River of Life Blog
  • Pastor Todd Weston's Blog

RLA Pastor's blog

reformation

1/1/2018

 
Picture
I am nearing the end of Eric Metaxas’ book, Martin Luther - The Man Who Rediscovered God and Changed the World.  This past October 31st we celebrated the five-hundredth anniversary of Luther nailing his ninety-five theses to the door of the castle church at Wittenberg.  Thus began what came to be known as the Protestant Reformation.​

Actually, the wheels of reformation began turning long before Luther nailed his document to the church door.  It began with an English theologian named John Wycliffe who died one-hundred years before the birth of Martin Luther.  Among other things, Wycliffe is known for translating the Bible from Latin to English.  Prior to Wycliffe’s day, the Bible was read only by the clergy, and that not very often if ever.  Thanks to Wycliffe the common man could now read God’s Word.  Though later condemned by the church for his work, John Wycliffe became known as the “Morning Star of the Reformation.”

After Wycliffe, a Bohemian Priest named John Huss took up the torch of reformation.  Huss continued to promote the radical idea of the day that ordinary people should be allowed to read the Bible in their own language.  His call to believers was as follows, “Therefore, faithful Christian, seek the truth, listen to the truth, teach the truth, love the truth, abide by the truth, and defend the truth even to death.”  For his efforts, John Huss was burned at the stake in 1415.

By the time Martin Luther was born in Eisleben, Germany in 1483, the winds of reformation had been sweeping across Europe for more than one-hundred years.  It was Martin Luther who would fan the flames of reformation into a raging, unquenchable, purifying fire with the battle cry Sola Scriptura - Scripture alone!  At the heart of the reformation was the powerful conviction that the Bible alone - not the church, ecclesiastical council, or religious leader - is the source of absolute authority.

With the invention of the Gutenberg Press and the work of Bible translators such as William Tyndale, the Word of God spread like wildfire.  For the first time in one-thousand years, people could own and read a copy of the Bible.  The world has never been the same since!

Interestingly, Martin Luther’s rediscovery of God began when he started reading the Bible.  Imagine the reformation that could take place if people would just read the Bible!  If it could impact Europe and then the rest of the world, imagine the impact it could make on your life and family.  Imagine the impact it could make on our church if we all became dedicated readers of God’s Word.

For the past ten years we have given away Through the Bible Reading Guides.  Copies of 2018  reading guides are still available at the church.  Let’s make 2018 the year of the Bible at River of Life.  Recommitment to the Bible will lead to a rediscovery of God.  And a rediscovery of God will once again lead to reformation.

Pastor Todd Weston

Comments are closed.

    Pastor Todd

    Lead Pastor
    River of Life
    Assembly of God

    Archives

    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011

    Categories

    All
    1 Timothy 4:12
    9/11
    Accountability
    Bible
    Bitterness
    Blessing
    Blessings
    Cheerful Heart
    Choices
    Christmas
    Church
    Church Ministry Center
    Comfort
    Commitment
    Compromise
    Confidence
    Connection
    Courage
    Courageous
    Creativity
    Criticism
    Daniel
    David
    Deceitfulness
    Direction
    Discernment
    Drifting
    Economy
    Elections
    Endurance
    Esther
    Faith
    Father
    Fear
    Fellowship
    Finances
    Forgiveness
    Generosity
    Gifts
    Gospel
    Grace
    Great Commission
    Greatness
    Haiti
    Heaven
    Hebrews 12:14
    Heroes
    Holiness
    Home
    Hope
    Israel
    Joseph
    Light
    Mary
    Media
    Mercy
    Miracles
    Missions
    Moms
    Mothers Day
    Motivation
    Natural Gifts
    New Year
    Obstacles
    Options
    Outreach
    Overcome
    Peace
    Perspective
    Planning
    Power
    Priorities
    Race
    Rapture
    Read
    Renew
    Rla Connect
    Running
    Servant
    Sin
    Sing
    Spiritual Gifts
    Success
    Time
    Tithe
    Trials
    Truth
    Unity
    Variety
    Vision
    Voting
    Wedding
    Willing Heart
    Word
    Youth

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.