Lutheran Missions .org

B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #209

Mary Koenig — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:13:21 +0000

B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #209
I Cor.. 16:9 ‘For a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.’

January 31,2012

News From the Nigerian CLC
Pastor Ude reports that in 2010 there was one graduate from the Bible Institute, and in 2011 there were two. All three have been assigned churches. This year there is the possibility of three new students, one of whom is from Ghana. When he completes his studies, it is his intent to return to Ghana. At the recent West African Conference Pastor Ude baptized this Ghanian. We pray for the young man’s intent to be fulfilled.

Customs

In the Jerusalem congregation we read that they had all things in common.“Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common…There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet; and distribution was made to each as any had need.”Acts 4:32, 34-35 This was clearly the practice as Luke records it in Jerusalem. And Jerusalem was in a sense the mother church and for a long time the largest congregation. The question arises about if we should do this. There are very few who practice this today among Christians. History tells us there were not many who followed the example of Jerusalem.

This is recorded in a historical section of Scripture. There are many things recorded in the historical sections that we do not have to do and even should not do. Scripture must tell us to do likewise. We need passages that speak to us in a teaching or command form that tell us to do something. Think about the record in Acts of Claudius Lysias’ letter to Governor Felix. Acts 23:26-30 Claudius does not in that letter tell the truth. He only learned that Paul was a Roman citizen after the soldiers had bound Paul, which they should not have done. We know the facts from Luke’s account of the arrest. For Lysias to use the word ‘rescue’ in regard to taking Paul is a real stretch of the truth. So because it is in Acts does that mean we can lie and preserve our reputation with stretching the truth? No, of course not. Teaching passages of Scripture give us the direction we should take.

If a congregation wishes to follow the Jerusalem example that is fine for that congregation. We have no further evidence that any other Christian congregations at that time did this. So then it is not binding upon us because we have no further evidence of its practice among the congregations which would lead us to examine this further to find if it was commanded. We have no command passage in Scripture to tell us to do likewise. It is so important to use the context of passages to understand the Word.

With this article we conclude the series on ‘customs’ in which we have simply let Scripture interpret Scripture.

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Excerpts from BELC India Report from Eight Districts on Child Evangelism Ministry

…At Sunday School we taught Bible lessons, passages to remember, Bible stories, games and puzzles. In the Distircts we have attendance of: 1293 Koppedu, 1188 Chittoor, 962 Sri Kalahasti, 1113 Uthukottai, 933 Vaniyambaci, 972 Chennai, 1014 Thiruvallur, 819 Tiruttani.
…Vacation Bible Schools theme this year was ‘Christ is our Manna’…The summer season usually presents some special good opportunities for our mission work. Vacations and increased activities are bound to bring us into contact with new children and new people. Vacation Bible School is made to order and learn Jesus as their Savior for forgiveness of sin…This annual year summer found BELC families and some other Hindu families and some other Muslim families eagerly participating with our members sharing their faith and Christ’s love…In some of our districts we have been running VBS for 25 years…8749 children were enrolled this year…At Indira Nagar church and in some congregations in Chittoor we received very goo response from hindu people, some of them voluntarily came and disbursed some gifts at their own expense

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ENCOUNTERS OF A SPIRITUAL KIND

The Shocked- Jn. 8:3-12 Those on whom or near whom judgment has fallen,-Acts16:23-34 Those shocked by love.

We can imagine the woman’s feelings as her accusers have her red-handed. Stoning is the proper punishment for adultery. And not only does she face that, but before the judgment is to be carried out a public spectacle is to be made of her. It would have to be a very hardened individual who would not cringe before all this. Judgment is about to fall.

Our Lord knew well the hypocrisy that drove the Pharisees to drag this ‘sinner’ before Him. A lesson must be taught them. And with that lesson for them comes the woman’s release. Can you imagine the gloom gradually lifting for her as one by one her accusers went away, from the eldest on down? What relief! Yet she knew well how she deserved judgment. But she was to have another chance. When she says, “No one, Lord,” it is hard not to see more in that ‘Lord’ than mere respect for a good teacher.

Our Lord speaks the Gospel, “Neither do I condemn you.” Then He reminds her of the obedience of faith, “Go, and do not sin again.” Our Lord of course could read hearts and knew her repentance. We are not privy to the feelings of another’s heart and must go by what is said.

There is no question that a judgment or disaster of some kind makes a person reassess his life and doings. Many years ago after a flood in a city it was noted that attendance at church was up considerably. People were shocked out of their sinful complacency. Upon reflection of how people died and property was destroyed in a flood, there were those who sought a change in their lives and thus increased church attendance.

In our encountering people in this situation we want to not let them think they escaped because of their uprightness or innocence (remember we are considering unbelievers) or any good in them. The woman was ’caught’ in adultery. She knew her guilt. So we want our prospect to grasp the fact of his unworthiness. Then we want to point out the mercy of God that He spared such a one. The woman was guilty, but she was delivered from the judgment. Our thrust, as is ever the case, is to proclaim the undeserved love and unmerited favor of our Lord. With an individual in this mood of the sinful woman the law has evidently done its job, so our speaking the law is less. We want to communicate what our Lord said in v.12 “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

And then there is that one shocked by a demonstration of love not in connection with a falling judgment. One could say that the jailer escaped the judgment that would have fallen on him over escaped prisoners. The main point we consider though is that Paul and Silas stayed in the cell; an unheard of action by those incarcerated. It was not the case that Paul didn’t escape because his wounds kept him incapacitated. It was not certainly uppermost in Paul’s mind that he would stay so that on the morrow the city authorities might exonerate not just him but the cause of Christ from any shame and disgrace. That thought was there certainly. But uppermost had to be Paul’s concern for the jailer, who undoubtedly would face execution for losing the prisoners.

“When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, ‘Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.’” Vv.27-28 The jailer had done evil to Paul. He had treated Paul with no concern at all. Now Paul had a great concern for the jailer. Paul returns good for evil. ”Bless those who persecute you…Repay no one evil for evil…’if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Rom. 12:14-21 This we find in the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount also. Peter likewise reminds us in I Pet. 3:9. This is Gospel pure and simple. It is love which the wicked of this world cannot understand. When this love is demonstrated to the individual he may well be “trembling with fear”, shocked into a sense of his own wickedness and unworthiness.

The jailer inquired, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul then spoke the Gospel command, ”Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved…” That night the Gospel which had been demonstrated in the act of love was then verbalized as Paul and Silas went to the jailer’s house even then baptizing the whole family. This is one of those encounters we yearn for. But notice that the shock that woke the jailer up from his sleep of spiritual death was the act of love. It just cannot be otherwise. And it just cannot be underestimated that words so often are not enough. Our words also can be easily contradicted by our actions.

The love of our Savior from the cross forgiving His very executioners and forgiving a criminal, none of whom deserved it, must permeate our soul as we seek to announce His forgiveness.

Pastor Koenig

B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #208

Mary Koenig — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:10:57 +0000

B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #208
I Cor.. 16:9 ‘For a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.’

January 15, 2012

NEWS - Missionary Ude this month will be with the brothers in Nigeria, Togo and Ghana. After that he will join with the Mission Bd. Chairman Pastor Ohlmann in Congo and also visit contacts in central Africa. God bless the fellowship.

CLCI Seminary -India- Pastor Jyothi reported, “We are grateful to God that He has entrusted us with the CLCI seminary ministry of preparing students for lifetime service of the Lord. We are happy to report that in the midst of these past thirteen years up to 2011 95 fully trained pastors came out of this CLCI Seminary and all of them have been rendering their valuable services in various CLCI congregations. In the year 2010-11 the total number of seminary working days are 194. Six formerly Muslim students are studying also.
Bible Correspondence Course – Over many years through the blessings of our Lord the CLCI Bible Correspondence course has been moving very well. Till now totally 436 students have taken this course since 1993. It is welcoming…from all churches to join in these free courses.

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Excerpt from CLCMyanmar Report at Recent Joint Conf. in Chennai

…There are more than 35 ethnic groups in Myanmar, among them we are the so-called Tedim Chin and our main objectives, vision and burden is to proclaim the Word of God and make disciples all over the country(Mt. 28:19). 95% of the people are Buddhists and the rest are from various religious backgrounds. Among the whole Christian population the tribal ethnics are the majority. Sadly to see that though the harvest is great, the laborers are less(Mt. 9:37-38).
…We the CLCM have 12 workers m among them are nine pastors, two evangelists and one peon. There are 56 congregations(villages) and each pastor has divided 6-7 villages for their pastoral works. Once in a month they visit the villages that they are assigned. The evangelists are permitted to go to village conduction camps and conferences as the situation permits…Ev. Man ventures with his level best telling the love of God to Buddhist soldiers at Kalaymyo…While we had three schools run by the CLCM, due to restriction of our government, the schools are closed.
…This year we distributed 254 Tedim Chin Bibles and 20 Burmese Bibles(to the Burmese military camp)

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ENCOUNTERS OF A SPIRITUAL KIND

Willing Inquirer Attracted by Something –Mk.12:28-34

Mark records how after Jesus had answered the Pharisees and Herodians who were sent to entrap Him, that He then answered some Sadducees. The scribe coming upon

Jesus ’refutation of the Sadducees is pleased at Jesus’ answers. Undoubtedly, the scribe, too, disagreed with the Sadducees’ teachings and attitude. He sees in Jesus a kindred spirit. And it is not just the wisdom of the Lord’s answers, but the content. He then puts a question to Jesus.

