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The Reformation: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

The Reformation: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Not everyone is gung-ho about church history. And yet, there is much to learn from it.  Hebrews 12:1 tells us we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. Rom. 15:4 and 1 Cor. 10:6 teach us how these witnesses from Scripture, and by extension outside of Scripture, are given for our instruction. Therefore, we can gain much from history, especially periods like Reformation. What do we learn? Certainly, we might benefit from facts such as Martin Luther died in the same city he was born. His first and last breaths were taken in Eisleben. He did not live there at the end of his life. In poor health he committed himself to mediate a conflict in the city. We also might learn how Luther had multiple near-death experiences. In 1503 he almost died from a severed artery caused by a sword he was carrying. And two years later, he was nearly struck by lightning in an awful storm. In that moment, he cried out to St. Anne to save him and that if she did, he would become a monk. Be careful what you promise in lightning storms.

Martin Luther and the Power of the Word

Martin Luther and the Power of the Word

Hebrews 11 and 12 speak about a great cloud of witnesses, whose faithful lives are an example from the past. Martin Luther certainly fits that bill, especially when considering his belief in the power of God to use the Scriptures. Luther was born November 10, 1483, in the city of Eisleben, which is the very place where 63 years later he would die. He is best known for his nailing of the Ninety-five Theses on October 31, 1517, to the church door in Wittenberg. Luther did so because indulgences preachers like Johann Tetzel played on the fears of people and took their money in the name of Christ.

Guido de Bres

October is the month of Reformation. Consider an unknown reformer—Guido de Bres. He authored what is known as the Belgic Confession, during the mid-1500s. However, his life is particularly instructive for us. In 1522, de Bres’ mother was listening to a sermon, and it prompted her to pray, “Lord would you give me a son called to preach?” Years later, God answered her prayers through Guido. He grew up in Roman Catholic Belgium after the Reformation had already started. When he was a teenager, he obtained a Bible and began to pour over it, as well as the works of various Reformers. It was as he did so, that Guido de Breys was converted. During his 20s, he felt an inward call to do more studies, which led him to England, under the Protestant king Edward VI’s reign. While there, he was trained through men like Jan Laski and Martin Bucer, who pressed the Doctrines of Grace more deeply into his soul.

Service Part 3

Rom. 12:6-8—Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching;  the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

Service Part 2

Rom. 12:4-6—4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us …

Service

Rom. 12:3—For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

A New Season

Dear members of CPC,

Happy late August! It seems like the summer just started, yet here we are awaiting fall’s arrival right around the corner. As the cool weather brings with it new opportunities, new activities, and exciting schedules for our children and grandchildren, I wonder how many of us can easily feel run down and drained from the general busyness of life. Often, we may feel like we’re entering a new season running on fumes when, in contrast, we long for a renewed freshness to start a new season. What we need is the rest that is found in the gospel. We need the rest that Christ offers.

Hearers and Doers

Hearers and Doers

James 1:22 says, be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. And from this verse we learn; we must not only take in the Word but obey it. However, we can’t do that if we don’t listen to Scripture’s message. We must be good hearers before we can be good doers. And the need to be good hearers was reinforced last Sunday. 1 Peter 5:8—Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking to devour. Satan is at work to snatch the good seed of the Word from our hearts, that we might not benefit from it (Mark 4:15). He wants to destroy marriages, hurt families, tear apart churches, and ruin lives. How do we combat him? Be vigilant. Be firm in the faith. Be confident in the Lord. Be a worshipper of God. And be a good hearer of the Word. Give attention to the right preaching, teaching, and reading of Scripture.

On Mission

Dear CPC Flock,

One of the main themes in 1 Peter has been the call to be ‘on mission.’ Peter reminds us that we are “elect exiles” with a calling (1:1). We’ve been set apart according to the foreknowledge of God through the blood of Christ for obedience to our Savior (1:2). This means, we are to be holy because God is holy (1:16). We are to abstain from worldly passion and to keep our conduct pure before ’the lost’ (2:11-12). And we are to be prepared to make a defense for the reason for the hope that is within us (3:15).

Easter Weekend

Dear CPC Flock,

Easter weekend is filled with activity, especially because of time with family and friends, a Good Friday service (6pm at CPC), and then morning and evening worship on Sunday. As you approach these things make the following prayer yours …