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Issue No: 832 Published: 09 Oct 2017
WHOSE CHURCH IS IT ANYWAY? Part 15
1517-1700
MARTIN LUTHER (1483 -1546)
Luther's "95 Theses", nailed to the door of the Wittenberg Church on 31 October 1517, were credited with starting the Protestant Reformation. However, the foundation of the Reformation arose from the new found ability of people to read modern, printed, European translations such as the English Wycliffe, the French Paris, and German Mentel Bibles, of the primarily hand written, Latin Vulgate Bible that was the previously the preserve of the clergy.
Luther protested the selling of indulgences by the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) without requiring repentance. These financed the extravagances of the Church. As well, he long struggled with the issue of authority, before concluding that salvation was by faith alone, not church-designated works and sacraments. This led to the excommunication of Luther from the RCC in 1521.
LUTHER AND MIRACLES
It is often thought that Luther rejected the miraculous as he objected to the superstition and greed associated with medieval miracles of the RCC, along with some extreme teachings and actions of certain Anabaptists, claimed to be at the leading of the Holy Spirit.
However, in his personal life, Luther clearly believed in the personal ministry of the Holy Spirit. Evidence is presented by Professor Bengt Hoffman of Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in his book 'Luther and the Mystics'. He reports a conversation in which Cochelus asks Luther if he had received special revelations. Luther was silent for a moment, and then replied, '"Est mihi revelatum,' yes, he had had revelations." It seems that one of these was similar to Paul's experience of being caught up to the third heaven in 2 Corinthians 12:2.
OF AUTHORITY
Luther claimed the direct activity of the Holy Spirit as a source for his own authority and teaching. In one of his early writings titled 'The Babylon Captivity of the Church', he said.....
"I have learned under the Spirit's guidance."
When challenged by the RCC and civil authorities at Worms, Luther replied he.....
"relied on the revelation of God to him—through the Word, but via the Spirit in a personal manner."
OF THE PROPHETIC GIFT
Many of Luther's early followers believed him to be a prophet. One of his contemporaries and first biographers, Johann Mathesius, mentions numerous prophecies spoken by Luther that were fulfilled. Mathesius continues.....
"With many sure prophecies he confirmed his doctrine."
OF HEALING
Luther prayed for the sick. He is quoted as saying.....
"Often has it happened, and still does, that devils have been driven out in the name of Christ; also by calling on His name and prayer, the sick have been healed."
I now quote directly from Eddie L. Hyatt, whose material provides the basis for much of this history.....
On one occasion, Luther's close friend and colleague, Philip Melancthon, became extremely ill and was at death's door. It is said that Luther prayed fervently using all the relevant promises he could repeat from Scripture. Then, taking Melancthon by the hand, he said, "Be of good courage, Philip, you shall not die." Melancthon immediately revived and soon regained his health.
He later said, "I should have been a dead man had I not been recalled from death itself by the coming of Luther."
On another occasion, Luther's colleague, Frederick Myconius, lay dying in the last stages of tuberculosis. When Luther heard about his friend's condition, he wrote him a letter that exudes faith for the miraculous.
He said: I command thee in the Name of God to live because I still have need of thee in the work of reforming the Church. The Lord will never let me hear that thou art dead but permit thee to survive me. For this I am praying, this is my will, and may my will be done because I seek only to glorify the Name of God.
Myconius said that when he read the letter it seemed as though he heard Christ say, "Lazarus, come forth!" Luther's prayer was answered. Myconius was healed and outlived Luther by two months.
LUTHER AND CESSATIONISM
Luther and his fellow reformers must take some responsibility for the theory of the cessation of miracles.
When challenged by the RCC to prove his own authority through personal miracles, Luther argued that miracles were no longer necessary in the post-Apostolic age to prove the authority of those who stood on Scripture.
He used a similar argument when challenged over the excesses of some Anabaptists.
However, his comments have been taken out of context and converted into a 'convenient' doctrine, still followed by the Lutherans and many other denominations.
