490 years ago today, Martin Luther took up the banner of John Wycliffe and Jan Hus before him and called the Catholic Church to reform.
You can read Luther’s 95 Theses here.
It’s interesting to read about them from a Catholic perspective:
Luther
Wycliffe (It’s interesting what they “sanitize”; like what happened to Wycliffe’s remains in 1428)
Hus
UPDATE: Hear it from the mouth of the man himself, Party Hearty Marty & the Protestors
(Thomas Watson, “The Lord’s Prayer“)
If we would be kept from actual sins–let us be careful to avoid all the inlets and occasions of sin.
Do not run into evil company. He who would not catch the plague–must not go into an infected house.
Guard your senses, which may be the inlets to sin. Keep the two portals–the eye and the ear. Especially guard your eyes. Much sin comes in by the eye; the eye is often an inlet to sin; sin takes fire at the eye.
The first sin in the world, began at the eye. “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye–she took some and ate it.” Genesis 3:6
Intemperance begins at the eye, “Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup. In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper!” Pr. 23:31-32
Covetousness begins at the eye. “When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and a wedge of gold, I coveted them and took them.” Joshua 7:21
The fire of lust begins to kindle at the eye. David walking upon the roof of his house, saw a woman washing herself, and she was, says the text, “beautiful to look upon,” and he sent messengers and took her, and defiled himself with her. 2 Samuel 11:2. Looking begat lusting!
Therefore watch your eyes! Job made a covenant with his eyes. Job 31:1. If the eye is once inflamed, it will be hard to stand out long against sin. If the outworks are captured by the enemy, there is great danger of the whole castle being captured!
(Daily Devotional from Grace Gems)
The adage, “the eyes are the windows to the soul” is mostly true, although I would go so far as to call them the doorways to the soul. As Watson points out, sin often begins with what we see and, having seen, our minds take over and lead us into the sins of covetousness and lust. As James says, “14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” (James 1:14-15, ESV)
The more I become convicted of my own sins, the more I realize the importance of the exhortation to watch my eyes and the more I come to realize that, as Paul says, “13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.” (1 Corinthians 10:13a, ESV). In other words, despite the best efforts of the accuser, it is becoming clearer to me that I am not alone in my struggles and that the battle generally is won or lost at the gates (eyes and ears). Once the enemy has advanced past the gates it is easy for spies to hide within the castle and attack when our inner defenses are at their weakest. It is easier to keep the enemy out in the first place than to wage guerrilla warfare within my own borders
So, once our outer defenses have been breached (or, as is more often the case, the gates left wide open and unguarded), is there no hope? Of course there is hope. As Paul goes on to say “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” (1 Corinthians 10:13b-14, ESV). God will always be there to help us endure the temptation, but, and this is a very important “but”, we must flee the idols we have built. It does me no good to expect God to deliver me from a sin I am willfully committing. There have been times when I was ready to act in direct opposition to God’s will when He has intervened and saved me, but ,for the most part, once I have turned my back on Him I am on my own. However, if I feel the pull of temptation and turn to God rather than my idols, He is faithful to deliver me safely through.
No one will ever find what they want in Christ, never. All the human heart wants is to be God, and He will never ever give us that. But he has and does give us what we need. Sometimes the things we need are delivered in enjoyable packages, and other times they come with the heaviness of great sorrow. Steak and Potatoes of Truth
(HT: CRN)
Click here to get a free copy of Matthew Smith’s “All I Owe”. As an added bonus, for every download, money will be donated to Blood:Water Mission. What are you waiting for? Click through for more details and the free music. (HT: Tim Challies)
This post got me thinking about finding new music on the internet.
A great place for finding independent music is Amie Street. All the tracks start at Free and go up from there, capping out a $0.98. They sell songs in MP3 format, so they are compatible with all operating systems and audio players and there are no restrictions on how/where you can listen to them. One of the best things, though, is the ability to recommend (or “Rec”) songs that you like and get a share of the profits. If you “Rec” a song when it is free and it goes up to $0.98, you get $0.98 added to your account. It’s a great way to find new music and make some money to buy more at the same time.
Check it out, you’ll be glad you did. If you decide to sign up (it’s free and there’s no obligation), let me know and I will send you an invite so I can get some credit in my account and I can set you up with a code that will get you started with some cash in your account.
NIGERIA Christians Killed by Muslims; Hundreds Displaced in Kano, Nigeria – VOM Sources On September 28, angry Muslims killed 10 Christians and set churches, homes and businesses on fire in Tudun Wada, in Nigeria’s Northern state of Kano. According to The Voice of the Martyrs’ contacts in Nigeria, “At 9 a.m., Muslims began the attacks, setting fire to homes and churches. They attacked and killed any Christian they came across.” More than 50 people were injured, while more than 500 members of the minority Christian population were displaced. VOM contacts added, “Muslim attackers burnt down all eight churches existing in the community, homes and businesses in the area.” Christians believe the attack resulted when Muslim students at a government secondary school in the area claimed a Christian student drew a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad on the wall of the school’s mosque. VOM contacts reported, “No Christian student would do this, since the school has nearly 2,000 students and only seven are Christian…. [also] the mosque is usually busy with Muslims praying around the clock during the (Muslim) Ramadan fasting season; therefore, no Christian student would have any way of getting close to the wall of the mosque to make such sketches on the wall.” Pray for the families of those killed. Pray the Holy Spirit will be their greatest comforter. Ask God to encourage and provide for believers in this area. Psalm 119:105, Proverbs 3:5, 6
ERITREA Senior Pastor Arrested – VOM Sources Pastor Oqbamichael, a well-known leader of the Kale-Hiwot Church in Eritrea, was arrested and imprisoned. This was the second imprisonment for the pastor in the past two years. In 2005, he was arrested at a Christian wedding and was later released after 10 months in prison, which included solitary confinement and hard labor in the Sawa Military Camp. The arrest of Pastor Oqbamichael follows the recent arrest of Evangelist Mussie Ezaz, who is also a minister in the Kale-Hiwot Church. Pray God sustains and strengthens Pastor Oqbamichael while he is in prison. Pray the Holy Spirit encourages his family and church. Ask God to protect Christians in Eritrea who are serving Him in the midst of severe persecution. John 16:13, 14
Local authorities released Gospel for Asia native missionary Chandran Paranjoy on bail from jail on October 23. Chandran spent more than two weeks confined to a cell, charged with forcibly converting people to Christianity. Under the arrangement made with state officials, Chandran must return to the judge on the date of his upcoming court case.
