Bible Study
See other Bible Study Articles
Title: Three Articles that help explain Israel
Source:
WELS (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod)
URL Source: http://www.wels.net/news-events/for ... december-2008/invisible-church
Published: Jun 24, 2012
Author: various - Noted at end of each article.
Post Date: 2012-06-24 10:03:21 by SJN
Keywords: None
Views: 260573
Comments: 482
The Invisible Church As the Bible describes the church, it becomes clear that the church is both what we see and what we cannot see. Church. The word paints a picture. You see the building in which you worship. It may be a small, white-frame building set on a hill in the quiet countryside. Or it may be a large, stone structure occupying a street corner in a busy city. It’s not unusual for us to think of a building when we think of church. Worship is an important part of our lives, and that worship takes place in a building we love, whether it is fancy or plain. But that is not the way the word church is used in the Bible. In Scripture, church most often refers to people and not to buildings. The church is invisible In the New Testament the word ecclesia is often translated as church. Ecclesia refers to a group of people who have been called together. It is an assembly. Yet even that definition does not fully explain what the church is. As the Bible describes the church, it becomes clear that the church is both what we see and what we cannot see. The church is both visible and invisible. Why would we call a church invisible? You can see a building. You can see the people who gather in that building. Yet we do speak of the church as invisible in the Apostles’ Creed when we confess “I believe in the holy Christian church, the communion of saints.” Sometimes people mistakenly use the term saint to refer to a person who does an abundance of good deeds, someone who helps others. But the Bible uses the term to describe simply a believer. We even distinguish between believers who have been called home to heaven and those who still battle in this world. We speak of saints triumphant and saints militant. The apostle Peter describes these believers as “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God” (1 Peter 2:9). Together all believers form the holy Christian church, a “spiritual house” made up of living stones chosen by God. When the Holy Spirit works faith in our hearts, we become part of this structure. The Lord Jesus can see the faith in our hearts. We, however, can only see the fruits of faith and not the faith itself. Because we cannot see faith, the church is invisible to our eyes. The prophet Elijah did not recognize that there were still seven thousand believers in Israel (1 Kings 19:8-18). He thought that he was the only believer left. Likewise, we cannot always tell whether a person is a believer or an unbeliever. As the Bible describes the church, it becomes clear that the church is both what we see and what we cannot see. Although the church may be invisible to us, the Lord sees his church clearly. “The Lord knows those who are his” (2 Timothy 2:19). At the same time each person knows what is in his or her heart. Trusting in the promises the Lord gives us, we know that we belong to that communion of saints, the church of God. Characteristics of the invisible church This invisible gathering of all believers is not limited by geography. The apostle John reminds us that believers come from different places and “from every nation, tribe, people and language” (Revelation 7:9). In addition, the church is not limited by time. All believers who have lived, are now living, and will live until Jesus returns at the end of time—all these believers are part of this church. The church, the body of all believers, is invisible, and it is also universal. Once again we confess this fact in the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed. “I believe in the holy Christian church.” The first people who used this confession of faith said, “I believe in the holy catholic church.” The word catholic originally had no denominational connotation. It simply meant universal. When catholic became associated with a particular organization, the word Christian was substituted to prevent confusion. In the Apostles’ Creed we confess that we believe that the Lord gathers together everyone whose faith is in Jesus Christ as the Savior. People believe in many things. We say that we believe in our team, in our country, and in people who are dear to us. Likewise, many people believe in some religious figure other than Christ. God’s invisible church gathers together only those people who confess Jesus as their Savior. We distinguish ourselves from the followers of Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and every other religion. We confess that Jesus Christ is true man and true God. We believe that Christ is sinless and perfect and that he is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. As the Bible describes the church, it becomes clear that the church is both what we see and what we cannot see. In a world that suggests that it does not matter what you believe as long as you believe, it becomes important to remember that the invisible church gathers together all believers in Christ. Without faith