As most of you know we have enrolled in the Lutheran Hour Ministry New Member Outreach program. They will send us names of all new move ins in a certain radius of the church. I am going to select a 3 mile radius, which should give us 12 to 14 new move-ins every week. We will send postcards out them inviting them to worship with us. If they come and visit then we will give them a welcome gift at the church. If they don't we will physically go their house to deliver the gift. That is all the visit will be. We will welcome them to the community give them the gift and invite them to join us for worship that is all. Then we will follow that up with another postcard.
We need a lot of help for this though. I need at least 2 people to address all the postcards by hand and send them out. I need at least 2 people to assemble the gift basket. I need at least 2 people to gather the stuff and community resource lists to go in the basket. I also need at least 10 people willing to go in groups of 2 to visit all these people. This will be a big on going ministry but a very important one for our growth. Call me.
Pastor
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Lutheranism - 101 - Part 14 - The Sixth Commandment
You shall not commit adultery. This commandment generates as much or probably more controversy then the Fifth Commandment. There are all types of of moral issues under this commandment. This commandment addresses sex before marriage, living together before marriage, extra marital affairs, homosexuality, divorce, and pornography among other things. The Sixth Commandment says that all of these things are sinful before God. Unfortunately many of these sinful actions are not looked upon as sinful anymore by society. For instance our society has no problem at all with sex before marriage. It is the way it is. The same thing with living together. Everybody seems to live together before they get married anymore. Extra marital affairs are still frowned upon, but recent polls show that a high percentage of people have had them. Homosexuality has been completely embraced by society as just an alternative lifestyle. Gay couples on TV are now considered normal. In fact a TV show without at least a guest appearance of a gay person is the exception. Divorce, although there are justifiable reasons for it in Scripture, continues to be taken advantage of. And with the Internet, pornography use had gone through the roof. No one is shocked or surprised by any of this. And in fact it is looked upon as okay, as long as other people don't get hurt, which they usually do.
Let's address these one by one. Sex before marriage is forbidden because it is a misuse of God's gift of sex. Sex is a good thing. It is as I said a gift from God to be enjoyed inside the marriage convenant. When it happens inside marriage it results in the creation of children and also the enjoyment of the marriage partner. It deepens the relationship between the two people. Outside of marriage it is just using the other person for your pleasure without any commitment to them.
Living together has become the norm. Some people do it before marriage to see if they are compatible before they take that big step. It is interesting to note though that secular study after secular study shows a significantly higher divorce rate for those couples who lived together before marriage as opposed to those who didn't. The underlying reason for that is a lack of commitment. Marriage is commitment. It takes more than love to hold a marriage together. When people live together before marriage they are not committed to one another, they are just trying it out. So when they do get married many times that lack of commitment gets hauled into the marriage as well. There are also big advantages to just getting married. There are financial advantages and there is more stability for any children born into the relationship. The marriage license is not just a piece of paper either, it is a legal contract recognized by the state and it is a public proclamation before others of a commitment to one another. The church has always recognized the authority of the state in these matters and does not perform marriages without a legal license. So a person cannot claim to be married in God's eyes if they are not married according to state law.
Extra marital affairs are also forbidden by this commandment for obvious reasons. The biggest reason is that it destroys that one person union that is established in marriage. That is why it is one of the justifications for divorce. The church never recommends divorce and tries to bring reconciliation and forgiveness to the relationship, but is the right of the offended party to divorce. Adultery also hurts both people involved and also any family members as well.
Homosexuality is very clearly against God's law no matter how accepted it has become. That does not mean that we hate or mistreat homosexual people, in fact we are called to love the homosexual but hate their sin. There has been a great argument through the years over whether homosexuality is a choice or not. Some say that there is a biological reason for it. There has never been any hard proof presented for this, but it really doesn't matter. Even if it is biological it is still sinful. Sin is not just a choice but also a condition that we are all born with. Just because someone is born a certain way or with a certain personality or disorder that does not make their sinful actions okay. If a person is born with a homosexual orientation then they are called to live a life of celibacy.
