Happy Reformation Day!

A little Reformation humor...

Luther Before the Diet of Worms

As much as October 31, 1517, and Luther's tacking of the 95 Theses  are celebrated as the beginning of the Reformation, in many ways, this was actually the moment that Protestant Christianity was born - the Diet of Worms in 1521.

The Morning Star of the Reformation

This has to be one of my favorite pictures of the era just prior to the Reformation. It is a portrait of John Wycliffe (known as "The Morning Star of the Reformation"), who laid the groundwork for folks like Luther and Tyndale. Notice Wycliffe resisting the Roman Catholic authorities and clinging ever so tightly to his English Bible - something for which he eventually would be martyred.

This portrait says a lot about the significance of the time period leading up to and including the Reformation, and it speaks volumes about the incredible treasure of having the Bible translated in your own language. Thanks be to God for raising up men like John Wycliffe!

Here is the plaque that accompanies the painting at St. James Clerkenwell.

What the Reformation Was Really About

With Reformation Day quickly approaching, I thought a week full of posts related to the Reformation would be appropriate. Here's a quote from Michael Reeves about what the Reformation was really about:

The closer one looks, the clearer it becomes: the Reformation was not, principally, a negative movement, about moving away from Rome; it was a positive movement, about moving towards the gospel.

--Michael Reeves, The Unquenchable Flame: Discovering the Heart of the Reformation

A Hymn in Honor of Reformation Sunday

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
Martin Luther, 1483-1546

A mighty fortress is our God,
A bulwark never failing;
Our Helper, He amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great,
And armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing,
Were not the right Man on our side,
The Man of God's own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His name;
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us.
The Prince of Darkness grim,
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo, his doom is sure;
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers,
No thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours,
Through Him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go,
This mortal life also;
The body they may kill;
God's truth abideth still;
His kingdom is forever.

DeYoung on "How to Be Better Bereans"

Kevin DeYoung has a three-part series of very helpful posts on ten ways to be better Bereans.

The Jews in Berea, it is said, were more noble than those in Thessalonica, for “they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11). How telling–for them and for us–that nobility is measured not by titles, land, parentage, wealth, or degrees, but by how we handle the word of God. Our approach to the Scriptures sets us apart as riff-raff or royalty.

So how do we become better Bereans?

He posted three ways on Tuesday, four today, and will post the final three tomorrow.

Part 1 of 3

Part 2 of 3

Check back there on Thursday for the final three

Sinners' Never Ceasing Praise

Sinners’ Never-Ceasing Praise
M. Justin Wainscott

O Christ, our true and living Head,
Our Savior and our God;
You suffered in the sinner’s stead,
And bought us with your blood.
What tribute fits this blood-bought grace,
But sinners’ never-ceasing praise?

Your precious blood has washed away
The stain of guilt and sin;
Now Satan’s left with naught to say,
And we have peace within.
What tribute fits this pard’ning grace,
But sinners’ never-ceasing praise?

Though holy wrath was once our dread,
Our punishment You bore;
Because Your sinless blood was shed,
God’s wrath we dread no more!
What tribute fits this matchless grace,
But sinners’ never-ceasing praise?

This saving act of Triune love,
Achieved by God the Son,
Gives substance to the songs above,
Sung to the Three in One.
What tribute fits this saving grace,
But sinners’ never-ceasing praise?

Gary Thomas on "Why Killing Spiders Makes My Marriage Better"

Excellent counsel from Gary Thomas: marital intimacy requires agreeing to kill certain things that bug our spouse, just because they bug our spouse. Read what he means when he says killing spiders makes his marriage better.

If you're married, it's worth the few minutes it will take for you to read this:

Why Killing Spiders Makes My Marriage Better

 In fact, you may need to bookmark it and re-read it every so often!

Luther on Faith

From Michael Reeves' The Unquenchable Flame: Discovering the Heart of the Reformation:

Faith, thought Luther, is not some inner resource we summon up....For him, the question, "Have I got enough faith?" completely misunderstands what faith is, by looking to and so relying on itself, rather than Christ. Faith is a passive thing, simply accepting, receiving, believing Christ - taking God seriously in what he promises in the gospel.

His Pardoning Voice I Hear

Arise, My Soul, Arise
Charles Wesley, 1707-1788

Arise, my soul, arise;
Shake off thy guilty fears;
The bleeding sacrifice
In my behalf appears:
Before the throne my surety stands,
Before the throne my surety stands,
My name is written on His hands.

Five bleeding wounds He bears;
Received on Calvary;
They pour effectual prayers;
They strongly plead for me:
“Forgive him, O forgive,” they cry,
“Forgive him, O forgive,” they cry,
“Nor let that ransomed sinner die!”

The Father hears Him pray,
His dear anointed One;
He cannot turn away,
The presence of His Son;
His Spirit answers to the blood,
His Spirit answers to the blood,
And tells me I am born of God.

