Search Results

Ruth DeLacey | The Voice of Zion September 2024 - Featured Article -- George Koivukangas of the Cokato, Minn., congregation has retired after 34 years as an LLC board member. George shares: “I’m so glad God has given me a thankful and joyous mind as I step back from the work of the LLC board. I treasure the many years of fellowship, freedom and unity that have prevailed among the board members. It feels good to see the new God-given gifts that have been added. I feel blessed that God kept me close to the work for so many years. I gained much more than I was able to give.  “I certainly felt the prayers and support of believers throughout those years, especially during the years of spiritual battles. “This summer’s festive Summer Services felt like a foretaste of Heaven. My heart rejoiced. The encouragement toward the work of God’s kingdom at the Annual Meeting was especially comforting. God is with us and will never leave us.”   Peter Kuopus of Ishpeming, Mich., is retiring from the LLC Board after 12 years of service due to a health situation. “The work has expanded over that time, yet God has called the right people into the work. I am thankful that God’s kingdom is present, and we can be a part of it. The main message in God’s kingdom is the message of the gospel which never changes. I will miss dear brothers and sisters that I have worked with. God has allowed this illness, and I must take time to rest. Amongst Zion there is unity and support for the work. We can trust without fear to continue.”   New LLC Board Members Matthew Keranen Nate Maki grew up in the Seattle and Spokane, Wash., congregations. When he was fresh out of high school, his friend told him there’d be a job for him in Alaska. So, Nate went. Nate is now 39 years old. He and wife Riita have ten children. He works in power line construction and serves in a variety of roles in the Alaska congregation. Recently Nate was nominated to fill a position on the LLC Board of Directors. At the 2024 LLC Annual Meeting, this nomination was approved. Nate has lived in Alaska for over 20 years. When he moved there, the whole congregation fit in a living room. Since then, God has given much growth. In the early days, everyone had to be involved to allow congregation life to happen. Nate says he had no choice but to teach Sunday school as a teenager when he was asked. He says that those responsibilities helped him grow up. Today the Alaska congregation has many families and many youth. Nate says that when he and Riita were a young family, they learned of family life from older families. Now it is their turn to serve and guide younger families. It requires more effort to be close-knit with a larger congregation, but through working together on building projects and arranging special services, the congregation remains close. When Nate was nominated to be an LLC board member, it felt heavy on the one hand, yet he knew he was in the care of the congregation. He’s not sure what all it means to be a board member, but he trusts it will be revealed. He understands that it is good for the Alaska congregation to be connected even in this way to the LLC and to other congregations in the Northwest Mission Area. Nate trusts that despite the doubts that come when asked to serve in this role, there will be blessings as well. He will be cared for in the middle of the flock. He will serve by discussing the issues that arise and in other duties that are given. Nate extends thanks to brothers and sisters in faith who remember him and his family in this time. They are grateful for prayers and support.   Steve Laiho comes from Palmer, which is near Ishpeming, Mich. His mother was a believer, and his father was granted grace to repent later in life. He learned of caring for one’s faith life from his mother. She didn’t know Scripture, Steve says, but she used the gospel often. Steve was a member of the Ishpeming congregation for 51 years. There he and his wife Lois established their home, into which nine boys and nine girls were born. One small boy went to heaven as a 7-month-old. Today Steve and Lois live in North Dakota, where they are members of the Williston congregation. Of their 17 living children, three still live at home. Their youngest is 15 years old. Steve says it’s a new stage of life. He still needs to work, he says, and enjoys his work in the oil industry. His wife can get out more after spending 30 years at home. She enjoys visiting their children and grandchildren, of which they’ll have 30 by the end of the year. Williston is a growing congregation that is working to build their own church facility. They have 150 children in Sunday school, and Steve says that the future of the congregation is bright with so many young ones. As a servant of the Word, he performs many baptisms. Steve has served his local congregations and area mission work in a variety of roles. Two years ago, he joined the Northwest Mission Area board. When he was nominated to join the LLC Board of Directors, it came as a total surprise. The 2024 LLC Annual Meeting confirmed the nomination, and Steve became an LLC Board member. Steve shares that he wants to be obedient and serve as asked. He knows there is lots of work to be done and he has seen that there are many willing workers. He recalls advice of Ishpeming elders Dan Rintamaki and Tom Prophet to say yes when asked to serve. Steve wishes to use his own gifts as he is able and to work with those gifts God has given others. He can help his home congregation and the Northwest area stay connected to LLC work. The work comes with blessings, blessings the enemy would want to hide from view. Steve says many have remembered him with encouraging words and prayers. That, he says, makes it easier to serve willingly.

Varina Petaisto | The Voice of Zion September 2024 - Home & Family Article -- Like boughs that bear abundance when firmly on the tree, as people we’re created to with each other be. – SHZ 420 We recently made a cross-country move to Colorado. Before settling here, we spent five months traveling the east coast of the United States. After that time on our own, we felt welcomed and a sense of joy to belong in a congregation again. We have felt the blessings in attending the planned activities of the congregation. We have also experienced much joy in visiting with our believing escorts of all ages; whether in their homes, or ours.  There have often been opportunities to enjoy nature with others, camping, mountain biking, skiing or some other activity. In these ways we have developed friendships and connections with our brothers and sisters in faith in this congregation.  To experience this connectedness, we found it is important to reach out to others, and to respond when others reach out to us whether it be to visit or to help in some way. Through visiting at various functions, we can get to know fellow believers from the heart. We share life’s experiences, questions, joys, sorrows, and most importantly, we can be uplifted on our journey of faith. We have found when others have shared their life’s experiences, and we gain insight and strength for our own endeavor. Hearing others share has also given us the strength to visit about our own trials and experiences. When we feel connected to our journey friends, we are then able to reach out in times of trial to lean on our travel escorts, and we feel the freedom to help others who are experiencing times of trial. Apostle Paul writes, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2). Connect with Those Far Away We also connect with our dear ones who live far away. We use messaging platforms to share photos with family and friends, as well as video chats to feel even closer when we can’t visit in person. We need to find a balance between catching up virtually and enjoying the present moment with those who are physically around us. One way we have used technology to connect is through story hour, where our kids meet with their cousins on a Zoom meeting hosted by aunt Natasha. This has been such a fun way to connect with cousins, and to enjoy a story read by a dear aunt who now lives far from us. In this time of digital connectedness, it has been a blessing to be able to stay connected with our family and friends who live far away. We have also felt the importance of forming friendships with those in our home congregation who share our everyday life and experiences. Most importantly, we share the gift of the Holy Spirit, which unifies us in faith.  Staying Connected in God’s Kingdom John Waaraniemi When I was asked to write an article on how I stay connected in God’s kingdom, I first wanted to say no. But after thinking about it, I realized that other than at church and living at my cousin’s place, I find myself not doing much with other believers. Maybe that’s the reason I was asked.  In my congregation there are no other single guys my age – all my friends are married with children. Generally, I stay home or go and do my own thing. It seems that the older I get, the timider I am to reach out to others for visits, most always waiting for invitations from others.  