CONCLUSION
It has been wrongly held by many that Luther was against the personal work of the Holy Spirit today. It is apparent that Martin Luther did experience both the leading and spiritual gifts. The historian Souer's German work, "A History of the Christian Church", on page 406 of volume 3, describes Luther as.....
"a prophet, evangelist, speaker in tongues and interpreter, in one person, endowed with all the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
(Continued next week)
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FROM THE WORD
THE WORDS OF JESUS
May we hear what the Lord is saying to us.
The First Shall be Last Discourse (Matthew 20:1-16)
A parable of workers in a vineyard.
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his
vineyard. He agreed to pay the workers one denarius for the day, and sent them to work in his vineyard. Around 9 a.m. he went out and saw others without work standing in the marketplace.
“‘Go and work in the vineyard too, and I’ll pay you what’s right,’ he told them. So they went to work. Around noon and 3 p.m. he went out and did the same thing. At 5 p.m. he went out and found others standing there. ‘Why are you standing around all day doing nothing?’ he asked them. ‘Because nobody’s hired us,’ they replied. ‘Go and work in the vineyard too,’ he told them.
“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told his manager, ‘Call the workers in, and pay them their wages. Begin with the workers hired last and then on to those hired first.’ When those who were hired at 5 p.m. came in, they each received one denarius. So when those who were hired first came in, they thought they would get more, but they also received one denarius. When they received their pay, they complained about the owner. ‘Those who were hired last only worked for an hour, and you’ve paid them the same as us who worked the whole day in the burning heat,’ they grumbled.
“The owner answered one of them, ‘My friend, I haven’t treated you unfairly. Didn’t you agree with me
to work for one denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to pay those who were hired last the same as I paid you. Can’t I choose to do what I want with my own money? Why should you give me evil looks because I want to do good?’ In this way the last shall be first and the first shall be last.”
Jesus Predicts His death to the Disciples (Matthew 20:17-19, Mark10:32-4, Luke 18:31-4)
On the road to Jerusalem.
“We’re going to Jerusalem,” he told them, “and the Son of man will be betrayed to the chief priests and religious teachers. They will condemn him to death and hand him over to the foreigners. They will mock him, spit on him, flog him, and kill him. But three days later he will rise again.”
(Continued next week)
You can download the complete 'Words of Jesus' here.
OUR AFRICAN EXPERIENCE
Experience life here with us in Kenya.
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ALL BY HAND
Virtually everything here is done by hand.
The picture shows our men digging out a big tree stump by hand, with 'jembes', the tool of many uses, primarily for digging, and an axe. It took 4 of them several hours to dig out each of 3 large stumps. Probably cost us KES3,000 ($NZ40, $US30) in wages.
The Western alternative of a digger would have cost, with transport, 15 times as much!
This is the conundrum of life here. Wages are low and labour is plentiful. It gives people jobs.
But is the end it holds the country as a whole back. Small holdings, inefficient agriculture, in our terms, man instead of machine, is OK in the short term, but limits long term economic development.
Looking back to the industrial revolution in the West, centuries ago, or more recently the 'Tiger Revolutions' of modern day Asia, change and economic growth are accompanied by hardship and dislocation for many.
Coping with this transformation is one big challenge facing Kenya today.
THE EYE CLINIC/HOSPITAL
The building designer arrived, with a plan and costing for, as Kathy so aptly put it, a 5 star hotel instead of a B & B!
He has been sent back to redo his sums! We are no longer rich Westerners but now are Kenyans, and want their prices! LOL!
The next question comes as to whether we want the easy, but more expensive path of emplioying a contractor, or getting community ownership of the project by buying the materials and employing a local labour force to do the work
There are pros and cons of each. Hopefully we will have more news next week .
The picture shows an intial design of a 11x30 metre building. At least, it is an encouraging pictorial illustration of what the building may look like, and an encouragement to us to start to see the way ahead.
