“What is asked of me as a citizen is not contingent on what party is in power or whether I feel my government is deserving of my gospel-driven, Christian vocation as citizen. God calls us to ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’ I’m going to continue to be a neighbor even if my neighbor is my legitimate enemy.” In this episode of The Manna Podcast, Jac…

Over the next few episodes, Jacob Lewis and Pastor Sam will be wading through Article XVI of the Augsburg Confession, pertaining to civil government and what "love your neighbor" looks like through the lens of the vocation of Christian citizenship. In Part 1, Jacob Lewis and Pastor Sam tackle the following questions: What's my response to those who…

Traditions are inevitable. And while some traditions are good, history has shown that not every tradition is - including traditions in Christian churches. In this episode of The Manna Podcast, Jacob Lewis and Pastor Sam jump into Article XV of the Augsburg Confession and seek to answer the following questions: What is the relationship between human…

“If we view Baptism and the Lord’s Supper as nothing more than marks of professions of faith of people, we’re missing a far greater dimension to this – namely, that these are signs and testimonies of God’s will toward us. There is covenant language that is brought up with Baptism and the Lord’s Supper…there is something that is being signified but …

“Turn me, and I will be turned” That’s what the Hebrew of Jeremiah 31:18 literally says. Or, put another way, “Repent me, and I will be repented.” Point being? It is God – not me – who works repentance in my heart. Well, how does he do that? A better question to ask first: how exactly does the Bible define repentance? “Now properly speaking, true r…

“Why private confession? Why do you need a middleman to tell you that your sins are forgiven?” In a world where faith is privatized and being “spiritual, but not religious” sounds incredibly liberating, we’re tempted to bristle at any possible benefit of confessing our sins – be it to a pastor or a fellow Christian. But this isn’t progressive spiri…

"So, if Jesus - as true God and true man - ascended into heaven, how can Jesus be present in bread and wine during the Lord's Supper?" It's a good question. But perhaps a better question to ask is not "How are such things possible?" but "Who is the one promising he is present?" These questions and more are discussed by Jacob Lewis and Pastor Sam on…

“Modern Christian churches are so…legalistic.” Lutheran theologian J. P. Koehler, in his 1914 essay titled “Legalism Among Us”, defined legalism (i.e. within the Christian Church) as an attitude which “takes the motives and forms of [one’s] actions from the law (i.e. God’s commandments) instead of letting them flow from the gospel (i.e. the good ne…

“Here’s a fact: it’s a miracle that any of us believe [in Jesus].” In this episode of The Manna Podcast, Jacob Lewis and Sam Jeske continue their discussion on Article IX of the Augsburg Confession as it relates to the practice of infant baptism.

“How can material things give spiritual blessings?” The Lutheran Reformers maintained the biblical truth that, through the waters of baptism, God grants forgiveness, new life, and salvation. But the power to grant such amazing gifts doesn’t come from the water – but God’s Word. The Apostle Paul (in Ephesians 4:6) connects the same Word of God spoke…

“Christians are hypocrites.” In a 2018 Barna Survey, this was the highest barrier to the Christian faith for non-Christians – averaging answers from Generation Z all the way to Boomers. Be it dissonance between what a Christian church practices and what the Bible preaches or a disconnect between what a Christian church preaches and what they practi…

“When Christ and his gospel is the why behind what we do, that does help [the Church] delineate between the sand and the granite…what can stay and should stay, and what can go and – perhaps – even what should go.” Jacob Lewis and Sam Jeske continue their conversation of Article VII of the Augsburg Confession on the Christian Church.…

"The church, as an industry, unfortunately looks a lot like a lot of the other old-fashioned industries which is, 'This is the way we've always done it.'" That's author and inspirational speaker, Simon Sinek's take on the Christian Church today. For Christian churches, quotes like these sting a little, don't they? Because - if we're honest - there'…

As Christians, we can sometimes get this attitude that the fruits of our faith must manifest themselves in a certain way - where they need to be these above-and-beyond, grandiose acts - otherwise they aren't considered 'fruit'. As a result, our eyes are often looking for these massive fruits of faith - like an apple on an apple tree that is so mass…

“Can’t I find God outside of Christianity? “Can’t I commune with God on my terms with my terms?” “If I don’t think the Bible is relevant anymore, how could that possibly benefit me spiritually?” Modern objections like these are incredibly common in America’s spiritual “oasis”. But while these objections are incredibly common, they’re also incredibl…