Quite often I get in the mindset that nobody wants an older single person like me over. Sometimes, feeling alone in crowds, I find myself skipping out on other church activities like graduation parties and weddings. I am fortunate to work for a company where most of the employees are believers and during the week I’m not completely away from believers.  I find it important to get to services and have fellowship there as well as connecting with family and friends back home in Minnesota. Although I’m not as socially active as others, I enjoy smaller group activities and value my believing escorts.  Contacts on My Pathway Paula Petaisto I am in the kitchen preparing a meal for friends who want to participate in a fundraiser for the Colorado congregation. At the same time, I am connected to the Oulu Cathedral by a virtual connection, listening to an evening of singing for the upcoming 2024 Suviseurat  in Pudasjärvi, Finland. The cathedral is packed to full capacity. Not everyone who wanted to attend was able to get inside. A beloved brother in faith is describing the event. The motto of Pudasjärvi services causes one to pause and ponder. It asks, “Do you love me?” It is Jesus’ question, and it touches each one of us. It is a timely question. What is my answer? We moved to Colorado about three years ago so that we could be closer to our grandchildren. A child does not doubt that Jesus loves her or him. Even this very day, as we were eating breakfast, the little two-year-old blurted out: “Let’s sing ‘Jesus Loves Me.’” A child is an example of faith to us. She trusts that mother, or even grandma, will take care of her. Eyes sparkling, she meaningfully sings: “Yes, Jesus loves me.” Jesus loves every one of us. But do I want to accept His love? Do I regard my sisters and brothers in faith as being important in my life? According to the Bible the fruits of the Holy Spirit are, among other things, love, joy and peace. By faith I understand that I need escorts on my pathway. Even though we are different, here on the narrow path of striving onward we have the same goal. We want to follow Jesus, to listen to and hearken to His Shepherd voice in the kingdom of God. We are not alone. We need one another so that only heaven would be visible. During my life, I have dwelled in many localities and in congregations of varying sizes, alone and together. When we lived at the lonely watchman’s outpost in California during the latter part of the 1990s, I thought then that it would be good for every believer to experience this situation in life where dear journey friends and escorts are far away. By this I mean how connection to other friends living in remote outposts became so important. What precious moments we experienced when after a three-hour drive we were able to gather with friends in their home for home services! The proximity of friends in faith is not to be taken for granted. I am grateful that God has preserved me as His child and led me by the hand unto this very day. This connection with friends in faith is best when, during our conversations, we can sense that we share the same understanding of faith and the unity of the Spirit. This is an incomprehensible gift, regardless of whether we are near or distant from each other.   Encouraged among Brethren Elle Wittenberg I remember the dark, heavy air of that night. The suffocating weight of loss. She stood before me, but I knew that she was gone. The connection that had bound us together so tightly was severed, as though slashed in two. I held her almost as desperately as I wished to let her go. How could someone I loved so completely be so lost? For a long while the ground beneath me felt as though it were made of sand. My vision blurred as I waited to receive communion. I shook from the effort to stand, to continue along the line. A wave of sorrow loomed, threatening to engulf me. And then he was there, unwavering, reaching for my drowning soul. My brother’s arms wrapped around my form and the words flowed over me, “You can believe all your sins forgiven in Jesus’ name and precious blood.” All was still. Now I see that God allowed for certain connections to change or be lost altogether, yet I can see what truly matters. It can be difficult to lose a friend to the world, and to forget the beauty and surety found in the Holy Spirit, the Spirit that also teaches us to keep hope and love for those lost ones. Though we feel pain and loss, it is important to remember to turn to God’s Word found in His kingdom. Remarkably, even without speaking, we may feel the bond unlike anything this world has to offer. I am comforted as I remember Romans 1:12, “You will be encouraged amongst brethren.” As we continue to haltingly reach out a hand to our escorts in faith, that distant, glowing heaven draws us ever closer.   Discussion Questions How do you balance all the connections in your life, both with those around you and those farther away? Tell about a time in your life when you have especially needed connections with other believers. How does the ease of forming new connections shift through the ages and stages of life? What changes when one you’ve connected with loses their faith? How can we support those that are new to our area or who appear to be alone or lonely at services? Ponder the words of song of Zion 433, verse 4. What do they say about a believer’s longing for connection?

Keith Moll | The Voice of Zion September 2024 - What Does the Bible Say Article -- “Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God.” – Matthew 5:9 In our world today we witness talk of peace amidst the backdrop of wars and rumors of wars. Ideologies clash, and humanity grapples with the repercussions of its discord. Jesus spoke of the last days, “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in diverse places” (Matt. 24:7). Although peaceful resolution to conflict is the desired outcome, Scripture reminds us that wars are a sign of the end time. Temporal world peace will not be achieved when the enemy of souls works together with humans’ corrupt portion to create chaos and turmoil throughout the world. We can pray for peace and stability in the world and ask for God’s blessings in our homelands. What causes distress and restlessness? Personal peace is quite different than world peace. Sin and disobedience cause personal distress and sorrow. The Ten Commandments, which God gave to Moses, reveal His will for humankind. These commandments can awaken one to sin. Apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Roman believers, “As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one” (Rom. 3:10). When God awakens people to the knowledge of their own sin and the consequences of it, they are left only to seek God’s grace and mercy. Paul also wrote, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). God in His Word promises a remorseful, penitent seeker that they will find. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened” (Matt. 7:7,8). True heavenly peace is found in God’s kingdom here on earth. Where does peace abide? Where does a sin-distressed person find peace? Peace is found where one hears and believes as God’s Word teaches. Jesus explained, “He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24). Our sin debt has been paid for by Jesus’ own blood. Peace is found where the blood of Jesus washes sin away. It is found where God’s children are. The core message of God’s Word is the gospel message of the forgiveness of sins. Through hearing and believing this message, faith is received, and true peace of God is found. This is God’s message, preached through the Holy Spirit, that we can personally hear and believe. How does God answer? Even as the world clamors for peace, only God can give a peace which endures through trial and tribulation. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). When sins are all forgiven, God answers with peace. The weight and burden of sin is lifted. When one receives this blessing, and believes, they become a child of God and living fruits of this faith shine into this world. This person desires to put sin away as it attaches to preserve this God-given treasure.  What peace do God’s children own? As recipients of God’s grace, we own a peace that surpasses all understanding. This peace encompasses not only the peace of conscience but also the unity of spirit among believers. We are encouraged to keep this peace and love through forgiveness, one to another. Christ’s sacrificial love to us, also kindles a love within us to serve others. Paul to the Ephesians exhorts, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (4:3). We desire to care for each other in both love and truth, reminding each other of sin and its consequences. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification” (Rom. 14:19). God’s children bring the message of peace through the forgiveness of sins. They sow the seeds of God’s Word which brings true peace. They shall be called the children of God.   Discussion Questions: What is the difference between earthly peace and personal peace? How would you describe to another what it feels like when there is peace in your conscience? According to this writing, what makes world peace unattainable? How is the peace that God’s children have different from worldly peace? How can believers contribute to peace within our communities? Read Isaiah 52:7 as you consider this. Why are peacemakers blessed?

