The Spark

Romans :16-18

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH."

On this Reformation Day, I want to remember a fire brand for God. On this day in history, Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses to the church door in Wittenburg. He started the fire that brought about our freedom from a corrupt church.

Martin Luther dealt the symbolic blow that began the Reformation when he nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Church. That document contained an attack on papal abuses and the sale of indulgences by church officials.

But Luther himself saw the Reformation as something far more important than a revolt against ecclesiastical abuses. He believed it was a fight for the gospel. Luther even stated that he would have happily yielded every point of dispute to the Pope, if only the Pope had affirmed the gospel.

And at the heart of the gospel, in Luther's estimation, was the doctrine of justification by faith--the teaching that Christ's own righteousness is imputed to those who believe, and on that ground alone, they are accepted by God. (Source.)

There is an amazing wealth of information out there for those of you interested in Martin Luther. Here is a site that has many of his selected works as well as many of his beautiful hymns.

I just finished watching the amazing Luther for the second time. There are men and women of history that move me in a way that is hard to describe. The courage and amazing faith God gave Luther - to stand up to the indescribable power of the church at that time. Well, there really are no adequate words for me. I am grateful that God chose him and used him in such a mighty way.

His hand was upon him so many different times. He even married a former nun, Katharina von Bora and they had a happy marriage and six children.

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;

Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:

For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;

His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,

On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;

Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:

Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;

Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,

And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,

We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:

The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;

His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,

One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;

The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:

Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;

The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,

His kingdom is forever.

Martin Luther

God still uses Luther!

Voice of the Martyrs

I don't know if you have ever heard of this ministry, but they do powerful things for God's persecuted people in over 40 countries all over the world. There are times I have read their free newsletter and cried for the suffering of our brothers and sisters that goes on in almost every continent across our earth. We think we have come so far in today's society - that we have eliminated slavery and torture for one's faith. Far from it. Voice of the Martyrs is one of the few voices speaking up and providing help and comfort to the suffering. I encourage you to go there and sign up for their newsletter, and to pray with your children for those less fortunate.

Here is a sampling of some of their stories:

God's Most Beautiful People

Damare Garang - Sudan

Damare was captured by Islamic soldiers when his Sudanese village was attacked. Only 7 at the time, he was sold as a slave to a Muslim family. He became a camel boy even though he knew nothing about caring for them. His master enforced his learning with beatings. One day a camel got away. The master threatened to kill Damare for this mistake, but something restrained him. The next day when he found out that Damare had sneaked away to attend a Christian church in the village he became determined to punish this boy.

The master found a large board, several rusty spikes and a hammer and dragged Damare out to the edge of his compound. He forced Damare’s legs over the board and drove the long nails through his knees and feet. Then he turned and walked away, leaving the boy laying in the field screaming from pain.

A man passing that way heard Damare’s screams and sneaked into the compound and carried this boy to the local hospital where the nails and board were removed. A year-and-a-half later, Damare and the man who saved him were in a village that came under attack, and they were separated. After the defense forces managed to drive away the Islamic soldiers, Damare was left standing along. When the commander heard him speak, he realized that he was from the Dinka Tribe and took him back to their camp. After hearing his tragic story he tried to locate some of Damare’s relatives. When none could be found, the commander adopted the former camel boy and took him to his home.

Today Damare is 15 and lives in Mario Kong. He cannot run fast like the other boys, but he says he has forgiven the man who nailed his legs to the board. He knows that Jesus was nailed to a cross so all our sins could be forgiven. He asked the Christian children in America to remember to pray for the children of Sudan.

(VOM Newsletter, January 2004)

* Pray for Damare. He has forgiven the man who nailed him to the board but still bears the scars and handicaps resulting from the punishment.
* Pray for the leaders in this violent country that they may reach a just peace and end the civil war.
* Pray VOM’s projects into Sudan will be directed where God is leading.

House Church Pastor and Evangelist Arrested in Henan
October 4, 2005

China Aid Association

Midland, Texas (CAA, 10-4-2005)—Mr. Ma Shulei, a full time house church evangelist, was arrested in Mianchi County, Sanmenxia City, Henan Province, along with his 58-year-old father, Mr. Ma Yinzhou, who is a house church pastor.

September 26, 2005, Mr. Ma Shulei returned home from Yunnan Province to visit his father. Someone immediately reported this information to the police. When the police arrived, Mr. Ma Shulei was not at home. Therefore, the police arrested his father Pastor Ma Yinzhou, and forced him to reveal his son’s whereabouts. To save his father, Mr. Ma Shulei turned himself in October 2. However, his father was not released and both are now in police custody.

In 2002, Mr. Ma Shulei and his father were detained in Beijing for more than 40 days after a church leader’s meeting was raided by the police. Later they were put on probation and ordered to report to the police every five days. Instead of following the probation order, Mr. Ma Shulei went into Yunnan Province as a house church missionary. Mr. Ma Shulei graduated from a Chinese seminary in Myanmar in 2002.

“To hold the father in order to arrest the son is certainly a very harsh tactic to use against two innocent individuals.” said Bob Fu, “We urge the Chinese government to immediately release Pastor Ma and his son.”

VOM would like to encourage our readers to write a polite letter of protest on the behalf of Mr. Ma Shulei and Mr. Ma Yinzhou.

Embassy of the People's Republic of China
Zhou Wenzhong, Ambassador
2300 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20008
Phone: (202) 328-2500
Fax: (202) 588-0032

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I frequently feel helpless when it comes to our suffering brothers and sisters. At least there is something I can do - and God hears us when we pray for them. May He bless Voice of the Martyrs and keep His persecuted people in His perfect peace.

Warmly,

Kate

Walking the Walk in Dark Times

My favorite fire-starter has posted a beautiful example of a life of true faith on his blog. It is a lengthy article, but a moving story and well worth your time. Here is a little to wet your appetite.

Herb and Ruth Clingen were career missionaries who retired in Southern California and spent the final years of their lives ministering alongside John MacArthur to the people of Grace Community Church.

During World War II, the Clingens were held prisoner in a civilian internment camp in Los Banõs, not far from Manila in the Philippines. It was a long and grueling ordeal.

Near the end of the war, as part of General MacArthur's successful campaign to liberate the Philippines from Japanese domination, the internees at Los Banõs were dramatically rescued in a dawn raid by American paratroopers. It was one of the most remarkable and heroic chapters of World War II history, but the raid on Los Banõs was neither well publicized nor widely noticed, even at the time, because it happened on the same day as the battle of Iwo Jima, and that event got all the headlines.

The rest of the story...

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