I’ve been thinking for a long time now that we need a new reformation. The last year or so has convinced me that this is critically important for the health of our society. But I am convinced that God is at work.
We need a new reformation
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2 responses to “We need a new reformation”
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Hi Phil, Thank you for your ministry. Couple of follow ups:
The quote is: “As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs.” For more background see: http://rwbooth.com/2017/10/01/tetzel/ on this appalling nonsense.
You are not alone in the broad thrust of your analysis, and indeed new reformation is needed in the West. My take is that maybe we are entering a time of judgement first? Israel turned away from our Holy God and needed 70 years of exile to bring them to their senses. The people of Russia have emerged from 70 years of communist oppression and the Christian faith is now reported very strong. God is mightily at work in Iran and China, at the same time Europe is rapidly becoming a spiritual desert. I wonder if you agree with me that if God in his mercy does bring reformation in our time in the UK then it will only come about by preaching Jesus first and foremost and allowing the Holy Spirit to do His work of bringing people to repentance and faith? Do you agree that reformation of His people and the building of his Church will always be our Lords first priority (to His praise and glory) and it is through His reformed and renewed people that change in society will then come about? That does seem to be the lesson of History eg the wide societal effects of the evangelical revivals beginning in the 1750’s perhaps best illustrated by Wilberforce and the slave trade?-
Hi Nigel,
Thanks for the link!
I’ve felt like we have needed a reformation for some time now. What’s changed over the last 2-3 years for me is that I’ve begun to realise we need a reformation of the whole of society, not just the church.
At the 16th Century reformation, it wasn’t just a “religious” matter, although of course that distinction didn’t exist back then. But it did have an impact upon secular authorities and rulers – one obvious example being how it led to the creation of the Church of England.
My hope and prayer is that God will renew and reform the church, and that in so doing the rest of society will be affected. But I wouldn’t like to put a time frame on what that might look like. I think it’s good to learn the lessons of history but also leave some space open for God to do new things (Isaiah 43:19).
A couple of years ago I preached through the book of Jonah, and Jonah’s message certainly had an immediate effect. (Whether it was a long lasting one, of course, I don’t know.) But I think the words of God from Jonah 4:11 ring true for me at this present time:
“And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left – and also many animals?”
My hope and prayer is for a Spirit-filled church which proclaims the good news of Jesus Christ, as well as a renewed society which is built upon the Lord Jesus and his commands. But the only thing I can do personally is believe and trust in God and proclaim the gospel where he leads me.
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