My Prayer for you (Colossians 1:1-14)

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost  
June 16, 2013

Dear friends in Christ.

For nearly nine years now I’ve had the privilege of sharing God’s Word with you each and every week.  I’ve had the opportunity to encourage you in your faith, comfort you in your sorrows, convict you of sin, and assure you of the Lord’s forgiveness which is yours through Jesus Christ, your Lord and Savior.  But how do I say good bye to you, whom I have known as a family for so many years now!  I considered re-preaching the first sermon I preached as Pastor here—a sermon that was designed to encourage each and every one of us to fix our faith on Jesus, to cling to him and to rely on him for all that we need.  I considered preaching a sermon that didn’t exactly follow the idea of a farewell sermon, but continued in our catecatical series reminding us of how we receive the forgiveness of sins, and assuring us that we have been forgiven through faith in our Savior who lived, died, and rose again for each and every one of us.  Yet, every time I thought about this day, my thoughts kept coming back to Paul’s words in Colossians 1.  So, this morning, I would like to invite you to open your Bibles with me one more time.  I would like to invite you to open your Bibles with me to Colossians 1, and we’ll take a look at the encouragement in faith, the assurance of forgiveness, and the thanksgiving that the Apostle Paul proclaims to the Colossians as he prays for them in our lesson today.

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse: Grace and peace to you from God our Father. 3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints— 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth. 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit." (Colossians 1:1–8, NIV84)

As Paul opens his letter, he greets the believers with thanksgiving and prayer.  Thanksgiving because they had heard the Word of God and believed it; prayer that they would continue to be built up and strengthened in their faith.  As he writes, he reminds them that through their faith in Christ they were well known for the love that they so openly displayed for all believers—love which sprung out of the hope that they had in eternal life through Christ; love that just naturally flowed out because they wanted to tell others about the hope of heaven that they had.  But even as Paul wrote, troubles had begun to spring up.  False teachers had come into the city and begun teaching the Colossians things that they had never heard before.  Teaching them that Jesus death on the cross wasn’t complete and that the Colossians would have to live by strict rules about the kinds of foods they could eat, and what they could drink.  Other teachers came into town telling them that they had to deny themselves of certain things.  Still other teachers came telling them that Jesus wasn’t the only spiritual being that deserved worship, but that the angels deserved worship as well.  So, Paul writes to them, “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”  (Colossians 1:9). 

Because of all the confusing ideas that were being preached in Colosse, Paul prayed for them, asking that their faith would be increased, that God would fill them with the knowledge of his will.  Paul prayed for them so that they would be able to discern between God’s Word and the false teachers.  He prayed for them so that as they heard the Word of God, their faith in Christ would increase and be strengthened so that they would be able to withstand the attacks upon their faith from these false teachers. 

Well, dear friends, this is my prayer for you as well.  In the same way that Paul is praying for the Colossian I pray that God would strengthen you in your faith and fill you with the knowledge of his will.  I pray that you would continue to read and study your Bibles so that your faith in him as your Lord and Savior would continue to grow and to mature.  I pray that you do not give up meeting together, but regularly gather for worship so that you might encourage and be encouraged by the presence of all your friends, relatives, neighbors, and even those whom you do not know so well, each and every week; because this world is still full of false teaches.  This world is still filled with people who lead a life of sincerity wrapped in the garb of spirituality rather than that of faith in Christ.  Take for example how so many churches in our word preach a message of love and tolerance; a message that encourages us in the knowledge that God is love and through which we can easily make love into a god.  Take for example the sincere love between two men or two women who have lovingly dedicated themselves to each other in marriage according to the laws of our State.  Though they may be sincere in their love for each other, and they may be sincere in their belief that a God who is love, must love us for who we are, and want us to be happy in our love for another, even another of the same sex; though they may be sincere in their belief, this is still something that runs contrary to what the Lord teaches in his Word.  Though we all know couples who sincerely believe that it is better for them to live together before marriage, or instead of marriage, because they sincerely believe that it is better to practice at commitment than it is to break a commitment, this is also a false teaching that goes against what God teaches in his Word.  Though we may even know people who are convinced that it really doesn’t matter what they believe, as long as they sincerely believe it, this too is a false teaching that is contrary to God’s Word.

