Beginning in the first Sunday of September, the adult Sunday School will focus on specific questions that some have had about the Christian faith or parts of Lutheranism that may seem weird. These lessons will be from questions that some have asked, and will ask (we’ll get to the “will ask” part in a moment). […]
Matthew 15:21-28: Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table
August 18, 2014 by
In the Old Covenant, God called Israel to be a separate and holy people. They were not to intermarry with others, so the false gods and religions of their neighbors would not incline them toward idolatry. All of this had a purpose: It was to keep Israel as a distinct people through whom the Messiah, […]
Acts, Lesson 10: Paul and Peter
August 18, 2014 by
Last week, Luke told us of Saul’s conversion to “the Way,” that He had become a follower of Christ. Even more, Jesus had called him to be His Apostle to the “Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel.” We now find out what happened after Saul was baptized. The Story of Saul Continues Read Acts […]
Augsburg Confession, Articles 26-27: Compulsory Fasting and Monastic Vows
August 18, 2014 by
These articles are too long for a one-hour class, if we were to read through them in their entirety. Because these topics do not loom large in the Church today, we will have an overview of these articles. AC XXVI: The Distinction of Foods Johann Eck, was the main Roman-Catholic theologian who spoke against […]
Augsburg Confession, Article 25: Confession
August 18, 2014 by
The Augsburg Confession earlier covered the topic of Confession in Article 11. However, in Article 11, the focus was on absolution, not on confession itself. The purpose of this article was to show how highly Lutherans value Private Confession. This article also explains the abuses that the Lutheran churches have eliminated from the practice of […]
Romans 10:5-17: When were you saved?
August 10, 2014 by
If you lose the basics, it’s hard to move beyond that. For if the basics aren’t there, when you move to something more advanced, your weakness in the basics will always undermine what you are trying to do. Take reading the Bible. One of the basics is to know who the writer is (or who […]
Acts, Lesson 9: Simon, Philip, and Saul
August 6, 2014 by
In the last lesson, we saw God choosing to act in ways He has not promised to do so. In particular, we saw God the Holy Spirit coming to a new group of people only through the hands of the Apostles. It’s almost as if God was chastising the Apostles for not leading the way […]
Augsburg Confession, Article 24
August 4, 2014 by
AC XXIV: The Mass (Pt 1) Our churches are falsely accused of abolishing the Mass. In fact, the Mass is retained among us and is celebrated with the greatest reverence. Almost all the customary ceremonies are also retained, except that German hymns, added for the instruction of the people, are interspersed here and there among […]
Matthew 14:13-21: Jesus Can Provide
August 4, 2014 by
When you hear about Jesus’ disciples doubting His ability to do something, did you ever think, “Why didn’t they get it? Didn’t they know what Jesus could do?” After all, they lived with Him and saw Him conquer disease, defeat demons, and quiet wind and wave. Didn’t they realize that Jesus could provide–even in that […]
