Luther neither removed the Apocrypha from the Bible nor discouraged its use. Rather, he received and preserved the ancient distinction inherited from the fathers: the Apocrypha is valuable, edifying, and worthy of reading, but it is not Holy Scripture and therefore cannot serve as the foundation of Christian doctrine.
The confessors at Augsburg remind us that every generation of Christians is called to bear witness to the gospel amid the challenges and pressures of its own age. As they confessed Christ before emperors and kingdoms, so the Church continues to confess Him before the world today.
When Jesus washes you with baptismal water, you can rest assured that the Lion of Judah is on the move.

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A confessing church is a church more worried about souls than appearances, family lines, or institutional bottom-lines.
Let’s take a look point-by-point to better understand why apologetics is really just part of sharing the Gospel.
If it's not Christ Jesus "for you" they're not delivering the Gospel to you.
Heaven is not our ultimate hope. Our promise is not to live forever riding on rainbows and soaring in the clouds.
If we are saved by faith, if it is by faith that we have life in His name, what do the sacraments have to do with it? The answer is: everything.
I believe it’s no small charge to assert that there’s a massive problem in the majority of America’s pulpits.
What if I just hadn’t repented enough? Or prayed enough? Or really, really given my whole heart to Jesus? What if I just wasn’t ready?
Because salvation is by grace through faith, I believe that among the countless number of people standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palms in their hands, I shall see the prostitute from the Kit-Kat Ranch in Carson City, Nevada, who tearfully told me that she could find no other employment to support her two-year-old son.
You have suffered your son to come unto Jesus; but fathers, don’t let him die!
The church’s worship should boldly and explicitly do two things: confess the incarnation and practice for the resurrection.
As a pastor I am often asked if pets go to heaven? The question may sound childish, or even sentimental, but it is extremely important for those who ask it.
Even in our principled disagreements, we continue to pray for the unity of all, and invite the world to taste and see that the Lord is good.