Martin Chemnitz Press

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Edition of Liberalism: Its Cause and Cure

The current books can all be found on the author's Amazon page.
Click the link on the Amazon page "to follow" for future publications.


Lulu books by Gregory Jackson, to be moved to Amazon, can be found here.
I wrote earlier about Liberalism: Its Cause and Cure. Readers have heard many times over that no one dare raise an issue unless it is face-to-face. But Valleskey and Bivens hated my work so much - not that they ever told me -  that they threatened an independent book publisher if he printed Angel Joy.
This printer and seller of books, including the Valleskey/Bivens book, said, "I have to feed my family. I cannot publish your book." He then repeatedly refused to give me back the photos for Angel Joy, even though he was the one who solicited me for books he could publish and sell.

The only public reference Valleskey made  to me was in his icky Church Growth promotional article in the Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly. He argued that one could harvest figs from thistles, that Fuller dogma was like rich gold, silver, and jewels - good for the stealing. There he was suspiciously flattering, as the Apostle warned in 

Romans 16:18 

For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.




By the way, I challenged Valleskey's awful WLQ essay when he gave it, sought to talk to him about his study at Fuller Seminary - which he denied and later confirmed. I also sat next to Valleskey at supper, but another CG fanatic, now an avowed atheist, made sure I could not say anything.

I also talked to John (Sparky) Brenner about the false claims of the article. He said, "Write a letter." I said, rather heatedly, "Does the faculty support these falsehoods? Are there any editorial standards?" Brenner's wife looked at me like, "How dare you speak to my professor husband!"

In spite of the obstacles created by the WELS Church Growthers, the book came out eventually and sold like beer at a WELS convention.



Here is the Table of Contents - 

Introduction                                                                     7
Chapter One: Decline Of The Mainline Churches
-                                                                                                 9
The Merry Widow Waltz                                                            9
Reimarus: Liberal Hero                                                             11
Historical-Critical Method                                                        13
Yale and the Progress of Higher Criticism                                15
Benjamin Bacon                                                                       15
The New Scholarship at Yale                                                    16
Educational Victories                                                                21
Pietistic Bridge                                                                         22
The Fruit                                                                                   25
Chapter Two: Merger Mania:                          28
Becoming Unitarian                                                                  28
A Little Unitarian History                                                         32
Apostasy through Merger                                                          36
Unionism                                                                                  38
ELCA Doctrines, Shared with Mainline Churches                    39
Merger Works                                                                           40
Mainline Churches, Home Missions for the Unitarians             41
Gradualism                                                                               43
Chapter Three: The Mainline Churches And
Evolution                                                                          46
Another Approach to Evolution                                                51
Darwin, Theologian and Scientist                                             52
The Earthworm, Darwin's Nemesis                                           53
Purpose                                                                                     54
Compost                                                                                   58
Why?                                                                                        60
For the Believer                                                                        61
Mainline Malaise                                                                      61