Jerry and Julie Johnson   |   The Shepherd’s Voice  August/September 2024 - Home and Family Article –   God wants us to be His meek children. How shall we be meek? Let’s be like lambs! The Bible uses a lamb as an example to us. Lambs are meek. They are small and need protection. Lambs live in flocks of other sheep and lambs. We read about sheep and lambs as having a good shepherd to guide them. Do lambs roar and insist on having their own way? No, they do not. Lambs are gentle and sweet. Obeying their good shepherd is what they want to do. At times, a curious lamb will wander away from the flock. The good shepherd then searches for that lost, bleating lamb and brings it back to the safety of the flock. Jesus is our Good Shepherd. We are His lambs. Jesus wants to keep us safe from sin. We can meekly ask for our sins to be forgiven. We can forgive others their sins as well. Be free and happy! Believe all your sins forgiven in Jesus’ name and blood.   Things to visit about: What are some things that our Good Shepherd provides us. What makes you feel safe? How do you show gentleness to your family and to others?

The Voice of Zion August 2024 - LLC Summer Services At the 3:00 p.m. service on July 4, Jukka Kolmonen of Oulu, Finland, spoke from Hebrews 12:1–3. Hannu Janhunen of Lethbridge, Alta., interpreted. Shari Byman wrote the following synopsis. I especially want to bring greetings from suviseurat in Finland, services which drew altogether over 80,000 people. An incident at the services happened during a storm that came before the communion service. There was an accident that affected everyone. There at the services, the journey of a believing mother ended and later that day, after the communion service, the communion guests sang her favorite song. It was touching when the large group of believers quieted before the hymn, then rose together to sing the hymn. What is a better place of departure than from summer services to join the heavenly communion? The world has become so restless, and the Word of God has been rejected in many places. This can cause a person to become fearful. But our heavenly Father knows all, and we can be secure. “Let us lay aside every weight which so easily besets us.” Our salvation does not depend on how accomplished we are in this life. Let us not throw away our faith. We have such a good God. During baptism, a little child is dressed in a white gown. The white dress represents Jesus, who reconciled the sins of all people. There is no defilement. A reconciled person is ready for the wedding in heaven. Sometimes an anchor is used as a symbol of our faith. Believers have that living hope, the anchor of hope. With the arm of faith, we can grab unto the anchor. There is a rope to the anchor, attached to the shore of glory. For this reason, we gather together at services. Jesus was victorious over death and received life. It is worthwhile to endeavor. What will the end of the world be like? The Son of man will come and judge the quick and the dead, like the shepherd divides the sheep. On one side, he says, “Come ye blessed of my Father.” On the other hand, “Go away, ye cursed, to eternal damnation.” People are divided into two groups, no others. We ourselves have no authority to judge, but the judgment comes from the Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus sent His disciplines into the world, He said if they receive you, stay. If not, depart, wipe the dust from your feet and say, “Truly, the kingdom of God has approached you.” The kingdom of God has come nigh unto you. Believe in the gospel.

Arvin Pirness | The Voice of Zion August 2024 - News & Notes Article -- During these summer months, much work is being done in the areas of work God has shown to us. Mission work continues through services arranged in many localities here and abroad. Special yearly services bring believers together to festively gather around God’s Word. Camps in many places provide places of service, learning and fellowship for believers of all ages. God yet gives a time of work, and we thank Him for every blessing. A few weeks have passed since we experienced the gracious hospitality of the Longview, Wash., congregation, host of the 2024 LLC Summer Services. God blessed these services with righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. God provided words of comfort and peace amidst the chaos and confusion of the world. Approximately 3,400 service guests experienced the services in person at the Kelso High School and hundreds experienced it through the service broadcast. 2024 LLC Annual Meeting Sixty delegates from LLC member congregations met to discuss the work of our church on Friday, July 5. God blessed our meeting with unity of faith and understanding among the delegates – young and old alike. Brothers Steve Laiho from Williston, N.D., and Nate Maki from Alaska were approved to fill the LLC board positions vacated by the retirements of George Koivukangas and Peter Kuopus. Delegates moved that the LLC will hold summer services on or around the weekend of July 4 going forward. The board and staff of heard many supportive and encouraging comments concerning the work proposed in the 2025 Operating Plan. I heard very clearly to go do the work with faith. LLC Personnel We welcome Daniel Kumpula, who has started working at the LLC. Daniel will work in our Mission department. His responsibilities include scheduling of LLC events and camps at our camp centers, supporting member congregation ministers with pastoral resources and supporting area mission committees. We wish God’s blessings for Daniel, his wife Annye and their children. Camp Notes At the 2024 confirmation schools this year, 285 students were confirmed. Three confirmation schools were held at Stony Lake, two at Kamp Kipa and one each in the Pacific Northwest and at Prairie Shores and Hasscib Lake Camps. Camp season is a busy time of the year and it’s also important to emphasize the joys that come from camps, both for those that participate and those that have been asked to serve. We continue to thank God for all His blessings. Mission Work Plans are underway for a Ministers Camp to be held in Ghana in early December. We hope that the majority of the 25 ministers who serve throughout Africa will be able to join us in Ghana for this camp to support them in their duties as servants of God’s Word. May God bless these plans! The believers in Accra, Ghana have been working hard to complete their church facility on a recently purchased parcel of land. The location is much better suited than their previous location. Donations to the Foreign Facilities fund have supported this project. Communications More than 20 young adults from around North America are on their way to Finland in August to begin their opisto year. We wish them God’s blessings on their travels and study abroad. This summer we released a number of new publications. You can look for these at your church bookstore, and most of them are available for order on the LLC website as well. Bible Coloring Book contains 47 coloring pages related to Bible stories, featuring the artwork of Raimo Österberg. God Is So Good is the name of a new music album that features spiritual songs, including several Songs of Zion, sung by children from the Longview, Wash., congregation. There is also a book by the same name that contains the music notation for each song along with colorable illustrations and a brief introduction to each song. The book and CD can be purchased separately or together. The music album is also available on digital platforms. Joyous Wedding Bells is a notebook of vocal music for weddings. This collection contains several songs of Zions and other pieces written to be performed at believing weddings. At your church bookstore you can also look for the 2024 LLC Telephone and Address Directory. During the Summer Services broadcast, we aired 52 pre-recorded programs, nine live interviews, a pre-recorded interview, three news reports from the service site and about 90 songs from LLC albums. Our total time on air was approximately 42 hours, with about 22 hours broadcasted from our on-site broadcast studio. Over time, much of this programming will be available on our Hearken app. The YouTube broadcast is still available for your viewing and listening on YouTube. We are grateful for the heart to serve and many hours of volunteer labor of believers from across the continent that have been put into the production of all these programs.

