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Jouko Haapsaari | 2012 LLC Phoenix Winter Services -- A Place of Protection “I remember from my youthful years, how especially good it sometimes felt to come home.” A brother reminisced of the years of his battles in faith when growing up. Possibly many of us can join with his memories. A believing home is a refuge for all of its members. God has meant it to be such a place. We need a place of protection as our faith is little, our strength small, and the enemies many and powerful. The psalmist writes about the protection of God’s kingdom for the family: “Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house” (Ps. 84:3,4). The home has been called the nucleus of a healthy society. It is also a small congregation. Therefore, God has protected the office of mother and father so carefully. When He gave the Law to His people, one of the commandments mentioned very specifically that children are to obey and honor their parents. That is God’s good and wise will. It will bring a blessing to those who follow it. The command is connected with the office of the parents, not their individual skills or capabilities in parenting. Home Life Teaches Home life is our natural teacher; it is a place where the rising generation should receive proper and healthy advice on how to live with other people. All of us carry our childhood homes with us throughout our lives. When newlyweds establish their own home traditions, they bring their own home life experiences to this process. Home is a place where we should also learn how to ask for forgiveness and how to forgive one another. There is no home where sin doesn’t affect. We need to forgive one another often; everyone needs forgiveness from his or her close ones. Happy is the home where forgiveness is used often! If a quarrel between parents takes place in front of the family, it is beneficial for the children to also see that it has been forgiven. One of the best lessons and examples is when mother and father care for their own shortcomings and sins with their children. Many of us have precious memories of service occasions at home or other special home activities. It may have taken place at a baptism, a birthday celebration, a Thanksgiving meal, or at the Christmas table. It is good to take time to read Scriptures and to pray together. “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth” (Ps. 119:103). More Than a Dwelling Home is the relationship of its members, not a physical building. Our family learned that in a very concrete way when we sold our Finland home and moved to the United States. Now, when our children have come to visit us, they have mentioned how interesting it has felt to come to home on the other side of the world. Home was not connected with the house that we built and where we lived for over 20 years. After all, it was only an abode, a place to live. The “home” was something deeper; it was connected to the people who lived there. When the people moved, the home moved with them. A Place for Forgiveness and Love Forgiveness sets the atmosphere at home. There are other factors, too, that create a warm, loving, and inviting atmosphere at home. One is the songs and hymns of Zion. As technology has advanced, we have good opportunities to have this kind of music in our homes. Another factor in the home atmosphere is the bond of love between the parents. As the saying goes, “The best gift that a father can give his children is to love their mother.” It is true what John writes: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear” (1 John 4:18). When there is no fear, there is trust and a gracious atmosphere. Who wouldn’t want to live there? Discussion Suggestions: 1. Why do you think the psalmist compares the believing home to a swallow’s nest? (Ps. 84) 2. How can we foster open and free discussions at home? 3. What factors threaten the positive, forgiving atmosphere in our homes? 4. Why is it important that we try to arrange services in our homes (ex. at birthday gatherings, engagement parties, family celebrations, or other special occasions)?

Eric Jurmu | 2012 LLC Brainerd Summer Services - Youth Discussion --

Viljo Juntunen | 2012 SRK Speakers Meeting -- Translated from: PYHÄ HENKI JA PYHÄN HENGEN TYÖ (Presented at annual Conservative Laestadian Speakers’ Meeting in Oulu, Finland, Dec. 28, 2012) Introduction: The Holy Spirit Is the Spirit of God and Christ God works in creation and in the world of mankind as three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Their three modes of work are creation, redemption, and sanctification. The Triune God works to save sin-fallen mankind. The power and guidance of God’s spirit is mentioned already in the Old Testament. According to the story of creation, “And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” (Gen. 1: 2). Isaiah spoke of those who rebelled and “vexed his holy spirit.” Under God’s wrath they remembered Moses and asked: “Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? Where is he that put his holy spirit within him?” (Isaiah 63: 10, 11). The prophets also foretold the pouring of the spirit in the last times (Isaiah 44: 3). The spirit of God kept alive the wait for the coming of the Messiah. At the time of Jesus’s birth, Simeon, a just man, was waiting for “the consolation of Israel.” The Holy Spirit was upon him and revealed to him that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s anointed one. Led by the spirit he came to the temple, took the baby Jesus in his arms, and praised God (Luke 2: 25–28). The prophecy of the prophets was fulfilled at Pentecost: “And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2: 3–4). In his farewell sermon Jesus had promised his own: “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of Truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth... He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.” (John 16: 13, 14). The Holy Spirit continues the work of Christ in his congregation (CD 1948, 44). The Holy Spirit is the key to understanding God’s revelation. No prophecy of the scripture “is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but the holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (2 Peter 1: 20–21). The spirit opens the Word of God and Christ. Thus praying, dear brothers, we gather at this speakers’ meeting. The Holy Spirit Is the Spirit Of a Child Every human being is born as an heir of the corruptive fall into sin, but also as a partaker of the atonement work of Christ (1 John 2: 2). We have begun our journey in the secure faith of a child, led by the Holy Spirit, and under the grace covenant of baptism. Surrounded by a believing family and in the care of the Holy Spirit, many have been preserved as children of God. Jesus’s own preach repentance and remission of sins to those who have lost their right to be a child and who have been awakened by God (Luke 24: 47). Peter preached the gospel in Jesus’s name to the centurion Cornelius and his family. Thereafter the Holy Spirit fell upon the listeners and gave to them the gift of faith and the portion of a child of God. It was then possible to baptize these Gentiles “which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we” (Acts 10: 43–47). Paul writes: “For as many as are led by the spirit of God, they are the sons of God...ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (Rom. 8: 14–16). A child has the liberty of a child (2 Cor. 3:17). We can trustingly approach the Father also in our prayers, and the Father hears us. Children of God are children in God’s family—brothers and sisters—joined by the love effected by the same Spirit. The Spirit testifies that we are also heirs of Heaven. We are “heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” (Rom. 8: 17). Fruits of the Holy Spirit Without faith and the Holy Spirit man is under the judgment of the Law of Moses. A person living in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit is under the law of the Spirit through the merit of Christ. “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Rom. 8: 2–4). Living according to the Spirit brings forth fruits which are opposite to the works of someone living in the bondage of sin and the law. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” (Gal. 5: 22–23). Love, joy, and peace are the first fruits when someone without grace receives the grace to return (Acts 16: 33–34). Jesus’s parable about the vine and its branches (John 15: 1–10) describes how God through his Spirit takes care of us in his congregation: “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” Jesus says of his disciples: “Now ye are clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you.” The Gospel Word cleanses our corrupt flesh from bad fruit so that we will remain as living branches in Christ Jesus: “He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit… If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered...” The fruits come from the Lord Jesus, not from within oneself. The first and greatest fruit of the Spirit is love. It is directed toward the Lord Jesus and other believers. It receives its power from the love of God: “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiator for our sins. Behold, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” (1 John 4: 10, 11). This love is also directed toward all our neighbors, since God has created each and every person and has given up his dear Son to death on the cross for everyone’s sake. The fruits of the Spirit also include “self-control”—a desire to battle against the enticements of sin. Even someone who is a partaker of the gift of the Holy Spirit is prone to sin on the part of his flesh. Paul exhorts: “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh… so that ye cannot do the things that ye would… And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the afflictions and lusts.” (Gal. 5: 16–24). Guided by the Spirit, we wish to preserve a good conscience before God and man. When sin attaches itself, the Holy Spirit gives us the power to confess our sins and believe in the forgiveness of sins. The Holy Spirit and Grace Gifts God has created us as different persons and has given us different capabilities and gifts which serve our own needs and those of our neighbors. Because of his corrupt flesh, man often uses these selfishly and for his own glory. The Holy Spirit uses these capabilities and gifts for the construction of the congregation. The Spirit awakens grace gifts and calls us to serve. Everyone has a grace gift effected by the Spirit. “Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal… But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.” (1 Cor. 12: 4–11). Each organ has its own task in the body; likewise, believers in God’s congregation: “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healing, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.” (1 Cor. 12: 27–28). According to Paul, love is “by far the greatest of all” grace gifts. (1 Cor. 12: 31; 1 Cor. 13: 1–13). The Holy Spirit and the Office of Ministry Each and every Christian is a priest