in Jesus we cannot be saved. Without Jesus we have no part in the communion of saints, the gathering of all believers. Jesus makes that clear when he says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). People die. Church buildings may fall apart. Congregations may disband. But the invisible church continues. The Lord has promised that there will always be true believers who are kept faithful by the power of God. “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27,28). What a comfort it is to know that the Holy Spirit, who calls us to faith, also preserves us in that faith through the gospel in Word and sacraments! It is easy to become attached to a congregation. It is in that fellowship that we listen to the good news of Jesus proclaimed. There we hear that our sins are forgiven. In our congregation we draw close to Jesus as we receive the sacrament of his body and blood. Likewise the building in which a congregation worships may be a special place. It may be the same structure in which we were baptized, confirmed, and married. It reminds us of all the blessings God has showered upon us. But we are part of something that is even more valuable, the holy Christian church. Our triune God has brought us together with people we may never see or know on this side of eternity. Through faith the Lord has made us a part of the congregation of all believers. Right now we are not able to see this church in its entirety. Yet what is invisible to our eyes now will be seen when the Lord returns in glory. What a joy it will be to see all believers from every part of the world and from all times! The day will come when we will gather together and praise the God of grace who gives us membership in his family, the invisible church. That church is not really invisible. It is only invisible to us. God sees it clearly. James Korthals, a professor at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon, Wisconsin, is a member at David’s Star, Jackson. Peter's Picture of the Church 1 Peter 2:4-10 The word "temple" in our modern society usually describes a large, beautiful building which is used for the worship of some god. The use of such temples goes back thousands of years. Peter used it to paint a beautiful word picture of Jesus and his church in 2:4-8. Made up of living stones Jesus is pictured in many ways in John's gospel. Peter adds his own picture here, when he writes, "The Lord Jesus is the living stone" (v. 4). In verse 6 he gives the original source for this statement (Isaiah 28:16), where God said, "Look! I'm laying a stone in Zion [another name for Israel], a very special cornerstone of great value, and the person who believes in him will never be disappointed." In the ancient world the cornerstone was more than a stone on which was carved the date of construction. The cornerstone determined the length, the width, and the height of the building, so that the whole building depended on that cornerstone. That is the picture Peter uses to describe the church in verse 5a, where he says, "And since you are living stones, as you come to him you are built up into a spiritual temple," of which Jesus is the cornerstone. The church is built on Jesus, and around Jesus, the cornerstone. And it is made up of people who are like Jesus--perfectly holy beings in God's sight. That is the way God sees every person who truly believes in Jesus as his or her Savior, because our God-given faith makes us new creatures who are perfectly holy in God's sight, and every such person "will never be disappointed" on Judgment Day. Then Peter explains in verse 7, "This means that he's of great value to you people who believe in him, but for those who don't believe in him, 'the stone which the builders [the Jewish nation as a whole] decided was no good, is the very one which has become the cornerstone'; and 'the stone which will make people stumble, and the rock which will make them fall.' "How clear Peter makes it that Jesus is the difference between eternal life and eternal damnation. We are now a holy group of priests Next Peter uses a new metaphor in verse 5 when he says that the believers who come to Jesus as living stones "are built up into a spiritual temple, to be a holy group of priests, who offer up spiritual sacrifices which God is happy to receive." He continues in verses 9,10, "There was a time when you were no people at all, but now you are God's people. You who never knew God's mercy have now received his mercy." Praise the Lord! Peter is reminding us that there was a time when we were all outsiders, so far as God is concerned, unbelievers who had never heard of the triune God. But now that we have heard the good news and have come to believe it, we are God's people, while the Jews, as a nation, have rejected their Messiah and are outsiders. Now you must take note of the fact that every believer is a priest whose principal occupation it is to offer spiritual sacrifices to our triune God each day of our lives. Yes, from morning to evening we offer our God our thanks and praises for the undeserved love he has shown us by sending first his Son to atone for all our sins, and then his Holy Spirit who has brought us to believe the good news that all our sins are forgiven by Jesus' death on the cross, so that we