Kolet Simonson | The Voice of Zion August 2024 - LLC Summer Services The much-awaited 2024 LLC Summer Services in Kelso, Washington, commenced with opening ceremonies on Thursday, July 4. Excitement filled the gym. Perhaps for some this was the first time attending summer services while for others it may have been the fiftieth time attending Summer Services. Nerves and worries mixed with joy at the arrival of this annual summer gathering. How will the service site be laid out? Where are the bathrooms? How will we keep track of our children? Will our children and youth behave appropriately? Who will I talk to? What if no one remembers me? Will I have fun? Will I be fed? Warmly, Personally Welcomed LLC board chairman, Jim Jurmu brought greetings from the LLC board and staff. With Apostle Paul’s words to the Philippians 4:7, he bade welcome to the service guests. He spoke of our happiness when arriving at these services, greeting one another and rejoicing that we have been preserved in living faith to this day. We were encouraged to pray for those loved ones who are lost, for those who serve during these services and for new servants that have been called to serve in God’s kingdom. We were reassured with the gospel and once again welcomed with the “peace of God.” I Will Be Glad Joe Ojalehto, on behalf of the NW congregations, welcomed all to the services and spoke of the service motto (Ps. 9:2). These words speak of that joy felt in our hearts: “I am a child of God traveling toward heaven,” and of the sung praises that we hear at the gathering of God’s children. We were encouraged to uplift our hearts to believe our doubts and sins forgiven so that we too can feel that peace of God as we start these services. Remembered in Prayer from Afar Adrian Pirness read greetings from Sweden. From the SFC we were greeted with these words which were the service motto at the Summer Services held in Dalarna, Sweden (Ps. 84:4). In their message, SFC chairman Timo Löppönen and general secretary Veli-Matti Heikkinen spoke of the mutual faith that unites us in God’s kingdom, evident in the recent meeting held in Monticello, Minn. The SFC wished God’s abundant blessings on our services. Next we heard greetings sent by the board of Ecuadorian congregations. “Receive cordial and brotherly greetings from the congregations of Ecuador. As you are gathered at summer services in Kelso, Wash., we hope that the gospel will allow you to come together as children of God and receive his message and the forgiveness of sins. May our heavenly Father bless these four days of services and shower all listeners with His divine grace. We also ask that He bless the missionary trips that are carried out and protect our ministers in each city they visit. We also give thanks, because His will has allowed the gospel to be transmitted in our own language, for which we thank our beloved translators.” Believers in Togo sent greetings as well. On behalf of the Laestadian Lutheran Church of Togo and the national board, Emmanuel Ametsife, President, and Douglas Agnave, Secretary, shared the following: “Once again comes the moment, when God’s flock, has chosen and prepared to gather around His Word. These moments are most important as God’s people because the Word of God delights us as said in Psalms 119:105, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” It is always a real desire and pleasure for the brothers and sisters in the Laestadian Lutheran faith in Togo, to unite with you and live in a common spirit, at the beginning and during these summer services. “We experience temptations, trials, doubts, fear, fallings on the journey of faith. But, we people of God who have received the grace are full of hope that one day we will end this way and reach heaven. Through the precious name and blood of our savior Jesus Christ, we have founded our faith on a rock. “You, believing brothers and sisters have always been by our side through the difficult times as well as the happier ones on our journey to repentance. The missions organized by LLC and MW3, with the participation of numerous missionaries from the USA, Finland and Sweden, to Togo in particular and Africa in general, have been a great comfort to us and will continue to strengthen us in our faith. “We thank the great Almighty God who started it all, who sustains it all and who will, we confidently hope, end all for us. We remember you in our prayers and we ask you remember us. Many greetings of joy and peace from brothers and sisters!” On behalf of the Laestadian Lutheran Church of Ghana, Chairman Joseph Kuse and Secretary George Emerson Dodzidenu shared that the children of God in Ghana join brothers and sisters in faith as we commenced with this important event. “It is our prayer that the spirit of God will dwell within your midst as He promised in His holy Word to be with you to the end. We hope that this year’s summer services will bring a lot of joy into the heart of all believers as they freely ask for the gospel of forgiveness of sin in Jesus’ name and precious blood.” Believers in Gambia sent greetings. Speakers Edwin Missalie and Alphonse Haba along with Secretary Ezel Mandy shared that they pray that our almighty Father would bless the services and that many who have not yet believed would hear the invitation to God’s kingdom and receive the grace of repentance through the forgiveness of sins. “We believe that we are with you in faith and we pray for many service blessings upon your gathering.” Greetings Relayed in Person Tapani Kirsilä of Finland read Psalm 122:1–9. Before speaking on this text, Kirsilä relayed the greetings from the SRK board and from his home congregation in Toholampi, Finland. He has experienced the same love he feels in Finland, and within this gathering, he sees his brother, his sister, and his mother. The Atlantic Ocean cannot separate that love that is felt through Jesus Christ. Kirsila referenced the first verse of Psalm 122 where David states, “I was glad when they said unto me,” speaking of the precious escorts in faith that encourage us on our journey of faith. He noted the many children and young people present in the gathering and reminded parents that our children are in the most fortunate place – in God’s kingdom. A Festive Weekend Begins Did you feel welcomed as you listened to the opening ceremonies there in Kelso, Wash., either in person or online? I have to say that with the words given to our brothers during the opening services, I felt warmly welcomed to take a seat amongst my brothers and sisters in faith gathered for summer services. Did you also want to sing the hymns of praise? Did you feel the peace, freedom, and joy of believing? I was encouraged to lift my voice in praise to our heavenly Father that I too was given the opportunity to attend summer services and even more importantly that I too can own that peace if I simply believe my sins forgiven. With these reassurances heard in the opening ceremonies, a festive service weekend began.

