"God For You, And In You" (Episode 223) Featuring Pastor Brian Thomas
Pastor Thomas Teaches On Ephesians 1:3-14
Contributors
Brian W. Thomas
Brian W. Thomas is the pastor of Grace Lutheran in San Diego, CA. He is the author of "Wittenberg vs. Geneva" and "Draw Me Unto Thee: A Lenten Prayerbook." As a former naval officer, he loves serving our sailors and marines in the local San Diego region.
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Through the means of grace, Christ grants us a share in all the blessings of this ancient hope.
Knock! Knock! Who's There?
For a long time, well-intentioned pastors and college evangelists have applied Jesus’ words from Revelation 3:20 to the unconverted.
Saxon Visitation Articles of 1592
The articles were used to catechize churches in Lutheran doctrine through a series of pastoral visitations.
Font to Table: Need for the Creeds - Why Do We Recite Them?
The creeds provide a means of unified confession that is biblically sound, transcending denominational lines of demarcation.
Font to Table: Why Does the Pastor Wear That?
The minister’s clothing represents his office of service, derived from the ministry of Christ, and never himself.
Font to Table: What is Lent?
The post-Reformation observance of Lent is both commemorative and penitential
Font to Table: The Deeper Meaning Behind Baptismal Fonts
The majority of churches still use the traditional eight-sided font. The question I’d like to explore in this post is, “Why?”
Font to Table: Why Do So Many Churches Have Red Doors?
The red door was fair warning to pursuers that they could proceed no further.
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It can be argued that this scene sets a pattern for Christian activity on the first day of the week from that time until the present.
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The reason the U.S. is blessed by God is that we are essentially a “good” nation. And this is the root of Bob’s problem (and that of all civil religion).
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Jesus’ death was a direct fulfillment of the will of His Father as promised in the Scriptures.
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“In a culture that promotes self-interest, children in church learn that something much bigger and more important than themselves is going on in their midst."
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Instead of burning them up with unquenchable fire, He comes in solidarity, to be God with us and God for us. Jesus is baptized into our life, so that He could gift us His life.
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Luther accepted Augustine’s view of the church as a mixed body.
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This emphasis in Luther also applied to his understanding of the sacraments, and particularly comes out in his writings on the Lord’s Supper in his Large Catechism.
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The redeemed are dressed in white robes.
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