are now God's children who are perfectly holy in God's sight. Our task as priests is to also bring him our other sacrifices. First there are our time and our talents which we spend carrying out the different tasks we can do as members of our congregations. In some cases we may give our Lord all of our time and talents to serve as pastors, teachers, missionaries, or church office workers. All of us, whether we are active workers or not, can offer the Lord a portion of our financial resources, which represent the value of our time spent in some gainful occupation. And of course the temple in which we serve is known to us as the church, the whole body of believers. The picture of the church that Peter gives us here is perhaps the most complete picture to be found anywhere in the Bible. Julian Anderson is a retired pastor and seminary professor living in Naples, Florida. Samuel: A Judge in Israel Concentrating on the Lord is daunting when dangers clamor for attention. Think back 300 years before Samuel. Following the death of those who carved a Jewish homeland out of Canaan, “another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel” (Judges 2:10). To awaken his spiritually-anesthetized people, God enlisted neighboring nations to harass, enslave, and terrorize Israel. Slapped to consciousness, God’s people recognized their sin, pleaded for forgiveness, and prayed for relief. God then raised up leaders—judges—who with the Lord’s power pushed back the oppressors. Moral and spiritual health flourished. But “when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their fathers . . .” (Judges 2:19). Repenting to God This cycle of godlessness, oppression, repentance, freedom, upright living, and a return to godlessness repeated itself until Samuel. Remember Eli and his sons? 1 Samuel 7 brings us to a repentance and freedom section of that cycle and to Samuel as Israel’s final judge. The Ark of the Covenant remained in the border town of Kiriath-Jearim for 20 years after the Philistines captured it and then returned it to stem a Lord-induced plague. During those two decades “all the people of Israel mourned and sought after the Lord” (7:2). To confirm that renaissance of faith, Samuel summoned his countrymen to a spiritually essential, but politically provocative, act—national purification and rededication. Israel was not a free country. Philistine overlords kept close watch. When their surveillance noticed huge numbers of Israelites staging at Mizpah (literally, “look out point”), their early-warning alarms wailed. Mizpah was a military gem mounted in hills about eight miles north of Jerusalem. Soon the sound of Philistine marching boots, the clank of armor, and the bellow of war trumpets echoed off Mizpah. “When the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid . . .” (7:7). No doubt. Concentrating on the Lord is daunting when dangers (dare we add personal problems or financial difficulties) clamor for attention. Victory through God Samuel, however, urged Israel to fasten on God. “Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that he may rescue us” (7:8). Strength was not in their military might, but in the Lord’s omnipotence. God confirmed that. With Israeli knees bent in prayer and without an Israeli sword unsheathed, God’s deafening thunder routed the Philistine army. Panicked, the troops stumbled south toward safety. Their backs made easy targets. The Philistine losses that day did not completely free Israel. We await Saul and David to accomplish that. Israel, however, did enjoy a season of peace with Philistia and, as a fringe benefit, with the Amorites. Concentrating on the Lord is daunting when dangers clamor for attention. To mark the victory, Samuel set up a monument called Ebenezer (“stone of help”). Ebenezer stones (church cornerstones, wedding anniversaries, birthdays) remind us, “Thus far has the Lord helped us.” But our most conclusive proof that there’s always an upside in our downside world is Jesus, “the stone the builders rejected [that] has become the capstone” (1 Peter 2:7). James A. Aderman is pastor at Fairview, Milwaukee.
(The Following article should help to illuminate why the Nation of Israel and it's people have seen thousands of years of turmoil).
Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
Comments (1-226) not displayed.
.
.
.
#227. To: A K A Stone (#224)
It sounds like you are not going to elevate the level of discourse to a sane adult level, so take care, nice chatting with you bud, But I have things do do right now. Laters.
Ooooh whippie doo. Does it make you feel important when you tell us you've been on the net since the mid 90's. Well I was going online for a dozen years before you ever thought about it. I must be really important now huh.
You are a anti marriage bigot fool.
Oooh another whippy doo.
Oooh another whippe doo.
Homosexual relationships are normal human sexual relationships that have always been around and always will be. You can't do a Hitler style 'final solution' and get rid of them. All you would do is be a part of humanity who would be remembered in the same breath as the Adolf Hitlers of the world.
So you readily admit you are a fool too. Ok thanks but I already knew that.
So why don't t babies come out of mens asses?