        Creation                                                                              62
        Devolution                                                                          64
Chapter Four: Charismatics Are Liberals                                                                                                  68
          A LITTLE HISTORY                                                        70
        Revivalism                                                                          70
         Pentecostalism                                                                    71
          Charismatic Renewal                                                         72
               DOCTRINAL ERRORS OF THE CHARISMATICS    75
             Confusion about the Two Natures in Christ                     75
         Two Baptisms                                                                     76
              Unscriptural Practices concerning Tongues                     79
           Women in Leadership Roles                                             81
          Theology of the Cross                                                        82
            CHARACTERISTICS SHARED                                     83
             BY LIBERALS AND CHARISMATICS                        83
        Subjectivity                                                                         83
             Ecumenism, Unionism by Another Name                        84
               New Revelations Transmitted through the Emotions      85
          Ordination of Women                                                        87
                       Ill-educated Clergy: Rote Memory of Dogma, Shallow Dogmatism                                            88
         Excommunication                                                              91
          Work Righteousness                                                          92
         Political Power                                                                   93
Chapter Five: Defending Morality                98
              MATERIAL FALLACIES OF RELEVANCE                98
            The ad hominem (against the man)                                   98
           The tu quoque (and you too)                                           100
            The ad populum (to the people)                                      100
            The ad verecundiam (out of respect)                              101
             The ad ignorantiam (pleading ignorance)                       102
          The fallacy of accidence                                                  102
             Ignoratio elenchi (changing the subject)                        103
           Ad baculum (appeal to force)                                          103
           Ad misericordiam (sympathy)                                         104
        MATERIAL FALLACIES OF INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE                                                         105
Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc (after this, therefore because of this)                                                            105
             Petitio principii (begging the question)                          105
        Opposition                                                                        106
         Special pleading                                                               107
          Hasty generalization                                                        107
            FALLACIES OF AMBIGUITY                                     108
Equivocation                                                                           108
OTHER FALLACIES                                                             110
Slippery Slope                                                                        110
False dilemma                                                                         111
Two wrongs/common practice                                                111
RULES OF ENGAGEMENT                                                 112
Chapter Six: The Cure                                         116
EVANGELISM                                                                      127
PIETISM                                                                                127
Unionism                                                                                128
Results! Results!                                                                     129
Cell Groups                                                                            131
APPLICATION                                                                      132
A NEW APPROACH                                                             135
Books To Buy and Study
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 Herman Otten's secret agent, Paul McCain,
reviewed  Liberalism favorably in  Christian News,
but some might want to purchase it anyway.

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Moving Books to Amazon - Kindle


The interior has been set up for The Story of Jesus in Pictures, which is now at Lulu.com. Norma Boeckler wanted to produce a book for children, which was made up of illustrations about Jesus.

The cover is being finished, so we are not far from completion.



Next is Thy Strong Word, The Efficacy of the Word in the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions.

This is being proof-read, but also ordered time after time from Lulu, even as we speak.

The original was published in 2000, as I recall. I would have to find an original to check the date, but I may have given  that one away.  Yes, on purpose.

The original used a lot of text in Hebrew and Greek, which I thought was useful for clergy. However, the laity were the ones reading it and they found all the material they could not read a problem.

So - despite all the shunning and refusal to give any coverage to this 700 page book - people are requesting it more than any other, 16 years later.



Book Publishing History
My dissertation was published by the Augustana Historical Society. I finished the PhD in 1982.

I also had an essay or two published in a book, from a conference on aging that Mrs. Ichabod and I attended in Atlanta, about 1978.

I wrote a series of essays for Christian News, explaining how apostasy developed in America. He suggested it for Northwestern Publishing House, and they accepted it. NPH may have been the last bastion of Lutheran doctrine  in WELS at that time. Publishing was delayed, and when Liberalism: Its Cause and Cure came out, the Church Growth faction exploded in anger.

The irony is that I delayed writing the last chapter, which became The Cure chapter, about the Means of Grace versus the Church Growth Movement. Once I gave The Cure paper at a WELS pastoral conference, with the drama queens fainting and throwing tantrums, I knew that was the definitive last chapter.

DP Bob Mueller traveled down to Columbus with the stated purpose of getting rid of me. The only doctrine he ever opposed was Lutheran doctrine, although one council member forced him to agree that I did my job well and taught correctly. Tis a burden to live a life of lies. No wonder so many WELS DPs, CPs, and clergy are hopeless drunks.

Norma Boeckler designed the cover for
Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant - Lulu.


NPH accepted Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant for publication, but wrote me a snotty letter about not printing it until I "changed my attitude." I did not change my attitude: I remained Lutheran.

But Liberalism sold like hotcakes, enraging the WELS honchos who still maintained Church Growth did not exist in WELS. Wayne Mueller, the father of the transvestite pastor in Arizona, was the WELS leader who published the claim that WELS had no CG, but if it did, it was in harmony with the Scriptures. My new versions would be, "There are no transvestite pastors in WELS, but if there are, they are perfectly normal."

So I left WELS, resigning in disgust, a great move. My wife was uninsurable, but we found medical insurance for her, one time after another.

That was when I began to self-publish through Herman Otten's publisher, then Lulu. Pastor Otten's son Tim was a great help with

Norma Boeckler loves
to design Christian art,
and her Facebook fanbase is unlimited.


