Today I celebrated the 500 year anniversary of Martin Luther's Nailing of his 95 challenges to the Catholic Church - to the doors of Wittenberg.
What an impact Luther made! Praise the Lord for Luther's challenge to the Catholic Church.
29 years ago as I wrestled with the many doctrines I was raised to believe and found contradicted to scripture, the battle between the doctrines of the church and the words if scripture waged war in my heart and mind. Finally I went to the priest and asked which is more important, the doctrines of the church or scripture. When he answered "The doctrines of the church are more important," I felt like I had been punched in the stomach!
Obviously God was at work in my heart through His Word. John 1:1-5 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."
It was so clear to me that God's word was the end-all. And yet I struggled. How could what I had been taught all my life be wrong. There I was 18 years old and a counselor at a Catholic camp. My job at morning mass was to pass out the Eucharist. After God revealed Himself to me I struggled - this wafer isn't the actual body of Christ! For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; 1 Peter 3:18
How can I give this to these children and not tell them the truth. So I simply asked each child, " do you believe this is the actual Body of Christ?" And if they did not believe, I told them that God would bless them for not taking the Eucharist.
At this point I had not called out to God for salvation, confessing my sins and repentance and seeking forgiveness. But I knew the power of His word.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
And I knew that I did not have to go through an earthly priest to confess my sins and find my way to God. "For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus," 1 Timothy 2:5 NASB
I am so thankful that He began a good work in me. I'm trusting Him to finish it, praying I will stand firm to the end.
Happy Reformation Day!!