I want to get married again and will someday. Perhaps even to my current lady friend. I an deeply concerned we are at a historic low point in the number of people who are married. Only 49% of men and women are involved in heterosexual marriage, and it behooves all of us to work to improve marriage.
All you would do is be a part of humanity who would be remembered in the same breath as the Adolf Hitlers of the world. No I can't nor would I want to. Is that why you hate God? You know because ha hates fags and killed bunch of them at Sodom and Gomorrah.
You can only get married once fool. Every time you have sex with anyone other then your original wife is adultery. You sinner you. Is your new "lady friend" attracted to scrawny girly men, who constantly go on the internet and champion the cause of men who cut their penis's off? Or have you been working your bean pole like arms out?
babies don't come out of Kleenex used to clean up with after any man, gay or straight masturbates. They don't come from people who are sterile, too old, or if the couple is using birth control either. Straight couples also engage in sodomy too. Your argument/rant has no legs to stand on.
Dammit Mike you finally said something sane. I knew deep down you had a bit of decency in you. Now let that part of you grow.
Do you think it is cruel to put little spermies in shit?
Okay, so you just can't seem to kick the childish insanity, Later alligator.
So it is childish to relay to you what the Bible says about divorce? That wasn't childish Mike. Sounds like you don't like the truth. I mean when you got married didn't you make a life long commitment?
Hot damn...Ignore thread really does work. bye, bye.
Never swear "allegiance" to anything other than the 'right to change your mind'!
You must be from Ohio. I'm ready to leave this place, but I like a number of posters here. Why don't you ban TooConservative. Turnabout is fair play.
AMF, see ya in the funny papers.
I just said that because it makes certain people mad.
You keep losing people here. If that's what you want, have at it...
He's been posting since '98 or thereabouts. Buy a clue, #1 a-hole. I hope you departed. Good riddance.
You really ARE so stupid you think you are clever,don't you? I did make posts on the Hassan shootings,and honestly don't give a damn if you believe me or not. You'd think he might reserve a bit of his venom for the Muslims. But, no, his only target is the Prince of Peace. ROFLMAO! You are now so delusional you think YOU are the "Prince of Peace"? And the main reason you don't see me jumping on Fundie Muslims as much as I do Fundie Christians is two-fold. Number 1 is they are kind of hard to find and you rarely hear from them. Number 2 is that when you do hear from them,they don't pretend to be anything but the ignorant superstitious monsters they are. Unlike posers like you who claim to represent the "Prince of Peace" while wishing death to millions. Like it or not,even the retards that are fundie Muslims are more honest than you.
"It is impossible to talk reason with those who can only parrot Party Slogans." sneakypete Sept 2011 Stay Hungry...Stay Foolish --Steve Jobs Steve Jobs,life-long Dim,and major Barry Soetoro supporter.
What a fucking dope that guy is. Lol
. LOL! Know a lot of VN-era SF vets,do you?
"It is impossible to talk reason with those who can only parrot Party Slogans." sneakypete Sept 2011 Stay Hungry...Stay Foolish --Steve Jobs Steve Jobs,life-long Dim,and major Barry Soetoro supporter.
Maybe you,but not me. No power on earth can turn me into a homosexual. So literally millions of normal men have already been forced into being homosexuals involuntarily as a result of the longstanding federal policy of our government(s). Ok,your admission that you are bi-sexual goes a long ways towards explaining your fear of that side of you.
"It is impossible to talk reason with those who can only parrot Party Slogans." sneakypete Sept 2011 Stay Hungry...Stay Foolish --Steve Jobs Steve Jobs,life-long Dim,and major Barry Soetoro supporter.
Did you know Her+b Ll*oyd? I had some message traffic on him about two weeks ago. He's still in the game at his ripe old age.
If the pedophile likes girls and is male he is a hetro pedophile, equally deserving of death. Ok,that I can go along with. There is no cure for these people,and they will just continue to rape children every time they get out of jail,and our number 1 priority as a civilization is to protect people from harm who can't protect themselves.
"It is impossible to talk reason with those who can only parrot Party Slogans." sneakypete Sept 2011 Stay Hungry...Stay Foolish --Steve Jobs Steve Jobs,life-long Dim,and major Barry Soetoro supporter.