These are all false teachings that go against God’s Word.  Just because a person sincerely believes something, the sincerity of their belief doesn’t necessarily make it right or true.  For example, a Buddhist can sincerely believe in Buddha.  A Jehovah’s Witness can sincerely believe that the only God is God the Father or Jehovah God. A Mormon can sincerely believe that by his actions he will one day become a god.  But if these do not believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who died on the cross to take away the sins of the world, they will never see heaven.  The same is true about those who sincerely believe that living together is fine or that homosexual relationships are acceptable to God.  Unless they heed God’s Word, change their ways, and leave their lives of sin, they will be surprised how sincerely they will feel eternal separation from God.

Thus, I pray for each and every one of you that the Lord would increase your faith so that you would seek to live for the Lord your God.  I pray that your spiritual lives would resemble that of body builder Arnold Strong—better known by his stage name, Arnold Schwarzenegger—rather than your spiritual lives resembling that of Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi!  For at the peak of his physical fitness, Arnold Schwarzenegger lived a life of constant body building, while at the peak of his political power, Mahatma Gandhi lived a life of poverty, fasting, hunger strikes.  While Schwarzenegger increased, Gandhi decreased.  While Schwarzenegger gained a trimmed and toned physique along with strength and massive muscles, Gandhi gained a wasted physique, a sickly appearance, atrophied muscles along with a great wealth of physical weakness.  This is why I pray for you that you would live for the Lord—for when you live for the Lord, your faith increases.  When you live for the Lord, your faith becomes part of your life.  When you live for the Lord reading and studying the Word becomes something that you long to do.  When you live for the Lord, gathering for worship is one of your prime objectives.  When you live for the Lord, your goal is to serve him in whatever way is pleasing in his sight.

This is the point the Apostle Paul was trying to get across to the Colossians when he wrote, “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." (Colossians 1:9–14, NIV84)

My friends, this is my prayer for you as well!  I pray that you live a life worthy of the Lord in all things.  Not because I want you to.  Not because you feel like you have to.  I pray this for you because it is the Lord who “qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”  I pray this for you because it is the Lord who “rescued you from the dominion of darkness and brought you into the kingdom of the Son he loves.”  I pray this for you because it is the Lord who have given you, “redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”  I pray this for you because it is the Lord Jesus Christ himself, God’s only begotten Son, our Lord gave up his glory in heaven to come down to earth and live among us.  He, the sinless Son of God lived among us sinners for thirty some years.  He lived with us, ate with us and taught us.  He went to the cross for us.  The sinless for the sinner went to suffer and die so that we sinners would be made sinless in the eyes of God.  This is my prayer for you that you would always live for Jesus Christ, your Lord and Savior, who died and rose again to free you from all of your sins.

In other words, if you are trapped in any sin, confess it to the Lord and receive his forgiveness.  If you are living in a way that is contrary to the teachings of God’s Word, change your ways and leave your life of sin.  If you think that sincerity of belief is greater than belief in the things God has taught us, take time to study his Word.  If you have lived the life of Gandhi, fasting and keeping yourself from the Word of the Lord and his Worship, come and join the feast.  Change your life and live the life of Schwarzenegger, building yourself in your faith as you begin a new your life for the Lord.

This is my prayer for you that as you live your Christian lives, you present yourselves in such a way so that the world may know you as a Christian.  Thus, in this way, you will find yourselves fixing your faith on Jesus, your Savior, clinging to him and relying on him in every need.  In this way you will live in the forgiveness of sins that is yours through faith in Jesus Christ who came to this world to live for us, die for us and rise again from the dead so that we could live with him forever.  In this way you will continue to grow your faith and your knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.  This is my prayer for each and every one of you.

Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling

Grace EvangelicalLutheran Church--Le Sueur, MN

What Is a Good Work in God's Sight?

June 9, 2013

Dear friends in Christ.

Did you know that if you examine every religious teaching in the world, each and every teaching and each and every religious group will fall into one of two categories?  It’s true.  Either they will teach that you have to do something, no matter how great or how small, you have to do something to aid in or to earn your salvation; or they will teach that your salvation is given to you as a gift.  Now I know that this is something that I’ve told you before and I know that every time I make this statement there is always someone who doesn’t quite agree with me.  But it really is true.  Either you were taught that you had to do something in order to aid in or earn your salvation, or you were taught that your salvation was given to you as a gift by Jesus who died on the cross, rose again from the dead, and lovingly instilled the very faith in your hearts through his word; the very faith through which you receive his gift of salvation.

