Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions

Scripture Text: 1 John 5:3

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From the Word: For this is the love of God: that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not overbearing. (1 John 5:3)

From the Confessions: The Large Catechism, Introduction

If this were not sufficient to admonish us to read the Catechism daily, then we should feel sufficiently compelled by the command of God alone. In Deuteronomy 6:6–9, he solemnly charges us to always meditate upon His precepts — sitting, walking, standing, lying down, and rising — and have them before our eyes and in our hands as a constant reminder and sign. Doubtless, God did not require and command this so earnestly without a purpose. Because he knows our danger and need, as well as the constant and furious attacks and temptations of the devil, he wishes to warn, equip, and defend us against them, as with good armor against their fiery darts, and with good medicine against their evil infection and allure.

Pulling It Together: "I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me" (Psa 16:7–8). How can we keep God’s commandments if we do not know them, or worse, forget them? One of his directives is that we think about, or meditate, on his commandments throughout the day (Deut 6:6–9). Look at the many examples of how to do this that he provides us in those few verses. We are to have his Word on our lips, speaking to others about his teachings throughout the day, as we sit in our homes, walk about, go to our beds at night, and of course, first thing in the morning. We should have his Word on our walls and in our hands. But above all, we should have it in our hearts. 

Prayer: Lord, help me to treasure your Word in my heart. Amen.

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The kind of church we see in the New Testament is different from what most modern people imagine when they think of “going to church.” Experience Life Together: Experiencing House-Church Ministry, by Rev. Tom Hilpert, is a 15-week house-church curriculum designed for pastors, lay leaders, and churches interested in getting a taste for what church in the home is really like. Whether referred to as a house-church, organic church, alternative church, or cell church, this material applies well to any group that wants to experience Christian worship in the context of a small group meeting within the homes of the participants.


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