a Lutheran’s Confessions

    Gulia Kadyralieva is known in the Kyrgyz language as “Gulia ege.” The suffix “eje” means “respected,” but that was not always so.
    When she came to the small Lutheran church in the village of Vorontsovka about eight years ago, she was homeless with a history of drinking. No one in the village treated her with respect, but she was introduced to the gospel of Jesus Christ. God gave her the gift of faith and began to change her life. Now she is one of the most effective “evangelists” in the Kyrgyzstan mission field.
    She is no longer homeless, but owns an apartment in the village of Iskra, where she hosts a home church. Gulia eje has brought hundreds, including her close relatives, to Jesus Christ. On October 14 of this year, her daughter-in-law and a newborn granddaughter were baptized!
    All of us are like Gulia—lost but found by Christ, and called to call others to faith in Him! Take heart! Our faithful God, active in Gulia eje, is active in you as well!

     God said of Abraham:

“For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice…” (Gen. 18:19)

    We do not let the children decide whether or not they attend Divine Services. We teach them that, as sinners, they need the forgiveness which Christ gives in Word and Sacrament.
    We do not let the children decide whether or not we will read God’s Word together as a family. They do not live by bread alone, but by every Word that comes from the mouth of God. How can any parent knowingly deny their children the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ?
    We do not coerce our children into the faith. We seek to persuade on the basis of the Word of God, which is the ultimate and infallible authority in matters of faith and morality.
    The Word does its work in their hearts and in our own. It alone has the power to convince and create faith.

     These days the church can change your oil, teach you basketball and meet your day-care needs. But what are we really here to do?

“You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)

    We are here to proclaim God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ to hurting hearts. We don’t lecture about Jesus. We do Jesus to people. We forgive sins in God’s name!
    We do this in Baptism, in the Divine Service and sermon, in the Lord’s Supper, and in Private Confession. Private Confession and Absolution is nothing more than the application of the Gospel to each individual hurting heart.
    If you are burdened with guilt, if you seek assurance that God loves and forgives you, then please make an appointment with Pastor Armstrong. He will be happy to speak God’s forgiveness to you personally in the Rite of Confession found on page 292 of Lutheran Service Book.