A Word Fitly Spoken Podcast

As we close the first season of WFS, we talk about something near and dear to our hearts.  Carrying out Christ's mission in the United States is urgent for the American church.  We talk about what our mission field is, why America needs the gospel, and what part we have in Jesus’ harvest work. As mentioned in the third part, visit badlandslutheran.org to learn more about mission work in western No...

This one's packed, as we discuss conscience and hardness of heart. What is the human conscience? How does it work? And what does it have to do with hardening? What about Biblical examples like Pharaoh and King Saul? How does hardening of conscience work out in our day and age? We're only just scratching the surface of some major topics this week on WFS. Hosts: Rev. Willie Grills and Rev. Zelwyn He...

Through Christ death has lost its sting, but how does a Christian face that final enemy? We discuss caring for the dying, funerals, cemeteries, and burials. As we bring the series on Walther's pastoral theology to an end, it's fitting to end with end things. Hosts: Rev. Willie Grills and Rev. Zelwyn Heide Regular Guest:  Rev. Adam Koontz Episode: 40 Find articles and other podcast episodes on our...

The End Times continue to fascinate Christians. Since the beginning of the Church, the faithful have awaited the return of the Savior. However, there are many different understandings of how this will come to pass. How can a Christian discern between so many different viewpoints? Join us as we discuss a few of these competing theories and talk about how one should understand eschatology. Hosts: Re...

Ulrik Vilhem Koren listened to God's call to serve the Norwegian immigrants settling on the American plains despite great personal cost.  Leaving behind a comfortable life, Koren led the fledgling Norwegian Synod through many difficulties and controversies, leaving behind a legacy that deserves to be remembered.  Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux talks about the history and background of Koren, Norwegian Luth...

God's Word is healing for every soul, and God's men apply its healing power to congregations and to individual Christians in all kinds of situations. We discuss pastoral visits, sickness, legal difficulties, and demonic possession in an episode packed with everything you love about WFS. Hosts: Rev. Willie Grills and Rev. Zelwyn Heide Regular Guest:  Rev. Adam Koontz Episode: 37 Find articles and o...

The prophets of old were mouthpieces of the Lord. Besides their words, their lives were also caught up in that calling, even when the Lord commanded them to do some unusual things. What would compel a man to marry a prostitute, to walk about naked for 3 years, to wear stocks around his own neck, and to eat bread baked over dung? What do any of these things have to do with the Word made flesh, Jesu...

The unity of the Church:  easy to affirm, but difficult to see.  How are Christians united with each other?  What is the difference between an imaginary unity and a real one?  Join us as we discuss the doctrine of the Church’s unity, focusing on its Biblical basis, the role of the Lutheran confessions, and the nature of adiaphora. Hosts: Rev. Willie Grills and Rev. Zelwyn Heide Episode: 35 Find ar...

Faith comes by hearing.  Because preaching is the chief means of grace, not only is what we hear important, but also how we hear it.  How can we best prepare to hear Gods Word when it is preached?  What should our expectations be?  How does that influence how we hear a sermon?  How can we better hear the written Word?  What about Bible class?  Join us as we discuss hearing the Word in practical wa...

What is confirmation, and why do so many people care so much about it? We look at what Walther said about confirmation, youth ministry, and the wisdom of providing clear instruction for faith and life to young Christians. Hosts: Rev. Willie Grills and Rev. Zelwyn Heide Regular Guest:  Rev. Adam Koontz Episode: 33 Find articles and other podcast episodes on our website:  wordfitlyspoken.org Follow...

The first ecumenical council answered the challenges of Arianism, but failed to make it go away. With Arians gaining strength in every level of society, even with Arian emperors, how would the Church respond? Join us as we discuss the history of the second ecumenical council at Constantinople, the relationship between the church and the state, and why religious toleration isn't necessarily a good...

Just as breathing is necessary for life, prayer is essential to a living and active faith. How do the logistics of prayer— time, posture, and words—aid or detract from a prayer life? What is presumed when we pray? How can a pastor especially pray for his congregation?  Join us as we discuss piety and its cultivation in the habit of prayer. Hosts: Rev. Willie Grills and Rev. Zelwyn Heide Regular Gu...

