Acts 2:38 “Believer’s Baptism – A Simple Appeal “

 

Our text is simple – easy to understand, and I aim to make the same appeal which our text issues,  to you!

“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38).

This statement was made by Peter the apostle. 

It was made to a great crowd gathered in Jerusalem, after the promised Holy Spirit – that mighty rushing wind, had descended on a gathering of disciples. This event issued in a mighty filling with the Holy Spirit, enabling those present to speak in other languages, so that Jews that had come from far away nations (cf 2:8-11) for the feast  (Shavuot) would hear about the mighty works of God (2:11) in their  OWN language.

This happened 50 days after Resurrection Sunday, on the weekend of the Jewish Passover. Hence it is called Pentecost (fiftieth in Greek). Jews had been celebrating the Feast of weeks (Shavuot)  for at least 1500 years by the time this  event in  Acts 2 happened. 

Word got around very quickly.  Some were amazed and perplexed: What does this mean? (2:12). Others mocked and said – they are drunk (2:13). 

Peter, the spokesman of the 11 apostles had some explaining to do. He had to explain what had happened on that marvelous and amazing day.  He did this by way of an impromptu sermon:

 (i)                 Acts 2:17-21 He tells the crowd that this outpouring of the Spirit was a prophetic fulfilment, a promise spoken by the prophet Joel (Joel 2:28-32). This promise tells of a time when many that call upon the Name of the Lord will be saved. That time had now come. The purpose of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit  was to bring salvation – cf.  2:21 (not to bring tongues- a misplaced emphasis!).  And now Peter explains how that would come about … This is how they will be saved… THIS IS THE GOSPEL!

(ii)              Acts 2:22-28 He tells the crowd that this event follows the coming of Jesus of Nazareth (Jesus born in Nazareth). Jesus  is the Gospel. He worked in Israel with mighty works and wonders and signs. Then He was delivered up to the purposes of an evil humanity – BUT according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God. We learn that in God's economy nothing is out of control. Peter  tells them that God allowed His Son to be crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. But again, since this is the Divine Son of God, death could not keep Him in the grave.  God raised Him up. Peter explains this with the help of Psalm 16:8-11.  

(iii)            Acts 2:29 -35  Peter  tells the crowd that this Jesus is the Greater Son of David- the expected Messiah, who though He died, He was not abandoned to Hades. God the Father raised Him up, and not only raised Him up, but took Him up to where He is now seated at the right hand of God (This we call the  Ascension). This is the One of whom David spoke in Psalm 16.  David did not speak here of himself. He could not have referred to himself here.  Peter says that David died, and his tomb is there for all to see. And  moreover, David did not ascend to heaven (cf. Psalm 110:1àActs 2:34,35). No! David is speaking here  prophetically about His greater Son!  

(iv)            Acts 2:36 And to crown it all, Peter now reminds the crowd … so THIS is the ONE whom you crucified!

 The Response was profound (2:37)  

“When they heard this, the crowd was cut to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 

Peter’s hearers were stunned at what they saw and heard.  

They were deeply convicted by Peter’s message. And they profoundly understood their corporate guilt in crucifying the Messiah!  The dread of God and all the consequences of their sin fell upon them. You hear it in their collective voice:  Brothers, what shall we do? 

This is true conviction. 

This is the work of the Holy Spirit (cf. John 16:8-11)

 2:38,39 : And Peter said, 

"Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for who are far off, for all whom the Lord our God will call." 

 5 OBSERVATIONS

 1.     He calls them to repent – literally to turn around, to walk away from their sin and to walk into the arms of this Lord Jesus whom they had crucified. It represents a turning from the old life, embracing a new life under the rulership of Christ.

2.     He calls them to signify that repentance in baptism i.e. by immersion in water – that is its plainest meaning.   

    NOTICE THE ORDER! REPENT  and then BE BAPTISED 

For this reason, baptism ought not to be applied to infants or babies.  The reason for that is twofold:

(i)                 Infants are not yet capable of expressing repentance

(ii)              The idea of infant baptism by virtue of being born into a Christian family, and to be presented for baptism through the faith of a Christian parent is not taught at all in the New Testament. Rather this is inferred from the OT practice of infant circumcision. Those who defend the practice of infant baptism maintain that, just as in Israel circumcision was applied to eight-day-old infants, so in the church baptism should be applied to the infants of Christian parents.  

