Okay, no input that's detected though. Okay.
Thank you. Let's see if it works. I'm going to disperse one slide with just a couple of quick office updates because that was also part of the topic is a little bit about the work. So just for your information, we have coming this year now some staff changes. Our brother Walt has been serving as publications director since Paul Waaraniemi's retirement, and Matthew Keranen is coming now this summer.
And he will, in July, assume the duties of publications director at the office. Brother Rod is also leaving from his duty that he has been serving in for the last couple of years, and the board has recently decided to appoint Jessica Nicola, who has been working as an administrative assistant in the office, into that position.
And so she will be moving over to that duty and we will have a position to be filled that will be like a secretary or an administrative assistant position and you will be seeing the postings for that to accept applicants for that position.
I'd also like to mention that one of the developments that we have experienced in the last few years, for which I have been so thankful, and I know the staff and the LLC board has as well, and that is the close way in which we work with our sisters and brothers in Finland and Sweden.
I think you would be surprised to know how often the staff is working in communication across the ocean. It's not just once a year or every other year, it's on a weekly basis. And a lot of our work has become mutual. And we have also these mutual meetings in fact coming up in
May of 2019, we will be meeting, the three organizations' representatives will be meeting in Sweden this year.
We discuss spiritual topics, timely topics, but we also discuss the mutual work and we develop a cooperative work plan that guides us in this mutual work. It's been a great blessing, but I have thought that God has more purpose to this than just having us help each other in the work. And that is that he is uniting us in faith.
The will of Jesus was that His own would be one as He and the Father are one. That's what He prayed for. And God is doing that even through this means. He's uniting us.
Facilities, things, I don't want to spend a lot of time, you've seen what's happening here at Stony Lake Camp, some really nice changes that have already been made, and now this spring has been a great ground for building new dorm buildings, or I shouldn't call them bunkhouses, I'm sorry, Minnesota you have to call them bunkhouses. And then we also have
We're going on up in Saskatchewan at the Prairie Shores Camp. I haven't visited there but I've seen the pictures and it's really exciting to see the developments there. At Camp Kippa we will be seeing the construction of a new dorm. In Arizona we can call them dorms.
You'll be seeing the construction of the dorm building there. And then we have the Silver Springs property, which right now, by the way, our thought is that we want to allow some time for congregations to give us input as to how they think that property that the LLC owns should be used. We're going to be sending out some information over the course of the next
They will be held there at Silver Springs, but Monticello congregation will be discussing whether maybe most of the service site will be on their property as opposed to the LLC property.
And so in the meantime, we are working on some kind of plans for how that land will be used. And for right now, we're probably going to be looking at some seeding for grass and things like that. But you'll hear more as time goes on. And then I'll mention, too, expanding mission work. This is one area that we have worked very much in Africa and South America with SRK and SFC.
And that area of work continues to grow. There are other countries in Africa that have requested services. Tanzania is one, and John, what's the other one that's made a request? Guinea is another. The latest interesting service location that SRK sent someone to was in Pakistan. And so it's...
It's quite an amazing time in that sense that we just have to sit back and see where God directs us because none of this is our plan. It just seems like God just finds ways to direct us. In a sense, that's really comforting that we can let Him plan the world.
So that's a quick update on what's happening with the office. The other part of this discussion was that there have been some topics, spiritual topics that have come up, questions have been asked about them, there has been discussion about them, and we have felt that it would be important to
Open those topics for discussion here with you brothers. And I hope that you will speak freely on these matters. And that God can, through his spirit, guide us all into the same understanding on these things. At least as much understanding as he wants to give. He doesn't give us all understanding. And that's kind of a caution I would like to say at the beginning is,
Let's not try to probe so deeply. Let's not try to understand every detail and split hairs and become expert theologians on these topics. Let's just ask God, give us that portion of understanding that he feels we need and that will keep us united.
So on this topic of forgiveness, you know, it began with this question, would there ever be a situation in which God's children cannot preach the gospel? My thoughts on it might be a little too simple, I don't know, but the way I've thought about it is, how can we say never? How can we say to God, you can never close the mouth of your children? He has done it.
And, you know, in this kind of situation, we know that the message of God's kingdom is one of forgiveness. Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. That's the message of God's kingdom. Does it mean that there can never ever be some situation? How can we say that?
