The convention opened with Hymn 234. (An opening service would be held the 2nd morning.)

Introduction of Delegates / Guests:

Pastors and delegates present were 10 men.

Conference Reports:

- President Pr. Popp had no report to make.

- Treasurer Mr. Clubb presented the financial statement reporting that the books balanced and surplus remains over budgeted expenses.

Statement/report was voted accepted.

- Missionary at large - vacant office at this time.

- Visitor: Pastor Finke reported making 1 visit.

- Lutheran Reformation Hour:

Pr. Popp reported that they are getting enough support to keep it going.

Perhaps the Bakersfield, CA broadcast station may be getting dropped.

15 legitimate emails are received each day (out of 350 emails mostly spam).

It is hoped that material will be added to the Lutheran Reformation Hour website soon.

Many letters are received from Shortwave (World Wide Christian Radio) listeners - even some from here in the US.

Pr. Popp comments that TRUE preaching is essential - almost every letter mentions that they don't hear sound preaching at their churches - Yet they stay in their churches because they say they don't know where else they would go! We preach Christ crucified and no other christ! - For there IS NO other!

Lutheran Theological Studies Center:

- Pr. Popp reported that he still has 3 students meeting at his home on Sunday evenings.

- Pr. Finke reported that he still has 1 student meeting with him once or twice a month.

- Pr. Latsch reported no active students at this time.

Pr. Popp reminded us that the controversies in Luther's time brought about all the confessions of faith and creeds that we confess in our churches today.

Congregational reports:

~ Cross of Christ Lutheran Church in Midland, MI reported: 5 communicant members and that they meet at the parsonage. Their budget is about $10,000.

~ Eternal Savior Ev. Lutheran Church in Arbor Vitae, WI reported: They are meeting at the Bolger Funeral Chapel in Woodruff, WI. They have 18 members in regular attendance. Weekly worship services are followed by Sunday School (8 attendees) and Confirmation Class (1 in 1st year and 1 in 2nd year) and then Adult Bible Study (8 attendees).

~ Grace Ev. Lutheran Church of New Lenox, IL reported: about 32 communicant members and average attendance of 40-45, 7 people in confirmation class, and Sunday School - about 10.

~ Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Morris, IL reported: 20-25 communicant members and 5-6 in Sunday School.

~ Reformation Lutheran Church in Tinley Park, IL reported: 10 regular communicant members and frequent visitors, 2 attend Bible Class,

~ St. James Lutheran Church of the Reformation in Columbia Falls, MT reported via Pr. Popp: they are seriously considering moving to the St. Louis area to be able to attend church regularly. They could not attend this convention due to an illness in the family.

~ Trinity Lutheran Church of Ballwin, MO reported: 28 communicant members, average attendance of about 20, 2 confirmands, Sunday School attendance of about 6 children, 7-15 attendees for Bible Class,

About noon we took a break for lunch.

After lunch began lengthy discussion and debate regarding the issues facing Pastor Sempert and the congregations of his calling.

Meeting adjourned about 6:00 pm and closed with Hymn 558 and the Benediction.

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June 23, 2006

About 9:15 Pastor Popp conducted the opening service preaching on John, chapter 9.

Present were pastors, delegates, guests, visitors, Vacation Bible School teachers, and children.

10:30 - review of last year's minutes and reading of previous day's meeting notes.

Pastor Popp then reviewed situation of previous afternoon's discussion.

- Based upon the document drafted by the pastors of the ILC on June 21, 2006, the delegates of Grace have agreed to withdraw their written charges and accept his (Pastor Sempert) peaceful resignation and will send him a letter in that regard.

After a break for lunch, meeting resumed with reading of hymn 464 as opening prayer.

Secretary's other report was then read - just up-to-date information RE: Comparisons, the copier, Journal, and Website. A reminder regarding the Brief Statement was added.

Budget:

Proposal for $5,550 budget was passed.

Then a motion was passed to send the LRH allotment budgeted.

Education:

After a discussion on Christian education of the young, Mr. Clubb moved to have a V.B.S. intended to accompany every yearly Delegate Conference.

This motion was passed unanimously.

A motion was then made by Pastor Finke to retain current officers - motion was passed by all.

The subject of "angels" is one that has been misunderstood by many folks for many years. Artists often depict angels in ways that the Bible never describes them looking. Hollywood has put out several movies and television series regarding angels which are totally inaccurate and all-to-often poke fun at them. And, many teachers of religion misrepresent what angels are and what they do. The fact of the matter is that we must go to the Holy Bible if we are to learn the truth concerning angels, for the Bible is the only totally accurate and trustworthy source of information on the subject, and therefore Scripture will be quoted throughout this paper.

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Having examined [in the previous Journal installment] the fact that angels are created beings, when and how they were created, and their nature and properties, this leads us to the third part of this paper:

III. KINDS OF ANGELS

Regarding the kinds of angels that exist: there are good and evil angels, and these angels are of various ranks or orders. The number of angels, both good and evil, is very large, for of the Holy angels serving God, Daniel 7:10 says, "...thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him," and Hebrews 12:22 mentions, "...an innumerable company of angels"; and, concerning the evil angels – known as devils, evil spirits, and unclean spirits – we read in Mark 5:9 of Jesus asking one, "What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many." A Roman legion of soldiers consisted of over 6,000 men with auxiliaries, hence we can gather that the evil angels number many thousands.