The Voice of Zion August 2024 - Doctrine and Life Article -- This writing is an excerpt from Miten minä uskon (How I Believe), edited by Ari-Pekka Palola and published by SRK in 2020. The writings are not attributed to a certain author since they are compiled from a variety of texts originally published in Christ is the Same Yesterday, Today, and Forever: Writings on the Basics of Faith and Doctrine (LLC 2022), which was translated from the original Finnish version published in 2018. Installment 17 of 19. In everyday life, we constantly make choices. We don’t often need to think deeply about the reason for making those choices. Sometimes, however, we encounter questions that make us stop and consider how to act correctly in this situation and what to base a decision on. Morals and Ethics Morals mean distinguishing between good and evil, right and wrong and actions based on these, which are reflected in an individual’s decisions and choices. Ethics, on the other hand, is the examination of morality in which one considers, for example, a good life and how to achieve it. Morality includes the understanding of what is good and worth striving for. Things considered good are called values. Examples of values are happiness, justice, and equality. They are goals and aspirations toward which one strives. Some things are pursued for their own sake, while others are used as a means to achieve a value. For example, money can be a means to pursue happiness. In addition to values, morality includes rules or norms. They help to implement values by providing guidelines for different situations. Norms can be commands, recommendations, or prohibitions. Customs represent unwritten norms, while laws and regulations represent written norms. The Basis of Doing the Right Thing Morals are a part of humanity. Striving for good and doing the right thing are inseparable aspects of being human. We expect good from others and assume that we are treated fairly and that we will be spoken to truthfully. The origin of morals is in God’s actions. Humans have received as a birth gift in God’s creation work the awareness of right and wrong. God speaks to us in our conscience and demands that we do what we know is right while forbidding us from doing what we know is wrong. As a result, humans naturally have the need and desire to act with moral correctness (Rom. 2:14–16). Doing what is right is broader than following laws and rules. Something can be considered wrong even if it is not prohibited by law. Distinguishing right from wrong is not always simple. Sometimes one must choose between bad options and choose the lesser evil. The Conscience The conscience is a person’s inner voice, an inner ability to determine right and wrong. Its functioning is evident when a person regrets his or her action or refrains from doing something because he or she considers it wrong. The foundation of the conscience is that God has written His law in the hearts of all people. However, after the fall into sin, the conscience does not provide completely certain knowledge of God’s will. A properly functioning conscience is nurtured by God’s Word and enlightened by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 2:15; 9:1; 14:1). The conscience is functioning when it warns of wrong or unjust actions. The human mind often tries in different ways to silence the voice of the conscience, but this is a bad path. If a person continuously acts against his or her conscience, its voice weakens and is eventually extinguished. Ethical Teachings of the Bible and Luther The Ten Commandments of the Old Testament encapsulate the content of God’s natural law. They embody love and doing good toward one’s neighbor. Jesus taught that what is morally significant is not just the act itself. Proper observance of the law also requires that the act includes the right attitude and motive. The Bible’s ethical teaching is summarized in the Great Commandment, the dual command of love that Jesus taught: “Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind…Love thy neighbour as thyself.” This instruction expresses the Christian view of a person’s place in the world. A person always acts before the face of God and is accountable to God for his or her actions. The person cannot escape or deny his or her moral responsibility (Matt. 22:37–40). According to Lutheran understanding, Christ’s atonement work changes the significance of morality in the life of one who has been helped into faith. A Christian is no longer a slave of sin but rather free of all demands placed upon him or her. This freedom is the basis of Lutheran ethics. Having received love as a gift, the Christian treats his or her neighbors well as a fruit of faith. However, becoming a believer does not make a person sinless. His or her life is a constant battle between the old and new self (Eph. 4:17–24). Morals and Secularization The ever-quickening spread of secularization and the crumbling of biblical authority have been evident in recent decades in both church life and in how society functions. Increasingly, the basic handbook of Christianity is considered bound to time and culture. Nowadays the principle of the Reformation by which the Bible is the highest authority of Christian faith has been replaced by equality and love. It has been suggested that questions related to marriage and female priesthood, for example, be resolved from this standpoint. As Christians we think that faith in God keeps our consciences in the right direction. The fallen human must continuously learn to know the will of God. Faith also gives strength to live according to the guidance of the conscience enlightened by God’s Word.

Allen Pirness | 2024 LLC Summer Services - Speakers’ and Board Members’ Meeting – July 5 -- “ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. ”  – 1 Peter 5:8   Introduction Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He gave His disciples the “Mission Command” that was for their generation as well as for all succeeding generations, identifying the clear purpose of God’s kingdom. He told them, “ All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen ” (Matt 28:18-20).   These words of Jesus help to frame the parameters of where to approach this topic from. This command teaches us that the place and purpose for God’s kingdom in the world is for preaching the gospel, baptizing in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, and then instructing and living in the way of Jesus among the believers, rejecting ungodliness and worldly passions (Titus 2:12).   We are comforted in the same promises Jesus gave to His disciples. Firstly, He assured them that all power is given unto Him in heaven and in earth. He then promised that He will be with His own until the end of time wherever God’s kingdom is. Jesus had won the victory over sin and death already when He gave this mission command. Our battle remains the internal struggle against temptation brought to us by the three-fold enemy; Satan, our flesh and the world. Jesus has promised that He will never leave us. When we fall into sin there is still power in the Gospel to wash away all our sins. The temporal realm is not our battle ground as it was for the 12th century Crusaders who attempted to restore Christ’s kingdom in Jerusalem by force, rather it is the spiritual realm in which Christ’s kingdom calls sinners to Him and sends us to preach the gospel.   The Early Christian Church Our theme for this introduction comes from the first Epistle of Peter. Much of Peter’s life is well noted in the New Testament. We relate to Peter as a brother in faith and as a servant in God’s kingdom. We experience the same adversary, The devil, trying to snare us away from God. I think we would all have to admit that our workday is quite uneventful and peaceful when we consider Peter’s workday. He, like us, didn’t do the work with His own strength. He needed to be uplifted and encouraged with the same gospel that he preached. He experienced many things in his apostleship, including Jesus’ transfiguration, his own denial of Jesus, Jesus’ death and resurrection, his own repentance, walking a few steps on the surface of the water, Jesus’ ascension into heaven, the shedding of the Holy Spirit, the gospel being opened to Gentiles, the persecution of Christians, and many other things that are recorded in Scripture. He experienced that his adversary was the devil. Peter wanted to encourage those early Christians that nothing was more important than possessing the name of a child of God. A martyr’s death was experienced by many believers in that time. The encouragement among the Christians was to accept this kind of death if it came entrusting themselves into the resurrection victory that Jesus had accomplished.   