But, you know, these situations are clearly the exception. Maybe they don't happen in some of our lifetimes. Does that mean we can say never? So I feel like, rather than ponder this too deeply, why don't we leave it in the past? Let God direct those situations. You know,
Jesus has given to his own the keys of the kingdom. He has given these as two keys, and those keys are used through the office of the Holy Spirit. They are people's keys. We're not talking about man's forgiveness or man's binding.
And we know that the congregation of God is quick to [loose] and slow to [bind]. Even when we look at things like the so-called Church Law of Christ, as you brothers well know, the way that law is described by Jesus, if forgiveness can be preached at any point, that's it. That's the whole purpose of it. And once forgiveness is preached, it's done.
And we keep trying to reach that point. And so, God's congregation is always looking to loose sinners from their sins. But we have to also believe that if there was no need for [the key of binding], Jesus wouldn't have given the [key]. And so, there can be those occasions
And have been historically those occasions when [the key of] binding has to be used. And when it happens, it's done in love. And it's a part of the complete gospel. Because it does not help someone to give them a false security or sense that they are also traveling to heaven if they are not.
And so that kind of rare occasion when the congregation uses the key of binding is done only to help someone to see, where am I?
Sometimes recently the discussion has centered around how can a person receive forgiveness? How does God forgive a person their sins? It's a pretty important question. How do we receive forgiveness? From my understanding is forgiveness happens through the preaching of the gospel.
When Jesus gave the keys to his disciples, he said in this way quite clearly, whosoever sins you forgive on earth, they are forgiven in heaven. So when the believers preach forgiveness, it is God's forgiveness. It's not a reminder that God has already forgiven. It is God's forgiveness.
Dear brothers, I believe that when you a few moments ago preached the gospel to me, God has forgiven me my sins through your mouths. That's how God forgives. And I have often thought, why did God choose that way to forgive sins? My conclusion is because knowing myself,
It's because my faith is that weak that if I had to just try to believe that my sins are forgiven, I would have such trouble believing. I couldn't make it. But when I can hear that as an audible proclamation, your sins are forgiven in the name and blood of Jesus. Well, I'm still a weak believer, but I'm able to cling to that and say, God forgive me.
You know, Juhani Uljas writes in his book, Treasure Hidden in a Field, that the child of God lives daily in grace and in forgiveness. And what it means to me is, when you brothers have preached the gospel to me, I can forget all those sins of the past. They're forgiven. I live in that forgiveness. So,
The question has sometimes been raised, is there forgiveness in the sacraments? And my simple understanding is that there is none. It's clearly written in the scripture about baptism, for example, that washing in baptism is not the cleansing of the conscience.
Baptism doesn't confer faith, it doesn't forgive sins. It's a covenant with God, and it's a lifelong covenant.
Holy Communion is given for a purpose we needed in our lives. It's given for a purpose of strengthening our faith. But we believe, and in my life as a child of God, it's always been taught in God's kingdom that partaking of the sacrament of communion does not confer forgiveness of sins.
It assures us of the power of the gospel. It assures us that our sins have been atoned and when the gospel is preached we can believe it. And it strengthens our faith for sure. But forgiveness happens through the preaching of the gospel. That's my understanding.
In fact, I thought that when Jesus was with his disciples that last evening, you know, if we are with a loved one and we thought it's the last time we'll ever see them, we would think what's the most important thing we want to say to them. Well, Jesus taught his disciples two important things that last evening.
First, he instituted the sacrament [of Holy Communion]. And second, he washed their feet. If there was forgiveness in partaking of the sacrament, why would the washing of feet even have been needed? But haven't you found in your life as a believer that the two great sources of strength and comfort are
In the gospel, in hearing that your sins are forgiven, having your feet washed, and in partaking of the sacrament of Holy Communion, where you can receive the body and blood of Christ and in your heart know that this is how much God loved me. This is how he paid for my sins with his Son.
Then I would just want to touch on this too because it seems like recently we have heard this terminology of continual forgiveness.
