Reformation Day is the celebration of the day that Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses on the Castle Church in Wittenburg, Germany, on October 31, 1517. This is commonly thought of as the beginning of the Reformation. In that thesis, Martin Luther struck a chord when he declared, “The Church’s true treasure is the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
This video speaks to the importance of the Reformation and the rediscovery of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Following our salvation conversion, we are not alone. We are now indwelt by the Holy Spirit and are to be in submission to His leading. The Christian walk is a walk led by and empowered by the Holy Spirit, not our doing. You are not alone! This video reminds us that we are to rely on the Spirit of God for our walk.
Romans 8:12–13 (ESV) 12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
In difficult times there are often unanswered questions. But our circumstances are clearly in the heart of God. Yes, our condition here and now is a result of the fall. But often the deep hurt in our hearts and souls when difficult times come our way prevents us from trusting God in the big picture.
In this video, Daniel’s response to his own life-threatening circumstance goes to the heart of the unknown. It speaks to God’s sovereignty and His Providence.
Daniel 2:21–22 (ESV) 21 He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; 22 he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.
Can you wait and be quiet before the Lord?
If there is anything I know about myself, it is that I am a person of action. The idea of waiting on someone else to get things done had to be a learned trait. I would say to myself, “I’ll just do it myself, then I know it’s done!” You see, trusting others, especially when it would affect me, my status, my reputation, or just getting things done, was a hard lesson to learn, especially as one who led others. Frankly, in one way or another, we are all like that. We look at trust as something that is earned when it comes to others. But then, we often translate that fleshly self-reliance and lack of trust to our relationship with God who is not only fully trustworthy but faithful!
Have you learned to wait, and be silent? This video speaks to that issue in the life of a believer.
Our faith to trust in Christ in salvation is a gift of God, our trust in His grace to be wait and be quiet before Him is also. The whole of the Bible-believing Christian’s Walk is by faith. It is an active trust in the providence of God and His care and concern for us.
Why God?
The Southeast coast of the US has felt the massive destructive power of Hurricane Helene. A hurricane that by all accounts has been responsible for the most death by a hurricane in the last century here in the US. The loss of life and destruction is unspeakable and heartbreaking. And the emotional pain and trauma on an individual scale is horrific.
In this video we see that the fault doesn’t lay with God’s love but our sin and rebellion.
It is at time like this people find themselves asking; “Why God?” “If you are all powerful, all knowing and all loving, why did you allow this to happen? These questions have been asked throughout know history. And for many the answers allude them, and for many other it has led to bitterness and unbelief.
Hold fast to the word of life!
If there was ever a section of Scripture that spoke to the importance of the Word of God in the life of a Christian, it is here.
You see, it is easy in this fallen world to be caught up in the negative. Grumbling, disputing, trying to win the argument. And to the world around us all we do then is display and amplify the darkness of the world system out of our mouths.
In this video, we discuss that it is the word of God that gives light and life. Click here or on the picture below to view the video.
Complaining over our circumstances makes us look no different to those around us and we kill the message of hope in Jesus through His saving grace. All the world sees then is a religious person who, like them, has no answers and no hope. Instead, we communicate darkness, of which they are all too familiar. Because of that, we are not blameless, above reproach, but rather we demonstrate and propagate the same darkness of the world. We have hidden our light under a basket or even worse yet in the basement.
Luke 11:33 (ESV) 33 “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.
Philippians 2:16 (ESV) 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.
Colossians 1:24 (ESV) 24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,
Do you have joy in the midst of circumstances? There is a clear difference between joy and happiness. And based on who you talk to, and their worldview, you will get varying definitions with some making no discernable difference between the two. The two words are merely synonyms.
But for the Christian, and the Biblical world view they definitely stand apart.
One, happiness is dependent on the circumstances one finds himself or herself in and the other, joy is dependent upon our trust in the person of Christ and the eternal purposes of God.
For the believer, we can have joy in the midst of all circumstances, all circumstances!
In the video below we take a look at the joy that is a result of the empowerment by the indwelling Christ through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Happiness comes and goes and is dependent on our circumstances.
Joy, on the other hand, rises above our circumstances. It is not by chance, but rather that which is ordained by God for the believer’s benefit and God’s glory.
Romans 8:28–29 (ESV) 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
He is doing in us the one thing we cannot do for ourselves…. Conform us to the image of Christ!
It does seem to be a common comment as of late as we look at the world around us. “The world is upside down, and its values run to the extremes of depravity! What was once not spoken of aloud is now becoming commonplace. But it seems even worse than that. We are being told that we have to conform to its evil! We are to not only accept it as commonplace but to be its promoters, even under the color of law. We are to ascend to the mantra of “pro-choice,” LGBTQ+ rights, the tyranny of preferred personal pronouns that defy any sense of legitimacy, and the nonsense of multiple genders that fly in the face of basic biology and moral decency.
Isaiah 5:20 (ESV) 20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
The video at the link below addresses that issue and our response to it.
And if we don’t conform, we are guilty of some sort of “phobia” or we are “racists.”
James 4:4 (ESV) 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
James 2:14-26 is often misunderstood. And a great many hang their interpretive hat on vs. 17, 21-26
James 2:17 (ESV) 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
James 2:21–26 (ESV) 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
In the YouTube video below I address that issue head-on. I loaded the video some time ago. Then for some reason, it became restricted. So click here or the picture below. It will take you directly to the video. I think you will find it instructive.
I guess the “Powers To Be” were deeply offended by the Biblical concept that no works of righteousness can save a person.
Titus 3:5 (NKJV) 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
Any attempt to take any credit through works of righteousness in total or part is nothing more than self-righteousness.
Isaiah 64:6 (NKJV) 6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.
Mark 2:17 (NKJV) 17 … “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” (Lu. 5:32)
1 Corinthians 16:9 (ESV) 9 for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.
Looking for open doors?
It is a common response to difficult circumstances or important decisions for a Christian to look for what is often called in the Christian community, “Open Doors.” We often get counsel from others to that effect; “Just trust God and He’ll open doors for you.” Frankly, that’s good advice but it is flawed. Not so much the advice but our understanding of “Open Doors.”
The first question I think needs to be answered is how do we know God is opening a door or that it is not the “Deceiver”, the devil? We often answer that question by saying that if the door is wide open if the solution looks like a “blessing” or if it’s what I asked for, it must be of God. This kind of understanding often looks to the outcome of a circumstance from our point of view and ignores any relevant assessment from a Biblical point of view. We fail to discern solid overriding principles that may be found in the Scriptures.
In the Link below, I want to offer some things that should be considered as we seek God’s will and if what we perceive as an open door, might just be something else.
We need to remember that God is ever faithful, even when we are not. He also transcends our circumstances and will provide a way out or through good faith poor decision-making on our part. We need to also remember that when we decide in good faith with a desire to honor the Lord, He is there with us and will turn what we have, in good faith prayerfully decided, to His glory, which may include a learning lesson or a way of escape.