http://pastoralmeanderings.blogspot.com/2010/05/responsibility-and-responsibility.html

Would you know the power of Christ's resurrection???

That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection. Philippians 3:10

Who wouldn’t want to experience this power?
Just think - being able to feel the power of resurrection!
Most of us probably think it must be a fantastic experience, being able to feel a heavenly, divine power fill our being.
To be covered by a new life with all its feeling of triumph and joy. It’s no wonder that Paul time and time again speaks about joy!
Yet in our daily lives, that’s not exactly how it goes, however.
When Paul talks about getting to know Christ and the power of His resurrection, he adds that he wants something else: “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Philippians 3:10).
To overcome death and our fear of death is all a part of becoming one with Christ, uniting with Him and becoming one of His members.
For us on earth this means that we must, In one way or another, be a part of His suffering.
Christ was rejected and killed. Belonging to Him means participating in His disgrace, daring to fail and allowing people to jeer at us or scoff. What we feel is oftentimes just that, a participation in His suffering.
Paul enumerates all the things a pious Jew or anyone else can do to form the basis for a secure feeling of having the correct attitude in life. Paul has learned to regard all of this as rubbish that can be thrown into the garbage can.
Paul knows that he has only one tremendous asset now: Christ, who died for him and has taken him into His service. That entails both suffering and joy.
However, how it may feel has no real significance. The only thing that’s necessary is Christ Himself
Paul wants to share everything with Christ - “that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:11). Reaching that is nothing we can regard as obvious.
Eternal life with God is nothing we get merely by dying. Neither is it something we’re sure to achieve because we, at some time, converted and came to the faith. It’s something that is a result of Christ. It comes from Christ.
We receive it if we’re united with Christ. Everything is dependent on me belonging to Christ, in life and in death.
Paul understands all this. There’s only one thing that’s really important him: that he becomes incorporated in Christ, that he really is connected to Christ.
And this connection may come to him through victory and success or suffering and death.
Either way, it still is joy, maybe not always emotionally, but still pure joy, what Paul calls joy in the Lord.


Bo Giertz
To Live with Christ - pg. 614-615  CPH
Italicized - my edits.

Mercy On Those Who Cling To The Phony

Lord have mercy on those who have tasted the outward experiences of Christianity, and seem to have much that is real in our Christian life, but have not pressed on into this place of rest and of faith in Jesus Christ.
Lord have mercy on such who cling to the appearance and forms of godliness, yet refuse to cling to Christ alone, for these external evidences of Christianity are of no value to them.
Lord have mercy on such as cling to the appearances of Christianity, for if that is all they have, a time will come when these appearances will fail them, and then how much harder will it be for them to receive that which they have hardened their heart to.
Lord have mercy on such as cling to their self-invented forms of godliness and Christianity, for if they trust too long in the untrue, the unreal, the phony, there will come a day of desperation, when they will look for the true, and will they be able to find that which they have long rejected.
Lord have mercy on such as do not trust and believe in You, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Kyrie Eleison (Palestrina)

Mercy Journeys with Pastor Harrison: Kyrie Eleison (Palestrina)

Kirie Eleison - Lord Have Mercy

Where Reason Rules Faith - Christ Is Mocked!

In the Scriptures, the Lord reminds us that "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked"(Gal 6:7).  To mock God is to speak of Him or treat Him as if He is other than He has revealed Himself to be.  This being the case, it would seem as if many in the name of Christ, mock Him as they treat Him as anything other than their only Savior and source of eteranl life.  No place is this more manifest among the Church than in the apathetic and conditionalistic participation in Worship, reading of the Scriptures and prayer.  If apathy and conditionalistic demands are what people are sowing, what are and shall the reap?
The following is an exerpt from Article IV of the Augsburg Confession that speaks of how this mocking of Christ takes place in the lives of many.

Here the scholastics (i.e. the supposedly educated and/or spiritually enlightened) … teach only the righteousness of reason — that is, civil works — and maintain that without the Holy Spirit reason (human mental/physical abilities) can love God above all things.

As long as a man’s mind is at rest and he does not feel God’s wrath or judgment, he can imagine that he wants to love God and that he wants to do good for God’s sake. In this way the supposedly educated and spiritually enlightened teach men to merit the forgiveness of sins by doing what is within them, that is, if reason in its sorrow over sin elicits an act of love to God or does good for God’s sake.9 
 Because this view naturally flatters men, it has produced and increased many types of worship in the church … someone has always been making up this or that form of worship or devotion with this view in mind.
In this point of view there are many vicious errors that would take a long time to enumerate. But let the intelligent reader just consider this.
If Christian righteousness, that is our rightness and perfection before God, is gained by the use of our reason, what difference is there between philosophy and the teaching of Christ?
If we merit/earn the forgiveness of sins and the favor of God by these elicited and made up acts of ours, of what use is Christ? If we can be justified by our reason and the works our reason tells us to do, what need is there of Christ as Savior or of regeneration/of being raised from death to life?
On the basis of these supposedly spiritual opinions, things have come to such a pass that many people ridicule us for teaching that men ought to seek some righteousness which comes from by grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ, which is a righteousness that is beyond the philosophical.
We have heard of some who, in their sermons, laid aside the Gospel and expounded the ethics of Aristotle, political correctness, etc. If the opponents’ of righteousness through Christ alone are correct in their ideas, this was perfectly proper, for Aristotle wrote so well on natural ethics that nothing further needs to be added. We see that there are books in existence which compare certain teachings of Christ with the teachings of Socrates, Zeno, and others, as though Christ had come to give some sort of laws by which we could merit the forgiveness of sins rather than receiving it freely for his merits. So if we accept this teaching of the opponents that we merit forgiveness of sins and justification by the works of reason, there will be no difference between philosophical or Pharisaic righteousness and Christian righteousness.

Book of Concord - Apology of the AC Article IV
Italicized - my edits.

Lutheranism 101

An excellent site that presents the basics of Lutheran Theology.
... being a Lutheran is being a person who believes in te truths of God's Word, the Holy Bible, as they are correctly explained and taught in the Book of Concord. To do so is to confess the Gospel of Jesus Christ. ....

Lutheranism 101