Now, because of that type of thinking, there are also two ways that people think about good works.  Because there are so many religious teachings and philosophies that fall into the category of the need to do something to earn salvation, there are millions, of not billions of people in the world who believe that if they can be good and do enough good in this life, God will welcome them into heaven as a good person.  However, the other side of that type of thinking is the biblical teaching that good works are something that the Lord has prepared us to do.  They are something that he would have us do, not because we have to and certainly not because they are contingent on us earning our salvation; rather, according to God’s Word, good works are things that Christians do, simply because good works naturally flow out of our hearts in thankfulness to the Lord for all that he has done in freeing us from our sins and blessing us with his salvation.  In fact, this is the very thing that we will be seeking to understand as we study the Word of God before us this morning.  For as we examine the passages set before us, we will seek to answer the age-old question, “What is a good work in God’s sight?”

To fully understand what, in God’s sight, constitutes a good work we must first take a look at the attitude of our hearts.  This is something that the writer to the Hebrews brings out very clearly chapter 11 as he speaks about Enoch as one who pleased God. The writer tells us, “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11:5–6, NIV84)

In simplest terms, the Lord makes it clear that the only way that we can possibly please him and can be pleasing to him is through faith.  It is only through the very faith that he, himself, created in our hearts by sending the Holy Spirit into our hearts through the Means of Grace (which we discussed a few weeks ago is the Gospel in the Word and Sacraments) that we have been called to faith in Jesus Christ our Savior, and now through that faith are commended as people who please our God.  Through that very faith, we are able to do works that are pleasing to God—good works that naturally flow out of our faith and our lives in thankfulness to the Lord our God who called us to faith in him.  This is something that the Apostle Paul emphasizes as he writes his beautiful letter to the Ephesians.  As he writes in chapter 2: “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:1–10, NIV84)

In God’s sight, this is exactly what good works are: they are acts of faith that he has prepared for us to do.  They are acts of faith that please him because they spring out of our faith and our love for him.  They are acts of faith that are motivated and flow out of a heart that believes in the one who has called us to faith.  They can be as simple as giving a drink of water to a thirsty person, as important as helping another person through a difficult crisis, even as complex as planning, organizing and building a structure for God’s glory such as our church and fellowship hall!  But the most amazing thing about the good works that we do for the Lord is that most often we don’t even realize that we are doing them.  This is the point that Jesus brings out in his parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25, where Jesus tells us, “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” (Matthew 25:34–40, NIV84)

As we know from the context, this parable gives us a picture of the judgment on the Last Day.  It shows us how easy it will be for Jesus to separate the believers from the unbelievers, because, as we talked about last week, the Lord knows our hearts and the Lord knows who believes in him.  But the most amazing statement of this beautiful section is the believer’s reaction to all that Jesus has just said to them in verses 37-39, “‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?”  Even though there are times when we recognize the good works that the Lord has prepared for us to do, and even though there are times when we might plan to do a specific good work for the Lord, so often the good works that flow out of our hearts and lives are things that we don’t even realize that we are doing.  They are things that we simply don’t keep track of because keeping track of them would only be a detriment to us as our sinful human nature would naturally begin to feel pride in all that we are doing for the Lord and would begin to focus on our good deeds rather than on Jesus and how he freed us from our sins by his life, death, and resurrection.

Now, as simple as it can be for us to understand that a good work in  God’s sight is a work that flows out of our faith, the reason we sometimes have difficulty with this concept is that there are many things that people can do in this life that are thought of as good works.  For example, Oscar Schindler was hailed and remembered as a righteous person because he worked so hard to save so many Jews from Nazi death camps.  Bill and Melinda Gates are often thought of as good people because they been able to do so much good through the foundation that bears their name.  Oprah Winfrey is often thought of as such a good person because she has been able to help so many people through her Angel Network and other networks that she has organized.  And the truth is, based on the good things that they have done and are continuing to do, we would call them good people who are doing good things for the people of the world.  However, even though these are works being done for the good of the people of the world, they may not necessarily be good works in the eyes of the Lord.  I cannot say one way or the other simply because I do not know if Oscar Shindlar was, or if Oprah Winfrey or if Bill and Melinda gates are believers in the Lord Jesus as their Savior.  If they do not believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior, then even though the works they are doing are good works in the eyes of the world, anything done outside of the context of faith in Jesus Christ is not a good work in the eyes of the Lord.  Just as Isaiah told us when he prayed, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." (Isaiah 64:6, NIV84)  And as the writer to the Hebrews tells us, “without faith it is impossible to please God.” (Hebrew 11:6, NIV 84)

