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Offering our firstfruits recognizes and reflects the giving nature of our God. Page 10

September 2019

Giving back to God

God’s gifts, our givingFirst things firstAaron L. Christie

Walk by the SpiritDissensions and factions createroadblocks along the Christian way. John A. Braun

Confessions of faithThe Holy Spirit worked saving faith in a Korean family.Mark A. Eckert

Heart to heart: Parent conversationsAre we modeling kindness for our children?

Ambassadors: Let them see JesusKnowing when to say whenJonathan P. Bilitz  

Ambassadors: How I shared JesusYour stories of outreach

Returning by the power of GodA native Paraguayan finds motivation from the gospel. Rachel Hartman

Digging for insightsArchaeology can teach us, but itneeds to be kept in perspective.Thomas D. Kock

FEATURES

September 2013 3

TABLE OF CONTENTS

September 2019 3PHOTO: UPSPLASH

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Whether they are called workers or lay volunteers, Lutheran leaders are responsible for understanding how to apply God’s unchanging Word to a changing culture. Open to all, the National Conference on Lutheran Leadership offers dozens of special presentations and collaborative opportunities to train and support WELS pastors, staff ministers, teachers, church presidents, committee members, and others in this mission.

Visit lutheranleadership.com.

VOLUME 106, NUMBER 9

May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us nor forsake us.—1 KINGS 8:57

September 2019 5

EDITORIAL OFFICE

Forward in Christ magazineWELS Communication ServicesN16W23377 Stone Ridge DrWaukesha WI 53188-1108Phone: 414-256-3210E-mail: fic@wels.netwels.net/forwardinchrist

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Rev. John A. Braun braunj@nph.wels.net

MANAGING EDITOR

Julie K. Wietzkejulie.wietzke@wels.net

STAFF WRITERS

Nicole R. BalzaDayton Hamann

SEMINARY CONSULTANT

Prof. Samuel Degner

DESIGNER

Carianne Ciriacks

COPYRIGHT

©2019 by Forward in Christ. Printed in the USA. Forward in Christ grantspermission for any original article (not a reprint) to be photocopied for use in a WELS church, school, or organization,provided that copies are distributedfree and indicate Forward in Christ asthe source. Artwork may not be repro-duced except in the context of its article. For other copyright questions,contact Kristine Laufer, 414-615-5706;lauferk@nph.wels.net.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwiseindicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE,NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copy-right ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica,Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan.All rights reserved worldwide.

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L a

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WHAT’S INSIDE“Christ’s love compels us” (2 Corinthians 5:14) . . .• . . . to “not become weary in doing good” (Galatians 6:9,10). Our devotion writer

reminds us that Jesus never quit his job as our Savior. Neither should we give up in serving him (p. 7).

• . . . to give our firstfruit offerings to the Lord. A new stewardship series starts thismonth by reminding us that God gave his best—his Son—to us; our giving should reflect God’s attitude (p. 10).

• . . . to be faithful to God and gentle in our attitudes as we deal with those who create conflict and divisions (p. 12).

• . . . to share the good news that we know with others, whether it’s over the phone, on a plane, in the newspaper, at an assisted living facility, at the university, or in a country far, far away. This issue is filled with stories of your brothers and sisters in Christ letting their faith shine so that others can discover God’s grace and Jesus’ love.

Julie Wietzke

IN EVERY ISSUEFeedbackReaders share their opinions

DevotionBe imitators of Jesus in doing good

From the president’s deskNo contradiction at all

Light for our pathChristians and death

Campus ministryLavished love for loneliness

Bulletin boardAnnouncements from around the synod

NewsWhat’s happening in WELS

Editorial commentThe Lord, our shield

Bible studyA gospel-filled life: Cross-centered life and thought

A thoughtFaith in Jesus

Interactive Bible studyThe book of Revelation: Comfort in the midst of conflict

FEEDBACK

6 September 2019

UPLIFTING COVERSThe covers on Forward in Christ arealways interesting; however, two inparticular were very uplifting for me.The Apache child with the seeds [June2018] and Hannah Paustian with herstudents [July 2019]. Both spoke vol-umes about the work of our synod and,in Hannah’s case, the training and joyin ministry. I see that Divine Saviorsent in Hannah’s photo and hope thatmore will do that. Continue to use thecover well with follow-up stories asyou did. Blessings on your work.

Paul Boehlke New Ulm, Minnesota

Send your letters to Feedback, Forward in Christ,N16W23377 Stone Ridge Dr, Waukesha WI 53188;fic@wels.net. Letters between 100 and 200 wordsare preferred. Letters are edited for clarity, con-ciseness, and relevance. Writers’ views are notnecessarily those of WELS or Forward in Christ.

1. James 1:19-27 2. Jas. 2:1-13 3. Jas. 2:14-26 4. Jas. 3 5. Jas. 4 6. Jas. 5 7. 1 Chronicles 1–9 8. 1 Chron. 10, 11 9. 1 Chron. 1210. 1 Chron. 13, 14

11. 1 Chron. 15:1–16:612. 1 Chron. 16:7-4313. 1 Chron. 1714. 1 Chron. 18–2015. 1 Chron. 21:1–22:116. 1 Chron. 22:2-1917. 1 Chron. 23, 2418. 1 Chron. 25–2719. 1 Chron. 2820. 1 Chron. 29

Read or listen online at wels.net/bible3.

2019

SEPTE

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21. Psalm 107:1-3222. Ps. 107:33-4323. Ps. 10824. Ps. 10925. Ps. 11026. Ps. 111, 11227. Ps. 113, 11428. Ps. 11529. Ps. 11630. Ps. 117, 118

It was the first leg of a trip to Israel, appropriately enough.In the aisle seat: the husband. In the window seat: the wife.In the middle seat: me. We chatted about our hometowns,destinations, and occupations. As a pastor, my rehearsed response to “What do you do?” is“I tell people how to get to heaven for free.” Their casualknowledge of Christianity was characterized by the typicalbut fatal misunderstanding: Being a good person, or atleast trying hard, gets you to heaven. I asked if I couldshare my belief, and they readily agreed. My favorite gospel witness is the Great Exchange. It helpsto make it visual with a simple diagram of a cross and astick figure to illustrate how God placed our sins on Jesusand credits us with Jesus’ sinlessness. Alas, none of us hadeven a scrap of paper. Flight attendant to the rescue! Drinkswere being served, along with—ta-da!—a paper napkin,which would have to make do. As one head leaned in from either side, I used all my artisticskills to draw a stick figure and cross while explaining thedamning results of sin and the delightful results of grace. My testimony was followed by a few moments of silentcontemplation, broken by the husband’s bold request:“Do you mind if I take that napkin with me?” Not at all, sir. I think the airline can spare one more.

David Rosenbaum, Merritt Island, Florida

Read more stories of how you shared Jesus on pp. 28-29.

How I

DEVOTION

Do you think Jesus was ever tempted toquit his job as our Savior? Do you imag-ine he ever became fed up with ourweaknesses? Was it possible for him toever become “weary in doing good”?

JESUS DIDN’T GIVE UPSometimes in the gospel accounts youcan detect a tinge of frustration inJesus’ words, even when—no, espe-cially when!—he’s speaking with hisclosest disciples. When those disci-ples once attempted unsuccessfully tocast out a demon, our Savior exclaimed,“You unbelieving and perverse genera-tion . . . how long shall I stay with youand put up with you?” (Luke 9:41). Onthe night Judas betrayed him, Peter de-nied him, and the rest abandoned him,Jesus questioned his snoring supporters,“Couldn’t you men keep watch withme for one hour?” (Matthew 26:40). Already through the mouth of theprophet Isaiah, our Lord Jesus had vo-calized how wearisome the object ofhis saving work would become. Therehe lamented, “I have labored in vain;I have spent my strength for nothingat all” (Isaiah 49:4). Do you think Jesuswas ever tempted to quit his job asour Savior? Certainly so!Despite that frustration, however, Jesusnever gave up. He never submitted hisletter of resignation. He never stoppedloving us, forgiving us, saving us, andcarrying our burdens. Though temptedto do so, Jesus never became weary indoing good.What stopped him from becomingweary? First and foremost, his love forall people is so unfailing and so flaw-less. But he also knows that there isgreat, eternal reward in doing goodto others, even if that reward isn’t im-mediately obvious. Jesus understands

that, as his words through the prophetindicate: “Yet what is due me is in theLORD’s hand, and my reward is withmy God” (Isaiah 49:4).

WE SHOULD NOT BECOME WEARYLike Jesus, we’re often tempted to become weary in doing good. UnlikeJesus, we succumb to that temptationall too often and all too easily.

But consider what would happen ifJesus ever quit his job as our Saviorand threw in the towel. We’d be fin-ished immediately. Life would consistof nothing but death. Without Jesusworking for our good, every blessingwould instantly vanish. Thankfully,Jesus hasn’t and won’t become wearyin doing good to us, and that’s a prom-ise (Hebrews 13:5).

As his dear children, then, neithershould we become weary in doing“good to all people, especially to thosewho belong to the family of believers.”True, our service to others might nothave the same impact as Jesus’ work,but our Savior has called us to serveas his hands and feet, his mouth andeyes in the world. We are Jesus’ co-workers. Through us, he comfortsothers (2 Corinthians 1:3,4). Throughus, he cares for others (2 Corinthians9:10-15). Through us, he saves othersthrough the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:22).Through us, he does good to others.What a thought! What a privilege!What a joy!So be imitators of Jesus: Don’t becomeweary in doing good, “for at the propertime we will reap a harvest if we donot give up.” The fruits are eternal,both for us and for those we are calledto serve.

Contributing editor Peter Prange ispastor at Bethany, Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Be imitators of Jesus in doing goodLet us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Galatians 6:9,10Peter M. Prange

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Our Savior has called us to serve as his hands and feet.

8 September 2019

FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK

No contradiction at all

We have no cluewhat God has in

store for our synod.At the same time, we know exactlywhat he has in

store for us.

Apparent contradictions—with theemphasis on the word apparent—happen when two true statements ap-pear to contradict each other, but inthe end, there is no contradiction atall. Here are some examples: God isthree persons, yet one God. Jesus isfully human and fully divine. God isperfectly righteous and must punishsin; God is completely gracious, a Godwho forgives the sinner fully and com-pletely. All these statements that appearto be contradictions are not contradic-tions at all. They only seem to be con-tradictions because of the limits of ourhuman ability to comprehend thenature of an incomprehensible God. There are other apparent contradic-tions. In May, I had the opportunity tospeak with the graduating class at Wis-consin Lutheran Seminary just beforethey were assigned to their first calls. I drew their attention to an apparentcontradiction that each of them wasexperiencing: “In a matter of hours, youwill learn where you will serve. Rightnow, you have absolutely no clue whatGod has in store for you. At the sametime, you know exactly what God hasin store for you. You don’t know whereyou will be serving, but you know thatGod will use you as his witnesses. Hewill give you the privilege to preach thegospel and to teach God’s people. Andas you serve him, you know that Godwill bless your efforts.” In one sense,those graduates had no clue what Godhad in store for them. At the same time,they could know exactly what Godwould do for them and with them.We are living in a time when we needto remember that the same two truthsoften apply to the work that our synoddoes. We have no clue what God hasin store for our synod. At the sametime, we know exactly what he has instore for us.For example, God has opened a doorto WELS in, of all places, Vietnam. Wehave been permitted by the Vietnamesegovernment to provide theological

education to the leaders of a 100,000-member church body that wants tobecome fully Lutheran. In one sense,we have absolutely no clue what ex-actly will happen with our efforts. Atthe same time, however, we know ex-actly what God has in store for us. Asalways, we know that his Word will notreturn to him empty. God will accom-plish his purpose. What about the future of our synod?We have no idea what God has instore for us. Will the attacks on God’struth increase in intensity? Will oursynod experience numerical growth ora loss of membership? Will a shortageof called workers become more acute,or will the number of those willing toserve in public ministry increase? Willdecreasing financial support require usto scale back our mission and ministry,or will God provide the resources forus to expand? In one very real way, the answer tothose questions is, “We have no cluewhat God has in store for us.” But inanother way, we can say, “We knowexactly what God has in store for us.”We know that God will never leaveus or forsake us. We know that as wespread the seed of the gospel, God willbless that planting in the way and inthe time that he sees fit.In other words, an apparent contradic-tion is no contradiction at all. We facethe future not knowing exactly what itholds but with trust and confidence inGod’s unbreakable promises.

Light for our path

It is definitely not a sin to desire to leavethis world at God’s time and be with Jesus.That, finally, is the goal of our faith. Itwould be good to review what Scripturesays about Christians and death.

LONGING FOR HEAVENThe apostle Paul longed to be with Godin heaven. When Paul was first impris-oned in Rome, he wrote to the Christiansin the city of Philippi. He confessed thathe was conflicted over the thought ofcontinuing his life on earth or joininghis Lord in heaven. “To me, to live isChrist and to die is gain. If I am to go onliving in the body, this will mean fruitfullabor for me. Yet what shall I choose? Ido not know! I am torn between the two: Idesire to depart and be with Christ, whichis better by far; but it is more necessary foryou that I remain in the body” (Philippians1:21-24). Paul also spoke to the Corinthi-ans of “longing to be clothed instead withour heavenly dwelling” (2 Corinthians 5:2).The apostle Paul found joys in his earthlylife as a child of God, but he knew therewas something much, much better await-ing him, and he looked forward to that.Job, in the Old Testament, did as well.When he thought of his new life withGod, he exclaimed, “How my heart yearnswithin me!” (Job 19:27). If you agree withJob, it is because you also agree with thewriter to the Hebrews, who comparedthis life to the next in concrete terms:“Here we do not have an enduring city,but we are looking for the city that is tocome” (Hebrews 13:14). While you and I look forward to the per-fect life that is to come, we recognize thatour life is in God’s hands (Psalm 31:15), sowe do nothing that would hasten our death.

