This was one Halloween Night to Remember....Was it a Trick...or Was it a Treat?...

 On Halloween night, in a small town in Germany, Wittenberg was the name...a Roman Catholic priest walks up and nails to the church door a "challenge to debate"....entitled: "The 95 Theses".
 It was a common thing to do in Wittenberg, and in all the surrounding areas. Debates among the clergy on the Doctrines of Christianity were popular...and it encouraged support to the mandates of the Church.

 Yet, on this night it may not had even been noticed by others passing by when this paper was posted by the priest...but the effect was to have monumental consequences. Within a week, copies of this "95 Theses" were being discussed in the surrounding areas...and within the decade...all of Europe would be shaken to its core in regards to its system of beliefs and doctrines...all because of these pieces of paper nailed to a door...on Halloween night...October 31st...in the year 1517 A.D.

 The priest's name was: Martin Luther. Luther had been born and raised in Germany, and as a young man he studied Law at a prestigious University Germany was so well known for at that time.
 One day in the early part of his life, Luther got caught in a bad storm, and was almost killed by lightning. Being of the Roman Catholic faith, he cried out to his patron saint...St. Anne...for help. In appreciation for her aid, he made a promise to her and to God that if he survived the storm...he would give his life to a monastery...and become a monk. Well, he survived the storm.

 In 1505, Martin Luther entered the Augustinian monastery...and in 1507 Luther became ordained as a priest within the Church.
 Luther became quite skillful in his knowledge and doctrines of the Church, and by the year 1510 he found himself living amongst the leaders of his monastic sect...in the great city of Rome.

  And this is where....Martin Luther begins to encounter problems...both with himself and in the Doctrines of the Church...

 Martin Luther by this time in his life was coming "to grips" with the fact many of the ritualisms, customs, and the liturgy itself of the Church were boring...empty...kind of like living among the "Walking Dead". Specifically, there was no element of "excitement" in being a Christian, and more importantly no assurance the "Gates of Heaven" were open when Death came at one's "door". For Martin Luther, the Church had become no more than following a "crusty old set of rules and regulations" which gave no assurance to Eternal questions like having and enjoying eternal life. Coupled with these thoughts were the writings of the Sacred Scripture...things were beginning to NOT line up with the Doctrines of the Church and the Scriptures themselves.
 As a result, Luther found himself uncomfortable in his calling as a priest and monk of the Roman Church. He felt an almost "illness" had beset him, not in the natural sense, but the thought of being so alienated...from God Himself.
 What added to his sorrow or "illness" was there seemed to be no cure. The Church, the Doctrines he had studied, or his calling itself could not comfort the emptiness that besieged this young German priest.
 Nevertheless, Luther continued his endeavors as a leader with the Roman Catholic Church, and by the year 1515 was teaching theology at a University. It was here Martin Luther found "the cure to his illness"!

 It all began when Martin Luther began teaching on St. Paul's letter to the Romans in the New Testament. It was here the Light of God's Word seemed to penetrate Luther's heart...bringing a spiritual salve, a healing, and a power that would restore Martin Luther to find vitality in life...particularly Eternal Life. This writing of St. Paul seemed to touch the very heart of Luther...going into his most inward thoughts, his will, and even his emotions concerning life.

 Martin Luther issued the following statements after his study on the Book of Romans, writing this: " My situation was that, although being an impeccable monk, I stand before God as a sinner troubled in conscience, and I had no confidence that my merit would assuage Him. Night and day I pondered...until I saw the connection between the justice of God and the statement "the just shall live by faith". 
 It was then I grasped that the justice of God is that righteousness by which through grace and sheer mercy...God justifies us...is only through faith!
 There upon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors...into Paradise. The whole of Scripture takes on a new meaning...this passage of Paul became to me...a gate to heaven."

 After this revival within Luther's heart, he soon realized there was no amount of indulgences or works of any kind that could bring us to the saving grace of God. It was only through Jesus Christ, His own Dear Son, who paid for each one of us to have an eternal hope of spending our days with Him...through the work He did at the Cross.

 The passage of Scripture that enlightened and completely changed the life of Martin Luther...or as he wrote, "he became reborn" was from Romans 1:16-17. Since the days of Luther, these verses of Scripture are now the "Battlecry" for every Christian who calls out the name of Jesus!
 A Gleaning from Romans 1:16-17...

 " For this Gospel is not something I find myself ashamed of...quite the contrary! You see, this Gospel is the...very power of God Himself, and with this Gospel comes the power and the authority to save each and everyone of us from eternal death that inherently awaits us. This Gospel does not differentiate between being of Jewish origin or being Gentile, rather it gives all its focus to the fact the Gospel accepts all who believes with a personal trust, a confident surrender, and a firm reliance on our Lord...Jesus...the true Christ!

 This is the "Good News"...a belief that springs up from us by...faith!...faith in Him! And because of this faith we now have, our true God is revealed to each one of us, and arouses our lives from the Sentence of Death to a New Life...in Him!
 It begins by accepting the power of the Message itself, and finishes by surrendering the totality of our lives to Him, giving all the Glory and Honor to the One who came for us!...our Lord Jesus!
 And as the Sacred Scriptures have already written (Habakkuk 2:4), the only type of people God will accept are those who have accepted the message of this Gospel...and that can only be done...by faith!"