Christian Combatives

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In this Bible study we talked about:

00:00 Different Faiths: Mormons vs. Christianity

07:48 The Roman Catholic Perspective on Faith and Works

12:33 The Death Penalty Debate in Christianity

19:41 The Authority of Government and the Power of the Sword

22:01 Justice, Love, and the Death Penalty

24:04 Theological Debates on Capital Punishment

26:09 Understanding Suicide and Mental Illness

29:20 The State of Grace and Forgiveness

32:30 The Nature of Mental Illness and God's Love

34:56 Lessons from Joshua: Memorials and God's Miracles

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The Church Father regularly said this, and the Greek itself indicates that this is not the establishment of the papacy. Rather, this is talking about the keys of the kingdom, the authority to excommunicate/absolve, binding and loosing someone to/from their sin.

In this video I get into both of those things... but if you want a bunch of Church Father quotes, I'll paste a few below.

Let's get into it!

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“The warmth of our praises does not extend to Simon insofar as he was a catcher of fish; rather it extends to his firm faith, which is at the same time the foundation of the whole Church”

(Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335 - c. 394), Panegyric on St. Stephen, [PG 46.733]).

“Faith, then, is the foundation of the Church, for it was not said of Peter’s flesh, but of his faith, that ‘the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’ But his confession of faith conquered hell. And this confession did not shut out one heresy, for, since the Church like a good ship is often buffeted by many waves, the foundation of the Church should prevail against all heresies”

(Ambrose (c. 339 - 397), The Sacrament of the Incarnation of Our Lord 4.32-5.35, in The Fathers of the Church, vol. 44, p. 230-231).

“The prophets prepared, the apostles laid the foundations. Wherefore the Lord says to Peter: ‘Upon this rock I shall build my Church,’ that is, upon this confession of the catholic faith I shall establish the faithful in life”

(Ambrosiaster, Commentary on Ephesians, [PL 17.380]).

“Therefore He added this, ‘And I say unto thee, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church;’ that is, on the faith of his confession. Hereby He signifies that many were on the point of believing, and raises his spirit, and makes him a shepherd”

(John Chrysostom (c. 347 - 407 AD), Homilies on the Gospel of Saint Matthew, Homily 54.2-3).

“The rock is Christ, Who gave to His apostles, that they also should be called rocks, ‘Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church’”

(Jerome (c. 342 - 420), Commentary on Amos 6.12-13).

“Christ, you see, built his Church not on a man but on Peter’s confession. What is Peter’s confession? ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ There’s the rock for you, there’s the foundation, there’s where the Church has been built, which the gates of the underworld cannot conquer”

(Augustine (354 - 430), Sermons, Sermon 229P.1, in The Works of Saint Augustine, vol. III/6, p. 327).

“And upon this rock I will build my Church (Mt 16:17-18); not upon Peter, or Rocky, which is what you are, but upon the rock which you have confessed. I will build my Church though; I will build you, because in this answer of yours you represent the Church”

(Augustine (354 - 430), Sermons, Sermon 270.2, in The Works of Saint Augustine, vol. III/7, p. 289).

“Jesus said to divine Peter: ‘You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church.’ Now by the word ‘rock’, Jesus indicated, I think, the immoveable faith of the disciple”

(Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376 - 444), Commentary on Isaiah 4.2, [PG 70.940]).

“‘It will not be moved’ is said about the Church to which alone that promise has been given: ‘You are Peter and upon this rock I shall build my Church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.’ For the Church cannot be moved because it is known to have been founded on that most solid rock, namely, Christ the Lord”

(Cassiodorus (c. 485 - c. 585), Expositions in the Psalms, Psalm 45.5).

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What does the Bible say about relics? How should Christians handle remains and burial?

Let's get into it!

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In this Bible study we talked about:

00:00 Introduction to the Third Commandment and its significance

00:28 The Biblical and Jewish understanding of the Sabbath

02:20 Misinterpretations and abuses of the Sabbath in Jesus' time

05:32 The purpose of the Sabbath: Rest and Recovery

08:14 The Christian understanding of the Sabbath and Holy Days

11:12 The New Covenant and the spiritual rest in Christ

17:20 How to sanctify and keep the Holy Day in Christ

20:11 The role of God's Word in making a day holy

23:08 Relics, superstitions, and the true source of holiness

26:51 The danger of superficial religious practices

30:46 The importance of God's Word in daily life and worship

33:05 Rest as a gift from God and its connection to faith

35:23 The danger of neglecting God's Word and spiritual laziness

38:08 Conclusion: The true meaning of the Third Commandment and living holy in Christ

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Saw a bunch of questions on Facebook about innovating, reaching the unchurched, handling pastor shortage, dealing with multiple small congregations, adopting a megachurch model, etc. Thought it was worth going through them all. I will put all the questions in the post below in case any other pastor wants to answer too:

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I grew up in and left the ELCA over a decade ago now because of severe theological concerns. As such, I've long since moved on from my "cage state-y Exposing the ELCA" phase. I know that topics like abortion, women's ordination, immigration, etc. generate plenty of anger, which in turn generates plenty of engagement, which in turn generates plenty of algorithmic upvoting; but aren't there other things we can actively engage on?

