After Darkness, Light

Today the vast majority of our culture will be focused on costumes and candy. However, for Protestants, October 31, Reformation day, commemorates what some believe to have been “the greatest move of the Spirit of God since the days of the Apostles.”

When Martin Luther nailed his ninety-five theses to the church door on October 31, 1517, it triggered a debate that would eventually culminate in what we now refer to as the Protestant Reformation.

What is Reformation Day?

Stephen Nichols explains how that single event forever impacted history,

“It is the day the light of the gospel broke forth out of darkness.

It was the day that began the Protestant Reformation.

It was a day that led to Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, and may other Reformers helping the church find its way back to God’s Word as the only authority for faith and life and leading the church back to the glorious doctrines of justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

 It kindled the fires of missionary endeavors.

 It led to hymn writing and congregational singing.

 It led to the centrality of the sermon and preaching for the people of God.

 It is the celebration of a theological, ecclesiastical, and cultural transformation.”

 Why October 31?

In Luther’s day November 1 held a special place in the church calendar as All Saints’ Day. On November 1, 1517, an expansive exhibit of newly acquired relics would be on display in Luther’s hometown of Wittenberg. Pilgrims would travel from far and wide to bow before the artifacts, and be awarded with reduced time to atone for their sins in purgatory. Luther, much like Lot in the Old Testament, was a righteous man in anguish over sinful acts of lawless men, (2 Peter 2:7) so he penned his 95 Theses on October 31, 1517.

What were the enduring ramifications?

Initially opposing the pope’s attempt to sell salvation, Luther’s study of Scripture eventually led him to clash with the church of Rome on other issues, including the supremacy of Scripture over church tradition, and the means by which men are justified in the sight of God.

Robert Rothwell describes the immense impact of Luther’s discovery of salvation by grace alone through faith alone,

“Martin Luther’s rediscovery of this truth led to a whole host of other church and societal reforms and much of what we take for granted in the West would have likely been impossible had he never graced the scene. Luther’s translation of the Bible into German put the Word of God in the hands of the people, and today Scripture is available in the vernacular language of many countries, enabling lay people to study it with profit. He reformed the Latin mass by putting the liturgy in the common tongue so that non-scholars could hear and understand the preached word of God and worship the Lord with clarity. Luther lifted the unbiblical ban on marriage for the clergy and by his own teaching and example radically transformed the institution itself. He recaptured the biblical view of the priesthood of all believers, showing all people that their work had purpose and dignity because in it they can serve their Creator.”

 All of the above is why Reformation Day, October 31, must hold a special place in the heart of every protestant, and why the motto of the Protestant Reformation became “After Darkness, Light.”

The Reformation stands as a powerful testimony of “the power of the Word of God to penetrate into places of spiritual and cultural darkness and transform the people of God.”

References:

https://www.ligonier.org/blog/what-is-reformation-day/
https://www.ligonier.org/blog/what-reformation-day-all-about/

God Meets Us

Life often seems to be an unending series of meetings, some of which turn out to be trivial, while others quite consequential. And yet, none is as impactful as a meeting with God.

Isaiah 64:5 states,

“You meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways.”

 Octavius Winslow writes about this passage,

“God meets His people in all their works of faith and labors of love. They are never alone. He meets them in the path of duty and of trial- both in doing and in suffering His will.

– He meets them, when embarrassed; with counsel;
– He meets them, when assailed, with protection;
– He meets them, when exhausted, with strength;
– He meets them, when faint, with cordials.

 If we take up Christ’s cross upon our shoulder, Christ will take both us and our cross up in His arms. If we bow down our neck to His yoke, and bend low our back to His burden, we shall find our rest in both.”

 

 

Coming of Age

The Apostle Paul writes,

“Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”
(Colossians 3:2)

Of this verse Puritan Thomas Watson commented,

“…Our affections should be very narrow downwards to the earth, but wide and large upwards towards heavenly things. Thus we see that death is a privilege to believers; death is yours, the heir, while he is underage, is capable of the land he is born to, but he has not the use of the benefit of it, till he comes of age. Be as old as you will, you are never of age until you die. Death brings us of age and then the possession comes into our hands.”

It is strange to consider:

  • Martin Lloyd-Jones dying at 82;
  • Hudson Taylor passing away at 73;
  • and Gladys Aylward going to be with the Lord at 68,

as all “not being of age.”

And yet, as believers, who lived heavenly-minded lives on earth, death was a privilege, whereby they took possession of their heavenly inheritance as a child of God, saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus’ atoning death and resurrection.

