In 1530, Lutheran theologian Philipp Melanchthon wrote: “Our [Lutheran] churches teach that people cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works. People are freely justified for Christ’s sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor and that their sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake. By his death, … Continue reading Justified Through Faith
Road signs help us stay on the straight and narrow—and keep us from running off the road. As we roll into March, Lula and I are grateful for the LCMS “road signs” that help us prioritize our daily activities. Most importantly, we missionaries attempt to “Plant, sustain, and revitalize Lutheran churches,” which I strive to … Continue reading Dear Friends and Supporters,
“And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will … Continue reading It Is True!
Jesus Christ says: “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Mt 22:21). Last week in our baptismal class at Zion Lutheran Church, Hamburg, I explained to our Persian immigrants the Christian “Doctrine of Two Kingdoms.” According to the Bible verse above, God has created two … Continue reading The Two Kingdoms
Jesus Christ says: “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life” (Mt 19:29). A while back, I was reviewing the basics of Christianity with a young Iranian man preparing for his asylum … Continue reading Why Are You Talking about Jesus?
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). At the end of last Sunday’s baptismal class, I asked our Persian catechumens whether they had any questions. One Iranian fellow, about 20 years old and who has been living here in Germany for … Continue reading Still Five Minutes to Play
[Jesus said:] “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment” (John 7:24). Every so often, I travel to Wolfsburg (about three hours away from Hamburg by train) to fill in because of a pastoral vacancy. Sadly, Germany’s rail system has become notoriously unpunctual (a relatively new phenomenon—unheard of up to the 1990s…) and … Continue reading Do Not Judge by Appearances
[Jesus said:] “Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name’” (Matthew 6:9). I recently met with one of our young Persian congregants. He works seven days a week and can only occasionally come to church but wants to stay in touch. He asked whether we might go to KFC, which we … Continue reading No Compass Required
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Last week we talked about how important it is for Christians to mature in their understanding of the Christian … Continue reading To the Ends of the World-Farsi Bible Study
“Solid [spiritual] food is for the mature, for…discernment…” (Hebrews 5:14). “Mohammad” is one of our best catechized Persian Lutherans. “I met some very interesting people the other day,” he recently told me. “Two young Americans, maybe 18 or 19 years old. But I have some questions…” “Tell me about them,” I offered. “I was riding … Continue reading Isn’t Salvation a Free Gift?
The Tiews in Germany 