Then why not let God be the one to worry about it? Who do you think you are to take his place?
"It is impossible to talk reason with those who can only parrot Party Slogans." sneakypete Sept 2011 Stay Hungry...Stay Foolish --Steve Jobs Steve Jobs,life-long Dim,and major Barry Soetoro supporter.
They may be normal for homosexuals and bi-sexuals,but they sure as hell wouldn't be normal for me. You can't do a Hitler style 'final solution' and get rid of them. Not in American you can't. We have laws against that sort of thing.
"It is impossible to talk reason with those who can only parrot Party Slogans." sneakypete Sept 2011 Stay Hungry...Stay Foolish --Steve Jobs Steve Jobs,life-long Dim,and major Barry Soetoro supporter.
All you would do is be a part of humanity who would be remembered in the same breath as the Adolf Hitlers of the world. No I can't nor would I want to. See,you can be rational once you calm down.
"It is impossible to talk reason with those who can only parrot Party Slogans." sneakypete Sept 2011 Stay Hungry...Stay Foolish --Steve Jobs Steve Jobs,life-long Dim,and major Barry Soetoro supporter.
LOL! You don't get out much,do you?
"It is impossible to talk reason with those who can only parrot Party Slogans." sneakypete Sept 2011 Stay Hungry...Stay Foolish --Steve Jobs Steve Jobs,life-long Dim,and major Barry Soetoro supporter.
Shhhh! You don't want him dying from shock,do you?
"It is impossible to talk reason with those who can only parrot Party Slogans." sneakypete Sept 2011 Stay Hungry...Stay Foolish --Steve Jobs Steve Jobs,life-long Dim,and major Barry Soetoro supporter.
He/she/undecided just said adios a few posts earlier after stamping it's little feets in frustration at not being able to take over the web site.
"It is impossible to talk reason with those who can only parrot Party Slogans." sneakypete Sept 2011 Stay Hungry...Stay Foolish --Steve Jobs Steve Jobs,life-long Dim,and major Barry Soetoro supporter.
The name doesn't ring a bell,but my memory is going all to hell so that doesn't mean much anymore.
"It is impossible to talk reason with those who can only parrot Party Slogans." sneakypete Sept 2011 Stay Hungry...Stay Foolish --Steve Jobs Steve Jobs,life-long Dim,and major Barry Soetoro supporter.
HA! Isn't that exactly what YOU TWO do regarding your characterization of "Fundies"? Projecting hypocritical garbage. Homosexual people are quite normal... Chyeah, Mike. Just as "normal" as treating your anal canal as a vagina, eh? They [homos and their queer militancy] pose no threat at all to heterosexual relationships or the culture... No, not at all Sandusky. Or is it Biffy? Or is "We're Here, We Queer, and We're In Your Face!" just another way of saying "We're tolerant militant azzholes - REALLY!!"? EPIC FAIL, Mikey, you Tree-Hugging homo-fascist.
That's sad.
He's more of a social enigma, siding with the Left on the issues of militant homo-enabling, pro-homo on queer-marriage, and is militantly and intolerantly anti-Christian... On the other side of the ledger I believe he opposes abortion and supports the 2A. He's small goobermint (but suddenly BIG goob just as long as it and the courts cram "gay marriage" down everyone else's throat - in the name of "tolerance" of course).
Because the Left MUST engage in that type of hyperbole when selling their crock of one-sided sh*t, aka "tolerance".
Stop mincing words, Stone! Lol...
But...but...we're intolerant of gays' intolerance of straight/Christian opinion! That's a "Hate Crime"! And how dare straights/Christians/the Sane not acquiesce and surrender to bullying, slander, libel, blackmail, and extortion? It's worked so well for Sharpton, Jackson, and Plantation Blacks.
Comments (268 - 482) not displayed.
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#228. To: Ferret Mike (#221)
I have been arguing many many issues since getting on line in the mid 1990s.
#229. To: Ferret Mike (#221)
Now if you want to be a bigot and keep your head in the sand like an ostrich, that is your problem.
