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Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! In this Bible study we talked about: 00:00 Introduction and Context of Joshua Chapter 5 03:04 The Significance of Circumcision and Identity 06:01 The Passover and Transition to the Promised Land 09:00 Encounter with the Commander of the Lord's Army 12:00 The Strategy for Jericho's Conquest 14:50 The Fall of Jericho and Its Implications 18:54 The Curse of Jericho and Its Legacy 25:03 The Consequences of Disobedience 33:57 The Fall of Ai: A Tactical Victory 40:26 Renewing the Covenant and the Law

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! Is Halloween a pagan festival? A Christian holiday? Harmless fun? Unintentional paganism? Let's Get into it!

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! For those beginning to write sermons as vicars, pastors, and field workers, these are some steps I take to write sermons. You don't need to rely on ai, it might be a decent amount of work, but it's far from impossible. Let's get into it!

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! Is it a sin to be rich/ To be a trillionaire? There are a ton of Bible verse that talk about wealth and people seeking riches, let's go through them all to see what they say on the matter. Let's get into it!

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! Does Baptism save? Let's go through what else the Bible says about baptism, what it is, who it is for, and what it does. In this video I respond to a Baptist preacher who believes that baptism is just an external sign of salvation, not efficacious. He uses some Bible verses, and misses quite a few others worth considering. Let's get into it! Feel free to check out the original video I'm responding to here: "Baptist Preacher DISMANTLES Fr. Mike Schmitz on Baptism" https://youtu.be/cV5Ojp7LUS8

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! What's better than terrible theology videos? 3 Lutheran theologians responding to them with Scripture. Find more of Matthew Gehne here: https://www.instagram.com/matthew.gehne/ linktr.ee/matthew.gehne Let's get into it!

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! In this Bible study we talked about: 00:00 Different Faiths: Mormons vs. Christianity 07:48 The Roman Catholic Perspective on Faith and Works 12:33 The Death Penalty Debate in Christianity 19:41 The Authority of Government and the Power of the Sword 22:01 Justice, Love, and the Death Penalty 24:04 Theological Debates on Capital Punishment 26:09 Understanding Suicide and Mental Illness 29:20 The State of Grace and Forgiveness 32:30 The Nature of Mental Illness and God's Love 34:56 Lessons from Joshua: Memorials and God's Miracles

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! The Church Father regularly said this, and the Greek itself indicates that this is not the establishment of the papacy. Rather, this is talking about the keys of the kingdom, the authority to excommunicate/absolve, binding and loosing someone to/from their sin. In this video I get into both of those things... but if you want a bunch of Church Father quotes, I'll paste a few below. Let's get into it! ******* “The warmth of our praises does not extend to Simon insofar as he was a catcher of fish; rather it extends to his firm faith, which is at the same time the foundation of the whole Church” (Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335 - c. 394), Panegyric on St. Stephen, [PG 46.733]). “Faith, then, is the foundation of the Church, for it was not said of Peter’s flesh, but of his faith, that ‘the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’ But his confession of faith conquered hell. And this confession did not shut out one heresy, for, since the Church like a good ship is often buffeted by many waves, the foundation of the Church should prevail against all heresies” (Ambrose (c. 339 - 397), The Sacrament of the Incarnation of Our Lord 4.32-5.35, in The Fathers of the Church, vol. 44, p. 230-231). “The prophets prepared, the apostles laid the foundations. Wherefore the Lord says to Peter: ‘Upon this rock I shall build my Church,’ that is, upon this confession of the catholic faith I shall establish the faithful in life” (Ambrosiaster, Commentary on Ephesians, [PL 17.380]). “Therefore He added this, ‘And I say unto thee, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church;’ that is, on the faith of his confession. Hereby He signifies that many were on the point of believing, and raises his spirit, and makes him a shepherd” (John Chrysostom (c. 347 - 407 AD), Homilies on the Gospel of Saint Matthew, Homily 54.2-3). “The rock is Christ, Who gave to His apostles, that they also should be called rocks, ‘Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church’” (Jerome (c. 342 - 420), Commentary on Amos 6.12-13). “Christ, you see, built his Church not on a man but on Peter’s confession. What is Peter’s confession? ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ There’s the rock for you, there’s the foundation, there’s where the Church has been built, which the gates of the underworld cannot conquer” (Augustine (354 - 430), Sermons, Sermon 229P.1, in The Works of Saint Augustine, vol. III/6, p. 327). “And upon this rock I will build my Church (Mt 16:17-18); not upon Peter, or Rocky, which is what you are, but upon the rock which you have confessed. I will build my Church though; I will build you, because in this answer of yours you represent the Church” (Augustine (354 - 430), Sermons, Sermon 270.2, in The Works of Saint Augustine, vol. III/7, p. 289). “Jesus said to divine Peter: ‘You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church.’ Now by the word ‘rock’, Jesus indicated, I think, the immoveable faith of the disciple” (Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376 - 444), Commentary on Isaiah 4.2, [PG 70.940]). “‘It will not be moved’ is said about the Church to which alone that promise has been given: ‘You are Peter and upon this rock I shall build my Church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.’ For the Church cannot be moved because it is known to have been founded on that most solid rock, namely, Christ the Lord” (Cassiodorus (c. 485 - c. 585), Expositions in the Psalms, Psalm 45.5).

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! What does the Bible say about relics? How should Christians handle remains and burial? Let's get into it!

