“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 gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12). What was Mary Poppins’ main task? To teach emotionally distant parents how to love their children. And once she succeeded in a particular place, … Continue reading Mary Poppins on the Mission Field
“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
“Be strong, and show yourself a man, and keep the charge of the Lord your God…” (1 Kings 2:2-3), said old King David to his son Solomon, as he was about to pass the torch to the young man soon to become Israel’s greatest king. You have often heard about the slow decline of Christianity … Continue reading Muscular Christianity
“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
For all pastors, Lent is a busy season, not only because of extra Lenten services but also as we prepare for Easter. For me as a missionary pastor, it is no different, although one additional—and very joyful—Lenten task of mine this year is to prepare over a dozen Persians for Holy Baptism. In fact, we … Continue reading Dear Friends,
“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
Jesus says: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also” (Matthew 13:24-26). Almost every … Continue reading Wheat Among the Weeds
“[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
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
The Tiews in Germany 