LOOKING AT DEATHDeath is inevitable for us all unless theLord returns visibly to this world on the

Last Day before we die. The thought ofdeath can be unsettling even for Chris-tians. Death is an unnatural intruder intoGod’s perfect world; death was never apart of God’s design for life. Death is “thewages of sin” (Romans 6:23). The unnat-ural origin of death, along with not know-ing what it is like to take a final breath,can generate fear.What we want to remember is that Jesushas taken away every reason for fearingdeath. Jesus, after all, lived and died asour perfect substitute and then rose tri-umphantly from the dead. Those peoplein the Bible who were raised to life even-tually experienced death as the end oftheir earthly life. Jesus rose from the deadas “the firstfruits” (1 Corinthians 15:23).He was the first person to die and risefrom the dead, never to die again. And as the firstfruits, that means there will beothers like him. Christians who die willbe raised to life on the Last Day and willnever experience death again. So take heart in the works and words ofJesus. They give us sure confidence forthe future.

Contributing editor James Pope, professor atMartin Luther College, New Ulm, Minnesota,is a member at St. John, New Ulm.  James Pope also answers questions online atwels.net/questions. Submit your questionsthere or to fic@wels.net.

QUESTION & ANSWER

I am dealing with a terminal illness and am tired of the suffer-ing and pain this is causing me and my family. I am scared to die,but is it a sin to want to die so I can go home and be with Jesus?James F. Pope

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First things firstAaron L. Christie

Americans have an issue with discern-ing theory from reality. We have hun-dreds of friends on Facebook, but theyare friends in theory. In reality, we donot know many of them. We have gymmemberships to help us get in shape.Unfortunately, we don’t get in shapein theory but by making real choiceson diet and dedicating ourselves toexercise.If we struggle with theory and realityas Americans, we struggle far moreas sinners. Do we love the Lord intheory? or in reality? The First Commandment is the firstfor a reason. The Lord unapologeticallyasks to be first on our life’s list. We areto fear, love, and trust in him above ALLthings. We all know that. We are quickto say that the Lord is the Lord of ourlives. God comes first!

SHOWING THE REALITY OF OUR PRIORITIESBut does he? Is God really, truly the Creator ofeverything that exists? Has God blessedus with eyes, ears, mind, members,strength, and abilities? Does every-thing we possess really come fromhim? We talk about questions likethese as if they were theoretical. Inreality, all of the answers to thesequestions are either yes or no.In order to help make loving and trust-ing God into something real, tangible,and personal, the Lord commandedhis Old Testament believers to offerhim their firstfruits: “Honor the LORDwith your wealth, with the firstfruits ofall your crops” (Proverbs 3:9). Whetherthe offering was one of grapes or grain,the first and the best of the harvestwent to the Lord. In other words, it is an easy thing tosay that the Lord is “Lord of the har-vest.” It is an entirely different thingto recognize him as such with the tan-gible, very first portion of the harvest.It is one thing to say that the Lord will“take care of us.” It is an entirely dif-ferent thing to offer him the first por-

10 September 2019

tion of the harvest—even before youhave fed your family or stored awayseed for the next planting. The Lord’scommands regarding giving firstfruitshelped the Israelites put the Lordfirst—not just on paper but in prac-tice. It helped them live by faith inGod’s providence. God did not intendfor them to give just with words butalso with faith-stretching deeds.Humanly speaking, firstfruits offeringsdon’t make a bit of sense. Investmentprofessionals tell us that if we “pay our-selves first” and invest it carefully overtime, our money will grow. Humanlogic tells us that if we make the Lord’swork our firstfruits priority, then thatmeans we have less for every other areaof life, including important things likemortgages and medications. It’s true:Humanly speaking, giving firstfruitsdoesn’t make a bit of sense.

It’s also true that giving firstfruits goesagainst every inclination of our sinfulnature. The default setting of our sinfulnature is to keep stuff, stockpile stuff,even hoard stuff in a never-ending questto look out for number one. We call itthe good life. God calls it greed. We callit being sensible. God calls it sin. God takes many positions in our lives,but second place dare never be oneof them. There is no theory here:Our offerings either recognize God’sposition of first place in our lives orthey don’t.

REFLECTING GOD’S ATTITUDEThere are consequences to puttingGod first in theory but not in practice.Take a moment to read the major stew-ardship message contained in the bookof the minor prophet Haggai. Lookhow the Lord—not in theory but inreality—turns people’s eloquent ex-cuses for withholding their offerings

upside down: “You have planted much,but harvested little. You eat, but neverhave enough. You drink, but never haveyour fill. You put on clothes, but arenot warm. You earn wages, only to putthem in a purse with holes in it. Youexpected much, but see, it turned outto be little” (1:6,9). In other words, thepeople had less because they gavelittle. God himself was seeing to thatwith one drought, one holey purse ata time! Think about it. The God whoonce fed five thousand hungry stom-achs using only a boy’s picnic lunchis the very same God who can ensurethat a stockpile of stuff won’t be ableto make ends meet.But even more wonderful, givingfirstfruits recognizes and reflects thegiving nature of our God. He himselfpracticed giving firstfruits. He didn’tplace our salvation toward the bottomof the list of things that needed to bedone. He didn’t give us a bite of dailybread to keep us from starving untilhe sent us to the hell that our mis-placed priorities deserved. What didhe do? The giving heart of the Fathergave us his first and best: his firstborn,his only begotten Son. First thingsfirst! And with his Son, he graciouslygives us all things! “God so loved theworld that he gave . . . ” (John 3:16).The point? Offering our firstfruits inChristian freedom is more about anattitude of gratitude than agriculture.It is more about God being our prioritythan it is about our personal property.It is about being who we really are inChrist: the firstfruits of all creation(James 1:18); blessed with the firstfruitsof the Spirit (Romans 8:23); and rejoic-ing in Christ, the firstfruits of all whohave fallen asleep (1 Corinthians 15:20). In offering our firstfruits, we are sim-ply reflecting the giving nature of God,who gave us his first, his best, his onlybegotten Son!

Aaron Christie is pastor at Trinity,Waukesha, Wisconsin.

This is the first article in a three-part serieson giving. This series follows the outline ofthe congregational stewardship program,10 for 10.

Our offerings either recognize God’s position

of first place in our lives or they don’t.

“When you read the Bible, ittells all over the place about giv-ing your firstfruits,” says BeckyWagner, a member at The Vine,Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. “I’m justso thankful for everything I haveand have been given to takecare of in this life, and I want touse my time, talents, AND treas-ures to give back.”

Wagner uses Electronic FundsTransfer (EFT) to give her offeringsto The Vine. This commonly usedpayment method allows Wagnerto set funds to be transferred di-rectly from her bank account toher church on a recurring basis.

“It’s nice to know that it is takencare of because it is automatic.It’s done; it’s set,” says Wagner.“It’s not anything to question—did I do it? Did I forget? Youdon’t have to worry about it be-cause you know you’re doingwhat you want to do.”

Kevin Schultz, pastor of The Vine,says almost half of his membersuse EFT for their regular giving.He says it’s a convenient way forhis members—and for him—togive that also offers accountabil-ity. “I tell my members not tothink of it as paying a bill once amonth or once a week. Look at itas an opportunity to give withoutthe devil getting his hand inthere,” he says. “We’re making acommitment to God, and wewant to fulfill that commitmentwithout having those tempta-tions to go back on our promise.”

The Vine also offers the traditionalenvelope system as well as one-time online giving through a giv-ing app for those who don’t carrycash or a checkbook. “It’s not thatone way is better than another,”Schultz says. “It’s just offeringmultiple ways to give in a culturethat requires multiple ways.”

TO CONSIDER: Have you thoughtabout giving your firstfruits of-ferings via EFT? If so, why? If not,why not?

way to giveA DIFFERENT

September 2019 11

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Paul’s acts of the flesh include somehazards we must avoid on our journey.He lists them as dissensions, factions,and envy. But he does not leave us par-alyzed, unable to move toward ourheavenly goal. He also cites two impor-tant fruits of the Spirit to help us makeprogress: faithfulness and gentleness.

ACTS OF THE FLESH: DISSEN-SIONS, FACTIONS, AND ENVYPaul’s world was different from ourown. It’s hard to imagine that Paulfaced protests for civil rights, abortion,or other political causes. Roman lawand power settled almost all such is-sues. Most found little tolerance for so-cial or political protests. Yet Paul wasin the midst of a vehement protest withDemetrius and the silversmiths. Thatdisagreement turned into a riot in Eph-esus (Acts chapter 19)—an example ofdissension, faction, and envy causedby the message of the gospel.It was ugly and dangerous. “Some wereshouting one thing, some another. Mostof the people did not even know whythey were there [in the theater]” (Acts19:32). Finally, the city clerk quieted thecrowd and told the people to take theirgrievances to the courts, warning themof the danger of causing a riot. Thecrowd melted away. In our own age, protests and divisionsare part of our everyday newscasts.Differences escalate into heated con-frontations. Like the riot in Ephesus,some shout one thing and some an-other. Perhaps such displays of fac-tions and dissension are part of oursystem of government. We vote andcontend for our positions in a waypeople in Paul’s world did not. Romansoldiers did not stand by in riot gearawaiting flying stones. Whatever Roman soldiers did or didnot do doesn’t matter much today.What does matter is that dissensions,factions, and envy have not disap-peared. The sinful nature within as-serts itself and creates conflict. Paul’slist is not just a list of ancient charac-teristics we no longer have. His actsof the flesh persist in our age becausethe sinful nature persists. Envy persists.Factions persist.

Dissensions and factions create roadblocks along

the Christian way. John A. Braun

12 September 2019

FAITHFULNESS

FACTIONSPaul adds envy to the list, I think, tohelp us understand. Envy distorts everythought to help others. It is subtle attimes; at other times, it is blatantly ob-vious. Sometimes we allow envy toblockade our ability to listen and love.As a result, we become harsh and hos-tile, ready for a fight or argument. It’sso much a part of our world that weare carried along without thinking. Wefall for the temptation to be disagree-able, assert our own rights or thinking,and oppose others. It is bad enough that the conflicts arisein our country and society, our mar-riages and families, and our neighbor-hoods and our government at all levels.Sadly, they also arise within the church—among God's people. Paul was nostranger to the conflicts. To the Gala-tians he warned, “If you bite and de-vour each other, watch out or you willbe destroyed by each other” (5:15). Yes, these negative attitudes reside inChristians as well. Paul saw divisionsrise up in the churches he founded. Hewarned against “false apostles, deceitfulworkers, masquerading as apostles ofChrist,” reminding the Corinthians thateven Satan masqueraded as an angel oflight (2 Corinthians 11:12-14). He alsotold the Romans to avoid those whotaught false doctrines (Romans 16:17). Paul’s view of the future of the Chris-tian church emerges from his words toTimothy, “The time will come whenpeople will not put up with sound doc-trine. Instead, to suit their own desires,they will gather around them a greatnumber of teachers to say what theiritching ears want to hear. They will turntheir ears away from the truth and turnaside to myths” (2 Timothy 4:3,4).

FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: FAITH-FULNESS AND GENTLENESSThroughout history, the church has

often had to contend with those whohave not put up with sound doctrineand have claimed to be right. Sadly,they claimed to be righter than right.That sentence doesn’t make any sensegrammatically or theologically, but itraises the question of who is right andwho isn’t. There can’t be two rights ora righter than right. How do we navi-gate differences and factions? Paulsuggests two fruits of the Spirit: faith-fulness and gentleness.Faithfulness first. The antidote to allthe false teachers and heretical factionswas—and still is—faithfulness to theWord of God. The Holy Spirit has cre-ated a desire within us to treasure theScriptures that tell us of Jesus and ofall of God’s promises. So we remainfaithful to the Scriptures. They are ourauthority for truth, our Supreme Court,to decide what is right and what is not.Faithfulness to that truth will move usto compare anyone’s teaching with theScriptures and to evaluate it on thebasis of that standard. John suggests,“Dear friends, do not believe everyspirit, but test the spirits to see whetherthey are from God, because many falseprophets have gone out into the world”(1 John 4:1). Then, with firmness in the truth, Pauladvises gentleness. Peter advises thesame attitude when he says that we areto share with gentleness and respectthe hope we treasure (1 Peter 3:15).No one wants divisions, and we mustdeal with love and kindness with thosewho think differently. When they willnot listen to the truth, then we haveno alternative but to avoid those ideasand the groups that proclaim them.But not all disagreements are aboutdoctrine. Sometimes Christians havearguments and quarrels about whetheror not to have carpeting in the churchand what color it should be. Some ques-

tion which preacher is better—evenPaul mentioned this disagreement (1 Corinthians 1:10-17); others an-guish over how the budget was setand whether we should spend moneyon the school or on the front steps ofthe church. Every church has thesedifferences or others like them. Faithfulness and gentleness are valu-able in all these discussions. We remainfaithful to God’s Word and also faithfulto Jesus’ command to love one another.Then we can be gentle in our disagree-ments, not belligerent or harsh.Dissensions and factions dog every stepof our journey, and our sinful flesh isoften tempted to feed them. They be-come group activities. One person so-licits support from others who are like-minded. Then another person gathersothers who disagree. The result can bebelligerent, bitter, and divisive. We should not let differences get outof hand. Even everyday disagreementsmay become roadblocks to the Chris-tian concept of loving one another andmay block the work of the congrega-tion and the larger church. They willturn the character of a congregationsour. Perhaps they also will turn someaway from the path we follow together.Let us walk by the Spirit and “not grat-ify the desires of the flesh. Since welive by the Spirit, let us keep in stepwith the Spirit. Let us not become con-ceited, provoking and envying eachother” (Galatians 5:16,25,26). Remainfaithful to the Scriptures and gentlein our dealings with one another.

