Thy Strong Word From Kfuo Radio

Rev. Curtis Deterding, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Fort Myers, Florida, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Samuel 5. “Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the LORD, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold.” Luther says in the Catechism that “God’s name is certainly holy in itself”; God will hallow His name with or without us, “among us” or elsewhere. In chapter 5, even after the Israelites have profaned God’s name as one of many gods, God glorifies His own name by embarrassing Dagon in his own temple. The Philistines cannot deny the power, but like the people who heard about the herd of pigs that drowned, they ask Christ to leave rather than repent. What messages are we sending about God with our words and actions?

Rev. Mark Birkholz, pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Samuel 4. “Then Samuel’s word befell all of Israel, and Israel went out to meet the Philistines on the battlefield.” The Hebrew opens ominously in one of the most tragic chapters of the Bible. 1 Samuel 4, like Judges 20, begins with Israel wanting to make itself great in its own eyes. But God isn’t a magical insurance policy, a useful app, or “on demand” episodes of The Office—and He doesn’t show up. Then a wave of bad news & death spreads all over Israel, Yahweh’s own judgment against the polytheistic heart of Israel. We too act like heathens when we search for spiritual silver bullets in styles & slogans, but not even our own idolized Ichabods can console amidst the chaos of God’s absence. Christ came, not as the king we asked for, but as the king we needed, to repent in us and turn us back to God as king.

Rev. Mark Femmel, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Maryland Heights, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Samuel 3. Have you ever wished that God would call out to you like He did to Samuel, so you could say “Speak, LORD, for your servant hears”? Be careful what you wish for. Chapter 3 shows that prophecy is a grave responsibility (especially when it’s overdue!), one that even Eli the High Priest shirked, to the peril of his whole family for generations. It means saying what no one wants to hear, sacrificing our own hopes & goals, and even disappointing our own family—something Eli could not do with his sons. Still, even with Eli, God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Despite how we have ignored Him, God Himself shows up for us and says “Here I am, for you called me” through Christ. In Him, the true successor of Eli, we have greater access to God’s Word even than Samuel did.

Rev. Charles Henrickson, pastor of St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Bonne Terre, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Samuel 2. “My heart exults in the LORD; [...] He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.” Hannah sets a good example of thanksgiving after supplication, but why talk about an anointed king before there was any such thing? Chapter 2 continues to point ahead, building on wordplay between Samuel and Saul, who would be the first king anointed by Samuel because Israel “asked for him from the LORD.” Samuel connects ancient figures like Jacob’s son Joseph and Aaron’s sons Nadab & Abihu to Elizabeth’s son John and to Mary’s son—Jesus the Christ. Old age is God’s gift, contrasted here between old survivors who mourn what’s been lost to corruption and old forerunners who anticipate in faith a fuller realization of God’s promises, a “faithful priest” and the son of all Israel’s hopes & prayers.

Rev. Paul Cain, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Sheridan, Wyoming, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Samuel 1. “And she called his name Samuel, for she said, ‘I have asked for him from the LORD. [...] Therefore I have lent him to the LORD. As long as he lives, he is lent to the LORD.’” How should Christians wield political power? The stories of Samuel, Saul, David, and Solomon all begin here in 1 Samuel chapter 1 in this very “fluid” situation. We are introduced to priests and Levites who seem generally faithful to Yahweh, but they want to have their cake and eat it too. Samuel however as a name is an acknowledgement that everything in this life, including this life itself, is a loan from God, meant to be given back to God. God demonstrates this complete self-giving through His Son, foreshadowed by Samuel as one who holds the offices of prophet, priest, and king all at the same time.

Rev. Gregory Alms, pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church and School in Catonsville, Maryland, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Corinthians 16. “Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will to come now. He will come when he has opportunity.” After everything he’s written in response to the pro-Apollos faction in Corinth, why would Paul want Apollos of all people to go back? Paul shows in his final chapter that Christ’s Spirit makes us “grow up” and put childish divisions behind us. Spiritual maturity means humbly following others’ examples of love and service, not childishly acting like we’ve invented our own brand of Christianity. Offerings collected in worship to support the international church are not an optional afterthought, but a celebration of our one baptism into Christ.

