Thy Strong Word From Kfuo Radio

Paul admits that he was so burdened beyond his strength that he despaired of life itself. What does an apostle cling to when he cannot see a way forward? As we begin Second Corinthians, St. Paul points this troubled congregation to the Father of mercies, whose comfort reaches His people in their affliction and passes through them to others. But the Corinthians also have questions about Paul himself. If he keeps changing his plans, can they trust his preaching? His answer leads from a disputed itinerary to the certainty of God’s promises: each one finds its Yes in Jesus Christ.  The Rev. Robert Smith, pastor emeritus in Fort Wayne, Indiana, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 2 Corinthians 1:1–24.   What happens when Christians turn their pastors into rival teams, take one another to court, and leave their neighbors hungry at the Lord’s Supper? Corinth gives Paul plenty to write about. Questions about marriage, meat sacrificed to idols, spiritual gifts, and the resurrection bring the apostle into the d

After proclaiming the resurrection of the dead, Paul turns to a collection, travel plans, and the people the Corinthians need to welcome. These ordinary concerns show what the Gospel means for a congregation learning to live together. Hungry Christians need help, faithful workers need support, and an open door for preaching comes with determined opposition. How will this divided church respond? Paul closes with words that hold firmness and tenderness together: stand firm in the faith, let everything be done in love, and await the Lord who is coming.  The Rev. Ryan Kleimola, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Toledo, Ohio, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Corinthians 16:1–24. To learn more about Trinity in Toledo, visit trinitylutheran.org. What happens when Christians turn their pastors into rival teams, take one another to court, and leave their neighbors hungry at the Lord’s Supper? Corinth gives Paul plenty to write about. Questions about marriage, meat sacrificed to idols, spiritual gift

If Christ has conquered death, why are we still burying Christians? Our bodies bear Adam’s likeness, marked by weakness, decay, and death. Yet Paul promises that we will also bear the likeness of the risen Christ. What will that transformation mean, and what happens to those still living when the last trumpet sounds? As Paul brings his great resurrection chapter to its conclusion, he traces death’s sting to sin and announces the victory God gives through Jesus Christ. That promise reaches from the graveside into our daily callings: because Christ is risen, our labor in the Lord is not in vain.  The Rev. Sawyer Meyers of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Olive Branch, Mississippi, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Corinthians 15:45–58. To learn more about Beautiful Savior Lutheran, visit beautifulsaviorlutheran.org. What happens when Christians turn their pastors into rival teams, take one another to court, and leave their neighbors hungry at the Lord’s Supper? Corinth gives Paul plenty to wri

A body lowered into the grave looks like the end of everything. Paul compares it to a seed being sown, because Christ’s resurrection has begun a harvest that death cannot prevent. But what kind of body will rise, and how can something marked by decay and weakness become imperishable and glorious? Paul answers the Corinthians’ objections by pointing to the Creator’s power and Christ’s reign. The last enemy still confronts us at every funeral, but its destruction is certain: Christ has been raised, and those who belong to Him will follow.    The Rev. Peter Burfeind, pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Union City, Michigan, and Agnus Dei Lutheran Church in Marshall, Michigan, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Corinthians 15:20–44.  Pastor Burfeind is the author of the book, Gnostic America, which expounds upon some of the topics featured in this episode. To learn more about Our Savior and Agnus Dei Lutheran Churches, visit facebook.com/oursaviorunioncity and agnusdeimarshall.com. What happen

Could Christianity still offer something worthwhile if the dead never rise? Paul refuses to let the Corinthians treat resurrection as an optional belief. If the dead cannot rise, Christ has not been raised, their sins remain unforgiven, and the Christians they have buried are lost. Everything rests on an event Paul received and proclaimed: Jesus died for our sins, was buried, rose, and appeared to witnesses. Why does the Christian’s hope depend so completely on what happened to Jesus’ body?  The Rev. Greg Jans of Holy Trinity in Somerset, New Jersey, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Corinthians 15:1–19. To learn more about Holy Trinity in Somerset, visit htlsomerset.org. What happens when Christians turn their pastors into rival teams, take one another to court, and leave their neighbors hungry at the Lord’s Supper? Corinth gives Paul plenty to write about. Questions about marriage, meat sacrificed to idols, spiritual gifts, and the resurrection bring the apostle into the daily life of a churc