Marriage is a perpetual source of joy and frustration in and outside the church. Today we look at how C.F.W. Walther discussed what makes a marriage and what unmakes a marriage, who should marry whom, and who shouldn't be married at all. We delve into the relationship between marriage and the public good, especially how a minister's marriage affects everything else in his life and his church. Host...

As heirs of the Reformation, do we follow them because they speak the truth or because they are the Reformers? The Wauwatosa theologians called on the church of their day and also on our own to examine ourselves critically, to hold fast to the pattern of sound words, and to search the Scriptures. Rev. Peter M. Prange joins us to define the Wauwatosa theology and to discuss its historical backgroun...

What we say and what we do go together in the Bible.  But what happens when we become so focused on what we say that we forget that the Kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power?  Maybe we end up explaining the Bible away.  Join us as we discuss the dangers of slogans and the promise of letting the Bible speak for itself. Hosts: Rev. Willie Grills and Rev. Zelwyn Heide Regular Guest: Re...

Few movements have had a greater impact on American Christianity than the Second Great Awakening.  Whether in the way it changed the established churches or brought entirely new movements into existence, it extends into nearly every sphere of American religious life.  Join our discussion of the lessons and cautions of this movement as we look at its history, some of the most important figures in i...

Amos, a shepherd called to speak against Israel even in the height of her power, speaks very vividly about the justice of God. What did injustice in Israel look like in Amos' day? How does that compare to modern concerns about "social justice"? What does Amos teach us about the church's and the individual Christian's role in pursuing God's justice? What do these prophecies of judgment teach us abo...

God's mandate matters. What did Jesus mean His Supper to be? How should His holy words and holy things be handled by pastors? All this and much else about the Supper C.F.W. Walther discusses in his Pastoral Theology. We dig into why Lutheranism is distinctive in its use of the Lord's Supper, why that's a good thing, and what makes the Sacrament what it is. Books for further reading:   Pastoral The...

Few events in the history of the world have had so profound an impact than the relatively short ecumenical council of Nicaea in 325 A.D.  Constantine the Great seeks to preserve the fragile unity of his empire even as the Church threatens to be torn apart over the question of how God the Father and God the Son relate to one another.  The First Council of Nicaea is not a political maneuver by wily...

In many people's minds, the story of Jonah is about a man being swallowed by a whale, but this is only a part of the story.  When and where did Jonah prophesy? Why do some people say the book is an allegory? What does it mean that the Lord relents of the disaster he was going to send on Nineveh? How does Jonah's preaching inform our own?  Join us as we discuss these and other questions about Jonah...

When your faith is under attack, how will you respond?  Apologetics is not saying sorry for being a Christian, but giving an answer for the hope that is within you.  Join us as we discuss the need of defending the faith, the major schools of thought within apologetics, and how Paul approaches this task in Acts 17. Hosts: Rev. Willie Grills and Rev. Zelwyn Heide Episode: 22 Find articles and other...

What do the minor prophets, especially Habakkuk, have to say to us today?  Understood in his historical context, Habakkuk speaks clearly to the Church today, especially when he asks the Lord about the nature of His justice.  How does concern for the Lord's justice differ from the way justice is discussed in our day?  How can a Christian find comfort when undergoing the Lord's discipline?  The Lord...

Pure water is clear and simple. In this episode we talk about how important clarity is for Christians and how simple and powerful Scripture's teaching is on what baptism is, whom we should baptize, and how baptism should happen. Books for further reading:   Pastoral Theology , and Suelflow's biography  Servant of the Word . Hosts: Rev. Willie Grills and Rev. Zelwyn Heide Regular Guest: Rev. Adam K...

Where shall wisdom be found? Despite outward similarities, Biblical wisdom stands as its own unique genre of literature. Join us as we talk about what makes the wisdom of God distinct from the world and within the Bible, why it seems neglected, and how it might be recovered in our own day. Hosts: Rev. Willie Grills and Rev. Zelwyn Heide Regular Guest:  Rev. David Appold Episode: 19 Find articles a...

What did St. Luke intend when writing The Acts of the Apostles? What is the testimony of the early Church? Does Acts speak to the Church today? In an overview of Acts 1-10, we talk about some of the most famous events in church history and discuss why this historical book continues to guide the Church today. Hosts: Rev. Willie Grills and Rev. Zelwyn Heide Episode: 18 Find articles and other podcas...