Don’t Look Back

I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God. Luke 9:61,62 Imagine a man stranded on an island. He’s lost all hope of survival. He’s as good as dead. Then someone comes to his rescue. Once he realizes he’s saved, he climbs aboard and doesn’t look back. That’s the way it is with a person who follows Jesus. Jesus has rescued them from death and … Continue Reading

Don’t Miss Dr. Thompson’s Lecture at HKU

Join us on Thursday, 16 October 2025, 6:30–7:30 p.m., at the Drake Gallery (1/F, Fung Ping Shan Building, UMAG, HKU, 90 Bonham Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong) for an English-language talk by Dr Glen L. Thompson on the Syriac Church of the East in China (from the Tang-era Jingjiao to the Song–Yuan Yelikewenjiao) and the latest discoveries shaping this field. Dr Thompson, co-editor of The Church of the East in Central Asia and China (2020) and author of the award-winning Jingjiao: The Earliest Christian Church in China (2024), will share new research, with books available for purchase. … Continue Reading

New Roles at ALS

At our opening service, we celebrated the installation of three leaders into new roles at ALS: Dr. Guy Marquardt as Vice President (third from right), Prof. Tony Barthels as Dean of the Mandarin-language certificate program (second from right), and Rev. William Zhu (third from left) as our newest professor. These additions reflect our commitment to serving expanding ministry needs.We’re grateful for their service and excited for the work ahead.

Committing to a New Mission

So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.1 Kings 19:21 A woman once showed her Christian pastor a handbook from her former religion. That religion emphasized her good works rather than God’s gift of salvation. It’s like she was under a yoke of slavery. When she came to know Jesus and his full and free forgiveness, she was relieved; … Continue Reading

Thai Student Graduation from ALS’s Pastoral Studies Program

The churches in Thailand just celebrated the graduation of three evangelists from the Pastoral Studies Institute program run with the assistance of Asia Lutheran Seminary’s Regional Theological Education Program (RTEP). Two of these men will continue their work planting churches in two different nearby villages. The third will help support the ministry of another church in the area. Lord willing, we will see more leaders trained in the future by them!

Taste and See That the Lord is Good

Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth. Ezekiel 3:3 Books designed for children under the age of one have bold black, white, and red illustrations. Those are seen best by developing eyes. Those books often have thick, sturdy pages that can stand going into a baby’s mouth. At that age, everything a baby touches goes into the mouth. It must taste terrible. In the days of the prophet Ezekiel, … Continue Reading

Classes Have Begun for the Fall 2025 Semester

The faculty and staff would like to welcome all new and returning students for a new semester of studying God’s Word. We pray that your studies strengthen your faith, give you peace, and draw your eyes to your Savior. We also pray that through this, you are better able to serve those God has placed in your life to serve. May the peace of God guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, this semester and always!

Grace in Place of Anger

“I will praise you, LORD. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me. Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.” Isaiah 12:1,2 When someone offends or hurts you with words or actions, what’s your most likely response? To show grace or fume with anger? For many of us, too often, we react with anger. In our Bible reading for today, the author says that God was angry with … Continue Reading

Official Semester Starts

September 1 is the official beginning of the Fall 2025 semester. We are looking forward to seeing both former and new students this semester. We praise God for all that he has done for us and we pray that he blesses you all in your study of his Word over the next few months, as you bring the light of his salvation out into the world as his ambassadors and children.

Bricks Can’t Reach Heaven

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” Genesis 11:1-4 The people seeking to build this tower had … Continue Reading