Archive for ‘February, 2012’

43 results.
Feb29

To Judge or Not To Judge . . .

Posted In: WE Got Answers
Dear Pastors,

Is homosexuality judged based on the lifestyle as if the persons involved are continually sinning against God, or is it the act? I have a family member who is gay and not an active Christian and am
concerned with how to approach this. I am afraid that bringing up what they are doing is wrong will make them see me as judgmental but I’m just stating what the Bible says is the truth. We don’t judge others by stating what the Bible says, do we?

In Christ,
J

Hi J,
It’s interesting because I just heard a presentation on exactly this topic. First, people who have homosexual sexual desires are in the same position before God as those who have heterosexual sexual desires: sinners before God. Because all are sinners, there is no time when we are doing something that is without sin. Because of that we pray the Lord’s words “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” precisely because we cannot deliver ourselves. Nevertheless, as Christians, filled with the Holy Spirit, we battle the temptations of our flesh and the world, and we do not indulge the lusts of the flesh by acting on them. Just as we expect heterosexuals to be chaste inside of marriage, and celibate outside of marriage, so we expect the same for homosexuals.

Everyone makes judgments; the Christian’s goal is to make only the judgments which the Scriptures make.

But to the point of how you bear witness to a family member or friend, you may want to get the book I link below, which I have just bought. I have heard Pr. Eckstein speak, and I think it might be helpful to you.

Pr. Timothy Winterstein
http://northprairiepastor.wordpress.com

The book: http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/bearing-their-burden/14922719?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/1

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Feb29

The Old “College Try”

Posted In: WE Got Answers
What is the best way to help fellow college students understand the seriousness of their faith/life after death/importance of going to church? And once that is settled, how should I approach the issue of Liturgical/Confessional/Sacramental worship? (I am frustrated with today’s culture!)

Sincerely,
A college freshman :D

Dear College Freshman:

I share your frustration with our culture. And yet this problem is not so new or unique to today as we might think. Paul’s letters to Timothy are heavy in encouragement to the latter as he deals with struggles not at all dissimilar with Christians living in today’s culture.

In a nutshell, the best way for you to help your fellow college students to take their faith seriously and really live it out is by your own example. There are few (if any) things that can be spoken which would simply convince someone to take their faith more seriously. But you are witnessing to those around you for the right way to live out one’s Christian faith as you dedicate yourself to regular reception of God’s gifts in Word and Sacrament and as you live your life in repentant faith in all other aspects of your vocations. Now, you may not (more probably WILL not) see much of any “success” in winning your college mates over to your way of life. The plain fact is that a person who is secure in their worldly life is going to have difficulty seeing any reason to worry about their life in faith. But one day, God willing, they will come to a point where the worldly life they have so enjoyed and relied upon for so long will fail them. That’s when the great questions of faith and life will come into play. And just maybe, they will think back to their knowledge of you and how they saw you living your life (not perfect or sinless – but as a sinner living in repentant faith and gratefully living in the grace of God) and just maybe the example you set will have an impact via the Holy Spirit’s work in their heart.

In the meantime, continue to live your life in repentant faith as you know is good for you. Don’t worry about convincing or “evangelizing” anyone but trust the Holy Spirit to do His work of conversion in His own time according to His will. But pray for your friends, and pray that you might be strengthened by the Holy Spirit yourself, that your life would indeed be a good witness to others. And as you continue to live your life in relationship with these others, be ready to take any opportunities which might come to share the faith with them and what Scripture and Church and God’s gifts have been for you (proclaiming that those gifts are for them too).

“. . . but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect . . .” 1 Peter 3:15-16

Yours in the Service of Christ,

+Rev. Jeffrey Ries
Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tacoma, WA

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Feb29

More Wine, Maryjane?

Posted In: WE Got Answers
I recently watched your video on the whole pot and religion thing and I had a question that formed after watching the video a few times. I honestly just want to learn, I don’t want to scrape for reasons to smoke pot, just trying to expand my knowledge. Could Marijuana be acceptable during celebrations? One example comes to mind: the people at the party where Jesus turned water into wine. If the people had nothing to drink but wine they had to of become drunk at one point. -C
C,

A few things to note about John 2. Your assumption that everyone at the party would be getting wasted is a bit off. That was the reason these parties had a master of the feast — his job was precisely to judge how watered down the wine was to be (you almost always cut wine in the ancient world).

This is also why the master of the feast is shocked when the wine which Christ made is brought to him – “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” Good there doesn’t just refer to quality, but it also refers to strength — Jesus makes uncut wine. And why does everyone serve the strong wine first and then weaken it — to let things be joyous without having things get sloppy.

As for what this means for Marijuana and it’s use if it were legalized – I simply don’t know enough to say… but if your argument was going to be that people got drunk at the wedding so I can get stoned… that won’t hold water. Or wine.

Rev. Eric J. Brown
Zion Lutheran Church – Lahoma, OK

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Feb28

Hey God, You’re, like, Totally Wrong

Posted In: vlog

Worldview Everlasting Greek Tuesday takes on Mark 8:27-37 and the things of people, yo.
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Feb27

All Are Redeemed by Blood Jesus…Period!

Posted In: WE Got Answers
Where in the Bible does it give reference for full atonement/limited atonement?
T,

Great question! Probably the most suscinct place to look is Romans 3:23-25 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

The very same “all” who have sinned are the ones who are justified. The word “redemption” was the word used for the piece of paper that a freed slave would carry to prove that his freedom had been purchased. “Propitiation” is directly tied to the atonement, the word is used both to refer to the sacrifice itself and also to the place where the blood of the sacrifice would be sprinkled on the mercy seat on the Day of Atonement. Romans 3 pretty much destroys any notion of “limited atonement.”

Messiah Lutheran Church
La Crescent, MN
http://www.messiahlacrescent.org

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