of the Holy Spirit, who can instruct and encourage with the Word of God and act as a messenger of the gospel in his own surroundings. “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2: 9). This general priesthood belongs to each and every believer regardless of age or gender. The congregation sees the necessity to call new ministers of the Word. When God’s Spirit indicates that a brother has grace gifts needed in the office of ministry, the congregation calls him to the task of a minister. Often this takes place with prayers and laying on of hands. Paul warns Timothy against neglecting the grace gift which was given to him when the elders laid their hands upon him (1 Tim. 4: 14). In Old Testament times the office of ministry was held by prophets. “Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come upon you: searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us did they minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven...” (1 Peter 1:10–12). The office of ministry is an office of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 3: 7–9). In the beginning of his public ministry Jesus read a prophecy about the Messiah, or Anointed One, from the book of the prophet Isaiah in the synagogue in his home town, Nazareth: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” Having read this, he began to speak: “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” (Luke 4: 16–21). Anointment by the “Spirit of the Lord” to the task of the Messiah had just taken place at the River Jordan, where John had baptized Jesus (Mark 1: 9–11). The heavens opened and the Spirit descended upon him like a dove. A voice was heard from heaven: “Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Anointed by the Holy Spirit, Jesus began to preach: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” (Mark 1: 15). As the resurrected Lord, Jesus sent his disciples to preach the forgiveness of sins and anointed them to this task with the Holy Spirit: “As my Father hath sent me, even so I send you... Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained." (John 20: 19–23). On Pentecost all the disciples were garbed with the power of the Holy Spirit from on high. Many who had come to the Pentecost festivity believed and departed to proclaim the gospel to their home areas in many languages. The Holy Spirit gives the words and the courage to do the work of the gospel. The portion of a minister of the Word is not always easy. At times preaching feels overwhelmingly difficult. Paul says he arrived in Corinth “in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.” He wanted to know only about the crucified Christ. “And my speech and my preaching were not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” (1 Cor. 2: 1–5). Jesus promises that even in the midst of persecution the Holy Spirit will give the power to confess one’s faith: “But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh within you.” (Math. 10:19–20). The sowers of the Word can also rejoice over the success of the work (1 Thess. 1: 2–6). The work of the kingdom of God is guided by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit may guide the work in a way that differs from what we have planned. When Paul was traveling with his workmates on a mission trip in Asia Minor, the Holy Spirit prevented them from preaching the Word in Asia. They attempted to go to Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow that, either. In the harbor town of Troas Paul saw a vision in which a man from Macedonia asked: “Come over into Macedonia, and help us.” Then the brothers understood that God had called them to proclaim the gospel there (Acts 16: 6–10). Yet today we experience this type of amazing guidance by the Holy Spirit in the work of the kingdom of God, both in our own country and in different parts of the world. The Holy Spirit and the Congregation The Holy Spirit gives a person faith as a gift and joins him to Christ and other believers—God’s congregation. Paul writes: “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” (1 Cor. 12: 12, 13). The congregation of God is therefore comprised of God’s people traveling in one faith, one Spirit, and one love, even though its members live in different localities, on different sides of the world, in different cultures, and speak different languages. Jesus’s time was a time of visitation for the people of Israel. Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd and his followers, his sheep. He also refers to the coming time of visitation for the Gentiles: “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” (John 10: 14–16). Paul, who proclaimed the gospel among many nationalities, exhorts: “Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father of all...” (Eph. 4: 3–6). In the epistles of the New Testament, Christians are called “saints.” The congregation is the communion of saints, a community of people who have received the Holy Spirit. It is not a temporal organization, as it is the Holy Spirit that binds it together and guides its operation. Practical arrangements associated with the work of the kingdom of God often necessitate an organization which makes it possible to do the work in society. An outsider easily sees only the temporal organization, not the true essence of the kingdom of God (John 3: 3). A Christian can lose his good conscience and begin to listen more to the voice of his own reason and corrupt flesh than the voice of the Holy Spirit. Then the living congregation of God and its teachings begin to feel constrictive. The