We have talked about divorce above, but to enlarge upon it, we teach that divorce is only acceptable for a couple of reasons. The first one is one of the people having an affair, the second one is desertion. That is when one of the people just abandons the marriage. In other words walks out the door and doesn't come back. We could also put abuse under that as well. When one partner abuses the other one there is a point when that person even without leaving the house, has deserted the marriage. In the end we try everything we can to keep all marriages together.
Pornography is another issue that has become normal in our society. Porn is a cheapening of the gift of sex that God has given to us. God calls us to have pure actions and also pure thoughts. Use of porn takes away from the marriage and also devalues women. Therefore we are called to avoid it.
What God wants in this commandment is for husbands and wives to respect and care for one another. He wants them to enjoy each other through sex and to be the basic building block of the church, his body.
Here are some Scriptures for you. Genesis 1:27,31; Genesis 2:24-25; Mark 10:6-9; Hebrews 13:4; Matthew 19:6,9; 1 Corinthians 7:15; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 18; Romans 1:24, 26-27; Matthew 5:28; Matthew 15:19; Ephesians 5:3-4; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Gensis 2:18; 1 Corinthians 7:4; Ephesians 5:21-23, 25
Pastor Fred
Let's address these one by one. Sex before marriage is forbidden because it is a misuse of God's gift of sex. Sex is a good thing. It is as I said a gift from God to be enjoyed inside the marriage convenant. When it happens inside marriage it results in the creation of children and also the enjoyment of the marriage partner. It deepens the relationship between the two people. Outside of marriage it is just using the other person for your pleasure without any commitment to them.
Living together has become the norm. Some people do it before marriage to see if they are compatible before they take that big step. It is interesting to note though that secular study after secular study shows a significantly higher divorce rate for those couples who lived together before marriage as opposed to those who didn't. The underlying reason for that is a lack of commitment. Marriage is commitment. It takes more than love to hold a marriage together. When people live together before marriage they are not committed to one another, they are just trying it out. So when they do get married many times that lack of commitment gets hauled into the marriage as well. There are also big advantages to just getting married. There are financial advantages and there is more stability for any children born into the relationship. The marriage license is not just a piece of paper either, it is a legal contract recognized by the state and it is a public proclamation before others of a commitment to one another. The church has always recognized the authority of the state in these matters and does not perform marriages without a legal license. So a person cannot claim to be married in God's eyes if they are not married according to state law.
Extra marital affairs are also forbidden by this commandment for obvious reasons. The biggest reason is that it destroys that one person union that is established in marriage. That is why it is one of the justifications for divorce. The church never recommends divorce and tries to bring reconciliation and forgiveness to the relationship, but is the right of the offended party to divorce. Adultery also hurts both people involved and also any family members as well.
Homosexuality is very clearly against God's law no matter how accepted it has become. That does not mean that we hate or mistreat homosexual people, in fact we are called to love the homosexual but hate their sin. There has been a great argument through the years over whether homosexuality is a choice or not. Some say that there is a biological reason for it. There has never been any hard proof presented for this, but it really doesn't matter. Even if it is biological it is still sinful. Sin is not just a choice but also a condition that we are all born with. Just because someone is born a certain way or with a certain personality or disorder that does not make their sinful actions okay. If a person is born with a homosexual orientation then they are called to live a life of celibacy.
We have talked about divorce above, but to enlarge upon it, we teach that divorce is only acceptable for a couple of reasons. The first one is one of the people having an affair, the second one is desertion. That is when one of the people just abandons the marriage. In other words walks out the door and doesn't come back. We could also put abuse under that as well. When one partner abuses the other one there is a point when that person even without leaving the house, has deserted the marriage. In the end we try everything we can to keep all marriages together.
Pornography is another issue that has become normal in our society. Porn is a cheapening of the gift of sex that God has given to us. God calls us to have pure actions and also pure thoughts. Use of porn takes away from the marriage and also devalues women. Therefore we are called to avoid it.
What God wants in this commandment is for husbands and wives to respect and care for one another. He wants them to enjoy each other through sex and to be the basic building block of the church, his body.
