Dear Readers around the world. Please enjoy our weekly blog which is written this week by Pastor Orval Wirkkala. May God Bless your week! John
Faith and Hope
KJV Hebrews 11:1-3 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. 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.
Faith means to trust God, believing God for our future. We are trusting our life in the hands of God, for the future that He has in store for us. Hope we think of as our desire, something we would like to see happen, but in biblical language hope refers to the future promises of God, which have not yet taken place, but will most certainly happen. Our hope is like the anchor of the soul, for we believe God for our future.
Hope is the certainty of the future promises of God. Hope is faith looking forward. Do we believe that Abraham Lincoln was our President during the civil war? Yes, we do, for we believe in those things that have already taken place, and we trust that those events happened. In this sense, we tend to think about faith in the sense of looking backward and hope as trusting in the future. Even though faith and hope may be distinguished from each other, yet they are very closely related. Faith is what gives substance to our hope.
How do we know that the future promises of God will come to pass? Because we trust God, for people of faith are those who trust God. It is because of the faithfulness of God that we have assurance for the future. Because we have faith, there is hope. Without faith, there is no hope. People have hope today, but not all are putting their hope in God, which means they have a hope that is not biblical and it is a hope that will leave them disappointed.
When we succumb to unbelief, it causes us to fear the future, by making assumptions about the future. Here are two examples of our forefathers who looked to the future, one lacked faith and the other possessed faith. David thought he knew the future, but did he? He knew that Samuel had anointed him to be king of Israel, but fear caused him to lose sight of God's promise.
KJV 1 Samuel 27:1 And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.
And Apostle Paul's faith
KJV 2 Timothy 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
Is tomorrow seen by us? No, we are finite humans and cannot see tomorrow. We don't know about tomorrow, but we know who holds tomorrow. Many things about tomorrow, we don't understand, but we know who holds our hand as we look to the future.
Recently when I asked a brother as to how I could pray for him, this is what he said: "Pray that I would trust in God who is unseen and that I would not fear the seen circumstances!"
May that be our prayer for one another today.
Bound together by faith with hope for the future,
Pastor Orval Wirkkala
"Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price." Isaiah 55:1
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Behold, I Stand at the Door
Dear Readers around the world! Today our article is written by an elder pastor from our church here in the USA. He
is no longer able to preach due to his health. Some of my most special early childhood memories include listening to this Pastor preach God's word
when he visited our area. May God Bless each of you through the coming week! John
Now, Pastor Holmgren
These words of Jesus are often applied to the
unchurched—specifically, those living outwardly in sin and
in defiance of the will of God as it is revealed in the Word of
God. Taken in context, they present a startling revelation! Jesus
was speaking to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans. He
was the minister (messenger) of that church and was held as a
star in the right hand of Jesus (Revelation 1:20).
It is apparent he was not in fellowship with the Lord. The
words paint a graphic picture of the Savior standing at the door
seeking entrance. It’s alarming to think that this angel’s spiritual
life had deteriorated to the extent that he was no longer in
communion with his Lord and Savior. The Master, in whose
ministry he served, appeared outside of the door of his heart.
He was in a lukewarm condition, in a state of spiritual
indifference. He had lost consciousness of his sinfulness and
his need of grace and developed such spiritual independence
that he felt rich and increased with goods and in need of
nothing. This self-sufficient, lukewarm condition resulted not
only in complacency, but also in spiritual blindness of the
magnitude that Jesus said that he did not know that he was
wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.
The better way was found by the Lord in the hearts and
spiritual lives of two angels of the other churches addressed in
these divinely inspired letters. The Lord knew the works,
tribulations and poverty of the angel at Smyrna but comforted
him with the statement that he was rich nevertheless
(Revelation 2:9).
The Lord also approved the condition of the
angel at Philadelphia, whom, He said, had a little strength, had
kept His Word and had not denied His name (Revelation 3:8).
