“Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession” (Psalm 2:8). If you had told Martin Luther that one day the Gospel would echo through his homeland—not in Latin or even German, but in Persian and Dari—would he have believed you? And yet, here we … Continue reading CALL TO ACTION
“And He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha” (John 19:17). A few years ago, Lula and I led a group of LCMS travelers on a wonderful trip though Israel and Jordan. Our hotel was located about a mile away from … Continue reading The Place of a Skull
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). Lula and I are currently in Gothenburg, Sweden, attending the faculty meeting of Riga Luther Academy’s “English stream,” in which we form our international students to become future pastors. … Continue reading To Be Safe
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). For the past few weeks, my Finnish missionary colleague and friend Rev. Pasi Palmu and I have been assisting two Persians requesting emergency church asylum here in Germany. One case ended well (see my last two posts), but, unfortunately, we … Continue reading The Lord is Near to the Brokenhearted
“Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies, you have prepared praise” (Mt 21:6). The Lord has answered our prayers, including those of the wife and four-year old daughter of our “tattoo man” (see last week’s post). Trinity Lutheran Church in Berlin, pastored by Rev. Dr. Gottfried Martens, has taken him in. After 3-4 … Continue reading Everything Points to Him
“[God the Father] disarmed the rulers and authorities [that is, Satan and his demons] and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in [Jesus Christ]” (Colossians 2:15). Yesterday my Finnish missionary colleague Rev. Pasi Palmu and I visited an Iranian couple here in Hamburg who are members of our church. Iranians are very … Continue reading Satan Disarmed
“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
The Tiews in Germany 