Reformation Day

Shouldn't church history be more of an in depth small group or class study?

 

You can't even understand American history without knowing about popery and the dark ages under the holy roman empire.

Our Declaration of Independence was not just signed against King George, but was specifically written to fly in the face
of the doctrine of the divine rights of kings, a system set up by the catholic church that kept all of europe locked up in
serfdom for centuries.

Samuel Adams said exactly that in his famous speech about the Declaration of Independence:

Our forefathers threw off the yoke of popery in religion: for you is reserved the honor of levelling the popery of politics. They opened the Bible to all, and maintained the capacity of every man to judge for himself in religion. Are we sufficient for the comprehension of the sublimest spiritual truths, and unequal to material and temporal ones? Heaven hath trusted us with the management of things for eternity, and man denies us ability to judge of the present, or to know from our feelings the experience that will make us happy. "You can discern," say they, "objects distant and remote, but cannot perceive those within your grasp. Let us have the distribution of present goods, and cut out and manage as you please the interests of futurity." This day, I trust the reign of political protestantism will commence. We have explored the temple of royalty, and found that the idol we have bowed down to, has eyes which see not, ears that hear not our prayers, and a heart like the nether millstone. We have this day restored the Sovereign, to whom alone men ought to be obedient. He reigns in Heaven, and with a propitious eye beholds his subjects assuming that freedom of thought, and dignity of self-direction which He bestowed on them. From the rising to the setting sun, may His kingdom come.

Complete speech:
http://www.revolutionary-war-and-be...nce-speech-by-samuel-adams-august-1-1776.html

I sometimes wonder where the source of political correctness is really coming from, and if the Roman Catholic church isn't leading us down to a new dark ages. Reading the bible makes me think so.

 

FYI - just noticed a new sola in Samuel Adams speech:

We have this day restored the Sovereign, to whom alone men ought to be obedient.

We need to go back to what our forefathers believed. We are in danger of losing our crown that the Philedephia church is warned about holding onto. God gave us our country, and we shouldn't let it be usurped by people who won't follow the constitution and who are not Christians.

Sola Sovereignty, Sola obediance.

 

When I was a pastor we almost always celebrated Reformation Sunday. I would preach from classic texts associated with Luther, such as those in Romans and Galatians, and we would always ... always! ... sing "Ein Feste Burg ist Unser Gott." That reminds me too that the services generally included a reading of Psalm 46, which also became sermon text at least one year.

I sometimes do my sermons as dramatic monologues, as if I were the Biblical character I was portraying (complete with costume). So one year I put on my academic regalia and spoke as if I were Prof Luther re-examining and re-discovering, "The just shall live by faith" and his adding with a flourish, "alone." Memorable and fun to do.

Now I am playing the organ in another Baptist church and hoped I could do either "A Mighty Fortress" or Vaughn Williams, "For All the Saints." No such like; we are so Baptist ... I was landed with "Make Me a Blessing."

 

I don't think anybody is suggesting that a pastor should get up and lecture about Church history in place of exposition on Sundays. What (I hope) most of us are saying is that a skilled homiletician can integrate stories from Church history as useful and instructive illustrations.

Now that said our church offers a introduction to Church history as a stand alone special class. It runs 10 weeks in the spring and 10 weeks in the fall. Has some pretty good turnout too.

 

Jeremiah 23:22
But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.

Matthew 28:20
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

John 15:15
Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

Acts 20:27
For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

1 Corinthians 11:23
For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
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A soul was never "truly" saved nor a Christian convicted of their sin, by a history lesson.

 

Some might say the Bible is the greatest His-Story lesson ever told...

 

I can live with this.

 

But the Baby has stopped growing the the Word of God. She is now
Ingesting such things as a Friday crucifixion as fact with no biblical proof.

It looks to me as if we have turned to others for understanding, instead cof orrectly dividing the Word of God.

 

I am working on copying my sermons from cassette tapes to mp3 files, where I can then upload to sermoncentral.com's companion site, sermon.net. I'll try to find one or two of those sermons ... especially the Luther one ... and then will try to remember to alert you. But give me some time ... I am 72 years old and a lung cancer patient, so time and energy are at a premium.

 

May God

May God comfort you, praying that suffering associated with cancer will not be your lot.