Podcast
Thy Strong Word from KFUO Radio
Hosted by KFUO Radio · EN
Thy Strong Word 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 eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations.
Thy Strong Word is hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, and graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation.
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Acts 20:1-38: The Long Goodbye at Miletus
2w ago01:01:14Tap to summarizeGathered with the believers on the first day of the week, and leaving the next morning, Paul preaches late into the night. A young man named Eutychus, sitting in a third-story window, sinks into a deep sleep and falls to the ground below, and is picked up dead. Paul goes down, takes him in his arms, and life returns to him. Then Paul climbs back up, breaks bread, and talks until daybreak. The weight of the chapter comes later, at Miletus, where Paul says goodbye to the Ephesian elders he served for three years, warns them of wolves coming after he leaves, and tells them they will not see his face again. The Rev. Steven Theiss, serving St. John Lutheran Church (AALC) in Pocahontas, MO joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Acts 20:1-38. The book of Acts picks up where the Gospels leave off. Jesus has risen. He has ascended. And now what? Acts answers that question. Luke tells the story of how the Holy Spirit built the Church from a handful of frightened disciples in Jerusalem into a movement that reached Rome itself. Along the way, you get Pentecost, the first sermons, the first martyrs, the conversion of Paul, the first church councils, shipwrecks, riots, and the persistent, stubborn work of God through Word and Sacrament even when His people didn't have a plan. If you've ever wondered how we got from Easter morning to the Church you sit in today, this is the book. Tune in for this new series on Thy Strong Word with Pastor Phil Booe and guest pastors as we open up the Book of Acts. 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 eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.
Transcribe →Acts 19:21-41: A Riot Over the Bottom Line
2w ago01:03:41Tap to summarizeMoney sets off the riot in Ephesus, when a silversmith realizes the gospel is bad for the idol business. He dresses up his profit motive in religious language, the crowd picks up the chant, and soon the whole city is roaring for two hours without most of them knowing why they came. Underneath the noise sits a real claim: the message about Jesus was actually changing how people lived and spent, and the gospel still disturbs the arrangements we have built our security on. This episode looks at what happens when the truth touches someone's bottom line. The Rev. Dr. Adam Koontz, pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Oakmont, PA, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Acts 19:21-41.To learn more about Redeemer Lutheran in Oakmont, visit redeemer-oakmont.org.The book of Acts picks up where the Gospels leave off. Jesus has risen. He has ascended. And now what? Acts answers that question. Luke tells the story of how the Holy Spirit built the Church from a handful of frightened disciples in Jerusalem into a movement that reached Rome itself. Along the way, you get Pentecost, the first sermons, the first martyrs, the conversion of Paul, the first church councils, shipwrecks, riots, and the persistent, stubborn work of God through Word and Sacrament even when His people didn't have a plan. If you've ever wondered how we got from Easter morning to the Church you sit in today, this is the book. Tune in for this new series on Thy Strong Word with Pastor Phil Booe and guest pastors as we open up the Book of Acts. 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 eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.
Transcribe →Acts 19:1-20: Throwing the Counterfeit on the Fire
2w ago00:56:44Tap to summarizeNew believers in Ephesus do something striking: they haul their expensive books of magic into the open and burn them, torching a small fortune in front of everyone. These were people who had spent years trying to control their lives through spells and secret names, and meeting the real power of God in Christ made the counterfeit worthless to them. Most of us carry our own quiet superstitions and backup plans, the things we trust when we are not sure God is enough. This chapter asks what you would be willing to put on the fire. The Rev. David Boisclair, senior pastor at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Overland, MO, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Acts 19:1-20. To learn more about Our Redeemer, visit ourredeemerstl.org.The book of Acts picks up where the Gospels leave off. Jesus has risen. He has ascended. And now what? Acts answers that question. Luke tells the story of how the Holy Spirit built the Church from a handful of frightened disciples in Jerusalem into a movement that reached Rome itself. Along the way, you get Pentecost, the first sermons, the first martyrs, the conversion of Paul, the first church councils, shipwrecks, riots, and the persistent, stubborn work of God through Word and Sacrament even when His people didn't have a plan. If you've ever wondered how we got from Easter morning to the Church you sit in today, this is the book. Tune in for this new series on Thy Strong Word with Pastor Phil Booe and guest pastors as we open up the Book of Acts. 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 eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.
