Michael Edwards

“The devil doesn't want God's Word to get to you. He doesn't want it to be pure when it does reach your ears. He wants to snatch the Word of God right out of the air on its way to the ground of your heart. He attacks the church, the pastors and teachers, and he attacks the doctrine; he attacks the hearer and the hearing of the Word. He makes it hard for you to go to church. He makes it hard for the church to continue.

Have you ever wondered why Sunday mornings are so difficult? Why waking up and driving to church seems much more difficult than it ought to? Why listening to a sermon is such hard work? Or have you wondered why things are so difficult in the church, why there never seems to be peace, but there is always trouble? The Word of God is always opposed, and getting our ears and our hearts to the place where they hear God's Word is spiritual warfare.

Here's why:

The preaching and teaching of God's Word is the supply line for the Christian life.”
― Bryan Wolfmueller, A Martyr's Faith in a Faithless World

“He can give me more than all my worries and the worries of all people could ever accomplish. Now, since the birds have learned so well the art of trusting Him and of casting their cares from themselves upon God, we who are His children should do so even more. Thus this is an excellent illustration that puts us all to shame. We, who are rational people and who have the Scriptures in addition, do not have enough wisdom to imitate the birds. When we listen to the little birds singing every day, we are listening to our own embarrassment before God and the people.”
― Martin Luther, Luther's Works, Volume 21

“Jesus is a better Savior than you are a sinner. Your sins cannot undo His cross. You cannot manage a stain that the blood of Jesus cannot wash. Christ Jesus came to save sinners. Jesus is not the Savior of little sinners, baby sinners. Jesus is the Savior of David and Moses, of Peter and Paul, of you and me. He has taken the enemies of God and redeemed them, redeemed us.”
― Bryan Wolfmueller, A Martyr's Faith in a Faithless World

“They founded no mission society, organized no city mission, wrote no books on “dynamic evangelism.” Instead, they celebrated the Sacrament and prayed continually. “And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved” (2:47).”
― Hermann Sasse, We Confess Anthology