ICHABOD, THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED - explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, to attack Objective Faithless Justification, Church Growth Clowns, and their ringmasters. The antidote to these poisons is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Isaiah 55:8ff. Romans 10. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Left-wing, National Council of Churches denominations.
The Hymn #574 Come Ye Thankful
The Order of Vespers p. 41
The Psalmody Psalm 100 p. 144
The First Lection Philippians 4:4-7
The Second Lection Luke 17:11-19
The Sermon Hymn #577 God Bless Our Native Land
Luke 10:29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.3w
Holy Communion
from Page 24 in The Lutheran Hymnal
"Talk of a Christian revival has been hard to miss lately. Even the secular press has noticed the religious undercurrent moving through America. Yet as this supposed revival ripples outward, pews remain eerily empty. The nation speaks of rediscovering faith, but few seem willing to show up for it. The statistics are grim. Fewer Americans attend church today than at any other time in the country’s history. The revival, if it’s real, is happening online — disembodied, individual, and dangerously detached. (RELATED: The Digital Crucifixion of Christianity)"
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I can sit or stand to send a message around the world, at a very low price. The equipment is a computer, adequate software to teach or preach, plus ways to save the messages, whether written, spoken, or video driven.
The glorious Church Growth flops have been making fools of themselves by copying each other and searching for new gimmicks, such as church auto repairs.
I grew up in an era where these items were required, even demanded:
Two of us were talking about modern medicine. Examinations are growing more absolute and more distant from the physician. Extra demands keep piling up on the patient. The final result seems to be exasperating and puzzling.
My friend said, "That church you were at for the funeral? That was our church. The men said, "This church is costing us too much money," so they closed, shut the doors, just like that."
A few years back I asked for some help with our transition in our tiny chapel. The expert of the moment laughed at our podium and screen. He proudly discussed the Big New Church where he was blossoming and crowing...and vacuous. He sneered at the low quality Best Buy tools he was offering.
KJV John
12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Jesus showed Nicodemus the truth, but that seeker could not fathom the mysteries at first. That only comes with the Word of Faith in Jesus. I continue to marvel at millions of bricks and mortar, cookies and coffees, all in the name of excitement and quarterly results.
One church tore down its pipe organ to make way for their coffee presentations. Oh, the irony at that hour. I heard the president of a tiny Christian college saying to a group, "We get offers of pipe organs from all over. Those things are useless now."
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Exodus 20: Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
Mark 13:12 12 Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.
The vast majority of people think in terms of success, happiness, contentment, and pride. They are not powerful forces, but weak. I can see it in the clergy in their efforts to make great impressions. My favorites include the fancy coffee baristas to make people want to come to that church. One of the assistant pastors had a tag on him - Barista! When I printed that on Ichabod, he changed his title. Nevertheless, he went on to greater WELS Church Growth successes.
A little more obvious is the car maintenance offered by one LCMS congregation in Midland, Michigan. I thought quiet time on Sunday was for prayer, singing, and listening to the Gospel. Motor oil and solvents do not enhance the effort to draw in more people.
I left the Disciples of Christ for that very reason. The highly-tanned look was enhanced by acting the clown as much as possible, even riding the firetruck to church and wearing a white Chaplain helmet.
The Bible says nothing about this, except in revealing what is to come.
The most powerful force is faith in Jesus Christ and asking for His help, in all kinds of trouble, pain, and fears. This should reach to neighbors, even to clergy friends.
As they said on the bus going to the LCA-ALC-AELCA meeting, just as ELCA was being formed, "I know, but it's the process!"
The leaders du jour had to bop the subordinate heads together so they could unify their new corporation. Three Lutheran groups would become one, but more like a paper bag leaking out all the overly ripe vegetable products...onto the floor.
The beloved process found that MBO would squash themselves (there he goes again) into a unity without substance.
The entire Christian Church is based on the Efficacy of the Word through the Means of Grace. When that is ignored and shunned, nothing is left but some kind of business matter.
The rah-rah stories on America show a small degree of the US Constitution. I still reflect on the college student who stated that medical insurance was embedded in the U.S. Constitution. When I asked for the citation, someone said, "Dummy!"
Since that time the country has continued on a spree where the costs continue and the leaders praise all the spending they promote (but not at their expense).
The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
7 Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. Psalm 12:6-7
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Romans 3:21-28
Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Isaiah 55:6-11
In Christ,
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And then...
I lost my entire wallet at the Walmart, looked for it, looked again.
No cash. No plastic photos. No miniscule trivia to bollix everything up.
Went to the window for returns and such - denied.
Went home - denied.
Came back with a resolute helper, darker than the midnight of a stygian black-out.
"Ziz it?"
Perfect! One bill was mysteriously missing, but was nothing compared to the gloom before, which was beyond despair.
22:1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
10 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
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| Revelation 14:8 KJV And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. |
The various Popes carried out the powers and persecutions of their paganism, far from the Scriptures yet using and abusing the Word of God.
Few people today consider the gigantic rush of literacy flowing from the German Reformation via Luther-Melanchthon-Chemnitz. The much-adored Zwingli and Calvin were poor copycats and misfits.
The Germanic Reformation flowed into England - efforts to gain a precise King James Version. Instead of being enslaved like Rome, they went to America to enjoy the freedom of religion and speech -
Why would anyone troop to the paganism loved by the fakery? Even today the most serious have great jokes about everything they "teach." Great fun. One has to be in Roman Catholic graduate study to see and hear what they really believe (not much!)
