Title: Practical and Practical Faith
Contents
Bible: John 3:1-11
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The 16th century, when the Reformation took place, was an era of many changes. The first is a geographical discovery, and the second is a scientific discovery. The third is the discovery of typography. In this change, Martin Luther brought about the Reformation, and through the developed printing press, the truth claimed by Martin Luther spread to Europeans in an instant.
In this changed world, Martin Luther is faced with the fundamental question of how can I be saved as a sinner. I felt unable to solve the underlying problem. So I followed the guidelines of the Catholic faith. As I climbed the stairs on my bare knees, I experienced asceticism so that I could cast away my carnal desires and think only of the Lord. He also had confession. He also went to a monastery and lived there. He also did a lot of good deeds. But even though I did that, I could not realize the assurance of salvation. Luther, who was wandering in the midst of constant anguish, was reading the Bible and said, “But the righteous will live by faith.” I found the word and realized it greatly. That grace of the cross began to materialize in his life.
In Luther's time, a man named Tetzel sold indulgences. And with the money from the sale of indulgences, they tried to build Peter's Basilica. Martin Luther pointed out the injustice of indulgences and said, “Salvation is not received by buying indulgences, but when we accept the grace that God has given us, namely, that He gave His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for us. This will happen.” The Roman Catholic Church tried to expel Martin Luther and kill him. As that grace called the death of Christ became a reality for Luther himself, he risked his life to testify to this precious truth. Having the right faith in a changing world is the realization of the Word within you.
The Reformation took place in Zurich, Switzerland at about the same time as Martin Luther by a man named Zwingli. Zwingli says that living a life of faith in a changing world requires feeling the presence of God day by day, moment by moment, moment by moment.
In other words, not even a single piece of our mind should think apart from God. is the word.
Zwingli's Reformation can also be expressed in one word: faith must be realized and the Word must be put into practice.
And a few decades later, John Calvin, who initiated the Reformation in Geneva, Switzerland, once again criticized the spirit of the Reformation caused by Martin Luther and Zwingli, which was once again hardened into a doctrine, saying, “This faith must be manifested in our lives. do. In order to appear practically, we must live our lives according to the Word.” Through worship, we must experience the living Lord, and the world in which we live must also move according to the Word. came to claim. So, through his activities, the city of Geneva has become a city where the words of the Bible are directly applied to society.
A man named Nicodemus who appears in the main text of the Bible today also came to Jesus with concerns about the failure of God's Word to become reality. That's why I'm asking, "Jesus, how can I be saved?" Then Jesus replies, “You must be born again.”
What is being born again? Martin Luther felt that it was because of me that Jesus died on the cross, and his life was changed. The Word is the actualization of the Word given to me. And it is the word that is being put into practice in our lives and in real life to be born again. Who do you need to be saved? It is I who must be saved.
While living with Jesus, the disciples of Jesus heard the word, saw miracles, experienced the resurrection, and saw the sufferings of the cross. But when Jesus suffered, they all ran away. However, through the work of the Holy Spirit that appeared on the Day of Pentecost, the words and miracles of Jesus all permeated into him and became a reality. Through that realization, he demonstrated his abilities as true disciples, performed miracles, and brought millions of people back to Jesus. The fact that the Word becomes a reality for me is described in today's Word, but it is being born again by the Holy Spirit. John Calvin said, “It is worship where we experience the work of the Holy Spirit.” In worship, there is the proclamation of the Word, and there is fellowship. We have our supplication. Worship is to experience the presence of the Lord.
Please remember that this very time of worship is the time to receive God's word from heaven. So, we hope that you will receive God's word during this worship service with an open mind and longing heart.
Second, the most important thing in worship time is fellowship. Calvin said that we should not hate each other when we worship. When we worship, everyone around us realizes that we are the same beings who are loved by God, and we receive grace when we acknowledge each other and bless each other. I believe that you will meet the Lord in this place when we realize that we are each other's precious beings and pray for each other's blessings at this time.
The third important thing is that we offer our hymns to God and we offer our prayers to God. Please remember that hymns and prayers are for the Lord. That is where the work of the Holy Spirit, the presence of the Lord, takes place.
We pray in the name of the Lord that our Hanshin Church worship will always be a worship service that allows us to experience the living Lord.
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