Giants of the Reformation (1)

“And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10.41, 42

The Freedom of a Christian
Martin Luther (1483-1546)
“One thing, and only one thing, is necessary for Christian life, righteousness, and freedom. That one thing is the most holy Word of God, the gospel of Christ, as Christ says, John 11, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believe in me, though he die, yet shall he live”…Let us then consider it certain and firmly established that the soul can do without anything except the Word of God and that where the Word of God is missing there is not help at all for the soul.”

What greater gift could a pastor bestow on His Church than to teach them to hunger and thirst for righteousness, and to feast to that end on the Word of Christ? Yet this was precisely what was missing in those early years of the 16^th century in Europe. Our discipleship of the Lord’s people begins here, by helping them develop a true hunger for the Lord’s Word, and to put in place the daily disciplines essential for feeding on that Word with joy. It is a great sin to represent the Word of God as anything other than indispensable to Christian life and freedom. If, in our lives or ministries, we fail to show the highest regard, greatest esteem, and most zealous love for the Word of God, we cannot expect our people to consider it as anything more than an accoutrement of faith, rather than the very source of it. God’s people can do without a lot, and still know great joy and fulfillment. They cannot do without God’s Word.

What do you and your church’s leaders do to help ground your people in the daily discipline of feeding on God’s Word?

If Men Will Pray
Paul explicitly declared that men everywhere should lift holy hands in prayer, so that the Gospel could flourish (1 Tim. 2.1-8). So how is it with the men of your church? Are they men of prayer? Do they take no rest, and give God no rest, seeking Him in prayer? Men at Prayer provides resources for you to use in enlisting, equipping, and encouraging your men for prayer. Watch this brief video, then begin developing a strategy for leading the men of your church to take their place on the wall, seeking the Lord for revival, renewal, and awakening in our day. If you need helping thinking this through, or you’d like to talk about this effort, send me an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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).