Rev. Brian Davies, pastor of Lord of Glory Lutheran Church in Grayslake, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Corinthians 15. “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, and you are still in your sins. [...] Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” With your arguing and divisiveness, you live as if Christ were still dead. Paul levels this heavy charge against the Corinthians in chapter 15 because, ultimately, everything he’s been talking about is just a spelling-out of “the gospel” itself. The creed Paul presents shows that Christianity isn’t about unique brands of doctrine or cults of celebrity personality. Living life like the resurrection is real means rejecting the way of this world. Although the way of humble love & service seems like an insufficient legacy, Christ’s resurrection ensures that our “labor is not in vain.” We don’t have to invest our lives in impressive knowledge and renowned wisdom which will pass away. We stick to the universal creeds given to the who

Rev. Andrew Yeager, pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Decatur, Indiana, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Corinthians 14. If “all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds?” While Paul never says that ecstatic speech is categorically evil, he slams the breaks on the Corinthians’ enthusiasm for such “manifestations of the Spirit” in chapter 14. Love is more concerned about saying something “intelligible” that “builds up” others, rather than saying something impressive and proving itself. Speaking in tongues is really an extraordinary sign, like miracles, that God gave in places of unbelief to authenticate the Apostles; believers are meant to “prophecy” and speak with their “minds.” Not only are we to speak with meaning, but we are to mean what we say—both the heart and the head, the full mind of Christ incarnate for us in love.

Rev. Rev. David Boisclair, pastor of Faith and Bethesda Lutheran Churches in North St. Louis County, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Corinthians 13. “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way.” Paul isn’t talking about the unique character of falling in love—he’s talking about talking to people from church! Although chapter 13 is popular at weddings, Paul here contrasts speaking in a patient and humble way with both speaking in tongues as well as speaking in a stern and proud way. The last quotation in 12:21 was the proud eye to the weak hand: “I have no need of you.” No matter how world-saving, no matter how profound, no matter how beautiful, the spiritual gifts of faith and hope are only temporary. Ultimately, they are useless without that which is eternal: the charity and kindness of Christ.

Rev. Mark Preus, pastor of St. Andrew Lutheran Church & Campus Center in Laramie, Wyoming, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Corinthians 12. “It is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” Hang around a church long enough, and people will start talking about spirituality, spiritual gifts, spiritual maturity, and the rest. What does it even mean to be “spiritual”? Paul’s big idea in chapter 12 is that spirituality is not cause to be proud of ourselves. All Christians are spiritual by mere faith, and the highest spirituality is humble, loving service towards others. God is glorified when we, like Christ, empty ourselves of our own interests and preferences for the sake of others. “Discernment” is not exclusivistic or spiritual refinement, but a way of patiently guiding our “weaker” brothers while humbly honoring them.

Rev. Steven Theiss, retired LCMS pastor, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Corinthians 11. “The head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.” What do head coverings have to do with the Lord’s Supper? Does Paul intend in 1 Corinthians 11 for women to pick up hats on their way into church on Sundays, even today? Paul speaks these words right after talking about eating together and “building up” each other. The point is that the Lord’s supper is an intimate act, as intimate as husband and wife. Because public worship reflects what happens in heaven with God and the angels, we ought to build each other up with the way we dress and behave. Husbands and wives must do whatever is appropriate in their culture to reverently reflect the intimacy of Christ and His bride the church, made spotless and without blemish by His faithful and sacrificial love.

Rev. Dr. Kevin Golden, pastor of Village Lutheran Church in Ladue, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Corinthians 10. “You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?” The Corinthians thought they were being spiritual and full of faith as they ate meat in pagan temples, confessing the irreality of false gods and looking down on their “weaker” and more sensitive Christian brothers. In chapter 10, Paul pulls the rug out from under them—they aren’t antagonizing weak-minded Christians, but Christ Himself! Like Israel, we are not saved by entering into a spiritual structure or learning a certain amount of doctrine. The church’s life is daily repentance and constant participation in Christ, to the glory of God and the benefit of the neighbor.

Rev. Stewart Crown, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Palo Alto, California, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Corinthians 9. “Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.” God gives us rights that we may give them up for others, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9. Although he had more rights than most as an apostle, he did not consider these rights his due “compensation” for the work of the gospel: “For necessity is laid upon me.” Rather it was his own duty, as an individual Christian, to give these up for the sake of the Greek world. As Christ gave up His rights as priest and king before illegitimate usurpers, so we as Christians give up our rights, even for those who are mistaken or “superstitious,” solely for the sake of love.

