The Story of Martin Luther and the New Reformation

"I, a Poor, Stinking Bag of Dung"

Speaker

Dwight K. Nelson

Since 1983, Dwight Nelson has served as lead pastor of the Pioneer Memorial Church on the campus of Andrews University. He preaches on the “New Perceptions” telecast, teaches at the theological seminary and has written some books, including The Chosen. He and his wife, Karen, are blessed with two married children and 2 granddaughters.

Offering

Saturday, October 14, 2017
Program: 
Praise
Bless His Holy Name • Blessed Be the Name of the Lord Medley • Breathe
Prayer
Sharon Terrell
Tithes & Offerings
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God • Max Reger
PMC Operating Expense • Sharon Terrell
Children’s Story
Dwight K. Nelson
Worship in Music
Fortress Variations • Jay Bocook
Sermon
"'I, a Poor, Stinking Bag of Dung': The Story of Martin Luther and the New Reformation" • Dwight K. Nelson
Connect Card
My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less • 522
As We Depart
Crown Him With Many Crowns • James Swearingen

More In This Series

"The Story of Martin Luther and the New Reformation:
'I, a Poor, Stinking Bag of Dung'"

www.newperceptions.tv

  • 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
    • Roland Bainton: "The man who thus called upon a saint was later to repudiate the cult of the saints. He who vowed to become a monk was later to renounce monasticism. A loyal son of the Catholic Church, he was later to shatter the structure of medieval Catholicism. A devoted servant of the pope, he was later to identify the popes with Antichrist. For this young man was Martin Luther" (Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther 15).
  • 4 Takeaways/Legacies for the New Reformation
    • #1—Only .
      • Luther: "I was a good monk, and I kept the rule of my order so strictly that I may say that if ever a monk got to heaven by his monkery it was I. All my brothers in the monastery who knew me will bear me out. If I had kept on any longer, I should have killed myself with vigils, prayers, reading and other work." (Bainton 34).
      • James Kittelson: "Anfechtung was what Luther later called this grinding sense of being utterly lost. By it he intended the idea of swarming attacks of doubt that could convince people that God's love was not for them. Later he considered this sense of being irredeemably evil to be the work of Satan, who sought to make a Christian's sins, doubts, and anxieties too much even for the grace of God. At such moments just the rustling of dried leaves in a forest sounded like the legions of hell coming to seize one's soul.” (Luther the Reformer: The Story of the Man and His Career 56)
      • Derek Wilson: "Certainly Luther went through periods of black depression when he retreated into himself and spoke to no one. He never fully shrugged off this particular demon and to the end of his days would retire into a room by himself when problems weighed heavily upon him." (59)
      • Luther: "I greatly longed to understand Paul's Epistle to the Romans and nothing stood in the way but that one expression, 'the justice of God,' because I took it to mean that justice whereby God is just and deals justly in punishing the unjust. My situation was that, although an impeccable monk, I stood before God as a sinner troubled in conscience, and I had no confidence that my merit would assuage him. Therefore I did not love a just and angry God, but rather hated and murmured against him." (Bainton 49)
      • Luther: "Then [one day] I grasped that the justice of God is that righteousness by which through grace and sheer mercy God justifies us through faith. Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise. The whole Scripture took on a new meaning, and   . . . now it became to me inexpressibly sweet in greater love. This passage of Paul ['the just shall live by faith'] became to me a gate to heaven." (Bainton 49-50)
      • H. M. S. Richards once declared: "I have only one doctrine: I am a great —but I have a great ." And when asked “What is the Adventist message?" he replied, " only."
    • #2—Only .
      • Luther: "The wounds of Jesus are safe enough for us.” (Kittelson 99)
      • Ellen White: "The lower you lie at the foot of the cross, the dearer and more exalted will be your conception of your Redeemer." (Review and Herald 10-16-1888)
      • Ellen White: "The theme that attracts the heart of the sinner is Christ and Him crucified. On the cross of Calvary Jesus stands revealed to the world in unparalleled love." (Maranatha 99)
    • #3—Only .
      • Derek Wilson: "Within decades of Luther's death... all Europe was awash with Bibles in contemporary languages.... This was the richest part of Martin Luther's legacy. He bequeathed to the peoples of the world a collection of religious writings and invested them with supreme authority (or, as he would have said, recognized the supreme authority they manifestly possessed)."(363)
      • Luther: "God's word cannot be without God’s people, and God’s people cannot be without God’s word. . . . For it is the word of God which builds the Church. . . . [W]here that is heard, where baptism, the sacrament of the altar [the Lord’s Supper], and the forgiveness of sins are administered there hold fast and conclude most certainly that there is the house of God and that there is the gate of heaven." (Wilson 364)
      • Ellen White: "But God will have a people upon the earth to maintain the Bible, and the Bible only, as the standard of all doctrines and the basis of all reforms. The opinions of learned men, the deductions of science, the creeds or decisions of ecclesiastical councils, as numerous and discordant as are the churches which they represent, the voice of the majority—not one nor all of these should be regarded as evidence for or against any point of religious faith. Before accepting any doctrine or precept, we should demand a plain 'Thus saith the Lord' in its support." (The Great Controversy 595)
    • #4—Only .
      • Proverbs 4:18
      • Ellen White: "The Reformation did not, as many suppose, end with Luther. It is to be continued to the close of this world's history. Luther had a great work to do in reflecting to others the light which God had permitted to shine upon him; yet he did not receive all the light which was to be given to the world. From that time to this, new light has been continually shining upon the Scriptures, and new truths have been constantly unfolding." (The Great Controversy 148-149)
      • John 16:12-13

"We are all beggars."