The Acts of the Apostles records the martyrdom of Stephen. When the stones continued to strike his broken body, he said “ Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep .” (Acts 7:59-60) He was forgiving of his murderers as he slipped away into the sleep of the righteous. We don’t have these kinds of examples in our lived memory. There have been anecdotes from the former Soviet Union believers who faced the reality that their confession of faith might lead to this level of persecution. Many, if not most, countries today protect religious freedom. We pray that it would always be so, but if it isn’t God’s plan, we ask for faith to endure unto the end. Not only do we ask for faith, but even as we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, we would ask for a forgiving heart toward those who would persecute us, as Stephen did. The spread of the gospel has not been slowed in times of persecution. It moves as God wills.   The Gospel spread to the cities where the believers lived. Those who were granted grace to believe their sins forgiven, brought the message of the gospel home with them. We know that even at the time of the shedding of the Holy Spirit during the Pentecost festival in Jerusalem there were believers from many different lands who heard the gospel in their own tongue. The gospel quickly traveled home with them. The apostles soon began to travel to these areas to teach and baptize.   God Guides His Kingdom through Changing Times It is important to keep the correct and scriptural understanding of the believer’s place in society. We live in a time that the humility becoming of a child of God is despised. Meekness is considered to be weakness. In Jesus’ mission command, we see the clear purpose for believers in society. We experience that the intent of God, in establishing His kingdom here on earth, through His Son our Lord Jesus, is to bring the gospel to all people. We have witnessed the spread of the gospel in our time. We marvel and rejoice over the continued spread of the gospel around the globe. Much of the focus of current discussions among those who serve our central organizations is in how we can fulfill all the requests for services and support those who wish to endeavor in faith. The proclamation of the forgiveness of sins is yet done with the same power and authority that Jesus gave the disciples. It still has free course from heart to heart. Nothing can prevent someone from believing if God has opened their heart as a sinner and granted grace to believe their sins forgiven. Conversely, we also see that unless God can open the heart, it is impossible for someone to believe. We experience these things when we are at the frontier of the spreading of the gospel. It has given me considerable comfort to witness these things and to also witness the peaceful reality that Jesus truly won the victory. The earth and all creation are His. The times and eras of humanity are His. The proverb instructs us, “ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding” (Prov 9:10). It is a timeless truth.   In the spread of the gospel, we see how everything is possible for God. We also see how nothing is possible with man, unless God blesses it. This holds true for all areas of life. Technological breakthroughs often bring progress to humanity, and we experience the benefits that God provides through this. These periods can also bring societal shifts that are not all positive. We see, for example, the mixed blessing of the Internet after its 30 years of existence. Times of change also bring upheaval and push against previously accepted ideas that have later been proved inaccurate. Consider the relatively recent hesitations over the correct use of Internet technology in our church. It wasn’t a quick and easy discussion to decide that we should have a church website. There was much caution and prayerful discussion.   Consider how God has allowed this technology to serve the work of His kingdom. There were many hundreds of repentances around the world during the global shutdown because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Travel stopped abruptly and gathering together became almost impossible. God had a plan to use that time and technology to bring the gospel to many people. English language WhatsApp sermons were sent weekly to various places in Africa and Asia and were forwarded on by those who received them. Many people heard and believed. Now they travel with us as brothers and sisters in faith. Spanish language services by Zoom gathered the believers in South America together, strengthening the bond of Christian love among them. These efforts have continued post-pandemic, and we experience how God continues to bless this work.   I remember listening to a sermon from the 1970s where the minister spoke about how impressive it was, because of the advances in modern communication, to be connected via telephone to the other side of the world in only a few minutes. He then went on to remind how this is very insignificant when we consider how God’s word assures us that the sighs of His children are instantly heard in His ears. I remembered the above-mentioned sermon as I was standing on a roadside in 2019 above the city of Badou, Togo sending video clips to my co-workers in Canada and answering their questions in real-time about what I was experiencing on my trip. There are really no bounds on our Heavenly Father’s possibilities!   Technological innovation, scientific discovery, and encounters with new cultures can often raise difficult and challenging questions. These don’t have to trouble a believer so deeply that they are rejected as workings of the devil. God’s Word and experience show us that God’s Spirit helps and guides His congregation to a correct understanding, one in harmony with His Word.   In the first years of the New Testament God opened the hearts of non-Jewish people to believe that Jesus died for their sins also. Remember Cornelius the Roman Centurion whose heart was invited to call Peter from Joppa to hear what God would say to him. When Apostle Peter was in Joppa, God prepared him to go to the home of the Cornelius, a Gentile. This presented a cultural barrier to Peter. This was a new and unexpected development in the work of the gospel. God gave Peter a vision. In it he saw a sheet lowered from heaven. On that sheet were all manner of animals and he was given instruction to take any of them as food. Since Peter was a Jew, he resisted eating anything ceremonially unclean. He was informed that he should not call that which God has cleansed unclean. Peter did not understand the vision but when the Spirit directed him to go to the house of Cornelius he went. There Peter was shown the meaning of the vision when salvation was opened to the Gentiles, such as Cornelius and his household. They believed when Peter preached the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit came upon them. They were baptized with the same baptism that the Jewish Christians had been baptized with. When word of this spread, Peter was asked of it when he returned to Jerusalem. The brothers who met with him and heard his account peacefully concluded that the same Holy Spirit was with the Gentile believers as it was with the Jewish believers.   Jewish believers in Christ and Gentile believers in Christ received each other as brothers and sisters in faith. They came together and worshipped together. The accounts in the Acts of the Apostles and the New Testament letters relate how they marveled at the power of the Holy Spirit and witnessed God’s grace through the gospel of Jesus. Peter and the other apostles experienced the same matter that Jesus expounded on to the woman at Jacob’s well some years earlier when He explained to her that God is a Spirit and must be worshipped in spirit and in truth. Peter experienced that the way was also opened for the Gentiles if they believed their sins forgiven in Jesus’ name and blood. God was able to be worshipped in spirit and in truth, or in other words, in the gospel of Jesus. The enemy of souls did not leave them in this blessed unity of spirit. The temporal differences between them were sometimes successfully used by the enemy to create division and discord.   The Dangers of Fundamentalism One issue that has troubled Christianity from time to time in recent decades, and is a concern again today, is the influence of fundamentalism. Fundamentalism arose out of a proper concern about the teachings of liberal theology. It started from a right concern but soon veered into wrong teachings. One of the main causes of fundamentalism’s errors is its view of the nature and message of God’s Word.   