Switching to Lulu meant I also received a lot of artistic help from Norma Boeckler. That continues to be a great boon in every way possible. I do not have to worry about template-looking covers. Norma designs them.

Norma Boeckler began using Create Space, publishing several of her books on that Amazon-Kindle platform.

I enjoy using a desktop with a large screen, but most people are mobile and like having a library on their devices. For that reason, when I began to use Kindle versions for gardening articles, I decided to start publishing with Create Space and move everything over, in time, to that platform.

Communication without the Rottweilers Blocking
This could be a Litany for a service for leaving the established Lutheran sects, named These Are the Last Days of an Insane, Old Word:

  • The ELCA is Scriptural and Confessional, marking __ years of grace.

Lord, have mercy.

  • The LCMS is Scriptural and Confessional, marking __ years of grace.

Lord, have mercy.

  • The WELS is Scriptural and Confessional, marking __ years of grace.

Lord, have mercy.

  • The Little Sect is Scriptural and Confessional, marking __ years of grace.

Lord, have mercy.

  • The CLC (sic) is Scriptural and Confessional, marking __ years of grace.

Come Lord Jesus.
I am coming soon.

The Rottweilers, known more for their vicious nature than their intelligence, make sure only their boys and girls are in charge. They promote the work of their own circle with steroidal joy and energy, but watch carefully lest anyone else have a say, obtain a position, or even publish a book or article.

Major scandals in Lutherdom are either spiked completely by Christian News or deep-sixed on page 17. As far as I know, WELS is the first denomination to have the FBI raid its headquarters and collect the computers. Did anyone read that story anywhere but here?

Likewise, a publication, in the old days, was nothing if no distribution was available. By controlling distribution, and even by blocking it, the established synods control the message.

The Rottweilers also control friendships, using one man or one member to keep a pastor from doing anything -

  • Friendly suggestions.
  • Threats, sometimes disguised as friendly suggestions.
  • Tearing up the congregation with invented conflict.

"Don't be afraid, big doggie,
it's only a blog."

The Social Media and Self-Publishing
Blogging, Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, YouTube, Ustream, and self-publishing are a giant chip shot above the heads of those who guard the net. (Tennis allusion)

The old synodicals move at the pace of Jobba the Hut, clamping down on this, putting the happy face on the latest felony. Meanwhile, news moves faster than beer at a WELS convention, faster than self-congratulations at a Missouri gathering, faster than self-serving condemnations at a CLC (sic) fest.

Lutheran clergy, teachers, and laity - no one is your master now. You are not confined to a location for worship. You can enjoy a vast library of genuine Lutheran books from the Net, from Luther's sermons to the entire Book of Concord. Cost is no issue.

Martin Luther started with the truth of the Scriptures and let them control the agenda. He did not begin with this thought, which paralyses so many "Will my synod approve?"



Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Printed Copies of Making Disciples: The Error of Modern Pietism Are Arriving

The cover by Norma Boeckler
emphasizes the Means of Grace in the KJV
versus the anti-Means of Grace language of the NIV.

The Kindle price for Making Disciples is only $3,99. Kindle Unlimited is $0 for now.

Quite a few people have requested multiple copies of  Making Disciples as a printed booklet. If you send your name, address, and number needed, I will send them to you free - or at the author's price of $2 or so. Some people have given gifts to get them distributed for free, so do not hesitate to ask.

bethanylutheranworship@gmail.com

I order them as soon as the request comes through.

Contents


The Great Commission in Various Translations. 10

Teach All Nations. 10

KJV. 10

KJV 21st Century. 10

Geneva English Bible. 10

Luther’s German Bible 1545. 10

Vulgate Latin. 10

Douay-Rheims, Roman Catholic, 1899. 11

Make Disciples. 11

New KJV. 11

English Standard Version. 11

New NIV. 11

Good News Translation. 11

The Message, also known as the Surfer Dude Version. 12

Fuller Seminary – The New Mother Ship for Rationalistic Pietism... 15

Lower Criticism Paved the Way for Dynamic Equivalency, Paraphrases Marketed as Translations. 21

