It’s hard to overstate the influence a pastor can have on a church. Will the flock be offended by his arrogance or dishonesty or greed? Will the church’s members be discouraged by his laziness or misled by his false teaching? It’s no wonder that the Chief Shepherd of the church sends forth pastors with a single-minded focus on serving his sheep with his Word, whether they listen to it or not. After all, it’s only the Word of Christ that can lead his people to a heavenly victory over the powers of death and hell.

God mercifully causes his life-giving Word to go forth from person to person and from place to place. While the gospel certainly spreads when specific individuals travel to the far corners of the globe, it also spreads when his people stay put. That happens when God gives each of us a station in life in which we are surrounded by people and from which we have opportunities to share the good news of what God’s Son Jesus has done for us.

The Word of Christ has the power to forgive our sins. Though this forgiveness and our changed status before God are invisible realities, Christ ties his powerful, forgiving Word to things that are visible. In baptism, his Word is joined to water to wash away our sins. That forgiveness then shows itself as his Word produces fruit in our lives as we honor him with our words and actions.

Series: Usually the more powerful something is, the harder it is to control. Not so with God. After Jesus returned to heaven, God unleashed his power in the world through his Holy Spirit. At the same time, he tied up that power to his Word so that we would always know where we can find it and how we can use it.

Today: If God wanted to reach the lost, he could stretch out his hand and do it himself. Or his angels would be a good “Plan B.” Yet the Lord who has powerfully reached our hearts by the Spirit in the Word has given us that power to reach others. He gives us eyes to see the world around us as a ripe harvest field of souls. He gives us feet to go, hands to serve, and mouths to share his untethered power in the Word. In this way God accomplishes his gospel reach through us for the sake of many more.

Series: Usually the more powerful something is, the harder it is to control. Not so with God. After Jesus returned to heaven, God unleashed his power in the world through his Holy Spirit. At the same time, he tied up that power to his Word so that we would always know where we can find it and how we can use it.

Today: The more complicated something is, the more likely people are to avoid speaking of it. Why try to explain astrophysics or computer software to a three-year-old? Yet the triune God does the exact opposite with his divine nature. In the Scriptures God clearly communicates the majesty and mystery of the Trinity. Why? Not so that we would comprehend it with complete understanding but so that we would apprehend it with hearts of faith. The one eternal God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- makes himself known to each of us in order to bless us and keep us now and forever.

June 5, 2022 - Pastor Kurbis - Genesis 11 - "From Confusion to Clarity" - Pentecost Sunday by Living Savior

May 29, 2022 (Pastor Zell) Ascension Sermon by Living Savior

May 22, 2022 (Pastor Caleb Kurbis) Revelation 21:21-27 by Living Savior

May 15, 2022 (Pastor Paul Zell) by Living Savior

May 1, 2022 (Pastor Caleb Kurbis) John 21:1-14 (Devotion) by Living Savior