Upon Jesus answering the scribe’s question the scribe acknowledges their agreement. There is a common ground between them. In our witnessing it is important to have a base upon which to build both our witness and our relationship with the prospect so that he is willing to listen. The scribe knows the law but as yet not the Gospel.

In this case the scribe was attracted to Jesus by our Lord’s wise answers. We always hope that others may hear our testimony to the hope that is within us and ask us about it. Yet there are other things which may also attract an inquirer. For instance, are our good deeds visible, or in other words are we doing them? Is our moral character such that our life is a principled one not willing to compromise with the high standard of God’s Word? If this is the case this may attract an inquirer. One thing is for certain, wickedness not only does not draw inquirers, but even repels them. Why should any want to inquire after evil? After all we all know how to do that already. Why should any want to inquire after compromising a principle? That is the ever present, pragmatic way of the world.

No question but that we see here the importance of having some things in common, or common ground on which to build the witness and relationship. We should even try to establish some things in common. I remember on a canvass once noticing a fine rose garden as I approached a door. I don’t remember whether it was before or after I spoke of my purpose on the canvass that I referred to the rose garden, mentioning that it reminded me of the rose garden my father had and how I was in charge of it. I didn’t just compliment the person on the fine rose garden, but tried to let him know that we were both admirers of fine roses. From this the person can look back to that visit of mine in a more favorable light, in a more friendly light. He can also remember back to that if I approach his door again. It seems like a little thing. Yet it can go a long way in establishing a relationship, avoiding the icy attitude of stranger to stranger. This is also something else to remember. In our selfish , self-centered day there are not that many people who genuinely inquire about others with a real interest. We as Christians should be so genuine not alone with ulterior motive of witnessing sooner or later, but truly interested in people for whom Christ died. Isn’t this part of love?

It is also noteworthy that this encounter ends on a positive note, though not with conversion. Jesus said, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” The scribe had understanding up to a point. Why not give credit where credit is due? With this encounter you can imagine a later meeting of our Lord with the scribe and a good discussion ensuing. We of course should want to leave our witnessing encounter with a positive note. That is not always possible. For instance when the person exhibits impenitence, rejection and even ridicule then no positive note could end that. We would be false to what we should say then by giving the man to believe that it is fine how he is. But this scribe did not evince any such negative reaction, so that our Lord spoke as He did. Another thing to take note of is that in the encounter there is nothing wrong with a compliment to the prospect if he is correct on something. We just guard against any fawning. An honest statement or appraisal as given by our Lord here is in order.

So in order for an encounter like this to happen, seek to speak, and do and live each day God’s will. And pray that others may see your good works and speak to you with the result that they may join you in glorifying the Lord for His grace and mercy.

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CUSTOMS

FASTING

We say in the catechism that fasting is a fine outward custom. It was commanded in Old Testament times at Yom Kippur, for the Day of Atonement. In Lev. 16:29 the translation ‘afflict’ is involving fasting. This is also seen in Ps. 35:13 where it says, “I afflicted myself with fasting.” Jesus has fulfilled the Law for us that the Old Testament Mosaic Law is not binding on us except in the moral sense. Jesus is the end of the Law for righteousness to all who believe. Rom. 10:4 The Law itself was a shadow of what Christ would do. Col. 2:17

It is seen to be a custom in New Testament times also. For instance John the baptizer’s disciples fasted, while Jesus’ disciples did not. Mk. 2:18-20 After Christ ascended His disciples also practiced fasting. In Luke 5:33 we see that fasting was in connection with offering prayers. And this is the general area in which we can use this custom with prayers. It is an aid to help us focus in our prayers. Ps. 35:13, Dan. 9:3 It definitely is not used correctly when it is used as some sort of means to gain God’s mercy. We already have His mercy, love and grace.

Fasting is something that has been done as a sign of sorrow, or an expression of sadness. Judges 20:26, I Sam. 1:7-8. When one repents and seeks forgiveness in prayer, fasting accompanies this to focus and express what we feel. I Sam. 7:6, I Kings 21:27-29, Jer. 36:6-9

Our Lord fasted for 40 days and nights in the wilderness. Mt. 4:2 Of course He was out there praying and being tempted by the devil. The 40 days is reminiscent of when Moses did also for 40 days. Ex. 34:28 No time is specified for us to fast since it is a custom.

Posture of Prayer

We of course know that we are to pray. This Scripture reminds us of over and over again. We should talk to God in prayer: confess our sins, ask for spiritual blessings and others as well, praise and thank Him. I Tim. 2:1, I Thess. 5:17

The prayer posture though is left up to us. It falls into the category of custom. Some examples follow:

Lifting holy hands – I Tim. 2:8
Spreading our hands out to God – Ps. 88:9
Not lifting eyes to God, head bowed – Lk. 18:13
Kneeling – Acts 20:36
Standing – Mk. 11:25
Being prostrate – Mt. 26:39

When we look at these we see that the custom varies and therefore it is allowable to do prayer in different postures. There are other warnings in Scripture that do not deal just with custom, but are God’s directions on prayer. For instance our Lord warns us against using empty words. Mt. 6:7

When it comes to where we should pray, it is definitely at times in public. I Tim. 2:8 Our Lord in the sermon on the mount warns against hypocrisy and so says to go into our private chamber as opposed to making a show of praying. Mt. 6:5-6 This does not mean ‘only’ in private, as the Lord is making a contrast.

Pastor Koenig

B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #207

Mary Koenig — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 16:08:08 +0000

B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #207

I Cor.. 16:9 ‘For a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.’

December 31, 2011

The Will of God is Always Good

Due to not getting visas Mark and Carlton Bohde were not able to attend the seminar in Kalay, Myanmar. And the trip to Thailand was then postponed. In the meantime Mark has started preparations for resuming the work in Thailand despite this change. God’s will will be done as He sees fit. We wait on Him as always.

Customs

Anointing with Oil

In the OT we have anointing with oil for a designating of the priest/Aaron Lev. 21:10,8:12 and for kings: Saul in I Sam.10:1, Jehu in II Kings 9:6. In connection with washing the custom is recorded in Ez. 16:9 and in bathing with Esther 2:12. Anointing with oil is an expression of joy or gladness, Ps. 45:7, 23:5. In Ecc. 9:8 we read, “let not oil be lacking on your head.” The oil on the head produces a cooling and refreshing effect certainly buttressing the idea of the oil of gladness.

In the NT we look at James 5:14 “Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” Here there is a definite exhortation. This letter is written to the Jewish Christians in dispersion who were well acquainted with oil anointing. It would seem that this custom was used by the apostles in Mk. 6:13 anointing with oil ἤλειφον ἐλαίω, the same words as in James, when healing. The people though it should be remembered were not healed by the oil.

In the NT we also have the washing and designating uses employing oil. “You did not anoint my head with oil.” Lk. 7:46 An ointment was poured on the Lord’s head in preparation for His burial but well before He died. Mt.26:7 And in Jn.11:2 “Mary anointed the Lord with ointment.” In Heb. 1:9 we have also the oil of gladness. In the parable in Lk. 10:34 it is the oil ἔλαιον and wine poured over the wounds.

In James 5:15 it is the prayer of faith that will save, and not the oil demonstrating what is binding on future generations and should continue to be done. No oil is mentioned in connection with prayer in I Tim. 2:1 and Mt. 6:5-15 nor elsewhere. The context of writing to the Jewish Christians helps us to understand why James mentions oil.

In India there are people who come up to have us pray over oil. We stay away from any miraculous angle, stressing the symbolic idea of coming down from above with God implored to bless and the oil denoting joy and gladness.

From www.lutheranmissions.org Essay “A Cultural Practice… or…”

There are many other ‘customs’ we could consider. One example of a custom not binding on us anymore is that of Boaz’ day. “Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was the manner of attesting in Israel.” Ruth 4:7 This passage declares it a custom of that time and not binding now.

In Is. 3:21“nose rings” are mentioned. Today in some cultures this is still practiced. What we want to remember is not to make something not commanded in God’s Word into a command and force it upon people. If it is a practice that we could use, then we in our New Testament freedom can adapt it, maybe alter it to fit our circumstances and situation. If you read the context on nose rings you will see that God threatens to remove them with all other wordly things that the people were loading themselves with and being distracted. We cannot move this threat forward to today, for God said it for that time as an action He would take. So to have a nose ring today does not fall under God’s threat. God’s Word is clear. If there are difficult passages, we simply need to clear our minds and pray the Spirit gives us understanding. And we need to search the Scriptures, to pour over them.

Encounters of a Spiritual Kind

Respect for Religion but with Doubts – Lk.7:36-50

There are many in this life who may respect our Christian religion and yet not believe in our Lord. This Pharisee showed respect for our Lord. He invited Him to his house and provided food. There it ended. There was not saving faith. Simon, the Pharisee, even doubted if Jesus were much of a prophet.