Rev. Nathan Meador, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Plymouth, Wisconsin, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 50. "If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine." God doesn't need our help—but even if He did—He wouldn't ask us. Psalm 50 humbles us as it calls on both God’s own “people” as well as the “God-forgetters” to repent. There is no getting away with sin, as David himself found out. He confessed his sin with Bathsheba in Psalm 51 which immediately follows, because there’s no covering up sin with pious recitations. Similarly in 1 Corinthians 10, Paul criticizes the arrogance that acts as if we do God favors with our scruples. It’s our neighbor that needs our help, not God. Christ humbly offered Himself, not to feed God, but to feed us in His sacrament for our forgiveness.

Rev. Lane Burgland, pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Churubusco, Indiana, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Corinthians 8. A lot of churches are talking about their rights these days. “If food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat,” Paul says in chapter 8. Paul shows the Corinthians that love comes before freedom. While our fellow Christians may be “weak,” immature, or even incorrect on certain issues, it’s more important to preserve their souls than to enjoy our rights—regardless of how we see them, God values them at the price and worth of the blood of Jesus Christ. It’s more than worth it to abstain from exercising our rights, regardless of how reasonable or justifiable they may be, for our brother’s sake.

Rev. Thomas Eckstein, pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in Jamestown, North Dakota, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Corinthians 7. “Those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that. This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short.” Is Paul for or against marriage? In chapter 7 the Apostle charts a middle course, not for the sake of compromise, but with a view to both the present circumstances as well as the unchanging fundamentals. Marriage, sex, and family are good gifts from God, central to His created order. Yet in the midst of famine, political turmoil, and impending war & disaster, it was not a good time to start a family. Paul offers pastoral counsel that focuses on how God has called us, not our own desires or individualistic preferences. By God’s own faithfulness in Christ, we know grace in this major part of our lives.

Rev. John Shank, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Edwardsville, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Corinthians 6. “To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong?” What we have in the body of Christ is more important than our own rights, wealth, or property—what a different perspective Paul gives in chapter 6! But it’s the consequence of seeing our fellow Christians as extensions of our own body. How can the body be made whole if it comes at the expense of one of its own members? Similarly sexual immorality is not a “private” matter, because in Christ all our bodies are interconnected, each participating and affected together. This law stings at times, but thanks be to God that we also share in Christ’s body, now raised and ascended.

Rev. John Lukomski, retired LCMS pastor and co-host of Wrestling with the Basics on KFUO Radio, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Corinthians 5. “Deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.” The sexually immoral should be kicked out, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6. But how is that loving?  Like us, the Corinthians were proud of themselves for being so tolerant and open-minded. Church discipline however is not done with a holier-than-thou scoff: it’s carried out in public mourning that the community has sinned and must now repent together. Like the “Prodigal Son,” the prayer is that the selfish and self-destructive ways of the world would bring the brother back in repentance. We follow the lead of Christ, who was kind, loving, and even self-sacrificial towards those outside the faith.

Rev. Doug Nicely, pastor of Jerusalem Lutheran Church in Collinsville, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Corinthians 4. “Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?” Paul’s sarcastic and almost threatening language in chapter 4 may seem un-apostle-like, but Paul speaks to the Corinthians with the familiarity and intimacy of a father to his children. And a good parent calls out their child’s shameful behavior—not so that they would perpetually feel “ashamed, but to admonish” them and save them from “countless” false guides. But parenthood isn’t glamorous, at times even full of “refuse.” That’s how the humble yet authoritative “bottom-up” leadership of the church operates. How do we evaluate the leadership of our pastors? “Do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes.”

Rev. Ryan Fehrman, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Wausau, Wisconsin, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Corinthians 3. “I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it.” We sometimes talk about being “spiritually fed” as if we were the ones managing our spiritual diet. But Paul in 1 Corinthians 3 says that we’re like children, plants, or buildings—someone else manages the diet or project. As Christians we are called to a spiritual perspective, not to a natural (“fleshy”) one which judges leaders by how charismatic or entertaining they are. Entrusting ourselves to the pastors God has put into our lives, they can give us what they see we need, just as Christ graciously cultivates the cultus of His temple: His body, the whole church on earth.