Devotion

Abide in the Word

“If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

John 8:31-32

Why should you and I want to “abide” in Jesus’ word? Jesus Himself answers that question by saying that “if” we abide in His Word, we will indeed be His “disciples.” But why should we want to be His disciples? The apostle Peter provides a two-fold answer to that question. He first identifies for us who Jesus is: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Jesus is unlike any other human being who has ever lived on this planet. He was not just another religious teacher who lived and then died. Rather, He is the eternal Son of God who came in the flesh to live among us and who remains living among us even today! (cf. Matthew 18:20; 28:20) Secondly, Peter informs us of something very special about Jesus’ Word. At a critical juncture in Jesus’ ministry when many others were forsaking Him, Peter explains why he and the other apostles intended to continue on as Jesus disciples: “Lord…You have the words of eternal life!” (John 6:68)

In our devotional text, Jesus further explains why abiding in His Word and being His disciples is so important. He assures us that we will “know the truth.” Notice that Jesus does not simply say that we will know “truth,” nor did He say that we will know “a” truth. Rather, He said that we will know “the” truth. When we abide in Jesus’ word, He promises that we will know that specific truth, which God can alone and has alone revealed through His Son (cf. John 6:35-40). It is that truth, which Peter says gives “eternal life!”

In addition, the truth that we learn through Jesus’ Word is promised to make us “free!” “Free” from what? Free from all sorts of things! The truth of Jesus’ Word frees us from the burden of all work-righteous approaches to salvation. While all man-made religions claim that your character will determine your destiny, Jesus proclaims that we are saved alone by God’s grace through faith (cf. Ephesians 2:8-9). This message alone truly and ultimately frees us, both now and throughout eternity!

The truth of Jesus’ Word frees us from the guilt that sin can so easily impose upon our consciences, for it assures us that when we confess our sins, God will cleanse us of all unrighteousness (cf. 1 John 1:9).

The truth of Jesus’ Word frees us from uncertainty regarding God’s expectations for our lives, for that truth reproves, corrects, and instructs us so that we might be complete in our understanding of God’s will and equipped to accomplish every good work (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The truth of Jesus’ Word frees us from the countless addictions that can plague us in life, for it is only through Jesus’ power that we can overcome them and truly be free (cf. John 8:36).

The truth of Jesus’ Word frees us from false prophets and other religious charlatans, because we can use His truths to “test the spirits” to see “whether they are of God” (cf. 1 John 4:1).

The truth of Jesus’ Word frees us from any reason to fear, for the truth of His promises assures us of His presence, His power, and His plans for us (cf. Matthew 28:18-20; John 14:1-3).

The truth of Jesus, however, not only frees us “from” things, but it also frees us “to” do things! The truth of Jesus frees us to love, even as we have been loved (cf. John 13:34).

The truth of Jesus frees us to serve, once again even as we have been served (cf. Matthew 20:26-28).

The truth of Jesus frees us to share the good news of salvation and to become the witnesses He intends us to be (cf. Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8).

The truth of Jesus frees us to fulfill our God-given purpose in life and so to accomplish everything He intends us to accomplish (cf. Ephesians 2:10).

Yes, and the truth of Jesus frees us to live with joy, with hope, and with confidence until that moment that He chooses to end our lives here in this world and begin our new life in Heaven (cf. Philippians 4:13; 2 Timothy 4:7-8).

Dear members of Immanuel—join me and let us recommit ourselves to hearing, reading, studying, and believing Jesus’ Word! Then we will be His disciples, and as His disciples, we will thereby be blessed through the Holy Spirit’s sanctifying power and enjoy the only freedom that will last throughout eternity! Amen.

— Pastor Paul D. Nolting

Great News!

Immanuel Has No Deficit!

The story is told of a congenial shoemaker who was well-liked and had the reputation of an excellent craftsmanship. He was a friendly conversationalist who visited with his customers, much to their delight.

During one of these conversations, the chatting customer asked the shoemaker about his trade and how he chose this particular business. To this the shoemaker replied, “Oh, shoe-making isn’t my business. I’m a child of God and a witness for Christ. That is my business. I just make shoes to pay the bills.”

The shoemaker had an amazing and correct outlook. We are called to faith in Christ Jesus, given salvation, and made children of God. As such, we have been called into the “family business,” which is to make disciples of all nations by baptizing in the name of the Triune God and teaching all that God has revealed in His Word (cf. Matthew 28:19-20). Our occupations and careers are just the ways God has given us to pay the bills while we make our way through this earthly pilgrimage on the way home to Heaven.