And quite honestly, I have to say I don't know what the term means. It's kind of a, for me anyway, it's a new term, and I'm not sure when it's mentioned exactly what it's meant by. Maybe it means what I think of as living under grace. I don't know if that's what is meant by it or not. But I just want to share my understanding that a child of God
Those under the protection of God's grace. And God's grace is this way towards us, that if we fall into sin, He does not reject us. We don't lose faith every time we fell into sin. If we did, then
I'd have to be up here repenting the rest of today. We don't lose faith every time we fall into sin. I think of those angels of the churches of Asia Minor, some of whom had some very serious matters to take care of. But when Jesus gave John the messages for them, he first showed them a picture that they are held in my father's hand.
That's how God takes care of us. When we fall into sin, he still holds us and gives us opportunity to approach the fountain of grace and care for our lives. And that's living under grace today.
Now maybe when some people say we have continual forgiveness, I don't know, maybe that's what it means to them, and if that's the case, then that's what I would understand. But sometimes it has felt to me that this term, continual forgiveness, means that our sins of the past and present and future are all forgiven, and therefore I don't even need to hear the gospel.
You know, if my sins of tomorrow are forgiven, and the next day and the next day, now I'm speaking personally, that takes away from me the need to be watchful. If those sins are already forgiven before I fall into them, then what does it matter if I fall? That's how it feels to me, and like I said, I don't know if that's what is meant by the use of that term, but
But the way I see it is that my sins of the past and present and future have been atoned for. Christ has paid for them all. But I still need forgiveness. When I fall into sin, I still need forgiveness.
The term continual forgiveness almost implies to me like there's no such thing as unforgiven sin. And yet we have always taught that the only way to lose faith is through unforgiven sin. But if there's no unforgiven sin, then how does one ever fall to faith? And yet we know people have.
So that's why that term feels odd to me. Like I said, I'm not saying this to judge anybody who has used this term because I don't know what they mean by it. But I think of us as just living under God's grace. His grace has been what carries us.
I have often remembered in reading some of Luther's writings and sermons, one place where I was reading, and Luther said this, it's kind of a simple statement, but it really struck me when I read it. He said, where would I be, oh God, if you would deny for me your grace? And I thought about that statement, that that's how we live. We live under God's grace.
If it were not for his grace, we would not be believers today, dear friends. But his grace carries us even when we fall into sin. By his grace, he gives us free opportunity to put away sin in his kingdom.
And we know from the scriptures how we are encouraged that when we are surrounded by this cloud of witnesses, let's lay aside every weight of the sin that besets. Or let's approach the mercy seat to obtain mercy, you know, and grace to help in times of need.
Or I think about the prophet Zechariah. When Zechariah wrote about the suffering and death of Christ, he says, in that day there will be an open fountain in the house of David and in the city of Jerusalem against sin and defilement.
So maybe that's enough said about how I understand forgiveness and you brothers on this and all of these topics. I hope that I can clarify things where I have made them unclear or correct those things that I say that are not correct. The robe of righteousness, we have heard talk about that.
You know, we know from scriptures that God's children are clothed in this robe, and that the beauty of this robe is the righteousness of Christ. And we know that the only way we can make it to heaven is that when we stand before the righteous judge,
We are wearing the wedding gown, the righteousness of Christ. And if that's what God sees on us, then He judges us according to the merits of His Son. Do you believe in the righteousness of His Son? Do you think God will be pleased with that?
Think about that. You have the righteousness of Christ in your garments. You can make it to heaven. If it was my own garment, I have no hope. But I dare to stand before the righteous judge if I go with the righteousness of Christ. Can we [stain] our [robe]? That's sometimes been the question.
I don't intend to understand the depth of the theology of the Robe of Righteousness at all. So please bear with me when I just share my thoughts on it. First of all, I believe that Christ's righteousness is perfect. It cannot ever be blemished or diminished by our sins.
His work was perfect and he finished it all for us. And that's what we sing to by faith, the perfection of Christ. But sin stains my conscience. And the scriptures give examples of caring for sin.
One is the washing of robes, one is the washing of feet, and there would be other examples that scriptures give about caring for the conscience. And for me, it doesn't take to get tangled up in this question, well, this white-robed throng that washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb, did that mean their sins tarnished the righteousness of Christ and all that? No, of course it doesn't mean that.
But God gives us these pictures of caring for the conscience, being cleansed from sin. We wash our garments. We wash our feet. And the whole purpose of those teachings is to encourage us to care for sin. You remember what he told his disciples when he washed their feet? If I, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you have to wash one another's.
