Happy Reformation Day!

Dan — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 16:40:20 +0000

What happened today in 1521? Chris Castaldo helpfully explains what happened when Luther was asked to recant before the Diet of Worms. Here is the scene from the recent Luther movie:

We Are Beggars. That is true.

Dan — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 04:14:11 +0000

Martin Luther penned these words shortly before he passed away, demonstrating his profound grasp of Christian spirituality. In Matthew 5:3, Jesus very simply says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The word used for “poor” in this verse is the term for a beggar. Those who are poor in spirit have no spiritual assets or credentials. They receive the Holy Spirit as beggars. Consider the following statement by John Kleinig in his book, Grace Upon Grace:

The Father’s kingdom is theirs as a gift, something that is always received and yet never possessed. Unless they receive God’s kingdom, they can never enter it and reign in it as kings together with Christ (Mark 10:15; Luke 12:32; 22:28-30).

In essence, spiritual maturity is thus the exact opposite of worldly maturity. Worldly maturity is measured by our increasing independence, our ability to be self-sufficient and accomplished. Conversely, spiritual maturity is measured by our increasing dependence upon Christ and His gifts. But it seems that American Christianity has transplanted this cultural model of maturity into the faith and now spirituality has become all about actualizing our spiritual potential or identifying our hidden talents. The proper understanding is that our spirituality has nothing to do with our performance, rather it has everything to do with receiving from God.

This is why in Matthew 5:6 Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Jesus pairs righteousness with dietary nourishment, something we receive. He does not compare righteousness to any action that we should perform, but rather to needs that must be satisfied by God Himself, hunger and thirst. It is God who makes us righteous, it is not something we can accomplish by our right attitude or conduct. Hence we pray, “give us this day our daily bread.” We rely not on our own skill to receive bread, but upon God’s grace. The same is true of our spiritual walk. As I posted on Twitter and Facebook earlier, “Our justification does not depend on our piety and our spiritual performance but on Christ and His performance.”

We are beggars. That is true. How can we contend against the grain of culture on the issue of spiritual maturity? How do we effect change in churches who focus on worldly growth rather than teaching utter dependence on Christ? How do we confront leaders who are building their own kingdoms, rather than continually receiving Christ’s? And most importantly, how do we change our personal devotional life to reflect the life of reception, seeking God’s gifts as beggars rather than His applause as performers?

UPDATE: Jay Winters posted about Begging For Attention from God and he has some great followup thoughts on this post.

Weekly Wisdom

Dan — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:42:50 +0000

“Faith is a divine work which God demands of us; but at the same time He Himself must implant it. We cannot believe by ourselves.” - Martin Luther Related posts:Weekly Wisdom Weekly Wisdom Weekly Wisdom Related posts:

Weekly Wisdom

Dan — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 19:48:24 +0000

For where God built a church, there the Devil would also build a chapel. - Martin Luther Related posts:Weekly Wisdom Weekly Wisdom Weekly Wisdom… TWO for the price of one! Related posts:

prayeramedic.com » Martin Luther

Happy Reformation Day!

We Are Beggars. That is true.

Weekly Wisdom

Weekly Wisdom