The Rules. 21

The Shorter Reading Is Preferred. 22

The More Difficult Reading Is Preferred. 22

When in Doubt, Favor Tradition. 23

Example, Textual Work – The Ending of Mark’s Gospel, Removed. 24

The Aland edition of the New Testament. 25

Eugene Nida Took Away the Precise Translation Method of the KJV. 28

Tyndale Studied under Luther and Melanchthon. 29

Tyndale, Luther, and Melanchthon. 29

All English Bibles Begin with Tyndale. 30

Horrible Corruptions by the New NIV Living Paraphrase. 33

Genesis 4:1. 33

Isaiah 7:13-14. 33

Matthew 26:28. 34

Matthew 28:18-20. 35

Mark 16:8-20. 35

The Great Commission – Subverted by the Modern Pietists. 40

The Great Commission To Form Cell Groups. 41

Object of the Verb To Teach. 41

Objection – Teach Used Twice. 42

A Disciple Is Not a Soul-Winner, Simply a Pupil 42

The Verb in Matthew Is Not a Good Argument for Making Disciples. 42

King James 21st Century - KJV21. 44

KJV21 Readings and Explanations. 44



No Need for Another Translation. 45

Friday, January 29, 2016

Lutheran Resources - Martin Luther Sermons, Book of Concord Selections, Martin Chemnitz Press, Pastor Paul Rydecki Publications

Luther's Sermons, Book of Concord selections,Lutheran books, Free PDFs, Pastor Paul Rydecki Publications,Martin Chemnitz Press.



Lutheran Resources - Posted on Ichabod

Melanchthon's Book of Concord Work

The Augsburg Confession, Book of Concord

Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Book of Concord

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Martin Luther

Luther - Sermons  - Lenker Edition

Luther - Small Catechism, Book of Concord

Luther - Large Catechism, Book of Concord

Luther - The Smalcald Articles, Book of Concord

Luther - Galatians Commentary, Recommended by the Formula of Concord

Luther - Preface to Romans - Also Called - Introduction to the Romans Commentary

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F. Bente's Historical Introductions

Complete Text of Bente's Historical Introductions in One File

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The Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration

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Martin Chemnitz Press Books - Free PDF downloads

Liberalism: Its Cause and Cure

Jesus Priceless Treasure

Angel Joy

The Story of Jesus in Pictures, In Color

Coloring Book - The Story of Jesus in Pictures

Luther versus the UOJ Pietists: Justification by Faith 

Jesus Lord of Creation 

The Wormhaven Gardening Book 

Thy Strong Word - English only edition 

Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant 

Discussion Guide for Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant

College Students - Tips for Success

Moline High School 1966 - The Class the Stars Fell On

To Order from Lulu.com

Purchase MCP printed books from Lulu.com here

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F. W. Stellhorn's family came across the Atlantic with the Bishop Stephan migration.
L. Fuerbringer mentions him as a Missouri Synod teacher in his memoirs.


From Bruce Church - The Error of Missouri and Lutheran Seminary Costs

Various Formats - The Error of Missouri


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H. Schmid - Doctrinal Theology of the Evangelical Lutheran Church

Text Version of Doctrinal Theology - Perfect for Copy and Paste

HTML Version of Doctrinal Theology - Webpage friendly

Another PDF of Doctrinal Theology

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This is a zipped folder of all the hymn texts from The Lutheran Hymnal - from the Wittenberg Project

Here are Lutheran Reformation hymn resources.

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Order from Amazon.

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Project Wittenberg - Texts about Luther and Other Lutherans

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Pastor Paul Rydecki is actively translating essential Lutheran materials.
Check out the link below.
Pastor Paul Rydecki's books and links to his stand on justification by faith are here.

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Twelfth Sunday after Trinity 2015

Dahlia from Norma Boeckler's garden

The Twelfth Sunday after Trinity. 2015


Pastor Gregory L. Jackson




The Hymn #
 376                                Rock of Ages              
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual       
The Gospel              
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed             p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #123                             Our God Our Help             

False Assumptions from False Teachers and Our Old Adam


The Communion Hymn #304                    An Awful Mystery             
The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #315                                I Come O Savior To Thy Table                                 

KJV 2 Corinthians 3:4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. 7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: 8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? 9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. 10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. 11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.

