Crazy Theological Thoughts

We have looked at the four different ways people learn. We have showed you how the church can and has used these four methods to teach and instruct people in the true faith. But we have over looked something throughout this discussion. Maybe you have already added this information from your own instruction and knowledge with regards to the Christian faith. I told you that the Bible only provides one way of learning. You need to read it. The Word of God is brought to us by either the written word (which is to say what you are reading now) or the spoken word (which is to say what someone may be reading to you). But God does leave us with only these two methods? God also has commanded his people to make disciples through baptism. This is taking physical water and placing over someone. You have a verbal component or Audio component as someone declares to you what is actually happening. You even have a tactile element as you feel the water upon your head and as that water drips awa...

Now we get to the Logical segment of Education. Luther wrote two Catechism for the church so that pastors would teach and heads of households would teach the people of God in an orderly fashion. There are some people who like Logic and they like things to be short in a simple and orderly fashion. Teaching in logic is again a very traditional method. You can find a lot of Logic taught by Paul. He tends to teach us step one and step two which will eventually lead to either a truth or a falsehood. Thus, St Paul can say things like if you don't believe in the Resurrection on the Last day, you can't believe in Christ being raised, and if you don't believe in Christ's Resurrection your faith is in vain. Logical arguments are simple step problems. They take you one step at a time until you have already fallen down the Rabbit hole too far. This is a strategy many people use to teach people or convince people to become Christians. But the problem still remains that God...

With the spirit of Christmas in the air, we often remember the many Christmases in the past. We can even remember people long gone. One of my favorite Christmas time songs, is White Christmas . I remember watching the movie by the same name at my Grandparents house every year. I remember the first year I faced a none White Christmas when I was on Vicarage in Oregon. There are all sorts of images the right Audio can bring. We do learn through verbal interaction with other people. We learn as other people tell us the stories of Christmas past. The traditional style of teaching through lectures has worked for years. Even when we don't learn through lectures, we can use all kinds of audio stimulus to help us to learn different things. There is always the ABC song, that taught you your alphabet. You may have even learned other songs from your childhood that taught you about different things in life. Songs and Hymns are great ways to teach the faith. This why we do sing during o...

In this month of Thanksgiving we can be reminded how we learn from a Tactile or Kinetic way. During the month of Thanksgiving we are supposed to give thanks to God for all we have been given. We give thanks to God by voicing all the wonderful things he has done for us. We can also give thanks by sharing what we have with others. Thus, there is a tactile component of actually doing something. You can help out at a soup kitchen. You can just provide food to your neighbor. I am sure you can even help with our LWML Mission project for this quarter. Through these service projects we can learn what God has done for us. But this is only one way. Likewise, through your regular daily activity, God has provided you with various vocations in which you can act out your service and your faith. We can do all kinds of different physical activities that remind us about God. This time of your it may even be crazy to think you can give thanks to God for your good health by starting to eat r...

There has been a great amount of work done in the past actually trying to utilize Visual learning. The Apostles tried this by giving people examples of how to live your life. They became themselves visual examples, for others to model. The early church took this one step further, picking up on the activities in other cultures and even in the old Testament as they made statues and other works of Art. But it was really not until the Church started to design large cathedrals that they developed more art forms. These were in the form of mosaics and stained glass and statues. Even the various paintings were all made to teach us different things about God. They would either teach us about the understanding of the Holy Trinity and God's continued work with his creation. Some were done to teach us about Old Testament or New Testament figures and their struggles with faith. Yet others just simply repeated the story in the form of art. We continue this process, as we decorate our ch...

It is amazing the different ways in which people learn. There was a recent Mythbusters episode that talked about getting better by playing video games. I even remember at Seminary talking with some fellow students to try and create a board game that would teach you different things about the Church, some with relationship to the history of the Church and some with regards to the actual teachings of the church. All in an effort to teach people, through abnormal means. There are some people who like to read and learn by studying material found in various books. There are other people who learn by talking and discussing information. Some people need to learn by actually practicing something over and over, these people often need some kind physical activity to be involved with. Some even learn by people showing them different things. The Church has traditionally only utilized two key learning styles. Auditory, or verbal discussions, and logical, or written in an orderly fashion...

If my Government tells me I can not worship God, or serve God; Acts teaches we should serve God rather than man. We need to worship God, and should not be prevented from our expression of faith. What does it mean to prevent someone from expressing their faith? What does it mean for someone to tell me I can't serve God? When Israel was in Egypt Land, what did serving God mean? Serving God was about fulfilling their duty as a father, or mother, son or daughter, and do the task the Overseers gave them to do each day. Sometimes that meant working on a temple to honor a false god. Sometimes they were making bricks that would be used to honor cult worship, or even a building of slaughter. When Israel was put under the power of King Saul, what did serving God mean? Serving God was about fulfilling their duty as a father or mother, son or daughter, and to do the work that was set before them that day. This may have meant chasing down a criminal from justice known as David. This may have me...