The Power of the Pen and Providence

Approximately 25 years after Christ’s ascension, at the close of his third missionary journey, Paul wrote a letter to the church in Rome from the Greek city of Corinth. As he is preparing to travel to the Jerusalem church with an offering for the poor believers, he pauses long enough to write a letter to a church he has never visited. He writes to introduce himself, but being the teacher he is, Paul can’t help but also teach his new friends about the righteousness that comes from God—the great truths of the gospel of grace.*

This letter, the Book of Romans, written by the greatest Christian to ever live, to a group of people he would never meet, in God’s providence has left an immeasurable impact on humanity.

It was said of Martin Luther upon reading Romans,

“And so, the lights came on for Luther. And he began to understand that what Paul was speaking of here was a righteousness that God in His grace was making available to those who would receive it passively, not those who would achieve it actively, but that would receive it by faith, and by which a person could be reconciled to a holy and righteous God.”

In May of 1738, a failed minister and missionary reluctantly went to a small Bible study where someone read aloud from Martin Luther’s Commentary on Romans. “While he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for my salvation, and an assurance was given me that he had taken my sins away, even mine.” John Wesley was saved that night in London.*

John Calvin said of Romans, “When anyone understands this Epistle, he has a passage opened to him to the understanding of the whole Scripture.”

And the great theologian, G. Campbell Morgan, said Romans was “the most pessimistic page of literature upon which your eyes ever rested” and at the same time, “the most optimistic poem to which your ears ever listened.”

It is amazing to see how the Sovereign of the universe graciously condescends to use fallen humanity and unremarkable circumstances to communicate His perfect plan of salvation.

* Source: Bare Bones Bible Handbook

** Source: Enduring Word Commentary

Small Things

Think for a moment of some amazing, historical men and women of God.

Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to witness the calling of spiritual giants like Amy Carmichael, Hudson Taylor, George Muller, or Jim and Elizabeth Elliott? To have been present the moment that those individuals responded to the call of Christ in their life and began the journey of immense impact for the Kingdom of God?

If we were to have witnessed first-hand the calling of a missionary pioneer to South Africa who would serve faithfully for over 50 years, it would have looked no different then what we witnessed recently in the Dominican Republic, during a vacation bible school, where numerous children responded to a Gospel presentation.

In Zechariah 4:10 the Lord challenged Zechariah, “Who dares despise the day of small things?”

This short phrase refers to the building of the second temple, which was contemptible to the enemies of Judah, and little in the eyes of many of the Jews themselves, who had seen the former temple built by Solomon, yet not in the eyes of the Lord of hosts.

Fred Barlow writes on wholesomewords.org,
When I think of Robert Moffat, I am rightly reminded of the Scripture in Zechariah 4:10, which
witnesses, “For who hath despised the day of small things?” It seemed a small thing to some godly men in a southern Scotland church when a boy about four years old, from a home of poor but pious parents, knelt at an altar to pray. His decision was despised by the elders as one who was too young to understand. Thank God, one unnamed, unknown-to-us brother bothered to kneel in prayer with “Robbie.” Moffat may well have been converted to Christ then — if not, it was the commencement of a chain of events that led to his conversion and to the opening of doors of evangelism to the uncharted depths of the dark continent of Africa.

While growing up, his mother during the long winter evenings would tell Robert and his siblings of stories of missionaries. In his teens he saw a sign announcing a missionary meeting. Robbie attended and responded to God’s call on his life to become a missionary. He went on to serve the Lord faithfully for 50 years: Laying the foundation of the church in Botswana and Zimbabwe; translating the Bible into foreign languages, a task that in one case took 17 years.

The prime minister of South Africa said of Robert Moffat, “Among missionaries, there was none greater, none holier.”

When on March 20, 1870 he preached his last sermon, most of the congregation were the children of his first church 50 years earlier.

The Lord had graciously allowed him to play a role in generational change for Christ. This is our prayer for the Genesis Program as well, and a good reminder to never “dare despise the day of small things.”

The Gospel

Last month I had the opportunity to share the gospel at our church’s Vacation Bible School with the teenagers. While I wasn’t asked to do so until I arrived, I had anticipated the opportunity might present itself, and so I had prepared a brief outline before heading inside. When the pastor asked me to help, I smiled, agreed and remembered the words of Paul to his student Timothy,

“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage–with great patience and careful instruction.” (2 Timothy 4:2)

The following was my outline:

I showed the students my graduate school class ring, explaining that it was the culmination of 20 years of education (12 grade school, 4 undergrad, 4 graduate). However, I explained that when I was their age I had made the most important and wise decision of my life, when I chose to believe the Gospel and trust Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross for my sins. At that moment, by the grace of God, the cross went from foolishness to the power of God to save me from my sins.