(Flyer, TV, Google search, name of person who invited you, etc.)
Oasis Public School Ministry

Oasis Public School Ministry provides a safe community for real talk, good food, fun activities, and building relationships between students, leaders, and God. This ministry is open to all public middle and high school students and meets Tuesdays 6:30-8:00 PM in the 5th grade Sabbath school room. Bring a friend and check it out! For more information, contact Diane at simplestirrings@yahoo.com.

Something in Common Sabbath School

Something In Common presents video series How to Get What You Really Want with Andy Stanley. 

What do you want? Seriously . . . what do you want? Did you know you’ll never get what you really want until you discover what you really value? In this 4-part study, Andy Stanley reveals how to get what you really want.

  • March 16-Careful What You Want For
  • March 23-Don't Be Deceived
  • March 30-Last Things First
  • April 6- Thinkin' It Through

All are welcome each Sabbath morning from 10:30-11:30 in PMC Room 141.
 

Sunday Music Series - Carla Trynchuk & Elena Braslavsky

Violinist Carla Trynchuk and pianist Elena Braslavsky will be performing a recital including works by Bach, Schumann and Szymanowski. Trynchuk, faculty at Andrews University, has performed internationally as soloist and recitalist in more than 15 countries.  Braslavsky, formerly a faculty member at The Juilliard School and the Mannes School of Music, currently serves on the piano faculty of the Mozarteum University of Salzburg.  Trynchuk and Braslavsky were classmates together at The Juilliard School.

Howard Center Presents: Wintley Phipps

Wintley Phipps is a pastor, world-renowned vocal artist & song-writer, motivational speaker, and education activist. He is the founder, president and chief executive officer of the U.S. Dream Academy, Inc., a national after-school program that aims to break the cycle of intergenerational incarceration by giving children the skills and vision necessary to lead productive and fulfilling lives. Phipps music ministry features a deep bass-baritone voice, usually singing inspirational gospel music.

Clear Reception

Join us for Bible study and reading "Mere Christianity" an adaption of BBC radio broadcasts by C.S. Lewis during WWII. We plan to build simple radio sets like the ones people listened to Mr. Lewis on. We will meet the first and third Tuesday of each month from 7:00-9:30, in the lobby of the Simulator Building at Andrews University Airpark. Register by clicking on the 'Grow Groups" link at the bottom of Pioneer Memorial Church's web page, then select the option of "Join a Community Group".

Best Weigh: Nutrition and Weight loss Program

So have you ever struggled to eat right and lose weight? If the answer is yes, I have some really good news for you because on March 19, at 6:30 PM, at the Berrien Springs Community Library our Health and Wellness Ministry is having the Best Weigh event. It’s a state-of-the-art program designed to help you lose weight and feel great, but here’s the catch: we only have 17 spots left. So, if you want to be a part, or know someone that needs to be a part of this, you can text HEALTH to 269-281-2345 to reserve your spot. This program will be led by two physicians, Dr. Kelln and Dr. Dacre. Hope to see you there.

Faces Around the Cross: Mission to Lebanon

"Faces Around the Cross" is the theme of the week of spiritual emphasis that the PMC Youth Missions team will be conducting at Middle East University and the local elementary and secondary schools, whose students are primarily non-SDA students from various faith communities in Lebanon and the Middle East and North Africa. This year's Friendship Team plans to depart for Lebanon on March 13. Glenn Russell serves as leader with the team a dozen Andrews students, alumni, and PMC members. During these troublesome times, the Friendship Team will seek to bring the healing message of the cross and the incredible love of Jesus to this challenging mission field. Your prayers and support are essential. Donations can be made through PMC Youth Missions - Lebanon.

Care for Cuba

Next week a group of seminarians will be headed to Cuba!  The county is in dire need of food, medicines, and ministry resources. Would you help today? Mark your tithe envelope “Care for Cuba,” checks payable to your church, or donate directly online at careforcuba.org/donate.

"Hands For Him"

If you enjoy helping others, Pioneer Women's Ministries has the perfect opportunity for you to be a blessing!  Hope to see you then! On Sunday, March 24 from 2-5pm

Come with your friends and join us in the PMC's Commons as Laura Meyer (Neighbor-to-Neighbor), Llona Chapman (PMC Visiting Ministry), and Carol Jordan (God's Hands for Kids) share ways we can be the hands, feet, and heart of Jesus in our community.

In order for us to know how many pizzas and salads to provide we need you to register.
Registration: Text the word "HANDS" to 269-281-2345.

Widows and Widowers

On Sunday, March 24, the Niles Westside Adventist Church (110 N. Fairview Ave, Niles, MI 49120) is inviting all widows/widowers to a 1:00 PM potluck in the Adventist school building across the parking lot. Come enjoy a Spring outing! Bring a favorite vegetarian dish to pass and relax among old and new friends.

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