The Lord did have Simon’s ear so He told the story of a creditor and two debtors and related it to Simon and the woman. Simon had the typical attitude of a Pharisee which was self-righteous. This leads inevitably to a ‘holier than thou’ attitude. Simon showed it when he said to himself, “who and what sort of woman this is…a sinner.” Our Lord does not tear into Simon. He has his ear. Though Simon is self-righteous, yet he listens to the Lord.

The Lord uses what we could call the oblique approach. He does not confront Simon with his sin and demand repentance. Instead our Lord tells a story in which Simon must decide a question. That question – Which of them will love him more: the one forgiven fifty or the one forgiven five hundred? Simon is bound to answer “the one forgiven five hundred.” This reminds us somewhat of Nathan’s story to David by which he then showed David his sin. The response of David was immediate and it was repentance. With Simon we do not have it recorded. Were our Lord to use a more confrontational approach and demand repentance, Simon would likely bristle and balk. Whether Simon at this time repented and believed or not, he did have a very simple, clear story by which the Spirit could show him later the point.

We can learn from this to use the oblique approach when we have a prospect who is willing to listen to us, who has respect for our belief. Very true, the hypocrisy and self-righteousness of the Pharisee was and is disgusting. Why alienate a willing listener though by stomping on his toes so to speak, such that he rejects listening to you before you get your point across? The Lord further gets the point across by turning to the woman and making he comparison of Simon’s lack with the woman’s tears and wiping His feet with her hair and kissing His feet and anointing His head with oil. The lesson is well taught to Simon of true love emanating from forgiveness of sins. We don’t know if Simon was one of those who said, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” He must have at least thought it.

As Simon is left with something to think about, we would also want to leave those we witness to with something to think about. In Simon’s case he was left with what was necessary for the Spirit to convict him of sin. And he also was left with the Gospel in his ears as spoken to the woman. In our witnessing we want to be clear in our message as the Lord is here. We also want to give something simple to remember as with our Lord’s story. There are many illustrations in Scripture we could use as well as thinking up some out of daily life. It is good to have some illustrations in one’s mind when witnessing. The illustrations could be geared to the different situations we meet. And finally it is practice that makes perfect. The more we witness, the more we will feel comfortably in doing so and the more will be the passages and illustrations that the Spirit will call to our mind.

Excerpt from BELC Martin Luther Bible School Report given at Recent Joint Conf. in Chennai, India

Pastor D. Paul reports that there are 16 students in the third batch of students, who go for two years each. Of these six were already our members and ten are joining the BELC. Previously, 18 were graduated and are serving a ministers in different capacities. We conclude that the Bible college at Nagalapuram is very useful to our students and the church. Others from other churches have asked to be tutors in our school, but we do not allow of course, being always aware of false teachers. May our excellent God help us to hold firm and faithfully to His Word.

As we move into the year of our Lord 2012 let us remember that each year is a year of His grace to us. On the traditional Jan. 6th Epiphany let us thank God that His prophecies of the Gospel to the Gentile nations is continuing to be fulfilled.

Pastor Koenig

B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #206

Mary Koenig — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 11:23:35 +0000

B.A.S.I.C #206 –DECEMBER 2011

Greetings in the name and for the glory of our Savior Jesus Christ!

It is my privilege to write to you on behalf of the CLC Board of Missions as we look back on a year of God’s abundant blessings and rejoice in the blessing that He has in store for us in the New Year as we work together to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ!

We are just two weeks away from celebrating our Savior’s birth. I would like to encourage you during this time of celebration with a Christmas Day sermon that was preached a few years ago.

I pray that the Lord will bless you all with Christmas celebration that is focused on our Savior Jesus Christ and the Joy and Peace that is made possible only through His perfect life, sacrificial death on the cross, resurrection from the dead, and His on-going work in our hearts through the work of His Holy Spirit in Word and Sacraments.

Others may look at our Christmas celebrations and conclude that this is a nice tradition or a wonderful way to give and receive gifts to our loved ones. But we know better because things like tradition, music, and gifts, are also reasons why people attend everything from music concerts to sporting events and birthday parties.

What sets this particular “holiday” apart from all other celebrations and events is found in a very special announcement proclaimed in a very special way, long, long ago, by an angel in the sky over Bethlehem.

This announcement was recorded, as the Holy Spirit breathed the very words of the angel into His chosen Gospel writer named Luke:

“for there is born to you this day in the city of David a SAVIOR, who is Christ the Lord.”

We set aside time each year to celebrate because:

Jesus the Savior is Born!

He was:

Born in the city of David

He was:

Born to be Our Savior

Now, when you and I hear the term “the city of David,” it may not mean a whole lot to our 21st century ears. But to the ears of 1st century Jewish shepherds, that term the “city of David” was packed with meaning. The city of David was Bethlehem, the city where the greatest king to ever rule Israel was born.

Many years earlier, the Prophet Micah had singled out Bethlehem for a very important purpose. He wrote,

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me, the One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.” (Micah 5:2)

No matter what the shepherds knew about Bethlehem, there was one thing that they didn’t know until the angel told them. They didn’t know that on that very day, in the city of David, a Savior had been born. Think about the impact of those simple and yet wonderful words: “this day.”

For literally thousands of years, people had been waiting for this day to come. Ever since God promised to Adam and Eve that “Someone” would crush the serpent’s head, believers had been anxiously awaiting the birth of this child.

Just imagine, generations after generation, clinging to God’s Gospel promise to someday send the Messiah. And then suddenly for that handful of shepherds, “someday” became “THIS DAY!”

Now I realize that as you and I look back on those words “this day in the city of David,” we might find ourselves thinking, “Well that was an awfully long time ago. Do those words have any meaning for our lives, some 2000 years after that day? Yes, they do. Those words mean at least three things for us.

First, those words mean that God keeps His promises. 700 years before Jesus’ birth, God had promised that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. God was making good on that promise.

The second thing that we can learn from the statement, “this day in the town of David,” is that God chose to carry out His plan for our salvation at a specific place and a specific time in world history. In other words, your salvation was not accomplished in the timeless expanse of eternity. It was accomplished when God had His Son take on human flesh to be born into this world as a little baby boy. That’s not just a theory. It’s not some kind of ancient fable or legend. That’s historical fact. A REAL place at a REAL time

There is one more thing that we can take home from those words, “this day in the town of David.” Those words mean that God Almighty cared enough about you and me to actually step into our world and become one of us. Sometimes we tend to think of God as being million miles away or that He can’t relate to what we’re going through or that religion is purely theoretical and not relevant to our daily lives. Sometimes we’re tempted to think that God can’t relate to our hurts, our disappointments, our struggles.

But wait a minute! Our God was born in a barn! He was laid to sleep in a feed bunk. The Bible says that Jesus was made like you and me in every way-only He was without sin. God became a man just like you and me so that He could, in the words of Hebrews 4:15 “sympathize with our weaknesses.”

The Christmas narrative underscores the fact that God came into our world to relate to our problems and then to ultimately, rescue us from our biggest problem. In fact, that’s really the second and even more important announcement made by the angel on that first Christmas night.

After sharing the when and where of the baby’s birth, the angel goes on to explain who this child is and maybe even more importantly, what He had come to do. The angel announces that this child was Born to Be Our Savior.

Of all the words in Luke chapter 2, the most important word is the “SAVIOR.” And yet, for all the people who have ever heard that word read, or maybe even recited it in a Christmas pageant, I wonder how many really know what that word “SAVIOR” really means.

Do we fully appreciate the full meaning of that word, Savior? What does that mean to be the “SAVIOR OF THE WORLD” Are we talking – a super-man type character who will defeat evil criminals and save lovely women as they fall from sky-scrappers? No, by the grace of God we know that the Savior came to save us from ourselves.

When we are honest with ourselves, we know all too well that all people, every one of us, you and me included, at our very core, are all completely corrupt. By nature we don’t want to serve God, we want to serve ourselves. And we are willing to lie and cheat and hurt other people to get what we want.

God’s Word reveals this in a very blunt way:

“there is none who does good, no not one” (Psalm 14:3).

And again:

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23a).

And then the Bible goes on to tell us the penalty for all of this:

“The wages of sin is death” (Romans 3:23b)

And again,

“The soul who sins is the one who will die” (Ezekiel 18:4)

That’s the painful message of what we have earned by our sinful behavior. And there is nothing that you and I can do on our own to change that.

Why all of this talk of sin and death at Christmas time when we should be filled with “holiday cheer?” Because without a proper understanding and realization of what we have been saved from we can never truly appreciate the Savior who was born!

I just mentioned that there is nothing we can do about our problem of sin by ourselves, but there is something that God can do and has already done! He sent His Son to be our SAVIOR!

That means that Jesus came and lived the perfect life we could never live. And we know, by faith, that He then offered that life on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. In so doing, Jesus did far more than merely set a good example for us, or teach us how to love one another. Jesus literally rescued you and me from an eternity spent suffering in the fires and torment of hell. That’s what the angel meant when he said, “THIS DAY… a SAVIOR has been born.”

We celebrate the birth of our Savior because there is nothing we’d rather do than revel and rejoice in the good news of great joy that is for all the people:“For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord!”