After watching War Room it made me think of all the older men and women in the faith. There are some older men who are new to the faith and have many of the same struggles young people do. There are others in our church who have not spent their entire lives with the same vigar and devotion to the church, in which they now take pride. Then there are others who always seem to be step ahead of their young pastor. Whether these are the old sages of the church, or even Pastors experienced by years, they always seem to be so much wiser than We. I have often wondered how they learned so much. Which book did they read to get all this knowledge? What devotions do they do to find these lessons? Then it comes to you like a shock out of the corner of your view. They learned this over the course of many years. Often times the young christian looks up to the old christian, like a child looking up to a parent. They do not think they can possibly know any better than We. But then comes the answer. It ...

This movie is about an old woman who prayed for her husband to get a heart attack because they were having difficulty in their marriage. She then helps a young woman and her family to descover the power of prayer. The Jordan family has many struggles and while the solution of prayer may seem too simple, It is! The movie has many theological errors. It has been greatly influenced by Baptist and Reformed Theology, which can teach us just to pray and God will solve all your problems. The redemption of this movie is found not in a Room devoted to prayer, but in a family talking to God and hearing God's word. Within the Church today it is easy for us to focus on others bad theology, and others misconceptions of Faith, Grace, and Love. But the one thing this movie will hopefully encourage you to do, is actually  daily devotions, and pray. They have various prayers posted on their wall, but also they have scripture posted there. They have searched the scriptures and found passages that en...

A Forgiven people who are called to Forgive. It may be a sad time of year for some. It may be a joyous time for others. It is time for fall sports practices to start, and that means kids are going back to school. Teachers have to get their classrooms ready for the new arrivals this Fall. Coaches have to set up practice schedules and remember everyone starts back at 0-0 (and that always means new competition). As fun as graduation was last spring, now it is time to head off to college, trad-school, or work (said with a groan). August brings with it a thought of "where did the summer go?" and at the same time the weather that truly says Summer has officially arrived in South Dakota. But a lot of these changes mean new friends and old friends, with whom we get to spend more time. This means old wounds, and regrets may come up. With these wounds, it reminds of sins long held against each other. This is a time when we think about how mean some people can be. There are happy though...

A Forgiven people are called to Forgive. The great mission of the Church is to call sinners to Jesus. A wise man once said, "If you are not a sinner, Jesus is not for you." Jesus came into the world to save sinners. He sought out those who were sick and in need. The sick where brought to him, and even the dead where brought to him. Jesus provided them all with the same simple message. "Your sins are forgiven." You may have thought it was a different message. You may have thought he told them to get up and walk. You may have thought he said, be healed. But Jesus came to Forgive sins. This was his mission. Jesus goes to the cross as a lamb led to be slaughtered because he is going to make full atonement for your sins. A Forgiven people are called to Forgive. We will continue to pray every week for those individuals who are sick or dying. We will pray for those who need strength to face the struggles of this life, whatever they may be. But the message we proclaim to al...

You are a forgiven people who are called to forgive. We have been give the greatest gift in all the world. We have been given that gift to share with everyone we know and love. You are forgiven in the blood of Christ. Jesus Christ died in your place and for your sins. So you have been called to forgive those who sin against you. Yes, you are supposed to confront those who have sinned against you. You are to point out their sins. You are to tell other people when they do something wrong to you. But you are not supposed to stand up in front of everyone. You are supposed to talk, just between the two of you. We do not want to spread someone sins around town or on the internet. We want to keep it quite so we can forgive them, and they never have to face that sin again. But we do not pray: Forgive me my trespasses as I forgive those who trespass against me. It is the first person plural pronoun. Because God is our Father. We as Christians are a part of one body, namely Jesus Christ. We are ...

We are forgiven people who have been called to forgive. Therefore, we have been instructed to pray: And Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. It is easy for us to often say we are sorry, or even ask for someone to forgive our sins. It is a lot harder for us to forgive someone else. Most Sunday mornings we probably give little thought to the confession of our sins. There is even the childhood mix up between: heartily and hardly. "But I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them, ..." Many of us are hardly sorry for our sins, as we continue to run toward our sins. Likewise, the joke playing on the words of Jesus, "Get behind me Satan, and PUSH." But we are sinful people. We have sinned in thought word and deed. We have sinned by the things we have done (commission) and by the things we have left undone (omission). One of the most grievous sins we all commit is forgetting to forgive others. You are a forgiven people who are...