#230. To: Ferret Mike (#221)
I also worked in Eugene Free South Africa in the 1980s
#231. To: All (#230)
I have been attending the Olympic Trials herein Eugene,
#232. To: A K A Stone (#226)
#233. To: Ferret Mike (#225)
She is still going to foolishly waste her time at Liberty post and the other forums she goes to, many of which I like too.
#234. To: Ferret Mike (#232)
Homosexual relationships are normal human sexual relationships
#235. To: A K A Stone (#229)
"You are a anti marriage bigot fool."
#236. To: Ferret Mike (#232)
You can't do a Hitler style 'final solution' and get rid of them.
#237. To: Ferret Mike (#235)
I want to get married again and will someday.
#238. To: A K A Stone (#234)
#239. To: Ferret Mike (#235)
I an deeply concerned we are at a historic low point in the number of people who are married. Only 49% of men and women are involved in heterosexual marriage, and it behooves all of us to work to improve marriage.
#240. To: Ferret Mike (#238)
babies don't come out of Kleenex used to clean up with after any man, gay or straight masturbates.
#241. To: A K A Stone (#237)
#242. To: Ferret Mike (#241)
Okay, so you just can't seem to kick the childish insanity, Later alligator.
#243. To: SJN (#0)
#244. To: A K A Stone (#212)
Yeah I said Obama is a nigger. Nigger, nigger, nigger.
#245. To: TooConservative (#215)
Adios.
#246. To: Fred Mertz (#244)
#247. To: A K A Stone (#246)
#248. To: TooConservative (#208)
Personally, I've never met even one [sneakypete] that behaved like this. And I would guess you haven't either.
#249. To: TooConservative (#208)
Isn't it peculiar how sneaky reserves every bit of his fury only for Christians? I've never seen him post a peep on the Major Hassan shootings at Fort Hood.
#250. To: Fred Mertz (#248)
Say hello to your grandma for me.
#251. To: redleghunter (#209)
Not many honorably discharged Soldiers from the Vietnam era would spout the garbage he does. Only John Kerry types whose discharge circumstances were dubious.
#252. To: TooConservative (#210)
Break federal laws and you'll find they'll turn you into a homosexual in a federal prison. And not by your own choice.
#253. To: sneakypete (#251)
#254. To: A K A Stone (#219)
If the queer goes for the boy and he is male he is a faggot pedophile and should be put to death.
#255. To: A K A Stone (#223)
God said it aint right.
#256. To: Ferret Mike (#232)
Homosexual relationships are normal human sexual relationships that have always been around and always will be.
#257. To: A K A Stone (#236)
You can't do a Hitler style 'final solution' and get rid of them.
#258. To: A K A Stone (#237)
You can only get married once fool.
#259. To: Ferret Mike, A K A Stone (#238)
Straight couples also engage in sodomy too.
#260. To: Fred Mertz (#244)
Why don't you ban TooConservative.
#261. To: Fred Mertz (#253)
Did you know Her+b Ll*oyd?
#262. To: Ferret Mike, sneakypete, A K A Stone, Biffy, LMAO (#154)
Lib and Stonie live for decisiveness, intolerance and the scapegoating of others to sell the bill of goods their hatred and intolerance of others is.
#263. To: TooConservative, A K A Stone, redleghunter, sneakypete (#202)
I notice that sneaky is trying to stir up a rabble of his liberal buddies from LP over this thread. Just don't post it here at LF.
#264. To: A K A Stone, sneakypete (#148)
Sneaky is on the left on a whole host of issues.
#265. To: CZ82, sneakypete (#149)
Why do people substitute the word hysterical for the phrase "damn tired of"????
#266. To: A K A Stone (#152)
And anyone attempting to implement such policy [queer "marriage" officially conducted at City Hall] should be destroyed.
#267. To: CZ82, SJN, sneakypete, Zesta (#153)
And where will it [Queer-Militancy] all end??? It won't end as long as people keep acquiesing to their demands....
.
.
.
[Home] [Headlines] [Latest Articles] [Latest Comments] [Post] [Mail] [Sign-in] [Setup] [Help] [Register]