St. Paul wrote to the church in Corinth saying, "For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's Word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ" (2nd Corinthians 2:17). I, and all my brother pastors, get you when it comes to your sin. We...
God, through His servant St. Paul, spoke to the churches in Corinth saying, "So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love" 91st Corinthians 13:13). The Lutheran Confession assert this verse saying, "Yet one is not to imagine a kind of faith that can...
Luke 11:24-26 says, "24 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in...
Dr. Martin Luther, of blessed and holy memory, writes in Against the Heavenly Prophets saying, "I will here briefly recount these articles of the Christian Faith to which everyone is above all things to pay attention and hold fast. The first is the law of God, which is to be preached so...
In the Divine Service, right after corporate confession and before the Absolution is declared, the pastor says, "I, by virtue of my office, as a called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God unto all of you. And in the stead and by the command of my Lord, Jesus Christ, I...
St. Paul preached to the churches in Galatia saying, "For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' But if you...
In the Smalcald Articles, Dr. Martin Luther of blessed and holy memory, asserts the work of the external Word of God saying, "Accordingly, we should and must constantly maintain that God will not deal with us except through His external Word and sacrament. Whatever is attributed to the Spirit...
In the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 11, the criticism of the circumcision party against St. Peter is recorded. St. Peter responded to the accusation, "You went to the uncircumcised men and ate with them," by recalling the account of His vision and his meeting with Cornelius. Peter then replied...
Maybe it would've been good for Simon if Sir Paul McCartney would've been there singing, "Can't buy me love," when Simon offered to purchase the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the Acts of the Apostles records saying, "Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the...
The Second Commandment says, "You shall not misuse the Name of the Lord your God. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not curse, swear, use satanic arts, lie, or deceive by His Name, but call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks." God cares...