John Braun is the executive editor ofForward in Christ magazine.

This is the fifth article in a six-part series onacts of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit.

“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions,factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like” (Galatians 5:19-21).

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ

Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:22-24).

September 2019 13

The Holy Spirit workedsaving faith in a Koreanfamily who claimed, “Weare not Christians.”Mark A. Eckert

Youngil (Alan) Kang and his wife, Suk-jeong (Ann) Kim, were a typical SouthKorean couple. They were consumedby their professions—so much so thatthey had limited family time, which isquite common in Korea. Alan was agovernment official, working for theMinistry of Science and ICT (Informa-tion and Communication Technolo-gies). For over 15 years, he has createdand implemented policies that fosterthe development of science and tech-nology and also technology commer-cialization in Korea. Ann was a plantquarantine officer dealing with diseasescaused by insects in imported plants. Ann had grown tired of her job. Sheworked and lived in an apartment dur-ing the week and only got to see herhusband and sons on weekends.

A JOURNEY TO MICHIGANSTATE UNIVERSITYAbout three years ago, they—togetherwith their two sons, Gyumin (Tony)and Gyoungmin (Fred)—began quite ajourney. Ann quit her job so she couldhave more time with her family. ThenAlan learned that he would be sent toMichigan State University (MSU) inLansing, Michigan, for two years. Inthe first year, he’d study in the Visiting

International Professional Program.Then he’d put what he learned intopractice at Spartan Innovations, whichprovides the educational and financialsupport necessary to turn MSU re-search technologies into successfulbusinesses. This journey to the United Statesbrought many new challenges, includ-ing learning English. Fortunately, Alanhas a dedicated and organized wife whoknew that her family members neededto make the most of their time in theUnited States. Her priority was to makesure that her family spoke and under-stood English better after their two-yearstint in America. While still in Korea,she searched the internet for ways toimprove the family’s English. She learnedabout the Friendship House, a place inEast Lansing where she and her familycould take English classes.When they arrived in Michigan, theKang family went to the InternationalWelcome Party at the FriendshipHouse. HaeHee Park, a member of theWELS Campus Ministry in Lansing,met Alan and Ann and invited them tocome to the campus ministry. She toldthem it would be great for them to learnsome English and to learn about God.It also would be good for them just tohang around with some Americans, tohave fun, and to learn “American.”

FIRST STEPS IN WORSHIPA couple weeks later, they came to ourSaturday evening worship service. Wehave Saturday evening services because

that works best for our campus min-istry. Some of our volunteers attendtheir own congregations on Sunday,but they also love to worship and enjoyfellowship with the WELS students.After our worship service, we have agreat time together and eat some of thebest international—and sometimeseven American—food.That Saturday in September, Ann wasplanning how often her sons could meetwith Doug Tabor, who teaches many ofour English classes. Students usuallyend up meeting with Doug every dayexcept for Sunday and Monday. Dougsays he doesn’t really teach them Eng-lish. He just spends a lot of time talkingand doing things (playing Cribbage,basketball, camping) with them so theyget more comfortable with English.After two years, Doug says their Eng-lish is definitely better and their pingpong skills are really great!Later that September, the Kangscame again for worship. After thatthey faithfully attended our worshipservices, Doug’s English classes, andwhatever else we offered them. Ifthey missed, it was usually becausethey were traveling or experiencingother pieces of American culture.Soon Alan asked me to record our serv-ices so he and his wife could listen tothe services again during the week tounderstand the English and the sermonmessage better. We began posting ourrecordings online for the Kangs and forother internationals who have returned

BACKGROUND PHOTO: DOLLAR PHOTO CLUB14 September 2019

to their home countries and want tolisten to our services.

LEARNING MORE ABOUT JESUSJust before Christmas, HaeHee Parkconvinced Alan and Ann that theyshould come to my Bible InformationClass (BIC). I had talked to them aboutcoming, but it always works betterwhen one Korean invites another. Westarted a marathon class.Prior to coming to our campus min-istry, the Kangs had no real religiousbackground. Ann had gone to a churchfor about three years while in elemen-tary school. Tony and Fred had goneto church with friends for a coupleyears. But they didn’t really know aboutJesus. I remember Ann often sayingto me, “We are not Christians.”As the weeks and months rolled by, theKangs faithfully kept coming to ourservices and the BIC sessions. I notedhow attentive they were in worship. Iknow that sometimes they were strug-gling a bit to understand the Englishand the message, but I also know thatthe Holy Spirit was working. Fred andTony were always the key targets formy youth devotions.I’m not sure when Ann last said, “I’mnot a Christian.” She said it so often.But in the last year when she spokethose words, I would say to her that ifshe wasn’t a Christian, I didn’t knowwhat a Christian was. I’d ask her andAlan if Jesus was the Savior who livedand died for the sins of the world, and

they would say, “Yes, he did.” I repeat-edly told them that I believed they re-ally were believers.I often talked to them about Baptismand encouraged them to be baptized.Finally, they said they wanted to bebaptized. I spent more time talkingabout Baptism with the entire family,and then they all were baptized. What a journey we had traveled together! Since then we’ve completed our infor-mation classes. I told them that it wouldbe great if we confirmed them as well,but what was more important is thatthey knew more about Jesus their Sav-ior. When we asked them what theywould miss most about Michigan whenthey return to Korea this year, they saidthey’d miss our campus ministry andtheir Christian friends because herethey learned about Jesus.

After the Kangs return to Korea, we’llstay in contact with them throughKakaoTalk (a text/phone app). We’ll alsoe-mail them our sermons and bulletins.They said they’d continue to go onlineto find our service recordings. Maybewe’ll get the chance to visit them inKorea. Maybe they’ll come back to theUnited States for a visit. Whatever hap-pens, we can rejoice because the HolySpirit worked on the hearts of the Kangsand made them who said, “We are notChristians,” into believing children ofGod and heirs of heaven.

Mark Eckert is pastor at Calvary, EatonRapids, Michigan, and campus pastor inLansing, Michigan.

The Kang family with Pastor Mark Eckert (left).

WELS Campus Ministry is cele-brating its 100th anniversarythis school year. A ministry ofWELS Home Missions, WELSCampus Ministry provides re-sources, support, and encour-agement to approximately 30ministries on college campuses(ones like the campus ministryin East Lansing) and many con-gregations near college cam-puses in the United States andCanada. Learn more at wels.net/campus-ministry. Readabout another campus ministryon p. 32 and watch for morearticles from our WELS campusministries in upcoming issues.

CAMPUS MINISTRYANNIVERSARY

September 2019 15

Join theconversation!

Visit wels.net/forwardinchrist and look for the Heart to heart link.

16 September 2019

ARE W

E M

ODELIN

G K

INDNESS FOR O

UR C

HILDREN?

"Use kind words, gentle hands, and find someonewho needs a friend today,” I said to my son as I droppedhim off at the gym day care.“I will, Mommy. I will be kind today. I will share,” he repliedas he bounced away gleefully.

Kindness with our childrenIt is so important to me that my kids are kind; in fact,sometimes I think I place a little too much emphasis onit. In a world that so desperately needs more kindness, I want to make sure I’m raising boys who love God andlove others unconditionally.For as much as I give verbal reminders, true kindness isshown by modeling the behavior—seeing kindness inaction. So when my son reminded me, “You need to bekind, Mommy!” as I was asking him to do something, itmade me stop in my tracks.How often am I really modeling kindness for my sons?“Don’t do that.”“Hurry up!”“Get your shoes on, NOW!”Commands that are often heard throughout our dayblare like sirens in my brain when I lay down at night.Am I nurturing my boys and showing them kindness?

Kindness with our spousesRecently my husband and I—just the two of us—wentout on our first date in more than eight months. We havean eight-month-old baby at home, so I’ll let you do themath. To be honest, it felt like a chore to get that dateplanned. It seems the longer you don’t give a relationshipproper nurturing, the harder it is to get back to that base-line foundation. Once we were out, we had a blast, butit’s the getting out that is hard right now.At one point during our date, I found myself apologizingfor not expressing gratitude enough. The truth is that myhusband works really, really hard so that I can stay homewith our boys. We both work hard to make our homewhat it is, but stress can take its toll on each of us.

“Forming character in childrencombines parental instructionand modeling,” notes KennethKremer in his book EmbracingGodlyCharacter. “Whenparentslead a moral life, God givesthem many opportunities tobe godly examples for theirchildren. But the models weprovide will never be perfect,becauseall parentsare sinners.Our children need to be able tosee us finding peace from ourguilt and receiving God’s assur-ance that we are forgiven.”This month’s article gives us areal-life example of Kremer’swords. Read on and see if yourelate to Nicole Smith’s storyas much as I do. Have your ownparenting story to share? Sendit to me at fic@wels.net.

Nicole Balza

While modeling kind words, gentleness, and love is extremelyimportant in raising empathetic

and God-fearing boys, so is admission of sin and forgiveness.

September 2019 17

Jesus quoted words from Genesis, “A man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the twowill become one flesh” (Matthew 19:5).When is the last time we felt we were a united front or onthe same exact page? When is the last time we were truly“one”? I wondered.Like most couples with young kids, we are sleep deprivedand overscheduled. Many evenings and weekends arejam-packed with obligations, home improvement proj-ects, grocery shopping, cleaning, bathing our children,and keeping them alive. I admitted honestly to him, “Youknow, I wonder what our marriage would be like if I spentas much time working on being a better wife as I do tryingto be a better parent.”Just like my kids feel they can be sassy and defiant to me, I often feel I can be sarcastic and harsh with my husband.That’s never easy to admit, but the more and more I thinkabout the example I want to set for my children, I recog-nize that I need to start with me.

Power in our weaknessThis admission may seem like I’m airing out a vulnerableweakness, and if that’s how you see it, you’d be correct.The truth is there are many days I wonder if God pickedthe right woman for the job. Raising kids in a sinful world is no joke!In her book You Are Free, Rebekah Lyons says, “God demon-strates his power through our frailty. In fact, this is the onlything we can boast in: His power is made perfect and onfull display in our never-enough-ness. When we are weak,we are actually made strong in Christ Jesus” (see 2 Corinthi-ans 12:9,10).God nurtures us in the most perfect way. First, when I’mfalling short, full admission of my weakness and askingGod for forgiveness helps me seek forgiveness from myhusband, my kids, or anyone else I’ve wronged. His for-giveness sets me back on the path he created for me.While modeling kind words, gentleness, and love is ex-tremely important in raising empathetic and God-fearingboys, so is admission of sin and forgiveness. Recognizingthat I’m not a perfect wife and mother doesn’t make mewant to give up but rather helps me recognize that Ineed God more than ever and makes me want to tryharder next time. A heart full of thankfulness for Jesus’love on the cross motivates me to display that love in allmy relationships. It’s not always easy to admit weakness (sometimes the listfeels so long that I don’t know where to even begin), butI’ve regularly been asking God to show me areas of mylife that I need to work on, areas that could use a littlenurturing. My son pointing out that I wasn’t using kindwords could have made me angry, but it didn’t. I believe

God was using that sweet boy to kindly point out thatMommy needs to remember, “The mouth speaks whatthe heart is full of ” (Luke 6:45).Lyons also writes and reminds us to take action: “God delights in us. He doesn’t want us to live in bondage. . . .He comes and says, ‘Let’s nail this thing. Let’s not dancearound it, perform around it, or seek validation to make it feel better. Let’s just go after it.’ ”

Strength from GodSo now, instead of just repeating my mantra when I dropmy son off to play with other children, we speak it everymorning, together, as a reminder for us both: “Today wewill try our hardest to use kind words, gentle hands, andto be a good friend. With God’s help, we can do it!”God’s calling for me to nurture and love my husband andthese boys doesn’t mean that every day will be easy, but he has fully equipped me with Christ’s example and hispromise that we are in this together.

Nicole Smith and her husband are raisingtwo young boys in Sussex, Wisconsin. is

article is reprinted with permission fromholyhenhouse.com, a blog for “imperfectwomen spurred on by God’s perfect grace.”

CHARACTERFORMATIONCAN BE MESSY“Though the plan for character formation,along with the tools to make it happen,come from God, the process doesn’t alwaysgo smoothly. Sometimes it isn’t even linear.Character usually forms in a herky-jerkyrhythm, with awkward starts and unex-pected fits of regression. It can be clumsy,uncomfortable, challenging, frustrating,disappointing, depressing, costly, and messy.This is because human relationships can bemessy. Nonetheless, character never forms in a vacuum. Our relationships, rooted inour relationship with our loving Lord Jesus,are the critical mass that God uses to getthe job of character formation done. Ourhomes are His preferred culture for getting a good head start.” Excerpt from the bookEmbracing Godly Character: The ChristianCommunity’s Response to a Godless Cultureby Kenneth Kremer, pp. 42,43. Availablethrough Northwestern Publishing House atnph.net or by calling 800-662-6022. $14.99.