On behalf of your brothers and fellow servants of the Savior of the CLC Board of Missions,

Pastor Todd Ohlmann, chairman

B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #205

Mary Koenig — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 22:32:18 +0000

B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #205
I Cor.. 16:9 ‘For a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.’

November 30, 2011

News – Pastor Koenig, Mark Bohde and his son Carlton will be among the brethren in Myanmar for a seminar and visits. God-willing all the congregations will send representatives to Kalay. How pleasant and how fair for brothers to dwell together in unity.

Pray for Thailand
Mark Bohde and his son Carlton, when finishing work in Myanmar with the CLCM will be proceeding to Thailand to investigate possibilities of the resumption of work there. Pray for this success.
Most recently Mark and his family lived and served in Thailand from 1999-2005. It was in 2005 that they had to return stateside due to Mark’s deteriorating health. Many of us have been praying for his complete recovery.

Mark has written that his being able to sleep well is the last step in his recovery,

“This appears to be the last step in my complete recovery. I thank the Lord, because it is my dream to return to Thailand and begin training. I can only conclude that now is the right time according to God’s will. ”

Himalyan CLC Nepal reported the following:
“… We have pastoral meetings on a monthly basis and we are studying the different published books provided by the CLC and as well doctrinal essays. This year we have published Luther’s Small Catechism in Nepali and we have studied it through. The pastoral meetings were very interesting and informative for the men. Our pastors from remote villages come and study with us and it helps enrich their understandings of the work of the kingdom of God.
Sometimes we have pastors and leaders coming from the Tibetan border as well and we go there too to preach. It is very strict to preach in the Tibet land. We are praying and working though the results seem negligible because of the bondage and resistive heart of the people…Our pastoral meetings are arranged in locations like Kathmandu, Hetauda and Chitwan.
…Mission Helpers from the CLC visited 18 different locations and did a great job on child evangelism. Many children were blessed in this campaign and we are very happy to initiate this type of new program to different communities and people groups. Altogether more than 1500 children were evangelized. The team taught children from the Seven C’s – Creation, Corruption, Catastrophe, Confusion, Christ, Cross, Consummation…We have church conferences/seminars for the church leaders as well as the believers. Pastor JB mostly travels to different mission stations and leads the conferences…The conferences done this year were in these places: Kathmandu, Hetauda, Nijghad, Chitwan, Shaktikhor, Tatopani(near Tibet), Butwal, Dhading. Altogether in these conferences the participants exceeded 3000..

CUSTOMS

Laying on of Hands

Today when we ordain a man into the ministry we lay our hands on his head and pronounce a blessing. When we pray for people we lay our hands on their heads as we pray. These customs we use today come from the Bible. As we study this in the Bible we see that laying on of hands conveyed either, blessing, or authority or power.

In the Old Testament we see Jacob bestowing a blessing with his hands upon the heads of Ephraim and Manasseh. Gen. 48:14 When we pray today for God’s blessings on an individual we often put our hand on his head as Jacob did. In Num. 27:18-19 in the ordaining of Joshua by Moses to succeed him there is the laying on of Moses’ hand. So today in our ordination services.

In New Testament times some of the ‘laying on of hands’ clearly conferred power as shown in a variety of passages. The apostles were given power by our Lord as were some of the apostles’ followers. This was during the time when the Word was being given and this power accompanied the Word. It pointed to the Word as from God. Mk. 16:19, Heb. 2:2-3 Now that the Word has been completely given to us we should not expect any laying on of hands to convey power as in apostolic days.

Acts 8:18 “Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands…”
Acts 19:6 “And when Paul laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.”
Acts 28:8”…and Paul visited him and prayed, and putting his hands on him healed him.”

Also, in New Testament times the laying on of hands was a commissioning as with Moses and Joshua.

At Antioch in sending out Paul and Barnabas – Acts. 13:3 “Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.”
In the Jerusalem congregation in commissioning the seven to their service – Acts 6:6 “These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands upon them.” It should be remembered that Stephen and Philip, two of the seven, also were given power.
1 Tim. 4:14 “Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophetic utterance when the elders laid their hands upon you.”

There is no command for us to lay on hands, but it is a fine custom. Its symbolism is clear in that the blessing or gift of office comes from above as in the hand upon the head. Jesus gives us the example we can follow, “Then children were brought to Him that He might lay His hand on them and pray…” Mt. 19:13

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Encounters of a Spiritual Kind

Introduction

In the following examples from Scripture we try to learn ways and attitudes which will better enable us to witness of our Lord to others. These examples are drawn from a casual perusal of the Gospels and Acts. It is by no means exhaustive. As with the basketball strategy of ‘one on one’ we are looking at examples of one witnessing to another individual. We are not considering what was said to individuals already in the faith, though that is applicable. We are not considering what was said to groups, though that also is applicable to a witnessing technique. We are considering these various situations where it is one on one and the one witnessed to was in unbelief.

Not all those individuals witnessed to then believed. But the point we consider is that they were witnessed to. We know God’s power and mercy. We know His Word will accomplish what He wills. Is.55 We should not be disturbed if some and even many do not believe when witnessed to. We know man’s stubborn and rebellious heart.

We should be disturbed though with ourselves if we do not make every effort to reach out with the Law and especially the Gospel that the Spirit may work. Our laziness, fears, indifference, and doubt may and do interfere so often. We are unprofitable servants and people of such little faith. Through these examples we seek to build ourselves up in our witnessing desire and ability.

The ultimate goal in all witnessing is to be like John the baptizer and point to Christ saying that He is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. And while we try earnestly to develop our skills in this area, we don’t want to forget John’s motto of “He must increase, but I must decrease.” No matter what gifts we have and how we develop them we are looking not for glory for ourselves. We are looking to have a prospect join with us in glorifying our God.

Hungering and Thirsting after Righteousness – Lk.19:1-10

Certainly we all yearn to meet those people who hunger and thirst after righteousness. These are people who have sought the answers to life’s questions in all the wrong places and have found the answers either nonexistent or severely wanting where they looked. They have been brought to the point of not looking within themselves for the solution. They have a conscience that yet speaks to them so that they feel a guilt and even an emptiness.

Zacchaeus had certainly heard to his face and in whispers behind his back what a wicked man he was. This must have had, over a period of time, a crushing effect. Though he had power and wealth being a higher echelon tax gatherer, he was not looked up to. His own people generally despised him showing this in linking his office with the status of open sinners. How might the supreme Roman authorities view him? Doubtless in no better light. They knew the Jews and how they were. And the tax gatherer was looked on as a

lackey. Zacchaeus knew very well how many times he had abused his office and cheated in the gathering, as he later admits. To this man in this situation the Lord comes. We should not think that this was just an idle stroll of our Lord. Far from it, for our Lord wanted Zacchaeus to know His love, this one who was anything but loved by all around him. In this we should remember for ourselves that it is our Lord who likewise purposefully sends us. He puts us into situations in which we may show His love. He purposely gives us the opportunities along life’s way to reach out. Our Lord looks up into the tree purposely and speaks. He reaches out.

The Lord centers His attention on Zacchaeus. Kind attention is centered on one generally despised. Every soul is precious to our Lord. Our Lord came into the world to save sinners, and here was one very obvious one. The love of God is beyond our human imagination. Aren’t we supposed to be kind to those who are kind to us? Don’t we just do for those who would do for us? The love of God, on the contrary, means to pray for your worst enemy. The love of God means to return good for evil. The love of God means to pay attention to the unloved and despised. There are so many lost, afloat on a dark sea of life with no rudder and no oars. We come to them with the Gospel rudder and oars.

Beyond giving attention to Zacchaeus on the road, the Lord would go to his house (and this done with the obvious disapproval of others). Outreach is beyond the comprehension of the hypocritical world. Where just might we find ourselves at times to reach out with the Word?

The immediate reaction of this prospect was, “He made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.” By the demonstration of loving attention this prospect believed. “Today salvation has come to this house…” Zacchaeus shows that he repents and believes, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold.” He does better even than the law of restitution. Such is the power of the Gospel of the living Christ.

Not only was the Lord standing before him, but He was living in his heart. Although in this encounter there is not much recorded of what was said, yet we see the attitude of love that is a prerequisite for witnessing. We see also that the church of our Lord is not just for the outwardly upright. How many times haven’t you seen some bum or disreputable person and never dreamed of him sitting next to you in worship? Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. When we reach out to the despised of this world we pray that the attention we center on such will raise hope within his heart that he will listen to our words. And in this example we see what an attitude of love we must begin with.

Pastor Koenig

B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #204

Mary Koenig — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:50:32 +0000

B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #204
I Cor.. 16:9 ‘For a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.’

