This Monday is Reformation day. On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther posted his 95 Thesis. Issues he wanted the church to dialog about.
There was a lot of talk, but unfortunately not a lot of healthy dialog.
However, one of the positive results was how the Bible came to be viewed. The Bible became available to the masses, it was translated into the languages of everyday people, and regular people began to read the Bible for themselves.
The Holy Scriptures and how they were interpreted used to be solely controlled by the clergy. Now the Scriptures were free for everyone to use.
I'm recognizing the guts it must have taken for Martin Luther and others to go against the flow of the established church.
Approximately 500 years later many Christians are talking about another reformation that is taking place.
A large part of this new reformation is the desire to place the church body back under the headship of Jesus Christ alone. For the most part the Reformation retained the structure and hierarchy created by the Catholic Church. The new denominations and state run churches severed their ties with Rome, but replaced Rome's authority with other governance organizations and/or individuals.
So the reformation of the 1500's gave the Bible back to the body. This new movement can be seen as giving the body back to our Lord.
Personally I'm not sure the work of the Reformation has finished. There are still more family issues to sort out. Like Martin Luther, my desire is not to create divisions, but to dialog and encourage my brothers and sisters to consider looking past some of our traditions and seeking God's will for us. I'm doing my part by posting my 95 thesis, stuff I'd love to see the church dialog around:
http://jonjourney.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-95-thesis.html
The Reformation put the Scriptures into your hands. I encourage you to study these Scriptures for yourself. Seek the Holy Spirit, and wisdom from respected brothers and sisters. I pray all can be done in love.
I'd love to hear what God is saying to you. God is still at work. God bless!
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2 comments:
Great post!
You are right, the reforming must continue...and it does.
Putting Christ back at the center (instead of ourselves) is always the job.
And often you won't be thanked for it.
Thanks Steve Martin.
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