18 September 201918 September 2019

Would it surprise you to learn that the fastest-growingproblem faced by college students (especially first-yearstudents) is loneliness? Medical services report that moreand more students present symptoms of depression andanxiety because they feel alone. Survey statistics fromuniversities convey that as many as 70 percent of collegestudents say they have gone through bouts of loneliness.

Loneliness in college is certainly not new, but the rateof increase among students has led some to label the issuethe “Loneliness Epidemic.” Why? Certainly many factorscontribute to its rise. Modern technology has allowedpeople to be in touch with one another like no other timein history. Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook can connecthundreds or even thousands! Snapchat streaks promote adaily communication with others. But how many of thoserelationships go deeper than a surface friendship? College students have left behind many of the friendsmade in high school. A new beginning means new rela-tionships need to be cultivated. The pressure of academicsuccess might isolate the student as studying becomes thetop priority.Whatever triggers loneliness, God’s people know that the“father of lies” would like nothing more than to convinceus that we are all alone. He wants us to think that no oneloves us or cares about us. He wants us to focus so muchon our troubles that we forget about the One to whom webelong. “See what great love the Father has lavished on us,that we should be called children of God! And that is whatwe are!” (1 John 3:1). We are never alone; our Lord prom-ises he is always with us.

So when lonely times hit, you have the greatest relief:Jesus, who already defeated Satan. King David experi-enced bouts of loneliness. He expressed his anguish inPsalm 25:16: “Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I amlonely and afflicted.” Though he felt alone, David knewwhere to turn. He knew his hope was in the Lord. Connectwith your Lord through his Word when lonely times visityou. He has lavished his love on you and calls you his child.Consider these ideas when you’re lonely: • Don’t panic! What you are experiencing is common.

Remember that it takes time for something new to feelcomfortable.

• Try getting out of your dorm or apartment to meet people.Connect with others through activities and clubs.

• Find opportunities to connect with those students whoshare the same beliefs as you. Search out the campusministry at your college or university.

Campus ministry can provide the blessing of connectingyou with Christians who are experiencing the same things.Together you will find strength for your faith in the Wordof God. You will be encouraged to cast your worries onthe One who cares for you. Campus ministry may providethe outlet you need to alleviate loneliness. In his grace,God has provided one hundred years of campus ministrythrough our church body. (Watch for more informationabout this anniversary in upcoming issues of Forward inChrist!) Countless students have connected with one an-other around the promises of God. Campus ministry canprovide that for you.Most of all, remember that God says you are his child. Whenpangs of loneliness hit, cherish your status. Reflect on thelove he has lavished on you. Trust that he will never leaveyou or forsake you. Because God is faithful, you will neverbe alone.

Jonathan Bilitz is pastor at Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel,Madison, Wisconsin.

Lavished love for lonelinessThe absence of familiar things often means feeling alone, but God’s love inJesus remains sure and certain. Jonathan P. Bilitz

CAMPUS MINISTRY

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

BULLETIN BOARD

CHANGES IN MINISTRYPastorsBater, Michael, to retirementBauer, Steven, to Immanuel, Gibbon, Minn. Bigelow, Philip, to St. Matthew’s,Oconomowoc, Wis.

Daylo Jr., Hernandez, to Michigan LutheranHigh School, Saint Joseph, Mich.

Degner, Abram, to Latin AmericaEricson, Nathan, to Wisconsin LutheranSeminary, Mequon, Wis.

Hillmer, Steven, to St. Matthew’s,Oconomowoc, Wis.

Johnston, Daniel, to Rocky Mountain Lu-theran High School, Commerce City, Colo.

Johnston, Mark, to retirementKoelpin, David, to new mission, Folsom,Calif.

Matthies II, Timothy, to Asia LutheranSeminary

Rue, Geoffrey, to St. Paul, East Troy, Wis. Schwab, Rodney, to retirementSievert, Phillip, to Grace, Yorba Linda,Calif.

Soukup, Timothy, to Abiding Savior,Killeen, Texas

Stahlecker, Gregory, to retirementStarr, Richard, to retirementVanderhoof, Collin, to Pilgrim, MenomoneeFalls, Wis.

Williams, Robert, to English, Viroqua, Wis. Witte, Daniel, to Zambia, AfricaTeachersAdickes, Anne, to Illinois Lutheran Jr. High,Crete, Ill.

Avery, Jean, to Shoreland Lutheran HighSchool, Somers, Wis.

Barabas, Nicole, to Grace, Saint Joseph,Mich.

Bauer, Tessa, to Risen Savior, Milwaukee,Wis.

Bayer, Michele, to Pilgrim, Mesa, Ariz. Biebert, Brea, to Kingdom Prep, Wauwatosa,Wis.

Botero, Santiago, to St. Paul’s First, NorthHollywood, Calif.

Boxill, Linda, to retirementBredendick, Daniel, to St. Paul, FortAtkinson, Wis.

Bredendick, Kristi, to Holy Cross, Madi-son, Wis.

Brown, Katherine, to St. Paul, Norfolk, Neb.Buonincontro, Mandy, to St. Paul, FortAtkinson, Wis.

Burgess, Sarah, to Water of Life, Las Vegas,Nev.

Busby, Vicki, to retirementEckert, Elizabeth, to Immanuel, Medford,Wis.

Ertl, Sheryl, to retirementFalk, Michael, to First, Elkhorn, Wis. Gauger, Jonah, to St. Jacobi, Greenfield, Wis. Groth, Kristin, to Grace, Glendale, Ariz.

Guelker, Brigetta, to Southridge, Ken-newick, Wash.

Guenterberg, Kati, to Martin Luther,Neenah, Wis.

Gumm, Lisa, to King of Kings, Maitland,Fla.

Hafenstein, Daniel, to WisconsinLutheran High School, Milwaukee, Wis.

Heller, Jeanine, to retirement Hohenstein, Angela, to Kettle MoraineLutheran High School, Jackson, Wis.

Hunt, Emily, to Little Lambs Preschool,Fort Collins, Colo.

Janikowski, Janise, to St. Paul, Cudahy, Wis. Kasten, Daniel, to St. Peter, Appleton, Wis. Kolander, Anna, to retirementKuehl, Tammy, to Holy Cross, Madison, Wis. Kurth, Abigail, to Winnebago LutheranAcademy, Fond du Lac, Wis.

Manian, Renee, to Samuel, Marshall, Minn. Manning, Alicia, to Crown of Life, FortMyers, Fla.

Mantz, Lauren, to Lamb of God, WestAllis, Wis.

McGowan, Kathaleen, to Mt. Calvary,Redding, Calif.

Moll, Elizabeth, to St. Paul, Algoma, Wis. Pinski, Richard, to retirementProeber, Kenneth, to Pilgrim, MenomoneeFalls, Wis.

Renstrom, Ashley, to Westside ChristianSchool, Middleton, Wis.

Schmidt, Elizabeth, to St. Matthew’s,Oconomowoc, Wis.

Schwartz, Todd, to Grace Lutheran Acad-emy, Lowell, Ariz.

Shilling, Laura, to Crown of Life, FortMyers, Fla.

Stelzer, Heather, to Wisconsin LutheranCollege, Milwaukee, Wis.

Strong, Steven, to First, La Crosse, Wis. Szmanda, Kathleen, to First, Elkhorn, Wis.Tesch, Barbara, to retirementTimm, Lyle, to Shoreland Lutheran HighSchool, Somers, Wis.

Van Kampen, Amanda, to Mt. CalvaryLutheran Academy, Flagstaff, Ariz.

Wendorf, Jamie, to Lamb of God, WestAllis, Wis.

ANNIVERSARIESHoughton, Mich.—Lutheran CollegiansMTU at Peace Ev. Lutheran Church (50).Sept. 1. Worship, 9:15 A.M.; cookout andvolleyball to follow. Oct. 27. Worship,10:15 A.M.; cookout to follow. RSVP re-quested by Oct. 13. 906-482-1602; pastor@peacehoughton.org; lrnitz@mtu.edu.Website, lutherancollegians.org.

Baxter, Minn.—Christ (50). Sept. 8. Wor-ship, 9 A.M.; program and meal to follow.218-829-4105; office@christbaxter.com.

Newburg, Wis.—St. John’s (160). Sept. 8.Worship, 8 & 10:30 A.M.; historical pres-entation, 9:15 A.M.; church picnic, 12-3P.M. RSVP requested by Sept. 5. office@stjohnsnewburg.com.

Owosso, Mich.—Salem (150). Sept. 8.Worship, 8 & 10:30 A.M.; meal to follow.Website, salemowosso.org.

Ann Arbor, Mich.—St. John’s (150).Sept. 15. Worship, 10:30 A.M.; meal,noon; worship, 2:30 P.M. 734-761-1740;stjohnsnorthfield2015@gmail.com.

West Allis, Wis.—Jordan (125). Sept. 22.Worship, 10:30 A.M.; luncheon to follow.RSVP requested. 414-453-2030; jordanluth@att.net.

Centuria, Wis.—St. John’s (125). Sept. 29.Worship, 10:45 A.M.; program and dinnerto follow. RSVP requested. 715-483-3401;redeemerstjohns@outlook.com. 

Houston, Texas—Abiding Word (50).Sept. 29. Worship, 4 P.M.; meal and fellow-ship to follow. RSVP requested by Sept. 8.281-444-5894; sandy.leopard@awlcs.org.Website, abidingwordtx.org.

COMING EVENTSAnnual golf outing—Sept. 6. Christian LifeResources. Ironwood Golf Course, Sussex,Wis. Website, christianliferesources.com/golf-outing.

Annual wine and dine event—Sept. 12. NewBeginnings. Davian’s, Menomonee Falls,Wis. Website, donorbox.org/wine-dine2019.

Organization of WELS Lutheran Seniorsconvention—Oct. 6–9. Eagle Ridge Resort,Galena, Ill. For all seniors, ages 55 andolder. Website, wels.net/events.

NAMES WANTEDMadison, S.D.—names and contact informa-tion of WELS members and other prospectsin the Madison, S.D., area as well as contactinformation for WELS students attendingDakota State University. Ken Brokmeier,605-692-6989; osavior@brookings.net.

Prescott, Ariz.—names and addresses of college students attending school inthe Prescott area. rothet@cableone.net;928-445-2807. 

JOB OPPORTUNITYChristian counselor—Living Hope Chris-tian Counseling, LLC, located at St. Mark,De Pere, Wis., is seeking Christian coun-selors who are licensed by the State of Wis-consin. Send resumes to Kiley Martin, 2066Lawrence Dr, De Pere WI 54115. 

Find additional community events and resourcesat welsrc.net. To place an announcement, call414-256-3210; bulletinboard@wels.net. Dead-line is eight weeks before publication date.

September 2019 19

About the event:The WELS Education,Technology, and Lead-ership Summit (Ed-TechLead) broughtmore than 400 teach-ers, pastors, and othersynod leaders togetherat the Kalahari Resortin Wisconsin Dells,Wis., to explore min-istry tools, techniques,and best practices.A unique moment: John McHugh, di-rector of Corporate Communications,Leadership, Development, and Trainingat Kwik Trip, Inc., La Crosse, Wis., wasthe EdTechLead keynote speaker onJune 26. He encouraged attendees topromote and participate in a mission-driven culture at their organization.

An attendee’sthought: “I think at times you can work within your little bubble, justteaching a certainsubject or working at a certain school.Here you can meetothers in relatedfields. By learningfrom their experi-ences, you can im-

plement what they’re doing. You can share your own sto-ries as well.”—Dan Albrecht,teacher at Kettle Moraine Lu-theran High School, Jackson,Wis.Learn more at welsedtechlead.com.

20 September 2019

NEWS

A summer of faith, fellowship, and funThis summer, WELS members have been blessed with countless opportunities to connect with others in fellowshipand faith. Enjoy these photos and takeaways from some of the synod’s biggest summertime events!

WELS EDTECHLEAD SUMMIT—JUNE 25-27

About the event: The Lutheran Women’s Missionary Society (LWMS) welcomed nearly 950 attendees from 821WELS congregations to Des Moines, Iowa, to praise Godand show their support for WELS mission work.A unique moment: Pastor Titus Tse and members of theSoutheast Asian Lutheran Evangelical Mission (SALEM)(pictured right) traveled from Hong Kong to join Rob Siirila of Asia Lutheran Seminary onstage for a specialkeynote presentation.

A first-time attendee’s thought: “It was so exciting to seeall of the amazing things happening at home and around theworld. The fellowship and support are so encouraging. I can’twait to go back to my home congregation to share what oursynod is doing around the world and hopefully encourage evenmore outreach into our community.”—Betty Schwede, mem-ber at First German, Manitowoc, Wis.Learn more at lwms.org.

LUTHERAN WOMEN’S MISSIONARY SOCIETY CONVENTION—JUNE 27-30

September 2019 21

NEWS

About the event: More than 2,400 WELS members enjoyed a beautiful summer evening of baseball and fel-lowship at the sixth annual WELS Night at Miller Park.Despite the Brewers’ loss to the San Francisco Giants,WELS members were able to haveplenty of fun taking part in the fes-tivities. WELS First Vice PresidentJim Huebner (pictured with Brew-ers’ bullpen catcher Robinson Diaz)threw out the ceremonial first pitch,while eight-year-old Addison Bauer,from Good News, Mt. Horeb, Wis.,was chosen as a junior announcer.A unique moment: Recent Wiscon-sin Lutheran High School graduate

Fernanda Rocha led more than 41,000 people at the game in singing the national anthem.A leader’s thought: “The hundreds of WELS memberswearing their bright blue WELS shirts really stood out

in the near-capacity crowd, and itwas great to greet them as I passedthem in the concourse. Many ofthem suggested dates for me to con-sider when I schedule next year’sseventh annual WELS Night event.”—Lee Hitter, WELS communicationsdirectorFind videos and photos at wels.net/wels-night-a-hit/.

