In the words of Matthew 16, we witness something incredible. We watch as Peter recognizes who Jesus really is. On January 18, the Church celebrates this confession. In an excerpt from Luther's Works on this event, we see the joy found in Peter identifying the Christ.
Paul’s missionary journeys are an incredible part of the Bible. The area that he covered to proclaim Christ as the Savior, even to those who would potentially kill him, makes Acts a phenomenal book on witnessing. But Paul wasn’t always a Christian, nor was he originally named Paul. To understand the beginning of Paul’s missionary journeys and why he felt compelled to begin, let’s look into Paul’s conversion to Christianity as told in Paul: Life and Letters, starting from when he was called Saul.
The season of Christmas is almost over, and Epiphany is right around the corner. To help set our minds on Christ, God’s plan for us, and all His gifts, we read an excerpt from the Matthew 1:1–11:1 Concordia Commentary below.
The first thing I did when I started thinking about this blog post was text a group of my twenty-something-year-old friends a question. I asked, “If you were deciding the next Bible study for a group at your church, would you choose one on a specific topic, one on the Gospels, or one on a different book of the Bible? Why?” I was not shocked with the answers I received. Most of them said they’d choose a book of the Bible they hadn’t studied much or a topic they wanted to delve deeper into. None of them said they’d choose the Gospels.
In a few short days, we will be celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. This is a monumental event, and C. F. W. Walther agrees. As a devotion for this significant celebration, we read Walther’s Christmas Day sermon below from Gospel Sermons Volume 1.
As we begin the season of Advent, we wait for the celebration of the birth of the Messiah. We wait and reflect on what it means that Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament, especially the prophecies that foretold His birth. We look at three specific prophecies about Christ's birth found in Isaiah and Micah.
When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying. “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.” (Revelation 1:17–19)
Who is Jesus? This is a question that divides and unifies. It’s a question in which the answer can explain the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian. Volume 2 of the Concordia Commentary on Mark opens with the first public confession of the identity of Jesus by His followers, a confession that seems to show greater insight than exhibited by those followers heretofore.
Martin Luther: Learning for Life presents a clear and succinct overview of Luther's own education, Luther's educational ideas and programs, and the impact and limitations of Luther and the magisterial reformers' work on the educational enterprise and institutions of his own day to the present.
The posting of the 95 Theses set into motion the events that would lead to a reformation and purification of the public teaching and practice in the Western Church, especially in Germany. At this time, therefore, it is good and right to consider what those writings were which moved the Reformation forward and set forth the Gospel in its purity.