THE KENYAN PRESIDENTIAL REPEAT ELECTION - MAYBE!
The situation is now deteriorating for the prospect of holding a rerun of the poll for President on 26 October.
Up to now I have trried to stay relatively neutral in the political situation that has arisen.
However, it is becoming clearer every day that Raila Odinga and the NASA coalition are determined to stop the election being held with demands that are impossible to implement in the timetab;e laid down by the Supreme Court.
The first poll was annulled by the Court on technicalities that would in no way, have affected the election outcome. The polls for 47 County Governors and Parliamentary MP's showed an overwhelming swing to the Jubilee Party of Uhuru Kenyatta. This naturally, was reflected in the Presidential poll as well.
However you now have 1 man and his supporters effectively holding the country to ransom. There is an attempt to divide the country once again along tribal lines. A man with no development policies, trying to run on a negative campaign of criticism of the government. A majority of Kenyans realized this and voted with their feet to retain the current government.
Raila is now inciting people from his own tribe to violence in an endeavour to have the vote, which he cannot win, stopped. This is costing the country a fortune, not just in extra election costs, but also through business uncertainty troubled times bring.
While we are safe in our peaceful area, this beautiful country desparately needs a peaceful solution to this challenge to the democratic will of the people. Will it happen? Time will tell.
***NOW***NINE BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE ON AMAZON!!!
9 BOOKS are now available on Amazon (Kindle)!
All are available worldwide for electronic download on Amazon (Kindle) for $US0.99c . Unfortunately there has to be a charge in order to list.
Your support would be appreciated and they could well change your life!
They are all found at this link.....
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=david+tait+books/
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'THE WORDS OF JESUS' REMAIN AVAILABLE FOR PDF DOWNLOAD
Join the many who have downloaded the 'The Words of Jesus'. I am sure you will be blessed by it, as I have been.
One key element here is the setting out in chronological order (as far as it is possible to do so) our Lord's words drawn from all the Gospels, and the elimination of repetition between Gospels.
You may be surprised by the different perspective this presentation gives you both in understanding of His life and ministry, and in achieving a closer relationship with Him.
Download the free PDF here.....
DAVID'S DOODLINGS
1278. Earthly fear breeds rejection on earth, Godly fear confirms acceptance in heaven.
1279. Earthly fear results in a negative reaction while the fear of God leads to positive action.
1280. Without holy fear, surely God cannot be God?
1281. Genuine 'fear of the Lord' breeds confidence, not calamity.
1282. Fear of man leads to control by others, while self-control is the fruit of 'fear of the Lord'.
1283. 'Human fear' dominates and destroys while 'fear of God' develops character.
CARTOONS FROM TOON FEVER
Visit the Toon Fever website for more cartoon fun..... http://www.toonfever.com
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TUESDAY TEACHINGS
THIS WEEK: A REVELATION OF…….THE SEVEN REVELATIONS OF 'THE LAMB' Part 1
It would be normal to think of a victorious God as a lion. But Jesus came as a lamb, the Lamb of God
The incredible story of how the Lamb of God is foreshadowed 4 times in the Old Testament, comes as the Lamb in the New, sets our example and will return to claim His kingdom.
Both a faith builder and a call to inherit the kingdom now.
*** ANOTHER DAILY EZINE FROM WWJ!*** 'LAUGHING AT OURSELVES' Subscribe Today
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LAUGHING AT OURSELVES
***Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused***
*** Those who can't laugh at themselves leave the job to others. ***
QWIK QWIP: “Our eyes are placed in front because it is more important to look ahead than to look back.”
55. Signs Your Church Has Sold Out To Corporate Sponsors
- Nike "swoosh" on the cross
- Communion now sponsored by Welch's Grape Juice
- Taco Bell's talking dog now reading announcements
- In Christmas play, Joseph seen drinking can of Coke.
- Greeters all dressed like Ronald McDonald.