instructions of the Holy Spirit are experienced as mere human opinions. The branch is becoming separated from the vine, the Lord Jesus. This is why the Word of God emphasizes the importance of obedience. Obedience to the Holy Spirit means obedience to the conscience that is enlightened by the Holy Spirit and obedience to the congregation guided by the Holy Spirit. At the same time it means obedience to the Word of God. Paul wrote a letter to Timothy so that he would know how one should dwell in the house of God, “which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3: 15). In our Christianity we are accustomed to “asking the congregation” if confusion or disagreement about an important question related to doctrine and life arises among Christians. By praying for instruction of the Holy Spirit and studying the Word of God, a unanimous decision is reached that is “agreeable to the Holy Spirit and us.” The Word of God and the Holy Spirit have then drawn a boundary between right and wrong. This happened long ago at the council of the apostles (Acts 15: 1–29). Certain Pharisees who had become believers demanded that Gentiles who became believers had to be circumcised and required to obey the Law of Moses. This type of teaching had confused the congregation in Galatia, among other places. The apostles and elders gathered to deal with this question together with Paul and brothers from Antioch. Peter explained that God had accepted the Gentiles and had “given them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us.” He said: “But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.” The elder James agreed and said: “And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written… Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God.” The apostles and elders together with the entire congregation decided to send letters concerning the decision to the congregations: “For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; that ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication... (= marriage between relatives, forbidden in the OT)." The latter instructions of the Holy Spirit were given to believing Gentiles so that—being from a different culture—they would not offend the consciences of Jewish believers with their behavior (1 Cor. 8: 7–13) and thereby break the unity between Christians. When the Holy Spirit guides God’s congregation, the instructions it gives are correct and acceptable to God. Sometimes a strong-willed person or group may influence the decision of the congregation in a way that causes confusion and brings sorrow to many. God’s Spirit makes sure the matter is corrected and unanimity returns to the congregation. Guided by the Spirit of Truth Luther writes in his explanation of the 3rd article of the creed: “...the Holy Ghost has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me by His gifts, and sanctified and preserved me in the true faith...” It is safe to be guided by the Holy Spirit in the care of God’s congregation. Today God’s congregation is still a battling congregation. God and his kingdom have a powerful enemy, the kingdom of darkness, its spiritual powers, and its leader, the Devil. This enemy is united with our corrupt flesh and the fallen world. Carnal weapons are of no avail in this battle. God has given us spiritual weapons, the most important being the sword of the Spirit—God’s Word (Eph. 6: 12–17). Correspondingly, the Spirit of God—the Spirit of Truth—is opposed by the spirit of deception, which “worketh in the children of disobedience.” (Eph. 2: 2). John warns: “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” (1 John 4: 1). All doctrines and teachers must be examined in the light of God’s Holy Word, as we are taught in the confession of our Lutheran church. Characteristic of those in the spirit of deception is a false doctrine that goes against the Word of God and a way of life that seeks to entice those traveling in obedience to the Spirit of Truth. The council of the apostles fought against a doctrine that sought to force free grace children to obey the Law of Moses as a prerequisite for being saved. Paul fought in Corinth against those who claimed there is no resurrection of the dead (1 Cor. 15: 12, 13). John met deceivers who denied the true doctrine about Christ: “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.” (1 John 2: 22). The enemy of the soul has not given up; he continuously seeks to cause grace children to fall away from faith that is accordant with the Word of God. The characteristics summarized in John’s first epistle describe the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of deception: “They are of the world: therefore they speak of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.” (1 John 4: 5, 6). The spirit of deception divided the congregation and caused a schism: “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us.” (1 John 2:19). Those who traveled in obedience to the Spirit were protected then and are protected also today in the fellowship of God’s journeying people. Dear brothers. We are doing this work in the Lord’s field with the prayer that the Holy Spirit would guide us and each and every grace child on the way to Heaven and would give those on the outside hearing ears and a receptive heart. It is our hope that the Spirit of Truth would help those who are lost and aimlessly wandering back into the kingdom of grace. In the fellowship of this kingdom, through the merit of Jesus, when our workdays are over we will one day own the inheritance promised to His children.