It is evident that the condition of the angel at Laodicea was
deplorable in the Lord’s sight because He said …I will spue thee
out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:16) Yet Jesus showed him the
way back to spiritual health by counseling him to buy of Him
gold tried in the fire so that he might be rich, white raiment so
that he would be clothed and his nakedness would not show,
and eye salve so that he would be able to see (verse 18).
What prompted this straightforward message to this angel?
The love of the Lord shines in every word He spoke, even in this
seemingly stern admonition. 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. (Revelation 3:19-20) Jesus’
words teach us the essence of Christianity is communion with
Him. There is no substitute for this relationship. Communion
with Jesus is the only means for restoring and preserving a
living relationship with God. Through His Spirit, He imparts to
us the gifts of grace which enable us to feast upon His truth.
Then we can say with the Psalmist, My heart is inditing a good
matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the
king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Thou art fairer
than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore
God hath blessed thee for ever. (Psalm 45:1-2)
Pastor Alvin Holmgren
July 1988 CM
is no longer able to preach due to his health. Some of my most special early childhood memories include listening to this Pastor preach God's word
when he visited our area. May God Bless each of you through the coming week! John
Now, Pastor Holmgren
These words of Jesus are often applied to the
unchurched—specifically, those living outwardly in sin and
in defiance of the will of God as it is revealed in the Word of
God. Taken in context, they present a startling revelation! Jesus
was speaking to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans. He
was the minister (messenger) of that church and was held as a
star in the right hand of Jesus (Revelation 1:20).
It is apparent he was not in fellowship with the Lord. The
words paint a graphic picture of the Savior standing at the door
seeking entrance. It’s alarming to think that this angel’s spiritual
life had deteriorated to the extent that he was no longer in
communion with his Lord and Savior. The Master, in whose
ministry he served, appeared outside of the door of his heart.
He was in a lukewarm condition, in a state of spiritual
indifference. He had lost consciousness of his sinfulness and
his need of grace and developed such spiritual independence
that he felt rich and increased with goods and in need of
nothing. This self-sufficient, lukewarm condition resulted not
only in complacency, but also in spiritual blindness of the
magnitude that Jesus said that he did not know that he was
wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.
The better way was found by the Lord in the hearts and
spiritual lives of two angels of the other churches addressed in
these divinely inspired letters. The Lord knew the works,
tribulations and poverty of the angel at Smyrna but comforted
him with the statement that he was rich nevertheless
(Revelation 2:9).
The Lord also approved the condition of the
angel at Philadelphia, whom, He said, had a little strength, had
kept His Word and had not denied His name (Revelation 3:8).
It is evident that the condition of the angel at Laodicea was
deplorable in the Lord’s sight because He said …I will spue thee
out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:16) Yet Jesus showed him the
way back to spiritual health by counseling him to buy of Him
gold tried in the fire so that he might be rich, white raiment so
that he would be clothed and his nakedness would not show,
and eye salve so that he would be able to see (verse 18).
What prompted this straightforward message to this angel?
The love of the Lord shines in every word He spoke, even in this
seemingly stern admonition. 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. (Revelation 3:19-20) Jesus’
words teach us the essence of Christianity is communion with
Him. There is no substitute for this relationship. Communion
with Jesus is the only means for restoring and preserving a
living relationship with God. Through His Spirit, He imparts to
us the gifts of grace which enable us to feast upon His truth.
Then we can say with the Psalmist, My heart is inditing a good
matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the
king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Thou art fairer
than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore
God hath blessed thee for ever. (Psalm 45:1-2)
Pastor Alvin Holmgren
July 1988 CM
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Declare His Glory!
Dear Readers around the world!
Psalm 96:1-3
O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth. 2Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day. 3Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.
Our text for today is a wonderful and beautiful portion of God’s Holy Word! It is a song of rejoicing, praise, and instruction! The rejoicing and singing can begin NOW for each believer. Let the cup of our hearts run over with praise! Our God is so mighty, powerful, loving, and eternal! He has done so many mighty works!