“Judge not.” “I can do all things.” “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” These are familiar words of Scripture that even many unbelievers know. Does Jesus forbid us to call anything sinful? Does God promise success at whatever we attempt? What happens when we must confront wickedness? What happens when we simply cannot handle any more suffering? On this Free Text First Friday, we put familiar Biblical quotations back in context and uncover the comfort we miss when a Bible passage becomes a slogan.  The Rev. Jon Franson of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Coffeyville, Kansas, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to explore frequently misunderstood and misquoted Bible passages.  To learn more about St. Paul's in Coffeyville, visit splccoffeyville.org. Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our ey

Everyone seems to have something to say in Corinth, but who is being helped by what is heard? Paul would rather speak five understandable words than ten thousand in a tongue. He calls for speech that teaches, encourages, and consoles, then tells some speakers to wait, others to remain silent, and the Church to weigh what is said. His instructions also address women’s speaking in the assembly and confront those who claim spiritual authority while rejecting the Lord’s command. How does the Church distinguish a speaker’s desire to be heard from speech that builds up Christ’s people?   The Rev. James Peterson of St. John Lutheran Church in Curtis, Nebraska, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Corinthians 14:1–40.  To learn more about St. John Lutheran in Curtis, visit facebook.com/stjohncurtis. What happens when Christians turn their pastors into rival teams, take one another to court, and leave their neighbors hungry at the Lord’s Supper? Corinth gives Paul plenty to write about. Questions about mar

Imagine knowing every mystery, speaking with extraordinary eloquence, and giving away everything you own. Paul says that without love, even these impressive things amount to nothing. His familiar words about patience and kindness confront a congregation whose spiritual gifts have become occasions for envy and pride. What does love expose about the way we measure Christian maturity? And why will the gifts the Corinthians prize eventually pass away, while love endures when we finally see face to face?  The Rev. Bryan Stecker joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Corinthians 12:27–13:13.  What happens when Christians turn their pastors into rival teams, take one another to court, and leave their neighbors hungry at the Lord’s Supper? Corinth gives Paul plenty to write about. Questions about marriage, meat sacrificed to idols, spiritual gifts, and the resurrection bring the apostle into the daily life of a church struggling with pride and division. Through it all, he keeps bringing them back to Christ cru

Some Christians wonder whether they have anything to offer. Others act as though the Church could get along without everyone else. Paul answers both by pointing to the church as an image of a body that needs its eyes, hands, and feet, including the members that seem weakest. The Spirit who brings us to confess Jesus as Lord gives different gifts and joins us together in Baptism. What happens when we turn those gifts into a measure of someone’s importance? And how does belonging to one body change whose suffering we notice and whose joy we share?  The Rev. Chris Matthis, senior pastor of Epiphany Lutheran Church in Castle Rock, Colorado, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Corinthians 12:1–26. To learn more about Epiphany in Castle Rock, visit epiphanylc.org. What happens when Christians turn their pastors into rival teams, take one another to court, and leave their neighbors hungry at the Lord’s Supper? Corinth gives Paul plenty to write about. Questions about marriage, meat sacrificed to idols,

Some leave hungry while others have had too much to drink, and the Corinthians still call their gathering the Lord’s Supper. Paul brings them back to the night Jesus was betrayed and the words that make this meal His gift: “This is my body, which is for you.” The Apostle also warns that receiving unworthily brings judgment. How can the Sacrament given for forgiveness be received to a person’s harm? What does it mean to examine ourselves and discern Christ’s body without imagining we must become sinless before coming?  The Rev. Steven Theiss, serving St. John Lutheran Church (AALC) in Pocahontas, Missouri, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Corinthians 11:17–34.  What happens when Christians turn their pastors into rival teams, take one another to court, and leave their neighbors hungry at the Lord’s Supper? Corinth gives Paul plenty to write about. Questions about marriage, meat sacrificed to idols, spiritual gifts, and the resurrection bring the apostle into the daily life of a church struggling w