         But is this analogy credible? 

       We cannot disagree that there is a relationship between circumcision as a sign of belonging to the Old covenant community and baptism as a sign of belonging to the new covenant community.  

         However, there is also a great difference between these two signs

a. Circumcision was administered to all the physical sons of Abraham, who made up the physical Israel.

b. However, the baptism of the New Covenant is only administered to the spiritual sons and daughters of Abraham, those who repent and are baptized by immersion.  

Paul makes it clear that this baptism does not automatically apply to every Jewish infant born into a Jewish household. No! He considers Abraham’s offspring as those who are “in Christ” ( see Gal. 3:29;  see vv. 23-29 for context). These who are baptized into Christ (Gal. 3:27) are the true sons and daughters of Abraham – and as such accordingly they make up the Church. Galatians 3:7 says: "Know then that it is those of faith, who are the sons of Abraham (see context in Gal.  3:7-9)

 3.     He calls them to do this in the Name of Jesus Christ, whose atoning death would take away their sin. 

Baptism is identification with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection. 

The picture is plain. Paul puts it like this in Romans 6:3,4: "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life

4.     He calls them to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit i.e. SALVATION.  

    The same Holy Spirit who convicts us of sin also directs us to the Saviour - He is Jesus  Christ our Lord.  PLEASE NOTE - This is not a series of steps –  receiving the Holy Spirit is not another step in  receiving the gift of salvation. This  is ONE work of SALVATION and these are the VITAL ingredients included in the 'package' of salvation 

5.     Peter urges not only them, but entire families to believe – even those who are “far off “ -  everyone, far or near, who hears and responds to the call of God.

 APPLICATION

 ·      Are you hearing the voice of Peter, speaking here by the inspiration of the            Holy Spirit, to your own heart?

·       Have you ever come to a point in your life where you have repented of your     sin, following which you have declared this by being  baptized by immersion   into Christ?

·       Some of you are not making any spiritual progress, because you have not       yet  obeyed these plain words.

·      AND THEN THIS: To become a church member is by repentance and faith in Jesus Christ ALONE. The sign of that entry should only be administered to those who believe ALONE. 

·         Those that are being  baptised  in accordance with this conviction are               therefore  saying to you:

o   I have believed in Jesus as my Saviour. I celebrate in baptism today the mighty work of God in my life.

o   I have repented and I have laid my sin burden at the foot of the cross.

o   I want to tell you (i.e. these witnesses here before me) that Jesus has died for me ... that I have been buried with Him… that I have been raised to newness of life in Christ.

o   I am saying to you that I am a son/ daughter of Abraham.

o   I belong to the new covenant community. Therefore, I must receive the sign of the new covenant community. This is not the old mark of the Jews, which was circumcision.  This is the new mark administered to all who profess true repentance from sin and faith in Jesus. This is my confession issued in water baptism - a pictorial statement proclaiming, “I have died with Christ, I have been buried with Christ; I have been raised with Christ”.  Jesus' disciples continued in this practice and baptized those who believed. To that end Jesus clearly commissioned His church at the end of his earthly ministry to "make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit" (Mt. 28:19). 

 This is the meaning of  of biblical covenantal baptism.  

 Amen.

 

ROMANS 7:1-6 Law and Grace

 

THE ARGUMENT SO FAR IN PAUL’S LETTER TO THE ROMANS

 1.       1:1-17 Introduction

2.      1:18 - 3:20   Here Paul shows us how the whole world is guilty before God.  All of us have sinned.  All of us are sinful by nature and sinful in practice.  “There is no-one righteous, no not one” (3:10). We all have belittled His glory (3:23). We all have exchanged His glory for the things that He has made. All of us are idolaters. All of us treasure the things made by God more than we treasure God (1:23).  Therefore, a holy, just, good God is now revealing His wrath against this substitution of His glory. This leads to God’s righteous “wrath and fury” (2:8).   This is  where we all are heading. This is the bad news!

3.       In 3:21 we find a radical announcement, and from here to the end of Romans 5 Paul shows us that there is a way to get right with God.  It is called justification by faith. We are taught to look by faith to Jesus, whom God put forward (on the cross) as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.  All our guilt is absorbed in Christ's suffering and death (3:24-25). Those who look by faith to Him are justified. All it takes is to look and believe. Nothing more! No law of works needed (3:28). We receive our salvation as a free gift (5:17-19). This is the doctrine of free grace. Jesus plus nothing is everything!