November 13, 2011

News to Pray Over – Pastor Rajamani of the BELC, India will be in Malaysia from Nov. 7 to Dec. 7 visiting friends and contacts. Pray that they not only receive him but also receive our Lutheran teachings from the Bible. May those people be like the Bereans eagerly, with a ready mind receiving the Word.Representatives of the CLCI, BELC, CLCM and HCLCN met October 13-14th in Chennai, India. We will have excerpts from their reports on the work of the Lord in their midst beginning with these as follows:

BELC Pastor Victor of the Kadapa, Kurnool, Rajempeta and Rayachotti Districts – “We are utterly dependent on His grace and power in everything we do. And we are content to live and work each day in light of His sovereign care and provision. Knowing that the CLC acts securely in God’s control is a source of great comfort and relief, when we are faced often with anxiety about how we are going to be able to accomplish the work that He has entrusted to us. Looking back over the ministry projects the Lord has allowed us to be a part of in many nations of the world this past year is gratifying and truly humbling. The hunger for God’s truth we have found among the people. We are praying for the believers in America who have loved us and prayed for us in India. It gives us great assurance that no hardship can ever befall us without His abundant grace to see us through. This keeps us focused on ministry rather than relying on human ingenuity or cleverness as to how to raise money. Trusting the Lord’s sovereign control frees us from financial worry, no matter what…I am one of the agents for Christ in full time preaching to multiply many agents for the Lord…” most recently Pastor Victor has gone to Goa on the East Coast of India to search out those who might be interested in our church. He has met with a group three times. Pray more can be done there.

BELC Pastor Moses of Nellore and Renigunta Districts – Last December he was able with CLC assistance to disburse clothes and meals at Christmas to lepers in the Tirupati Leprosy Colony which has 500 houses. Our local pastor, John Paul works with 50 souls there.
Pastor Moses has made three trips to Bangalore to meet with a group of 30 pastors who are interested in our church. Pray more can be done there.

BELC Pastor Deepak of the Andamans and Chengalpattu Districts – “…Now we are teaching in both districts ‘The Summary of Christian Doctrine’ and ‘Shadows and Substance’. Our pastors have been studying the pure and true Word of God. They follow the Lutheran order of service and practice the Lutheran doctrine…They are working in unreached villages holding Gospel meetings there. We are able to challenge the devil and stand against false teachings to set people free from bondage to false doctrine. Our teachings make a difference and there is an impact beyond our churches as people and pastors from other denominations ask about our teachings and want to join in our studies…”

————————————————————————–

Mois Bridge, Kenya
Pastor Gurath who works with the congregation reports the following.

Already while I was away the work began on the expansion of our humble little Emmaus Hill School. Two new classrooms are underway and will hopefully be completed in good time before the 2012 school year starts at the beginning of January. The funds for the iron sheets were a donation from the CLC Kinship fund, the timber once again was donated from the farm of Anna Sagala. Eric Sagala made use of his trusty Massey-Ferguson tractor to transport the timber up to the construction site. The workman who had overseen the construction of the church building and the previous school building was also heading up this project. Marie has coordinated much of the work and the labor, furnishings, and all things in between come from the contributions that many have selflessly given to the ‘Moi’s Bridge Mission Fund.’ This team effort will prepare the school for the next two years. The standard 3 grade level will move into one of the two new classrooms, leaving one classroom to spare for the expansion in 2013 when the school will open its enrollment up to standard 4. Right now we request your prayers for rain so we can get started on building the walls of the new double classroom building. With enough rain, we can avoid the added cost of transporting water up to the construction site in order to make enough mud for the walls.

In other news, the progress of the well project is at a standstill right now. The land has been properly registered and all the hoops have been jumped through in order to even be considered for the project. Now we are awaiting a response from a drilling company to send someone out to survey, find the proper place for drilling, and give an estimate on the project cost. I don’t imagine that this will be completed by the end of the year, but you never know.

On the church front, we are in good shape to finish our congregational study of the small catechism by December. Many have commented that this has been a wonderful opportunity to cover many teachings of the Bible and have their own study materials to take home and make us of. One of our Sunday School students, a 6th grade girl, was baptized last week in our worship service. Her parents have not been with her, she’s come to this church on her own and finally received their permission to be baptized. She couldn’t have been more elated, receiving this gift from her great God and Savior. After the service she couldn’t wait to take her certificate home and share the news.

I’ll begin midweek meetings once again with our two seminary students, the president of our congregation, and the Sagalas with our additional Bible study and prayer time. We sometimes have other visitors to these gatherings as they are held in different locations each week making it easier for some to make the trip.

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CUSTOMS

Veiling or Headcovering for Women

This custom is different in different places. In our CLC-USA the women generally do not wear something on their head in the worship service. In NCLC the women generally do. In the BELC and CLCI the women generally wear a shawl over their head.

“… some have concluded that God wants women to wear head-coverings when they worship in the presence of men. They believe this conclusion follows from the teaching of 1 Corinthians 11:2-16. However, the wearing of a veil in Corinth conveyed a meaning within Graeco-Roman culture that is not conveyed in American culture. It was a cultural phenomenon (“judge in yourselves”—vs. 13). To them, the veil symbolized a woman’s submission to male authority (vs. 10). The removal of the veil symbolized a woman’s rejection of male authority, and was equivalent to the shameful practice of shaving the head—an act done by women of ill-repute (vs. 5-6). Since the symbolism of the veil in Corinthian culture was in harmony with the abiding principle of female submission to male leadership, Corinthian Christians were admonished to conform to the cultural practice.

The application of this injunction is that Christians, who find themselves in cultures today where a particular cultural symbol undergirds an abiding biblical principle, should conform to that cultural propriety. Head coverings have no such significance in American culture, and vary throughout the world (cf. Genesis 24:65; 29:25; 38:14-15; Song of Solomon 4:1,3; 6:7). If Paul intended for veils to be enjoined upon all Christian women in all cultures for all time, then three conclusions follow: a hat is no substitute; veils must be worn outside the worship assembly as well; and those who refuse must be urged to shave their heads.” (from apologeticspress.org)

In the OT we have some precedent for the custom of a veil or covering of the head. In Gen. 24:65 Rebekah shows her submission to Isaac by covering herself.

In the NT in I Cor. 11:2-16 Paul goes back and forth between enduring principle and customary practice at that time. Notice that while footwashing has another reference in the NT, there is none for headcovering. Does silence speak louder than words? In v.2 the “traditions” παραδόσεις certainly refer back to what Paul has given so far in his teaching. The question is, how much of what follows is binding always or an application then. The word παραδόσεις has 13 uses in the NT. This plus two others indicate matters that are binding. IThess. 2:15,3:6 The other ten uses of the “giving over or handing down” we can tell by the context are not binding. When it refers to the “traditions of the elders” or in two of Paul’s uses “traditions of my fathers” Gal.1:14, “tradition of men” Col. 2:8 are the other ten.

In v.3 we have divine order or principle. This is for all men παντὸς ἀνδρὸς. We read of this in Gen. 3:16 and in Eph.5:23 that the head of a woman is her husband.

In v.4 we have practice then as it is not taught either backwards or forwards in the Word. It is not taught elsewhere with corroborating passages.

In vv.5-7a we also see it is customary practice then for the same reasons. A veil can be a fine symbol as with Rebekah of submission. Again with the analogy of Scripture, where else is a piece of clothing prescribed?

In vv.8-9 Paul makes reference to that which cannot change.

In v. 10 he then applies this to the present situation after looking back at the divine order. The “authority” ἐξουσίαν we see in what a woman covers her head with as a sign of authority over her. I readily admit I do not know what “because of the angels” means except that the angels witness everything. But we have to base what we teach on clear passages and let the clear explain the less clear.

In vv.11-12 there is no question that we have fact and ongoing principle because this refers back again to creation.

In v. 13 we have practice enjoined in the context of worship. A headcovering is so as not to offend. V.16 also indicates the context of “among the churches.”

In vv.14-15 Paul also emphasizes the point with nature as a general rule.

In v. 16 Paul says that this is a “custom” συνήθειαν among the churches. This word is only used here and in Jn.18:39 where there was a custom to release a prisoner at the passover. In Jn.18 the word’s use we would say is a practice at that time and place. It seems that it is also such here. There is no command in a NT continuation or evidence of continuation. At times Paul’s words may seem strong here as if to command beyond that time a veiling. But then look at the resultant letter from the council in Jerusalem in its strong wording, “It has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater “burden” βάρος than these “necessary things” ἐπάναγκες τούτων… Acts 15:28 And three of the four we don’t do today. The context of the letter was so as not to offend the Jewish background. The context of I Cor. 11:2-16 is so as not to offend the Greeks. Corinth was a problem- plagued congregation which we see from the first letter. Paul goes into fine detail to clear things up. We go into fine detail to separate principle from practice.

And just compare the first section of chapter 11 with the second section on communion.

From www.lutheranmissions.org Essay “Custom or Commanded…”

B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #203

Mary Koenig — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 15:23:52 +0000

B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #203
I Cor.. 16:9 ‘For a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.’

October 28, 2011

To Celebrate the Reformation this year we look at quotes from Martin Luther the Reformer.

On Justification

Commenting on Galatians 3:5 Luther says: “The article of justification, which is our only protection, not only against all the powers and plottings of men but also against the gates of hell, is this: by faith alone in Christ, without works, are we declared just and saved.”

Commenting on Galatians 4:1-7 Luther says: “Nothing more is required for justification than to hear of Jesus Christ and to believe on Him as our Savior.”

