Happy Reformation Day!

The Reformation Polka
by Robert Gebel (oldlutheran.com)
[Sung to the tune of "Supercalifragilistic-expialidocious"]



When I was just ein junger Mann I studied canon law;
While Erfurt was a challenge, it was just to please my Pa.
Then came the storm, the lightning struck, I called upon Saint Anne,
I shaved my head, I took my vows, an Augustinian! Oh...

Chorus:
Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation
Speak your mind against them and face excommunication!
Nail your theses to the door, let's start a Reformation!
Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation!

When Tetzel came near Wittenberg, St. Peter's profits soared,
I wrote a little notice for the All Saints' Bull'tin board:
"You cannot purchase merits, for we're justified by grace!
Here's 95 more reasons, Brother Tetzel, in your face!" Oh...

Chorus:
Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation
Speak your mind against them and face excommunication!
Nail your theses to the door, let's start a Reformation!
Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation!

They loved my tracts, adored my wit, all were exempleror;
The Pope, however, hauled me up before the Emperor.
"Are these your books? Do you recant?" King Charles did demand,
"I will not change my Diet, Sir, God help me here I stand!" Oh...

Chorus:
Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation -
Speak your mind against them and face excommunication!
Nail your theses to the door, let's start a Reformation!
Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation!

Duke Frederick took the Wise approach, responding to my words,
By knighting "George" as hostage in the Kingdom of the Birds.
Use Brother Martin's model if the languages you seek,
Stay locked inside a castle with your Hebrew and your Greek! Oh...

Chorus:
Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation -
Speak your mind against them and face excommunication!
Nail your theses to the door, let's start a Reformation!
Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation!

Let's raise our steins and Concord Books while gathered in this place,
And spread the word that 'catholic' is spelled with lower case;
The Word remains unfettered when the Spirit gets his chance,
So come on, Katy, drop your lute, and join us in our dance! Oh...

Chorus:
Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation -
Speak your mind against them and face excommunication!
Nail your theses to the door, let's start a Reformation!
Papal bulls, indulgences, and transubstantiation!

The Illuminating Ministry of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit empowers the believer in his battle with the “flesh.” One of the ways the Spirit empowers the believer is by imparting spiritual truth and wisdom. “The Holy Spirit is the great Interpreter (John 16:13). Without Him all our efforts at fully understanding His Word are doomed to failure.” The Holy Spirit teaches the believer from the Word of God by illuminating the Scriptures. For example, 1 John 2:20 explains that believers will know the truth when they hear it because they “have an anointing from the Holy One.” According to 1 Corinthians 2:6-13, the Holy Spirit reveals “the depths of God” and enables the believer (“he who is spiritual”) to appraise all things (2:15). The result is that the believer is able to know the truth or will God as revealed in the Scriptures. Some have added “guidance in decision making” to the ministry of the Holy Spirit, but there does not appear to be any biblical evidence of that kind of guidance apart from the work of revealing and making plain the Word of God. The obvious question then is whether impulses and feelings come from the Holy Spirit independent of His use of the Word of God. There appears no such biblical evidence. The one exception is Acts 16:6-10 where the Holy Spirit intervened directly in the travel plans of the Apostle Paul. However, since the Acts 16 event was during the apostolic period (i.e. before the canon was closed), it cannot be cited as support for the normal manner in which the Holy Spirit illumines the mind or ministers to believers in the current time.