The shoemaker’s outlook makes a lot of sense. Think about it…of all the things you can earn or do during your lifetime on the earth, which of those will have a value lasting more than a few decades at most? Certainly the lifetime and value of vehicles, clothing, video systems, entertainment centers, checking accounts, and stock portfolios are limited. On the other hand, teaching your children the good news about Jesus, spending active time (not just passively sitting in front of a screen) with your family in the context of a Christian home, building up your faith through Bible Study, sharing your faith with others, doing whatever you can to get the “power of God for salvation” (cf. Romans 1:16) out to the hearts and minds of fellow-sinners—now, those things all having lasting value! These last beyond a lifetime into all of eternity.

The shoemaker’s outlook was to view his earthly resources as a tool to accomplish a goal, rather than the goal itself. He was looking at these things the way God sees them. For us, this outlook will keep our time, our priorities, our spirits, our motivation, our entire life in a proper and godly perspective.

What does all this have to do with Immanuel’s deficit? More than you might think. Our calling as a Christian congregation is no different than your calling as an individual Christian. A congregation is simply a gathering of Christians, so if all of the members of a congregation have the same calling and purpose, then the group also has the same calling and purpose.

Immanuel Lutheran Church’s goal, our focus, our reason for existence is to share the Gospel for the uplifting and strengthening of souls already brought into the family of God and to call out to unbelievers and bring them the good news of Jesus for their salvation. This is really what we are about. It’s our purpose, it’s our business.

The great news is that when it comes to our business, we have no deficit. Being deficit-free is really the nature of our business and the heart of our message. The Gospel’s good news is that Jesus has made up our deficit by fulfilling God’s Law for us and dying on the cross for our sins. We have been rescued from sin’s debt and have no deficit with God. We are forgiven and in perfect standing with Him.

As we make use of the Gospel with one another and also seek to share it with others, we are deficit free. There’s no limitation to how much Gospel we can share—there’s always more! There’s no limitation to how many people we can tell the good news of salvation because every human being needs it. As individual Christians and as a Christian congregation we are able to freely share the good news of Christ Jesus and give it to anyone and everyone freely! That is our business and the reason we are here.

But because we are still traveling through this world on our homeward way, we do have earthly needs. So like the shoemaker we also have to have a way to “pay the bills.” In this regard, Immanuel is not currently deficit free. The treasurer’s report at the beginning of August showed an $80,000 deficit for this year. Before we panic, before we become stressed out, before we wring our hands and say that someone else will have to worry about that because I’m doing all I can, we need to take a collective deep breath, regain our bearings as children of God called into to the family’s business, and then consider a few things.

God has called us to be His children and witnesses of our Savior. He has brought us together as a congregation to do the work of His Kingdom. He is the one who has given us all of the opportunities and ministry that we have. God doesn’t call us to do something for which He hasn’t provided the means to do it.

God called Moses to lead the Children of Israel out of Egypt. Moses objected saying he didn’t have the talent to do it, but what he was really saying was that he didn’t want to do it. God rebuked Moses reminding him that God made Moses, God knew what gifts He had given to Moses, and God was calling him to lead (cf. Exodus 4). Moses, if God calls you to service, He has equipped you to do it. Members of Immanuel, if God calls us to service in His Kingdom—and He has—He has given us the means to do it.

God’s equipping of Moses didn’t mean Moses could sit idly by and do nothing. He had to actively work at leading the people and use the gifts with which God had equipped him. Likewise, simply saying that God will provide what we need to accomplish what He has called us to do, does not mean we can then forget about the situation in our “paying the bills” department. We ought not expect God to provide a miracle without using the gifts He has given us for this purpose and actively serving Him with them. For this reason it is important that we practice good stewardship of all the resources God has given us—not only financial, but also time, and talent. Good stewardship includes seeking God’s will as to what our work in the God’s Kingdom should include, and then actively working and offering ourselves to support that work.

There are two approaches in considering our “bill-paying” deficit. The first is rooted in need and the fiscal reality of income falling short of expenses. This approach recognizes that we have an $80,000 deficit and that if something doesn’t change we will have to make cuts in our expenses. The Boards of the congregation, church Council, and voters assembly have all reviewed our budget, and there really isn’t much more to cut of any appreciable amount except cutting a pastor or a teacher.

In Immanuel’s past there has at times been only one pastor and earlier in its history the school did have fewer teachers, however, as the Lord blessed the congregation its members saw the great benefit in adding these additional called servants and did so in order to be about the business of our heavenly Father. Neither cutting a pastor or a teacher is desirable and doing either would negatively impact what we are able to do in our overall ministry. These options are neither desirable nor helpful, but could become necessary given the current deficit.