Commenting on Psalm 51:2 Luther says: “A Christian … is righteous by the mercy and grace of God. This mercy and grace is not something human; it is not some sort of disposition or quality in the heart. It is a divine blessing, given us through the true knowledge of the Gospel, when we know or believe that our sin has been forgiven through the grace and merit of Christ…. Is not this righteousness an alien righteousness? It consists completely in the indulgence of another and is a pure gift of God, who shows mercy and favor for Christ’s sake…. Therefore a Christian … is righteous … only in respect to divine grace and the free forgiveness of sins, which comes to those who acknowledge their sin and believe that God is gracious and forgiving for Christ’s sake, who was delivered for our sins (Romans 4:25) and is believed in by us.”

On Faith

Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times.

“The heart overflows with gladness, and leaps and dances for the joy it has found in God. In this experience the Holy Spirit is active, and has taught us in the flash of a moment the deep secret of joy. You will have as much joy and laughter in life as you have faith in God.”

“We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.”

“There are some who are still weak in faith, who ought to be instructed, and who would gladly believe as we do. But their ignorance prevents them…we must bear patiently with these people and not use our liberty; since it brings to peril or harm to body or soul…but if we use our liberty unnecessarily, and deliberately cause offense to our neighbor, we drive away the very one who in time would come to our faith. Thus St. Paul circumcised Timothy (Acts 16:3) because simple minded Jews had taken offense; he thought: what harm can it do, since they are offended because of ignorance? But when, in Antioch, they insisted that he ought and must circumcise Titus (Gal. 2:3) Paul withstood them all and to spite them refused to have Titus circumcised… He did the same when St. Peter…it happened in this way: when Peter was with the Gentiles he ate pork and sausages with them, but when the Jews came in, he abstained from this food and did not eat as he did before. Then the Gentiles who had become Christians thought: Alas! we, too, must be like the Jews, eat no pork, and live according to the law of Moses. But when Paul learned that they were acting to the injury of evangelical freedom, he reproved Peter publicly and read him an apostolic lecture, saying: “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?” (Gal. 2:14). Thus we, too, should order our lives and use our liberty at the proper time, so that Christian liberty may suffer no injury, and no offense be given to our weak brothers and sisters who are still without the knowledge of this liberty. ”

“Good works are the seals and proofs of faith; for even as a letter must have a seal to strengthen the same, even so faith must have good works

On Prayer

All who call on God in true faith, earnestly from the heart, will certainly be heard, and will receive what they have asked and desired.

I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.

It All Depends on Jesus

So when the devil throws your sins in your face and declares that you deserve death and hell, tell him this: “I admit that I deserve death and hell, what of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where He is there I shall be also!

“I know not the way God leads me, but well do I know my Guide.”

“When God’s righteousness is mentioned in the gospel, it is God’s action of declaring righteous the unrighteous sinner who has faith in Jesus Christ. The righteousness by which a person is justified (declared righteous) is not his own but that of another, Christ.”

“If you want to interpret well and confidently, set Christ before you, for He is the man to whom it all applies, every bit of it.”

“The truth of the matter is rather as Christ says, “He who is not with me is against me.” … He does not say “He who is not with me is not against me either, but merely neutral.”

Speak the Truth

“If I profess with loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except that little point which the world and the Devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved, and to be steady on all the battlefield besides, is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point.”

If he have faith, the believer cannot be restrained. He betrays himself. He breaks out. He confesses and teaches this gospel to the people at the risk of life itself.

The Christian

“A Christian man is the most free lord of all, and subject to none; a Christian man is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to everyone.”

“If there is anything in us, it is not our own; it is a gift of God. But if it is a gift of God, then it is entirely a debt one owes to love, that is, to the law of Christ. And if it is a debt owed to love, then I must serve others with it, not myself.

Thus my learning is not my own; it belongs to the unlearned and is the debt I owe them…My wisdom belongs to the foolish, my power to the oppressed. Thus my wealth belongs to the poor, my righteousness to the sinners…It is with all these qualities that we must stand before God and intervene on behalf of those who do not have them, as though clothed with someone else’s garment…But even before men we must, with the same love, render them service against their detractors and those who are violent toward them; for this is what Christ did for us.”

Christian Frederick Schwartz
One of the greatest of Lutheran missionaries to India was this man who was born October 26, 1726 in Sonnenburg, Prussia, Germany. He came to India and labored for the Lord for 48 years until called home. Here is something he wrote about the Lord’s Prayer.
” Let us daily be more and more fervent in prayer. With prayer we begin to be Christians…praying we end our course…
In the first petition we in fact pray to God to turn away our hearts from all vain names, (call them honour, riches, pleasure, or what else you please) because they all together cannot make us happy. To look upon them as the source of our happiness is idolatry. We beg God to enlighten our hearts, so that we may know, esteem, venerate, fear, love, and praise His name. This is the truest beginning of our conversion. All things and their names decrease and the glorious name of God increase.
The second blessing which we need is the kingdom of God. It is restored to us by Jesus Christ, containing ‘righteousness’ to cover all our sins; ‘peace,’ or a sense of the favour of God, who is now our Father, and we His children. ‘Thy kingdom, O Father, come,’ that we may be no longer separated from thee, as we deserved, but that we may be reunited unto thee.
Being turned to God and His name, and being made the children of the kingdom of God by faith in Jesus Christ, we desire the third blessing, namely, obedience. Having received the two former blessings, we are now willing, and by the Spirit of God strengthened to renounce and to overcome our own will, (that stubborn thing,) the will of the world, and the will of the devil. We now learn daily that most difficult thing ‘Not my will, but thine be done.’
Having thus obtained mercy, we are regenerated…What do we need more? Having begun well by the grace of God, let us be ‘strong in the Lord;’ let us take care not to fall back, but to be constant. To this purpose our compassionate Savior has taught us to pray for our daily bread to control our desires after the things of this world. Godliness and contentment must go together. A very strict discipline is necessary otherwise the cares of this world enter in again, and choke the good seed.
Though we have reason to rejoice in the Lord in His mercies, yet we have no reason at all to boast and to be proud. Therefore He wants us to come daily before the throne of grace, deeply humbling ourselves on account of our daily faults, and pray, “Forgive us our trespasses.’ This humility must remain in us daily.
Being turned to the name of God; being received as His children for the sake of Jesus; being willing to obey the will of God, we are happy, and free from all condemnation. But as long as we sojourn here in the world, we are not free from trials. Let us, therefore, daily watch and pray in case we enter into temptation. Let us beg God to make us strong.
Lastly, let us daily come before the throne of mercy, pleading God to deliver us from all ignorance, from all sin, from all pain and grief; and to receive us into His glorious kingdom, where we shall weep no more where we shall rejoice forever and ever; where our prayers and supplications shall be turned into thankgivings. This hope, if lively, will refresh us.”

Pastor Koenig

JAPC 2011 Summary

Matthew Ude — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 03:21:21 +0000

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Child Evangelism in BELC

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Presented by Rajamani - BELC a. Youth of congregations teaching Sunday School Regularly ( 8,284 children ) b. VBS Program i. Next year “Christ is our Manna” ii. Many Hindu and Muslim children attend iii. Volunteers provide snaks iv. Youth do teaching
CLCI General Report

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Delivered by Nireekshana - CLCI a. Receiving a good number of phone calls based on Tract distribution b. Activities through which members are joining CLCI i. 1% Special Need ii. 2-3% Walked in to the church iii. 5-10% Tracts and Evangelism iv. 15-20% VBS – Sunday School v. 24-30% Gospel Meetings vi. 15-20% Church Programs vii. 55-70% Friend or Relative c. CLCI has built 6 new prayer sheds and is desperately praying for 12 more in the coming year at the cost of $1,000 USD each d. 27 converted Muslims are now pastors in the CLCI ( 1985 – 2011 ) – these pastors then return to the Muslim areas e. Tribal Outreach - The Tribal people of India have no income, no jobs, little too eat and even schooling is denied to their children. The CLCI reaches out with the Gospel, but also with education, teaching reading and writing, distributing slates and slate pencils, and twice yearly conducting Medical Camps f. Other Ministries i. Audio Ministry ( sending out CDs every two weeks with messages ) ii. Film Ministries iii. Prison Ministries ( One prisoner was released and worked as part time evangelist, but was than killed by his enemies. ) iv. Medical Camps v. VBS ( 1,515 children this year )
Nepal Report

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Delivered by Raju Bhitrakoti - HCLCN a. 2 pastors near Tibet border cross into the Tibet area and do some teaching – plus there are some contacts across the border that are interested in working with HCLC-N b. STATS: Pastors 23, Baptized Believers 200+, Church Members 3500+ c. Monthly Youth Fellowship with 80 -100 attending d. Mrs. Rama ( JB’s Wife ) is also teaching Woman Conferences Annually e. Orphanage started with 11 children in home
Andaman and Chengelput Report

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Delivered by Deepak - BELC a. Currently teaching “Summary of Christian Doctrine” and “Shadows and Substance” in both district b. Orissa – When Deepak became a Christian his parents told him he must choose us or Christ. For 15 years no contact with his family. His family thought that he had dies in the Tsunami so they asked pastors in Andaman looking for information about Deepak. Now he found out that many of his family are now Christian. c. Pray Requests – church buildings, orphanages, schools, paddy land, start work in Orissa
Kadapa Report