Transcribe →Acts 18:1-28: Work at the Kitchen Table
3w ago00:54:57Tap to summarizePaul arrives in Corinth tired and apparently discouraged, and God meets him through ordinary friends and ordinary work sewing tents before any vision comes. We also meet Priscilla and Aquila, a married couple who quietly pull a gifted preacher aside and fill in what his theology was missing. Not everyone in the kingdom stands on a stage; much of the work that matters happens at a kitchen table. This chapter is good news for anyone who has wondered whether their behind-the-scenes service counts. The Rev. John Shank, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Edwardsville, IL, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Acts 18:1-28.To learn more about Trinity in Edwardsville, visit trinitylutheranministries.org.The book of Acts picks up where the Gospels leave off. Jesus has risen. He has ascended. And now what? Acts answers that question. Luke tells the story of how the Holy Spirit built the Church from a handful of frightened disciples in Jerusalem into a movement that reached Rome itself. Along the way, you get Pentecost, the first sermons, the first martyrs, the conversion of Paul, the first church councils, shipwrecks, riots, and the persistent, stubborn work of God through Word and Sacrament even when His people didn't have a plan. If you've ever wondered how we got from Easter morning to the Church you sit in today, this is the book. Tune in for this new series on Thy Strong Word with Pastor Phil Booe and guest pastors as we open up the Book of Acts. 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 eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.
Transcribe →Acts 17:1-34: To an Unknown God
3w ago01:01:38Tap to summarizePaul walks into Athens, a city stuffed with idols and clever talkers, and instead of being impressed he is grieved. Rather than condemn the crowd, he starts with an altar they had built to an unknown god and tells them he has come to make that god known, even quoting their own poets on the way to the resurrection. Together with the Bereans, who checked everything Paul said against Scripture, these scenes model how to speak the gospel into a skeptical culture without watering it down. This is a chapter for Christians who feel surrounded by unbelief and are unsure how to begin. The Rev. Dr. Matthew Tassey, pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Shawnee, OK, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Acts 17:1-34. To learn more about Redeemer Lutheran, visit redeemershawnee.org.The book of Acts picks up where the Gospels leave off. Jesus has risen. He has ascended. And now what? Acts answers that question. Luke tells the story of how the Holy Spirit built the Church from a handful of frightened disciples in Jerusalem into a movement that reached Rome itself. Along the way, you get Pentecost, the first sermons, the first martyrs, the conversion of Paul, the first church councils, shipwrecks, riots, and the persistent, stubborn work of God through Word and Sacrament even when His people didn't have a plan. If you've ever wondered how we got from Easter morning to the Church you sit in today, this is the book. Tune in for this new series on Thy Strong Word with Pastor Phil Booe and guest pastors as we open up the Book of Acts. 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 eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.
Transcribe →Acts 15:36-16:15: When Good Men Part Ways
3w ago00:57:08Tap to summarizeTwo great missionaries get into an argument sharp enough to end their partnership, and the subject is whether to give a young man named Mark a second chance. Out of that painful split, two mission teams go out instead of one, and the work spreads further than it would have. God keeps building his church through imperfect people and even through their disagreements. This episode is honest medicine for anyone who has watched a falling-out in the family of faith. The Rev. Dan Torkelson, pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Madison, WI, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Acts 15:36-16:15. To learn more about Mount Olive Lutheran, visit molc.us.The book of Acts picks up where the Gospels leave off. Jesus has risen. He has ascended. And now what? Acts answers that question. Luke tells the story of how the Holy Spirit built the Church from a handful of frightened disciples in Jerusalem into a movement that reached Rome itself. Along the way, you get Pentecost, the first sermons, the first martyrs, the conversion of Paul, the first church councils, shipwrecks, riots, and the persistent, stubborn work of God through Word and Sacrament even when His people didn't have a plan. If you've ever wondered how we got from Easter morning to the Church you sit in today, this is the book. Tune in for this new series on Thy Strong Word with Pastor Phil Booe and guest pastors as we open up the Book of Acts. 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 eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.
Transcribe →Acts 15:1-35: Is Grace Enough?
3w ago00:59:27Tap to summarizeThe first major fight in the church came down to a single question: is grace really enough? Some insisted that new Gentile believers had to take on the old law to truly belong, but the apostles land squarely on the gospel: we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they are. Every generation finds new ways to add requirements to the finished work of Christ, and this chapter keeps pulling us back. It is a study for anyone who has ever quietly feared they have not done enough to be accepted by God. The Rev. Dr. Adam Filipek, pastor of Holy Cross and Immanuel Lutheran Churches in Lidgerwood, ND, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Acts 15:1-35. To learn more about Holy Cross and Immanuel Lutheran Churches, visit hcilc.com.The book of Acts picks up where the Gospels leave off. Jesus has risen. He has ascended. And now what? Acts answers that question. Luke tells the story of how the Holy Spirit built the Church from a handful of frightened disciples in Jerusalem into a movement that reached Rome itself. Along the way, you get Pentecost, the first sermons, the first martyrs, the conversion of Paul, the first church councils, shipwrecks, riots, and the persistent, stubborn work of God through Word and Sacrament even when His people didn't have a plan. If you've ever wondered how we got from Easter morning to the Church you sit in today, this is the book. Tune in for this new series on Thy Strong Word with Pastor Phil Booe and guest pastors as we open up the Book of Acts. 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 eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.