Here are some Scriptures for you. Genesis 1:27,31; Genesis 2:24-25; Mark 10:6-9; Hebrews 13:4; Matthew 19:6,9; 1 Corinthians 7:15; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 18; Romans 1:24, 26-27; Matthew 5:28; Matthew 15:19; Ephesians 5:3-4; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Gensis 2:18; 1 Corinthians 7:4; Ephesians 5:21-23, 25
Pastor Fred
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Christian of the Heart Set Free - Sermon Series
Starting on June 3rd we be doing a sermon series on Christian freedom. I have entitled it Christian of the Heart Set Free - come discover the real meaning of freedom. It will start on June 3rd and go through July 15 with one interruption on June 17th for Father's Day. I am basing the sermon series on the book of Galatians. I think you will find it a very interesting series. The outline of the series is posted on the website, but I want to give a more fuller explanation of each part of it. So I am posting it here as well.
On June 3rd the topic is "Having the Courage to be Free" Just as a people group who has been enslaved by another people group has to have the courage to pursue their freedom, we as Christians also must have the courage to receive our freedom in Christ.
On June 10 the topic is, "The Fight to Remain Free" When the Wall came down in Eastern Europe they gained their freedom, but then chaos reigned. Many of the people wanted the old harsh government back because at least they felt safe under it. In the same way we must guard against going back to our old way of life after receiving freedom in Christ. We must avoid the temptation to mix law and gospel, thinking that God's salvation depends on us in some way.
On June 24th the topic is, "Holding onto the Promise of Freedom" Many have said that the United States was destined to be a nation of freedom. We have seen people groups from all over the world escape their coutries and come to the U.S. to live in freedom. In the same way Abraham was justified by faith before the coming of the law. Therefore we see people groups from all around the world coming out of spiritual darkness and coming to Christ to live in his freedom.
On July 1st the topic is, "We are the Children of Freedom Fighters" We all live in the freedom won by those who have gone before us. We have received it as a gift from them. In the same way we live in freedom from sin and death because of what Christ did on the cross for us.
On July 8th the topic is, "With Freedom comes Responsibility" We have seen the effects of freedom without responsibility in our country. We have seen the chaos and immorality it has caused. In our spiritual lives we are also free, but not free to do anything we want. We have to be responsible in our actions so that our freedom is beneficial to us and others.
On July 15 the topic is, "Freedom Shown in Acts of Mercy" Our country is always one of the biggest givers of aid to other countries facing disaster and hard times. We see that in many of the humanitarian projects that our troops are doing overseas. In the same way our freedom in Christ leads us naturally to do acts of mercy for those who need aid or who do not yet have freedom in Christ. We care not only for the soul but also the body.
On June 17 which is Father's Day our topic will be, "Thank God for His Gift of Dads" Increasingly the family is under attack. That is why God gave us Dad. He is the spiritual leader in the family. On this Sunday we will look at what makes up Christian Dads and we will give thanks to God for them.
On July 22nd we will be getting a special guest speaker. The Apostle Paul himself will be coming to Family of Christ to speak to us about how what he said two thousand years applies to us today. Paul will tells us what it means to be an Apostle of the Heart Set Free.
So there is the schedule. Further information will be coming. We also hope to have all these sermons posted as audio on the website.
Pastor Fred
On June 3rd the topic is "Having the Courage to be Free" Just as a people group who has been enslaved by another people group has to have the courage to pursue their freedom, we as Christians also must have the courage to receive our freedom in Christ.
On June 10 the topic is, "The Fight to Remain Free" When the Wall came down in Eastern Europe they gained their freedom, but then chaos reigned. Many of the people wanted the old harsh government back because at least they felt safe under it. In the same way we must guard against going back to our old way of life after receiving freedom in Christ. We must avoid the temptation to mix law and gospel, thinking that God's salvation depends on us in some way.
On June 24th the topic is, "Holding onto the Promise of Freedom" Many have said that the United States was destined to be a nation of freedom. We have seen people groups from all over the world escape their coutries and come to the U.S. to live in freedom. In the same way Abraham was justified by faith before the coming of the law. Therefore we see people groups from all around the world coming out of spiritual darkness and coming to Christ to live in his freedom.