4.      In Romans 6:1 & 6:15 this doctrine of free grace raises a great objection: "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may abound?"(6:1) Someone was arguing, "If I, sinful being that I am, am justified simply by looking to Jesus – an act of sheer grace – well then let me  go on sinning. Does your doctrine of free grace not imply that the more I sin, the greater the grace of God will appear to be?“  The same reasoning is found again in Romans 6:15:  Paul shows us that this is warped logic. His response to this objection is both times, “No!“ [1]  Why not? Because people who are justified (freed from sin) have died to sin (6:10). That means that they will not continue in sin! “Sin will not have dominion over you, since you are not under law, but under grace.“ (6:14).

5.      Romans 6:2-23: The fruit of free grace (trusting in Christ) are superior:   they lead to sanctification and ultimately eternal life. The fruit of trusting in the law is that the law will not be able to make you righteous. The purpose of the law is not to save you. It can at best only expose you and shame you  for who you are – and this leads to death (6:23)

 Romans 7

We are now going to learn that living under grace provides us  with  far greater power and  motives for abstaining from sin, than  we can obtain from living under the law.  

Our relationship to the law should now be clear. We are free from the law in the sense that we do not need to keep it to be saved from the wrath of God. That does not mean that we can now ignore the law. We can’t! It remains God’s holy law, and the 10 commandments remain God’s holy standard. And if  you love Jesus, you will keep His commandments.  

But, thank God, you will not have to rely on your keeping of the law to make it to heaven.   And now Paul explains a little more about the Christian’s new relationship to the law. He does that by using an illustration from marriage.  

Paul is still essentially answering the objection found in Romans 6:15 -”Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?"

In Romans 7:1-3 he uses marriage as an illustration. When two people are married they make a legal vow before God. 

• As long as they live that married couple is bound by the law to remain together.
• When a spouse dies, that law is no longer binding.Their partner is free from that vow.
• They are free to remarry if they so choose. Their remarriage will not be considered adultery (7:3). 

7:1-3  can be summarized like this:  legal obligation ends with death.  Before Christ took us as His own, we were bound to the law. The law held us accountable before God. It was the standard by which God was judging us. Breaking that law is  sin, and here are the consequences:  the wages of sin is death” (6:23). 

In  Romans 7:4ff  we read of another death: “you have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you belong to Him who has been raised from the dead…”. Now, if you become a believer in Christ you die to the law. You die to your old life regulated by the law; you now live under Christ.   And so we  read in 7:4:  "Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God."  

Death to the law happened when you were joined to Christ. The old contract or legal obligation is over.  The moment you  meet Christ you die to the law and you enter into  another marriage. Christ is, so to speak your new "husband".  

In the Bible He is frequently  spoken of as the bridegroom (Mk 2:19-20; Jn 3:29; Matt 25:1-13; Rev 21:2, 9-10).

And the aim of this "marriage" (as is true of any marriage) is that you "bear fruit for God." (7:4). There it is. That means that when you are converted you have new desires, a new attitude, you make new choices, and your actions produce God glorifying fruit!  It is inevitable!  You have been planted in new soil, and you must produce fruit in keeping with your repentance. 

So, being set free from the law does not mean that we can do as we please. Yes, we  were released from legalistic, joyless service, but we  were not released from service!   

7:6 says that we now serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

 In this way Paul answers  the objection posed in   Romans 6:15. 

So then we find that it is impossible for those that are under grace to love lawlessness!  

Also, the indwelling Holy Spirit renewing you through His sanctifying power cannot produce bad fruit in you.  What is inside must come out.  You must bear fruit for God to prove your attachment to Christ. Spiritual fruit prove that you are a Spirit filled Christian.

