Saturday, February 10, 2024
What Is Faith?
“Didache is a Greek word meaning “teaching” or “doctrine”. Luke tells us in Acts 2:42 that those who were baptized on the day of Pentecost devoted themselves to the apostles’ didache. What follows in this study guide is a course on the didache, that is, the teaching which we have received from the Lord in His Word. This teaching is not our own, but the Lord’s. It has as its source the Holy Scriptures of God. The doctrine or teaching drawn from the prophetic and apostolic Scriptures is confessed in the Small Catechism of Dr. Martin Luther... the first edition of Didache, published in 1992 was developed for and shaped by the joy and challenges of teaching the faith both at the Chapel of the Resurrection (Valparaiso Univ.) and University Lutheran Chapel (Univ. of Minnesota- Minneapolis). Questions and interest from students prompted me to condense my notes into the form of a study guide. Since then, Didache has been used for adult catechesis throughout North America and in a number of overseas locations. I am grateful to fellow pastors who have found it useful in instructing adults in the Lutheran Confession of the Christian faith as well as laity who have found it a helpful study guide in the Holy Scriptures”
-Prof. John Pless, Concordia Theological Seminary
From the book, Didache, by Prof John Pless, the author provides an excellent resource that serves to supplement Luther’s Small Catechism. So excellent it is that I have used this resource over the whole span of my life in the office of Holy Ministry. Not only is it an important book for the field of outreach and evangelism but also an excellent resource for Lutherans to review the doctrine of faith.
The question is, “What is faith?”
As we live in this world, we are being catechized in every which way. From the radio and TV, to social media and even false teaching, we are bombarded by words, words, and more words. Words matter especially when someone asks you, “What is faith?” The answer to this question is not only important for the one who is asking, but also for the one who responds. For, the answer to this question will reveal where our faith truly resides. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to review what it means to confess the faith through the Creeds, The Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, Confession & Absolution, the Sacraments of Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
I encourage everyone to attend this class. It will be held every Sunday during the bible study hour beginning on February 25th. If you have not attended Sunday bible study in a while, now is the time to reconnect because this class will edify and engage you in the joys of the one true faith. Also, if you have anyone in your life that needs to hear the Word in all of its truth, invite them so they too may rejoice in the word of Christ alone.
I hope to see you all there.
✝️ Pastor Jeong
The full newsletter can be found here:
https://www.faithmoorpark.com/files/pdf/2024/2024-02-Newsletter.pdf
* Copies of the Didache will be available for $10