A covered head, an uncovered head, the length of someone’s hair: why does Paul give these things so much attention? In Corinth, outward appearance could communicate honor or shame within the congregation and between husbands and wives. Paul takes the discussion back to creation, then insists that neither woman nor man is independent of the other in the Lord. How do we distinguish the customs of ancient Corinth from the enduring truths Paul teaches through them, and what does our conduct communicate when the Church gathers?  The Rev. Dan Torkelson, pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Madison, Wisconsin, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Corinthians 11:1–16.  To learn more about Mount Olive Lutheran, visit molc.us. What happens when Christians turn their pastors into rival teams, take one another to court, and leave their neighbors hungry at the Lord’s Supper? Corinth gives Paul plenty to write about. Questions about marriage, meat sacrificed to idols, spiritual gifts, and the resurrection b

Meat from the market may be eaten with thanksgiving, but a meal at an idol’s altar is another matter. Why does the setting change what Christians may do? Paul answers by pointing to the Lord’s Supper, where the bread and cup give us participation in Christ’s body and blood. Fellowship at an altar means something, even when a person claims otherwise. As Paul distinguishes freedom from idolatry, he brings the question home to ordinary meals: how do we receive God’s gifts with gratitude while seeking our neighbor’s good?  The Rev. David Boisclair, senior pastor of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Overland, Missouri, joins guest host Andy Bates to study 1 Corinthians 10:14–33. To learn more about Our Redeemer in Overland, visit ourredeemerstl.org. What happens when Christians turn their pastors into rival teams, take one another to court, and leave their neighbors hungry at the Lord’s Supper? Corinth gives Paul plenty to write about. Questions about marriage, meat sacrificed to idols, spiritual gifts, and

They passed through the sea, ate bread from heaven, and drank from the rock. Yet the wilderness became a graveyard for people God had delivered from Egypt. The Apostle Paul recounts that history to the Corinthian Christians who think they know enough to stand safely near temptation. What makes their confidence so dangerous, and why does Israel’s failure belong in a letter to the Church? Alongside the warning comes a promise for those who know their weakness: God is faithful, and temptation does not leave His people without His help.  The Rev. Jacob Hercamp, pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in Noblesville, Indiana, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Corinthians 10:1–13.  To learn more about Christ Lutheran, visit clc-in.org. What happens when Christians turn their pastors into rival teams, take one another to court, and leave their neighbors hungry at the Lord’s Supper? Corinth gives Paul plenty to write about. Questions about marriage, meat sacrificed to idols, spiritual gifts, and the resurrect

Paul makes a convincing case that the Corinthians should support his ministry, then explains why he has refused their support. Why defend a right he will not exercise? The answer reaches beyond a pastor’s paycheck to the things Christians willingly surrender so that others may hear the Gospel. Paul’s freedom makes him a servant, and his calling demands the discipline of an athlete running to win. What might our insistence on getting what we deserve put in the way of someone hearing Christ?  The Rev. Keith Aschenbeck of Grace Lutheran Church in Victoria, Texas, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Corinthians 9:1–27. To learn more about Grace Lutheran, visit gracelutheran-tx.org. What happens when Christians turn their pastors into rival teams, take one another to court, and leave their neighbors hungry at the Lord’s Supper? Corinth gives Paul plenty to write about. Questions about marriage, meat sacrificed to idols, spiritual gifts, and the resurrection bring the apostle into the daily life of a c

An idol is nothing, and food cannot bring us closer to God. Some Corinthians know both truths and see no problem eating meat offered to idols. But across the table sits a fellow Christian who once worshiped those gods. What happens when he follows their example while believing he is returning to idolatry? Paul confronts a confidence so focused on being free and knowledgeable that it overlooks a brother for whom Christ died. How does love shape the use of Christian freedom when another person’s faith is at stake?  The Rev. Matthew Kusch, pastor of King of Glory Lutheran Church in Elgin, Illinois, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Corinthians 8:1–13.  To learn more about King of Glory Lutheran, visit kogelgin.org. What happens when Christians turn their pastors into rival teams, take one another to court, and leave their neighbors hungry at the Lord’s Supper? Corinth gives Paul plenty to write about. Questions about marriage, meat sacrificed to idols, spiritual gifts, and the resurrection bring t

