Our Savior Lutheran

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.     I Thessalonians 5:16-18

 Recently I remembered a joke about three men who, while walking along the beach, stumble upon a lamp. As they rub the lamp a genie appears and says “Normally I would grant you 3 wishes, but since there are 3 of you, I will grant you each one wish.” The first man wanting to be smarter, wishes to be twice and smart.  The genie grants his wish.  The second man wishes to be twice as smart as the first man.  The genie grants his wish.  The third man wishes to be four times as smart as the second man.   The genie asks him, “Are you sure?”  He is and the genie snaps his fingers and turns him into a woman.

Aside from the men bashing main point of the joke, we can derive another point.  Be careful what you wish for!  Often we wish for things that we cannot see the outcome or consequences of.

We often do the same thing with prayer.  We ask for things or actions on our behalf that we cannot see the outcome of.  We often desire things, that if granted, would have negative consequences for us and others.  We pray for our will and forget about that “thy kingdom come, thy will be done” part. 

Many people treat God like a genie in a bottle.  People show up in church who haven’t been to church for  months or even years.  Hopefully, it’s repentance and a desire to have more of God and his Word in their life.  But often the reason is less admirable.  They need something.

And how many of us have prayer lives that are almost non-existent and then dramatically increase during times of trial and stress.  We seem to become more faithful during the times when we need something…and we treat God like a genie in a bottle.

And it is true.  God wants us to come to him and ask him for assistance when we have need or when we’re in trouble.  But he also wants us to come and chat every day and many moments throughout the day.  God’s will is for us to be in continual fellowship with him.  And he wants to bless us each and every day, and in fact does. 

Jesus showed us something important when he taught his disciples how to pray.  And Martin Luther describes it beautifully when he explains the first petition of the Lord’s Prayer.

Our Father in heaven

What does this mean?    With these words God tenderly invites us to believe that he is our true Father and that we are his true children, so that we may pray to him as boldly and confidently as dear children ask their dear father.

God does want us to approach him, seek him out, and ask him for help.  However, God loves us too much to just give us what we want, when we want.  In fact, the majority of us, if we got exactly what we wanted, when we wanted it, we would quickly self-destruct.  It’s in our sin cursed nature to do so. 

God doesn’t always give us what we want.  He gives us something much better.  He gives us what we actually need.  And what we need most, more than anything else, is a Savior.  And that’s what God gives us “in Christ Jesus”. 

From Hebrews 9-For Christ…entered heaven itself to appear on our behalf in God’s presence…Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. 

We may often treat God like a genie in a bottle, calling on him when we need help or get into trouble.  Asking him for what we want.  God treats us like his children.  He gives us what is best for us, when it is best for us.  And he gives us what we truly need!

Heavenly Father, we give you thanks.  Lord, you know the ins and outs of life.  You know what the future holds.  You know what’s best for us and what will bring about the most good.  We thank you that you give us what we need, rather than what we often want.  Lord, align our desires to coincide with your sovereign will.  Teach us to be in your will.   Teach us to always be joyful, to pray at all times, and to give thanks always and everywhere.  We ask this in Christ Jesus, Amen.

Follow this link for more information on our amazing Fall Fest activities!

FALL FEST 2009

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On Thursday, October 15th, Our Savior Lutheran Church, 6102 Greenwood DR, will be hosting a concert of The Blackwood Legacy with Rick Price, a veteran of more than 30 years in Gospel music ministry.  The concert will also feature Washington State native, Luke Yates, a dynamic pianist and vocalist who recently exploded on the Gospel music scene, and former Florida Boys Tenor, Don E Thomas, with his signature “high as the sky” tenor voice.  Admission is Free!

Thursday, October 15, 7 pm

Info: 361-857-5673 or 866-855-1036

 www.blackwoodlegacy.com

Six engaging sessions combine video and interaction between participants to drive each point home.  Relevant insights from a Christian perspective are offered along the way.   Don’t miss the opportunity to make home life better for your family using these practical strategies! 

Begins Wednesday, August 19th at 7 PM and will run each following Wednesday for six weeks.

RSVP at oursaviorlutherancc@yahoo.com

I spoke with the President of one of our Concordia Universities this past Tuesday about evolution being taught in the Concordia University system.  My understanding is that he does not approve of evolution being presented as fact in a Concordia university classroom, nor is he aware of it being taught that way at his particular Concordia university.  We both understood that the theory of evolution needs to be presented, if only to inform the students of the mistruth that many in our world today believe to be truth.  Then I started thinking about just how evolution should be presented in our Christian universities. 

 Should evolution be taught in our Christian universities? 

Of course! 

 How should it be taught? 

 Microevolution* (change within a certain kind of animal) should be taught in biology as the fact that it is.  All the various breeds of domesticated dogs that we have today, Darwin’s finches on the islands, all these are examples of change within a kind created by natural or artificial selection.  But no matter how much selection the environment or we do, finches will always be birds and dogs, dogs. 

 Macroevolution (species to species evolution, i.e. reptiles evolving into birds) should be exposed for the lie that it is and refuted!  This should be presented in the biology classroom as well as the philosophy and religion classroom, but more on that later.

 *Micro and macroevolution are misnomers.  The implication is that macroevolution is just microevolution on a larger scale.  It is not. They are two completely different things.  Microevolution is change that we see taking place within a kind.  This kind of change can occur from genetic information (or the recombination of that information) being expressed that is already present in the DNA.  Macroevolution is change from one kind to a completely different kind of animal.  This kind of change requires the addition of vast quantities of new information.  We do not see this kind of change taking place.  The mutations that we have documented have not led to the creation of new genetic information, only the destruction or rearranging of current information.

 Teaching the theory of evolution as established fact is obviously wrong.  But what about just presenting the theory of evolution and the evidence and then letting the students evaluate and make their own decision? This manner of teaching would be fine for the public university but this neutral manner of teaching is not good enough for the Christian university.  It’s not enough!  Furthermore, the fact is that evolution is not taught in the world or in public education by the neutral “Here’s the evidence.  You evaluate and draw your own conclusion” technique.  So why should it be taught that way in a Christian university?  Evolutionists are some of the most close-minded people in academia.  Evolutionists will not tolerate freethinking and personal evaluation.  They may say evaluation is fine just as long as you don’t question that evolution is a fact!   You can question how evolution occurs, but you are not allowed to question if it actually does occur.  Believe it!  Accept it!  Or get out!  They have to be this way.  The theory has so many holes that they must blindly gaze at the figurehead in order to deny that the ship of Darwinism is sinking.  (If you have any doubt about the close-mindedness of evolutionists, try sharing this blog with some and gauge the reaction!)  So, if the world is actively trying to indoctrinate our youth in evolution, we must take a stronger stand than just neutrality.

 Our youth today have been raised in a society saturated with evolutionary thought (from here on “evolution” will refer to macroevolution).   In the public education system, they are indoctrinated with it, and with five days of school to two hours of Sunday school and church (most churches of which never really touch upon this topic) the indoctrination is a force to be reckoned with.  They turn on the television and evolution is portrayed as fact.  It’s in the news and the sitcoms and Discovery channel and the movies from Hollywood.  It’s in books and magazines.  Many Hollywood actors and politicians make comments based upon the idea that evolution is an established fact.  What happens when we send our youth to a private Christian university that then teaches evolution in a neutral way? 

 It’s not enough! It is insufficient to counter the kind of cultural forces that are at play today concerning this issue as is evidenced by the number of Christian college students who graduate from Christian universities accepting evolution as fact.  If our youth, after a lifetime of evolution being presented as fact, get to their college biology class and hear their Christian* college professor treating evolution in a neutral or sympathetic way, this will be understood as complicity and many will graduate as disciples of Darwin. 

 *All professors at Christian universities are not necessarily Christian.  Furthermore, even if a biology professor is a professed believer, where did he learn his biology?  There are Christian biology professors who have been well indoctrinated in and mistakenly believe the tenets of Darwinism. 

Just present the theory of evolution and the evidence and then let the students evaluate and make their own decision? It would be an interesting concept to try to teach our Christian faith by this same manner of presenting facts and then letting them make their own decision. 

•  Children, here are the historical facts and circumstances of the Christian religion.  Here are the historical facts and circumstances of other world religions.  Now you evaluate and make your own decision.  I’m not going to stand here and tell you that Jesus is Lord or that God loves you or that the Bible is the inspired, true and authoritative Word of God.  Here are the historical facts concerning all the world religions.  You’re on your own!

 That is not how we teach our faith.  That is not how we teach something we know to be true.  So why teach evolution (the atheist’s religion) in that manner if we know it to not be true?

 In the Christian university’s biology classroom, evolution should be presented as the secular philosophical faith structure about human origins that it is, and then refuted based upon the abysmal lack of evidence. Or did we ever find that first transitional species of the millions that should be present in the fossil record if species to species evolution ever took place?

 In the theology and religion classroom, evolution should be presented and denounced as the demeaning lie that it is.  Theistic evolution must be denounced as the heresy that it is based upon the authority and truth of God’s Word!

 I will not permit those under my care to be deceived or bamboozled by the prophets of Darwin.  I will attack theistic evolution and refute it by the truth of God’s Word, the presentation of the physical evidence and the use of common sense.  I will teach the true history of our origins from a biblical worldview based upon the revelation of the One who was there.  The authority of God’s Word will stand!  The dry ramblings and regurgitations of evolutionists and even this very universe will one day end, but the Word of the Lord stands forever! 

Pastor Seaman

Those words were penned by Paul near the end of his life. Well, I’m not near the end of my life (insha’allah/si Dios quiere/God willing). But I have come to the end of my year of active duty deployment. I have fought the good fight against terrorism and lawless men. I have finished that particular race for now. The past year of hardship and separation was not easy. But I am honored to have played my small part. Now I have rejoined other spiritual warriors in another fight. I have once again begun to run in a race of much more dire consequences; the eternal destinies of immortal souls!

The Christian life is a race of eternal consequence. Some perhaps think that the Christian life is easy. Some may think that being a child of God does not involve struggle. Not true! Many may start this race sprinting with zealous bursts of energy, passion and devotion. But the Christian life is not a sprint, it is a marathon. And much more admirable is the lifetime of constant devotion than the fanfare of blazing short-lived zealous devotion.

The race is not easy. No doubt we live in the times that Paul described when “people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions” Tougher times are still to come. Nevertheless, we will “preach the word; [and] be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”

Christ Jesus will equip us and He will empower us to run this race with endurance so that we may one day say with Paul, “We have fought the good fight, we have finished the race, we have kept the faith.”

It’s good to be back! Thanks be to God!

-Pastor