WELS NIGHT AT MILLER PARK—JULY 12

About the event: More than 300 women from 17 differ-ent states gathered at Luther Preparatory School, Watertown,Wis., for the Women’s Ministry Conference. The event’stheme—“Living Stones: Positioned to Thrive”—exploresGod’s design and purpose for Christian women. A dozenbreakout sessions and four keynote addresses discussedtopics such as teamwork, evangelism, and family.A unique moment: Jenna Keller, Kayla Priebe, and Delaney Leffel hosted a panel to discuss witnessing forChrist and to encourage Christian leadership on secularcollege campuses. As recent college graduates or as cur-rent students, they shared unique anecdotes and insightsabout their challenges and successes.An attendee’s thought: “I loved everything about the

conference. It was an emotional experience for me andgave me insight into my personal gifts. I never realized I had any before this.”—AnonymousLearn more at wels.net/womens-ministry.

WOMEN’S MINISTRY CONFERENCE—JULY 18-20

About the event: WELS Missions hosted more than 400 people at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon,Wis., for the first Taste of Missions event. Attendees en-joyed connecting with missionaries, sampling interna-tional foods, and participating in a special worship service.

A unique moment: Three new world missionaries—DanWitte, Abram Degner, and Bounkeo Lor (pictured left toright)—were commissioned during the worship service.A leader’s thought: “God’s people walked away feelingignited for the mission work that’s taking place both in the

United States andaround the world! Ifelt that the atmos-phere was electricfrom the start andjust kept building.”—Sean Young, direc-tor of WELS Mis-sions OperationsLearn more atwels.net/missions.

TASTE OF MISSIONS—JULY 13

A new translation of the Bible—theEvangelical Heritage Version (EHV)—is now available from NorthwesternPublishing House (NPH).

More than one hundred people—pastors, professors, teachers, andlaypeople—have been working on thetranslation since 2013, all under thedirection of the Wartburg Project, anindependent Lutheran Bible transla-tion effort by WELS and EvangelicalLutheran Synod (ELS) pastors andprofessors. About 30 WELS and ELSpastors and professors were involvedin translating and the technical review,and 100 people served as proofread-ers and popular reviewers. “By thetime it was done, at least ten peoplehad read every book,” says John Brug,general editor and Old Testamenteditor. All are volunteers, except Brug,who worked full time.

The EHV aims toprovide a balancedtranslation that isgood for all uses inthe church, accord-ing to Brug. Thismeans it preservestraditional familiarbiblical idioms while also looks forbetter ways to say things that may beconfusing in other translations. Beingbalanced also means that “sometimesyou have to be a little more literal inyour translation, and sometimes youhave to be a little more free,” says Brug.“We tried to look at each passage in itsown case and not have one rulebookthat covered everything.”

While only WELS members and thosein fellowship with WELS worked on thetranslation, Brug is quick to note thatthis is not a “WELS Bible” and it is notjust for Lutherans. The Bible is called“Evangelical” because of how it centerson the gospel, but “no one should beable to say there is a Lutheran slant inthe translation,” Brug says.

The Wartburg Project is working oncontent for an EHV study Bible thatwill provide Lutheran commentaryon the passages. It hopes to have anelectronic version available by year-end.

The new edition of Luther’s catechismfrom NPH using the EHV translationis available now. It also is available inthe English Standard Version and theNew International Version 2011 trans-lations. This is an example of NPH’suse of the eclectic approach: offeringmultiple translation choices whenpossible for a single resource.

Brug says he has been blessed to havebeen able to take part in a project of thisscope. “The greatest thing is the spiritwith which the participants worked,”he says. “To work together with mybrothers and sisters in Christ on God’sWord—the whole Bible—intensely forfive years is a great blessing, and wehope it will also be a blessing to thosewho use what we developed.”Learn more at wartburgproject.org.Order the translation at nph.net.

NEWS

22 September 2019

New Bible translation available

As part of its Welcome Home initia-tive, WELS Congregational Serviceshas released a series of videos to ad-dress some of the most common rea-sons Christians stop attending churchand how to show love and ministerto these members. Nate Bourman,pastor at Mount Lebanon, Milwau-kee, Wis., was featured in the videosdiscussing how to be a welcomingcongregation.

Forward in Christ: What is yourdefinition of a welcoming church?

Bourman: A church where no onestands or sits alone; everyone feelscomfortable and safe. A place whereeveryone knows what is going on andfeels that they can navigate the fa-cilities or get information about ourcongregation. A place where parents,adults, and children feel safe to hearGod’s Word and can easily participateand are welcome to participate.FIC: What are some common rea-sons you’ve heard from memberswho felt unwelcome at church?

B: I think the primary reason peopledon’t feel welcome is that no one talksto them. People will walk into a churchand no one greets them; they don’tknow what’s going on and are left tofeel like they don’t belong there orare clearly the outsider. Members areoften so busy in their “holy huddles”that the guest, visitor, and sometimeseven other members are left on the

Being a welcomingcongregation

Nate Bourman and Jeff Matteson fromMount Lebanon, Milwaukee, Wis., dis-cuss how to be a welcoming church ina new series of videos available throughWELS Congregational Services.

A committee appointed by theConference of Presidents has re-viewed the EHV. In its report inthe 2019 Book of Reports andMemorials, it writes,

The EHV presents us with an-other tool for communicatingGod’s Word. . . . There is roomfor improvement in its Englishstyle and overall consistency. Insome places its translators haveproduced fresh renderings thatsurpass the clarity and fluencyof other translations. . . . Sev-eral of our reviewers expressedthe hope that the EHV will con-tinue to go through an editingprocess in anticipation of fu-ture editions. . . . At the sametime, we find the translationaccurate and faithful, and canrecommend it for use in ourchurch. (p. 8)

Brug says that the Wartburg Project welcomes suggestions toimprove the translation. He anti-cipates reviewing changes for re-visions after three to five years.

Read the full review at synodadmin.welsrc.net/cop-resources.

NEWS

In April 2018, WELS Board for HomeMissions approved funding for a newmission in Joplin, Mo. In May 2019,Jordan Bence was assigned to serve as the home missionary in Joplin, Mo.What did the core group in Joplin doas it waited for its first pastor?

“Well, the first thing we had to learnwas patience,” says Wendy Wright, amember of the core group. “This wasGod’s timing, not ours! We learned alot about the divine call process, as weextended ten calls during this year.”

Wright adds, “The waiting wouldhave been much harder had we notstarted a weekly Bible study last July,led by Pastor Aaron Schumann, whoserves at Faith, Pittsburg, Kan.”

The Bible study began as a way for thecore group to enjoy fellowship and bib-lical encouragement together. “But then,several of the group invited guests . . .and they came . . . and they stayed!” saysWright. “We were excited to have threeguest families join us, and two havecontinued regular attendance.”

“My role was every pastor’s dream—Ishowed up and taught them and theirfriends God’s Word every Wednesdayevening for one year,” says Schumann.“The core group took care of all of thedetails, filled out all of the necessarypaperwork, put together the proposalto synod, and invited their friends andtheir coworkers to the Wednesday nightBible study. Theirmotivation to servetheir Lord and tellothers about Jesusis what has driventhis mission.”

So what was it liketo find out that apastor was assignedto them from Wis-consin LutheranSeminary’s gradu-ating class of 2019?

“On Call Day thewhole core group

was waiting anxiously to find out whowould be assigned to our home mis-sion,” says Wright. “We were all watch-ing on our laptops or phones at workand at home. When we saw that at thetop of the list Jordan Bence was assignedto our mission, we were ecstatic!”

And Bence’s reaction? “I guess it wasjust pure shock,” he says. “You try to pre-pare yourself for that moment, but youreally can’t. When President Schroederread my name and assignment, I wasjust overwhelmed. Overwhelmed withthe fact that God had chosen me forsuch a task. Overwhelmed with theopportunity that God placed beforeme to love these people by continuallybuilding them up in his unconditionallove. It’s truly a humbling moment ofGod’s grace. It was something I hadbeen dreaming of since kindergarten.”

Bence continues, “The training pro-gram of our synod has given me manyexperiences to not only build my ownfaith but also prepare me to serve theJoplin, Mo., (JOMO) mission.”

Finally, Bence says, “When it comes tothe JOMO mission, I guess a summa-rizing statement for this group mightbe—ambitious to serve. These peopleare filled with the spirit and are ready togo out and proclaim the good news!”

To learn more about the JOMO missionand other home mission congregations,visit wels.net/missions.

Learning about God’s timingoutside looking in. It’s possible to bea stranger in your own house.FIC: How can members participatein being a welcoming church?

B: Care and concern for the mem-bers of the church is not just thepastor’s job. It is not just the elders’job. It is the job of each and everymember. Love calls us to participate.None of us sit on the sidelines whenit comes to welcoming God’s peoplehome. . . . All are coming to churchwith sin and weakness and broken-ness and frustration. Be part of thethrong rejoicing to gather for wor-ship with each other.

FIC: How can congregations main-tain the “welcome home” practicesand culture beyond the synodwideWelcome Home Sunday?

B: 1) Make it a yearly effort at yourchurch. At Mount Lebanon we aregoing to go “small” this year and makethis a regular part of our congrega-tional outreach each year. 2) Consis-tent follow-up and outreach to inactivemembers is vital for their souls. Weare working with our elders and ashepherding team to keep reachingout to our members. 3) Regularlytalking about hospitality in sermons,Bible studies, and newsletters. Welike to think we’re friendly, but if weasked strangers to honestly evaluateus, what would they say?

FIC: What do you hope viewerstake away from the videos?

B: Love your fellow members. Deeply.Bend over backwards. Be nice. Dowhatever you can to give the gospelthe opportunity to be heard. Get intotheir shoes and try to understandhow they feel. Sympathize with theirneeds, their hurts, and their strug-gle. Love them!

All congregations are encouraged to participate in Welcome Home Sunday in October. The mission is to “pack thechurch” with every member. The fourvideos and accompanying Bible studiesas well as all other Welcome Home ma-terials are available at welscongregationalservices.net/welcome-home.

The core group in Joplin, Mo., gathered together at the installation oftheir first pastor, Jordan Bence (with wife, Laura), on July 28.

September 2019 23

Academia Cristo began in 2015 with a primary goal to help people startchurches in Latin America that faith-fully preach and teach God’s Word.“We provide resources, and train andconnect people to a network of men-tors as they work to share their faithand start churches,” says Mike Hart-man, coordinator of Academia Cristoand the Latin America missions team.

Academia Cristo, academiacristo.com,offers self-study Bible studies, music, andtraining courses for leaders. More thaneight thousand people have signed up forBible courses through Academia Cristo.Its Facebook page, where it shares dailyScripture-based messages and regularlive devotions, has more than one millionfollowers. “We want to be known as anentity that has a Christ-centered, biblicalmessage,” Hartman says.

This online presence has led to missionopportunities throughout Latin Amer-

ica. In these places, church leaders haveconnected with Academia Cristo to ac-cess the available resources. Duringthe last years, “we saw a lot of peoplein Paraguay signing up for courses,”Hartman says.

To make face-to-face connections,missionaries traveled to Paraguay tomeet with Academia Cristo studentswho were interested in using the re-sources to share the gospel with others.Later in 2019, two WELS missionaries,Abram Degner and Joel Sutton, willbe moving to the city of Asunción,Paraguay, to continue meeting withthese individuals. There they will studywith them and show leaders how toshare the resources with others.

The missionaries will be located nearindividuals such as Carlos Fernandez innorthern Argentina. Fernandez startedstudying with Academia Cristo morethan two years ago. Previously, he had

served as a pastor and missionary fora different church body. He left thechurch 10 years ago for doctrinal rea-sons. “I realized I was just preachingand teaching rules that people hadcome up with, rather than teachingpeople about Christ,” Fernandez says.

As he studied the Bible and read it onhis own, he realized salvation is throughfaith by grace. Fernandez, who lives inthe Chaco province of northern Ar-gentina, wanted to start a church thatwas faithful to Scripture. In his searchfor truthful resources, he came acrossAcademia Cristo. During the last twoyears, missionaries have visited himthree times, and now Fernandez is in doctrinal agreement with WELS.

Now a missionary mentors Fernan-dez, who then trains other men inthe Chaco province who want tostart Bible-based churches.

For years, WELS members in theUnited States have reached out tomissionaries in Latin America in anattempt to share the gospel with lovedones in other countries. AcademiaCristo is able to help these membersconnect with family and friends inSpanish-speaking areas and share thegospel with them. For instance, severalyears ago, members of a WELS churchin Sarasota, Florida, began working withcontacts they had in Paraguay (readmore on p. 30). Through AcademiaCristo, they can coordinate with WELSmissionaries to share the gospel withpeople in these areas.

Another WELS church in Arizona hascontacts in Cuba. Together with mis-sionaries, members are using AcademiaCristo to learn how to share the gospeland start churches in Cuba. Mission-aries mentor these members and theirconnections to help them set up a min-istry plan and reach more.

“People are interested in these areas andsearching for the gospel,” Hartman says.“They are looking for someone who willteach them about the Bible and Christ.”

