Devotion

The Reformation—Not Just a History Lesson

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble!”

Psalm 46:1

When Lutherans think of the Reformation, they tend to think of Martin Luther and everything that God enabled him to accomplish for the church. For many, however, that is just history—news from the past and old news at that! The truths of the Reformation, however, are not a matter of past history, but rather they apply to each of us today in very important ways!

God’s grace, that is, His undeserved love for sinful mankind, is important for each of us, for we each sin daily and need that grace and the forgiveness which flows from it. Faith is likewise important, for it is by faith that the Spirit of God leads each of us to believe in Jesus as Savior and Lord and thereby bestows upon us the gift of eternal salvation. The Scriptures are important, for they reveal to us God’s eternal truths, which in turn prepare us to fulfill our individual roles and callings in life here on earth.

These Reformation truths connect us to our God, who as the Psalmist suggests is “our refuge and strength” in life. He is the One to whom we can turn when we begin feeling overwhelmed by the tasks and troubles before us. He is the One who will give us the strength and wisdom we need to deal with the challenges of life. He is not just a “help in trouble,” but a “very present help”—the One who is always there and the One upon whom we can always depend!

Martin Luther, knowing that and having experienced personally God’s deliverances, wrote his most famous hymn, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, based upon these words from Psalm 46. The thoughts and words he expressed in that hymn were certainly true five hundred years ago, but they remain true today. The Reformation is not just a lesson in history but rather an expression of a believer’s daily life!

— Pastor Paul D. Nolting

Church Library

New In the Church Library

Love and Respect

Emmerson Eggerichs

© 2004 Emerson Eggerichs

"A wife has one driving need—to feel loved…A husband has one driving need—to feel respected…when either of these needs isn’t met, things get crazy. Love and Respect reveals why spouses react negatively to each other, and how they can deal with such conflict quickly, easily, and Biblically…it’s the secret to marriage that every couple seeks, and yet few couples find."

[Book Cover]

This book will be the topic of discussion at the Book Reading and Discussion Group on November 18th.

Handling the Word of Truth: Law and Gospel in the Church Today

John T. Pless

© 2004 Concordia Publishing House

Martin Luther: “This difference between Law and Gospel is the height of knowledge in Christendom. Every person and all persons who assume or glory in the name of Christian should know and be able to state this difference. If this ability is lacking, one cannot tell a Christian from a heathen or a Jew; of such supreme importance is this differentiation.”

[What Luther Says, CPH, #2276]

C.F.W. Walther: “Rightly distinguishing the Law and the Gospel is the most difficult and the highest art of Christians in general and of theologians in particular. It is taught only by the Holy Spirit in the school of experience.”

[Law and Gospel, Thesis 3]

“In his day, Walther was confronted with challenges to [the proper distinction between Law and Gospel] on all sides…In our day of ‘ambiguous denominationalism’ the challenge is even greater. Ecumenical compromise has blurred the doctrinal lines so much that there is fuzziness even in some Lutheran circles over the centrality of justification by grace through faith alone…Promise Keepers, ‘What Would Jesus Do?’, The Prayer of Jabez, and the Purpose Driven Life are notable examples in which the wolf of Reformed [teaching] sneaks into the Lutheran flock under the sheep’s clothing of biblical principles for living…This book takes Walther’s twenty-five theses on the proper distinction of Law and Gospel, organizes them under thirteen headings, and unpacks them using insights from Walther’s own exposition of the theses, as well as materials from Luther and some contemporary Lutheran thinkers.”

[Preface]

Patient Parenting: Raising Your Kids in the Shadow of the Cross

John Juern

© 2006 Northwestern Publishing House

Patient Parenting aims to provide proper guidance based on God’s Word. Each parenting topic is presented in two pages and demonstrates that God’s Word does have practical application in today’s home life. The parenting topics include: Trust, Spanking, Compulsive Lying, The Twos, When Parents are a Afraid to Parent, Order in the Family, Attitudes about School, Childhood Depression, Potty Training, Bed-Wetting, Spiritual Strength, Birth Order, Separation Anxiety, Stop Yelling, Christian Fatherhood, Bedtime Habits, Divorce and Kids, A Checklist for Christian Parents…and more!

[Book Cover and Table of Contents]

Evolution Exposed: Your Evolution Answer Book for the Classroom

Roger Patterson

© 2006 Answers in Genesis

A “Survival Guide” for today’s students! The most popular biology textbooks used in public schools today are saturated with references to evolutionary beliefs, which are misrepresented as irrefutable facts. Evolution Exposed helps teens recognize and refute the blatant bias in these books.

[Book Cover]

“Students as well as parents will find Evolution Exposed to be a desirable, if not essential, supplement to the typical biology textbook. This book will aid the reader in distinguishing empirical science from unverifiable speculation, particularly in the area of evolution. Developing the ability to think critically about science will serve students well.”

Dr. David Menton

More information: www.AnswersInGenesis.org

Around Immanuel

Update on Local Kingdom Work

Highlights of October Voters’ Meeting

Newly Elected

• Board of Property: Loren Hansen, Matthew Hagen
• Board of Education: David Busse, Bernt Olmanson
• Board of Deacons: Tony Harris, Travis Friedrichs
• Board of Finance: Dennis Heinze

Relocation Committee

Several properties are being reviewed and more will be researched. The work of property searching is progressing, but there is much more to do.

Preschool Committee

Research has been done and a plan developed that would create a preschool but would require congregational subsidy. Another option is being researched that would make a self-supporting preschool possible.

