Concord Matters From Kfuo Radio

Even though this article begins a shift towards addressing the specific abuses in the Roman Catholic Church at the time of the Reformation (and thus this lines up nicely with the 492 Anniversary of the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession today, June 25), how is the Lutheran approach to addressing these abuses still very much relevant for our consideration of matters within the Church still today? The specific abuse addressed in Article 22 — both kinds in the sacrament — isn't really much of an issue today, but what are some places that we might still see similar errors in the celebration of the Lord's Supper and should still apply the same confession and consider what Christ has instituted and given to His Church? Rev. Timothy Appel, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Smithville, TX,  joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss both kinds in the Sacrament in Article XXII of the Augsburg Confession. Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at boo

Do Lutherans have regard for the saints? Do saints pray for us? Learn about the role that saints have in the Roman Catholic Church, in the Lutheran Church, and in other Reformed churches. Also, hear about ways in our modern Lutheranism in which we may fall into either the cult of saints or no regard at all for saints, and how we can honor the saints according to Scripture. Rev. Tim Sims, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church & School in Chester, IL joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss worship of the saints in Augsburg Confession Article XXI. Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.

We confess that good works are not necessary for salvation, but in what sense *are* they necessary? Hear also why some people accuse Lutherans of "forbidding good works," how this article on Good Works is really more about faith than about works, whether there is a wrong motivation for doing good works, what good works truly are, and whether there is a time that doing good works would actually be an insult to the work of Christ. Rev. Andy Wright joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss good works in Article XX in the Augsburg Confession. Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.

Sin is often excused because we claim that God "set us up" or that "the devil made me do it. But, what is the truth about sin and the cause of all sin in our world? Hear about the nature of our will after the Fall and why our reluctance to acknowledge the reality of our sin actually keeps us from the comfort of the Gospel. Rev. Mark Bestul, pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Elgin, IL, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss the Cause of Sin in Article XIX of the Augsburg Confession. Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.

Do Christians have a free will? Hear discussion on what good people are able and unable to accomplish, and whether people have the ability to overcome evil by their own will-power. Also, consider how we think about charitable unbelievers and if God really hates their "good deeds." Finally, plug the Word and Sacraments into the conversation to think about how the nature of our will emphasizes our need to receive Christ and His Word. Rev. Matt Wurm, pastor of Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in Brookings, South Dakota, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss Free Will in Article XVIII of the Augsburg Confession. Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.

How do we to understand the Biblical teaching on the future and Jesus' return for Judgment? Learn about how we we confess this teaching in our Christian life by the way that we pray, our liturgy, our hymns, and even how we view our everyday lives in this world. Also hear about what the final judgment hold  for believers and unbelievers, how that influences how people react to the Last Day, and in what ways people hold false opinions on the kingdom of Christ and His return. Rev. Mark Bestul, pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Elgin, IL, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss Christ's return for judgment in Article XVII of the Augsburg Confession. Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.

Is civil government a blessing — a gift of God, to be participated in, supported and sustained? Or is government evil and a tool of the devil? Is the world itself — our family, job, and communities — evil to be avoided? Or are the things of the world for Christians too, to be used in god-pleasing ways? Hear about the purpose of government and the Christian's relationship to it, the attitude of the Reformers toward service in civil government, if a Christian can be part of a government that is corrupt, and how every Christian shows Christian love and genuine good works. Rev. Dr. Adam Koontz, Assistant Professor of Exegetical Theology and Director of Field Education at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, IN, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss Civil Government in Article XVI of the Augsburg Confession. Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.

As Lutherans we love our hymnody, but what makes hymns particularly Lutheran? How do hymns point us even more to Scripture, and  how can we use them devotionally? And, on the creative side, how does a Lutheran hymnwriter create a hymn that is both beautiful poetry and also doctrinally rich? Rev. Stephen Starke, Lutheran Hymn Writer of over 200 hymns (including 32 in the Lutheran Service book) and retired LCMS pastor, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss our heritage of Lutheran hymnody and what makes it unique. This is a rebroadcast from May 8, 2021.

We sing hymns every Sunday, and hopefully throughout our daily lives. But, what actually is a hymn? Is it just a fancy word for song? Hear this delightful conversation about the purpose of hymnody, where we find scriptural basis for singing hymns in worship services, how we use hymns in the life of the congregation, how music and text work together in hymnody, and what makes our Lutheran hymnody so unique and wonderful. Rev. Dr. Jon Vieker joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss why concord matters for Lutheran hymnody. This is a rebroadcast from May 1, 2021.

What are human ceremonies in the Church? What good is there in practicing human ceremonies in the Church if they are not commanded by God? When the Augsburg Confession says "ceremonies ought to be observed that may be observed without sin", learn what that would include and exclude, how we best confess Christ and His Gospel by our ceremony in the Church, and why it may be even more necessary today or keep or recover traditional orders and ceremonies in our churches. Rev. Anthony Dodgers, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Charlotte, Iowa, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss Church Ceremonies in the Augsburg Confession. Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.