Though there are times when this concept can be difficult to understand, when we see it from the eyes of faith it becomes all the more clear.  When we light our path according to God’s Word and when the faith to which the Holy Spirit has called us transforms our hearts and our minds, we are able to test and approve what God’s good and pleasing will truly is.  We are able to judge our actions and our works as good according to God’s standard just like manufactures products must pass certain tests before they are put on the market.  Rope has to meet a strength test.  Automobiles must pass power and braking tests.  Baby cribs must pass safety tests.  Similarly, in order to know whether what we do is a good work or not, we must test it according to God’s Word.  We can’t just follow a popular opinion poll.  Popular opinion might say that because God is love I can live however I want, or it might say that it is perfectly acceptable to cheat if you don’t get caught.  But if God’s Word says that God forbids something, then we will know that even if we are living in faith, doing that thing that runs contrary to God’s Word is not only not a good work but it is a sin. 

So what is a good work in God’s sight?  Quite simply it is something that God has prepared in advance for us to do.  It is something that we have done out of faith and love for the Lord our God.  It is something that is pleasing to the Lord our God because it is something done according to his Word and his will.  May the Lord continue to bless you as you live in and grow in your faith in Jesus Christ who died and rose again from the dead!  May he continue to bless you in your life of good works that naturally flow out of your hearts because of the faith that he, himself has instilled in them, through the work of the Holy Spirit in connection with the means of grace.

Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling

GraceEvangelical Lutheran Church--Le Sueur, MN

Rejoice that you are part of the Holy Christian Church

Series: Growing Together in God's Grace

June 2, 2013

Dear friends in Christ.

Have you ever noticed that the title given to a group of individuals often tells us a great deal about the group?  Take for example one of the groups in our congregation called Supper Club.  It’s pretty clear from the name that this is a group of people who get together for the purpose of eating supper.  How about the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the FBI?  Again, it is pretty clear from the title that this is a group of people who are doing all sorts of investigating.  What about the National Football League, or National Basketball Association?  Again these are titles that tell you that the NFL is a league of football players while the NBA is an association of basketball players.  Though the list could go on and on, as we study the Word of God today, we will see that in the same way that names of groups often identify what the group is all about, so also when we confess that we are part of the Holy Christian Church—the Communion of Saints, we are revealing certain things about who we are and what we do.  In fact, as we study the passages before us this morning, we will find great reasons to rejoice that we are part of the Holy Christian Church.

But before we can fully understand why we have reason to rejoice that we are part of the Holy Christian Church, we must first of all figure out what this Holy Christian Church is all about.  To answer that question we turn our attention to the Account of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 4:32-5:14, where Luke tells us: “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34 There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need. 36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet. 5:1 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet. 3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6 Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him. 7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?” “Yes,” she said, “that is the price.” 9 Peter said to her, “How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.” 10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events. The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. 13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.” (Acts 4:32–5:14, NIV84)

From these verses Luke makes it very clear what the Holy Christian Church is.  Simply put, the Holy Christian Church is the gathering of all who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  Were Ananias and Sapphira part of the Holy Christian Church?  I don’t know.  Only God knows.  They tried to make their gift look better than it was by lying, and by their actions it seems that they might have simply been pretending to be Christians.  However, the other side is that they may well have been believers in Jesus who fell into a sin of greed and in their weakness they lied.  It is very possible that the Lord used their death as an example to the other believers to show them how serious he is about sin.  It is also very possible that the Lord called Ananias and Sapphira out of this life as forgiven believers so that they would not have the opportunity to travel down a path that could lead them away from their salvation forever.  We don’t know, only God knows.  Nevertheless, what becomes clear from this section of Scripture is that the Holy Christian Church is known only to God, because it is made up of all those who believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior, not those who are merely pretending to believe or simply going through the motions.

Though we cannot see those who have faith in their hearts, we can take comfort in the fact that each and every one of us who believes in Jesus is part of the Holy Christian Church.  And the thing that is even more comforting and amazing is that this group is not limited to a specific location, because there are believers in Jesus all over the world!  There are Christians in China, Brazil, Egypt, Norway, Africa, Russia and in just about every country in the world.  And our joy and our reason for rejoicing is that each and every person who believes in Jesus as Lord and Savior, regardless of where they live, or when they lived or will live; each and every one who believes in Jesus is part of the Holy Christian Church—the gathering of believers which we have also called the Communion of Saints.