Rachel Hartman

24 September 2019

NEWS

Academia Cristo brings new opportunities to share the gospel

Missionary Mike Hartman and his familyspent seven weeks in South America thissummer working with Academia Cristocontacts, including people like Carlos Fer-nandez in northern Argentina (picturedabove with the Hartman family). Carlos isalready teaching Academia Cristo coursesto the families of three men in three differ-ent northern Argentinian towns. Hartmanmet with Pablo in Asunción, Paraguay, aswell (pictured right). Pablo took online courses through Academia Cristo. When he startedsharing what he learned with his neighbors, the Latin America missions team set up aface-to-face visit with him. This summer was the second such visit. During his stay, Hart-man also made preparations for two missionaries to relocate to Paraguay later this year.

September 2019 25

NEWS

Thomas H. Trapp, 1949–2019Thomas Trapp was born Oct. 9, 1949,in New Ulm, Minn. He died March 12,2019, in Madison, Wis.A 1975 graduate of Wisconsin LutheranSeminary, Mequon, Wis., he servedSt. Paul, Tipler, Wis.; St. Mark’s, IronRiver, Mich.; Peace, Houghton, Mich.;and Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel,Madison, Wis.He is survived by his wife, Carol; threesons; five grandchildren; one brother;and one sister.

Edward Krause, 1941–2019Edward Krause was born Sept. 23,1941, in New London, Wis. He diedMarch 13, 2019, in New London, Wis.A 1963 graduate of Dr. Martin LutherCollege, New Ulm, Minn., he taught atBethel, Menasha, Wis., and Emanuel,New London, Wis. He also served as astaff minister at Emanuel, New London.He is survived by his wife, Sandy; oneson; two grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. He was preceded in deathby one brother and one sister.

Sandra L. Corlett, 1951–2019Sandra Corlett (née Grandt) was bornOct. 25, 1951, in Elgin, Ill. She diedMarch 30, 2019. She taught at Lakeside Lutheran HighSchool, Lake Mills, Wis.; Eastside,Madison, Wis.; and Crown of LifeChristian Academy, Fort Atkinson, Wis.She is survived by her husband, Alan;four daughters; one son; and threegrandchildren. She was preceded indeath by her parents.Armin J. Panning, 1931–2019Armin Panning was born May 13, 1931,in New Ulm, Minn. He died April 7,2019, in Johnson Creek, Wis.A 1957 graduate of Wisconsin LutheranSeminary, Mequon, Wis., he served at Northwestern College, Watertown,Wis.; Salem, Escanaba, Mich.; and Wis-consin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon,Wis. He also served as a friendly coun-selor to the Bulgarian Lutheran Church.He is survived by four sons, four grand-children, one brother, and two sisters.He was preceded in death by his wife,Virginia.

Janet L. Stirmel, 1928–2019Janet Stirmel (née Flink) was born Oct.1, 1928. She died March 31, 2019.She taught at Immanuel, Gibbon,Minn.; Fairview, Milwaukee, Wis.;and Jordan, West Allis, Wis.She is survived by 4 sons, 2 daughters,16 grandchildren, and 10 great-grand-children. She was preceded in death byher husband, Myron; one brother; andone sister.

Myron R. Kell, 1930–2019Myron Kell was born Aug. 19, 1930, inLake Mills, Wis. He died April 9, 2019,in Watertown, Wis.A 1955 graduate of Wisconsin LutheranSeminary, Mequon, Wis., he servedGrace, Durand, Mich.; Hope, SwartzCreek, Mich.; Apostles, Toledo, Ohio;Redeemer, Ann Arbor, Mich.; Faith,Dexter, Mich.; and St. Mark, Water-town, Wis.He is survived by his wife, Faith; 3daughters; 1 son; 12 grandchildren; and6 great-grandchildren. He was precededin death by one brother and one sister.

Obituaries

WELS news briefsWELS EVANGELISM414-256-3287; evangelism@wels.net

Materials for a new synodwide Christmas outreach cam-paign called C19 are now available. e theme of this year’sprogram is “God so loved the world.” “Many people look at

the pain and suffering inour world and concludethat either there is no Godor that if there is a God,he doesn’t love the world,”says Eric Roecker, direc-tor of WELS Evangelism.“Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem

proves that God does indeed love the world, a world thatincludes every single soul.” Materials will again include wor-ship resources for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day as wellas outreach postcards (pictured) and other promotionalmaterials. C19 follows the success of last Christmas’ out-reach campaign, a program in which 70 percent of WELScongregations participated and invited more than 1.2million people to Christmas Eve worship. Find materials at welscongregationalservices.net/c19.

WELS BENEFIT PLANS414-256-3299; bpo@wels.net

WELS Benefit Plans will offer a full open enrollmentinto the WELS VEBA Group Health Care Plan fromNov. 1 through Dec. 2, 2019. is means any eligibleworkers at WELS and Evangelical Lutheran Synod spon-soring organizations, including organizations that do notcurrently participate in WELS VEBA, can enroll for WELSVEBA medical benefits effective Jan. 1, 2020. Workers whoare currently enrolled will also be able to add or removeeligible family members and/or change to a different de-ductible option during this open enrollment. A full openenrollment is not guaranteed to be offered every year.“If an organization or worker has wanted to return to theVEBA plan or to participate in the VEBA plan for the firsttime, this will likely be the best opportunity for the fore-seeable future,” says Joshua Peterman, director of WELSBenefit Plans. Eligible workers will receive a packet of en-rollment materials in late October. Currently, more than80 percent of WELS calling bodies participate in the WELSVEBA plan. Learn more about WELS Benefit Plans andhow to participate at welsbpo.net.

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Knowing when to say whenJonathan P. Bilitz

One day about two years ago, the phonein my office rang. When I answered, Iwasn’t prepared for the conversationthat would span the next hour. Thecaller identified himself as Jacob. Hewanted to talk about Hebrew wordsin the Old Testament and how I (andthe Lutheran church) defined and ex-plained those words.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO ENGAGEIN CONVERSATIONI felt woefully inadequate to answer hisquestions. But I was intrigued, so I lis-tened and scrambled to find every He-brew resource I had on my bookshelf !Though I wasn’t sure I could give everyanswer he might be looking for, I amthankful for my college and seminarytraining. The Hebrew I learned inpreparation to be a pastor allowed meat least to engage in this conversation.I remember saying a quick prayer asJacob launched into his first question.My prayer was simple: “Lord, whateverhappens in this conversation, give methe words to say so that Jesus and hislove for all people shine through.” Nomatter how able or unable I was toanswer the questions, I knew God wasat work through his Word.

Jacob’s first question involved the He-brew word for virgin in Isaiah 7:14, “TheLord himself will give you a sign: Thevirgin will conceive and give birth to ason, and will call him Immanuel.” Jacobasked me, “How do you translate theHebrew word for virgin?” I explainedthat I thought “virgin” was a propertranslation. He asked, “But doesn’t theword almah (Hebrew) simply mean‘young woman’? How can we knowfor sure it is referring to a virgin?”His question was a good one. The worddoesn’t necessarily mean “virgin.” Butthe New Testament gives us all the evi-dence we need to translate the word asvirgin. Matthew clearly tells us the birthof Jesus fulfilled the prophecy given inIsaiah 7. He wrote, “All this took placeto fulfill what the Lord had said throughthe prophet: ‘The virgin will conceiveand give birth to a son, and they willcall him Immanuel’ (which means ‘Godwith us’)” (Matthew 1:22,23). As thegospel writer speaks about Mary andJoseph, he uses these phrases: “beforethey came together” (v. 18) and “he didnot consummate their marriage untilshe gave birth to a son” (v. 25). Thosewords clearly indicate that Mary wasa virgin. Jacob respectfully listened to my answerand did not object to my reasoning.What he said next, however, made merealize why this conversation was a

challenge. Jacob remarked, “I guess thatis a good explanation if you believe theNew Testament.” If you believe? I wasspeaking with someone who perhapsdid not consider the Bible in the sameway I did. Suddenly I knew that Jacoband I lived in different spiritual worlds.As we spoke about some other Hebrewwords and I frantically paged throughresources to maintain the conversation,he expressed an appreciation that wewere able to engage in this way. Hementioned that he had called otherplaces and had not been successful ingetting anyone to talk to him. Jacob then confessed, “I am the rabbiin the synagogue in town. I enjoy hear-ing what Christians have to say aboutthe Old Testament and have a personalmission to correct some misconcep-tions.” His admission didn’t completelysurprise me. His Hebrew knowledgecertainly surpassed my own. Severaltimes I said to him, “I will have to do adeeper study on that word.” He neverseemed put off by my disclosure. Hiscomment from earlier about the NewTestament now made perfect sense.

LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO SHARE JESUS’ LOVEWhat could I say? How could I witnessto him? I kept asking myself the ques-tion, “Where can I direct him so thathe can see Jesus as the Savior?” The

AmbassadorsAmbassadorsL E T T H E M S E E J E S U S

26 September 2019PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

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words of Isaiah 53:5,6 came to mind:“He was pierced for our transgressions,he was crushed for our iniquities; thepunishment that brought us peace wason him, and by his wounds we arehealed. We all, like sheep, have goneastray, each of us has turned to ourown way; and the LORD has laid onhim the iniquity of us all.” I asked himfor his interpretation of the passage.In my mind, this passage clearly re-ferred to a Messiah who would sufferas a substitute for sinners.

For the first time, Jacob surprised me.He said, “Those verses don’t refer to asingle Messiah but the nation of Israelcollectively. The nation of Israel hassuffered and continues to suffer for theLord.” He continued by offering proof.He said that the people alive whenJesus came weren’t looking for some-one to suffer for them and even Jesus’own disciples objected when Jesus re-peatedly predicted his death. He went

on to claim that the Jewish people inJesus’ time did not read this prophecyas a Messiah suffering in their place.I tried to explain that one of those dis-ciples, Peter, later demonstrated a dif-ferent understanding, an understandingthat was more complete: “ ‘He himselfbore our sins’ in his body on the cross,so that we might die to sins and live forrighteousness; ‘by his wounds you havebeen healed.’ For ‘you were like sheepgoing astray,’ but now you have re-turned to the Shepherd and Overseerof your souls” (1 Peter 2:24,25). Clearly,Peter was referencing Isaiah 53 andconnecting it to Jesus.Jacob didn’t back down. He was cordial,but he could sense that he wasn’t chang-ing my mind. I was reading him thesame way. At this point, I said, “Jacob,I appreciate this conversation. I havelearned from you. But I am afraid thatwe approach the Bible in two differentways. My understanding of the OldTestament is completely influencedby the events of the New Testament.I view the Bible as a seamless accountof God’s love for us through Jesus. Ifwe cannot agree about that, we willstruggle to agree about much else.” Hethanked me for my time and hung up.I pray that the testimony about Jesuswill change Jacob’s heart. Isaiah plantedthe seed. God can make it grow. In that

conversation, no common groundcould be reached. I had to know when to say when.

CLING TO JESUS THROUGHOUTAs you testify about Jesus, recognizethat not everyone has the same capacityfor a conversation about every aspect ofthe Bible. If you don’t know something,you don’t know something. Knowledgedoesn’t make you a child of God; Jesusdoes. If you don’t have an answer toevery objection that can be raised, that’snormal. Cling to Jesus and the salvationthat belongs to you through him.Even when you don’t have the answer,speaking about Jesus and his love forall people is always good. That “love forall people” includes someone who mightdisagree with you or for whom you don’thave an answer. Most ambassadors forJesus come to the end of their knowl-edge and ability. What a blessing to say,“I don’t know about that, but I do knowJesus loves you, me, and everyone!”

Jonathan Bilitz is pastor at WisconsinLutheran Chapel, Madison, Wisconsin.

This is the 11th article in a 12-part serieson sharing your faith.

WHAT’S YOUR STORYHow have you shared Jesus?Every encounter is different,and we want to hear fromyou. E-mail responses to fic@wels.netwith the subject line:“How I shared Jesus.” Includeyour name, congregation, andcontact information. Ques-tions? Call 414-256-3231.

Even when you don’thave the answer,

speaking about Jesusand his love for all

people is always good.

September 2019 27

AmbassadorsAmbassadorsH O W I S H A R E D J E S U S

OPPORTUNITIESAT AN ASSISTEDLIVING FACILITYI volunteer at the localassisted living facility.It is a way that we lay-people can share thegood news of Jesus. Our

witness plants the seed of faith in some. For others, it en-courages them in their faith. I have two memorable events concerning sharing themessage of Jesus at the assisted living facility.In the first event, I was engaged in conversation with sev-eral elderly men. Somehow the topic of discussion shiftedto circumcision. The discussion centered around reasonsfor circumcision. There were the typical comments of“ouch.” One man said he was circumcised at age six.How can a conversation about circumcision be turned intoa gospel message? I asked myself.My contribution was telling them the good news that we nolonger have to follow the Old Testament law of circumcisionbecause Jesus took our place and died on the cross to fulfillthe law and pay for our sins. I found it to be a unique oppor-tunity for sharing the gospel message. In the second, I was helping push the wheelchair-boundresidents to their lunch room after our chapel service. One lady complimented me on the service while I pushedher chair. I thanked her and then asked if she got anythingout of the message. Her reply? “Yes! Lots of questions!”“What kind of questions?” I pressed. She replied, “Too many to ask here.” Then there was a longpause. “How can I be good enough? How do I know if I’vedone enough good things?” she suddenly asked.

That was my “jailer of Philippi” moment! I knelt by herchair and told her, “You don’t have to. The beauty of it isthat Jesus has done it all. He paid for all your sins whenhe died on that cross for you.”Ministry at assisted living facilities is awesome.