This may seem of little importance to most people. But this is of great importance to God, and for those who might full into sin on your account. Abram and Sarai go to Egypt. They tell Pharaoh that Sarai is Abram's sister and not his wife. Abram does this so he will not get killed, but in doing so he curses the house of Pharaoh. Pharaoh took Sarai as one of his many wives, and God sent a plague on his house. All this took place because Abram did not properly identify his wife. The public recognition of marriage is important. It is important for other people to know that this woman belongs to this man, and this man belongs to this woman. If you want to mess around with one or the other, they do not belong to you, nor you might add do they belong to themselves. Sarai was not Pharaoh's to take. Pharaoh would not have taken Sarai if Abram would have told him the truth. But Pharaoh's house suffered for Abram's lie. Other people suffer for our sins, especially when we are not...

A practical example: A fifteen year old male member of your congregation chose to have Appropriate Proper Penetration with a sixteen year old female member of another Christian congregation. I am not going to worry about the differences between the different Church bodies. Nor do I worry about the differing opinions of the parents. The question is what do you tell these two teenagers about what they have done? And what do you tell them to do from now on? First, thing is since these two individuals made a choice and sealed that choice through Appropriate Proper Penetration (or sexual intercourse). They have joined themselves together in the eyes of God. They have committed PreMarital Marriage. This is not dependent upon how they feel for one another afterward, nor how they felt before. They have joined themselves together. Second, most people's first reaction would be to pull them apart as fast and as far as possible. But they have been joined together. They have committed the act o...

Some people may ask or think that if marriage is only based on sexual intercourse, than can not a man marry another man or a woman marry another woman. And I guess if you can marry two ketchup bottles together, then I guess the answer is yes. But in truth no, because a man can't have appropriate proper Penetration with another man. Appropriate Proper Penetration is not just penetration. One can easily say that one man can provide another man with penetration, through a inappropriate orifice. This is inappropriate Penetration, and thus not proper sexual intercourse. You likewise can talk about a woman improperly penetrating the proper orifice of another woman. These are not Proper Penetration. Appropriate Proper Penetration is a male Penis entering into a female vagina. Note: I will not add for the purpose of procreation. Because not every time there is proper sexual intercourse does it lead to procreation, nor is it intended to lead toward procreation. Here as we are focused on Mar...

Marriage is defined in Genesis as a man clinging to his wife and the two becoming one flesh. This definition is standardized even in the New Testament by both Jesus and St Paul. Therefore, we have generally said Marriage is defined as one Man and one Woman being joined together in a life long union. Most people think that this Marriage union is created through a man dressed in black and woman dressed in white walking down an aisle to be joined together before some kind of altar. But this is only a ceremony of marriage. The Bride and bridegroom are actually joined together through what is known as consummation, or proper sexual relations.  Thus, St Paul can even talk in reference to a marriage bed. This concept may be overlooked by a culture that no longer views the bed as the place where a majority of sexual activity takes place. But he states this because the marriage bed is the location in which a man and woman are joined together. Just as it was Rachael or Leah's tent in which t...

Many people are confused today as to what constitutes Marriage in the eyes of God. Others seem to be confused as to what is defined by sex. I will be using the next couple of short posts to illustrate these issues. PreMarital Sex is generally defined as sexual relations before or outside of the covenant of Marriage. But the Marriage covenant is consummated by sexual intercourse. Therefore, if two people have sexual intercourse they are married in the eyes of the LORD. When Abraham went into the tent of Hagar and went into her or knew her, this was their wedding celebration or when they become husband and wife. Likewise, when Isaac takes Rebekah into his mother's tent and enters her they are married. Sexual intercourse is what defines the two uniting into one flesh. This gets to be complicated then when you talk about PreMarital Sex, if sex establishes a marriage covenant or status in the eyes of God, then how can you have sex before it. PreMarital Sex is rather Marriage before you ...

There is a direct connection between what you believe and how you act. Many people think they can act one way and believe something different. But all they do is show how committed they are to their belief. Many of us may believe it is good to eat healthy and exercise, but we don't do it. We don't do it because we don't believe we have to be healthy to survive. But when does behavior trump or become equal to belief? Most of the time yes, it goes the other way. Listen to what I say and not what I do. This is because we are sinners and fall short of the glory of God. God challenges us to be holy as he is holy. God gives us the perfect example in Jesus Christ. But we know that we are not going to live up to that example. So I have my short falls, and you have yours. But when does it become look at what I do, because that is what I say! or am supposed to say! The words in the liturgy speak more truth, than the source of that teaching. Long has the church argued about which is m...