It was an example to teach them to care for one another with the gospel. So, you know, my sort of theology, I know isn't very deep on this, and I probably am not helping you brothers to understand it any more deeply, but for me it has to be kept at that level.
That I need to wash my conscience. Whether I picture it as washing my feet or cleansing my garments or whatever, I know that the blood of Christ cleanses me from sin in the Gospel. And I know that God sees in me when I'm believing the righteousness of His Son. I would mention that I have heard one understanding about that [passage] in [Revelation].
Where John saw the white-robed [throng] who washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb. I've heard one wrong understanding of one situation that that refers to repentance from unbelief. And that understanding I can't agree with. Because when someone is in unbelief, they don't have a robe to wash. You remember Joshua the high priest?
In order to receive the good robe, they had to take away from his filthy garments. When you're an unbeliever, you don't have the robe of righteousness at all to wash. The prodigal son, when he approached the father's house, he didn't have a good robe on, and the father told the servants, put on him the precious robe in the house.
So I can't understand that that portion of Revelations refers to repentance from unbelief. I understand that it refers to cleansing our conscience of the blood of Christ.
But again, dear brothers, I say that you clear up my understanding that they are weak and don't agree with how you believe because I want to believe the way you believe. I find it easy to think that you're believing the right way and we'll get to heaven. It's not easy to think that.
But this encouragement, you can read these portions for yourself from the Scripture, and you're probably already familiar with them anyway, so I won't read them or repeat them, but there is encouragement to keep faith and a good conscience and to put away sin repeatedly in the Bible. There's a reason for that. Sin, when it is finished, brings death.
Briefly, I would just want to comment on this topic, too, of Watchmen on the Walls of Zion. It's clear in Scripture that God has set some into special duties of serving. In fact, we heard about that from our brother Keith in his opening devotion yesterday.
Different gifts, different offices to serve God's kingdom, and they're all places of serving.
And so, servants of the word and elders, board members in the congregation, they do have a special duty of watching. It doesn't mean nobody else should be watchful. We all should be watchful. And you remember when Paul met for the last time with the elders at Ephesus? And when he was parting from them, he gave them this instruction. He said, take heed unto yourselves.
First place of worship for every child of God, take heed unto yourself. But then he told those elders to add unto the whole flock of God which he has purchased with his own blood. That was a special duty given to those elders in Ephesus.
That after they have made sure they watch in their own life of faith and take care of their own sins, they also have a duty to watch for the flock because he said he knows that after his departure there would be these grievous wolves that would enter in and they would not spare the flock. And so watch for the flock.
So, I would understand that God has set some as watchers on the walls, and you know, you can't, if you think of a walled city, and all the work that's going on in the city, if everybody is on the walls watching, who's doing the other work?
So, you know, the people in the city put some people to go on the walls and watch and some people with other duties. It doesn't mean the watchmen are somehow elevated. Well, they're higher up if they're standing on the walls in the city, of course. But, you know, servants are lowered to serve. No matter what duty of serving, dear brothers, it's a servant.
And Jesus said, who is greater, he that sitteth at meat or he that serves? And that was a pretty easy question to answer, right? One of the few questions I could easily answer is that question of Jesus. So we don't think of watchmen on the walls of Zion as elevating anybody.
In fact, I would say it's quite the opposite. Not only does it make you a servant, but it gives you a special meaning, which the flesh would rather be free of, wouldn't it?
I've often thought how nice it would be to be like that little boy who talked to me in Alaska. All he wants to do is believe. He doesn't worry about any of these topics or doing anything himself. He just believes. Jesus died for our sins and these girls should be praying.
Well then finally just a couple of other topics that we have heard talk of recently that feels a little unsettling. One is the question of acceptance of children or use of birth control.
And I've thought often that in these last times that we're living now, one of the battle fronts for God's children is with our young families, with many children, because the world looks down on that. And our own minds can battle against it. You know, like, it would be easy to think that
Especially if we know of situations where families have had health struggles and stuff like that. You know, it makes sense to our own minds, well, why have so many children, right? It makes perfect sense. And then when we turn to God's Word, it doesn't make such perfect sense anymore. If we want to be obedient to God's Word, children are a gift of the Lord.