And we shall see, as we make progress through Romans 7 that this does not mean that Christians won’t sin. We will, but it does not make us happy. Paul will confess that he does struggle with sin. This is something that makes him unhappy, when it happens.  But thank God that his salvation is not grounded in his perfect keeping of the law, but it is grounded in Jesus’ finished work on the cross.  And for that Paul is eternally grateful. And he loves the Lord Jesus because of that, and he serves them with a full heart because of that, notwithstanding his faults, sins and shortcomings

A further illustration[2] 

This  illustration will help us to clarify the relationship between law and grace, between our former life under the law and our present life under Christ:  

There one was a man, a bachelor, to whom all his domestic chores became very tedious. So, he decided to employ a housekeeper. In her work contract he drew up a long list of rules   and expectations and to make a point, he stuck his rules to the kitchen wall, as a perpetual reminder to her :  

·       Meals are to be served at eight, at one and at six

·       Dishes were to be done immediately after each meal

·       The house was to be kept spotlessly clean at all times

·        Linen was to be changed once a week  

·       He even went into minutest details:  don’t pour tea leaves or coffee grains down the kitchen sink        Etc.

Needless to say, the housekeeper didn’t always stick to his rules. In fact, she soon began to resent them, and the more she thought about all the rules the more resentful she became, because she knew that she wasn’t that perfect someone. And to be spiteful, and in sometimes in rebellion   she even  secretly poured the tea leaves or coffee grain down the kitchen sink…

She knew that there was precious little point about challenging him for all his rules, for he was after all her employer, and he was a strict man. 

And then, after some time, the unthinkable happened … he asked her to marry him!

And things became very different from that time. She grew to love him. He even took down the rules from the kitchen wall. She became his bride- the queen of the home. Their relationship  had changed drastically. Because she loved him, she wanted to do that which she knew he would appreciate. She did it freely and willingly. And he loved her because of  her love for him – and not because she did things always perfectly.  There was a distinct difference between her past and her present experience  

This illustrates the believer’s relationship with the law.

The law in itself, though it is fair and just, it doesn’t please us. 

We know that we are not perfectly inclined to keep it, and because of that we begin to resent it. And often we are discouraged because of that.  

But when we are converted, we love the One who has taken our burden caused by the law away.

We love Him because He has given us new life, new hope and a new destiny.

And we do not find his commandments burdensome (1 John 5:3).

There is a different quality about this relationship – and it comes from the heart (6:17).

The former comes from a sense of coercion, but there is no joy in it.  The latter  comes  from a heart of love.

And now let me ask you … why do you do the things that you do ?

Because you feel you have to?

Or because you love Him?

 

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[1] Gr. mē genoito  (μη γενοιτο)  - may it not be!  – Vocative;  [Romans 3:4; 3:6; 3:31; 6:2; 6:15; 7:7; 7:13; 9:14; 11:1; 11:11]

[2] I have adapted this story from Stuart Olyott’s commentary on Romans, p.65ff

ROMANS 1:16,17 DO WE NEED ANOTHER REFORMATION?

 

The world changed on October 31, 1517.  Martin Luther[1], a Roman Catholic monk and a teacher at an Augustinian seminary had had enough.  He was greatly disturbed by the sale of indulgences. Let me explain.   

A Catholic bishop, Albert of Mainz (1490 – 1545) was the overseer of two bishoprics, but he wanted even more power and influence. He desired an additional archbishopric over Mainz. At that time the practise of buying of such bishoprics[2] was the done thing. It was actually against church law to have more than one bishopric, but money talks. And greedy pope Leo X (who needed money to build St. Peter’s basilica in Rome) allowed him to do this against the payment of a huge sum. Albert borrowed the money from a wealthy man[3].  He obtained the electorate of Mainz in 1514.  But how was he going to pay back for this?  He procured the services of a Dominican monk, Johan Tetzel, who was known for granting indulgences on behalf of the Catholic Church in exchange for money. Indulgences were guarantees underwritten by the pope that sins committed could be forgiven by means of a payment into the church coffers.  

This spiritual abuse made Martin Luther angry. He had to speak out, and so he took his pen and began to write his famous 95 theses. He posted them on the door of the castle church in Wittenberg. The theses or protests were designed to spark a debate,  but it did far more. It started a huge fire in the church, community and country, and soon it spilled over into other countries around Germany. 

The corruption of the church had been named and exposed for what it was. The common people saw that clearly. And the 95 Theses revealed that the church was corrupt, greedy and in dire need of a thorough going reformation.  