1Corinthians 1:18 – For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

I then used Paul’s words to the church in Corinth to explain exactly what we mean when we use the term “Gospel.”

1 Corinthians 15 – Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

I went on to explain that until we receive God’s gift of salvation through his Son Jesus’ death and resurrection we are essentially a “Dead Man Walking,” the term used for death row prisoners, as Paul makes clear that we are dead in our sins, headed to an eternity separated from God, which we know as hell, but through Christ can be made alive until salvation.

Colossians 2:13-14 – When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

However, Jesus himself indicated that faith in Him enables us to cross over from spiritual death to eternal life.

John 5:24 – I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.

We then prayed through Romans 6:23,

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[a] Christ Jesus our Lord.

And I offered them an opportunity to, in their owns words in the quietness of their hearts reaffirm or for the first time, trust in Christ and make that all-important spiritual transaction between them and their Creator, remembering that,

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

I then challenged them with the following words of Paul,

Just as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith. (Colossians 2:6-7)

And recommended that they do the following three things, if they had made a profession of faith this week:

– Tell a leader/parents
– Get a bible and begin reading The Gospel of John
– Begin faithfully attending a Bible-teaching church

While only the Lord knows those who, in that moment, “produced fruit in keeping with true repentance” (Matt. 3:8); however, we trust the Holy Spirit’s continuing work in their lives, remembering Paul’s words,

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Phil. 1:6)

Wanted: Zealots

There is one characteristic, above all else, that sums up what we, as an organization, look for in those who desire to serve on short-term teams, in order to encourage and equip (and be edified) by our full-time, in-country church partners.

That phrase, found in Titus 2:14, is “zealous for good works,” where an individual is willing to labor in any capacity that furthers the cause of Christ, casting aside any personal preferences or inhibitions, in order that they might maximize God’s glory in their momentary service alongside their Dominican brothers and sisters in Christ.

Titus 2
“11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”

J C Ryle writes of this passage and characteristic,

“Zeal in religion is a burning desire to please God, to do His will, and to advance His glory in the world in every possible way. It is a desire which the Spirit puts in the heart of every believer when he is converted—but which some believers feel so much more strongly than others, that they alone deserve to be called zealous. It impels them to make any sacrifice, to go through any trouble, to deny themselves to any amount, to suffer, to work, to labor, to toil, to spend themselves and be spent, and even to die, if only He can please God and honor Christ. They see only one thing, care for one thing, live for one thing, are swallowed up on one thing, and that one thing is to please God. Whether they live or whether they die; whether they have health or sickness, whether rich or poor; whether they please others or give offense; whether they are thought wise or foolish; whether they get blame or praise; whether they get honor or shame—for all this the zealous person cares nothing at all. He burns for one thing; and that one thing is to please God and to advance God’s glory.

 I want to strike a blow at the lazy, easy, sleepy Christianity of these latter days, which can see no beauty in zeal, and only uses the word ‘zealot’ as a word of reproach. I want to remind Christians that ‘Zealot’ was a name given by our Lord to His Apostle Simon as a mark of honor, and to persuade them to be zealous men…. There is in a sense in which it may be said that zeal is contagious. Nothing is more useful to the adherents of Christianity than to see a real live Christian—a thoroughly zealous man of God…. Zeal is good for a Christian’s own soul…. It will help mightily to promote inward feelings of joy, peace, comfort, and happiness. None have so much enjoyment of Christ as those who are ever zealous for His glory.”

The 2 Most Wonderful Words of the Bible

The Bible, written over a period of roughly 2,000 years by 40 different authors from three continents, contains 31,173 verses. Amongst the 773,692 words that comprise Scripture, there are two that the influential 20th century theologian Martin Lloyd Jones says reign supreme.

These words can be found in Paul’s epistle to the Romans in chapter 3. In verses 9-20 Paul clarifies that no one is righteous:

9 What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin.
10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one;
11 there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good, not even one.”
13 “Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit.”
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 ruin and misery mark their ways,
17 and the way of peace they do not know.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.
20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.

And then we come to those wonderful two words: “But now…” found in verse 21,

21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

Martin Lloyd Jones presents his belief regarding the power of 6 simple letters,

“There are no more wonderful words in the whole of the Scripture than just these two words ‘But now’. What vital words these are! These are the words with which the Apostle always introduces the Gospel…He first of all paints his black and his somber and his hopeless picture. Then, having done that he says, ‘But now’.