KJV Mark 7:31 And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. 32 And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. 33 And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; 34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. 35 And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. 36 And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; 37 And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.

Twelfth Sunday After Trinity

Almighty and everlasting God, who hast created all things: We thank Thee that Thou hast given us sound bodies, and hast graciously preserved our tongues and other members from the power of the adversary: We beseech Thee, grant us Thy grace, that we may rightly use our ears and tongues; help us to hear Thy word diligently and devoutly, and with our tongues so to praise and magnify Thy grace, that no one shall be offended by our words, but that all may be edified thereby, through Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.



Norma Boeckler's front garden is a mass of color and happy insects at work.

False Assumptions from False Teachers and Our Old Adam

KJV 2 Corinthians 3:4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: 

People like to knock the KJV, because they have never read it with appreciation - or never read it at all. This opening statement is so concise and beautiful in its expression. Our trust rests in God through Christ, but this phrasing is even better. When compound words are looked at separately, they make more sense - trust toward God, God-ward. The mediating influence is Christ, because the Gospel is Jesus the Son of God dying for our sins. The cross creates and encourages trust in the loving mercy of God the Father.

Whenever we read 2 Corinthians, we should keep in mind Paul's reaction to the false teachers who invaded after Paul established the Christian Faith there. This always happens, as soon as the Gospel takes root. The false teachers see this and look for opportunities to scandalize the new believers and take them away. Scandalize is a good word to use, because it comes from the trigger in the trap in the Greek language. When the animal - or man - touches the skandalon, the trap closes.

So everything in 2 Corinthians is either addressing false teachers or providing God's doctrine against them. We can see this in the lesson for today.

False teachers preach themselves and not God, but genuine teachers preach God and Christ crucified. False teachers are alike in many ways, throughout the ages. The librarians of doctrine like to have 187 categories to use, so they can argue about which category fits best, but the same errors keep repeating themselves and they come from the same type of people.

They attack:
  1. The humanity of Christ.
  2. The divinity of Christ.
  3. Justification by faith.
5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; 

This is Paul's clear statement about the efficacy of the Word. Lacking that doctrine, a teacher is always going to argue for his own personality or perhaps the visible institution. On the Protestant side, there is that game played with flirting with the audience, playing up to their base instincts, and making them dependent on the thrill fixes they get from watching the motivational speaker. On the Roman Catholic side - "The Church of Rome is the oldest, the biggest, the best..."

The false teachers plaguing the Corinthians were praising themselves and attacking Paul, but Paul did not defend himself. He defended God's work in the Word - our sufficiency is of God. Literally - our sufficiency of God - the verb is dropped for emphasis. That is like saying - The trouble with Notre Dame football? - defense.

For those used to the concept of Creation, sufficiency from God is giving honor where it is due, but that is alien to our culture. The efficacy of the Word has hardly been taught since the growth of the evolution concept. Man determines his destiny and all things are designed and managed by man.

I went outside to photograph Norma Boeckler's flowers in her front yard. I bent over to look at the insects flitting about. The bees were obvious from a distance, but close up with ichneumon wasps and hover flies, both designed by God to get rid of pests by answering the the call of alarm from damaged flowers and laying their eggs in or near the pest.  Where these plants in distress? Perhaps not, but they provide  nectar and pollen between those times of egg laying. Some - like ladybugs - eat pests in the adult and larva stages. Others only attack pests when growing up.
A constant display of flowers, wildflowers, herbs, and weeds will keep all the beneficial insects happy between rescue missions. 

If I could grasp how many beneficial insects work at once, I would have an inkling of God's design. This is like saying "there are fish in the ocean" but it is an improvement over not knowing what the tiny ones are are doing - and why. That is only one tiny slice of Creation on display in every garden. If not, we would all starve.

6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. 

God makes us able - not the institution, not the personality. One might say - God has made us able servants of the Testament He gave us - that He would make us His own by providing His Son as our Savior. He gave us the Gospel we did not look for, which Paul knew so well. In the Old Testament, God made Israel His people and revealed Himself to them, laying the groundwork for the open era of Christianity. All the Gospel Promises of the Old Testament are also Gospel and many believed in the Savior through them.

