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Rev. Philip Hoppe, pastor at Peace Lutheran Church in Finlayson, MN and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Bruno, MN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12. St. Paul would have Christians take comfort in the true teaching concerning the Last Day when Christ returns. The Thessalonians had been shaken and alarmed by false teaching that had surfaced among them. Paul reminds them of the truth that he had taught them while he was among them. Jesus had not yet returned in some invisible, spiritual way. That Day was still coming. In the time leading up to that Day, Christians would apostatize from the faith and be deceived by the man of lawlessness. Yet as Christians, the Thessalonians could have confidence that even these events did not fall outside of the Lord’s direction for their salvation, for Jesus would bring this man of lawlessness to nothing by His Word, the same Word that is preached among Christians today. This Word protects Christians from such deception that ultimately comes from Sat

Rev. Dr. Adam Filipek, pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church and Immanuel Lutheran Church in Lidgerwood, ND, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12. The second letter to the Thessalonians shares much of the same historical context as the first letter. Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy write to comfort, correct, and admonish this young church. The first chapter is primarily a matter of comfort. The writers boast at how the Thessalonians have endured persecutions. Rather than abandoning the promises of God in foolishness, they have clung all the more fiercely to Christ and His Word. In this way, when Christians are weak, they are strong, for their only strength is the Lord. This brings more comfort to the Thessalonians as they learn that their afflictions are not the end. Even though the Day has not yet arrived, the Day will come when the Lord brings to them His promised comfort in all of its fullness. Those who have not trusted in His promises, however, will receive this Day as condemnation an

Rev. Jeff Hemmer, pastor at Bethany Lutheran Church in Fairview Heights, IL, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Thessalonians 5:23-28. The first letter to the Thessalonians comes to a close with the comfort and assurance that sanctification is God’s gift and work to His people. If the bullet list of exhortations had left anyone in despair, Paul is quick to direct them back to the only One who can accomplish such things in His people. Only the God of peace can do this, the One who has accomplished reconciliation between Himself and sinners, the One in Whom everything functions as He intended. Holiness is His gift and work, for it depends not upon our faithfulness, but upon His. Paul prays in this confidence for the Thessalonians, and he asks them to pray in that same confidence for him. They read his letter to them as the very Word of God, which brings about reconciliation between God and believers and so between fellow believers who greet each other with the holy sign of peace. Paul concludes with a be

Rev. Adam Koontz, assistant professor of exegetical theology at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22. Paul’s instructions to church in Thessalonica concludes with a series of memorable one-liners intended to encourage these young Christians to live in Christ in the midst of persecution. He begins with the relationship between pastor and people, moves to the interactions within the Christians in the congregation, and finishes with the Christian life before the world. Both pastor and people must see the other in light of the holy work that is given to them by God of proclaiming the Word and hearing the Word. The work of admonishment is given to pastor and people together. Within the congregation, there are different spiritual needs with different spiritual responses, even as patience overarches all of it to keep the congregation together in repentance and faith. A list of wrongs has no place and will only destroy; forgiveness as it is s

Rev. James Preus, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Ottumwa, IA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11. Though Paul has already taught the Thessalonians concerning the Lord’s return, he writes to them in order to nourish and reinforce their faith so that they will meet that Day with confidence and joy. The Day of the Lord will be unexpected, like a thief in the night. Those who meet that Day without faith will face sudden destruction. Paul reminds the Thessalonians and all Christians that they are not such children of the darkness. They are children of the light because they are in Christ. That faith produces watchfulness and sober living, living in repentance of sin and good works of love for the neighbor. Living in the light of Christ, Christians are protected by His armor of faith, love, and hope. This is true because of what Christ has done. He has died so that we live. If this is how He has come to us the first time, then His second coming to deliver the fullness of His victor