Chandran was leading a prayer meeting in a believer’s home when police arrested him on October 5. A group of anti-Christian extremists falsely accused him of insulting other religions and paying people money to convert to Christianity. The extremists took advantage of Chhattisgarh’s harsh anti-conversion law to cause trouble for Chandran’s flourishing ministry.
While in jail, Chandran shared the love of Christ with everyone he could. He even led worship services for the inmates on the three Sundays he was in jail. About 30 people attended each service.
Throughout Chandran’s confinement, GFA district leaders tried to meet with the local judge several times in an effort to have him released. But, until now, the anti-Christian extremists pressured the judge with threats, so he did not feel free to let Chandran go. Chandran requests prayer that the court will see the truth concerning his case and drop the false charges. He also requests prayer for his church and family during this difficult time.
As we prepare this week to move into our new church building, I am reminded of how thankful I am that we live in a country where we are free to worship God without fear of persecution by the government.
Some recent stories which I have read have really driven this home to me. Please pray with me for our brethren in Myanmar (Burma), India, Turkey, China and throughout Africa as they face intense persecution from their governments and even family for their beliefs. Pray that God will give them the strength and courage to stand for what they believe even to the point of losing everything they have, including their lives. Pray that we, too, will have the courage to proclaim our belief in Christ and stand firm when faced with possible persecution.
I encourage you to check out the following articles for more information:
Prominent House Church Leader Repeatedly Beaten by Police (China)
Anti-Christian Rumor Helps Fuel Attacks (Bangladesh)
The Faithfulness, Boldness and Courage of Christians in Iran (Iran)
Some recent articles of local interest about refugees from Myanmar (Burma)
Refugees from Myanmar strain resources
‘It’s a hurricane’ of refugees
Myanmar restores some Web access
I originally listened to the sermon that I told you to listen to about four months ago at a time when I was really struggling with sin and despairing over my fight against it. I was growing weary of the battle and ready to just give up. There were days when I would find myself in deep despair, condemning myself over my inability to just stop sinning; knowing all the while that this is really an impossibility. Thanks to Phil and his sermon, I remembered that the fight is not mine alone, neither is it ever really lost unless I just give up and give in to my sins.
A couple of points on the sermon itself that I found interesting/uplifting/informative:
The whole “controversy” surrounding whether this is Paul’s view as a Christian or prior to his conversion I never knew that there was another way to interpret this passage. I always just assumed that it was Paul’s post-conversion experience. This certainly fits with my experience as a Christian; not that I am anywhere near Paul’s league (he’s Major League and I’m not even tee-ball yet).
The “reasons” why Christians struggle with sin Very concise and easy to remember and so darned obvious:
What’s a fella to do?
So, how do we overcome sin? There is no magic formula, but there are a few things that we should think on that will help:
“whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” [Philippians 4:8, ESV] Meditate on His Word rather than filling your mind with things that are not worthy of attention.
“29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.” [Matthew 5:29-30, ESV] Don’t put yourself into situations where you know that your are tempted to sin.
Believe what God says; that includes both the promises of correction that He will give as well as the rewards.
Acknowledge that God is your ultimate authority and that His will is supreme. You are not your own authority, neither is there any human authority higher than God.
You can’t not sin.
Don’t give up and give in.
The REAL Problem with Sin
Sin builds barriers. When we willfully continue in our sins, when we give up and give in, when we refuse to accept God’s authority in our lives barriers arise between us and God and between us and our loved ones. We withdraw into ourselves and descend into despair.
It is unfortunate that so few talk about sin today. We talk a lot about making “mistakes” or being victims of our upbringing or our society, but not nearly enough about our culpability in what we do. Sin separates. It separates us from others. It separates us from ourselves. And ultimately it separates us from God. You will find me talking a lot about sin and other topics that are related, such as authority. Why? Because it’s of eternal importance.
I haven’t forgotten about giving my thoughts on the Romans 7 sermon, I just wanted to give you all as much time as possible to listen to it.
In the meantime, another subject that has I have been giving much thought to lately is authority. I have been pondering lately why it is that we are so apt to ignore or even outright rebel against God’s authority (and, by extension, godly authorities), but we accept, sometimes unquestioningly, human authorities.
Now, many people believe that there should be no authorities; that we should all live as “equals”. One of the things that I remember from my high school science classes is that nature abhors a vacuum. This same principle is at work when it comes to authority; there is no way to do away with all authority. If we try to remove one authority, another will rush in and take its place. This is true all the way from national governments to leadership in the home. Someone must be the authority.
I’m painting with a very broad brush here with the intention of going back and filling in the details later. Think about it for a bit and we’ll discuss it later.
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