Giants of the Reformation (2)

To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1.27

The Freedom of a Christian
Martin Luther (1483-1546)
“Rather ought Christ to be preached to the end that faith in him may be established that he may not only be Christ, but be Christ for you and me, and that what is said of him and is denoted in his name may be effectual in each of us. Such faith is produced and preserved in us by preaching why Christ came, what he brought and bestowed, what benefit it is to us to accept him.”

The Christian stands in the hope of the glory of God (Rom. 5.1, 2). That is, as believers, it is our unique privilege to engage God in His glory, through our risen Christ and His Word, and to know the transforming power of glory to mold us increasingly into the image of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 3.12-18). Thus transformed by the glory of God, we go forth to live for His glory in all our words and deeds, until the knowledge of the glory of the Lord covers the earth as the waters cover the sea (1 Cor. 10.31; Hab. 2.14). This hope belongs uniquely to believers, because only Christians have Christ in them, where His resurrection power can work revival in our soul day by day. What a great privilege and high calling it is to preach and equip God’s people for such glory!

What does it mean to “engage God in His glory”? How, in your preaching and teaching, do you equip your congregation to realize this hope?

T. M. Moore

Organizing with the Spirit
The Lord Jesus is building His Church. His Word is the blueprint, His Spirit is the General Contractor, and we are all builders together of the Body of Christ. But are we doing our work God’s way, or ours? The Spirit has His ways of organizing our work, and we do well to understand as much as we can about His methods. This is the argument of Dr. Kent Miller of Michigan State University, and you can watch our Conversation with Dr. Miller, and download a free copy of his paper on the subject, “Organizing with the Spirit,” by clicking here.

The Fellowship of Ailbe is supported through the generous and faithful gifts of those who benefit from and believe in our work. Does the Lord want to use you in this way? Please look to Him in prayer over this question. You can contribute to The Fellowship of Ailbe by using the Contribute button at our website, or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452. Thank you.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.All quotations from Martin Luther, The Freedom of a Christianin John Dillenberger, ed., Martin Luther: Selections from His Writings(New York: Doubleday, 1962).