The Main Task of the Church

Since most of the Intrepids are taking a well-deserved day off on this holiday, I thought I'd let someone else do the work today. Below is a quote of the now-sainted Dr. Siegbert Becker, from his book, "Revelation: The Distant Triumph Song." I believe it speaks to the WELS today quite well about what our tasks need to be in these Last Days. Enjoy!

"The criticism of Sardis is needed especially in our time, when the visible Christian church has become very activistic and is engaged in many efforts to improve social and economic and political conditions in the world. The church may, because of this activism, appear to be a living force in the world. But often those efforts are linked with an indifference to doctrine and to the Lord's commandments in general. Works not motivated by the gospel are hardly complete before God. They lack the most necessary ingredient, love. And of what value are those works which God has not sanctioned or commanded?

The main task of the church is to preach the gospel in its truth and purity and to administer the sacraments according to the institution of Christ. (emphasis mine - Pastor Spencer) If this is neglected or if the gospel is obscured by all sorts of false teaching, the church may be busy day after day, from morning to night, but its works will never be complete in the sight of God because it is not doing the job God assigned to it." (pg.62,63)

Let us use the gift of liberty which God has granted us here in this nation to carry out and support the work of His Church so that His name may be hallowed and His kingdom come!

Pastor Spencer

Our Christian Patience Will Be Rewarded!

Contemplations on Romans 8:18-25

Practice makes perfect. In the life of a Christian we need both practice and patience. In fact, what we need most of all is practice at being patient! Practice at patience gives us hope, and hope keeps us in the faith until eternal life. Paul reminds us -

Romans 8:18-25 (New American Standard Bible)
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

Everything in this world is subject to death and destruction. Everything dies. Everything disappears eventually. Oh, it blooms for a short time, but then fades, withers, and dies. Nature often has a very gloomy appearance. There are plagues of sickness and famine, the fury of storms, and the destructive force of creatures, large and small. All this is due to the Fall into Sin. The Fall did not affect only Adam and Eve and all their descendants, it also affected the entire created universe.

We ourselves can see the pain and corruption that has been placed on the world because of sin. No matter where we turn, we realize that all of creation struggles against death and destruction. The trapped animal fights for freedom. Sick and aging creatures and those we kill for food cry out in pain and fear. Everywhere in nature we hear whining, and groaning, and sighing. Thus, we should know that even the creatures of this world long to be delivered from the misery of corruption.

Not only do creatures and all creation groan, but also we Believers, even though we possess the first fruits of the Spirit. We have in our hearts a part of heaven because the Holy Spirit lives there. Yet we too still groan. Why? Because we, like all else in all creation, are under the oppression of sin. Sin causes suffering, and we are not immune just because our sins have been forgiven and we are guaranteed a place in heaven. We aren't immediately whisked away into eternity the instant we are brought to faith. No, the vast majority of us must still live here in this world and carry out God's work. And as we live, the sufferings of our time here will affect us. We are not cold and lifeless stoics unaffected and unconcerned with pain and trouble. We are touched by suffering. We feel the pain of death, and so we groan inwardly - and often cry outwardly - as we too await the completion of our adoption as Sons of God.

We are Children of God, but our move into our heavenly mansion is not yet complete and finalized. It is still hidden in the shadow of the cross. Therefore we wait for that blessed hour when Christ will redeem also our bodies as He has our souls, and make it like His own glorious body!

Make no mistake - we are already saved; we already share in the salvation won for us by Jesus on His Cross. We have His promise that all who believe in Jesus Christ as God's Son and Savior – crucified, died, buried, and risen Lord will be saved. And so we have salvation – but salvation in hope, the hope of faith. Complete and total salvation, including the perfection of our bodies, lies off in the future yet – a week, a month, a year, or a second! Still, we believe it is ours. That, my friends, is hope. We don't yet possess it, but we know we have it!

