The Festival of the Reformation: The Truth Will Set You Free!

We value freedom and strive to protect freedoms. But do we truly understand freedom? Freedom for many means doing what you want without control or coercion. Jesus helps us to understand true freedom: “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (Gospel). Jesus says that you will never be free by living however you want. Take that attitude towards life and you'll be a slave. You'll only be free—spiritually, emotionally, eternally—“If you hold to my teaching” and therefore “know the truth.” A key principle Martin Luther established through the Reformation is sola scriptura, Scripture alone. Luther thought it was the answer to all of life’s fundamental questions. On what basis is a belief or practice justified of rejected? Scripture alone. Who or what is the final arbiter of truth? Scripture alone. Heirs of the Reformation still bind themselves to Scripture. Does restricting ourselves in this manner curtail freedom? Just the opposite is true. God’s divinely inspired truth brings freedom. It frees us from slavery to sinful delusions, the burden of guilt, and any earthly power. This week we see that when we willingly bind ourselves to truth, Jesus keeps his promise. The truth sets us free.

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Lord, Increase our Faith... a Faith Lived in Total Dependence

Last week we heard Jesus ask, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). As we consider Jesus’ question, it might be easy to assume that any decrease in faith we observe in the world corresponds with an increase in secularism and disdain for God’s Word. That type of unbelief certainly can be observed in our world. However, today we see there is another type of unbelief, a type that looks upright and moral. The absence of the faith Jesus seeks isn’t always complete and total rejection of God or the Bible or even Jesus. It is possible for someone to have respect for Scripture and Christ, yet ultimately trust in his own goodness when it comes to his relationship with God. It is natural for us to want to believe that our relationship with God revolves around our obedience to his commands. We desperately desire to believe that, if we just apply the right spiritual advice and effort, we can earn God’s approval and eternal inheritance. This, too, is unbelief, just as much as paganism or secularism. This week Jesus uses God’s law for its chief purpose: to expose sin and crush our natural pride. In Christ’s hands God’s law is a powerful tool used to shape in us the faith he seeks—one totally dependent on God to do what only he can do.

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Lord, Increase our Faith... a Faith that Overflows with Gratitude

Gratitude is the appreciation and thankfulness we feel when someone does something kind to us or for us. There are two key factors that influence the intensity of gratitude. First, there is the deservedness factor. Say you do a favor for your neighbor, picking up his mail when he is out of town. A month later he does a favor for you, giving you a ride to the airport. You are grateful for his help, but not overwhelmingly so. You feel by doing a favor for him, you deserved his help to some degree. Second, there is the generosity factor. Say you do that favor for your neighbor, picking up his mail when he is out of town. When he gets back, he gives you a hundred-dollar bill. You’re stunned. “I can’t accept. This is too generous.” Apply this to God. Consider the deservedness factor. What does God owe us? How deserving are we of his blessing? Consider the generosity factor. What has he done for us? What blessings has he given us now? What blessings has he promised us in eternity? As Jesus increases our faith, so that we accurately answer all those questions, we become more than grateful. We overflow with gratitude.

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Lord, Increase Our Faith... a faith shown in persistent prayer

Disciples of Jesus need to learn how to pray. We need Jesus to teach us to ask for those things which our Father in heaven promises us. We need to learn to claim in prayer what he wants for us more than what we want from him. However, learning to pray is not like many of the other things we learn to do in our lives. Once we know how to write our name, tie our shoes, or ride a bike, the learning is done. There is virtually no danger we will forget how to do those things. Not so with prayer. Prayer is not something we learn to do once and then know how to do correctly for the rest of our lives. Learning to pray consists of a lifetime of persistence and struggle. But when we struggle with God in prayer, it is not an indication that something is wrong but that everything is right. Struggle is part of the very nature of prayer and at the heart of the blessings it brings in our lives of faith.

