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Eastern Mission
Apostolic Lutheran Church of America
October 2023
“31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.33 They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” -John 8:31-36
Before Adam and Eve fell into sin, what did they know? Who was their final authority? How did they know right from wrong. The answer to all of these questions is simply “God”. God was everything to them. After the fall their eyes were opened, and with the stolen knowledge of good and evil they became their own final authority. And this is really the problem with our world. We don’t keep the first commandment. Even those of us that worship him can’t keep it. Though we acknowledge Him as God we still want to be in control. This is how it is for the Jews who were talking to Jesus. Though what he has said has resonated with them. They can’t lay down their pride and acknowledge their utter slavery to sin. Like Adam and Eve they too have open eyes that blind them. They claim to be free, to be in control, they don’t think they need Jesus.
How is it for you? Are you free? There is freedom only in Christ Jesus our Lord. There is no freedom outside of Him. And it’s a freedom from sin, not a freedom to sin. The Jews don’t see this. They think they have free will, they think they are the master of their universe. Like Adam and Eve when they sinned, these Jews are their own final authority, and they can’t see that they are truly in bondage. Jesus reveals this to them quite simply. “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin”. They don’t see it, but He shows them. How is it for slaves? Can they truly free themselves? Even if they escape, they will be looking over their shoulder for the rest of their life. There is no freeing yourself from slavery. The only way a slave can attain freedom is by being freed by their master! This is one of the chief articles of the faith that the reformation brought to light. Humanity, without Jesus, is enslaved to sin. We are all completely and utterly sinners. As one of my predecessors used to say, “We are sin from the top of our head to the bottom of our feet.” And there’s no saving ourselves. Salvation comes from outside of us, freedom comes from outside, life comes from outside! “If the son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed”. He sets us free purely by his grace so that we can dwell with Him in His Father’s house forever. So be at peace, slave though you were, in Christ you have been set free, and made into his child.
God’s Peace,
Pastor Nicholas Kandoll
NEWSLETTER 2023 SCHEDULE
June - Tyson Mattila
July - Don Bisila
August - Jon Salo
September - Robert Tumberg
October - Nick Kandoll
November - Mark Traffie
December - Chuck Bylkas
NEWSLETTER 2024 SCHEDULE
January - Drew Holmgren
February - Bill Seppala
March - Tyson Mattila
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Contact us at:Eastern Missionary Association
PO Box 69
Hancock, MI 49930
Chairman: Mark Traffie
Phone: (701) 580-0894
email: mtraffie@artekenterprise.com
Secretary: William Seppala
Phone: (603) 801-5103
Email: wmseppala@gmail.com
Treasurer: Pastor Ernest (Chuck) Bylkas III
Phone: (906) 281-4983
Email: cbylkas@pasty.com