This is the financial reality and in this context, God’s Law cuts to each of our hearts and asks, “What have you done to support the work to which I have called you? Have you given your first fruits to Me, or am I receiving leftovers? Has your ‘bill-paying’ earthly role overtaken your true business as a child of God?” “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings” (Malachi 3:8). We need to hear these harsh questions from God’s Law because our sinful flesh remains at work wanting to direct our energy and time and resources to our selves and our earthly pursuits, and this leaves our true business lagging behind and harmed.

The second approach to our deficit is an important companion to the first. We have to see the need to “pay the bills” for God’s work and we have to be rebuked in whatever failures we have of not serving and loving God above all else. But our giving to the work of the Gospel is not driven by command and is not motivated because “I have to.”

It’s important to know the needs, it’s important that our flesh is rebuked, but remember the deficit-free existence we have as children of God and let that be the lens through which you view our earthly need to pay the bills. Share in the joy of the shoemaker who was thrilled to make shoes because it enabled him to pursue his true joy of serving His Lord and Savior!

The giving of ourselves to the work of God’s Kingdom is measured not by “the deficit is such-and-so, therefore, I’ll give this much to help out.” Rather it is measured by our thanksgiving: “I’m so thankful and grateful to God for my salvation and all that He does for me and gives to me, that I will according to His Word, give back to Him of my first fruits in order to show Him thanks for His great love.”

When Abel, Adam and Eve’s Son, offered sacrifices to God he “brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat” (Genesis 4:4). Abel brought his first and best not because God needed that to fulfill some sort of sacrifice deficit. Rather, Abel was giving to his love—He gave out of love and honor and thanksgiving to God.

Likewise, the widow in the temple who put two mites into the temple treasury had, according to Jesus, “put in more than all [of the rich who had put in large sums]” (cf. Luke 21:1-4). The widow wasn’t giving according to need, she was giving according to her heart and it was a heart filled with thanksgiving and love for her Lord.

A thankful, love-filled and love-motivated response of the redeemed sinner who has a rebuked sinful flesh is what the apostle Paul had in mind when he wrote: “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:6-9).

Rejoice in being deficit free, but also be aware that the “bill-paying” side of our work as a congregation is in crisis. Then you, as an integral part of this ministry—for we are all joined in Christ and in this work—take this matter to God in prayer. Be rebuked wherever and whenever it is necessary, and then give of yourself to the level of your love and thanks!

May God bless us all in each endeavor that we undertake as workers in His family’s business!

— [WCE]

Foreign Missions

Outreach in Peru

During the spring and early summer months of this year a gentleman from Lima Peru, Dimas Vivanco, attended our worship services at Immanuel. He heard about our congregation from his nephew, Joe Peralta, who is one of our members.

In addition to attending worship services, Dimas took a course of Bible study and found himself in agreement with our congregation’s biblical confession. He attended our synodical Coordinating Council meetings in April and met with the members of the CLC Board of Missions. He also attended our Youth Conference 2009 in West Harrison, Indiana.

Dimas has since returned to Peru. By profession he is a veterinarian and professor of life sciences at the University of San Marco in Lima. He and his wife own and operate a private elementary school (K-5) in Lima. While Dimas has many plans to implement regarding his profession and possible future service within the Peruvian government, he also hopes by the grace of God and with our help to introduce Lutheranism to his elementary school and to establish a confessional Lutheran church in Lima.

To help in that effort, we have arranged to provide Dimas with an initial gift of ten Spanish-English Bibles and twenty Spanish-English Small Catechisms. It is our hope in early September to begin a Bible study with Dimas’ wife, son, and niece via the internet.

In January 2010 Pastor Nolting is tentatively planning to visit the Vivanco family in Lima, meet with other individuals interested in possibly forming a Lutheran congregation, and to begin laying the foundation for a Lutheran congregation.

In late February 2010, God-willing, Daniel Pfeiffer will begin his study of Spanish at San Marco University in Lima. He will live with the Vivanco family and, it is hoped, will be able to provide catechetical instruction for the children of the Vivanco elementary school and a basic Bible study for interested adults. To that end Daniel is dedicating the fall of 2009 to the study of Spanish and is currently shadowing certain of Pastor Nolting’s adult Bible studies.

Some of these efforts are being funded through undesignated gifts to the Immanuel Memorial Fund. Please, keep these efforts in your prayers.

If you would like more information, please, contact Pastor Nolting.