My God is reconciled;
His pardoning voice I hear;
He owns me for His child;
I can no longer fear:
With confidence I now draw nigh,
With confidence I now draw nigh,
And “Father, Abba, Father,” cry.

Are You "Crazy Busy"?

Many of us live our lives frantically, feeling like we are always in a hurry. It seems that there is never enough time to do all that we need to do. In fact, you might be thinking to yourself at this very moment, “I really don’t have time to read this right now. I have too much to do.”

If that sounds like your life, then you need to get your hands on a copy of Kevin DeYoung’s new book, Crazy Busy: A (Mercifully) Short Book about a (Really) Big Problem. It's a brief, well-written, humorous book about busyness, infused with common sense as well as biblical and theological wisdom.

Here's the gist (but I really do recommend reading it yourself...unless you're just too busy!).

THREE DANGERS OF BUSYNESS 

DeYoung begins by discussing three dangers that we must be aware of:

1. Busyness can ruin your joy 
2. Busyness can rob your heart 
3. Busyness can cover up the rot in your soul 

While busyness can certainly have a negative effect on our physical bodies, the most serious threats are spiritual. Put simply, busyness sets our souls at risk.

SEVEN DIAGNOSES TO CONSIDER

The next section of the book deals with seven different diagnoses of busyness.

1. You are beset with many manifestations of pride (i.e., people-pleasing, pats on the back, performance, possessions, proving yourself, pity, power, perfectionism, prestige, posting [social media]). 
2. You are trying to do what God does not expect you to do (helpful counsel for those of us who think we need to do everything and feel guilty because we can’t). 
3. You can't serve others without setting priorities (everything we can do is not everything we ought to do). 
4. You need to stop freaking out about your kids. Parents, consider these quotes: “[O]ne of the best things we can do for our kids is to find a way to stop being so frantic and frazzled” and “Our children are suffering from ‘secondhand stress.’” 
5.  You are letting the screen strangle your soul (“For many of us, the Web is like The Eagles' Hotel California: we can check out any time we like, but we can never leave”). 
6. You'd better rest yourself before you wreck yourself (great discussion on the importance of rhythm and routine to our daily and weekly lives, the importance of sleep, and the importance of the Sabbath). 
7.  You suffer more because you don't expect to suffer at all. (We're going to be busy if we're serving God and others, so we must remember that to serve is to suffer.) 

ONE THING YOU MUST DO 

The book ends with a reminder that there is one thing we must do to counteract the crazy busyness of our lives: we must devote ourselves to the Word of God and prayer. As DeYoung himself testifies, “I can tell you that no single practice brings more peace and discipline to life than sitting at the feet of Jesus.” What he states on the last page of the book sums it up well: “We won't say 'no' to more craziness until we can say 'yes' to more Jesus.” Amen!

O What Peace We Often Forfeit

What A Friend We Have in Jesus
Joseph Scriven, 1819-1886

What a Friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge,
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do your friends despise, forsake you?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield you;
You will find a solace there.

Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised
Thou wilt all our burdens bear
May we ever, Lord, be bringing
All to Thee in earnest prayer.
Soon in glory bright unclouded
There will be no need for prayer.
Rapture, praise and endless worship
Will be our sweet portion there.

Cultural, Congregational, and Convictional Christians

Ed Stetzer offers a helpful perspective on all the recent statistics from polls and surveys regarding the Church in America in this Christianity Today blog post, The State of the Church in America: Hint: It's Not Dying.  He distinguishes between what he calls cultural, congregational, and convictional Christians. Here's an excerpt:

The church is not dying.

Yes, the church in the West—the United States included—is in transition right now. But transitioning is not the same as dying, particularly if you hold the belief that Christianity is represented by people who live for Christ, not check "Christian" on a survey form.

While I believe we need to understand reality inside our ranks, I don't believe the situation is quite as dire as many are making it out to be. Actually, no serious researcher believes Christianity in America is dying. Not one.

Instead, I believe this current cultural shift is bringing clarity that will assist in defining who we are as Christians, and that is a good thing in some ways.

[...]

Facts are our friends, and the facts do point to a cultural change. And, in the midst of that cultural change we do see that America looks more like a mission field. However, what we need is a mobilized—rather than demoralized—mission force.

Bad stats and hyperbole do just that—demoralize God's people.

Today, we need a mobilized mission force in the midst of this mission field. So, it's time to work for the sake of the gospel, and to live for the cause of the gospel, not run around proclaiming the sky is falling.

Click here to read the post in its entirety.

A Conversation on Reaching the Unreached

9Marks has posted the audio of a roundtable discussion on the Great Commission, sending, calling, prayer, patience, and more with David Platt, Mack Stiles, Al Mohler, and Kevin DeYoung.  Listen to it here.