Sunday, November 23rd, 2014 at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine: Last Sunday of the Church Year: Matthew 25:31-46
Divine Service: 9:30 am
Bible Study and Sunday School: 11:00 am
Location: Crean Lutheran High School in Irvine: 12500 Sand Canyon Ave., Irvine, CA 92618
Directions: Exit Sand Canyon from the 405 or 5, head East towards the hills, cross Irvine Blvd., turn right on Saint’s Way (this will put you on the campus of Crean Lutheran High School…we worship in the event center/gym)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We are very blessed to welcome a special guest tomorrow at Saint Paul’s: Rev. George Mather who is an expert in the field of cults and the occult. He will proclaim God’s Word in worship and then after worship, he will present a special presentation-study on the Kingdom of the Cults and how to remain faithful to our confession of the Lord Jesus Christ in the midst of so much confusion in the world about the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Tomorrow in Divine Service we will also hear the heralding of God’s saving Gospel based on the assigned Gospel for the last Sunday of the Church Year: Matthew 25:31-46 on the sheep and the goats.
This Scripture can be very challenging! Isn’t it true that we are saved by God’s grace through the gift of faith in Jesus Christ apart from the works of the Law? Yes of course! So how come our judgment is described in terms of whether we fed the hungry or gave drink to the thirsty or welcomed the stranger or clothed the naked or visited the sick and those in prison? These are works are they not? Yes of course they are! But this seems contradictory! Tomorrow’s proclamation will also teach the crucial distinction — as well as the inter-relationship — between who and what you ARE and what people DO. Those on the right of Christ at the last judgment are called “sheep,” and this is not a minor detail. WHO you are is the crucial point…once one is in Christ, the rest of living is also in Him!
Most importantly, you will receive the precious body and blood of the Lord Jesus. This is the medicine of grace and the Kingdom of God that keeps you alive and strong in the One whose life fulfilled the Law for you; whose death paid for all of your sin; and whose resurrection gives you life eternal. Come and receive God’s gifts; come and be fed; come and be strengthened in the saving faith.
Here is a some information about our special guest, Rev. Mather:
- George Mather has become a Nationally recognized authority on cults, World Religions and the occult. Lectured throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and the Caribbean. Interviewed (i.e. 60 Minutes, 20/20, CNN, NBC Nightly News, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Miami Herald, Voice Of America, UPI Radio Network, Time, Newsweek, and People Magazines, The Boston Globe, L. A. Times, Washington Post, New York Times, Chicago Sun, The Boston Herald and numerous others. Invited to appear on The Donahue Show, and The Shirley Show of Canada). Has personally counseled hundred’s of cult members and their families over the years. Some of these cult members and family members were high profile cases like David Karesh and the Branch Davidians, Jeffrey Dahmer, (the cannibal) Son of Sam (David Berkovitz) and Jim Jones’s of People’s Temple.
- It has been said of him, “George brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience that can make him particularly useful…. He also has the advantage of training in careful research and the maturity to exercise sound judgment.” (Rev. Philip Lochhaas, Executive Secretary, The Commission on Organizations, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod). And “I have known Pastor Mather for many years, both as a Theological student and as a researcher at Dr. Walter Martin’s Christian Research Institute. He is a man of vision and integrity and can be trusted in his endeavors for the Lord. (Dr. John Warwick Montgomery, Distinguished Professor of Theology, Law and Humanities, University of Bedfordshire, England).
In Jesus’ Love,
Pastor Espinosa