The traditional Christian view of the Bible has been the salvation history view. This view acknowledges that the Bible has both human and divine aspects. Men wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21). The human aspect may appear, for example, in the Bible’s descriptions of historical events and explanations of the natural world. Those descriptions and explanations are shaped by the knowledge and view of the natural world that existed during the writers’ time. The view of fundamentalism is different. It does not recognize a human element in the writing of Scripture. It insists that the written word cannot have errors of any kind in it because the writers were only “scribes of the Holy Spirit”, and their humanness was not involved. This leads fundamentalists to view the Bible as a divine document even in matters that are not its purpose and message. Fundamentalists don’t read the Bible centered around its core message of salvation history, but rather read it as the source of divine arguments and make it a handbook for life rather than the message of salvation history.   This view of the Bible is not enlightened by the Holy Spirit, and it steals peace. One is, for example, faced with a constant struggle between his or her interpretation of God’s Word and new discoveries that increase our knowledge of the natural world which God has created. Our knowledge and understanding of the natural world is constantly growing and changing. Science presents some theories which are with time proven to be true and others which are proven to be false. These do not change our understanding of God’s salvation plan and salvation history. When we acknowledge the human element in God’s Word, we recognize that when God’s Word speaks of the natural world in a different way than new discoveries have illuminated, it simply shows us that the author’s understanding of the natural world wasn’t complete. We recognize as well that our own knowledge of the natural world is incomplete. It makes us curious about other discoveries that God might allow before the end of time. This gives us peace and comfort and reminds us that the Bible is not a science book and should not be used as one.   Because fundamentalists don’t read the Bible centered around its core message of salvation history, but rather as the source of divine arguments in all things, it becomes a handbook for life rather than the message of salvation history. It confuses the roles of the spiritual and temporal realms. Fundamentalist ideology also easily leads to legalism and to the “third function of the Law,” which wrongly teaches that God’s Law belongs to a Christian as a moral guideline. God’s kingdom recognizes but two functions of the Law. The first function is its civil law, which is to preserve order and peace in society. The second is its spiritual function, which is to be a “schoolmaster” to give man knowledge of sin and drive him to Christ. But, as Paul writes, “ after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster ” (Gal. 3:25).   Humility of a Child of God We have noticed, especially in the last 10-15 years that politics is particularly polarizing. In reality it has moved beyond polarizing all the way to demonizing. Those with different political views, shaped by their world views and experiences, are viewed as “the enemy.” It’s a good thing to remember that in politics as in other areas of life, people may have different views of how to solve problems and administer finite resources. Likewise believers freely vote in different ways for any number of reasons. God has protected His children in the endeavor of faith regardless of the political situation in the country He has placed them. It’s not useful to consider that somehow another believer is your enemy because of their views on world affairs, for example . We need the care of God’s children, regardless of how they vote in elections. We may not know the political views of the servant of the Word who is preaching from the pulpit, yet we hear and believe the proclamation of the gospel as though we are hearing it from our Lord Jesus himself.   Consider the reality in Jesus’ time. Jesus called His disciples from a spectrum of political beliefs. On one end of the spectrum there was Matthew the publican who loyally collected taxes for the Roman Empire. On the other end there was Simon the Zealot. His title indicates that he belonged to the Zealots, a party that held to the view of expelling the Roman Empire from the Holy Land. Yet God gave them grace to believe, and Jesus called them both to be apostles. How did Jesus teach the disciples to care for each other? Jesus took a basin of water and a towel and proceeded to wash their feet. His instruction was to continue to wash each other’s feet.   I experienced how impossible it became during the time of the pandemic for those who were of a fundamentalist persuasion whom I interacted with in my former workplace, to accept the doctrine of the two regiments. They could not accept Luther’s teaching that the earthly regiment is God’s, and it is our duty to obey temporal authority. It became their mission to wrestle away the God-given authority of temporal governments, all the while pointing to God’s Word as their guide. We encounter the same sentiments from podcasters and pundits. In recent times, we have seen that if our political views, whatever they may be, become the prism through which we interpret God’s Words we can soon become frustrated, angry, and lost. We are drawn into a mindset that pits us against authority. It forces the hypothetical thought of how oppressive it must get before we resist authority. These are not edifying places for us to go. The Mission Command of Christ reminds us that Jesus is the Lord of both Heaven and Earth. We err if we think we are doing Christ’s work by rebelling against temporal authority. We err further if we try use God’s Word as a defense of our rebelliousness.   There are examples in God’s Word that tell us how we ought to behave and what our attitude toward those who are in power should be. A very familiar example is Jesus, especially in his final hours when he rebuked Peter for cutting off the soldier’s ear in the garden. He reminded Peter that he was subject to the temporal law pertaining to the injury or death of his fellow man (Matt 21:51-52). Several hours later we again observe Jesus’ quiet submission to the temporal authority before Pilate. Consider also the example of the Hebrew lads in Babylon.   When Daniel and his friends wanted to remain obedient to God and avoid the royal diet, they respectfully made their request to the king’s servant. He granted a trial period to compare results of the diets of the other boys and the Hebrew boys. God blessed the believing boys, and contrary to reason they fared better than the other boys. The king’s servant accepted their diet. God blessed the believing boys’ studies and granted them wisdom that exceeded everyone else’s, so they were placed into the king’s service. Later, Daniel quietly, yet openly, prayed to God during the time that was decreed to only pray to King Darius. As a result, he was put into the lions’ den. When he was released unharmed, he honored the king. “ O king, live for ever. My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt. ” (Dan 6:21-22).   What was the example for us in the attitude of Daniel? He was a humble servant of the king of Babylon while he lived in this foreign land. He prayed that God would bless the king and the country he was in. He did not rebel against the king, yet he did not stop quietly and humbly worshipping God alone. God blessed his obedience and humility. God showed the kings of Babylon, in Daniel’s time, that He was the only one true God. Daniel didn’t show the kings anything but respect and honor. Daniel believed that even the kings of strange lands were not hidden from God. It was never in his heart to disobey the rulers that God appointed. In our time we yet truly live in a time of unprecedented religious freedom. We can only thank God for this time and do our part to live obediently and humbly in accordance with the laws of the land.   Love in Truth We read in the mission command that God gave the authority for the kingdom of heaven to Jesus also. The kingdom of heaven is here on earth as a spiritual kingdom, the kingdom of grace. Jesus is with the kingdom of grace, His body, as His church. We experience the continued work of Jesus in His congregation through the power of the Holy Spirit. In His mission command, Jesus promised to be with His own until the end of the world. If one wishes to find Christ, he or she must not look for Him in the “desert” or the “secret chambers” or anywhere other than in His congregation, for as Jesus said, “ Wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together ” (Matt. 24:28).   