Reformation Day, October 31st, 2021

Today is the day that is remembered by the Lord’s people all over the world as the noteworthy day when – more than five centuries ago – the German monk, Martin Luther, nailed his famous 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenburg castle church. His theses were originally more of a call to debate over various topics within the Church that Luther believed needed to be addressed. But we now look back and recognize that this simple action on this day in history was the spark that ignited the great Reformation, where uncounted multitudes were awakened out of spiritual darkness and brought back to the Holy Scriptures and the glorious light of the pure Gospel. Indeed, the world was never the same afterwards.

However, I believe that we would all do well to take a moment today and consider whether we are in need of another Reformation in our own day. The Church today might very well join her voice with that of the Psalmist, and complain that we seem to have been grievously defeated in the battle with the dark forces of Satan (Ps. 89:43). Terrible dread seems to have unnerved all our strength, and the enemy seems to be gaining the upper hand on all sides. Although we may rejoice in the assurance that our Lord Jesus has already crushed the serpent’s head on Calvary, and that our foe is one that He has already defeated; the roaring lion will never give up until the very end, and hence there are still many desperate battles to be fought.

What, then, should we do?

Perhaps a prayer for a new Reformation – and new Reformers – is in order.

“Lord Jesus, at this present hour, Your Church has few swords of true Jerusalem steel. Her sons and daughters are now so pliable, and even many of her ministers are yielding to pressure from the secular culture all around us. Lord, we need men whose weapons cannot be dulled, and who cut their way into men’s hearts – leaders who are firm for truth, keen against error, and sharp towards sin! Courage and decisiveness are needed more than ever now; for charity towards heresy seems to be the fashionable vice, and indifference to all truth – under the name of “open-mindedness” – seems to be the crowning virtue of our modern age. Lord God Almighty! Send us leaders from the school of Elias – or at least, from the school of Luther and Knox! These things we humbly ask, in Jesus’ name and for His sake. Amen.”

Remember, however, that we have just as great a need for reformation-leaders in our families as well! In fact, our families are what make up our churches and our nation. How many of us long for grand spheres in which to serve God! We admire Luther at the Diet of Worms, and wish that we had some such daring opportunity in which to exhibit Christian character. But the Lord has put us in a place where we can exhibit all that is grand, beautiful, and glorious in Christian character – and that place is the family circle. Indeed, if we do not serve God on this small scale, we will never be fit to serve Him on a larger scale.

Our homes are schools for the Lord. It is our responsibility to make our homes the brightest place on earth, if we wish to charm our children into the high path of integrity and righteousness. A dark home usually makes bad boys and bad girls become bad men and bad women. We must pray to God for strength and grace to shine light in their paths, and to become Reformers in our own families first – and then we may have good reason to look for a Reformation in the Church and in society!

God bless you and your family, this day and always, and cause you to be Reformers in your own homes!

All for our King’s glory,

Christian

Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts and reflections, or to ask a question, in the Comments section below!  

photo by Wim van ‘t Einde on Unsplash

some of the material in this article was adapted and modified from the writings of Charles Spurgeon and T. DeWitt Talmage