Reformation

By the end of the seventeenth century, many Lutheran churches celebrated a festival commemorating Martin Luther’s posting of the Ninety-five Theses, a summary of the abuses in the church of his time. At the heart of the reform movement was the gospel, the good news that it is by the grace through faith that we are justified and set free. In 1999 Lutherans and Roman Catholics signed the Joint Declaration of the Doctrine of Justification agreeing on the basic nature of the gospel. As we move into the future, may we be reminded that the church always stands in need of reformation.  

For over 500 years the Lutheran Church has played a significant role in spreading the Good News across the world. The Lutheran Evangelical Church’s strength is in Word and witness, making a difference in the lives of others. Caring for the poor, the forgotten, the homeless, the elderly, the refugee, and the ill, have been a hallmark of its ministry. Martin Luther had no idea what the outcome would be when he made his stand before the powers of that day and said, “Here I stand, I can do no other.”

All Who Call on God

 

All who call on God in true faith, 
earnestly from the heart,

will certainly be heard,
and will receive what they

have asked and desired, although

not in the hour or in the measure,
or the very thing which they ask.
Yet they will obtain something

greater and more glorious
than they had dared to ask.
 Martin Luther
 

Marks of Discipleship

For centuries, we have called it The Great Commission. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts all refer to it. Christians in the first century lived by it. Missionaries in the 20th century devoted their lives to it. Lord of Life in the 21st century embraces it. “Go into all your worlds and be and make disciples intentionally.” That is a paraphrase of The Great Commission and therein lies the mission statement of every church and the marching orders of every Christian.

Disciples are followers: not people who have reached their destination; they are people who are discovering their direction, often one step at a time. Disciples are lifetime learners; the Bible is their basic textbook. Disciples are representatives; they represent the ethics and values of Jesus in the marketplace. They are not political action groups, but prophetic promoters of justice and righteousness which have the power to reform a nation.

Lord of Life challenges every person to consider and commit to a personal spiritual growth plan. Our six Marks of Discipleship are: Pray daily; Worship weekly; Read the Bible; Build caring relationships; Serve at and beyond Lord of Life; and Give of your time, talent, and resources. Each of the Marks of Discipleship helps you to deepen an area in your spiritual life. Some are easy, some moderate, and some challenging.  

What a great time to be alive! What a great purpose we have in living! Paul captures it in these words, “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” Colossians 1:9-10

Go with God,

Pastor Qualley

From the Depths of my Heart

 

 

Grant that I may not pray
 alone with the mouth;
help me that I may pray

 from the depths of my heart.

Martin Luther

Vision

As I was growing up in Minnesota, the members of our rural community shared a gift that made a profound impression on me. No one in our community was wealthy. They were farmers living from crop to crop, adding slightly to that income with dairy cows, chickens, and pigs. They were hard working people, working long days, whether under the hot summer sun or during wintry months when the temperature would never get above zero degrees. Etched on my memory is the fact that these folks decided they needed a new church for generations that would follow. It seemed as if every family was committed to being involved. Everyone gave generously. They insisted on doing all the work themselves so no one would need to be “hired.” The women provided wonderful meals to the workers who diligently worked in spare moments to build Alma Lutheran Church in the country. They completed building it debt free. That church still looks wonderful fifty years later. I rejoiced for the opportunity to speak at their 125th anniversary in 2006, thanking them for my spiritual roots.

 

 

We have done it again, built a church building in Clifton so that Jesus Christ will be more than just a name. Jesus Christ will be a friend who can see us through the best of times and the worst of times. Our multi-campus concept is also becoming a model for churches across the nation where a new style of ministry is emerging, one congregation on multiple sites. When we started this process, there were only a few such congregations. Now there are well over one hundred ELCS congregations either expanding into main-site congregations or planning such an expansion in the near future.

George Barna says, “Vision is the single most important dimension of a successful ministry.” Lord of Life is a congregation of vision and has been from its founding days over 40 years ago. 

There are four levels of vision:

Those who simply never see a vision: the Wanders.