Rev. David Appold, pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Paducah, KY, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Only Christians have true comfort in the face of death. While those who do not trust in Christ for salvation may attempt to avoid the subject of death or write it off as just another part of life, Christians grieve as those who have hope. Such grief acknowledges death as an enemy Christ has defeated. His death and resurrection have established His reign over all things and all people, even those who have died. For that reason, St. Paul writes with confidence to the Thessalonians that those who have died before Christ’s return are not apart from His care. That will be made plain on the Last Day, when Christ returns. He will descend bodily and visibly, commanding the dead to rise from their graves. The voice of an archangel and the sound of God’s trumpet will ring forth. The dead in Christ will rise first, and then those Christians who are alive at the time will meet Jesus in th

Rev. AJ Espinosa, adjunct professor of theology at Concordia University in Irvine, CA and host of KFUO Radio’s “Thy Strong Word,” joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12. Paul’s instructions for the Thessalonians cannot be separated from his praise for them. He encourages them to continue in the faith and faithful living that the Lord has given to them by His Word. Paul picks up his second topic for instruction in this text: the matter of brotherly love. Such brotherly love was known and valued in the Roman world around the Thessalonians; however, it was reserved for blood relatives. What made the brotherly love of the Christians scandalous was the centrality of Christ. Those who were otherwise unrelated and even unknown were treated with brotherly love because they bore Christ’s name. That brotherly love extended beyond the local congregation and into the surrounding areas. Such sharing of possessions and giving of money did not intend laziness, however. Paul commends quiet living and

Rev. Michael Schuermann, pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Sherman, IL, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8. Having thanked God for the Thessalonians and recounted their faithful response to His Word, Paul now turns to matters of instruction. He encourages the Thessalonians to continue to walk in the ways they are already walking, as they have heard in his previous instruction. This is pleasing to God, not because their actions have earned His favor, but because He has given His favor to them in Christ and made them members of His family. This holiness is His gift and His will, and it manifests itself in the Christian’s life by their chastity. Such chastity is one of self-control, using one’s own body in ways that honor God’s gift of sexuality and engaging in marriage apart from the passion of lust. Furthermore, Paul says that chastity prevents sin against the neighbor, and ultimately, sin against God. To disregard this teaching is disregard not man’s word, but God’s. Still

Rev. Andrew Preus, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Guttenberg, IA and St. Paul Lutheran Church in McGregor, IA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13. Timothy’s visit to the Thessalonians yielded a good report to bring back to Paul. The Thessalonians were standing strong in the Lord in the midst of affliction. This was good news for Paul, the fruit of the Gospel in the lives of the Thessalonians that rightly brought Paul great joy and comfort. The fact that they desired to see him face-to-face in the same way he desired to see them showed that the Gospel was bearing fruit among them still. The mystical union that each believer has with Christ also brings a union among fellow believers, a union that produces a longing to see each other as we rejoice and confess the truth before the Lord we do not yet see. Paul’s desire to see the Thessalonians face-to-face also includes his desire to continue to instruct them in Christian doctrine. Even as much as their faith has abounded, he know

Rev. Paul Pater, pastor at Shepherd of the Ridge Lutheran Church in North Ridgeville, OH and Hope Lutheran Church in Sheffield Village, OH, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:5. Paul’s stay with the Thessalonians had been brief, probably only a month. Yet the Word of God had worked faith in them and had established a bond of love in Christ between them and Paul. Persecution had torn them apart, and yet, their unity in Christ remained despite the distance that separated them. This unity that they had together in Christ even while they were apart did not leave them content to stay apart, however. Paul only desired all the more to see these fellow Christians face-to-face. His hope, joy, and crown of boasting would be to see them standing together with him as forgiven saints on the Last Day. Nonetheless, Paul’s desire had been hindered by Satan, and he and his companions could not bear to leave the Thessalonians alone any longer, lest they be led astray. Timothy, Paul’s brother and God