Declare his glory among the heathen. Do you have heathen in your countries? We surely have them here in the USA. What does the scripture here tell us? Declare His Glory!! Tell of His wonders!
Today I would like to share some of those wonders as they come to mind here in the early morning dawn on this colorful fall day.
Our God created all things. The sun, moon and stars, He created them all! The heathen worship these, yet they were created by God whom we worship!
God created the dry land, the sea, the flowers, the trees, the fish, the animals, the birds, and all else!
The God of the Bible is the one that caused the huge flood when it never rained before. He opened the gates of heaven and the rain came down. Our God caused that 8 souls were saved in Noah’s arc, which He gave the plans and instructions for!
God parted the Red Sea in the time of Moses. Imagine the power!
God stopped the river so the children of Israel could pass over on dry ground.
All the miracles of the Old Testament are we accomplished by the One True God.
God did not stop with Old Testament miracles. He knew that when Adam and Eve fell into sin, a Saviour was required. The blood of the innocent animals that died for sin in the Old Testament, were a picture of the innocent blood of His own Son that would be shed for the Redemption of Mankind.
Jesus was True God, and also True Man. Jesus was born of a virgin. This was truly a miracle. The Lord Jesus, turned water into wine. He healed the sick, He made the blind to see. He feed the 5000; He made the lame to walk! He cleansed the leper, He stilled the sea! Are you getting the picture! Who but the Lord could ever do such! I could go on and on... He brought the dead back to life, He restored the withered hand, He walked on the Sea! Yes, He walked on water! The very thing that was the problem in the sea, the rough waves, He walked on! The waves were under His feet. Our problems can also be under His feet. He has control and authority, if we but let Him!
Jesus filled the nets with fish, He put the ear that was cut off back on, and He made the mute man talk!
Today, I pray that He would make me talk when I am mute. I pray that He would cause me to declare His name among the heathen. I pray that He would fill the nets with fish (souls of men) that many could be saved through this declaration! I pray the ears would hear so that faith can come by hearing!
Those that have sin sickness, I pray that they would repent, believe, and thereby be healed! Those that are burdened and can’t walk uprightly as a Christian let them be renewed and begin walking and leaping and praising God!
What a wonderful and Mighty God and Saviour we have, He is truly worthy of all Praise, Honor, and Glory!
Declare His Name dear Pastor!! Declare His Name dear Reader! Declare it to the heathen! Declare His Name to the entire world!
May the Worker of Miracles, do another miracle yet today, causing you and me to Declare His Glory!
May God Bless Your Week!
To read more about our Church and our Mission please visit www.themissionsite.com
Here you can follow links to read other websites. Please read the Principles of the Doctrine of Christ as taught by the Apostolic Lutheran Church of America, among whatever else you have time to read! I know most of you have to read on a computer in an internet cafe.
Psalm 96:1-3
O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth. 2Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day. 3Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.
Our text for today is a wonderful and beautiful portion of God’s Holy Word! It is a song of rejoicing, praise, and instruction! The rejoicing and singing can begin NOW for each believer. Let the cup of our hearts run over with praise! Our God is so mighty, powerful, loving, and eternal! He has done so many mighty works!
Declare his glory among the heathen. Do you have heathen in your countries? We surely have them here in the USA. What does the scripture here tell us? Declare His Glory!! Tell of His wonders!
Today I would like to share some of those wonders as they come to mind here in the early morning dawn on this colorful fall day.
Our God created all things. The sun, moon and stars, He created them all! The heathen worship these, yet they were created by God whom we worship!
God created the dry land, the sea, the flowers, the trees, the fish, the animals, the birds, and all else!
The God of the Bible is the one that caused the huge flood when it never rained before. He opened the gates of heaven and the rain came down. Our God caused that 8 souls were saved in Noah’s arc, which He gave the plans and instructions for!
God parted the Red Sea in the time of Moses. Imagine the power!
God stopped the river so the children of Israel could pass over on dry ground.