We Christians are dependent upon hope, and therefore we are dependent on waiting. That's where patience comes in. While we wait we must bear up under the pains and problems, toils and troubles of this world. But because our hope is a sure and certain hope, we can be patient and content with our condition in life. Patience is part of our life of faith. And Paul reminds us that our sufferings here are only for the present short period of time. If we place the suffering of this life onto one side of a scale, and the future glory of heaven on the other side, the glory will far outweigh the suffering.

Yes, practice makes perfect. Paul would remind us that our patience will lead us to complete and eternal perfection. Therefore, let us practice patience. Let us look forward to our future glory even while struggling through our present pains. Rest assured, Our Christian Patience Will Be Rewarded! Amen.

Pastor Spencer

Stand With Us

If you haven't done so as of yet, please consider our request that you -

Stand With Us!

“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you” (Phil. 1:27-28a).

United in agreement under the Lutheran Book of Concord of 1580, and fully confident in this confession, we Lutherans stand, without fear, to face the issues which threaten our unity. We stand publicly. We stand, as members of WELS, in our own name. We stand to address divisive issues, and contend for the truth of Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions. And we invite you, dear brother, to stand with us.

In what do we invite you to join “with intrepid heart, willing to appear before the judgment seat of Christ?” To what do we ask you, with great consent, to subscribe your name? To the Biblical and Confessional contents of What We Believe. We are not asking you to subscribe to the contents of every post and comment that will appear on this blog.

Who is included in your consent and subscription? Only you. Not your family. Not your congregation. Not your calling body. By subscribing you only represent yourself, as an individual member of the WELS, and in no way represent any other individual or group of individuals.

What do we require of you, to seal your subscription? Your name, title, city and state of residence, and an email address at which we can contact you in an effort to verify your identity. Only your name, title, city and state will be added to the public list of subscribers.

Are you an Intrepid Lutheran? Then join us, and stand with us, for true confessional Lutheran unity in the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.

Please go to the "Stand With Us" page on this blog and -

Stand With Us!

Thank you!

Sectarian worship - in their own words

Here are a series of quotes from one of the most famous and influential sectarian worship leaders in America, Pastor Rick Warren. If you’re wondering what Church Growth theology looks like, here it is! His reasoning is echoed to one degree or another by some in WELS who insist that “we have to rethink the way we do church.”

“We want to loosen up the tense muscles of uptight visitors. When your body is relaxed, your attitude is less defensive” (Rick Warren. The Purpose Driven Church. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995, p.256).

And a less defensive attitude makes conversion “easier.” An “aid” to the Means of Grace. False doctrine!

So a casual atmosphere must be created, because formality is intimidating and doesn’t allow a person to “loosen up in God’s presence.”

“Worship is a powerful witness to unbelievers if God’s presence is felt and if the message is understandable…God’s presence must be sensed in the service. More people are won to Christ by feeling God’s presence than by all our apologetic arguments combined. Few people, if any, are converted to Christ on purely intellectual grounds. It is the sense of God’s presence that melts the heart and explodes mental barriers” (Warren, p. 241-242).

So the musical style must be relevant enough to the participants and upbeat enough to bring God’s presence into the room and open unbelievers’ hearts to the power of the gospel. “Feeling God’s presence” is an essential part of the “Arminian/Pentecostal Means of Grace.” False doctrine!

“It is my deep conviction that anybody can be won to Christ if you discover the key to his or her heart…The most likely place to start (looking for the key) is with the person’s felt needs” (Warren, p.219).

Man’s heart is not dead in sin, by nature, so it just needs to be unlocked, not with the “Keys of the Kingdom” that Jesus talked about, but by addressing the person’s felt needs. False doctrine!

So the Lectionary and the Church Year are abandoned, because topical series are better able to address people's felt needs. (The Lectionary assumes that all people have common needs caused by common sin, and a common solution in Christ, brought to all in common by the Means of Grace.)