Rev. Chris Hull, pastor at Zion Lutheran Church in Tomball, TX joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16. Paul’s thanksgiving for the Thessalonians continues. When they heard Paul preach, they knew they had not heard the word of man. They had heard the Word of God, the powerful Word filled with the Holy Spirit that works in believers. This same Word of God has been written down for us in Holy Scripture by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit so that pastors would preach it faithfully and hearers would hold it sacred and learn it. That Word of God reveals to us the shape of the baptismal life, that is, the life of Christ which He has given us. That is why the Thessalonians joyfully imitated the other Christian churches in their suffering. They received the same hatred from the world that all Christians are bound to receive, and they received it with confidence and comfort in Christ. They could do so because they knew that such persecution had not stopped the Word of God from doing His work

Rev. Mark Barz, senior pastor at Crown of Life Lutheran Church in San Antonio, TX joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12. Although Paul, Silas, and Timothy only spent a short time in Thessalonica, their ministry among God’s people there was not in vain. The shameless treatment they received did not prevent God’s powerful gospel from doing His work. Their ministry was not like Roman speakers paid to talk; they came without error, impurity, or deception in order to be faithful to the one true God. In their ministry among the Thessalonians, these men conducted themselves both like a mother who nurtures her very own children and also like a father who encourages his children to go into the world as faithful family members. Such affection between the ministers of the Gospel and the hearers of the Gospel can only be attributed to God, who is the Gospel’s source, subject, and content. Seeing the example given here, pastors and hearers alike are encouraged through the Lord’s gift of confession

Rev. Matt Ulmer, pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Bishop, TX joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10. The first letter to the church in Thessalonica is one of the earliest, and very likely the earliest, books of the New Testament. Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy wrote to the young church to encourage them to continue to stand firm in Christ even amidst persecution. Following his usual pattern for letters, Paul greets the Thessalonians in the grace and peace that come only from the true God. He speaks of his thanksgiving to God in his prayers for their faith, love, and hope centered in Christ Jesus. In Him, God had chosen the Thessalonians by the Gospel, the word that is powerful by the working of the Holy Spirit. That powerful Word made them imitators of the Lord and His servants, as the word received affliction produced great joy. This provided an example throughout Macedonia, how the word of the Lord produced fruit among the Thessalonians. They had turned from dead idols to the livin

Rev. Sam Wirgau, pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Ossian, IN joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Luke 17:11-19. Samaria was not a place where many Jews of Jesus’ day ventured, but that is exactly the route Jesus took to Jerusalem and His cross. There Jesus encountered ten lepers. These men not only suffered greatly physically from this terrible illness. Even more than that, they were separated from their community and worship life through the ceremonial uncleanness they endured. This served as a picture of the sin that infects all people. That’s why these ten lepers cry out to Jesus for mercy, His grace and compassion that alone can heal and save. Jesus sends them to show themselves to the priest, and as they go, His Word effects healing. One recognizes what has happened and believes. He returns to Jesus as the true Temple, the place where God dwells in human flesh. He returns to Jesus as the true Priest, the one who makes the final sacrifice for sin. He praises God by giving praise and thanks to Je

Rev. John Bussman, pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Cullman, AL joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Philippians 4:6-20. The church at Philippi had seen the Apostle Paul go through highs and lows during his ministry. As he writes his letter to them from prison, he proclaims to them the joy that remains theirs in Christ regardless of their circumstances. Because the LORD’s return is near, Christians live differently in the world. We are freed from anxiousness and worry through the comfort that is ours in Christ. Prayer and supplication flows from our lips to our Father’s throne of grace. His peace, given through the death and resurrection of Jesus, is our true guard from all evil. For that reason, our minds are occupied with all the good that He gives, as the Apostle learned and modeled from the Lord. Paul’s joy continues to abound through the gift that the Philippians sent. He had learned to be content in every circumstance, whether full or hungry, whether he had plenty or he had need, for Christ wa