Jim BaurChrist, Baxter, Minnesota

OUTREACH AT35,000 FEET It was a simple questionthat normally would havehad a simple answer. Butthe young man next tome on the plane did notanticipate my response.

I was quietly reading my Kindle when he asked. It is likelyhe thought I would say I was reading John Grisham orDanielle Steele. Instead, I told him I was reading a bookabout the culture war against Christianity. He seemedsurprised. But that answer led to a conversation that lastedfor the duration of the flight. He was a well-mannered young man in his late 20s or early30s. I am in my 60s, so I was surprised he engaged me inconversation. Yet, it was clear the conversation was led bysomeone other than us! He said he was raised in the churchand had good parents, but he had not been to church inyears. We talked about marriage and its importance, andhe agreed that a Christian marriage was important andthat he would only marry once. I shared that my own mar-riage was 45 years old, but my relationship with Christwas lifelong. I told him how important church was to mylife and how engaging with God’s Word kept my faithstrong. We discussed how today’s social upheavals have

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We asked, and you shared! Here are more stories from you, our readers, on howyou let your faith shine in your daily lives.

changed the culture, and I told him these changes resultedin moving “boundary stones” and could destroy ourcountry but not God’s Word. The young man was polite and receptive. He did not offermuch in the way of argument, and he seemed to be think-ing about what he was hearing. As the flight came to anend, he told me he did not feel close to God. I said, “Thereis a verse in the Bible that says, ‘Come near to God andhe will come near to you’ ” (James 4:8). I asked him tokeep that verse in mind, and he said he would.I have no idea if this nice young man ever thought of ourconversation again. I do know that whenever he comesto my mind, I pray for him. I pray for a nice, Christianyoung woman to enter his life. And I pray that he comesnear to his God.

Mary SnyderLiving Hope, Chattanooga, Tennessee

WITNESSINGTHROUGH THEWRITTEN WORDI had the blessing ofsharing Jesus with manychildren for 22 years. Iretired from teaching in 2003.

That year a unique opportunity for me to share Jesus withadults began. Our daily newspaper has a “Public Forum”column for readers to share their thoughts. One day awriter accused Martin Luther of removing the Apocryphabooks from the Bible, thereby removing evidence of theexistence of purgatory.I felt compelled to reply with Bible passages about thecompleteness of Jesus’ salvation. That started a corre-spondence in the paper on a variety of religious topicsthat was to last until 2007.In my research on the Apocrypha, I learned that St. Jeromewas the first to state that seven books in the Old Testamentwere useful for history but “not of the same quality” fordoctrine as the other Old Testament books. He suggestedthat these books be grouped together and placed at theend of the Old Testament. I wrote that Martin Lutherwas the first to follow St. Jerome’s suggestion. Luther did

include the apocryphal books in his German translationof the Bible, but it was the Puritans who requested that theapocryphal books be removed.The necessity of purgatory continued to be discussed at least once a month. One day the writer shared thisthought: “Whenever I pass a cemetery, I pray for thesouls there, that they may be received into heaven.” I replied that it was kind of him to think of others’ salva-tion, but it was not necessary to pray for those who have already died believing in Jesus as their Savior. I had al-ready shared Jesus’ words about passing from death tolife. This time I used 1 John 1:7: “The blood of Jesus, hisSon, purifies us from all sin.” I ended with this question:“If Jesus’ death purified us from all sins, what is the needfor purgatory?”That 1 John verse ended the discussion of purgatory. Later I discovered one special result of sharing Jesusthrough the newspaper. A few years ago, I was visiting an elderly friend in a nursing home. The last time I sawhim, he said, “I have read all your letters, and they com-fort me. I want to ask you a question. Do you have to belong to a certain church to be saved?”“No,” I replied, “if you believe that Jesus died on the crossto pay for your sins, when you die, you will be with himin heaven.”With tears in his eyes, the gentleman grasped my handand smiled, thanking me for coming to see him.A few weeks later, my husband and I attended his funeral inhis hometown church. I found myself startled to hear thesewords after the homily: “He was a fine Christian man, butwhen he died, he still had icky things clinging to him, likewe all do. You can help him be found worthy in God’s sightby praying for him and offering the sacrifice of the mass.”Later my husband and I shared our thankfulness thatour friend knew the truth: “We have been made holythrough the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once forall” (Hebrews 10:10).

Trudy MadetzkeZion, Russell, Minnesota

What’s your story? How have you shared Jesus? E-mail responsesto fic@wels.net with the subject line: “How I shared Jesus.”Include your name, congregation, and contact information.Questions? Call 414-256-3231.

September 2019 29

A native Paraguayan findsmotivation from the gos-pel to revisit her countryand share the message ofChrist with residents there. Rachel Hartman

Earlier in her life, Juliana Kennell leftParaguay with the desire never to re-turn. Now, years later, time and againshe has gone back to the country. Thechange of heart, she says, can onlybe accredited to God and his power-ful Word. After finding a Lutheranchurch in the United States, Julianarealized she could find ways to helpothers in South America learn moreabout Christ.

EARLY YEARS IN PARAGUAYJuliana was born and raised in Asun-ción, the capital and largest city inParaguay. She lived with her mother,who raised her and sent her to aCatholic school. “It was an all-girlsschool run by a nun,” Juliana says. When she was older, Juliana gotmarried and had a child. Her mothermoved to New York, but Juliana re-

mained in Paraguay with her family.Her life quickly took a troubling turnwhen her child passed away at theage of six. “I was very hurt and feltvery bad,” she says. “It took me yearsto move on.” She found her life empty.During this sad time, Juliana’s motherdeveloped a heart condition and grewill. “She invited me to go see her inNew York,” Juliana says. Acceptingthe invitation, Juliana recognized thechance to move on from her past. “Iclosed the door on Paraguay,” she says.“When I left, I said I would nevercome back.”

A NEW LIFE IN FLORIDAJuliana stayed with her mother in NewYork for some time. Eventually, whenshe was once again single, she movedsouth to Florida and began to rebuildher life. One evening she went fishing ata beach park. During the outing, shemet LaVon. The two exchanged phonenumbers, and two years later they gotmarried. A little later, the couple had achild they named Abby. Life in Floridawas a new beginning. After LaVon and Juliana got married,LaVon wanted to see the place Juliana

had come from. Even though Julianahad vowed never to return, she de-cided to take a trip to show him whatlife had been like. When their daughterAbby was just nine months old, theymade their first visit back. “My stepdadhas a ranch, and LaVon loved it there,”she says. The couple appreciated theway their daughter was welcomed andappreciated in the setting in Paraguay.They returned to Florida and soonbegan thinking about Abby’s education.She was just a toddler, but based ontheir assessment and comments fromothers, they felt it might be helpful tohave their daughter in an environmentwhere she would feel challenged. One evening the family went out todinner. While there, they struck up aconversation with another diner whointrigued their daughter. During thechat, they learned the person wasthe preschool director at a nearbyWELS school. Based on the initial encounter, LaVonand Juliana decided to check out thepreschool. The place offered a programfor children prior to preschool, andthey opted to enroll Abby. “We started

30 September 2019 PHOTO: iSTOCK

September 2019 31

with the school and really liked it,”Juliana says. Soon their toddler was exposed tochapel and the Bible. The couplewatched as their daughter developedin a Christian environment. It was aplace that Abby visibly enjoyed. At the time, the family was attendinga different evangelical church. Whilethey went regularly, they didn’t findclear teachings regarding the law andgospel. They also came across few re-sources when looking for further in-struction for their daughter.The situation led them to turn to As-cension Lutheran Church, Sarasota,Fla.—the church connected to thepreschool Abby was attending. “Iwanted her raised in the truth,” Julianasays. The preschool director invitedthem to try a Bible class. They soondiscovered that the church offered aBible study for adults and a Sundayschool for children.

GROWING IN THE WORDJuliana appreciated the chance for herdaughter to learn more about the Bibleand soon found herself absorbed in theWord too. “I knew very little with myCatholic background. I never under-stood the Bible,” she says. From herpast church experiences in Paraguay,she remembered not being able to askquestions to gain a deeper knowledge.In the Lutheran church, the Bible wasexplained, and Juliana learned of thefree and full forgiveness offered to herfrom Jesus. She was eager to study,learn more, and become a member.“I fell in love with the church,” she says.She was drawn to the opportunities totalk about God’s Word and apply itto her daily life.Living in Florida, she was far from herother family members, yet she founda sense of belonging in the congrega-tion. “That is the amazing part of As-cension. It’s a small church and feelslike family,” she says.

REACHING OUT BACK HOMELaVon and Juliana kept making tripsto Paraguay and discovered they could

help those living there. The elemen-tary school, for instance, had a greenboard that was nearly the same coloras the chalk they used. This made itdifficult to read what was written onthe board. The couple came up withan idea to take slate-colored paint forthe board when they next visited.During following visits, Juliana broughtclothes and supplies for family mem-bers, friends, and community members.“We started helping people,” she says.On one occasion, the family noticedthat children were drawing water froman open well every day for school. Theyhelped oversee a project to put in a cis-tern and change the well structure,making it an operation that used grav-ity to draw water. This created a safersource of water for the children whoused the well every day. Back in Florida, the family continuedto attend Ascension and grow in theWord. “I like the Bible classes,” Julianasays. “The more I learn, the more Iknow and can share with others.” Overtime, LaVon and Juliana realized theycould do more to help those in Para-guay: they could help with the spiritualneed they had observed. “The priestcomes just once a year,” Juliana says.

“The Spirit led us to the opportunityto bring the gospel to the village.” Juliana felt God had put her in a posi-tion where he could use her to sharethe message of Christ. “I can explainthings in my own language, and I havethe experience from the time I spentthere before,” she says. She could re-late to the people and bring the gospelto a place that was hungry for it. Now Juliana has made numerous tripsto Paraguay. Her congregation got in-volved, and the pastor and other mem-bers organized a mission board calledSolo Cristo. They also reached out toWELS World Missions and are workingwith missionaries to spread the gospelfurther in Paraguay.Juliana recognizes that her missionefforts stem from the Word beingpresent in her life. “It’s not what I did;it’s what he did,” she says. “He put ustogether to work for him.”

Rachel Hartman is a member at DivineSavior, Doral, Florida.

Go to ascensionwels.org to read moreabout how Ascension is involved in out-reach in Paraguay. Read more about WELSmission work in Paraguay and the surround-ing area on p. 24.

Juliana Kennell and her husband, LaVon, in Paraguay.They return often to Paraguay to help the people there and to share the gospel message.

September 2019 31

The Lord, our shieldGlenn L. Schwanke

ank God westill have campus

ministries to servestudents livingthrough these

turbulent times!

32 September 2019

EDITORIAL COMMENT

August 15–17, 1969. Woodstock. Over ahalf million people flocked to Max Yas-gur’s 600-acre dairy farm in upstate NewYork. There they rocked to Joan Baez;the Grateful Dead; Janis Joplin; Crosby,Stills, Nash, and Young; and many more.Jimi Hendrix’s electrifying guitar workwrapped up the event.But Woodstock is remembered more forthe shocking scenes captured in a 1971Academy Award-winning documentary:sex, drugs, and rock and roll. The three-day event became little more than a warpedrespite from the violent protests that weresweeping our nation—protests demandingan end to the war in Vietnam and unfairtreatment of blacks, as well as demandingfull equality for women.Many of the most violent protests wereon college campuses. On May 15, 1969, atthe University of California, Berkeley, po-lice and 2,700 National Guard troops usedtear gas and shotguns in an effort to con-trol the rioters. Then came May 4, 1970.Kent State. Four students were killed andanother nine were injured while protestingthe bombing of Cambodia by US forces.Our nation was ripping apart. Yet, in themidst of this chaos, something incredibletook place at Michigan TechnologicalUniversity (MTU). At the beginning of the 1969 fall semester,a Michigan Tech freshman, Martin Jonesof Woodruff, Wisconsin, reached out toDr. J. Michael Skaates, a faculty memberat Tech. Jones did not want to organize aprotest but rather get a group started forBible study and worship. Jones knew thatDr. Skaates was a member of the NationalChurch in Calumet and that Skaates hadconnections with the Wisconsin Synod. Jones and Skaates received permissionto check the religious preference cards on file in the Dean of Students’ Office.They identified 12 students as WisconsinSynod members. They invited those stu-dents to meet on Oct. 14, 1969. Sevenstudents came and arranged to meet reg-ularly for Bible study. They organized as a chapter of “Lutheran Collegians,” the

national WELS Student organization.Several months later, the Dean of Stu-dents granted a charter to the group, rec-ognizing them as a student organization. In the fledgling years of this campus min-istry, communion services were held oncea month in a Seventh-day Adventist build-ing in Houghton. On other Sundays, stu-dents took a taxi to Calumet for worship.Later, communion services were con-ducted in the Baptist Student Center. By1973, weekly worship services were held at the Christian Science Building. Then onDec 3, 1978, the first worship service washeld at the University Chapel, the campusministry’s new home thanks to the WELSGeneral Board for Home Missions. So much has changed since then! Yet, justlike 1969, 2019 is rocked by protests in ournation. Today’s protests are over migrantissues, border protection, gender identity,or anger over “white privilege.” Our collegecampuses remain tinderboxes where issuesexplode, finding students in the cross fire.Thank God we still have campus min-istries to serve students living throughthese turbulent times! Here in Houghton,we’re celebrating our 50th anniversarywith the theme, “God’s Word Is Our GreatHeritage.” We’ll have special services onSept. 1, Oct. 27, and Feb. 9, 2020. We’dlove to have you join us!Whether you join us or not, please keeppraying for WELS Campus Ministry,which is celebrating its 100th anniversarythis year. Perhaps your prayer can mirrormine: “Father, steel Christians on campuswith a faith that joyfully shouts David’sconfession. ‘This God—his way is blame-less. The speech of the LORD is pure. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him’ ”(Psalm 18:30 Evangelical Heritage Version).

