2 Corinthians 4:13   ‘We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;’

 DAILY READING  Romans 16; 2 Samuel 1; Psalm 72

Martin Luther is one of the most influential and controversial figures in the history of Christianity. He was a German monk who began the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century,  Luther’s desire for people to know the truth of God’s Word,  led him to dedicate his life to learning and teaching the Gospel. However, the more he studied, the more he felt that the Catholic Church to which he belonged had gone astray.

Finally he collected a list of 95 different points of doctrine where he felt that the Church was incorrect. And on October 31, 1517, Martin wrote these 95 points of doctrine on a placard, which he nailed to the door of the Catholic Church in Wittenberg, Germany. These 95 points of doctrine were copied and sent throughout Germany, resulting in the Catholic Church losing out on the collection of money that it collected in exchange for indulgences. The sale of indulgences was one of the 95 practices that Martin Luther disagreed with. This practice allowed people to buy forgiveness for their sins.

As the money from the sale of indulgences greatly declined, Pope Leo X grew upset and sent convoys to Martin Luther in an attempt to get him to recant his disagreement. Martin Luther refused to do so, stating that he had an obligation to God to do what he felt was right.

By 1520 A.D., the Catholic Church had had enough. They declared Martin Luther a heretic, a crime punishable by death. Luther escaped and went into hiding, where he translated the Bible into German. Martin Luther later founded a new religion known as Lutheranism. Though it was not easy to stand alone against the evil practices in the church, but because he chose to speak up, rather than keep silent, his actions set in motion tremendous reforms within the Church.

It takes courage to stand up for the truth. Often times when we see things going wrong in our environment, we like to play it safe and keep quiet. This is often because we want to be accepted, and so as a result many Christians end up, becoming people-pleasers, rather than God pleasers. But if you want to please people, you’ll become a person who seldom speaks-up to rebuke error, or to tell the truth – claiming, “I don’t want to judge.” And you will end up, preaching sugar-coated, watered-down messages instead of telling people the bitter truth.

In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus commanded us to go and teach people to observe all the things that He commanded. Jesus commanded us to call people to repentance (Matt 4:17) and to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them (Eph 5:11). And in the book of Ezekiel, God told us that if you do not warn the wicked and he dies in his sin, his blood will be required at your hands. We therefore have a responsibility to boldly preach the truth, exposing lies, and not backing down from opposition and religious bullies. At a time when darkness is increasing in the world, as believers, we must rise to shine the light of Christ in our environment and speak the truth. .

2 Corinthians 4:13 says ‘We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;’

If we really love people enough, we would tell them the truth because love rejoices in the truth (1 Cor 13:6). Yes, there may be a price to pay for speaking up. But there is a greater price to pay if you don’t. Let us be encouraged to keep holding up the banner of truth in our families, society and nations.  The gospel is preached so that people may be saved. May God grant us the courage to shine His light into the darkness, that men may be delivered and brought to the saving knowledge of Christ.

PRAYER: Lord, Please help me to always focus on Your Word so that I can be filled with Your light and boldly proclaim Your truth to my generation. As I shine Your light in the darkness, may many souls be drawn to You as a result in Jesus Name. 

QUOTE;

It is only when you can see God in the light of who He truly is that you can begin to walk in the overflow of His blessings. – WORDBITE 222.