Rev. Harrison Goodman, pastor at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church in San Antonio, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Deuteronomy 8:1-10. Before the LORD brings Israel into the Promised Land, Moses invites the people to reflect upon the goodness of the LORD’s commandments. This is no romanticized memory; rather, they recall the dirty details of their wilderness wanderings in which the LORD humbled them. The LORD tested His people, bringing them to acknowledge time and time again that their life was not under their own control. Instead, life comes from the LORD’s promises. His promises protected His people in their suffering, not apart from it. His discipline was for their good as He treated them as His sons. For this reason, they would keep, treasure, guard, and obey the LORD’s commandments. They knew that He was bringing them into an abundantly wonderful land, where they would be filled in every way and so bless the LORD for what He had done. These physical realities are now also given to Christians spiri

Rev. Jeremiah Johnson, pastor at Glory of Christ Lutheran Church in Plymouth, MN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Amos 9:11-15. Amos ends with two-hundred proof Gospel. Though it comes seemingly out of nowhere, Amos’ final preaching fits the LORD’s pattern of mercy throughout the Old Testament and serves as a reminder of the unmerited nature of grace. Once again, the day of the LORD comes up, but this time the prophet speaks of it as a day of salvation. The LORD promises to raise up the fallen booth of David. The LORD will dwell among His people once more. Though the kingdom seemed ruined, the LORD would keep the promise to set a king on the throne of David forever. This restoration is not for David alone, nor is it for Israel alone. The LORD’s act will impact all the nations, as He calls the Gentiles to trust in His promise. All of creation will benefit as well. Agricultural abundance and reaping the full benefits of labor will hold true as the LORD undoes the curse from Genesis 3. What He does in th

Rev. Ryan Ogrodowicz, associate pastor and headmaster at Grace Lutheran Church and School in Brenham, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Amos 9:7-10. Israel is in a lot of trouble, to put it lightly. The LORD is about to bring them down from the high pedestal they think they occupy. Though the Exodus was His salvation for His people, the LORD reminds them that He is the Creator and Sustainer of all the nations, even their enemies. There is no room for false security and pride on their part. They have revealed themselves as the sinful kingdom, which the LORD will destroy in all of its outward forms. Yet the LORD preserves for Himself a remnant of the house of Jacob for the sake of His promises made to the patriarchs. He will shake His people through a sieve; those who have trusted in Him for salvation will be spared eternally, even if they go through destruction now. The end for those members of His people who have persisted in terrible, unrepentant sin against God and neighbor, however, will be quite

Rev. Matt Wietfeldt, director of admissions and the Christ Academy program at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Amos 9:5-6. The LORD alone is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. He has the authority and power to bring about the judgment He has declared upon Israel for their idolatry and injustice. As the Source of justice and righteousness, the LORD must punish sin and evil. Those who will not receive His work in faith will find themselves under His condemnation for their sin and evil. However, those who place their trust in Christ alone as the One who took God’s wrath upon Himself will find instead that God forgives and destroys their sin and evil for them in order to give them His justification. The LORD accomplishes such work simply through His touch, which He exercised throughout the Scriptures through water and does so still for us in the water and Word of Holy Baptism. He does this work in order to be present among His people on earth in order

Rev. Brady Finnern, pastor at Messiah Lutheran Church in Sartell, MN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Amos 9:1-4. In Amos’ fifth and final vision, he sees the LORD Himself. The dead heterodoxy of Israel is about to yield its terrible result. The LORD has told His people to prepare to meet Him, and now He meets them, only not in grace, but judgment. He stands beside the idolatrous altar in Bethel to destroy the false temple there, along with all of the priests and worshipers. Even those who escape the crumbling building will not escape. There is no place high or low where Israel can flee such that the LORD cannot find them. Neither hell nor heaven, neither the highest mountain nor the lowest depth will provide a refuge from His judgment. Their friends will not be able to hide them, nor will exile amongst their enemies. The LORD will bring destruction upon His people, because His eye is fixed upon them for evil and not for good. The Law hits hard in this passage in order to point us to Christ. He is the