It was October 31, 1517 when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Thesis to the Wittenberg Door, protesting some abuses that were occurring in those dark days of the Roman Catholic Church.
This act changed history and Western Europe would be part of a struggle between denominations from that moment on.
Martin Luther, born to a German peasant family, put himself to school by singing. He had a great voice and loved to sing all his life! Have you heard of “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”? Martin Luther wrote that song!
One day, he found himself caught in a terrible thunderstorm. He promised the Lord that if God let him live through the storm, he would serve him for the rest of his life. The Lord let him live and Martin Luther became a monk.
He struggled to overcome his sin and become a good Christian man, but the more he struggled, the more he seemed to lose. Through the counsel of a loving father in the faith and his own personal study of the Word, Martin stumbled across this principle: THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH. This truth changed Martin’s life forever!
Now, before I explain about Luther’s 95 Thesis, let me tell you a little bit about the church in those days. You see, it was the time of the Renaissance when European Christians were rediscovering the ancient works and philosophies of the Greeks and Romans, pagans of ancient times. Many priests were more interested in studying the Greek classics than digging into Scripture.
It is nothing like the Roman Catholic church you see today. In my lifetime, we have had godly popes who care about the church, but back then, many wicked and corrupt men were in high places of leadership: popes, archbishops, and bishops. Now, there were some good men who were church leaders and they spoke out against the bad beahvior, but the corrupt leaders caused a mess of trouble. There were evil practices going on like selling indulgences and church offices.
The evil in the church was hurting the people in Luther’s congregation and he had enough. So, he spoke out against the evils and for the truth in the Word of God of living by faith. The 95 Thesis, or ideas, were straight from the Bible, but it made the pope furious.
Eventually, Luther had to appear before a Diet of Worms. It’s not what you think. Worms is a city and a “diet” is a council. Anyway, he was asked to recant what he had written in his books and other writings. He refused.
This is what he said, “I cannot, and I will not retract…..Here I stand. I can do no other, may God help me amen!”
There is much more to this exciting man (kidnapping, living in a castle, translating the Bible into German, marrying a nun, translating beer songs into hymns). I hope I have whetted your appetite to learn more about him.
Would you like to learn more about Martin Luther and other heroes of the faith? Celebrate our Christian Superheroes not only introduces Christian super-heroes, but gives you ideas to celebrate our heritage at a time of year when everyone is celebrating darkness.
Do you want to celebrate our Christian Heroes with a Heroes for Jesus Party? It’s easy and fun!
Learn all about it in Celebrate our Christian Superheroes where you can discover how our family celebrates Christian heroes, why our family doesn’t celebrate Halloween, and why children and teens need super-heroes. In addition, there are monologues for over 40 Christian heroes with costumes suggestions and game ideas for the Heroes for Jesus Party. Finally, we have to includes autumn recipes to serve during or after the party. An additional Bonus is Paul’s Missionary Journey to Rome Game with instructions, templates, and rules. Enjoy!
Celebrate our Christian Superheroes is available at Amazon. The eBook is available at PowerlineProd.
Remember that God placed you at a certain time in history in a certain location so that you, too, can be a Christian hero or heroine.
Be a hero for His glory!
Merey
(Meredith Ludwig Curtis)
