Reformation in 2017?

This month marks the 500th year since Martin Luther nailed his 95 thesis to the door of the Wittenberg Church. Unsure he would even provoke a major
reaction, Luther certainly never expected to spark a Reformation. Yet, as one event led to another, Luther’s faithfulness ultimately led him to the Diet of Worms where he stood trial for his faith as expressed in what he he had written. It was there that Luther famously said:
"If, then, I am not convinced by proof from Holy Scripture, or by cogent reasons, if I am not satisfied by the very text I have cited, and if my judgment is not in this way brought into subjection to God’s word, I neither can nor will retract anything; for it cannot be either safe or honest for a Christian to speak against his conscience. Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise; God help me! Amen."
With these words, the Reformation that recovered the Biblical gospel inalterably changed Europe and, thus, the world. As Evangelical Protestants, we stand on their shoulders. We praise God that throughout church history He has raised up men and women who have been faithful to the Biblical gospel in spite of the costs. Many of them are known, but the vast majority are unknown and will be rejoiced over on that great last day when Jesus appears visibly to take the kingdom and reign. We look to the past both to instruct and encourage us in the present. While our day is a different day, faithfulness to the gospel is no less urgent. We are called to faithfulness to the gospel in the time and place God has ordained for us. Our God delights to use our ordinary faithfulnesses to fulfill his extraordinary ends. The old saying is true: “One generation knows the gospel. The next generation assumes the gospel, and the third generation loses the gospel.”

We want to be those who know and make known the gospel in our generation so that it spreads and is faithfully passed down to the next one. As the RAK Evangelical Church, we seek to be a corporate display of God’s glory, and this edition seeks to encourage us in the riches of the past as we feast on the gospel that a young and ver y unique monk rediscovered years ago. Thank God for His faithfulness to His church and for the many ways He has worked to ensure the gospel has been passed down to you. But don’t stop there! Ask God to give you more joy and confidence in His gospel and to use your life to make it known. It’s a joy to serve alongside you and with you in this unique place.