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Delivered by V. Victor - BELC a. Trusting the Lord’s sovereign guidance frees us from financial worry. This keeps us focused on ministry rather than relying on human ingenuity or cleverness to raise money. b. Districts where V. Victor is working: Kadapa, Kurnool, Rayachotti, Rajampetta, Mydukur and Goa. c. “I am one of the agents of God . . . [to] multiply many agents of the Lord . . .” d. Three times he has visited Goa, now a fourth is planned. In Goa the pastors’ native tongue is English. A few people also speak Portuguese.
CLCM Report

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Delivered by Kham - CLCM a. The CLCM operates primarily in the Chin state of Myanmar, and works primarily among the ethnic group Teddim Chim ( there are 35 ethnic groups in Myanmar ) b. 95% of the population is Buddhist c. The Headquarters are Munlai Kalaymo, Sagaing Division where any foreigner can visit without restriction from the government. d. 9 pastors, 2 evangelists, and 1 worker – 56 congregations e. Evangelist Hmang – is able to enter the military camps and speak in Burmese and preach and teach among the Burmese, especially among the military. Because his father was military he is able to enter among the military. f. They have 3 schools, but these schools were shut down by the government g. Able to purchase four plots of land for permanent site for CLCM i. Build a church, office for chairman and secretary, later on children home, and college h. It is our deep desire to open Lutheran Institute – There are young men waiting to enter into study for the ministry
BELC Southern Districts

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Delivered by D.Paul - BELC a. 161 souls added to the church this year b. Confirmation – All pastors are teaching Wednesday or Tuesday evening bible study on small catechism. When ready for confirmation the pastor meets with them individually to deal with any special conditions or problems. c. Lord’s Supper is celebrated twice monthly, some congregation every month d. Film ministry this year in over 33 villages e. Tuition Centers - Out of work youth help conduct tuition Centers, where they help children in the area. These youth receive no money for their work. f. Rajamani is currently supporting a few medical camps g. Dave asked about the possibility of getting the Luther Film Dubbed into Tamil – D Paul said he would look into it.
CLCI CLC Missionary Visits Report

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Delivered by V. D. S. Raju - CLCI a. Missionary Matthew Ude’s Visit October 2010 b. Brother John Rohrbach visited from 17th Dec to 4th Jan – brother john gave away many many gifts and visited 9 congregations c. Rev. David Koenig visit February 2011 – preach with much visual aids – opened new prayer shed at Dandamudi village d. Brother David Lueck visited September 2011 – preached on Samaritan Woman – Taught teaching techniques of Jesus
Nellore and Renigunta Districts Report

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Delivered by Moses Raghu - BELC a. Nellore – Pastors 45 – Children 1200 – Adults 1700 b. Renigunta – Pastors 40 – Childrens 977 – Adults 1300 c. Built 2 church buildings d. Leprosy Work e. Bangalore – 30 pastors – here they are waiting for us to come – I visited once, Moses visited twice more
CLCI Seminary Report

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Delivered by Jyothi Benjamin - CLCI a. 95 Fully trained pastors have come from Seminary in the last 13 years ( 6 previous Muslim ) b. 14 Graduates Seminary this last June c. 436 graduates from Bible Correspondence Course d. 10 Graduates from Correspondence Course this last June
MLBS Report

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Delivered by D. Paul - BELC a. The teachers of the MLBS along with what it is they teach i. T. Sampath; V. Rajamani; K. Ashirvadham; B. Bhasker; D Paul b. Graduation Feb 28 – 18 Graduates c. March 1st – Inauguration – 16 new students ( 6 students from BELC congregation – 10 from outside the BELC ) d. Many from other congregations request

B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #202

Mary Koenig — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:30:55 +0000

B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #202

I Cor.. 16:9 ‘For a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.’

October 13, 2011

We rejoice with the report from Zambiawhich you can read below.

CHURCH OF LUTHERAN CONFESSION IN ZAMBIA(CLCZ).

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher (Rom 10:14).

A preacher is someone who is called by God to proclaim His message to lost souls and bring them back to God.
God called me to teach/preach His word to people. I remember I departed from my home land(Tanzania) since February 2011.I was like Abraham when God called him to depart from his country up to the land which He will show him(Genesis 12:1).I did this by faith after spending time in prayer and asking God’s direction. And God was faithful to me.
When I reached Zambia, I started from those friends who welcomed me. I started to explain what CLC means and what we believe and the same time I had my Bible to make sure everything I spoke was in the Word. Also I didn’t forget to explain the burden in my heart (Matthew 28:19-20). We started with Peter Mwelwa family and some friends. I remember we were four and three kids. This was the starting time for me to represent CLC in Zambia and to agree together we will call us CLCZ(The Church of Lutheran confession Zambia).Then I continued to visit some schools, hospitals and door to door evangelism with evangelist Peter Mwelwa .I received more invitations from friends so that I could preach to them and have discussion about CLCZ and the Bible. Not only have that but even to have Bible classes with them for learning more about God. God opened more doors for Bible study classes as we were evangelizing in those areas.
Now, we have three small congregations meeting as CLCZ members and worshipping according to the Bible. One congregation is at Nakonde border to Tanzania under leadership of Evangelist Jack Simwanza.The second is within Lusaka under the leadership of Teacher Ibrahim and assistance of Peter Mwelwa.The third is Located at Inonge under the leadership of Lewis Matanyani,three hours by driving from Livingstone to Inonge congregation.
I started to let these three evangelists know better the CLC and to answer questions which they had about CLC. I took time to visit CLC websites with them for more information. I thank God because no question was hard for me to answer. But they appreciated what I said and for me this is the reason made them to join in CLC. I understood that if they will understand the truth it would be easy to teach others (2 Timothy 2:2). I followed Jesus’ system (He educated twelve disciples so that they could educate others) Now they know the truth (John 8:32) and we are working as preachers in CLCZ.

More information about these three small congregations is following;

NAKONDE CLCZ
The first congregation is under the leadership of Jack Simwaze.Evangelist. Jack Simwaze had desired to serve God, but He was also looking for God’s direction. He started the work of God at this place beginning in 2010. But He didn’t have someone to support him in the ministry. Therefore,he asked me to come and join together in evangelism and planting new CLCZ congregation there.
Since we started, up to this time we have 12 members and some children. The more we evangelize the numbers increase. And now Christians meet every Sunday for the service. They need more teaching so that they may grow spiritually in the knowledge of God.
LUSAKA CLCZ.
This is the congregation I (Ibrahim) started with the help of Peter Mwelwa (the one who is hosting me in Lusaka).We meet at his house for the Sunday worship. He is the good brother and evangelist who is ready to work for the kingdom of God. He is helping me in translation sometime to the local language where it is necessary and to show me some more areas where we might plant CLC congregations. At this moment we have more than fifteen members meeting every Sunday for worship. Most of members are under 30 years and they enjoy the service very much. I try to reach them in the schools and colleges to welcome them to visit us and to register more students for a Bible correspondence course .I hope this course will start soon after East Africa Pastoral conference in Tanzania at Moshi.
Through this congregation God is doing marvelous things to us. He is increasing the number and spiritual growth as well. We expect God will to be glorified in this work here in Zambia. Don’t forget to pray for us while we are serving Him. The Christians in this congregation are like the Christians in Berea (Acts17:10-11).INONGE CLCZ.
The background of this church was UCZ (United Church of Zambia).This faith looks like the Lutheran in some ways.
It started two years ago but it is not growing because of poor spiritual leadership and hard environment. The preacher met me while I was preaching at University of Zambia (UNZA) and welcomed me to share what I was teaching. I didn’t loose this opportunity because I knew it never comes twice. We made arrangement for meeting the church and for seminar.
This place is really rural area because it is a little bit out from Livingstone Town. You need to drive for three hours from Livingstone to Inonge or five hours from Lusaka, capital city of Zambia. But God because He called me to reach these souls by the gospel I will be ready to take it wherever needed (Matthew 28:19-20).
Zambia was declared as a Christian Nation with the second president (Fredrick Titus Chiluba).This means that 95% of people are trusting in God and they want to attend the church even if they don’t know what the church is teaching about (they are attending as cultural thing). Also they like to have Bible discussion. They are ready at anytime to welcome anyone who is called a preacher, this is because they believe that there is blessing for those welcome servants of God. In this congregation I preached there and having a seminar for two days then to introduce the correspondence course in the church which I plan to start after having discussion with Pastor Nathaniel Mayhew at Pastoral conference in Moshi-Tanzania(East Africa). I received more invitations to visit schools and families around the congregation.
We agree together with the evangelist in this congregation to form the church and start worshiping according CLC. Now we are doing very well in worship and we have almost forty (40) Christians. The fruits of this area are making me busy to prepare a lot of teachings so that I can feed them spiritually. The members are hungry for the Word of God and they don’t allow me to go back to Tanzania. They provided a small plot for me to build my living house and other physical things. God is doing wonderful things in this congregation .They show the love of God to me.
God has blessed them with nice tone in singing and they have spiritual talents, while what is needed for them is to teach them how to use spiritual gifts. You can’t believe that Zambia has open space like Inonge because Lusaka population is very high and you don’t like to stay in Lusaka.
In conclusion, I am doing all things through Jesus Christ who strengthen me. My work in Zambia is for the glory of God and I will work hard to draw many souls in the kingdom of God.