Luther distinguished between believing in the Savior to come, and being justified, and believing in the Savior revealed to us - the New Testament.

False teachers always offer the Law, and salvation through works. Inevitably they must praise themselves or the source of their new law. Sometimes it is self-esteem law. At other times it is loyalty to an institution. Man never tires of law and likes it even more when it is called "new." Itching ears like something new, even if it is a retread of something very old and tiresome.

The Gospel gives life while the Law only offers condemnation and death.

7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: 

This is an argument from the lesser to the greater, which was common in Judaism and is still used today. Swedes coming to America thought Lindsborg (nicknamed Little Sweden) was a great city, since many were aiming for that little town. When they landed in New York City, they said, "If this is NYC, what must Lindsborg be like?"

So if the ministration of death was so glorious that the Israelites could not look at the face of Moses, how much greater is the ministration of eternal life?

The false teachers like to mock modest churches and rented rooms for chapel services. Jesus was born in a make-shift motel room, rented by Joseph, and the Last Supper took place in another rented room, arranged by Jesus. It is as if God was saying, the Gospel is first, not the furnishings.

Those ministers who say, "I only have a tiny congregation" or "I only work in a tiny town, far from the center of action" - they are demeaning the work of the Spirit in the Word. That may not appeal to the ego, but those receiving the Gospel of forgiveness and the comfort of God's love are not so sure that matters.

Glamour boys like to flaunt their celebrity, who gets to see them - except their staff - and who visits people in their homes - the staff, at best, most likely no one.

But people look around and say, "I want that big fancy church and all the pleasant associations with it." That appeals to the Old Adam in the minister and the congregation, and yet they always want more and seek more, often falling into death traps because of that.

Wherever the Gospel is preached, eternal life springs up. That is God's doing, only the teacher needs to be faithful to God's Word and not consumed with man's opinion.

8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? 9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.

Notice the ministration of righteousness. One of the desert fathers said, "We lay down the light yoke of justification by faith and  pick up a heavy yoke when we justify ourselves." How much of our conversation is self-justification?  That is teaching man-made law, and the letter kills. If someone is guilty of one infraction, all the claims mean nothing.

The ministration of righteousness is what God has done for us through Christ, so our trust through Christ is God-ward. The wrath of the Law is taken away and we know we are beloved children, brothers of Christ, in Him as believers, and knowing He is in us.

Holy Baptism is a great sacrament to witness, because it is God's seal and promise. Adults are baptized because they believe in the Gospel and desire the sacrament God has offered, just as they desire Holy Communion.

The skeptics demean the Sacraments as the visible Word, but believers appreciate the power of the Word to fulfill God's Promises.

If someone wants to know how to remain in God's little flock, the most direct instruments are - 
  • The Word of God - worship and study.
  • Holy Communion.
  • Being mindful of one's baptism and what that means.
10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. 11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.

51. There is also especial comfort to be derived from Paul’s assertion that the “ministration,” or doctrine, of the Law “passeth away”; for otherwise there would be naught but eternal condemnation. The doctrine of the Law “passes away” when the preaching of the Gospel of Christ finds place. To Christ, Moses shall yield, that he alone may hold sway. Moses shall not terrify the conscience of the believer. When, perceiving the glory of Moses, the conscience trembles and despairs before God’s wrath, then it is time for Christ’s glory to shine with its gracious, comforting light into the heart.

Then can the heart endure Moses and Elijah. For the glory of the Law, or the unveiled face of Moses, shall shine only until man is humbled and driven to desire the blessed countenance of Christ. If you come to Christ, you shall no longer hear Moses to your fright and terror; you shall hear him as one who remains servant to the Lord Christ, leaving the solace and the joy of his countenance unobscured. In conclusion: “For verily that which hath been made glorious hath not been made glorious in this respect, by reason of the glory that surpasseth.”

52. The meaning here is; When the glory and holiness of Christ, revealed through the preaching of the Gospel, is rightly perceived then the glory of the Law — which is but a feeble and transitory glory — is seen to be not really glorious. It is mere dark clouds in contrast to the light of Christ shining to lead us out of sin, death and hell unto God and eternal life.