Now, as amazing as this fact truly is, the next logical question which you are all probably ready to ask is, “If we can’t see this church, how do we know where it is found?”  This question is answered by the Apostle Paul as he begins his first letter to the Corinthians.  He writes, “Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, 2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours: 3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge— 6 because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. 7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8 He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful." (1 Corinthians 1:1–9, NIV84) 

Thus, Paul tells us that the Holy Christian Church is found wherever believers in Jesus call on the name of Jesus, or as we are more comfortable saying, where we gather to worship Jesus.  But Paul does not stop there!  He also tells us in Chapter 15, “Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. 9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed." (1 Corinthians 15:1–11, NIV84)

As Paul continues in his letter, he tells us very clearly that the Holy Christian Church can only be found where the Word of God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ our Savior, is preached and believed.  And, as we read, this is a very specific Gospel message.  It is the message of Jesus Christ who was crucified, died, buried, and raised from the dead so that through the grace lavished upon us through faith in him we have received the forgiveness of sins; and we now believe the message of salvation that is ours through the Gospel that has been revealed to us.  This is the gospel message through which we have been called to faith in Jesus Christ our Savior. 

But Paul doesn’t even stop with his letter to the Corinthians.  He continues telling us about where the Holy Christian Church is found as he writes to a young Pastor named Timothy.  He tells Timothy, “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry." (2 Timothy 4:1–5, NIV84)

In short, as Paul calls on Timothy to preach the Word, to be prepared, to correct, rebuke and encourage, he is reminding Timothy of the simple truth that the Holy Christian Church can only be found where the Gospel is faithfully preach and proclaimed—the message of salvation that is ours through faith in Jesus Christ our Savior.

So what does this mean for the churches in Le Sueur?  It means that where the gospel is being proclaimed; where the message of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ is being preached and taught, there you will find members of the Holy Christian Church.  Though some churches do not hold as solidly to the Scriptures as others, through some churches interpret and understand the Scriptures differently than others, though some churches add things to the Scriptures and others subtract things, we can take comfort that wherever the Gospel message of salvation is proclaimed we will find people who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  And those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior are the ones make up the Holy Christian Church—the Communion of Saints, of which we also are a part.

Now, please understand what I’m saying!  I’m not advocating that we go out and claim that we believe and teach exactly the same thing as every other church in town.  I’m not advocating that at all, because it is very clear that we do not believe and teach exactly the same thing as every other church in town.  In fact, all one has to do is a little research into each church and that person will very quickly come to an understanding of the basic differences between each church’s teachings.  Please also understand that I am not saying that because a person belongs to a church that person automatically belongs to the Holy Christian Church.  I cannot say that, because the Holy Christian Church is made up of all those people, everywhere, who believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior who delivered them from their sins by his life, death, and resurrection from the dead.  Not everyone who belongs to a church believes that.  How can say that?  Because it is true!  How can I possibly know?  Because Jesus very clearly says, “By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.” (Matthew 7:16–18, NIV84)

Though in the context Jesus is speaking about being wary of false prophets, the message of how we can tell those who belong to the Holy Christian Church is clear.  We will know them by the fruits of their faith. We will know them by their actions.  Take for example our own congregation.  If you say that you believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, but come up with all sorts of reasons and excuses why you don’t need to gather for worship to grow in your faith or partake of Holy Communion for the assurance of forgiveness, doesn’t your life show that you don’t really believe in Jesus?  If you say that you believe in Jesus but feel very comfortable living in a specific sin, perhaps living with your boyfriend, your girlfriend, or your fiancée, fully knowing that this is against everything that the Lord has taught us, doesn’t your life show that you don’t really believe in Jesus as your Savior?  If you say that you believe in Jesus as your Savior but you are constantly pouring out lies, or spreading gossip, or continually talking about people behind their backs is your life actually showing that you believe in Jesus as your Savior?  Though it is true that we will be recognized by our fruits, this is not 100% accurate, just as we saw with Ananias and Sapphira.  Only God knows if their eternal fate.  Yet, our actions and our lives are almost always a very clear indication of the faith in our hearts.

Though belonging to a church does not guarantee that we are members of the Holy Christian Church, each and every one of us can rejoice today, because today we have again heard the Gospel message of salvation proclaimed to us.  We have been built up in our faith in Jesus Christ who came to live for us, die for us, and rise again from the dead to free us from our sins.  We have been moved by the Holy Spirit who lives in our hearts, to live our lives in reflection of our faith even as we grow in God’s Word.  Thus, today, as we have gathered here, we have found every reason to rejoice that we are part of the Holy Christian Church—the Communion of Saints—the gathering of all believers everywhere who call on the name of Jesus, their Lord and Savior.

Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling

GraceEvangelical Lutheran Church--Le Sueur, MN