It started With A Message

Over the past six months or so I have had the privilege of sharing a friendship with a young lady making her way out of the winds of weak teachings of mainstream protestant movements into the Lutheran Church. When we first messaged on Facebook Rebecca described herself as a “protestant mutt”.  She ever so deeply wanted to hear the Word of truth proclaimed to her clearly. These are her words of excitement she wrote me last week as she shared the experience of making her confirmation in the Lutheran Church. “For so long I was fed Law (and not always the Law preached lawfully) and hardly any Gospel for long enough that I just got tired of it. I don't know how people can tolerate not hearing the wonderfully good news of the forgiveness of sins in Christ!”  It’s a glorious thing to hear someone rejoice upon receiving the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper for the first time as a confessing Lutheran well aware of the good gifts she receives from our Lord.

Just over a year ago Rebecca, a college student, in North Florida began her search (a pilgrimage if you will) for the solid assurance that comes from the Gospel, the proclamation of Christ Crucified for sinners, justification by grace though faith. Having once attended a special event at a Lutheran church she became curious about what Lutherans believe, teach and confess.  She began to research the internet for information.  She came across various radio programs, websites, blogs, Facebook groups, and the Book of Concord. For months she listened to the voice of Chris Rosebrough of Pirate Christian Radio critique the sermons of the mainstream Protestant tide she was accustom to.  As a college student Rebecca was filled with questions.  Where do I come from…what is my heritage… what do I believe…??? You know the type of wonderings we all have. By the time she contacted me she admitted she was a bit confused.  She was worn out by legalism, mysticism, and sick and tired of being pointed back to herself each Sunday. 

Rebecca contacted me via a Facebook message.  We are mutually a part of a few Facebook groups.  She had friended me a few weeks earlier realizing we are both in the North Florida area. I made a joke about a certain kneeling football player people would like to see play for his hometown NFL team on someone’s post, and we became friends.  Honestly I wouldn’t have known she had such deep questions.  So I was surprised when I saw her message wanting to talk to a Lutheran and wondering about LCMS churches in her area.  It can be so easy to neglect that people have such questions and are simply trying to find a safe place to ask them.  When she messaged me Rebecca was looking for truth.  She wanted to find faithfulness and stability. She was nervous.  She was hoping for someone to talk to and help her find her way into a faithful congregation where God’s Word is rightly divided.  We chatted online several times. She expressed emphatically her desire to be taught simply what scripture said.  She no longer wanted to be bogged down with false teachings. 

Shortly we were able to meet at a Wendy’s one afternoon.  Our conversation was enjoyable even though we were both a bit nervous.  We studied together.  Rebecca was well prepared with questions.  She had become familiar with the Lutheran Confessions as she researched. A college student who reads the Bible and the confessions and she wasn’t even a Lutheran yet! Wow!  She was eager to review them a bit together.  As she read them she realized this is what she believed based upon what she was reading in the Bible!  The Holy Spirit through God’s Word guided my words as I shared with her. We rejoiced together over the promises of Christ.  She was hungry for Jesus. The Jesus that comes to her not the other way around. She told me that she would scream if she heard one more “to do list” law only sermon.  The cycle of climbing ladders trying to scramble one’s way up to God had gotten exhausting.  The heart of the Reformation is precisely what Rebecca was going through.

She wanted to be connected to a congregation.  Knowing Pastor Ross Engel at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Middleburg Florida was of great help to the circumstance. I was able to refer her to the congregation that was closest to her.  I contacted him and let him know about Rebecca and her desire to connect to a LCMS congregation.  We’ve continued to keep contact these months.  She was so excited to begin her new member’s classes culminating in her confirmation of faith on September 28^th.   It has been exciting to watch all of this play out over the last few months. It’s an honor to be used as God’s tool to walk beside Rebecca as she found her way.  I myself have learned a good deal about the task of evangelism. 

Rebecca had heard the Gospel message in all its sweetness and sought after it.  Her pilgrimage was simply following the voice of her Good Shepherd.  While the technologies of the day offered help to Rebecca in her search they were certainly not the message.  Nor was I. It wasn’t a lure of entertainment, a relevant or practical teaching, or smells and bells that caught her attention. The methodology that reached Rebecca was just simply the full council of God’s Word, the story of a Savior that was indeed for her. God’s Word does what it says it will do, it accomplishes, and will not comeback void.  It’s refreshing to see someone marvel and cling to the new life so freely given through the proclamation of that Word of which she now is sent to proclaim in her daily vocation.

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”   Romans 10:17