On July 1st the topic is, "We are the Children of Freedom Fighters" We all live in the freedom won by those who have gone before us. We have received it as a gift from them. In the same way we live in freedom from sin and death because of what Christ did on the cross for us.
On July 8th the topic is, "With Freedom comes Responsibility" We have seen the effects of freedom without responsibility in our country. We have seen the chaos and immorality it has caused. In our spiritual lives we are also free, but not free to do anything we want. We have to be responsible in our actions so that our freedom is beneficial to us and others.
On July 15 the topic is, "Freedom Shown in Acts of Mercy" Our country is always one of the biggest givers of aid to other countries facing disaster and hard times. We see that in many of the humanitarian projects that our troops are doing overseas. In the same way our freedom in Christ leads us naturally to do acts of mercy for those who need aid or who do not yet have freedom in Christ. We care not only for the soul but also the body.
On June 17 which is Father's Day our topic will be, "Thank God for His Gift of Dads" Increasingly the family is under attack. That is why God gave us Dad. He is the spiritual leader in the family. On this Sunday we will look at what makes up Christian Dads and we will give thanks to God for them.
On July 22nd we will be getting a special guest speaker. The Apostle Paul himself will be coming to Family of Christ to speak to us about how what he said two thousand years applies to us today. Paul will tells us what it means to be an Apostle of the Heart Set Free.
So there is the schedule. Further information will be coming. We also hope to have all these sermons posted as audio on the website.
Pastor Fred
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Lutheranism 101 - Part 13- The Fifth Commandment
A man shoots another man in the head and the man dies. A doctor scrambles an unborn baby in the womb. A woman gives a sick loved one a mixture of drugs to put him out of his misery. A person puts a gun to their head and pulls the trigger. A man lashes out at his brother saying, "I wish you were dead." What do all these people have in common? They have all just committed murder and broke the Fifth Commandment.
The Fifth Commandment deals with the gift of life and it is stated very simply, "You shall not murder." Included in this commandment are abortion, euthanasia and suicide. The first murder was of course Cain killing his brother Abel. And that is what we tend to think that murder is. But it is much more than that. We see for instance that David murdered Uriah through others. He didn't do it himself, but he set it up. We also can murder others through carelessness, like drunk drving.
Abortion is another way we commit murder. We as a church body have always been pro-life. The media likes to protray us a anti-abortion and those on the opposite side as pro-choice. There is no doubt that we are anti-abortion, but more than that we want life valued in all respects. For those supporting the pro-choice side they have to ask themselves does the baby get to make a choice? Scripture shows us that life begins as conception or even before. Just take a look at Jeremiah 1:5; Psalm 139:16 and Luke 1:41-44. These verses and others are why we say that abortion is nothing other than cold blooded murder.
Euthanasia is also considered murder. The word itself means good death. Thanatos is the Greek word for death and Eu means good in Greek. Euthanasia is the taking of someone's life when it is not considered worth living any more. This would involve cases such as people in extreme pain who also may be in the process of dying. It can also include the severely handicapped or those who are considered helpless. Euthanasia is not taking grandma off a machine in the hosiptal when the doctors have said that there is no or little chance of recovery. That is just giving her a chance to breathe on her own or die naturally. Euthanasia is deliberately taking an action, whether it is with drugs, a plastic bag, or something such as a handgun that would take the person's life before God himself takes them home. The intent is to take that person's life or put them out of their misery, that is euthanasia. On the other hand taking someone off a ventilator or stopping the giving of some drugs or even at times removing a feeding tube when there is no or little hope of recovery, is not euthanasia. That is just allowing the person to die a natural death.
Suicide is also murder. God has our times in his hands and it is only to be ended by him. At the same time it is not the unpardonable sin. We never know what is going through the mind of someone who commits suicide. So we put them in the hands of a loving God and leave it at that.
Now we may look at the stuff above and say well I have never done any of that. But this commandment also involves our thoughts and our words. We break this commandment when we hate others or even wish them dead.
Now to another controversial part of the commandment. There is an authority that has the right to take human life. That is the government. They have the authority to do this because they are God's servant. Therefore they have the right to execute criminals and fight just wars. That is why governments have the right to practice capital punishment. They don't have to, but they can make laws that allow them to do that. We also teach that soldiers fighting in a war are not breaking this commandment when they kill the enemy. They are acting under the orders of the government and have the right and even the obligation to do so.
