
Category Archives: Religion
Martin Luther

Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses to the door of the Catholic Church on October 31, 1517, which became the foundation for The Reformation. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, not by works! (Ephesians 2:8-9)
All Saints’ Church, also known as Schlosskirche (Castle Church), is a significant Lutheran church in Wittenberg, Germany, where Martin Luther is believed to have posted his Ninety-five Theses in 1517, marking the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. The church is a UNESCO World Heritage site and houses the tombs of Martin Luther and Philip Melanchthon. It serves as both a place of worship and a historical site, featuring the original Latin text of the 95 Theses on its door.
How do I get right with God?
In order to get “right” with God, we must first understand what is “wrong.” The answer is sin. “There is no one who does good, not even one” (Psalm 14:3). We have rebelled against God’s commands; we “like sheep, have gone astray” (Isaiah 53:6). The bad news is that the penalty for sin is death. “The soul who sins is the one who will die” (Ezekiel 18:4). The good news is that a loving God has pursued us in order to bring us salvation. Jesus declared His purpose was “to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10), and He pronounced His purpose accomplished when He died on the cross with the words, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). Having a right relationship with God begins with acknowledging your sin. Next comes a humble confession of your sin to God (Isaiah 57:15). “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” (Romans 10:10). This repentance must be accompanied by faith – specifically, faith that Jesus’ sacrificial death and miraculous resurrection qualify Him to be your Savior. “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Many other passages speak of the necessity of faith, such as John 20:27; Acts 16:31; Galatians 2:16; 3:11, 26; and Ephesians 2:8. Being right with God is a matter of your response to what God has done on your behalf. He sent the Savior, He provided the sacrifice to take away your sin (John 1:29), and He offers you the promise: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Acts 2:21). A beautiful illustration of repentance and forgiveness is the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). The younger son wasted his father’s gift in shameful sin (verse 13). When he acknowledged his wrongdoing, he decided to return home (verse 18). He assumed he would no longer be considered a son (verse 19), but he was wrong. The father loved the returned rebel as much as ever (verse 20). All was forgiven, and a celebration ensued (verse 24). God is good to keep His promises, including the promise to forgive. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). |
Covenant of Works
Scripture diagnoses sin as a universal deformity of human nature, found at every point in every person. (1 Kings 8:46, Romans 3:9-23; 7:18; 1 John 1:8-10)
J.I. Packer – Concise Theology
Calvinism Explained
George C. Scott explains Calvinism in a movie clip from the film “Hardcore,” directed by Paul Schrader. The clip, which includes high-proof language and a lot of high-proof Calvinism, is referenced in articles discussing the actor’s portrayal of Calvinist ideas. The movie “Hardcore” is not directly about Calvinism but includes a scene where Scott’s character discusses theological concepts similar to those found in Calvinist doctrine.
Trinitarian Bible Society KJV Word List
Left Behind Bible Verses
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
The Coming of the Lord
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, (A)that you may not grieve as others do (B)who have no hope. 14 For (C)since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him (D)those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you (E)by a word from the Lord,[a] that (F)we who are alive, who are left until (G)the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For (H)the Lord himself will descend (I)from heaven (J)with a cry of command, with the voice of (K)an archangel, and (L)with the sound of the trumpet of God. And (M)the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be (N)caught up together with them (O)in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so (P)we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Footnotes
- 1 Thessalonians 4:15 Or by the word of the Lord
Cross references
- 1 Thessalonians 4:13 : [Lev. 19:28; Deut. 14:1; 2 Sam. 12:20-23; Mark 5:39]
- 1 Thessalonians 4:13 : Eph. 2:12
- 1 Thessalonians 4:14 : 1 Cor. 15:13; [2 Cor. 4:14; Rev. 1:18]
- 1 Thessalonians 4:14 : 1 Cor. 15:18
- 1 Thessalonians 4:15 : See 1 Kgs. 13:17
- 1 Thessalonians 4:15 : 1 Cor. 15:51
- 1 Thessalonians 4:15 : See ch. 2:19
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16 : See Matt. 16:27
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16 : 2 Thess. 1:7
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16 : [Joel 2:11]
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16 : Jude 9
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16 : Matt. 24:31; 1 Cor. 15:52
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16 : 1 Cor. 15:23; [2 Thess. 2:1; Rev. 14:13]
- 1 Thessalonians 4:17 : See 2 Cor. 12:2
- 1 Thessalonians 4:17 : [Dan. 7:13; Acts 1:9; Rev. 11:12]
- 1 Thessalonians 4:17 : See John 12:26
Woke Pastor Hates ‘Bull***’ ‘Christ The King Sunday’
MCC Toronto is a “vibrant and progressive church rooted in the Christian tradition and the 2SLGBTQ+ community” that is “open and welcoming to everyone, and a Human Rights Centre that is fiercely committed to social justice,” at least according their website.
Led by “non-binary” impastor Rev. Deana Dudley, “transgendered woman” Rev. Junia Joplin, and a cadre of three-pronouned assistants, they run the joint with the full blessing of Satan, who has most assuredly taken up residence in the hearts in the minds of the congregation.
Here is a portion of the “sermon”…
“I do not like the concept of Christ the King Sunday, and I really don’t want to preach on it. And the reason is, that it has traditionally gotten preached as a kind of a victory over all our enemies, militaristic kind of thing.
And I think A), that has no relationship whatsoever with the notion of unconditional love that I believe is at the heart of the gospel. And B), Jesus would be utterly horrified to be worshiped in that kind of way. And C), that kind of militaristic bullshit has absolutely no place in church.
So it has no place, and I dislike it because it leads to all kinds of evil crap like Christian nationalism, which I declare to be a heresy, which also leads to all kinds of evil divisive crap like racism and colonialism, for which the church at large really needs to repent. Are you all awake now?
You know what happens sometimes? Sometimes a preacher looks at the liturgical texts and thinks, I am not going to go there. And then they keep on reflecting, and it keeps on bugging us. And eventually we go there.
So here I am, and here’s my thought on Christ the King Sunday. I can’t do it.”
Rev. Deana Dudley, Metropolitan Community church Toronto
In November of this last year, the same church during a sermon on ‘Kink Sunday,” preacher JJ Viviers, a Master of Divinity and Master of Pastoral Studies student at Emmanuel College whose pronouns encompass (they/them/he+she), “preached” a message on Luke 22:7-13 while wearing bondage ropes around his wrists.

For Context, here is the Episcopal Church USA definition of “Christ The King” Sunday..
Feast celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran Church on the last Sunday of the liturgical year. It celebrates Christ’s messianic kingship and sovereign rule over all creation. The feast is unofficially celebrated in some Episcopal parishes, but it is not mentioned in the Episcopal calendar of the church year. Marion Hatchett notes that the Prayer Book collect for Proper 29, the last Sunday of the church year, is a “somewhat free” translation of the collect of the Feast of Christ the King in the Roman Missal. This collect prays that God, “whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords,” will “Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule” (BCP, p. 236). The feast was originally instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 and celebrated on the last Sunday in Oct. It has been observed on the last Sunday before Advent since 1970.
Epiphany – Chalking the Door
Here is my liturgy for Chalking the Door at the end of Christmastide. I have used custom scripts in the past but have found an official liturgy in The Book of Occasional Services published by the Episcopal Church. Feel Free to Download.
