Martin Luther made three important discoveries that continue to be important for us today. Discovery #1: Doing the right thing doesn't make a person right. #2: It's not the "what" of our faith that saves us, but the "whom." And Discovery #3: The truth of what we believe is grounded in the Truth.
On this Reformation Sunday, as we review our heritage let us renew ourselves in that Spirit of transition, that miracle of ‘forgiveness' in Jesus Christ that set fire to the Church once again at the time of the Reformation.
Call it the best picnic ever. Call it a spirituality of multiplication. When we give away what we have, when we sacrifice even out of our scarcity, then God blesses our gifts and multiplies them, and there's enough for everybody and even more-- but a spirituality of subtraction leads to a bunch of ugly results.
While searching the internet, I came across a poem by Calvin Miller entitled, "My Easy Christ Has Left the Church." The poem is melancholy, full of disappointment with today's church. Here is it's essence. Calvin Miller's "Easy Christ" has left the church because the church has left the true faith.
Disqualification is the name of the game when a person says: "What I have isn't worthy." Yet another form of Disqualification happens when people question their own motives, and that keeps them from giving. Recently I came across a newspaper story about a girl who—thank God— has not learned to disqualify herself.
As Hugh Redwood sat down, he noticed that on the table beside the chair was a KJV Bible--open to Psalm 59. When he came to the tenth verse he found these words underlined, "The God of my mercy shall prevent me." The word prevent as used in the King James Version of the Bible means "to go before."
Jesus said, "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free!" Suddenly Luther knew the truth of the Gospel, and instantly was set free--set free from trying to make himself acceptable before God-- free to rest in the grace of God
Jesus used that boy and what little he had. And he'll use you too. What you give may not seem like much when you look on Fox News or CNN and see a city that's no longer there. But how do you think it looks to that one person you help? It looks like a miracle. And you know, that's exactly what it is.
THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KNOWING ABOUT GOD – AND KNOWING GOD PERSONALLY. This is the truth we need to see this Reformation Sunday.
There are many things in life that would offer us freedom. Our country was founded on the principle of freedom. Madison Avenue advertisers offer products galore that promise us freedom. And then, there's this Jesus character. He says, "If you continue in my word, you will know the truth and the truth will make you free."