All the miracles of the Old Testament are we accomplished by the One True God.
God did not stop with Old Testament miracles. He knew that when Adam and Eve fell into sin, a Saviour was required. The blood of the innocent animals that died for sin in the Old Testament, were a picture of the innocent blood of His own Son that would be shed for the Redemption of Mankind.
Jesus was True God, and also True Man. Jesus was born of a virgin. This was truly a miracle. The Lord Jesus, turned water into wine. He healed the sick, He made the blind to see. He feed the 5000; He made the lame to walk! He cleansed the leper, He stilled the sea! Are you getting the picture! Who but the Lord could ever do such! I could go on and on... He brought the dead back to life, He restored the withered hand, He walked on the Sea! Yes, He walked on water! The very thing that was the problem in the sea, the rough waves, He walked on! The waves were under His feet. Our problems can also be under His feet. He has control and authority, if we but let Him!
Jesus filled the nets with fish, He put the ear that was cut off back on, and He made the mute man talk!
Today, I pray that He would make me talk when I am mute. I pray that He would cause me to declare His name among the heathen. I pray that He would fill the nets with fish (souls of men) that many could be saved through this declaration! I pray the ears would hear so that faith can come by hearing!
Those that have sin sickness, I pray that they would repent, believe, and thereby be healed! Those that are burdened and can’t walk uprightly as a Christian let them be renewed and begin walking and leaping and praising God!
What a wonderful and Mighty God and Saviour we have, He is truly worthy of all Praise, Honor, and Glory!
Declare His Name dear Pastor!! Declare His Name dear Reader! Declare it to the heathen! Declare His Name to the entire world!
May the Worker of Miracles, do another miracle yet today, causing you and me to Declare His Glory!
May God Bless Your Week!
To read more about our Church and our Mission please visit www.themissionsite.com
Here you can follow links to read other websites. Please read the Principles of the Doctrine of Christ as taught by the Apostolic Lutheran Church of America, among whatever else you have time to read! I know most of you have to read on a computer in an internet cafe.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Prayer
Dear Readers around the world! May God’s Peace be with each of you!
This week I am busy getting ready for a meeting of the Foreign Mission board which is going to be held here in my office in NH USA during the later parts of this week.
In preparation for this meeting, I am again reminded of the importance of prayer. I would respectfully request that each of you pray for this meeting. Many important decisions will be made that will affect our mission work in the coming months. We surely desire that this meeting would go according to God’s will, and that we as the Foreign Mission board, would be willing tools in His Kingdom, desiring to do His will.
Let’s look into scripture about prayer since we are on that topic today. First of all, we have that most perfect prayer that Jesus taught us. This is the Lord’s Prayer, with which we are all familiar I am sure. It is a most wonderful prayer which is found in Luke 11:2-4
And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3Give us day by day our daily bread. 4And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil………….
At the very beginning of this prayer we see that Jesus said, OUR FATHER. This is wonderful. Jesus had the same Father as you and I. Also, you and I have the same Father. There is only one true Father of All. Together we worship this one true God, our Father. By praying Our Father, Jesus showed that He was true man as well true God.
Jesus truly knew the power of prayer. Very often in the Bible He exhorts us to pray. Jesus did not only exhort us to pray, He led by example. Do you remember that when after being with the multitudes He went apart and prayed? He prayed on the mountains, He prayed in the garden, He prayed for His friends, He prayed for those that were against Him. He prayed on the cross when He said, Father forgive them!
This is the kind of Jesus that we have! Jesus cares for us. Jesus led by example. Jesus knew when He was on earth that our (His and ours) Father was in heaven. He knew that when we pray the Lord’s prayer in our day, that OUR Father would still be in heaven all these many years later. Our Father is not leaving the throne of Heaven. He is always there waiting all of those that are covered by the blood of His Son Jesus to come home! He is always there watching over His children.