"I cannot, by virtue of God's law, find life; the letter kills, the Bible tells us. It's the gospel that gives life. And the gospel (the good news) is, what you could not do, Jesus has done for you. It pushes you out of the spotlight of your salvation - and thank God for that." In this episode of The Manna Podcast, Pastor Sam and Jacob Lewis contin…

It is the doctrine "by which the Church stands or falls." It's the beating heart of the gospel. For the Protestant Reformers, this chief article of the Christian faith was well worth the ink, blood, sweat, and tears shed defending it. We're talking about the doctrine of "justification". In the Bible, to "justify" is a forensic term (legal/courtroom…

“Who do the people say that I am?” That was the question Jesus asked his disciples once. The people then didn’t know what to make of ‘Jesus of Nazareth’. Some saw him as social activist. Others saw him as a moral teacher. Still others saw him as a prophet – but nothing more. And if you fast forward to today, things haven’t changed much, have they? …

History has a way of repeating itself. And when it comes to Church History, false teachings have a way of repeating themselves, too. That was definitely the case at the time of the Reformation. As Lutheran Reformers sought to positively make the case that their confession was historic and purely biblical (nothing new, nothing innovative), they had …

Saturday, June 25, 1530. A group of Lutheran confessors hand to Emperor Charles V a confession of faith that they were confident would "prevail against the gates of hell, with the grace and help of God." That confession of faith was the Augsburg Confession. So, what is the Augsburg Confession? Why was it written? What's it about? Why is this docume…

“When we argue there is no God at the center of our metanarrative, and yet describe our lives as if there is - when we utilize foundations and framework that are only afforded from a Christian (God-centered) metanarrative - it’s like paying for dinner with a stolen credit card.” This episode is the final chapter of a four part dialogue between Past…

Q: "How do you respond to someone who tells you to 'Leave your Christianity at home' - that my Christian faith shouldn't inform my interaction with the secular world?" A: Such objections are fairly common. Significant fuel behind the objection is the notion that, the non-religious is somehow inherently more objective than the religious. Well, is th…

No one takes any step in their life without a metanarrative. The question is not one of, "Do I or do I not have a metanarrative?" You do. Whether you're atheist, an agnostic, a Muslim, or a Mormon, you have a metanarrative. The question that is set before us is, which metanarrative is comprehensive, exhaustive, and cohesive in its explanatory scope…

Everyone has a narrative. We record them on Tik Tok. We capture them on Instagram. We plaster them on both digital and physical walls. We wear them on shirts, write them on signs, and shout them in the streets. And in our tribalistic American society, we see narratives foisted forcefully onto others – to the point where the ‘conversation’ is more o…

“With the pandemic, the future is so uncertain…the things [the Church is] doing now, maybe they won’t work two months from now. Maybe we’ll have to adapt again – we just don’t know…and yet, God is in control…God has taken care of our biggest problem: he has taken care of our sin…and if he can take care of that huge, humungous problem…don’t you thin…

Seven months in, and COVID-19 doesn't seem to be going anywhere soon. Businesses everywhere have had to pivot and change their strategy in order to continue to engage people. And in a lot of respects, it's been no different for Christian mission congregations. What strategies have helped congregations stay connected? Where have congregations needed…

I highly doubt anyone would have guessed 2020 would shake out the way that it has. COVID-19 has forced mission starts and established congregations alike to pivot and rewrite their 2020 ministry plans - perhaps entirely. And yet, God proves (just as he promises) that he works good things for the church through this kind of disruption. In this episo…

Imagine: 1. You're part a congregation just starting out. You don't have a church building. You don't even have a name for your church. You're a fish out of water - in a completely new, foreign environment. Where do you start? 2. You're part of an established congregation. You have a church building. You have a church name. But your church has real…

"How would you know what it is like to experience [fill in the blank]...?" "You have no idea what it is like to be [fill in the blank]..." "You don't understand." And chances are, they're absolutely right. Does that mean the validity of the Christian message is lost? Does our ability to talk to others as Christians boil down to whether or not we've…

With a never-ending list of social platforms, at a glance we might give the impression that people today are more connected than ever before. Connected to devices, yes. Connected to people? Not so much. We can claim all we want that we're more ‘connected’ than ever before. The fact is, even before COVID-19, studies showed the complete opposite: peo…

We live in an increasingly polarized country. We are drowning in a sea of information streaming from sources more committed to pushing a particular narrative than actually pursuing the truth. The ‘truth’ value of an idea is now weighed by how trendy that idea is. Tight-knit communities dissolve into clans. Civil conversations become scarce. Attempt…

Is truth relative at best and, at worst, altogether unknowable? Or is there someway we can find objective, coherent answers to life’s gnawing questions of origin, meaning, purpose, and destiny? In a world of competing ‘identities’, is there somewhere that everyone - regardless of age, race, or gender - can find a common identity? In the white noise…