 Having considered every statement that he makes about man under sin and in sin and having seen ourselves as we are by nature and as descendants of Adam, can there be two words which are more blessed and more wonderful for us than just these two word, ‘But now’? To me they provide a very subtle and thorough-going test of our whole position as Christians. Would you like to know for certain at this moment whether you are a Christian or not? I suggest that this is one of the best tests.

 These words come to us in a two-fold manner. They come as the introduction of the Gospel, but at the same time they come as words that test us. This, to me, is so important that I cannot leave it. Let us examine our experiences.

 When the devil attacks you and suggests to you that you are not a Christian, and that you have never been a Christian because of what is still in your heart, or because of what you are still doing, or because of something you once did – when he comes and thus accuses you, what do you say to him? Do you agree with him? Or do you say to him: ‘Yes, that was true, but now…’ Do you hold up these words against him? Or when, perhaps, you feel condemned as you read the Scripture, as you read the Law in the Old Testament, as you read the Sermon on the Mount, and as you feel that you are undone, do you remain lying on the ground in hopelessness, or do you lift up your head and say, ‘But now’?

 This is the essence of the Christian position; this is how faith answers the accusations of the Law, the accusations of conscience, and everything else that would condemn and depress us. These are indeed very wonderful words, and it is most important that we should lay hold of them and realize their tremendous importance and their significance.”

The Comfort of Imperfect Messengers of a Perfect Message

Mark 9:38-40 reads,

“Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”

“Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us.”

John McArthur writes in Twelve Ordinary Men,

“[The Apostles] were perfectly ordinary men in every way. Not one of them was renown for scholarship or great erudition. They had no track record as orators or theologians. In fact, they were outsiders as far as the religious establishment of Jesus’ day was concerned. They were not outstanding because of any natural talents or intellectual abilities. On the contrary, they were all too prone to mistakes, misstatements, wrong attitudes, lapses of faith and bitter failure…Yet with all their faults and character flaws – as remarkably ordinary as they were – these men carried on a ministry after Jesus’ ascension that left an indelible impact on the world.”

And yet, there is much to glean from their recorded interactions, successes and failures, as they related to Christ during his earthly ministry.

Ministry, both the highs and lows, must drive us to our knees and the pages of Scripture. This past week drove me to the passage above and to glean from the faithful expositors below.

Warren Wiersbe
“Jesus did not treat John’s statement lightly; in fact, He went on to explain the danger of causing others to stumble and therefore stop serving the Lord (Mark 9:42–50). ‘These little ones’ refers to all God’s children who follow Christ and seek to serve Him. The way believers treat others in the family of God is a serious thing, and God wants us to ‘have peace one with another’ (Mark 9:50). The disciples did not get along with each other, nor did they get along with other believers!”

Albert Barnes
“True likeness to the Savior would lead us to rejoice in all the good accomplished, by whomsoever it may be done; and to rejoice that the kingdom of Christ is advanced.”

John Calvin
“There is reason to suspect the disciples of Christ of ambition, because they are anxious to maintain their privilege and honor. For why is it that they all at once forbid a man who is unknown to them to work miracles, but because they wish to be the sole possessors of this right?”

“If the disciples had not been more devoted to their own glory than anxious and desirous to promote the glory of their Master, they would not have been offended when they saw that glory heightened and enlarged in another direction.”

16th century theologian Richard Hooker is created with saying,

“Wise men are men, and truth is truth.”

This should be of comfort to all Christ-followers: our faith lies not in imperfect messengers, historical or contemporary, but in our perfect Savior and His perfect message of Salvation found in Scripture.

The Path of Life

In the past week America has been shocked and saddened by the unexpected suicide of two high profile, immensely successful celebrities with a combined net worth approaching $200 Million Dollars, leaving behind young children.

At times such as this, our hearts are broken and ache for their loved ones, and yet we are reminded of the danger and emptiness of pursuing satisfaction apart from Christ.

As H.A. Ironside stated,

“The sluggard and the shiftless are not commended by the word of God, but rigorously condemned, and exhorted to thrift and energy. But to run to the other extreme, and to set the heart upon business and the accumulation of wealth, is equally fatal to spirituality.”

And D.L. Moody reminds us of the theology at work, stating,

“Man, like the sea, has no rest. He has had no rest since Adam fell. And there will be none for him until he returns to God again, and the light of Christ shines into his heart. Rest cannot be found in the world, and thank God, the world can’t take it from the believing heart. Sin is the cause of all the unrest. It brought toil, labor, and misery into the world.”

 

“You make known to me the path of life;
In your presence there is fullness of joy;
At your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
(Psalm 16:11)