I am Lucas Robert Hendricks, also known as Luke. I was born into the Christian church on 05 June 1983, in Mankato, Minnesota. I was baptized and subsequently confirmed into membership into the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod , (WELS). I was confirmed on 01 June 1997. I currently attend Mt. Olive Evangelical Lutheran Church, Mankato, MN (Evangelical Lutheran Synod or ELS). The WELS and the ELS are Confessional Lutheran church bodies, that means they hold to the Lutheran confessions, found in the Book of Concord, as accurate descriptions of what God's Word says. For a view of What We Believe, <--click here! Some main points of doctrine: The WELS/ELS are Christian, in otherwords we look towards Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death,..."
We believe that all mankind is sinful and deserves to go to hell. God created us to be perfect, but man disobeyed God and in that sinned. But God loved us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the punishment we deserve. Jesus paid this punishment on a Roman cross, as he was executed by crucifixion. God put the entire weight of the whole world's sins on him, and said that was enough. But that isn't the end of the story. Three days later, to prove to us we have the victory over death, he rose from the dead. He is now sitting at the right hand of God, interceding on our behalf. So, now through him, we have the blessed gift of heaven! We don't have to be afraid of death, because we can live eternally. All it takes is faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Trust in his promise. To learn more about Jesus and what he did for you, read the Holy Bible!
"...but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord"
The symbol in the background is Luther's Coat of Arms. This symbol features a cross centered on a heart centered on a Mesianic Rose (symbolizing Christ). Martin Luther was born on 10 November 1483, in Germany. He grew up in the Catholic church, believeing one had to earn forgiveness of sins. His sins troubled him so much that he hated God, the righteous God that punishes siners. He also wondered if he ever did enough. He eventually became a monk and through his study of the Bible, he came to realize that the righteousness God demands is the righteousness that Christ earned for us, and that we receive through faith in Christ. He began to preach this doctrine, of Justification by Faith. The Catholic church started selling official pardons from sin to pay for St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome. Luther wanted to warn people not to buy these useless pieces of paper, so on the morning of 31 October 1517, he nailed 95 theses (statements) for debate on the church door in Wittenburg, Germany. The Protestant Reformation had begun. The Catholic church repeatedly tried to get Luther to recant (take back) what he said. This was Luther's reply:
"Unless I can be shown from Scripture or with clear distinct reasoning, my conscience is bound to the Word of God. I cannot, and will not recant. For it is neither safe nor wise to go against one's conscience. Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise. God help me! Amen."
The pope excumunicated Luther and declared him a heritic. Because of this and further study, Luther determined that the Catholic church did not care what God or the Bible said. His followers were called Lutherans as a insult, but they took the name and wore it with pride, knowing Martin Luther had brought the Christian church back to the truth and purity of God's Word. the Lutheran church is continued by those that bear his name and hold to the Lutheran Confessions, which are contained in the Book of Concord. Luther wrote many hymns including the one you are hearing. It is entitled "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God". See also my report on Martin Luther.
Check my Interests page! I attend Bethany Lutheran College. |