The 62^nd Thesis of Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses powerfully declares, “The Church’s true treasure is the gospel of Jesus Christ.”  The Roman church of Luther’s day had lost sight of the gospel of Jesus. Just as in the days of Jesus and the Pharisees, the Catholic church of Luther’s day had obscured and replaced the simple gospel of Jesus with manmade traditions and a system of self-righteous works and performance. I remind you that the Gospel does not focus on performance, but on reliance in Jesus ALONE. The gospel teaches us to rest in Jesus and His work of the cross.

Reformation Day celebrates the liberating gospel of Jesus Christ. Christ plus nothing is everything! The 1517 event set off a spark which ignited the hearts of many – men like Martin Luther, John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, Menno Simmons, John Knox, and so many other preachers. They were like matches ignited  by  God,  who used them in in turn  to ignore   the thirsty souls of the people  who  had  for so long walked in darkness – a repeat of Isaiah 9:2:  

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.”  

They directed the people’s attention to the gospel of Jesus. They showed their people that what they needed most was the gospel of Jesus. They needed that great Word from the true Shepherd more than they needed words of popes, bishops and  priests.  

The Reformation started a gospel preaching, missionary movement which spread like wildfire. It brought renewal to the church. The church started singing songs of praise to God. Luther loved singing. He taught the church to sing. New hymns were written.  Sermons were preached from the Bible and in the language of the people. People were converted, changed and renewed by the Word of God.   

We celebrate Reformation Day,  even 508 years  later. We remember the  day  the gospel was given back to the church, after many years of darkness, in  a similar way in which the Jews celebrate  Hanukkah[4] (Festival of lights),  commemorating the recovery of Jerusalem and subsequent rededication of the Second Temple at the beginning of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BC.

Martin Luther’s Conversion

Luther’s encounter with the gospel was a journey – like yours and mine! The actual date of Martin Luther's conversion is disputed. Some think that it is before the posting of the Ninety-Five Theses. It seems more likely however, that Luther’s conversion happened in 1519. In reading the Ninety-Five Theses, it is clear that Luther still held on to a number of formative Roman Catholic doctrines. At that point, he tried to correct the church from the corruptions.  But Luther’s own testimony tells us that his conversion happened while he was lecturing through the Psalms a second time in the early months of 1519.  Shortly before his death, Luther reflected on his conversion,  and  in 1545 he said this:  

“Meanwhile, I had already during that year returned to interpret the Psalter anew. I had confidence in the fact that I was more skilful, after I had lectured in the university on St. Paul’s epistles to the Romans, to the Galatians, and the one to the Hebrews. I had indeed been captivated with an extraordinary ardour for understanding Paul in the Epistle to the Romans…  a single word in (Romans)  Chapter 1, “In it the righteousness of God is revealed”… had stood in my way. For I hated that word “righteousness of God,” which, according to the use and custom of all the teachers, I had been taught to understand philosophically regarding the formal or active righteousness, as they call it, with which God is righteous and punishes the unrighteous sinner.

Though I lived as a monk without reproach, I felt that I was a sinner before God with an extremely disturbed conscience. I could not believe that he was placated by my satisfaction. I did not love, yes, I hated the righteous God who punishes sinners, and secretly… I was angry with God, and said, As if, indeed, it is not enough, that miserable sinners, eternally lost through original sin, are crushed by every kind of calamity by the law of the decalogue, without having God add pain to pain by the gospel and also by the gospel threatening us with his righteousness and wrath!” Thus I raged with a fierce and troubled conscience.

Nevertheless, I … most ardently desired to know what St. Paul wanted. At last, by the mercy of God, meditating day and night, I gave heed to the context of the words, namely, “In it the righteousness of God is revealed, as it is written, ‘He who through faith is righteous shall live.’” There I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that by which the righteous lives by a gift of God, namely by faith. And this is the meaning: the righteousness of God is revealed by the gospel, namely, the passive righteousness with which merciful God justifies us by faith, as it is written, “He who through faith is righteous shall live.” Here I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates. There a totally other face of the entire Scripture showed itself to me….Thus that place in Paul was for me truly the gate to paradise.

Romans 1:16,17

This is the text that finally settled it for Luther. A little background to the letter is needed. 