God is the giver of life. God is the creator. Let's not take those things into our hands. Sadly, I heard recently from one young believing mother that she was asked by another young mother that, are we making having big families into some sort of work that makes us more righteous?
Do you think that's why families that are struggling economically or with health want to have child after child? Because it makes them more righteous? You know, I think that God has given them this humble view that they are God's gifts and human treasures.
Another topic that has sometimes been discussed is this question of self-righteousness. And we heard it from our brother Rick yesterday, asking a question about what self-righteousness means. You know, when we look at the scriptures,
We see so clearly in Jesus' time the self-righteousness of the Pharisees and the scribes. In fact, brothers, to be completely free and open with you here right now, I will say that it troubles me a little bit to hear
This example of the sinful woman in the house of the Pharisees as applying to our gathering here today felt a little bit to me like, are we comparing this to the house of the Pharisees? When I stand up here and look at you, I see a group of sinners.
Weak servants, wanting to believe, serving only because you don't dare to say no. When the congregation has asked you to serve and you think, what has God done for me? How can I say no if he asks me to serve? I don't find these kind of signs of self-righteousness.
And endeavoring to be obedient to God's word and endeavoring in our duties to warn about sin, it doesn't feel to me like self-righteousness. It feels to me like wanting to help each other on the way to heaven. We've heard this also about law-mindedness that is there in some of the preaching today
And amongst some of the brothers who serve, whether it's on the LLC board or other places, is their law-mindedness. And sometimes it has seemed like if a brother in serving has warned about sin and has encouraged to put sin away, then it has been taken as being kind of law-mindedness.
And I was thinking yesterday about Jesus' teachings. You know, it is said that those who heard Jesus marveled at the gracious words that came from his mouth. Now think about that, that his teaching was regarded as gracious. And then go to Matthew and read the Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew chapter 5, Jesus said, you have heard that it has been said, do not commit adultery. I say, if you look on another with lust, you have committed adultery. You have heard it said, thou shalt not kill. I say, if you hate your brother, you have committed murder in your life. And he goes on with other such rebuke about sin.
Was that law-mindedness on the part of Jesus? You know, grace, sometimes you said about grace that it's such a bright light that in this room right now we don't see the dust particles, but if a bright sun shines in, it shows all these little dust particles.
Grace does show us sin, what is sin. And it's not to try to make us perfect people, it's to try to remind us of the need for the gospel. Care for our sins, live under grace. There's no need to carry sin. Dear brothers, none of us has to end this day carrying sin on our conscience. We can ask 70 times seven today to hear the gospel.
I thought about that. You mathematicians know that that's 490 times. And if you divide that by 24 hours in a day, that means more than 20 times an hour. You can be asking forgiveness for the entire day, and forgiveness will still be preached. That's how it is in God's kingdom. It's a place of forgiveness.
But it's not wrong-minded if we remind each other about sin and caution each other about sin and being watchful. The office of the Holy Spirit. It is so important that we remember that
The preaching of the Gospel is an office of the Holy Spirit. It's not man's forgiveness in question. And it is also important that we remember that God's Spirit is here with His own, and it speaks to us.
And we want to obey those words of Jesus when he said, he that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the church. Let's not go on our own path and try to discern and understand everything.
I was reminded recently, and maybe think back to the time of the last heresy because of some recent discussion and correspondence we had, but, you know, I don't know if maybe most of you don't know this, but I went into the heresy back in 1973. I fell into that heresy. I was there for about three and a half years before I received the grace of repentance.
And during the confusing time that led up to the separation, I had this kind of approach to it, that I'd listen to this side of some issues and then listen to that side, and then I was going to figure it out up here. Weigh the argument, sort of, and decide which way is right. And it led me into such confusion
And I was always troubled there. I didn't have peace. I can tell you one thing that really bothered me was I heard such angry and bitter words towards the believers. I used to ask some of my friends in the heresy, you know, if we are right and they have lost the way, why would we be angry and bitter at them? Shouldn't we feel sad and want them to come back? Why would we be angry?
Well, God finally led my path. But you know, I still had these questions. I had some very specific questions. And my thinking was, if I can get answers to these questions, I can figure out which way is God's kingdom. So we went to the home of a believing couple that I knew, my wife and I. We had quit going to the church, the American church. We went to that home.