Jim Jurmu | 2013 LLC Summer Services - Congregation Evening --

John Stewart | 2013 LLC Summer Services - Youth Presentation - July 6 -- “My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth” (Proverbs 3:11-12) There is an oft-quoted saying about the multitude of religions or faiths in the world that goes something like this: “All paths lead to the same destination”. The thought behind the quote is that it doesn’t matter what faith a person chooses in this life because all religions lead to heaven or to some common ending. The Bible, however, teaches quite differently. Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6). He also taught: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt 6:33). From a Christian standpoint, I think many listeners would raise their hand if I asked how many here have had an experience where a friend or acquaintance asked this type of question: “What’s different about the way you believe compared to the way I believe?” It’s a basic question, but it doesn’t usually seem easy to answer because we tend to feel that our own understanding is lacking, we naturally want avoid controversy, and we don’t particularly want to offend other people. Yet the Bible itself, regardless of our shallow understanding, does characterize God’s kingdom as spiritually separate and different from all other faiths and groups on earth. For example, in Leviticus, one of the first five books in the Bible, God spoke to Moses this way: "… I am the Lord your God, which have separated you from other people… And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the Lord am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine” (Lev 20:24, 26). Jesus himself spoke of only one flock, saying: “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd” (John 10:16). This overriding and recurring Biblical theme about God’s Children being separate from all other tribes and nations presents a powerful, long-standing image of the uniqueness and solitary nature of God’s kingdom. The Holy Spirit’s presence teaching and guiding the believers in God’s kingdom makes manifest many differences between the Kingdom and the world. For this introduction, I will mention three basic, scriptural aspects or characteristics that separate God’s kingdom from other faiths: 1. Our comprehension of the nature of God’s kingdom on earth. What is the kingdom like? Where is it found? God’s kingdom on earth and its very nature as a spiritual kingdom can’t be comprehended through human intellect, nor can it be seen with temporal eyesight, but only through the Holy Spirit. Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans: “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Rom 14:17). 2. The preaching of the gospel of the forgiveness of sins – our comprehension of how and by what power the preaching of the living gospel takes place. Apostle John described how the resurrected Jesus conferred on His disciples the power to forgive sins: “Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained” (John 20:21-23). Through the power of the Holy Spirit the believer preaches the life-giving gospel to others. 3. Our comprehension that God’s children have a special love and care for each other. Apostle John wrote about the relationship between believers: “For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:11, 16). Could there be a loftier description of the love between believers? John further explained: “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him” (1 John 3:18-19). In considering the love of Christ “one to another”, the full meaning of a familiar verse is revealed: “… if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Of all things that silhouette the difference between God’s kingdom and other faiths, Jesus taught, in the waning moments of His temporal life, that the love between believers is a key characteristic of His followers. This third item noted above – that God’s children have a special love one to another – is the focus of this introduction. By This Shall All Men Know As Christians, we endeavor to extend the love of Christ to all, even our enemies. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matt 5:44). When Christ teaches to love one another (even our enemies) He is not referring to the natural love that exists, for example, between family members and other loved ones. Jesus explained: “For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?” (Matt 5:46). We comprehend therefore, that Jesus is referring to a love and concern especially for the soul of all others. Furthermore, Jesus etched an especially beautiful picture to specifically describe the relationship of one believer to another. He told His own: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:34-35). This teaching of Jesus was included in His final words to His disciples before He suffered on the cross. Watchers on Zion’s Walls In our time and society, mankind focuses more than ever on individuality – on “doing your own thing”. To a certain extent the modern cultural mindset is basically that it’s nobody else’s business what you or I do in life, or how we conduct ourselves, or what things we become involved in. Large sectors or elements of society have even forgotten the importance, the obligation or even the rights of parents to teach long-standing, Biblically-based moral truths to our children. How much more neglected and overlooked is the Christian obligation to take care of one another in our experiences and phases of life? Furthermore, according to the Bible, it’s not only parents who have an obligation to care for children, but each child of God has an obligation through the love of Christ to care one for another. Consider the Old Testament teaching of God to the prophet Ezekiel: “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul” (Ezek 3:17-19). The Voice of the Good Shepherd The voice of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is heard in the love and care extended from one believer to another. Love and care toward another believer through the Holy Spirit is tenderhearted and longsuffering. In a recent Paivamies editorial, the writer related of a friend who had been jogging during a trip in a foreign country. This friend had jogged several times past a field where a flock of sheep grazed and each time the runner had