Pastor Nolting’s Call

The Church Council recommended and the voters agreed that as important as the work in Africa is, it would not be wise to divert resources away from our local mission. Pastor Nolting has declined the part-time call to East Africa.

Finances

It was reported at the October Voter’s Meeting that the General Fund had a deficit of $79,798.90.However, shortly after that meeting, an error was discovered in accounting the tuition payments received from the school. The actual tuition collected was $22,565.75 better than reported. The accounting error means the true General Fund deficit is $57,233.15.The deficit at the end of the third quarter in 2005 was approximately $66,000. As such, we are thankful to report that we are in a better financial position than one year ago. In view of the deficit, the Voter’s have designated our Thanksgiving offering for the General Fund. We call on all of our members to prayerfully consider our first fruits giving for the Lord’s work.

— Immanuel Finance Board

Properties

Progress continues on the effort to purchase the Thom property...The parsonage has not had any serious buyers. The sale price on the parsonage has been reduced from $189,900 to $184,900.

Gospel Outreach

A six-month outreach effort in Minnesota Lake was approved. The Evangelism Group will be providing more details in the coming weeks. The Evangelism Group meets on the first Tuesday of each month, 7:00 p.m. All are welcome to attend and participate.

Pilgrim’s Rest Cemetery

There has been vandalism to the mausoleum. Damage included broken stained glass window, and the exposing of a casket.

Christian Education

Lights in the World

“. . . that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the Word of Life . . . . ”

Philippians 2: 15-16a

Herod promised to give the daughter of Herodias whatever she wanted if she danced for him. But the young girl didn’t know what she wanted, so she asked the advice of her mother. You know the rest of the story (Matthew 14:1-12).

Sometime, somewhere, somehow, every young person will say: “What shall I ask for in life? What is it, Mom, Dad—what is it that you want me to do and to be?” Children have keen senses. They can see what a parent really wants. If the furniture of the home is more important than the spiritual climate in the air, children can smell it. If getting the best for ourselves is more important than giving our best for others, our children will develop the same touch. They can tell if appearances are more important than character; or if the right hairdo means more than a right-thinking head under it.

What goals do we have for our children, those “little ones who believe on” Him? (cf. Matthew 18:1ff). What do we want for the children we are teaching at Immanuel? Surely we all want for our children what Paul wanted for the Philippians—that they “may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.” That they might “shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life.”

If we wish anything less for our children, they may remain undeveloped as servants of their Savior. They may become as immoral as the daughter of Herodias. They may enjoy the bright lights of this world, but never shine in it or see the lights of heaven!

Christian education begins with the distinction and separation that God Himself makes—that “stand out” quality of the child of God: “blameless, harmless, without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.”

We and our children are to shine like stars in this world, not blend in with the grayness of its pollution and the blackness of its perversions. How is this done? By “holding fast the Word of Life,” as Paul says. This Word of Life is what makes the Christ-believer stand out from the world. It’s not the word about life that we have, but the Word that is life (cf. John 6:63); “the Word of God which lives and abides forever” (1 Peter 1:23); the Word that brings the good news of forgiveness of sins straight to the hearts of sinners, causes them to believe in their Savior and changes their lives.

Neither you, your children, nor Immanuel Lutheran School has picked up this Word of Life in a bargain basement book sale. It is a gift straight from heaven. The world has not received it, but despises it. By His grace alone and through this Word of Life, God has made us different from the world. Therefore, let this be our great goal for our children: As they look to us in life and say, “What shall I ask for? What shall I do or be?” May we all receive grace to say by our teaching and example: “Be a stand-out star for your Savior! Hold fast the Word of Life!”

Adapted from the Immanuel Lutheran College Board of Regents’ Report
to the CLC Coordinating Council, September 2006

Bible Study

Sunday Bible Study—the Small Catechism

The Sunday morning Bible Study is continuing to study the truths of Scripture as presented in Martin Luther’s Small Catechism. The current and upcoming topics that will be studied are listed below. The Sunday Bible Study has been relocated to the church basement. Bible Study begins with an opening devotion at 8:15 a.m.

• The Mission of the Visible Church
• Church Fellowship: The Teaching
• Church Fellowship: The Application
• The Resurrection to Eternal Life
• The Last Things
• Baptism
• The Lord’s Supper
• The Office of the Keys
• The Role of Men and Women in the Church

“Sing to the Lord with Thanksgiving…”

Psalm 147:7a

Thanksgiving Worship:

The ILS Scholastic Book Fair is just around corner.

Please join us!

• Thursday, November 2 from 6-8 p.m. We will have ice cream sundaes, face painting, coloring, a Scavenger Hunt, and other activities.
• Sunday, November 5 after church until 1 p.m. Browse the Book Fair and enjoy soup, sandwiches, and other refreshments.

A book fair is an event that enables students and their families to purchase quality books at reasonable prices. These purchases help our school accumulate funds to purchase classroom books and educational materials. Last year we were able to purchase over $1000 of materials for our school.

Children’s Page

Color Luther’s Seal

In the center is a black cross to symbolize Jesus’ death and sacrifice on the cross for all sinners.

Romans 5:8

The cross is in the center of a red heart, to show that God’s love sent Jesus and that His blood washes away our sin and saves us from Hell.

John 3:16

The red heart is on a white rose (Luther’s favorite flower) because white is the color of purity and holiness which we have through Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:21

The white rose is against a blue sky background to symbolize the Christian’s hope for the coming joys of heaven.

Revelation 2:10

The seal is enclosed in a gold ring, showing that the joy of heaven is unending.

1 Thessalonians 4:17b