Pastor’s Perch
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. [1]
What does it take to win a battle? You need the right equipment. Our soldiers would not last long in a battle without good equipment. In fact, it would be quite foolish to go into battle ill equipped. Our soldiers need the best equipment to finish the battle. They need weapons, armor, and even the right camouflage. Soldiers also need the best training, and they need to understand the enemy. Add all of this together and a soldier will be ready for battle.
In Paul’s day being prepared for battle was always necessary. The Roman soldiers were some of the best trained and equipped soldiers at that time. Paul had the opportunity to see these soldiers day in and day out. As a man under arrest, a Roman soldier would be assigned to him at all times. Most likely Paul, as he concluded his letter, noticed the soldier assigned to him, and it dawned on him that, we too, as believers, are soldiers in God’s army. And what do soldiers need? They need to be dressed for battle.
Paul needed to remind the Roman Christians of their enemy. “12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” The enemy is not easily seen. The enemy is all around us and in us. The battle does not take place out in the physical world. The battle ground is the heart! The goal of the enemy is to drag us to hell, to destroy God’s people. The weapon the enemy uses is the enticement of sin and its pleasures.
The enemy was attacking the Ephesians by causing divisions. They were divided by ethnicity, Greeks vs. Jews. The Greeks could not understand why the Jews disliked them so much, and the Jews could not understand why the Greeks ate unclean food. The enemy almost tore them apart. But God came to the rescue. He made them one in Christ. He removed any barriers that could come between them. And the Ephesians needed to hear the grace of God in order for them to stand together on the battlefield.
But that was two thousand years ago, certainly we do not have such problems as they did? The enemy does not need to change tactics very often. The enemy of darkness can still cause divisions among us today. Some of us have different idea of how a worship service should be conducted. Some of us have a particular way we want to run the church. We have the same sinful attitudes that almost tore the Ephesian church apart. The sinful attitude says, “My way or the highway. I want what I want, and I could care less what you want. If the church will not follow my wishes, I won’t go.” Divisions in the church are not new. Divisions come when we listen to our sinful hearts, which is the goal of our spiritual enemies.
In order for us to prepare to fight the enemy, we must understand his tactics. We need to understand what his goal is. When we recognize the movements of our enemies, we can unite under the only banner which can defeat them. We stand united under the banner of God’s grace and forgiveness.
Paul then encourages us to be ready to defend ourselves and even to go on the attack when we recognize who we are dealing with. Paul does not leave us guessing on how to accomplish this. “11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”
My friends, the battle continue to this day and the battle will continue until Jesus ends all battles when he returns. In the meantime, we are not left defenseless. Quite the opposite, we are dressed for battle. We have everything we need to stand firm until the end. We already know the outcome of the battle: we are victorious. We cannot lose because Christ is on our side. Remember this as the battle rages on!
Your brother in Christ,
Rev. Patrick Feldhus
Grace’s News
Our summer Sunday worship time will continue at 9 am through Labor Day.
Pastor Thad Bitter will be at Grace on August 8th as a gust preacher. There will be a get together after worship with Pastor Bitter and his family.
Our church outdoor worship and picnic will be at the Legion Park on August 15th with worship beginning at 10 am with a potluck meal to follow at 11 am.
The Voters will meet on August 22nd at 10 am after worship. There will also be a call extended during the meeting.
There will be a congregational planning meeting on August 28th at 9 am. Everyone is encouraged to attend and give your input.
Synod New
Providing care through humanitarian aid grants
WELS Christian Aid and Relief announced it has approved $470,882 for humanitarian aid projects in WELS mission fields throughout the United States and worldwide for fiscal year 2021-22.
Projects are developed by WELS home and world missionaries, who continually look for opportunities to serve hurting people in their communities with ongoing basic needs, like food, clothing, shelter, and medical care. Rev. Daniel Sims, director of WELS Christian Aid and Relief, says, “When our missionaries can assist people in this way, it also helps to build trust and leads to many opportunities to then share the life-changing news of the gospel.”