“There are some types of people your church will never reach, because they require a completely different style of ministry than you can provide” (Warren, p.174).

The style of your ministry is the key to saving the lost. The Means of Grace depends on the right style in order to be powerful and effective, living and active. False doctrine!

“The style of music you choose to use in your service will be one of the most critical (and controversial) decisions you make in the life of your church. It may also be the most influential factor in determining who your church reaches for Christ and whether or not your church grows. You must match your music to the kind of people God wants your church to reach. The music you use positions your church in your community…It will determine the kind of people you attract, the kind of people you keep, and the kind of people you lose. If you were to tell me the kind of music you are currently using in your services, I could describe the kind of people you are reaching without even visiting your church. I could also tell you the kind of people your church will never reach” (Warren, p. 280-281).

This is Church Growth theology in its purest form. Conversion depends on style. Right style = success. Wrong style = failure. False doctrine!

“Explosive growth only occurs when the type of people in the community match the type of people that are already in the church, and they both match the type of person the pastor is” (Warren, p.177).

Not the Means of Grace, but the right kind of people and the right kind of pastor will reach the right kind of people. False doctrine!

“Today’s most effective worship songs are love songs sung directly to God. This is biblical worship. We are told at least seventeen times in Scripture to sing to the Lord. In contrast, most hymns are sung about God. The strength of many contemporary worship songs is that they are God-centered, rather than man-centered” (Warren, p.289).

"I receive notes that say, 'I loved the worship today. I got a lot out of it.' It isn’t for our benefit! When we worship, our goal is to bring pleasure to God, not ourselves…Bringing pleasure to God is called worship.” (Rhoda Tse. ”Rick Warren’s Secrets of Worship.” ).

“Worship is from believers to God. We magnify God’s name in worship by expressing our love and commitment to Him. God is the consumer of worship.” (Rick Warren. “First-Person: The Evangelistic Power of Worship.”).

What Warren means by “God-centered” is that the songs express man’s feelings about God, rather than God’s gracious acts toward men. What he means by “man-centered” is that man is on the receiving end of God’s saving acts.

So for Warren and the sectarians in general, worship ought to be man’s gift to God, entirely (or certainly mostly) “sacrificial” rather than “sacramental.” Man gives, God receives. Man is active, God is passive. Man works, God enjoys. Man expresses his love for God, God revels in man’s great love for him.

Notice how this is a complete reversal of the Lutheran view of the Divine Service (worship), where God is the primary actor and man is primarily on the receiving end. Lutherans call this “God-centered,” because although man is doing the singing, speaking, and administering, what is it, in the Lutheran Divine Service, that man is singing, speaking and administering? The Word of Christ – God’s saving acts in favor of mankind. In Lutheran worship, a believer’s praise includes a proclamation of God’s saving acts, and when a believer proclaims God’s saving acts and receives God's gifts in faith, God is praised! (Praise is proclamation, proclamation is praise.)

This is why we call sectarian worship “man-centered,” because instead of focusing on God’s saving acts, it focuses on man’s thoughts, feelings and actions.

If Lutherans think they can innocently imbibe the practices of the sects without also drinking in the reasons behind their practices, they are sorely mistaken. This is precisely the sheep's clothing that allows the wolf to enter through the gate.

So if you see any books or Bible studies by Rick Warren in your church library, you should first ask your pastor (kindly), “Pastor, why is this here in our church?” Give him a chance to explain. If he says, “You have to know your enemy in order to defeat him,” or “We’re collecting materials to burn in case the heater goes down,” or something like that, then breathe a sigh of relief.

If he says anything like, “There’s lots of good material in there,” or "The benefits outweigh the risks," or “We can learn some valuable strategies” from Rick Warren, then you should (more forcefully) say to your pastor, “Pastor, we called you as our shepherd to protect us from the wolf, not to invite him into our fold. Please remove this immediately. How about something from Chemnitz or Luther instead?”