Marriage is God’s good gift, yet Paul advises the unmarried to consider remaining as they are. His reason brings an urgency to wedding plans and household concerns: “The present form of this world is passing away.” With trouble pressing upon the Corinthians, he wants to spare them added burdens and encourage undivided devotion to the Lord. How should Christians receive that counsel without turning it into a command against marriage? And what does it mean to love a spouse, build a home, and plan a future in a world that will not last?  The Rev. Roger Mullet, Professor of Theology at Concordia University, Chicago, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Corinthians 7:25–40. What happens when Christians turn their pastors into rival teams, take one another to court, and leave their neighbors hungry at the Lord’s Supper? Corinth gives Paul plenty to write about. Questions about marriage, meat sacrificed to idols, spiritual gifts, and the resurrection bring the apostle into the daily life of a church struggl

Paul wishes others could remain unmarried as he is, yet he tells husbands and wives not to deprive one another of sexual intimacy. How do those fit together? For Christians in Corinth sorting through questions of desire, devotion, and marital faithfulness, neither marriage nor celibacy offers an escape from loving their neighbor. And when one spouse believes in Christ and the other does not, the questions become even more personal. Paul’s answers challenge easy assumptions about which life is holier and what belonging to Christ means for the promises we have made.  The Rev. Graham Glover of Abiding Savior Lutheran Church in Gainesville, Florida, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Corinthians 7:1–24.  To learn more about Abiding Savior, visit abidingsavior.info. What happens when Christians turn their pastors into rival teams, take one another to court, and leave their neighbors hungry at the Lord’s Supper? Corinth gives Paul plenty to write about. Questions about marriage, meat sacrificed to ido

What if winning a lawsuit could mean losing something far more important? As Christians in Corinth take one another to court, Paul asks something most people would never be willing to consider, “Why not rather suffer wrong?” Their insistence on getting their own way reaches into their sexual lives, too, where freedom has become an excuse for sin. What changes when the person you wrong is your brother in Christ, and the body you claim as your own has been bought with His blood? Paul brings them back to what God has done: washed, sanctified, and justified them in Jesus’ name.  The Rev. John Shank, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Edwardsville, Illinois, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Corinthians 6:1–20.  To learn more about Trinity in Edwardsville, visit trinitylutheranministries.org. What happens when Christians turn their pastors into rival teams, take one another to court, and leave their neighbors hungry at the Lord’s Supper? Corinth gives Paul plenty to write about. Questions about ma

A member of the Corinthian church is involved with his father’s wife, yet the congregation remains puffed up with pride, unmoved by a sin that should bring them to tears. Paul tells them to remove him from their fellowship, not as punishment, but so that he may be saved. How can putting someone outside the Church serve his salvation? This difficult passage confronts the danger of leaving sin unchallenged and asks what love requires when a fellow Christian refuses to repent. At its heart stands Christ, our Passover Lamb, sacrificed to free us from the sin that destroys us.  The Rev. Dr. Michael Nielsen, pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and Preschool in North Prairie, Wisconsin, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Corinthians 5:1–13.  To learn more about St. John's in North Prairie, visit stjohnsnp.org. What happens when Christians turn their pastors into rival teams, take one another to court, and leave their neighbors hungry at the Lord’s Supper? Corinth gives Paul plenty to write about. Ques

The Christians in Corinth are acting haughty, supposing themselves to be like kings, while the apostles who brought them the Gospel are hungry, dishonored, and treated like garbage. Despite this, Paul tells them, “Be imitators of me.” Why would anyone want to follow him? Beneath Paul’s sharp words is a spiritual father’s concern for children who have become disconnected from the cross. This episode explores what they have misunderstood about life in Christ, and how God’s power can be at work even in ministry that appears weak according to worldly reason.  The Rev. Robert Smith, pastor emeritus in Fort Wayne, Indiana, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Corinthians 4:1–21.  What happens when Christians turn their pastors into rival teams, take one another to court, and leave their neighbors hungry at the Lord’s Supper? Corinth gives Paul plenty to write about. Questions about marriage, meat sacrificed to idols, spiritual gifts, and the resurrection bring the apostle into the daily life of a church st