Reformation Day

Happy Reformation Day in honor of Dr. Martin Luther and other Christians who were faithful against false doctrine and destructive practices in the name of Christ. Four hundred and eighty-nine years ago (31 October 1517 to be exact), Dr. Martin Luther tacked his 95 Theses on the church door of Wittenberg. He protested against the unbiblical teachings and practices that were prevalent in his day and called an obstinate Roman Catholic Church back to the essential truth of the gospel that we are justified by grace alone, through faith alone, on the Word alone, because of Christ alone, to the glory of God alone! Praise God for what He accomplished through His servants for the true proclamation of the gospel of salvation by grace through faith for Christ's sake. Still today we need another genuine reformation to right the wrong, make straight the crooked, and reclaim expository preaching of the absolute truth of God's holy Word. Let us never forget that all things are set straight in Christ. Pragmatics, seeker-friendly techniques, psychology in the church, ecumenism not built upon truth, the partnering with non-Christian entities to further the Gospel may appeal to a sense of religious jihad, but it cannot impact the life for eternity. May we pray that God would keep His church faithful to the proclamation of the true Gospel and declare it joyfully as the world wanders in its darkness and displays its wicked defiance of all that is good. Let us grab the hammer and nails again, and let us pound on Wittenberg's Door.

"By grace God's Son, our only Savior, came down to earth to bear our sin. Was it because of thine own merit that Jesus died thy soul to win? Nay; it was grace, and grace alone, that brought Him from His heav'nly throne."

Looking for Reformation Day activities? Click on the below links.

http://www.lovetolearnplace.com/SpecialDays/Reformation/activities.html

Looking for a Christian response to Halloween?

http://www.eternalministries.org/articles/halloween.htmll

What Constitutes Success for the Church?

The whole question of what constitutes success for the church both corporately and individually needs to be constantly reexamined. How can the relative success of the church's ministry be evaluated apart from the light of eternity as revealed in God's Word? Who is to determine what is success? Was the cross of Christ a success? The world certainly did not think so. At the Judgment Seat of Christ, many supposedly Christian efforts will be evident as awful failures. Many do not understand that the only reason why there will be perfect doctrinal and organizational unity in heaven is because all error will be burned away by Christ (1 Cor. 3:13-15). Likewise, the reason why the early church experienced such beautiful unity was due to the fact that doctrinal and moral heretics either dropped dead (Acts 5:1-11) or were excommunicated (1 Cor. 5:5). The day of reckoning for the true church is always drawing near (1 Pet. 4:17-18), and then it will be evident that a believer will not be crowned ‚ "unless he competes according to the rules" (2 Tim. 2:5). Those who run in Christ's race (as Christians) must run according to Christ's rules, if they expect to receive a prize. Here the question is not speed or noise, but humble obedience. "Run in such a way that you may win" (1 Cor. 9:24).