Reformation Day 2019

October 31st should be one of the most celebrated days in Christian history. It is a day of God-fearing rebellion against the religious system. It is the day Martin Luther’s hammer nailed 95 theses to a church door and split Christian history in two. The Protestant Reformation began that day—a restoration of personal relationship to God. No longer would Christians need to be spoon-fed by professional priests and ministers. No longer would they need to pay alms to hear the Word of the Lord or receive prayer or other sacraments. God began to return the church to the people on October 31, 1517. 

The Church had fallen very far from the Church Christ established in the Book of Acts. The Holy Spirit was ousted and no one was allowed to preach, teach, or perform any spiritual act outside of being a member of the Catholic clergy. Christianity became a religion of works. The clergy of the day seemed to have forgotten that Jesus said men were saved by faith and grace, not works. While faith without works is useless, good works, the Bible said, were to flow from a life lived by a Believer walking by faith in the Son of God. 

The word “reformation” describes well what began to happen. Not only were individual Christians set free by these concepts of grace and personal salvation, but all of society benefited by their freedom. I think that oppression broke off of many and they discovered who they were in Christ, looking more directly to Jesus and His Word for direction in their daily lives. People shifted, politics shifted, and culture shifted. Ultimately, some of those seeking freedom from oppressive religious systems in Europe made their way to the shores of the new world in America and our nation’s history began. 

“Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.” (Acts 3:19-21; NASB)

Give Him 15 minutes in prayer:

  • Do you want to be a reformer of the American Church and culture like Martin Luther once was? Tell the Lord so. Intercede for all those He is raising up as reformers for this generation.
  • Ask Him for more passion; a deeper walk with Him. Desire a more intimate worship experience with Him. He loves to reveal Himself to those who long for Him.
  • Intercede for those locked in a religious culture that keeps people from an intimate walk with Him. 
  • Look and see culture from Christ’s perspective. Talk to Him about what you see.
  • Ask the Lord to make you so passionate about the things He cares about that you become dangerous to Satan and his evil plans.
  • Tell Him you want to be used like an Abraham, Joshua, Esther, and David in this generation. 
  • Say, “Jesus, take my life and let me be a reformer of this nation and the Church in my generation.”

A prayer you can pray:

Lord, raise up a new generation of reformers. We need a reforming generation. We want to be difference-makers. There is something in our DNA that can’t accept status quo or business as usual. We can’t accept things as they are. Give us the boldness we need to change things in our generation. We want to rock the boat. Just like Martin Luther, we hate religion. We see how all its rules and regulations limit Your people. We have tasted of You and You make us hungry for more. We crave Your Presence. We can’t get enough of You. This hunger for the purity of Your Presence makes us loathe the average church service, where we don’t get the opportunity to really connect with You in worship. We weep for those locked in religious traditions of men. Set them free!

Lord, we refuse to let the world around us shape or define us. We see societal ills as challenges You are more than able to overcome. We are not daunted by how impossible they seem. We don’t fear adversity, because we know how big You are! Partnering with You, we become dangerous to evil. Evil must flee before Your Church. We are not “normal” Christians. We don’t fit in the typical societal niche, because You have made us reformers. You have placed in this nation a new generation cut of the cloth of Abraham, Joshua, Esther, and David. We are the Wilberforces, the Lincolns, and Martin Luther King, Jr.’s of today. We won’t tolerate mediocrity. We can’t stand indifference and complacency. We will cry out and speak out and passionately intercede until the Church of our generation wakes up and engages this culture. Jesus, take our lives and let us be reformers of this nation. Amen.

Today’s decree:

The Ekklesia walking in intimate friendship with God will be reformers of our nation’s culture until God is glorified in this land!