Teacher Ibrahim Robert

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CUSTOMS

The Holy Kiss or Kiss of Love

“Then, after the consecration of the Holy Sacrifice of God, because He wished us also to be His sacrifice, a fact which was made clear when the Holy Sacrifice was first instituted, and because that Sacrifice is a sign of what we are, behold, when the Sacrifice is finished, we say the Lord’s Prayer which you have received and recited. After this, the ‘Peace be with you’ is said, and the Christians embrace one another with the holy kiss. This is a sign of peace; as the lips indicate, let peace be made in your conscience, that is, when your lips draw near to those of your brother, do not let your heart withdraw from his. Hence, these are great and powerful sacraments.”^[1](

This is a quote from Augustine, the Great North African Church Leader.

This practice of kissing on the cheek in a greeting did not derive from the Christians. It was already a custom in the western Mediterranean world. Men would greet one another in ancient times with a kiss on the cheek. It was like a handshake among us today. It is noted though that the practice in connection with communion fell into disuse due to the persecution of Christians with the accusation that in the close communion service when catechumens and others were dismissed that sexual things went on.

In the New Testament both the verb (kataphileo) and the noun (philema) indicate and act of love. What a betrayal it was for Judas to give the kiss on Jesus’ cheek! Lk. 22:47-48

At the end of several epistles the believers are encouraged to give the kiss of love or the holy kiss. 1 Pet. 5:14, 1 Thess. 5:26, Rom.16:16, 2 Cor. 13:12, 1 Cor. 16:20. But not every letter ends with this injunction which indicates the freedom to practice it.

In Luke 7:45 Jesus mentions to the Pharisee who invited Him, that , “You gave me no kiss…” The woman though did not cease to kiss His feet. Vv. 38, 45 This was obviously a sign of love and humility before the Lord. We do sometimes have people in India kissing our feet. We do not forbid it.

In Luke 15:20 the parable of the lost son the father“embraced him and kissed him.” In Acts 20:37 those who would see Paul no more“embraced Paul and kissed him.” These again show the idea as contained in the word that it is an act of love. And just as the custom is practiced in some places today, but not in others it is just that a custom.

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Pastor Koenig

B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #201

Mary Koenig — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 11:18:29 +0000

B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #201

I Cor.. 16:9 ‘For a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.’

September 25, 2011

PARABLES

To stand beneath a waterfall is to be inundated, overpowered by the descending cascade of water. Who can stand against such power? Think also of how that water came. It was from a higher plain. This river flowed unceasing to its sudden descent and the river continues its free flow to inevitably come down upon. Once the power of the falls has carried out its duty, the water then is in a calm eddying state until it flows on again to other destinations. Stand back and see the beauty of the scene as the mist hangs about, a ready reminder of what has happened. The continuous sound of the waterfall reminds us the river is still flowing to do its work, unencumbered by an obstacle, a river of water clear and cool to do its refreshing best. In an even more magnificent manner God’s river of grace descends to us from that far higher plain of heaven itself. With simple words a thunderous declaration is made in our baptism as we receive the waters from above. We are washed clean and regenerated. Descending grace has its ongoing impact in refreshing communion and the precious water of life in the Word. For the waterfall to have its effect and even to exist there must be that river that ever flows from above. And ever is it with God’s grace and mercy and love.
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ALL THESE THINGS I WILL GIVE YOU

Jesus had been in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights without food. He must have been extremely hungry when Satan approached Him! Always expect Satan to tempt you in your weakest moments. He said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread” (Matt. 4:3).
Jesus failed to respond to this temptation, so Satan attempted pride (v. 6). With another failure Satan “upped the ante” and offered Jesus greater things than food, He offered the world. He said, “all these things will I give you, if you will fall down and worship me” (v.9). With this statement, Satan finally arrived at the real issue: “Fall down and worship ME.” All sin stripped of its glamour and laid bare is the dethroning of God to make some THING (living or non-living), a god.
Satan can offer you only THINGS; nothing more. Jesus offers you abundant life; life to its fullest (John 10:10). The life Jesus offers you has promises for both the present life and the life to come (I Tim. 4:8).
People are foolish. They look for life and peace in THINGS, but Jesus says that you can have life and peace and joy with or without things (Matt. 5–7). Paul accepted what Jesus had to offer and said of himself, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength” (Phil. 4:12, 13).
THINGS cannot bring life and happiness because they are temporary. Only a foolish person spends his life acquiring THINGS to the neglecting of the life Jesus offers. Jesus once told of such a man (Luke 12:16-21). The man acquired so many THINGS that he had to tear down his barns and build bigger ones. With a sigh of relief, he said, “Soul, you have much goods laid up for many years; take it easy, eat, drink, and be merry” (v.19). “But God said of you; then whose shall those THINGS be which you have provided?” (v.20). THINGS have an end but ETERNAL LIFE is forever.
The THINGS Satan offers you are in no way certain because he is a liar. Jesus says, “There is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies”(John 8:44). Satan cannot offer you anything without telling a lie. On the other hand, Jesus is TRUTH (John 14:6). Jesus cannot promise you anything that He will not or cannot fulfill.
Just as Satan offered Jesus ALL THESE THINGS, he offers them to you today. Are you accepting his offer? If your day-by-day life is consumed in acquiring THINGS, you have accepted. Satan is saying to you, “ALL THESE THINGS WILL I GIVE YOU” but I believe Jesus’ estimation of Satan. You are being lied to! from anonymous

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CUSTOMS

FootwashingRemember Peter saying “you will never wash my feet” and then “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” The apostles had so much to learn about humility and servanthood. The very night when Jesus gave the example of washing His disciples feet they argued over who was the greatest. As Peter’s second exclamation also reminds us, they had so much to learn about the spiritual. As the Lord said, “What I am doing you do not know now, but afterward you will understand.” Jn. 13:7

“As a matter of fact, the washing of feet in first-century Palestine was a common cultural amenity that was necessary due to the dry, dusty road conditions and the footwear of the day (i.e., sandals—Genesis 18:4; 19:2; 24:32; 43:24; Judges 19:21; 1 Timothy 5:10). In a typical middle-eastern setting, several social courtesies were ordinarily extended to guests. These expressions of hospitality included the kiss greeting, anointing, and caring for the guest’s animals, in addition to providing food and shelter (Genesis 18:4-5; 24:32; Judges 19:21; Ruth 3:3; 2 Samuel 12:20; Psalm 23:5; Ecclesiastes 9:8; Daniel 10:3; Matthew 6:17; Luke 7:44-46). Western culture typically has a completely different list of social amenities, including taking a guest’s coat, offering something to drink, and asking the guest to be seated.In a culture where household servants were in abundant supply, the task of washing a guest’s dusty feet normally would have been performed by a servant of the host. This fact is what made Jesus’ action so repugnant to the disciples. They were disgusted that Jesus would lower Himself to perform such demeaning labor” (from apologeticspress.org)

In OT times there was this custom. After a dusty walk it would be customary to wash one’s feet. Gen. 18:4, 19:2 Abigail shows her commendable, lowly attitude in being willing to wash the feet of others. I Sam. 25:41

In NT times in Luke 7:44 Jesus says to Simon, “I entered your house, you gave me no water for my feet…” showing that the custom was still in vogue. Jesus then uses that custom on Maundy Thursday evening to give an ‘example’ ὑπόδειγμα to His disciples. It was a teaching illustration. This is in Jn.13. It was not before the meal, but during it that Jesus in v. 5 rises from the meal to give the lesson with a visual aid. They call Him“Teacher and Lord ” v.13. If He as such then washes their feet ἐγὼ ἔνιψα,they also aught to. In v.16 He reminds them of the lesson of servanthood.

The word ὑπόδειγμα is used elsewhere in the sense of an example, Heb. 4:11, 8:5, II Pet. 2:6, James5:10 In the context of John 13 it is not commanded, but given as an example. The only other reference in the NT to this is a qualification of a worthy widow in I Tim. 5:10 “washed the feet of the saints” which is the idea of following the example of Jesus. Compare footwashing with the institution of communion on the very same night and notice our Lord say in that case “Do this in remembrance of Me.” I Cor. 11:24 And this is repeated in three of the Gospels.

Lutheran Missions .org

B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #209

The Shocked- Jn. 8:3-12 Those on whom or near whom judgment has fallen,-Acts16:23-34 Those shocked by love.

B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #208

B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #208 I Cor.. 16:9 ‘For a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.’

Willing Inquirer Attracted by Something –Mk.12:28-34

B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #207

Excerpt from BELC Martin Luther Bible School Report given at Recent Joint Conf. in Chennai, India

Pastor Koenig

B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #206

B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #205

November 30, 2011

Hungering and Thirsting after Righteousness – Lk.19:1-10

B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #204

B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #203

JAPC 2011 Summary

JAPC All Essays

Child Evangelism in BELC

CLCI General Report

Nepal Report

Andaman and Chengelput Report

Kadapa Report

CLCM Report

BELC Southern Districts

CLCI CLC Missionary Visits Report

Nellore and Renigunta Districts Report

CLCI Seminary Report

MLBS Report

B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #202

The Holy Kiss or Kiss of Love

B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #201

B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #208
I Cor.. 16:9 ‘For a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.’