The Story of Martin Luther and the New Reformation

"The Story of Martin Luther and the New Reformation:
'Here I Stand!'"

www.newperceptions.tv

• Wittenberg
  • Derek Wilson: "Whatever else it was, the Reformation was the world’s biggest ever evangelical revival. That is, it called all members of the Christian world and, through the work of missionaries, the whole of humanity to sign up to the three fundamentals of evangelical faith: the primacy of Scripture, the centrality of the Cross and the necessity for personal conversion. Luther died a disappointed man because he believed that his message had failed to conquer the hearts and minds of many people. He was right—but only because he set himself high standards. With the benefit of hindsight we can see that religious revival is always limited in its impact and in its duration. German Pietism, the Methodist Revival in Britain, America’s Great Awakening, the later movements associated with the names of Dwight Moody, William Booth, Billy Graham and others—they all eventually reached and passed their sell-by dates. Inevitably zeal wanes, vision fades and vibrant churches become institutions. The old adage always holds good: 'a mission becomes a movement, a movement becomes a machine, a machine becomes a monument and a monument becomes a museum'—until woken up by the next revival." (Luther: Out of the Storm 353)
  • Leroy Froom: "Seeing the corrupting influence of these indulgences among his own parishioners, Luther tried to stem the tide, and refused to absolve those from their sins who produced an indulgence purchased from Tezel. Therefore the immediate spark that ignited the Reformation did not come from the theological chair, nor even from the pulpit, but from a faithful pastor who was roused to protect his flock from spiritual harm." (Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers 2:252)
  • The Great Controversy: "[Luther] had been called as a shepherd to feed the flock of God, that were hungering and thirsting for the truth." (126)
  • Timothy Lull, Derek Nelson: "The one title Luther has been given on which there can be virtually no equivocation, one that does not have two sides, has no ‘yes, but,’ is pastor. On the most momentous day in a turbulent life—the day of his examination at the Diet of Worms—Luther rose early so that he could hear the confession of several people with heavy hearts…He did not want to be right about doctrine for the sake of being right but for being helpful to troubled consciences.  His concern for preaching, both his own and that of others, trumped everything else in his theology…The word pastor literally means ‘shepherd,’ and Luther was like a German Shepherd in more ways than one." (Resilient Reform: The Life and Thought of Martin Luther 383, 384)

•  Worms
  • The Great Controversy: "From the secret place of prayer came the power that shook the world in the Reformation." (210)
  • Luther: "Since then your serene majesty and your lordships seek a simple answer, I will give it in this manner... : Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not retract anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. I cannot do otherwise, here I stand, may God help me. Amen." (Lull and Nelson 130)
• Wartburg
  • James Reston, Jr: "This is the story of the most intense and pivotal period in the life of the great Reformer Martin Luther.... At the Wartburg he wrestled courageously with the most profound questions of Christian life. . . . He interpreted Holy Scripture for the common person.... Miraculously, Luther not only survived this ordeal at the Wartburg but flourished. His literary output in these furtive months was astonishing: letters, sermons, essays, translations.... Indeed without books to refer to during this period, he would succeed in changing the German language forever, as he would transform a rebellion against Rome into a lasting alternate religion.... Hounded into the Wartburg, he emerged with strength and stature to face his persecutors—and triumph over them." (Luther’s Fortress: Martin Luther and His Reformation under Siege ix-x)
  • Luther: "The wise of this world are rejected, that we may learn not to think ourselves wise . . . indeed, to shut our eyes altogether, and cling only to Christ’s Word and come to Him, as He so lovingly invites us to do, and say: Thou alone art my beloved Lord and Master, I am Thy disciple. This much and more might be said concerning this Gospel, but I am too weak and we shall let it go at that." (Lull/Nelson 385)
  • Luke 11:9-13
  • Isaiah 43:19/44:3
  • Ellen White: "The Holy Spirit, the representative of Christ Himself, is the greatest of all gifts." (Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing 132)
  • "Morning by morning [Jesus] communicated with His Father in heaven, receiving from Him daily a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit." (Signs of the Times November 21, 1895)
  • Download a PDF of Helmut Haubeil’s book: www.steps-to-personal-revival.info

We must all be beggars