There are several ranks, classes, or orders of angels mentioned in Holy Scripture. We read of archangels, "Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee" (Jude 9); "...Michael, one of the chief princes..." (Daniel 10:13). Consequently, we know that there are archangels. Furthermore, Scripture mentions Cherubim, "So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life" (Genesis 3:24). Seraphim is yet another class of angel, for Isaiah saw, "...the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly" (Isaiah 6:1-2). And, Colossians 1:16 tells us of thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers. Even among the evil angels there exists difference in rank, for Satan has evil angels under him, as is evident in Revelation 12:9, "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." The Bible does not specify the exact differences between the orders of angels, and so it is not necessary for us to know the differences or speculate about them.

It is important that we realize that all angels were originally created good, because Genesis 1:31 reports: "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." Unfortunately, some of the angels fell into sin by their own doing and they await final punishment, as 2 Peter 2:4 reveals: "...God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment." Jude 6 also makes it clear that the evil angels sinned by their own choice and are awaiting final punishment: "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." So, some angels left their estate of holiness and thus became devils. Of Satan we read in John 8:44, "...the devil ...was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." It seems as though Satan's fall can be attributed to pride, for it correlates well with the downfall of the king of Babylon as recorded in Isaiah 14:12-15, "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit."

Thankfully, vast numbers of angels remained good and are confirmed in their bliss, that is, they are holy and can never fall. The Bible calls them "holy angels" in Luke 9:26, and "elect angels" in 1 Timothy 5:21, and hence their inability to fall is based solely on God's power and grace in choosing them. Also, the holy angels do always behold God the Father's face (Matthew 18:10), and it follows that such a constant beatific vision of the Almighty renders sin impossible. God's holy angels will be present with Him to see the eternal punishment of the unbelievers, the evildoers, for Revelation 14:9-11 declares: "...If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name."

Having examined the kinds of angels (good and evil of great number and of various ranks), this leads us to the fourth part of this paper:

IV. ACTIVITIES AND DUTIES OF ANGELS

The evil angels, or devils, serve Satan who is known as, "...Beelzebub the chief of the devils" (Luke 11:15). The devil and his angels fight against the holy angels: "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels" (Revelation 12:7). The evil angels seek our harm, which is why 1 Peter 5:8 warns, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." No wonder Ephesians 6:11 bids us: "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." The devil is God's enemy and seeks to undermine the work of the Gospel of Christ in this world, as is illustrated in the parable of the tares among the wheat (cf. Matthew 13:24-43). The evil angels do all that they can to harm us in our bodies and possessions, as was the case with Job for instance, and harm us in our souls, for we are born into this world sinners in Satan's service, as is abundantly clear from Ephesians 2:1-3, "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others." We Christians should be grateful that God in His grace called us out of the death and darkness of the devil.

It is the Devil who keeps men in unbelief, for 2 Corinthians 4:4 reports: "...the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." We Christians are in a constant battle with the evil angels, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12). Especially is the fury of the evil angels directed against the Church of Christ which they seek to overcome, but cannot, for of His Church Jesus says: "...the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). The devil is ever active in snatching the Word of God out of men's hearts when they hear it, lest they be converted, as Jesus' explanation of the parable of the sower reveals: "Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved" (Luke 8:12).

Remember also that it is Satan who menaces the Church with the Antichrist, the pope of Rome: "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God" (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4). "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer" (1 Timothy 4:1-5). In the end, however, the devil and his angels will suffer eternally for their dastardly deeds directed against God and men, for Jesus says theirs is "...everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41).

The good angels render perpetual service to God, as they did when the Savior was born, "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:13-14). The mighty prophet Isaiah saw and heard angels praising God, for he writes: "In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory" (Isaiah 6:1-3). Certainly, glorifying God is one of the duties of the good angels, but they in fact do all that He commands them, as Psalm 103:20 informs us, "Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word."

The holy angels also served God the Son on more than one occasion when He was in His state of humiliation: "And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him" (Mark 1:13). And when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane before His arrest, trial, and crucifixion, "...there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him" (Luke 22:43). Furthermore, the holy angels will serve Christ when He returns in glory to judge the quick and the dead, "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left" (Matthew 25:31-33). "The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 13:41-42). Indeed, the angels obey the Lord Jesus and will continue to do so.

The good angels also do service to the saints on earth, for Psalm 91:9-12 relates: "Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone." Thus the holy angels are with us in our work and calling. The good angels also carry us home to heaven when we depart this life, as they did with Lazarus, "And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom" (Luke 16:22). Additionally, the good angels watch over children, "Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 18:10).

The holy angels main service to men is in regards to the Holy Christian Church, for they reverence, proclaim, and promote the message of salvation, which is evident by their joyous declaration at Jesus' birth, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:14). They desire to "look into" (1 Peter 1:12) God's gracious plan of salvation as revealed in the Gospel of Christ Jesus. The good angels are gladdened by each and every conversion to Christ– "...there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth" (Luke 15:10).

19] We shall commend our cause, therefore, to Christ, who some time will judge these controversies, and we beseech Him to look upon the afflicted and scattered churches, and to bring them back to godly and perpetual concord. [Therefore, if the known and clear truth is trodden under foot, we will resign this cause to God and Christ in heaven, who is the Father of orphans and the Judge of widows and of all the forsaken, who (as we certainly know) will judge and pass sentence upon this cause aright. Lord Jesus Christ it is Thy holy Gospel, it is Thy cause; look Thou upon the many troubled hearts and consciences, and maintain and strengthen in Thy truth Thy churches and little flocks, who suffer anxiety and distress from the devil. Confound all hypocrisy and lies, and grant peace and unity, so that Thy glory may advance, and Thy kingdom, strong against all the gates of hell, may continually grow and increase.]