- Personal pew licenses now sold
- Baptismals include dolphin show from Sea World
- Statue of Moses seen holding keys to a Jeep
- The 12 disciples replaced by Disney characters
- Scripture verses brought to you by Windows '98
- Pastor doing subliminal product messages during sermon
- Bulletin has coupon section
- Choir members wear Dockers
- In the restrooms, an attendant hands you a towel
- There is a credit card swiper on the collection plate
- Offering envelopes bearing Visa or Mastercard emblems on them
- Handicap parking sponsored by the Family Medical Group, LLC
- Wednesday night suppers sponsored by KFC
- Sunday morning televised services sponsored by the FOX network
- Church vans traded in for Ford Broncos
- Church bell chimes to the tune of the NBC chimes
- Choir robes with the Lands' End emblem on front
- Sunday bulletins with the CNN logo
- Free Perrier at all baptism
- Church flag football team sponsored by the XFL
QWIK QWIP: “If you ever quit being a kid at heart, you'll get old.”
56. In The Eye of The Beholder
There was a little old lady who was nearly blind and she had three jealous sons who each wanted to prove that they were the best son to her.
The first son bought her a 15 room mansion, thinking it would be the best any of them could offer.
The second son bought her a beautiful Mercedes with a chauffeur, thinking this would certainly win her approval.
The third son had to do even better, so he bought her a trained parrot that had been in training for 15 years to memorise the entire Bible. You could ask him any verse of the Bible, and the parrot could quote it word for word. That certainly would be the best gift of all!
Well, the lady went to the first son and said, "Son, the house is beautiful, but it's just too big for me. I only live in one room, and it's just too hard to clean and take care of the rest. Thank you anyway."
Then to the second son she said, "The car was gorgeous, but I really don't go out much, and it's such a waste. Besides, the driver is pretty irritating and I really don't like him that well. I appreciate your effort, but could you please return the car?"
Then she spoke to the third son. "Son, I'd like to thank you for the most thoughtful gift of all! That chicken was delicious."
A DAVID MUSING
We have now been in Kenya 3 months. Over that time it hasn't seemed like we have achieved much - until the last week that is. Now our Eye Clinic/Hospital project is coming closer to reality and some changes have been made on the compound we live, for the better.
So I have moved in my mind from a feeling of frustration, to one of encouragement and 'seeing the light at the end of the rainbow.'
Life in God is much like that too. We go through the valleys of hardship, or frustration, or simply nothingness, without seeing an end in sight.
Then, all of a sudden God turns up! Life in Jesus seems so much better once again and, mosty, we reach a higher level on our spiritual mountain than before.
Our time of trial and testing, or just walking away from the Lord, comes to an end.
Should you be discouraged today, I would encourage you that, although you may not be able to see it, there is an end to your troubles. Get deeper and deeperinto God and He will see you through. Thank you Lord.
Until next week.......
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD.
His servant and yours
David Tait
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WALKING WITH JESUS MINISTRIES is a non-profit, non-denominational, Bible based ministry located in Hastings, New Zealand. A ministry dedicated to developing discipleship, fostering unity amongst God's people to achieve the Great Commission, and in doing so, preparing for Christ's return. It is securely based upon the foundational principles of the Apostles Creed while recognising the wide and rich diversity of beliefs amongst Christians in other areas. In accordance with the Lord's direction, materials produced by the ministry are available, free of charge, to genuine enquirers upon request. The ministry is solely funded by donations, as the Lord provides. A list of materials available (plus some fun!) is obtainable and freely downloadable from our websitewwj.org.nz or by contacting us as follows.
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Our role is to bless and encourage those in ministry while promoting co-operation and unity of direction amongst the body of Christ, as emphasised 3 times by Jesus in His longest prayer, immediately prior to His arrest and crucifixion. "... so that they may be one as we are one." (John 17:12, 21, 23-4) Our website is currently being developed to encourage your participation one with another, to share resources, and to enable you to promote events and items of interest to the body as a whole - and have a smile while doing it!
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