Two years ago, the discussion at the LLC Annual Meeting, openly recognized that a heresy had formed in our midst. As an effect of this heresy, many personal relationships were changed with the recognition that the Holy Spirit is no longer with the other person. This has affected spousal relationships, parent/child relationships, sibling relationships and many other relationships. The “wall of salvation,” as Isaiah called it, has now been placed between us and them (Isa 26:1, 60:18). God’s Word very clearly warns against trying to continue spiritual fellowship where there is no longer the same spirit. Paul wrote to Titus “ A man that is an heretic after the first and second admonition reject; Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself ” (Titus 3:10,11). We have had to allow these relationships to change to avoid being drawn away in our own weakness. This hasn’t meant that we wouldn’t continue to be civil towards those who have departed in heresy or try to maintain respectful family ties. We don’t want to lose hope for their undying souls. It has made us consider that the most fervent prayers on their behalf are now that God could grant repentance and living faith could be theirs again.   We can only marvel that somehow God has preserved each of us in faith. It certainly hasn’t been because we have been less sinful or that we have been more wise. In our conversations about the realities of this heresy, we may sometimes be judgmental. In our desire for clarity, we may sometimes be impatient. It is good that we can freely continue to visit about how it has affected us with our believing friends and receive the encouragement to continue on the narrow way. When questions linger whether someone is with the believers or not, it’s good that we have the mind of Christ to love our neighbors as ourselves. In this, we desire to love in truth because we recognize that, without truth, leniency is close. All matters will be made known in God’s time.   The Threefold Enemy The enemy of souls approaches us today with temptations of today’s world. We are no different than our predecessors, in that they were also tempted in the day they lived. We may no longer covet our neighbor’s ox or donkey, yet we are still told by the enemy of souls that we don’t quite have enough. We might look longingly at the boat in our neighbor’s driveway and begin to wonder if we are getting our share of blessings. It is tempting to love money, even though God’s Word clearly tells us that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evils.   It would be tempting for a person interested in following sports to begin to click the advertisement links when checking the sports news and start to bet on the games. It’s not only the lust for excitement that can tempt us. It may be somehow satisfying for our flesh to see a black tire burnout mark through the rainbow crosswalk, when we are feeling troubled by the celebration of shameless sexual freedom in our community. It might easily be tempting to a person who is worried about human-caused effects on climate change to think that it would be irresponsible to get married and have a family.   For young adults and older single adults there are pressures to conform to worldly thinking, especially when there is much time alone. It’s easy to begin to follow and attach to the world in a variety of interests that draw one into the world. With less of an expectation to interact with other believers and encouragement from the world to be independent in thought and action, it’s easy to be drawn away from God’s kingdom by today’s temptations.   For parents of young and growing families, especially where the ages range broadly, the stress and immediacy of the pressures of the world are felt closely. Technology has brought temptation to busy fathers and mothers as well. It’s tempting for a busy mother with an app that monitors her monthly cycles right on her smartwatch to deliberately deny her husband when the likelihood of conception is at its highest. A busy father can also be tempted to try plan the family. God’s Word teaches husbands and wives to not “defraud” one another and rejection of each other in disobedience causes hurt. Hurt causes distance. Distance makes it easier to hide things from each other. Sin begets more sin. Unbelief is the mother of all sin and sin wars against faith. Unbelief eventually overcomes faith if sin isn’t put away from the conscience.   The enemy wants to steal our peace through worry about the current issues in the world. When we lose our peace and become restless about fears of the world, Satan wants us to start to look for peace in other ways. He tempts us to seek how the world around us looks for peace. We begin to research the answers for our questions in the world. We become tempted by the solutions that the world has for inner peace, and we spiral away from the care of God in His congregation. The believers start to look and sound too out of touch, too simple and too old fashioned. One begins to reject the congregation mother and her care.   We face an enemy that is causing us to be quiet about our struggles and put on an appearance that everything is fine. It is sometimes hard to think that our friends would love us anymore if they knew how big of a mess we’re making in our life. It begins to feel like the easiest thing to do is to keep it all bottled up inside and not share our lives. We need to be able to open our messy homes and imperfect lives to our brothers and sisters in faith so we can find the strength and encouragement to continue traveling on the narrow way that leads us securely home.   The Final Leg of Our Journey Jesus has promised that there isn’t peace in the world, only tribulation. Yet He has also promised that He has overcome the world (John 16:33). While the world rages outside, a child of God is invited to securely believe. Can we put it all aside and just believe that Jesus sacrificial death and victorious resurrection is all that we need to make it home?   It does not matter if the earth is 4.5 billion years old or if the fossil record reveals creatures that are not specifically mentioned in the Bible. It just doesn’t matter! We can remain secure in Jesus’ promise that He made to His own before he departed. “ I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also ” (John 14:3).   Dear brothers and sisters don’t be troubled by the state of the world. Our travel in this land is as a stranger and a pilgrim who increasingly feels at odds with the mindset around us, whether it is the coldness of legalistic fundamentalism or the chaotic acceptance of all manner of sin. Remember the instructions of Jesus when He related of all the trouble in the world before the end will come. “ And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh ” (Luke 21:28).   Jesus will come again! God’s Word assures us that His reward will be with Him. One day, when we least expect it, the sky will brighten in a way that hasn’t happened before; in a way that announces to all people that Jesus is coming again to gather His own. Nothing will matter anymore. In an instant, time will be meaningless, questions will no longer be asked, answers will no longer be offered. The only thing that will matter is faith of the heart. Continue yet for a little while!

Jacque Raisanen  |  The Shepherd’s Voice June/July 2024 - Home and Family Article – Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. – Matthew 5:4 In this Bible verse, we are reminded of the preciousness of living faith. Even though we all have times when we are sad, we are fortunate to be God’s children. When we go through hard times, we feel the loving comfort of the believers around us. In our sadness, God finds ways to show us that He loves us. The Bible is full of examples of believers who mourned or suffered sad events in their lives. One that stands out is the Old Testament story of Job. Everything was taken from him: his family, home, and livelihood. He mourned the losses, but God sent friends to comfort him, and he was reminded of his human pride and sinfulness, and he repented. He was blessed again with a new family and many more temporal blessings, but most importantly, God blessed him by allowing him to keep faith. We can always pray to God that He will remember us when we are sad. He will not forget to comfort us! Things to visit about: What things can make you or others sad? What things help comfort you when you are sad? How can we help others that are sad or missing loved ones?