approached this certain pasture, the sheep would hear and see him coming and then quickly move further away and scatter. Then one time the jogger took his run past the same field later in the evening as it became dark, and he was puzzled that the sheep remained calm and held peacefully together. Only as he came very close to the sheep did he realized that nearby, not visible in the dark, but softly singing to the flock in a trusted, familiar voice sat a shepherd. The sheep were comforted and calm, whereas previously without the reassuring voice of the shepherd they had been frightened even in the daylight. The voice of the Good Shepherd, Jesus, likewise is comforting, patient, kind and reassuring. At the same time, however, the Good Shepherd is not neglectful to provide care to those he loves. As people we carry corruption. For example, perhaps we feel faulty in ourselves and weak in even approaching another believer to care for their undying soul. But through the Love of Christ, we’re constrained to care one for another, and in doing so, pray not only for words, but also for the love and patience of the Good Shepherd. In His great love Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit, which would teach the believers in all things – even until the end of the world. He said …” the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26). As part of its teaching, the Holy Spirit reveals to the believers those things that are dangerous to our faith life. There’s comfort in knowing and in believing that the Holy Spirit will guide even in our time. No wonder Jesus called the Holy Spirit the “Comforter”! It is with great purpose that the Bible doesn’t offer salvation based on following a list of do’s and don’ts, but rather by faith alone. That is specifically why Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit, which teaches in the congregation and guides on the way to heaven. To show the importance of taking care one of another – in particular where personal offense has occurred – Jesus left touching and clear instruction. He taught: “… if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican” (Matt 18:15-17). Even in situations where personal offense has occurred Jesus didn’t mandate a set timeframe. We comprehend that Jesus’ instruction is based on care, compassion and above all, love in the hope and prayer that the fallen can comprehend his/her condition and take care of the matter. From the standpoint of the caregiver it is good to remember Apostle Paul’s teaching where he explains that we don’t come with a rule/regulation, or with a heavy hand, but in low esteem. He wrote: “but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves” (Phil 2:3). “Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits” (Rom 12:16). It is important to mention regarding matters of personal offense that we clearly see from Jesus’ teaching that a public forum such as a congregational meeting isn’t the first place to approach one who has caused offense, but it’s the last place. The overriding issue is that through the Holy Spirit and the love of Christ the caregiver offers to help and free one who has stumbled on the journey. On the other hand, when something is wrong in the faith life of an individual – when accumulated sin and love of the world have darkened the conscience – one begins to despise the loving instruction of the kingdom. With a hardened conscience and the love of the world the teaching of the Holy Spirit begins to appear as rules or, for example, as a list of man-made “do’s and don’ts”. Whom the Lord Loveth He Chasteneth In the book, The Treasure Hidden in the Field, Juhani Uljas wrote: “Faith is being in the righteousness of Christ and living in forgiveness every moment. We endeavor to preserve this treasure.”(i) Nonetheless, in everyday life we experience sin and so often feel it pressing on the conscience. The Bible teaches that, if left uncared for, sin can accumulate and ultimately cause one to lose faith. James wrote this way: “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:13). For that reason Apostle Paul encouraged a young man named Timothy this way: “This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck” (1 Tim 1:18-19). Care and love through the Holy Spirit, like that shown by Paul toward Timothy, is an earmark of living Christianity. i Uljas, Juhani. The Treasure Hidden in a Field, p. 79. I think you’ve experienced, as I also have, that when we’ve received instruction, which often can be difficult to hear, we’ve had to pray that we would still be able to hearken to the loving voice of the Good Shepherd. The writer of Hebrews explained this way: “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed” (Heb 12: 11-13). The writer also said in the same connection: “My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?” (Heb 12:5-7). As Many as I Love, I Rebuke and Chasten Apostle Paul, realizing that his young co-worker Timothy would experience many trials in life as a vineyard-worker gave important and prophetical instruction. He wrote to Timothy: “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears” (2 Tim 4:2-3). It’s quite clear what has taken place historically leading all the way up to our own time. We see the results of what occurs when, rather than living faith, man’s own reason governs – a countless multitude of heresies has resulted. In closing, it’s also worth considering what God revealed to Apostle John as part of the final book in the Bible, when John was held prisoner on the island of Patmos: “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” (Rev 3:19-22). Discussion Questions: 1.In considering the everyday lives of young believers today, how does the following Bible verse relate to the discussion topic? “He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray” (Prov 5:23). 2.Can you think of examples in your life how the love of Christ has helped guide your footsteps? 3.What do you think God wanted to teach about the Kingdom and our responsibilities to other believers, when He spoke to Ezekiel about the importance of being a “watchman”? “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul” (Ezek 3:17-19). 4. What did Apostle Paul mean in his second letter to Timothy when he wrote: “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears" (2 Tim 4:2-3).