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Lord, Increase Our Faith... a Faith that Delights in Duty

Look up “duty” in the dictionary. It's defined as “something that one is expected or required to do.” Look up “duty” in a thesaurus. Some of its synonyms: chore, burden, obligation, work. “Duty” can carry some strong negative connotations. Now, consider this. In the world, as you rise through the ranks, you are able to leave many duties behind. For example, if you are high-up on the corporate ladder, you can delegate things you don’t want to do to someone else. In Christ’s kingdom it works just the opposite. An increase in faith does not lessen duties at all. It increases opportunities to serve God and others. Increased faith means increased obligations and work. But here’s the good news. The same faith that increases our duties leads us to delight in them. For through faith we know that we serve the one who first came to serve us. We consider it a privilege to imitate Christ in our service to others. Just as his service to us brought him great joy, so does our service to others.

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Pentecost: The Coming of the Holy Spirit

Though he has withdrawn his visible presence, Jesus is closer to us than ever. Therefore, whatever the future holds, we will not fear!

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How to be a Christian: God Reigns

God is the active force behind every step of turning someone into a Christian, providing not only the means, but also the power and Spirit that creates new life in what was once spiritually dead. At times, it seems hard to see the truth that God is reigning over all things. It seems like things are spinning out of control—in the world, in our community, and occasionally, even in our life. Today, we are reminded that our God has saved us through his death, and is not reigning over all things for our good and out of his great love for us. With that in mind, we ask God to help us to live confidently in that truth and to put him and his gospel first in our lives

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How to be a Christian: God Preserves

God is the active force behind every step of turning someone into a Christian, providing not only the means, but also the power and Spirit that creates new life in what was once spiritually dead. Today, we are reminded that our God not only brings us to faith, he also keeps us in our faith and preserves us through trial and tribulation. Because we have that promise from God, we can do what our Savior commands: we will love our enemies, bless those who curse us, do good to those who hate us, and pray for them who persecute and harass us. We have nothing to fear because our living God preserves us .

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How to be a Christian: God Sends

God is active in every step of us becoming a Christian and one of his children. He planned our rescue before the creation of the world, he speaks the good news of the Gospel to us, and he has called us to faith. Today, we learn that not only has God spoken his word to us and called us to be his children, but he now sends us out into the world to share what he has done!

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How to be a Christian: God Calls

God is the active force behind every step of turning someone into a Christian, providing not only the means, but also the power and Spirit that creates new life in what was once spiritually dead.

God not only plans and carries out our salvation, he then sends us our with his Word to share with people in our lives the great things our God has done. God's Word today will strengthen and empower you to carry out this important work!

A children's message on Father's Day about our heavenly father!

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How to be a Christian: God Speaks

God is the active force behind every step of turning someone into a Christian, providing not only the means, but also the power and Spirit that creates new life in what was once spiritually dead. Today, we look at one of those means God uses to bring someone to faith and keep them in their faith: the inspired Word of God. Through that Word, God speaks and the Spirit brings spiritual life. When God speaks, he wants us to listen, to apply it to our lives, to teach it to our families, to share it with others. The Word ultimately lays the foundation for Christian teaching and life.

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The Coming of the Holy Spirit

50 days after the Passover, God’s Old Testament people celebrated the gathering of the harvest at the Festival of Weeks. It was on this occasion, 50 days after Christ's resurrection, that God sent the promised Counselor, the Holy Spirit, on the day we call “Pentecost” (Greek for “fifty”). This day marked the birthday of the New Testament Church and celebrates the harvest of souls won by the Son and gathered by his servants empowered by his Spirit. Today, as we recall the gift of the Spirit we pray for that same understanding of God's Word and boldness to witness to the world the good news of salvation.

Pentecost is the third great festival of the Church and has been commemorated since at least 217 A.D. The Church dresses in red to remind us of the tongues of fire that marked the Spirit’s gift and the blood of the martyrs which was the seed of the Church. This day culminates the Season of Easter when our risen Lord now empowers his people to be witnesses of the resurrection for the world.

A children's message on how God sent, and continues to send the Holy Spirit through his Word so we can share the Gospel!

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