“It’s unscientific to infer a Creator caused the universe.” Ever hear that before? Thing is, can science even say that? If science is, at its core, the study of the natural world, how can science possibly prove there is nothing beyond the natural world? Ironically, a form of faith is needed by the naturalist if he is to insist “the natural world is…

In a culture that imposes the dichotomy of "science vs. faith" or "faith vs. reason," young Christians are tempted to take the bait - and walk away from the Christian faith because they were taught it's "incompatible" with science. Well, is that true? Is a study of the natural world and the Christian faith mutually exclusive? Nope. Turns out, you c…

In this special Juneteenth episode, Pastor Jeske and member of Our Shepherd, Elaine French, discuss the Christian church and race. Elaine shares with listeners her experience as a black woman in America, the blind spots and deaf spots in communities and congregations when it comes to race, and shares words of wisdom for congregations everywhere on …

In a Barna 2018 survey, nearly half of Gen Z and Millennial Americans insist on factual evidence to support their beliefs. So, it comes as no surprise that many Americans today are jaded out by any idea of God because it’s presented as (or, at least, perceived to be) unknowable or incompatible with the evidence. Similarly, millions grow up feeling …

Pastor Sam sits down with Pastor Mark Jeske - a seasoned parish pastor and the former face of the TV ministry series, Time of Grace. This episode is part of a three-part dialogue between the two pastors, where Pastor Mark Jeske shares 10 key ministry insights he has learned from decades of parish ministry and church leadership. In this episode, Pas…

Pastor Sam sits down with Pastor Mark Jeske - a seasoned parish pastor and the former face of the TV ministry series, Time of Grace. This episode is part of a three-part dialogue between the two pastors, where Pastor Mark Jeske shares 10 key ministry insights he has learned from decades of parish ministry and church leadership. In this episode, Pas…

Pastor Sam sits down with Pastor Mark Jeske - a seasoned parish pastor and the former face of the TV ministry series, Time of Grace. This episode is part of a three-part dialogue between the two pastors, where Pastor Mark Jeske shares 10 key ministry insights he has learned from decades of parish ministry and church leadership. In this episode, Pas…

In this final episode of our Star Wars trilogy, Pastor Sam and Michael Jeske discuss the inherent problems of moral relativism, why Obi-Wan Kenobi is actually a Sith (because only a Sith deals in absolutes), the comfort in knowing we can find God in His Word, the necessary distinction of Law and Gospel, and why Jesus alone is our only hope.…

In this second installment of our Star Wars discussion trilogy, Pastor Sam and Michael Jeske pivot into theological discussions on the nature of truth, the lure of relativism, and the proper attitude and philosophy of interpretation as we engage the pages of Scripture.

Not all that long ago in a galaxy not so far away, Pastor Sam Jeske and literature buff, actor, and Star Wars expert Michael Jeske sat down to nerd out over Christian theology and Star Wars. And of course, in good Star Wars fashion, this episode is the first of a trilogy - a trilogy that tees off Disney's recent Star Wars trilogy and its telling co…

Pastor Michael Cherney and Pastor Jeske continue their discussion of the Theology of the Cross, the time and place for Romans 8:28, the "now" and "not yet" of the joy of heaven, deus absconditus and deus revelatus, and looking to Christ - his victory on the cross and his empty tomb - for eternal comfort and hope in the midst of suffering. Oh, and c…

Pastor Sam Jeske and Pastor Michael Cherney sit down to evaluate N. T. Wright's and Father James Martin's trending articles on "Where is God" in the midst of COVID-19, talk connections between long-distance dating and maintaining relationships within a church in quarantine, and whether or not we're invited to ask God "Why?" in times of intense hard…

Pastor Jeske and teacher Eric Duve continue their dialogue of ministry in a COVID-19 world, generating creative ways of staying connected to one another, the Egyptian plagues recorded in Exodus, and Paul's joy in Philippians that we have this Good Friday.

The COVID-19 season has changed the ministry landscape - but it will never change the message. Lutheran Elementary School Teacher, Eric Duve, and Pastor Sam Jeske sit down to talk ministry strategies in the digital age, resources that teachers are using to continue to teach their students, and the resonance of Ephesians 3, Exodus 3, and Philippians…

In this episode of The Manna Podcast, podcast host, Pastor Sam Jeske, and podcast guest Tracie Belsanti talk the importance of Christ-centered theology, the growing fears over COVID-19, and why John 11 still offers good news for people today.