Keijo Nissila | 2014 LLC Phoenix Winter Services - Congregation & Youth Evening - February 21 -- The Bible's examination of the relationship between faith and reason (Heb. 11:1–3) Introduction How do faith and reason relate to one another? As Christians we often experience that reason positions itself against faith—and faith against reason. We very often experience the affects of reason quite negatively. We know however that in everyday life, at home, at school, in studies, and in work the use of reason is not only permitted but unavoidable. We need good sense or as it's called in Finland common sense or horse sense. How do faith and reason relate to one another? We will approach this problem from the perspective of the entity of faith. We ask: What is living Christian faith? How does faith function and operate? 1. Regarding the Entity of Faith The Letter to the Hebrews defines faith: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Heb. 11:1) Two issues belong to the entity of faith: Faith hopes and faith sees. A Christian's hope is based on the promises given by God's Word. Faith points forward. Hope carries from this life to eternal life. We have strength to continue in the tribulations of the times when the hope of everlasting life lives in our faith. This hope possesses the gift of eternal life already here and now and carries us over tribulations in this life. A child's faith operates in hope. For example, when Christmas was still far ahead, small children lived in anticipation of Christmas. They believed that Christmas would come. They lived in hope. They lived the reality of Christmas beforehand. This hope gave their life light through the entire dark fall. A Christian lives in anticipation of eternal Christmas—in faith and hope. Faith is a hope that is aimed at the invisible world. Faith is convinced that the invisible world is real, for faith "sees the invisible," as Hebrews says (11:27). The eye of faith reaches beyond the time of this sad world and sees the joy of heaven. For this reason hope, which possesses eternal life as a most precious treasure already here and now, is kindled in the heart. This hope gives strength to move past the difficult issues of this life. According to Hebrews, we have hope "as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus" (Heb. 6:19, 20). When we have been anchored in faith and hope in the promises of God's Word, we have already been attached to the shore of salvation. We will not drift off course with the currents of the time (Heb. 2:1). 2. Faith Helps Us to Understand "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear" (Heb. 11:3). Hebrews opens the relationship between faith and reason: "Through faith we understand." [With the help of faith we understand.] Reason is not the antithesis (or opposite) of faith. Reason [here] is an adjective that describes faith. Faith is the main word. One of faith's attributes is understanding. Faith helps to understand matters of the visible world. Faith understands that "things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." Reason has use in the visible world, that is, in the matters of temporal life. 3. Reason in the Service of Faith Faith belongs to a Christian's relationship with God, reason to the relationship with neighbors. Faith is God's gift for the purpose of owning the message of salvation and serving of God. Reason is God's gift for the purpose of serving our neighbor and the management of our earthly vocation (tending to our earthly vocation). Paul urges: "Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Rom. 12:1). The question here is of man's response, "sacrifice" and reaction to (reaction) God's sacrifice and act (action) of salvation. Work in everyday life is the vocation that God has given us to "dress and keep" the earth (Gen. 2:15). It is a part of our life's task here in this time. Our duty is to serve our neighbors, beginning at home, with mother and father's duties, children's duties at home and school, youth's duties to study and prepare for work life and establishment of their own families. Our life's mission is not self-fulfillment but rather fulfillment of God's will. God has created us in His own image for this purpose. Every person, in whom is God's image, is our neighbor,. Our life's duty, our work and career, is serving God in people whom He has created in His own image. In the original language of the Bible (Gk. logiké) Paul calls this "daily worship," a "reasonable service." This service of God is "reasonable" (logiké) in the sense that its grace gift is "reason" (lógos). A Christian person's reason does not exclude the gift of faith in everyday service of God. On the contrary, reason is God's great gift for the serving of neighbors and doing work as well as possible. Faith and reason can function in parallel and complement one another. Reason must be subordinate and obedient to faith, according to Hebrews: "Through faith we understand" (Heb. 11:3). 4. The Conflict of Reason and Faith In Paradise Adam and Eve encountered a conflict between faith and reason: God had forbidden them to eat of but one tree! Everything went well until the devil came in the form of a clever serpent and called God's Word into question: "Yea, hath God said…?" God's Adversary appealed to reason and showed that there was no sense in the prohibition. It was a great secret of faith, a mystery (mystérion < myoo "close eyes, lock, seal"), which men initially honored because they believed God's Word. But God's Adversary enticed them to open this mystery of faith. He appeared in the form of a serpent or the form of reason. At first, Eve with her answer corrected the false information of God's enemy and staved off the doubts of her own reason. But the serpent continued the discussion when it had gotten to talk with man, whom God had created for His own conversation companion. The series of falls began from precisely this, that man consented to converse with God's Adversary. Man began to listen to the voice of reason and abandon the discussion with God, which was based on faith. The devil gained man for his conversation companion with rational reasons. He put himself in God's place, interpreted God's Word and promised: "In the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing [all, both] good and evil" (Gen. 3:5). The devil produced a conflict between faith and reason. He subtly enticed woman to defuse this tension with the fruit of the forbidden tree, which "would give understanding" (Gen. 3:6). Reason overcame faith. Sensory pleasure sped up the fall for: "the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes" (Gen. 3:6). Reason and sensory pleasure won. They stepped ahead of obedient faith. 