So what does God require of us in the commandment? God wants us to help and support our neighbor in every bodily need. He also wants us to be good and forgiving of our neighbor. He also wants us to help our neighbor avoid things that are harmful to him, such as drugs and other substances.
Here are some verses for you: Genesis 9:6; Matthew 26:52; Proverbs 31:8; Acts 17:25; Luke 12:22; Romans 12:19; Matthew 5:22; 1 John 3:15; Ephesians 4:26; Romans 13:4; Romans 12:20; Matthew 6:15; 2 Corinthians 7:1
Here are questions for you. How would a soldier violate this commandment in a war zone? What is euthanasia and what is not euthanasia? What are some practical ways that we can address the abortion issue?
Pastor Fred
The Fifth Commandment deals with the gift of life and it is stated very simply, "You shall not murder." Included in this commandment are abortion, euthanasia and suicide. The first murder was of course Cain killing his brother Abel. And that is what we tend to think that murder is. But it is much more than that. We see for instance that David murdered Uriah through others. He didn't do it himself, but he set it up. We also can murder others through carelessness, like drunk drving.
Abortion is another way we commit murder. We as a church body have always been pro-life. The media likes to protray us a anti-abortion and those on the opposite side as pro-choice. There is no doubt that we are anti-abortion, but more than that we want life valued in all respects. For those supporting the pro-choice side they have to ask themselves does the baby get to make a choice? Scripture shows us that life begins as conception or even before. Just take a look at Jeremiah 1:5; Psalm 139:16 and Luke 1:41-44. These verses and others are why we say that abortion is nothing other than cold blooded murder.
Euthanasia is also considered murder. The word itself means good death. Thanatos is the Greek word for death and Eu means good in Greek. Euthanasia is the taking of someone's life when it is not considered worth living any more. This would involve cases such as people in extreme pain who also may be in the process of dying. It can also include the severely handicapped or those who are considered helpless. Euthanasia is not taking grandma off a machine in the hosiptal when the doctors have said that there is no or little chance of recovery. That is just giving her a chance to breathe on her own or die naturally. Euthanasia is deliberately taking an action, whether it is with drugs, a plastic bag, or something such as a handgun that would take the person's life before God himself takes them home. The intent is to take that person's life or put them out of their misery, that is euthanasia. On the other hand taking someone off a ventilator or stopping the giving of some drugs or even at times removing a feeding tube when there is no or little hope of recovery, is not euthanasia. That is just allowing the person to die a natural death.
Suicide is also murder. God has our times in his hands and it is only to be ended by him. At the same time it is not the unpardonable sin. We never know what is going through the mind of someone who commits suicide. So we put them in the hands of a loving God and leave it at that.
Now we may look at the stuff above and say well I have never done any of that. But this commandment also involves our thoughts and our words. We break this commandment when we hate others or even wish them dead.
Now to another controversial part of the commandment. There is an authority that has the right to take human life. That is the government. They have the authority to do this because they are God's servant. Therefore they have the right to execute criminals and fight just wars. That is why governments have the right to practice capital punishment. They don't have to, but they can make laws that allow them to do that. We also teach that soldiers fighting in a war are not breaking this commandment when they kill the enemy. They are acting under the orders of the government and have the right and even the obligation to do so.
So what does God require of us in the commandment? God wants us to help and support our neighbor in every bodily need. He also wants us to be good and forgiving of our neighbor. He also wants us to help our neighbor avoid things that are harmful to him, such as drugs and other substances.
Here are some verses for you: Genesis 9:6; Matthew 26:52; Proverbs 31:8; Acts 17:25; Luke 12:22; Romans 12:19; Matthew 5:22; 1 John 3:15; Ephesians 4:26; Romans 13:4; Romans 12:20; Matthew 6:15; 2 Corinthians 7:1
Here are questions for you. How would a soldier violate this commandment in a war zone? What is euthanasia and what is not euthanasia? What are some practical ways that we can address the abortion issue?
Pastor Fred
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