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! In this Bible study we talked about: 00:00 Introduction to the Third Commandment and its significance 00:28 The Biblical and Jewish understanding of the Sabbath 02:20 Misinterpretations and abuses of the Sabbath in Jesus' time 05:32 The purpose of the Sabbath: Rest and Recovery 08:14 The Christian understanding of the Sabbath and Holy Days 11:12 The New Covenant and the spiritual rest in Christ 17:20 How to sanctify and keep the Holy Day in Christ 20:11 The role of God's Word in making a day holy 23:08 Relics, superstitions, and the true source of holiness 26:51 The danger of superficial religious practices 30:46 The importance of God's Word in daily life and worship 33:05 Rest as a gift from God and its connection to faith 35:23 The danger of neglecting God's Word and spiritual laziness 38:08 Conclusion: The true meaning of the Third Commandment and living holy in Christ

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! Saw a bunch of questions on Facebook about innovating, reaching the unchurched, handling pastor shortage, dealing with multiple small congregations, adopting a megachurch model, etc. Thought it was worth going through them all. I will put all the questions in the post below in case any other pastor wants to answer too: " I grew up in and left the ELCA over a decade ago now because of severe theological concerns. As such, I've long since moved on from my "cage state-y Exposing the ELCA" phase. I know that topics like abortion, women's ordination, immigration, etc. generate plenty of anger, which in turn generates plenty of engagement, which in turn generates plenty of algorithmic upvoting; but aren't there other things we can actively engage on? At current rates of membership decline, the ELCA is projected to die in 25 years. The LCMS isn't far behind that. This post isn't saying "let's stop arguing theology" (theology is important), but it is asking "can't we focus on the looming existential threats a little more?" I'd so much rather spend time on this group addressing questions like these: 1. What are innovative ways your church is engaging the unchurched? 2. How does Lutheran theology offer real hope to Millennials and Gen Z folks who have decided it isn't in church? 3. How can Lutherans engage the increasing diversity of the United States? 4. A flood of pastors is projected to retire in the next few years (already happening). What is your church doing to help raise up pastors beyond just saying "that's the Synod's job"? 5. What are the most God-honoring options for small Lutheran churches facing imminent closure? Selling off the building? Becoming a multi-site of a larger Lutheran church? Turning it into a bar or Arts center? 6. What do we think about multi-site ministry? The "megachurch" trend among Evangelicals has largely turned into multi-site since you lose the overhead costs of a huge building. Is it Biblically-sound, or of the Devil? 7. Some young people are leaving Evangelicalism for Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. Why aren't they finding Lutheranism? Why is it so hard to find us? "

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! Weekly or Monthly? Grape juice or wine? Open or closed? Does the pastor act like the dictator for communion practice? Or is he a servant to be directed by the congregation? This is what we discuss in this video featuring Rev Daniel Ross and Brother Matthew Gehne Find more of Matthew Gehne here: https://www.instagram.com/matthew.gehne/ linktr.ee/matthew.gehne Let's get into it!

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! In this Bible study we talked about: 00:00 Introduction to the Third Commandment and its significance 00:28 The Biblical and Jewish understanding of the Sabbath 02:20 Misinterpretations and abuses of the Sabbath in Jesus' time 05:32 The purpose of the Sabbath: Rest and Recovery 08:14 The Christian understanding of the Sabbath and Holy Days 11:12 The New Covenant and the spiritual rest in Christ 17:20 How to sanctify and keep the Holy Day in Christ 20:11 The role of God's Word in making a day holy 23:08 Relics, superstitions, and the true source of holiness 26:51 The danger of superficial religious practices 30:46 The importance of God's Word in daily life and worship 33:05 Rest as a gift from God and its connection to faith 35:23 The danger of neglecting God's Word and spiritual laziness 38:08 Conclusion: The true meaning of the Third Commandment and living holy in Christ

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! In this Bible study we talked about: 00:00 What does it mean to take God's name in vain? 04:48 Common ways God's name is misused in society 09:50 The seriousness of misusing God's name and its consequences 16:32 Teaching children to honor God's name with joy and reverence 22:06 Practical ways to incorporate God's name in daily life 27:46 The power of calling on God's name in protection and prayer 30:29 Summary and encouragement to respect and use God's name rightly

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! In this Bible study we talked about: 00:00 Introduction to biblical warfare and God's justice 00:45 The story of Midian and the command to wipe out civilizations 02:31 Jesus' teaching on leading others to sin and God's harsh judgments 04:43 The importance of context in understanding God's commands 06:24 The morality of war and God's justice in the Old Testament 08:14 The mercy of God and the possibility of redemption for enemies 10:01 The horror of child sacrifice in ancient civilizations 11:42 The concept of God's justice versus human understanding 13:34 The inclusion of Gentiles and enemies into God's family 15:30 The importance of trusting God's wisdom and plan 17:20 The division of spoils and conquest in biblical history 19:12 The foreshadowing of future consequences in biblical narratives 21:10 The dangers of trying to outdo God's justice and mercy 23:02 The story of Jonah and God's mercy towards enemies 24:47 The importance of faith and trusting in God's plan 26:36 The sovereignty of God and human limitations 28:28 The future promises and warnings in the Bible 30:09 The legacy of biblical conquest and God's justice 31:58 The importance of understanding biblical history in context 32:44 Conclusion and encouragement to trust God's wisdom