5. Faith Overcomes Reason 5.1 Abraham's example Abraham is the most important in Hebrew's description of examples of faith. In Ur of the Chaldees, on the banks of the Euphrates, Abraham heard God's Word: "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee" (Gen. 12:1). Abraham was over 70 years old when he departed. Was it very reasonable? Abraham nonetheless left with his wife Sarah, his nephew Lot, tens of servants, and hundreds of animals. Hebrews explains Abraham's departure: "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went" (Heb. 11:8). Abraham's faith was the conviction "of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1). As God had promised, Abraham and Sarah received a son even though they were already very old. But then an incomprehensible trial occurred. God commanded him to sacrifice his son Isaac as a burnt offering on Mount Moriah. How was this possible? How could the same God who had given them a son, require them to sacrifice the son? How could God act in such a contrary fashion? And so contrary to reason? How did Abraham proceed? Hebrews relates: "By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac." Hebrews explains: By faith Abraham reckoned "that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure" (Heb. 11:19). Abraham was ready to sacrifice his son when he placed Isaac upon the firewood and drew the knife. It was absolutely inhuman and unreasonable. But Abraham trusted in God. Blindly. In his blindness however he saw with the eyes of faith. In faith Abraham reckoned (logisámenos) on the basis of God's promise that he was to receive Isaac again in the resurrection of the dead. Faith helped Abraham to understand, to surpass human understanding (Heb. 11:3). 5.2 Moses' Example As a child Moses grew up in the palaces of Egypt. He became the adopted son of the king's daughter. He was schooled "in all the wisdom of the Egyptians" (Acts 7:22). Moses had the opportunity to inherit a king's power. Egypt was a super power at the time. Moses had a possibility of becoming the world's mightiest ruler. What an opportunity! How did Moses use this opportunity? Because Moses believed in God when he came of age he refused to present himself as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose rather to suffer affliction with the children of God than to enjoy the pleasure of sin for a season (Heb. 11:25). Moses esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than all the treasures of Egypt because he fixed his gaze upon the coming reward (Heb. 11:23–26). Faith is seeing that which is not seen (Heb. 11:1). 5.3 The Virgin Mary's Example The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary. The angel's words perplexed Mary. Mary contemplated and thought, considered and pondered what the angel's salutation might mean (Luke. 1:29). The verb "ponder," which pictures Mary's reaction (dialogidsomai) comes from the Greek word logia, which means "logic/understanding/deliberation." Mary believed and tried to understand the angel's proclamation or the meaning of God's Word with the help of faith. Mary did not understand with reason, but with the help of faith she understood. Mary did not place the angel's proclamation in question on account of rational reasons. Mary's understanding opened when she in faith pondered the angel's message and asked and sought its meaning and explanation. On Christmas night the shepherd's came from the fields of Bethlehem to the manger. They related everything that the angels had told them about this child. "And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart." Mary also believed the message of the despised shepherds because therein was God's revelation and God's Word. In Paradise, Eve and Adam listened to the devil and the voice of reason and fell into doubts and then fell into mortal sin. In Nazareth, the Virgin Mary heard the angel's message, believed, was content with her lot, and consented to her calling: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word" (Luke 1:38.) Mary believed. She did not wish to know everything or rise to God's level. She was content with the lot of the Lord's handmaid. Mary, a young virgin and the mother of Jesus, left us a model of believing person. In Mary's faith there are three main parts: 1. She received and believed the message of God's Word, 2. She kept the Word in her heart, 3. She constantly pondered/examined in her heart all that she had heard and seen, and she understood with the help of faith. Our Lord Jesus Christ was the new Adam (1 Cor. 15:47). Our Lord's mother, the Virgin Mary, is like a new Eve. Whereas the Fall happened through Eve's unbelief, through Mary's faith the atonement for our sins began. Conclusion Faith is such a great gift that it is many times more than that which we can understand. We cannot with reason comprehend perfect bliss in eternal life. Nonetheless we can possess this treasure already here and now—by faith, due to the merits of Christ. Abraham did not need to sacrifice his own son on Mount Moriah. But God had to sacrifice His own only Son. He place His own Son upon the wooden cross on Golgotha, or the same Mount Moriah. We can never understand this with our reason. But we can believe. We can believe that we have in the sacrifice of God's only Son, in Jesus' name and blood, the forgiveness of our sins, everlasting life, and salvation.

Keith Waaraniemi | 2014 LLC Summer Services - Congregation Evening --

Sam Roiko | 2014 LLC Summer Services - Youth Presentation --

Ken Wuollet | 2015 LLC Winter Services --

Jim Frantti | 2015 LLC Summer Services - Ministers and Board Members Meeting --