Paul writes this letter to the Romans, probably from Corinth. When he wrote this letter he believed that he had fulfilled his ministry in the eastern Mediterranean region (15:17-23). From there he had hoped to go west, even as far as Spain (15:24), and he hoped to visit the Roman Christians (1:10), whose faith was reported upon (1:8), fulfilling a promise to them, and perhaps to solicit their help as a supporting church (15:24). The Roman church was probably born as a result of Pentecost, when Jews were present in Jerusalem  at the feast of Pentecost (Acts 2:10). There the Holy Spirit touched the lives of many, and subsequently the many returned back to their homes carrying the good news of the gospel with them, giving rise to gospel communities – churches, everywhere as they went. Within a few hundred years (and after much suffering) the Christian gospel would conquer the Roman empire and Europe, and the east, and North Africa. These early Christians were the matches that the Holy Spirit used to light fires everywhere. The gospel was the fuel which they carried. The gospel is God’s solution to save the world from itself, and most of all, to save it from His terrible wrath (see Romans 1:18ff).

Pray now that the gospel will save the world of our day, as our world currently heads into big trouble. There is no healing in sight for the many angry nations now at each other’s throats.   Our world has no power whatsoever to save itself. The world needs real salvation, and the gospel of God is given ALONE to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of Jesus’s Name among all the nations (1:5). That  was Paul’s mission – the gospel for  a perishing  world: 

“I am  under obligation to both Greeks and to Barbarians…”  (1:14). 

Paul’s great confidence for the world is the gospel of God (1:1,15,16). Is it your confidence, or are you still thinking that we can fix this world simply through politics and diplomacy, through education and replacing  Christianity with  all sorts of cheap  and useless philosophies? Let me ask again?

·       How was the world changed in Paul’s day?

·       How does the gospel work to change society?

·       How did it change Luther and Germany and so many other nations?

Look at 1:16,17.  Paul says, 

“for I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also to the Greek”… and then he gives the punch line, “For in it (i.e. the gospel) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written (in Hab.2:4),  ‘The righteous shall live by faith’”.

What is it in the gospel that makes the difference in the world? It is the righteousness of God. Luther struggled with this, because he constantly thought of self - righteousness, when in truth that thought is furthest here. He hated God, because He knew that in himself he could not attain to that standard. But Paul speaks here not of self- righteousness as a means  for being justified  before God. No! He speaks of an alien righteousness, a righteousness imputed or given from the outside.  It is the righteousness of God, freely given to sinners who believe  on the merits of  the death of His Son who died for sin, so that whoever looks to Him is not condemned (i.e. is justified). By this righteousness imputed, I am counted righteous and I receive the power to be righteous.  It is THAT which Martin Luther finally understood, and this changed EVERYTHING. This is the Gospel!

How do I receive that righteousness? 

Answer: By faith. 

What is faith? 

Faith is believing the gospel of God! That means that you believe and receive  all that is there in the gospel for you: Jesus  died for your sin and He exchanges His  righteous life for your unrighteousness.  

DO YOU BELIEVE THAT? When you stop trusting in yourself , stop looking at yourself , and when you look to Jesus and all that He is for you, then the Holy Spirit  does that great work  which happened at Pentecost  in a large scale , and again at the Reformation. 

Do we need another Reformation? 

Don’t you see that what our churches and our world lack  most at this time  is that God centred perspective? We are  all so focussed on human solutions. We are caught up in secular philosophical thought systems that contradict and deny the power of the gospel.   Repentance and believing the gospel is the ONLY cure for the world. Right now we need  fundamental change within  and the gospel of Jesus alone contains the cure for that.   If not, we will soon destroy ourselves in this generation.

The church must not forget the lessons learned during the Reformation. 

We cannot forget what happens when the gospel is obscured and distorted and replaced by false cures procured from the devil’s medicine box. 

We need a new Reformation because everything else has failed and is failing. Humanism and its allies are bankrupt. 

We need God's help to reform our world again! 

We need Holy Spirit anointed preachers that radically believe in God and His word and preach it fearlessly and care little for public opinion. 

We need the truth as it is in Jesus. May God have mercy on us!

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[1] Martin Luther :  10 November 1483  – 18 February 1546

[2] Simony  is the act of selling church offices and sacred things. It is named after Simon Magus, who is described in the Acts of the Apostles as having offered two disciples of Jesus payment in exchange for their empowering him to impart the power of the Holy Spirit to anyone on whom he would place his hands. The term extends to other forms of trafficking for money in "spiritual things”

[3] Jacob Fugger -  a major German merchant, mining entrepreneur, and banker.

[4] Occurs roughly around the same time as Christmas