Those who see the vision but never catch it: the Followers.

Those who see the vision and personally own it: the Achievers.

Those who see, own, and help others catch the vision: the Leaders.

 

 

We are blessed with many leaders at Lord of Life! We are limited only by our vision and commitment. God has a plan. All He needs is a people. Not just any people, but those with ears to hear, eyes to see and hearts to understand. His message has not changed, but we must. And when we do, we will without a doubt fulfill our greatest destiny as a people called out by God.

Go with God!

Pastor Qualley   

In God's Hands

I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all;
but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess.
  Martin Luther

October Thought

 

Of all the people who ever inhabited planet earth, this generation is probably the most besieged by a tidal wave of information, messages, facts, figures, truths, and lies that have ever assailed the human mind. It’s easy to feel intimidated and overwhelmed. Christians know that they cannot respond to every message they hear, or solve every problem, or meet every need by applying some once-and-for-all elixir that translates every language and clarifies every ambiguity. What we can do is to deliberately recognize that we cannot avoid being part of the current scene, and that our greatest gift may well lie to also recognize that the Holy Spirit is not limited as we are, and that there is energy from God that is seeking entrance into our world, through us. We are called to recognize that God changes things not by miraculous re-ordering of our social universe, but by planting into the history of the human family the seeds of his living word, like some potent virus for good that has a life of its own, introduced into history through God’s people and growing by its own energy into a persuasive and saving presence in the human scene.

Our task is to transform the human observation of the Grace of God from being a distant and sometimes inarticulate abstraction into a warm-blooded, here and now, observable human version that we experience. In the long term, it is like the October task on the farm (as I imagine it to be in its basic parts) of harvesting the field: to free the kernels of grain from their immediate environment, so to speak, separating leaves and thistles – and other confusing materials – and then to take those kernels of grain to the mill, and grind out the flour that becomes the food that sustains us.

In all humility, it is for the believer to allow the truth of the gospel of grace and love to grow in one’s heart and mind; however one’s environment may challenge or confuse. Then with all humility to allow that truth to shape one’s daily life. The world has been changed not because Christians took on the entire task in one fell swoop, but were willing to be a micro cosmos, a small world of one by one whose faithfulness was infectious, and graciously claimed at least some little piece of the world’s travail each day for Christ.

In Christ,

Pastor Jansen   

God's People

 

 

To gather with God's people in united adoration of the Father is as necessary to the Christian life as prayer.  

Martin Luther

An Important Piece

One of my interests is in putting jigsaw puzzles together. During the January 2010 blizzard, Sandy and I completed a 1000 piece puzzle. It was a picture of birds at the bird feeder on a beautiful summer day. In the midst of the snow storm, it was a reminder that summer would be coming. There are instant rewards when you find another piece that slowly completes the picture. The body of Christ can often resemble a large jigsaw puzzle that was just dumped out of the box onto the table. The pieces can seem jumbled together without any sense of cohesion, but as you examine the various shapes, you soon begin to figure out how certain pieces will join to others. Connecting one part to the next, the big picture gradually comes into focus as you begin to see how other pieces fit into place.

Every person in the family of God is given specific gifts. This could be a gift of teaching, music, leadership, writing, hospitality, or even compassion. It could be the transformation of a talent you already have, or a completely new ability God gives to you. It may not be clear at first how your specific gift will fit in. You may even be hesitant to use your gift out of fear that others will think it unimportant. However, it is important to remember that every gift from God is significant. When you fail to contribute your gift, you withhold pieces necessary to complete the big picture that makes up the body of Christ; like that frustrating last puzzle piece that is missing, withholding your gift leaves gaping holes in the body that could be used to bless others.

Rely upon the grace of God and trust that the gifts He has given will fit together to make the body of Christ stronger as a whole. God has entrusted each of us with unique gifts that will strengthen and inspire the body of Christ. Thanks for your partnership in putting the pieces of the puzzle together as we live out the gospel in word and deed.

Go with God,

Pastor Qualley