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
“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
“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?
“So the tribune came and said to [the Apostle Paul], ‘Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?’ And he said, ‘Yes.’ The tribune answered, ‘I bought this citizenship for a large sum.’ Paul said, ‘But I am a citizen by birth’” (Acts 22:27-28). I recently accompanied one of our Iranian Lutherans, “Ali,” to his immigration … Continue reading Why Do Christians Say He Is God?
“If we say we have fellowship with [the Father] while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John … Continue reading Symbols of Dark Forces
“And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues” (1 Corinthians 12:28). In the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod we are not only blessed with hundreds of thousands of laywomen who do so much to keep our churches going, but … Continue reading Workers in His Kingdom
Jesus says, “Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to all creation” (Mk 16:15). I recently visited our Iranian congregant Mohammad who is still in a mental facility (see my post from Aug 30, 2024), yet making good use of his time there witnessing to Persian patients. Mohammad introduced me to a young … Continue reading He Has the Words of Eternal Life
The Tiews in Germany 