The humanitarian aid granted through WELS Christian Aid and Relief takes many forms, including providing smokeless stoves to safely heat homes in Asia, medical clinics, assistance for legal immigrants, vocational training, and backpacks and school supplies for underprivileged kids.
One of the most recent aid projects was supporting the digging of five boreholes in Zambia to provide clean and safe drinking water. “Here in the United States, we take fresh drinking water for granted, but in Africa access to fresh, clean water is often severely limited,” says Sims. “These boreholes, which are often built near our churches, provide our missionaries a point of contact and an opportunity to talk to people about Jesus. The care and compassion shown by the gift of the borehole means that many are more willing to listen.”
Sims continues to be thankful for God’s blessings on these projects, which are supported through the generosity of God’s people. “Even though our ministry is not part of the synodical budget, we are able to carry out this vital ministry of compassion. God’s people, moved by his love, are generous.”
WELS members can support the work of WELS Christian Aid and Relief through prayers and offerings. In addition to humanitarian aid grants, the organization also provides disaster relief and medical financial emergency grants to people in need.
View a complete list of humanitarian aid projects supported by WELS Christian Aid and Relief through your offerings.
Amazing blessings
God’s people of our synod provided faith-filled gifts in support of the mission we carry out together. Fiscal year 2021 ended with an incredible month of June. Total Congregation Mission Offerings (CMO) for the month was $1.82 million, which is 1.6% higher than June 2020. This was $191,000 more than the amount that congregations had committed.
On a calendar year-to-date basis through June 2021 (6 months), total CMO was $10.3 million, up 8.9% ($846,000) over the prior year and 7.2% ($697,000) over projected receipts.
On a fiscal year-to-date basis through June 2021 (full year of 12 months), total CMO is $22.59 million, up 5.4% ($1,160,000) over the prior year ($21.4 million for FY20). This is first time that fiscal year CMO exceeded $22 million, the largest fiscal year total for CMO in the synod’s history.
These results, a wonderful blessing from God, are encouraging news as we look to seize the many new opportunities that God is placing before us.
A sincere thank you to the members and congregations of our synod for your gifts of faith and love.
Serving with you in Christ,
WELS President Mark Schroeder
[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version. (1984). (Eph 6:10–18). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
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110th Sunday after PentecostMorning Praise pg 45Worship 9 amCleaners: M Kruse |
2Camp at Hope ResidenceOnline Zoom Bible Information Class 6:30 pm |
3Camp at Hope Residence |
4Camp at Hope Residence |
5Camp at Hope Residence |
6Camp at Hope Residence |
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811th Sunday after PentecostCommon Service with Communion pg 15Worship 9 amElders meet 10 amCleaners: M & C Chaves |
9Camp at High Island Creek ResidenceOnline Zoom Bible Information Class 6:30 pm |
10Camp at High Island Creek ResidenceOnline Jesus Cares“Worship at the Cross” 6 pm |
11Camp at High Island Creek Residence |
12Camp at High Island Creek Residence |
13Camp at High Island Creek Residence |
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1512th Sunday after PentecostService of the WordWorship 10 am at Legion ParkPicnic 11 amCleaners: W & S Rademacher |
16Online Zoom Bible Information Class 6:30 pm |
17Record Special “Worship at the Cross” for Christmas and Easter distribution |
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19Pastor’s Circuit meeting 10 am Belle Plaine MNMLC new student orientationDistrict Special Ministry meeting 6:30 pm |
20MLC new student orientation |
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2213th Sunday after PentecostCommon Service w/o communion pg 15Worship 9 amVoter’s/call meeting 10 amOnline Jesus Cares“Worship at the Cross” 6 pmCleaners: R & D Steinborn |
23Online Zoom Bible Information Class 6:30 pm |
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28Congregational planning meeting9 am |
2914th Sunday after PentecostWord and Sacrament pg 26Worship 9 amOnline Jesus Cares“Worship at the Cross” 6 pmCleaners: B & D Steinke |
30Online Zoom Bible Information Class 6:30 pm |
31Jesus Cares Webinar 6:30 pm |