And we sat at their kitchen table and I told them that, you know, I have a number of questions I'd like to ask. And this older lady looked at me and she said, well, we'll try to answer your questions. But she said, I don't understand very well. And I know that the sins are forgiven and I have peace with God.
And, you know, that simple statement just stopped me, and I thought, if I leave this house today, and I haven't repented, maybe God will never call me again. Because He can close, and no man can open. So I had to put aside those questions, and I had to just ask if I could have my sins forgiven.
And you know what happened with those questions? In time, God answered some of them, and he still hasn't answered others, but I've forgotten what they were. You know, they weren't important anymore. My sins were forgiven. Why did I need all the answers? And even on some of these issues,
Sometimes it has been maybe suggested or asked that let's delineate the issues. Let's list them all and let's give this position and that position. And you know, if we start dealing with it up here, it's going to cause confusion for all of us. Let's hear what the Spirit says.
I often think about what Jesus called the Holy Spirit. Remember what he called it? The Comforter. And there's a reason for that. When you brothers hear the voice of the Spirit, when you're at services and you listen to another brother serve and you hear the Spirit speaking, how does it feel? I have found there's no greater comfort than to be in the hearing of the voice of God's Spirit.
It was in Finland serving as a young man way back when. I was 42 years old, my first speaking trip to Finland, and I thought, what am I doing here? They've got 800 speakers, what can I offer? And then I was serving in one place in RY, and after I spoke,
This young brother came up to me and he said, you know, tonight I realized how important this exchange of speakers is between America and Finland. And I said, why is that? And he said, because how you spoke is how I believe.
And, you know, I thought, that freed me. It freed me to serve. I thought, the believers don't want to hear anything new and different. They're not expecting some special gift serving. They only want to hear the simple message that they're believing in the right way and they can get to heaven. And that's how the Comforter speaks to us.
So let's trust in God's Holy Spirit. Let's not trust in ourselves or our own thinking on these things. God doesn't give any of us all understanding, does he? Or has he given you all understanding?
You know, it's in part, but he gives this brother some, and this brother some, and this brother some, and we help each other, and his spirit speaks to many different things. Let's hear what the spirit says. And then, this topic of how do I view God's kingdom. One of the things that can happen if
One gets into analyzing these matters of faith with their own mind is that we can easily lose sight of two things. One is the beauty of God's kingdom and the other is the borders of God's kingdom. God's kingdom does have borders. Apostle Paul pictured it as the body of Christ.
It's one body. There's not one piece of the body here and another piece there. It's one body whose head is Christ. And so how do we view God's kingdom? It's this fellowship of saints. Luther had a simple description. I believe there is upon earth one small holy flock of God's saints.
But they are without secular division, and they are under one head that is Christ. If he was able to say it, I believe that even I am a member of this body. I have prayed myself many times, Dear Heavenly Father, don't ever let me lose sight of the beauty of God's kingdom.
Don't let me begin to see it as being flawed or tarnished in any way. Let me always see God's kingdom as a golden candlestick to cure all of hope. That kind of refuge where a sinner like me can be cared for and where I can trust in God and His guidance and what the Spirit teaches.
So how do we view God's kingdom? Do we see it as the pillar and ground of truth? Do we see it as a golden candlestick? Do we see it as an unerring mother who takes care of her lonely son? Do we see it as the place where God's spirit is found? Where God's word is found?
You know, we often speak about the Word of God, that it's our highest authority, according to which all teachings have to be examined, and it is that. But you know, God's Word isn't separated from His Kingdom.
It's not God's word is there and the kingdom is here. God's word is in his kingdom. Jesus was the word become flesh and he is the head of the body and the head can't be separate from the body. It's in God's kingdom that his word is found and his word teaches and his word is a light to our path, a lamp to our feet.
So those are some of my thoughts, dear brothers, and I say again that I just freely wanted to share how I understand these things and with that trust that God will help me to believe and lead me in the right way. Amen, brother.
So please, brothers, freely speak and freely share. If there are things I've said that have caused you doubt or worry or discomfort, tell me that. I don't want to be teaching differently from you brothers. Well, we'll open it for discussion.
Ross is going to carry the mic.