At current rates of membership decline, the ELCA is projected to die in 25 years. The LCMS isn't far behind that. This post isn't saying "let's stop arguing theology" (theology is important), but it is asking "can't we focus on the looming existential threats a little more?"

I'd so much rather spend time on this group addressing questions like these:

1. What are innovative ways your church is engaging the unchurched?

2. How does Lutheran theology offer real hope to Millennials and Gen Z folks who have decided it isn't in church?

3. How can Lutherans engage the increasing diversity of the United States?

4. A flood of pastors is projected to retire in the next few years (already happening). What is your church doing to help raise up pastors beyond just saying "that's the Synod's job"?

5. What are the most God-honoring options for small Lutheran churches facing imminent closure? Selling off the building? Becoming a multi-site of a larger Lutheran church? Turning it into a bar or Arts center?

6. What do we think about multi-site ministry? The "megachurch" trend among Evangelicals has largely turned into multi-site since you lose the overhead costs of a huge building. Is it Biblically-sound, or of the Devil?

7. Some young people are leaving Evangelicalism for Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. Why aren't they finding Lutheranism? Why is it so hard to find us?

"

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Weekly or Monthly? Grape juice or wine? Open or closed? Does the pastor act like the dictator for communion practice? Or is he a servant to be directed by the congregation? This is what we discuss in this video featuring Rev Daniel Ross and Brother Matthew Gehne

Find more of Matthew Gehne here: https://www.instagram.com/matthew.gehne/ linktr.ee/matthew.gehne Let's get into it!

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

In this Bible study we talked about:

00:00 Introduction to the Third Commandment and its significance

00:28 The Biblical and Jewish understanding of the Sabbath

02:20 Misinterpretations and abuses of the Sabbath in Jesus' time

05:32 The purpose of the Sabbath: Rest and Recovery

08:14 The Christian understanding of the Sabbath and Holy Days

11:12 The New Covenant and the spiritual rest in Christ

17:20 How to sanctify and keep the Holy Day in Christ

20:11 The role of God's Word in making a day holy

23:08 Relics, superstitions, and the true source of holiness

26:51 The danger of superficial religious practices

30:46 The importance of God's Word in daily life and worship

33:05 Rest as a gift from God and its connection to faith

35:23 The danger of neglecting God's Word and spiritual laziness

38:08 Conclusion: The true meaning of the Third Commandment and living holy in Christ

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

In this Bible study we talked about:

00:00 What does it mean to take God's name in vain?

04:48 Common ways God's name is misused in society

09:50 The seriousness of misusing God's name and its consequences

16:32 Teaching children to honor God's name with joy and reverence

22:06 Practical ways to incorporate God's name in daily life

27:46 The power of calling on God's name in protection and prayer

30:29 Summary and encouragement to respect and use God's name rightly

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

In this Bible study we talked about:

00:00 Introduction to biblical warfare and God's justice

00:45 The story of Midian and the command to wipe out civilizations

02:31 Jesus' teaching on leading others to sin and God's harsh judgments

04:43 The importance of context in understanding God's commands

06:24 The morality of war and God's justice in the Old Testament

08:14 The mercy of God and the possibility of redemption for enemies

10:01 The horror of child sacrifice in ancient civilizations

11:42 The concept of God's justice versus human understanding

13:34 The inclusion of Gentiles and enemies into God's family

15:30 The importance of trusting God's wisdom and plan

17:20 The division of spoils and conquest in biblical history

19:12 The foreshadowing of future consequences in biblical narratives

21:10 The dangers of trying to outdo God's justice and mercy

23:02 The story of Jonah and God's mercy towards enemies

24:47 The importance of faith and trusting in God's plan

26:36 The sovereignty of God and human limitations

28:28 The future promises and warnings in the Bible

30:09 The legacy of biblical conquest and God's justice

31:58 The importance of understanding biblical history in context

32:44 Conclusion and encouragement to trust God's wisdom

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

In this Bible study we talked about:

00:00 How to conduct a service without a pastor using hymnal guidelines

02:19 Changes needed in the service of the sacrament without a pastor

03:51 Explanation of the first and second commandments and God's jealousy

06:22 The concept of God's wrath and love extending to generations

10:48 The danger of false teachings and traditions of men

14:20 Understanding the meaning of Matthew 7 about false prophets

18:03 The importance of genuine faith over outward appearances

21:39 The role of Scripture and the danger of church control over interpretation

26:31 God's promises of mercy versus the appearance of blessing in the world

30:27 Rejoicing in God's blessings and trusting His plan

32:26 The importance of gratitude and contentment in Christian life