While much of the world uses this date to celebrate ghosts and goblins and emphasize the occult, this date has much more significance to the church. Today is the anniversary of when Martin Luther nailed his “Ninety-five Theses” to the door of the “All Saints Church” in Wittenberg, Germany. That was October 31st, 1517. The emphasis of Martin Luther’s challenge was Pauline doctrine from Ephesians 2:8-10.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
For over 1200 years, the Roman Catholic church had been a dominant force in the world with the belief that men were saved by being part of the church. Thus, men were subjected to all kinds of religious and spiritual abuse. There was definitely a division between the leaders and the laity of the church.
The motivation for Martin Luther was the protocol that was established in 1516-1517 by Johann Tetzel, a Dominican friar and commissioner for “indulgences”. He was sent to Germany to raise money to rebuild St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. He went around Germany raising money from mostly poor Germans. For every amount given, one of their loved ones who had previously died would be released from purgatory into Heaven. Part of Martin Luther’s concern was “why should the pope, whose wealth was vast not pay for the building of the Vatican himself instead of preying on poor people. Luther objected to a saying attributed to Tetzel that “as soon as a coin in the coffer rings, a soul from purgatory springs” (to heaven). His document “Disputation of Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences” came to be known as the “Ninety-Five Theses”. He had no intention of confronting the church but saw his writing as a scholarly objection to church practices. The result was a reformation which would shake the world from the 1500’s until now in how we see salvation and church. The Lutheran Church was born. The emphaisis? Man is not saved by being part of the church, man is justified by faith alone in Jesus Christ.
Jesus’ hatred of the “Nicolaitan spirit” (laity conquering the people) has never waned. Revelation 2:15-16 (ESV)
15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.
The Lord never intended the “CEO” mentality in the church as we see it today. Paul instructed the “Church of Rome” with this verse, Romans 12:1-2 (ESV).
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
The Roman Catholic Church had become a church drunk on its own lust for money and power. Evidence will be seen where it has been one of the institutions that were at the top of the “food chain” when it came to child-trafficking. It was actually Luciferian in its worship thanks to the Roman Emperor Constantine. This happens when we worship the church instead of Jesus. We are beginning to see God’s disciplining to the church both in the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant/Evangelical/Charasmatic churches. God will sort it out as we pray. 1 Peter 4:17 (ESV)
For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
Jesus will have for Himself a bride without “spot” or “wrinkle and un tainted by the world. There is only one to be lifted up and worshipped, Jesus Christ alone. When we worship or exalt men, it leads to deception 100% of the time. Jesus is the head of the church, not the Pope or the five-fold ministry The five-fold ministry is to equip followers of Jesus to do the works of the ministry and help along with Holy Spirit to bring to spiritual maturity until the church looks like Jesus. Ephesians 4:11-16 (ESV)
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds[c] and teachers 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
We’re not to exalt the gifts, the anointings of another individual. Men should never build ministries to exalt self, Only Jesus. There are those on the charismatic ministries that thought that “anointing trumps character”. Such a view will lead to destruction because man cannot bear the weight of the glory of God when there are character flaws.
I believe in the months and years to come; we are going to witness another reformation where we will see the church become what Jesus wanted her to be. A mature body who looks like and loves like Him teaching the “Gospel of the Kingdom” to the broken, the hungry and the lost. Truly, the best is yet to come. I’m in, how about you? There needs tp be both men and women who, like Martin Luther” will recognize where the present day church has failed and be willing to step into the new form of what the church is to become. Like the patriarchs before us, we are after a city whose builder and maker is God Himself (Hebrews 11:10). Psalm 127:1 (ESV).
Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
God’s message to the Laodician Church is as pertinent today as it was 1900 years ago, Revelation 3:15-22 (ESV)
“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”
“Come to your church in America of Lord, we open the door to our nation, our cities and our churches. Come in and fellowship with us so that we may truly be the “city on a hill” to give light to the lost”