Holy Spirit Sanctifies; Makes Us Holy

The Third Article.

Of Sanctification.

I believe in the Holy Ghost; one holy Christian Church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.

What does this mean?--Answer.
I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith; even as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith; in which Christian Church He forgives daily and richly all sins to me and all believers, and at the last day will raise up me and all the dead, and will give to me and to all believers in Christ everlasting life. This is most certainly true.

  http://bookofconcord.org/smallcatechism.php

 

 

It is by God the Father that we are created. It is by the life giving sacrifice of God the Son that we have been saved. It is by the Holy Spirit that we are sanctified. In the past I have been warned that it might be best not to use the word sanctify as many would not understand what the word means. Sanctify mean to be made holy. The Holy Spirit makes us holy. Jesus died for our salvation. He died that we might be reconciled to God our Father. This is good news. It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that this truth is revealed and preached. It is not by our own reason or strength; but, by the power of the Holy Spirit that we are able to receive this good news as our own truth.

 

May God grant that the eyes, ears, and hearts of the world be open to hear and receive the truth, who is Jesus the Christ, that we might be made holy by the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Faith Formation Begins at Home

II. The Creed

 
As the head of the family should teach it in a simple way to his household.

(http://bookofconcord.org/smallcatechism.php)

 

I almost went to the first article of the Apostle's Creed for today's blog. But, then I remembered that I have a week-long confirmation class coming up next month. I will be teaching the Apostle's Creed again this year; but, not to youth who have no prior knowledge as to what it means. No, I am not under the impression that they have already learned what it means at home. Those youth who have faithfully attended worship at Zion already know the Apostle's Creed. Those children who have attended Sunday School faithfully have already been taught the Apostle's Creed and what it means by their fifth/sixth grade Sunday School teacher.

 

Martin Luther wrote the Small Catechism so that parents, particularly the heads of the household, would have a simple resource to use to teach their children. Today, most congregations expect their Pastors to teach the older youth these things. 

 

I am most grateful that at Zion, since our youth have such full schedules, that we have a Sunday School Superintendent and teachers who begin this education process at age 3, when during Lent, the Small Catechism is taught. During the rest of the year, they simply use the Holy Bible as their main resource. We believe that what we believe should be taught at an early age. One should not wait until they are in Jr. High to try to cram their memories full in a couple of years. Learning is a process. It does not magically happen overnight. Since we began this curriculum a few years ago, it has been an amazing experience working with confirmands who already have a knowledge base for the faith that they are preparing to profess and that we can build upon.

 

It is most helpful to our young people's faith formation if the learning begins at home. I am more than happy to provide our members with copies of the Small Catechism or you can go to the link above for an online version. When a positive faith formation process is not in place at home; then, it would be a very good idea to bring your children to the place where it can happen - to your local congregation.

Faith formation should not be started when a child turns 11 or 12. It begins at birth. It begins at home.

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

John 1:43-50 - Meeting God

John 1:43-50 NIV
"Follow me." Philip heard these words from Jesus and followed him. That was that. Philip then told Nathanael about Jesus. Nathanael went to meet this Jesus. He, too, ended up  following Jesus.

When I was a little child, I knew God the Father. I remember being received into God's family through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. I was about five years old. And... yes, I knew Him as my Father. He loved and He protected me. When I was lonely or afraid He would hold me in His hands. As I grew older, there were many who introduced and re-introduced me to Jesus. I was in my 20's before I really came to know Jesus as my Savior, as my God. But, God is more than Father and Son. He is also Spirit. I was in my 30's when two men who I worked with attempted to teach me who this third person of the Trinity was. They taught me during our lunch hours. But, I was stubborn and I did not know this person until the Holy Spirit decided to be introduced to me. That was an awesome day! I will not ever forget it! My own pastor, Gary Fisher, thought that maybe I was losing it; but, finally connected me with Renewal in Missouri (RIM).

Often, in the Lutheran Church, we neglect to teach about the person of the Holy Spirit. We teach and preach about God the Father and God the Son. But, we stop there. Yes, we mention the Holy Spirit just about every Sunday. But, we rarely teach anyone that we can have a relationship with the third person of the Trinity in the same way that we are in relationship with the Father and Son. Are they not one God? Then why is this third person of the Trinity so often pushed back to third place? Do we not confess in the Athanasian Creed:  "And in this Trinity none is before or after other; none is greater or less than another; But the whole three Persons are coeternal together, and coequal: so that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshiped."

But, I have taken a major side-track this morning. Maybe it is because some of you don't know God as Father or Jesus as the Son of God, your Savior. Maybe you are not in a real relationship with God. Maybe, some of you have not been introduced to the Holy Spirit. Ask and it shall be given to you. Knock and the door will be opened. To those who do know God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; introduce your neighbor to our God so that they too may follow Jesus into our Father's home by the power of the Holy Spirit.

God's Peace - Pr. J

P.S. This is a blog... so I have kept it as short as I can. Those of you who have questions (hopefully, it has left you with questions), feel free to message me, my contact info is somewhere on these pages.