Article XIV of the Augsburg Confession is very short, and yet remains a point of contention. What is the benefit of having a properly Called pastor in the Church, and how do we understand the role of pastors in the Church? How has the church formed, Called, and Ordained pastors throughout the centuries? Rev. Kyle Mietzner, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Anchorage, Alaska, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss order in the Church in Article XIV in the Augsburg Confession. Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.

In Article XIII, the Lutheran confessors are concerned about the Roman Catholic understanding that the Sacraments are beneficial just by doing them. So, how do Lutherans speak of the proper use of the the Sacraments? What do the Lutheran confessors mean when they say that the Sacraments were instituted to awaken and confirm faith in those who use them? Is the improper use of the Sacraments harmful? How does our confession of this article affect our practice and use of the Sacraments in our churches still today? Rev. Tim Sims, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church & School in Chester, IL, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss the use of Sacraments in Article XIII in the Augsburg Confession. Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.

What is “true repentance”? Learn about what follows repentance, what it means to be sorrowful over sin, and why this article speaks of good works as “the fruit of repentance”. Also, hear about the (false) teachings that once you’re baptized you cannot sin anymore (“once saved always saved”) and if you sin after baptism you cannot be forgiven, and why these teachings are so destructive to the Gospel teaching of repentance. Lastly, learn whether the errors the confessors addressed in the teaching of repentance are still around today. Rev. Jacob Dandy, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church and School in Terra Bella, California, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss repentance in Article XII of the Augsburg Confession. Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.

We turn to Article XI on Confession. The Lutheran confessors condemn what the Roman Catholic practice of confession had become, yet why do the confessors urge the private confession and absolution should be retained in the churches? Also hear discussion on the reactions most people have when urged to go to confession, misconceptions about the practice, and why it's important for God's people. What benefits of private confession and absolution should encourage us to make this a practice in our Christian life? Should the Lutheran church return to the practice of private confession? Rev. Mark Birkholz, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Naperville, IL, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss confession in Article XI of the Augsburg Confession. Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.

As Lutherans, we seem to have a lot to say about the Lord's Supper, but Article X in the Augsburg Confession is relatively short. What is our Lutheran focus in this doctrine, and why is "real presence" so important to us? Are Lutherans closer in agreement to the Roman Catholics or the other groups coming out of the Reformation? What are the various ways that Sacramentarians deny what we — and thus Scripture and the historic Church — teach regarding the Lord's Supper, and what is the "threat" to the faith in what they teach? Rev. Dr. Ryan Tinetti, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Arcadia, Michigan, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss the Lord's Supper in Article X of the Augsburg Confession. Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.

What is the Lutheran confession of Baptism? Learn about what the confessors mean by "baptism is necessary for salvation," why the confessors don't just reject but rather "condemn" the Anabaptist's teaching on Baptism, why we baptize infants, and where we see contemporary situations that show how our Lutheran confession of the great treasure of Baptism is still relevant and important today. Rev. Matthew Zickler, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Western Springs, IL, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss Baptism in Article IX of the Augsburg Confession. Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.

What makes the Church? Learn about the unity of the Church, including what is necessary and not necessary for unity, and how the Lutheran doctrine of the Church Gospel-centered. Also hear about how the Holy Spirit works even through evil and faithless people, why this is a good thing to know when we talk about the work of the Church, and why the Roman Catholics rejected the Lutheran doctrine confessed about the Church and what the Church is. Rev. Peter Ill, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Milstadt, IL, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss the Church and what the Church is in Articles VII and VIII of the Augsburg Confession. Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession. Text of the hymn “The Church's One Foundation” Samuel J. Stone, Public domain. Recording from “Hymns For All Saints: Adoration Praise Comfort” © 2004 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission.

What is faith, and what is the relationship of faith and good works? Learn what "new" means in regards to obedience, whether good works are necessary for the Christian, and what we mean when we say that good works are "bound to happen". Also, hear about how true worship is a good work, why it's wrong to "rely on good works," and how you might tell the difference between relying on works and just doing them. Rev. Michael Schuermann, pastor of University Lutheran Church in Champaign, IL joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss the New Obedience in Article VI of the Augsburg Confession. Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.

We move on to Article V of the Augsburg Confession, on The Ministry. What is ministry, and how is it properly defined and understood? Also hear discussion on whether we sometimes have poor practices in the Church because of a poor understanding of what "the ministry" is, what God gives and produces through the ministry, and the relationship between the means of grace and the office of the ministry. Rev. Jacob Hercamp, pastor of St. Peter Lutheran Church in La Grange, MO, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss the Ministry in Article V of the Augsburg Confession. Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.

We come to Article VI of the Augsburg Confession on Justification, the article by which the church stands or falls. Why is this article so critical? Also, learn the differences between the Lutheran and Roman Catholic concepts of "the grace of God" and the doctrine of justification, what we believe about justification and who does the work, and the implications of this article on justification for how we will read the rest of the Augsburg Confession. Rev. Charles Henrickson, pastor of St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Bonne Terre & Grace Lutheran Church in DeSoto, Missouri, joins host Rev. Sean Smith to discuss Article IV of the Augsburg Confession. Find your copy of The Augsburg Confession - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession.