Dear Friend in Christ,
This month’s TLO Disciple focus is Evangelism. At Jesus’ Ascension, he commissioned the Church to go and make disciples of all nations baptizing in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that Jesus commanded (Matthew 28:19-20).
The message of the Gospel is the Good News that God is love. John 3:16-17 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
As children of God and members of the Body of Christ at TLO congregation, let us dedicate ourselves to share Christ with a world lost in sin and for whom Christ died.
In Christ,
Pastor James Kroonblawd
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When are we the Church?
By Rev. Dr. Mark Wood
“Thank God, a seven-year-old child knows what the Church is, namely, the holy believers and lambs who hear the voice of their Shepherd [John 10:11–16].” Martin Luther, Smalcald Articles, Article XII
The church is the holy believers who gather around a local pulpit and altar under their Shepherd’s care. This happens in a place.
The building we call a “church” is the place where the holy believers come together to be refreshed and renewed by God’s good gifts. It is where and when we are the Church Gathered.
But the church is not always gathered. Actually, the church spends very little of its time as the Church Gathered. Most of the time, we are the Church Scattered.
We are the Church Scattered when we as holy believers are serving in our various vocations in our everyday lives.
We continue to be the church in our workplaces, in our neighborhoods, with our families, at dance recitals and baseball practices, and wherever the Lord places us in the world. In these roles and places, the Church Scattered touches the lives of people who have no connection with the Church Gathered. Read entire article
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Evangelism and the Mirror of the Law: What’s Your Pose?
By Rev. Dr. Mark Wood
As Christ’s witnesses, we are called to speak the truth in love, that is, to speak God’s Word in love. One of our challenges in doing this comes when we consider that God’s Word is made up of both Law and Gospel. Speaking the Gospel in love seems good and right to us. But speaking the Law in love seems like a contradiction. It certainly doesn’t feel very loving to tell someone that he is sinning and that his sins will lead to God’s judgment and condemnation. Contrary to those feelings, speaking the Law to someone who is quite comfortable in his sin is not only loving, it is the only loving option we have as faithful witnesses of Jesus.
As broken and sinful people bringing the message of forgiveness and healing to other broken and sinful people, the “selfie” pose with the mirror of the Law should be natural and comfortable for us. When we assume this posture with the Law people will not see us as judgmental or “holier-than-thou.” Instead, they will see that, just like them, we are exposed as sinners when we stand before the mirror of the Law. Then our discussion about the Law can be framed in love and it can prepare the way for sharing how the Gospel brings us healing and wholeness. And perhaps, by the working of the Holy Spirit, we will have the joy of posing with them for another “selfie” in the light of the Gospel.
Speaking the Law in love is a powerful way for us to engage people as we seek to witness of Jesus.
What’s your pose with the mirror of the Law? Read more
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Viral Evangelism: Lessons from a Pandemic
September 10, 2020 / By Rachel Bomberger
It began with one of the most powerful superspreading events in history: three thousand people at a single gathering.
Although civil authorities were immediately concerned and quickly stepped up enforcement efforts in an attempt to isolate and quarantine the infected, it was too late. First the contagion spread like wildfire throughout the city, then it popped up seemingly at random in another city three hundred miles away and quickly spread there.
One man picked up a case from a bystander on the road, and suddenly it was running amok on another continent. Two other highly infectious individuals were associated with uncontrolled outbreaks in at least a dozen different cities.
Within a few years, it was endemic throughout the known world. Nearly everyone knew somebody who had a serious case — and still it spread. It has never been eradicated, and it never will be.
I’m speaking here, of course, not of the coronavirus, but of the Gospel.
Going viral? You can’t spread what you don’t have
It’s a simple fact of nature: You cannot spread COVID-19 if you don’t have COVID-19.
The same can be said of the Gospel. You cannot share the Good News about Jesus Christ if you have not heard the Good News yourself.
A good first step in sharing the Gospel with others, then, is to be in church whenever you can. Encourage and be encouraged by fellow believers. Receive the Sacraments. Read and study the Bible and the Confessions. Pray and meditate on the Word of God. Stand daily at the foot of the cross, that the grace of Christ may be poured into you by the Holy Spirit. Be filled — and watch the Gospel sink deeply into you as it overflows and bubbles out to those around you.
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From God's Word
What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building. —1 Corinthians 3:5-9
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From Skeptic to Seminary
After a career in theoretical physics, Dr. Samuel Lee is studying to become a pastor to reach out to the Chinese population in Milwaukee.
When Dr. Samuel Lee came to the United States more than 30 years ago, he did not believe in God. Now, he’s in his second year of the Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) program at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, and he leads a Chinese fellowship at Elm Grove Lutheran Church in Elm Grove, Wis.
Lee says that God used friendly Christians and the theoretical physics research he was doing at the time to point him to Christianity. “I solved a long-standing problem [in physics], but then I found more problems from that. Questions kept coming. Why, why, why? From those things, I realized this is not something we can fundamentally grasp. There’s some mystery behind it,” he recalls. “I became humbled. … I knew there was a God.”
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LCMS U
Do you know someone attending college away from home? Forward the link to LCMS U Campus Ministry to a college student you know!
U Campus Map
College is tough. You need Jesus. LCMS U is a campus ministry program for students of universities, colleges and/or trade schools. Chapters are located on campuses throughout the United States. Click for map.
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From God's Word
“Always [be] prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you,” 1 Peter 3:15
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You Make an Eternal Difference!
Enjoy this encouraging video reminding us that God can and does use every act of service. Click here to view!
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Editiors note:
Rev. Dr. Mark Wood has 4 excellent articles on "Effective Outreach. We encourage you to read this series and apply it to your life.
Effective Outreach – Part 1
“What is ‘effective outreach’?”
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Effective Outreach – Part 2
Effective outreach creates connections with nonchurched people
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Effective Outreach – Part 3
Effective outreach fosters relationship-building.
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Effective Outreach Part 4
Effective outreach provides appropriate and appealing entry points into Word and Sacrament ministry.
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Trinity Lone Oak Lutheran
651-454-7235
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