Contributing editor Glenn Schwanke, pastorat Peace, Houghton, Michigan, also servesas campus pastor at Michigan Technologi-cal University. 

Read more about how campus ministries canprovide comfort and connections on p. 18.

BIBLE STUDY

September 2019 33

Cross-centered life andthoughtJeffrey D. Enderle

Her first restaurant job was nothinglike cooking at home. Personal safetyvideos. Rigorous sanitation rules. Strictfood-handling standards. Weeks intothe job, she had no chance of forgettingthem. Multiple signs made safety anever-present issue. Other cooks didn’ttolerate shortcuts. Managers kept con-stant vigilance. Likewise, Christians benefit from keep-ing the basics of the faith in focus at alltimes. That means the cross is an es-sential part of our lives of faith. Thecross of Christ and what it means forus is not something we can move be-yond and leave behind. Martin Lutheradopted a motto to encapsulate his Ref-ormation rediscoveries: “The crossalone is our theology” (Crux sola estnostra theologia).

SEEING LIFE THROUGH THE CROSSAs Christians, we see everything inour lives through the prism of Jesus’cross. From a purely human perspec-tive, the cross of Christ is a crashingdefeat for his ministry. Yet far from afailure, the cross of Jesus meant he ac-complished the rescue of humanityjust as he set out to do. His cross en-

ables us to see everything in lifethrough the perspective of what wehave from Jesus. Why is the cross such a crucial and con-stant element to our faith? Just thinkback to your default reactions when youexperience painful suffering or injus-tices. Do your prayers accuse God ofbeing unfair? You might never actuallysay it in these exact words, but when youare faithfully studying God’s Word andspending time in prayer, do you expectfavorable treatment from God?When Paul says the cross is “the powerof God” for believers (1 Corinthians1:18), he wants us to know the practical,ongoing value of the cross for our dailylives. Christ crucified is “the power ofGod and the wisdom of God” (1 Corin-thians 1:24) for us when we experiencestruggles that induce doubt and uncer-tainty in our faith. The cross is the key totrusting in God when things in life seemincomprehensible. Luther commendsthe believer who “comprehends the vis-ible and manifest things of God seenthrough suffering and the cross” (“TheHeidelberg Disputation,” Thesis #20).The cross means Jesus fulfilled everycondition laid down for the salvation ofevery sinner. The cross of Christ meanswe get to enjoy God’s unconditionallove because of what Jesus did for us.The cross helps us see that our ultimate

problem in life isn’t self-improvementbut ingrained and pervasive sin in ourhearts. The cross gives us a constantreminder to find meaning in life fromthe sacrifice Jesus made and the victoryhe secured for us.

LIVING LIFE BY THE CROSSAs we study Scripture, we gain a deeperunderstanding of who God is. As wemeditate on his gospel promises, weare drawn into a great appreciation ofhis gifts. As our hearts are transformedby the power of the Holy Spirit, ourprayers are shaped by the cross ofChrist. Every aspect of our lives flowsout of God’s riches to us in Jesus. The message of the cross is somethingwe need to preach to ourselves. Thecross of Jesus is the dual destroyer ofboth our pride and despair. Infiniteriches are ours through the grace ofGod poured out on the cross. The fin-ished work of Jesus provides certaintyin the middle of our confusion and asolid foundation for faith in a chaoticworld. The cross is something wenever outgrow.

Contributing editor Jeffrey Enderle ispastor at Christ the Rock, Farmington,New Mexico.

This is the eighth article in a ten-part series on ways to enrich your personal devotional life.

PHOTO: LIGHTSTOCK

34 September 2019

A THOUGHT

Faith in Jesus

I believe in a specific God who has stepped into

history for all humanity.

I believe. I say those words regularlywith others as we confess what we be-lieve. I believe in a specific God who hasstepped into history for all humanity.When hearing that I believe, somesuggest that I am hostile to investiga-tion, critical thinking, and rationalthought. I can understand why somewould make that assertion about peo-ple of faith. All too often “faith” is sovague that it loses its object and be-comes just faith in faith—a kind ofdream without substance.For that kind of faith, there is no proof;it’s just a feeling no one can verify. Tomake matters worse, thousands of faithslike that exist and new ones arise everyday. But I believe in some importanthistorical facts about Jesus and what hecame to do. These facts can be verifiedjust like other facts of history.The first question is whether or notthere was a Jesus in history. In a courtof law, witnesses testify to what theyhave seen. In the case for Jesus, theeyewitnesses say there was someonecalled Jesus. John’s gospel begins withthe note, “We have seen his glory, theglory of the one and only Son, whocame from the Father, full of grace andtruth” (1:14). Luke begins, “I myselfhave carefully investigated everythingfrom the beginning” (1:3), which in-cluded talking with “eyewitnesses andservants of the word” (v. 2). Matthewand Mark confirm the testimony. Markprobably was Peter’s secretary, andPeter himself wrote in his second let-ter, “We did not follow cleverly devisedstories . . . but we were eyewitnesses”(1:16). The testimony is remarkablyaccurate.An opposing attorney would attemptto challenge their testimony with a hostof arguments. He might suggest thatthe documents containing their eyewit-ness accounts were written long afterthe events took place. We’ve all heardthat, but it did not happen. The wordsof the eyewitnesses have been verified

as genuine historical documents writ-ten shortly after the events they relate.The challenges to their truthfulnesshave all proved to be without merit.The attorney might suggest that theoriginal handwritten documents ofthese witnesses do not exist, and there-fore, they might have been doctored byothers afterward. But over five thousandcopies of their handwritten documentsdo exist, some of them coming almost a century after the events. That’s not aproblem for ancient texts. Scholars ofLatin and Greek writers like Caesar,Herodotus, and Aristotle do not havethe originals of these writers either. Thecopies they study are relatively few andin some cases occur one thousandyears after those writers died.Then we also investigate what theseeyewitnesses claim about Jesus. Whyis he so important even today? Is he ateacher? a philosopher? a charismaticleader? something else? Jesus claims tohave come from his heavenly Father totell us what comes directly from heaven:“I am telling you what I have seen inthe Father’s presence” (John 8:38).Amazing! Even astounding! Jesus makesthat claim often. C. S. Lewis said whathas so often been repeated: Either Jesusis a lunatic with a god complex or heis who he claims to be: God himselfentering human history.And why did he step into history? AfterJesus came into the house of Zacchaeus,he said, “The Son of Man came to seekand to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).My few words here are not enough to explore all the arguments for theChristian faith and the counterargu-ments against it. But by the power ofthe Holy Spirit, I can confess that Ibelieve. I believe, that is, I trust whatthe eyewitnesses tell me about Jesus.

Chapter 20 introduces the seventh andfinal vision. Many Christians have beentaught to expect a coming millennial(thousand-year) reign of Jesus on earthbased, in large part, on the words ofthis chapter. On the one hand, we will be sympatheticto and patient with those who are trou-bled and confused by this section of God’sWord as they seek his truth. On the otherhand, we’ll want to read these words care-fully and compare them to the rest of theBible. From that study, we conclude thatthe so-called millennium is not taughtanywhere in Scripture.

THOUSAND-YEAR REIGNChapter 20 begins with the dramatiza-tion of a historical truth and the ongo-ing reality that results from it: Jesus, theangel from heaven, has defeated Satan,the dragon, by his life, death, and resur-rection. That good news of Jesus’ vic-tory, the gospel, keeps the devil chainedup from fully and freely deceiving peopleand nations with his wicked lies. Thedragon will be bound for “a thousandyears,” a complete number (10 cubed)representing a definite and determinedtime from Jesus’ ascension until shortlybefore his return in glory.During that same time, we’re told that agroup of people, those who have takenpart in the “first resurrection,” reign with

Jesus. Who are those people? When weremember the Bible teaching that allhuman beings are born dead in sin, weunderstand the “first resurrection” to bethe new birth given by the Holy Spiritthrough faith. These are all believers inJesus! While they take part in the firstdeath, a physical one, they all have eternallife in Christ and need not fear the “sec-ond death” (eternal separation from God).Along with all people, they will participatein the second resurrection, a bodily oneat Christ’s return. Meanwhile, saints inheaven and on earth live and reign withtheir living and ruling Savior.

SATAN’S SHORT SEASON ANDFINAL DEMISEAt the end of this period, Satan will beloosed from his chain and allowed todeceive widely and freely. This visiontells us that it will be a “short time” (v.3). We are reminded of Jesus’ words inMatthew 24:21-25, where he speaks of atime of severe testing but promises thathe will mercifully cut that time shortfor the sake of his people. Previous vi-sions in Revelation also point to thistime when gospel witness will be nearlyor completely silenced. But that shortseason will come to an end. That endmeans final judgment for the old evil foe. That end also means Jesus’ return tojudge the living and the dead. Those who

stand before the judge without the right-eousness of Christ by faith are justlysentenced based on their own faultyrecord. Those who are found in Christ,who are written in the book of life, arejudged on his perfect performance andguilt-removing sacrifice. They have lifeand peace with God through Christ andneed not fear his judgment now or ever. Jesus himself, the victor over sin andSatan, is our life and hope, our comfortin every conflict.

REFLECT ON REVELATION CHAPTER 201. Read Ephesians 1:1-10. What reasons

given here to praise the Lord are simi-lar to those in Revelation 20?

2. How do the words of Jesus in John5:24-30 teach the same lessons asRevelation 20?

Contributing editor Timothy Westendorfis pastor at Abiding Word, HighlandsRanch, Colorado.

This is the tenth article in a 12-part series on the book of Revelation. Find the articleand answers online after Sept. 5 at wels.net/forwardinchrist.

September 2019 35

BIBLE STUDY

Timothy J. Westendorf

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

THE BOOK OFTHE BOOK OF

Timothy J WeWeW stendorf

THE BOOK OF

REVELATIONCOMFORT IN THE MIDST OF CONFLICT: REVELATION 20

Archaeology can teachus things, but it needs tobe kept in perspective.Thomas D. Kock

“Did you find anything?!?” That’s al-most always the first question you’llhear when you come back from an archaeological dig.

WHAT WE FOUNDI helped lead a group of 20 people—pastors, teachers, students, and laypeo-ple—on an archaeological dig to Israelthis summer. We dug at Khirbet ‘Aujael-Foqa, a few miles north of Jericho. And, yes, we did find some interest-ing things! First, we found two rathersubstantial pottery destruction layers.Generally a destruction layer occurswhen a wall collapses. The pottery iscrushed, and sometimes, there it stays.One on-site archaeologist commentedthat some archaeologists will spendtheir entire career without finding apottery destruction as substantial aswhat we found. It’s valuable because itmay allow others to put the pottery backtogether, which can help to date thesite more accurately. We also foundan ancient oven called a “taboon” anda round projectile that is perhaps thesort of stone David would have usedin fighting Goliath.

WHAT INSIGHTS WE GAINEDMaybe you have another question. Is itappropriate for us to look to archaeol-ogy for insights into the ancient world?Of course! Seeing that projectile—around stone almost the size of a base-ball—helps us to understand the bibli-cal text more clearly. Seeing the pottery,city walls, and ovens helps us to under-stand daily life in the ancient world abit better. Finding ancient monumentsor coins with the names of biblical char-acters can perhaps be used to suggestto the skeptic, “You see, it’s reasonableto say that the Bible is reporting aboutreal people, real events.” But there are limitations. The realityis that often we’re guessing. Oh, theguesses are usually quite educated, butthey’re guesses nonetheless. Maybesomeone might say, “That pottery isreally simple; therefore, it’s really old.”But maybe it was a beginning pottery-maker’s first try at making pottery, andso it’s simple, but not so old. That point was brought out quite clearlywith one of our finds. We found some-thing made out of stone. At first wethought it was the handle to a stonevessel, but the size seemed to make thatunlikely. The missing vessel, if propor-tionate, would have been so big andheavy it would be unusable. The nextthought was that it was some sort of

weight, perhaps used to measure grainor some other commodity. Anothersuggestion was that it might have beenused as a weight to hold a lid on a jar orsomething like that. The on-site archae-ologists said they’d never seen anythingquite like it. That’s neat! But digging through the rubble was alsoa powerful reminder of the limitationsof archaeology. Yes, it can teach us somethings, but it needs to be kept in per-spective. It can never—and dare never—take the place of “thus saith the Lord.”There are way too many “perhapses.” So we’ll ask God for wisdom to explorearchaeology to its fullest that we mightgain more insights into details that hadpreviously escaped us. But we also askGod for wisdom to help us keep it inproper perspective. Archaeology is ahandmaid to the sacred text, where thebest, most important insights are al-ways to be found.

omas Kock, a professor at WisconsinLutheran Seminary, Mequon, Wisconsin,is a member at Atonement, Milwaukee,Wisconsin.

Note: This archaeological dig is run by Dr.Ralph Hawkins of Averett University, alongwith Dr. David Ben-Shlomo of Ariel Univer-sity. It’s part of the Jordan Valley ExcavationProject, jvep.org. The next dig trip is ten-tatively planned for summer 2021.