Let us never leave Our Father and the precious atoning work of our Lord Jesus Christ! Jesus goes on in our text to say Hallowed by thy Name! God’s name is Holy! God is Holy! Let us never forget that He is our Holy God. Many places in the bible testify of His Holiness! For instance: Leviticus 11:44-45
For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy:
Isaiah 48:17
Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.
Our Holy God is also our Father. Even a natural father loves his children. This love is very small compared to how much our Heavenly Father loves us. He loves us so much that He sent His only Son Jesus to live here on earth so he could become acquainted with our grief, our fears, pain, temptations, and everything else that we experience in this life. He came here to earth to make atonement for our sins. Jesus came to fulfill all that we cannot fulfill. God sent Jesus to suffer, bleed, and die for our sins. The Good Shepherd gave up His life for His sheep. God’s son Jesus died on the cross of us! Payment for our sin was made in full!
What a Wonderful Father we have. What a wonderful Christ Jesus our Lord we have. Just in the first few words of the prayer that Jesus taught us, we cannot even come close to explaining all the could be said in this short letter. I suppose the reason for this is explained in John 21:25
And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.
And Amen! May God be with you through another week!
This week I am busy getting ready for a meeting of the Foreign Mission board which is going to be held here in my office in NH USA during the later parts of this week.
In preparation for this meeting, I am again reminded of the importance of prayer. I would respectfully request that each of you pray for this meeting. Many important decisions will be made that will affect our mission work in the coming months. We surely desire that this meeting would go according to God’s will, and that we as the Foreign Mission board, would be willing tools in His Kingdom, desiring to do His will.
Let’s look into scripture about prayer since we are on that topic today. First of all, we have that most perfect prayer that Jesus taught us. This is the Lord’s Prayer, with which we are all familiar I am sure. It is a most wonderful prayer which is found in Luke 11:2-4
And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3Give us day by day our daily bread. 4And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil………….
At the very beginning of this prayer we see that Jesus said, OUR FATHER. This is wonderful. Jesus had the same Father as you and I. Also, you and I have the same Father. There is only one true Father of All. Together we worship this one true God, our Father. By praying Our Father, Jesus showed that He was true man as well true God.
Jesus truly knew the power of prayer. Very often in the Bible He exhorts us to pray. Jesus did not only exhort us to pray, He led by example. Do you remember that when after being with the multitudes He went apart and prayed? He prayed on the mountains, He prayed in the garden, He prayed for His friends, He prayed for those that were against Him. He prayed on the cross when He said, Father forgive them!
This is the kind of Jesus that we have! Jesus cares for us. Jesus led by example. Jesus knew when He was on earth that our (His and ours) Father was in heaven. He knew that when we pray the Lord’s prayer in our day, that OUR Father would still be in heaven all these many years later. Our Father is not leaving the throne of Heaven. He is always there waiting all of those that are covered by the blood of His Son Jesus to come home! He is always there watching over His children.
Let us never leave Our Father and the precious atoning work of our Lord Jesus Christ! Jesus goes on in our text to say Hallowed by thy Name! God’s name is Holy! God is Holy! Let us never forget that He is our Holy God. Many places in the bible testify of His Holiness! For instance: Leviticus 11:44-45
For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy:
Isaiah 48:17
Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.
Our Holy God is also our Father. Even a natural father loves his children. This love is very small compared to how much our Heavenly Father loves us. He loves us so much that He sent His only Son Jesus to live here on earth so he could become acquainted with our grief, our fears, pain, temptations, and everything else that we experience in this life. He came here to earth to make atonement for our sins. Jesus came to fulfill all that we cannot fulfill. God sent Jesus to suffer, bleed, and die for our sins. The Good Shepherd gave up His life for His sheep. God’s son Jesus died on the cross of us! Payment for our sin was made in full!
What a Wonderful Father we have. What a wonderful Christ Jesus our Lord we have. Just in the first few words of the prayer that Jesus taught us, we cannot even come close to explaining all the could be said in this short letter. I suppose the reason for this is explained in John 21:25
And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.
And Amen! May God be with you through another week!
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