Transcribe →Acts 14:1-28: Worship Him or Stone Him?
4w ago00:56:37Tap to summarizeIn a single chapter the crowds try to worship Paul as a god and then turn around and stone him nearly to death, which tells you everything about the fickleness of human approval. When the people of Lystra want to offer sacrifices to him, Paul is horrified and points them away from himself to the living God. Ministry that chases applause will be destroyed by the same crowd that gave it, yet Paul gets up from the stoning and walks right back into the city. This episode is a clear-eyed look at why we cannot build our faith on what people think of us. The Rev. John Lukomski, pastor emeritus and co-host of Wrestling with the Basics on KFUO Radio, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Acts 14:1-28.The book of Acts picks up where the Gospels leave off. Jesus has risen. He has ascended. And now what? Acts answers that question. Luke tells the story of how the Holy Spirit built the Church from a handful of frightened disciples in Jerusalem into a movement that reached Rome itself. Along the way, you get Pentecost, the first sermons, the first martyrs, the conversion of Paul, the first church councils, shipwrecks, riots, and the persistent, stubborn work of God through Word and Sacrament even when His people didn't have a plan. If you've ever wondered how we got from Easter morning to the Church you sit in today, this is the book. Tune in for this new series on Thy Strong Word with Pastor Phil Booe and guest pastors as we open up the Book of Acts. 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 eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.
Transcribe →Acts 13:26-52: Good News That Splits a Room
4w ago01:00:48Tap to summarizeFew things expose what is really in a person's heart like good news they did not expect. Paul preaches a sermon tracing the whole story of Israel straight to the forgiveness of sins through Jesus, and the town splits down the middle, the Gentiles overjoyed and others filled with jealousy. Rejection in one place simply pushed the gospel on to the next, and the messengers shook the dust off their feet and left full of joy rather than bitterness. This chapter speaks to anyone whose witness has been met with a closed door. The Rev. Gem Gabriel, pastor of St. Peter Lutheran Church in Norwalk, CT joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Acts 13:26-52. To learn more about St. Peter Lutheran, visit stpeternorwalk.org.The book of Acts picks up where the Gospels leave off. Jesus has risen. He has ascended. And now what? Acts answers that question. Luke tells the story of how the Holy Spirit built the Church from a handful of frightened disciples in Jerusalem into a movement that reached Rome itself. Along the way, you get Pentecost, the first sermons, the first martyrs, the conversion of Paul, the first church councils, shipwrecks, riots, and the persistent, stubborn work of God through Word and Sacrament even when His people didn't have a plan. If you've ever wondered how we got from Easter morning to the Church you sit in today, this is the book. Tune in for this new series on Thy Strong Word with Pastor Phil Booe and guest pastors as we open up the Book of Acts. 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 eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.
Transcribe →Acts 13:1-25: Set Apart and Sent Out
4w ago00:54:53Tap to summarizeThe church at Antioch is worshiping and fasting when the Holy Spirit says, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul." They pray, lay hands on the two men, and send them off to proclaim the faith. From there the word runs into a sorcerer on Cyprus and into a synagogue in Pisidian Antioch, where Paul preaches the God who kept His promise and brought Israel a Savior from David's line. The Rev. Robert Smith, pastor emeritus in Ft. Wayne, IN, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Acts 13:1-25.The book of Acts picks up where the Gospels leave off. Jesus has risen. He has ascended. And now what? Acts answers that question. Luke tells the story of how the Holy Spirit built the Church from a handful of frightened disciples in Jerusalem into a movement that reached Rome itself. Along the way, you get Pentecost, the first sermons, the first martyrs, the conversion of Paul, the first church councils, shipwrecks, riots, and the persistent, stubborn work of God through Word and Sacrament even when His people didn't have a plan. If you've ever wondered how we got from Easter morning to the Church you sit in today, this is the book. Tune in for this new series on Thy Strong Word with Pastor Phil Booe and guest pastors as we open up the Book of Acts. 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 eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.
Transcribe →