Fall-Winter Schedule

Immanuel’s Fall-Winter schedule will begin in September. The Sunday morning worship time remains unchanged, but the Fall schedule will bring with it the restart of a number of different activities…

August 22, 2009

Dear members of Messiah Lutheran Church-Eau Claire and Immanuel Lutheran Church-Mankato:

For the better part of the last month we all have been praying that the Lord would grant His wisdom and guidance in my deliberations of the call at Immanuel under which I have been serving and the call to serve Messiah. It is no small thing to realize that congregations comprised of 1600+ united brothers and sisters have been joining together in prayer. Nor is it a small thing to know that although the two congregations may have been praying for different practical outcomes, in essence, the prayers of all were the same—“May the Lord’s will be done and the work of Christ’s kingdom be served to His glory!”

Any call into the public ministry is, simultaneously, awe-inspiring and humbling—even more so when one is considering the call to help shepherd flocks with the number of souls, resources, opportunities, and needs as Immanuel and Messiah congregations. For an earthen vessel to be used by God in such a way certainly reveals where the glory lies and demonstrates without doubt that “the excellence of the power is in God and not in us” (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:7).

Having prayed for the Holy Spirit’s guidance and having sought the counsel of fellow Christians, I am confident that it is the Lord’s will that I continue to serve in the ministry ofImmanuel-Mankato at the present time.

I thank you all for the prayers, the counsel, the information, and the observations that you have contributed to the deliberation process. I am confident that God has used each of these to move me in the direction of His choosing and has brought me to the decision He desires.

I have enjoyed and have benefited from the opportunity to learn more about Messiah’s ministry and to review the ministry at Immanuel during these deliberations. Fellow Christians, we can all rejoice in what God has given to both congregations! It is my prayer that going forward Immanuel and Messiah can be mutually encouraging to one another and work together all the more closely within our fellowship for the spread of the Gospel and to the glory of our Savior.

Though the Lord’s will concerning this call has been reached, there is still much for which I will pray. For Messiah, I pray that the Lord will provide the shepherd of His choosing to fill your vacancy, knowing that the Lord will surely do so in the course of His wise timing. For Immanuel, I pray that this call process will prove to be a blessing and a reinvigoration to jointly serve in the Gospel ministry to which the Lord has called each one of us.

I rejoice to share the bond of Christ with each one of you!

In the Savior’s service,

Wayne C. Eichstadt

Miscellaneous News and Information

This ‘n That

Mission Calendars

The CLC Mission Board has produced a 2010 “Mission Calendar.” Each month is dedicated to a different mission field and provides information and pictures. The calendar itself marks all major church holidays and provides a yearlong bible reading plan. The cost is $3.00/calendar to cover printing and shipping. A sample calendar and a sign-up sheet to order calendars are in the church narthex. You may also call the church office. We are asking a donation of $3 per calendar to help cover the costs of printing and shipping.

Summer Wrap-Up

During July and early August three events took place and each was very successful, due to the Lord’s blessing and the great effort of many volunteers.

Our annual Vacation Bible School was held on July 27-31 with 80 students attending. Mark your Calendars for next year’s Vacation Bible School: July 26-30, 2010.

Immanuel’s booth at the Blue Earth County Fair had many visitors as the traffic through the commercial building was much improved and overall attendance at the fair much greater than in recent years.

The congregational picnic, held on August 2^nd at Highland Park was also a great success. We were blessed with perfect picnic weather, great food, games for all including an inflatable jumping area, and time well-spent with fellow Christians. Mark your calendars for next year’s congregational picnic – August 1, 2010 (also Christian Education Sunday/Sunday after VBS).

Church of the Lutheran Confession
in Eden Prairie

For a number of years, there has been an interest in starting a new CLC congregation in the southwest metropolitan area of Minneapolis-St. Paul. That interest has now turned into a reality.

Led by Grace Lutheran Church of Fridley and Berea Lutheran Church of Inver Grove Heights, weekly Sunday morning worship services are being held at Albin Chapel in Eden Prairie. The pastors of these two congregations together with professors, seminary students, seminary-trained laymen, retired pastors, and a few other pastors (including both of Immanuel’s pastors) are sharing the preaching responsibilities.

This mission effort is funded in part by a gift from the now dissolved Faith Lutheran Church of Nicollet—a gift given at the time of dissolution for this very purpose.

Keep this new “Gospel outpost” in your prayers, and consider visiting the services to lend your presence and support to this mission congregation.

If you go:

Time: Sunday morning worship begins at 9:00 a.m.

Location: Albin Chapel, 6855 Rowland Road, Eden Prairie.

Directions from Mankato: US-169 North to Highway 62 West. Highway 62 to Shady Oak Road. Exit left on Shady Oak Road to Rowland Road. Albin Chapel is the first right on Rowland Road.

Immanuel Calendars

Each time you receive an Immanuel Home Messenger you also receive a 2-month Immanuel activity calendar. Despite our best efforts, there are at times changes in what has been scheduled. You can always access an up-to-date calendar at our website: www.immanuelmankato.org