Back to the Bible

Over six years ago, I embarked on a bold and ambitious Back to the Bible Reformation project – to read, study and preach through every Book of the Bible, with the goal of producing books surveying the Old Testament and New Testament. This was to coincide with the Reformation 500 anniversaries.

Reformation 500

It was 31 October 1517, that Professor Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the Church door of the Schlosskirche (the Castle Church) in Wittenberg, Germany. It was 1 January 1519, that Reformer Ulrich Zwingli dispensed with the Latin mass and began Expository Preaching, in their local language, starting with the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 1, working through every verse in the New Testament. The Reformers called believers to return to the Bible as the sole standard of Faith and practice and to recognise the Lord Jesus Christ as the only True Head of the Church.

To see this presentation as a PowerPoint with pictures, click here.

Bombarded

On Mission outreaches in Sudan I experienced aerial, artillery and rocket bombardments. However these experiences were insignificant compared to that of my parents in the Second World War. My Father served as a bombardier in the Royal Artillery in the British Army for the whole 6 years of the war. He told me of the Heinkel III’s coming over his military base and turning his barracks into matchsticks as he lay flat on the parade ground with debris blown high into the air pummelling him into the ground! My mother was only 6 years old when she experienced her first bombing. It was September 1940, she was at the circus in Berlin when the British bombed them. She was almost trampled in the stampede to flee the exploding bombs. Many times my mother heard the air raid sirens and had to rush to the air raid shelters. Frequently she saw the green and red parachute flares dropped by the lead bombers to guide the thousand bombers where to unleash their cargo of death and destruction. Her neighbourhood was turned into blazing rubble.

To listen to the audio of this sermon, as presented to Livingstone Fellowship, click here.

Back to the Bible

1^st January 2019 marks the 500^th anniversary of systematic Biblical Exposition. It was 1 January 1519 when Swiss Reformer, Ulrich Zwingli, launched the Reformation in Switzerland by beginning Expository Preaching. Starting with Matthew 1:1, he worked week by week, chapter by chapter, verse by verse, line by line, through every Book and every Word of the New Testament. This bold action of replacing the Latin mass with the preaching of the Word of God in the local language, marked the beginning of Expository Preaching.

The Authority of Christ

Ulrich Zwingli called his people to return to the Word of God, to return to the Bible as the soul standard of Faith and practice. Sola Scriptura! To recognise Christ alone as the head of the church, Solus Christus! Scripture alone is our ultimate authority. All authority is limited authority. All authority is delegated by God. All authority is answerable to God.

The Sceptre by Which Christ Rules His Church

Faith comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of God. The Bible is the sceptre by which Christ rules His Church. We have no greater priority than to study the Word of God, to understand the will of God, to be able to apply the Lordship of Christ to all areas of life, seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, making disciples of all nations, teaching obedience to all things that He has commanded.