Martin Archives - theWord Commentaries

Luther, Martin – Commentary on Galatians

My Tracts on Church Attendance The first and foremost reason to go to church is because God commands us to do so (Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.).
Coming in behind that direct command of God, we go to church in order to worship God Himself. How? Simple. We hear the Word of God actually read and carefully explained, and then we assimilate those principles y exhortations into our personal lives, and that is worship. Without those elements, there is no worship, and there is no success at "going to church." It is fruitless spiritually, and without spiritual benefit to your life, you will get discouraged and stop going, stop being committed to it, and it will ruin your life because you are a hypocrite.

Tracts on Church Attendance
ch22 Pastorless Flocks
ch17 Why do I Attend Church?
ch15 Congregating because we Love
ch14 Finding a good church
ch09 Our One another Relationship
ch43 Time to leave your church?
Also see my article on Getting People to Faithfully Integrate into the Church.

Seven Marks of a Good Sermon
quote from article - "A good sermon has a "take-away" thought(s), and this is what we should leave the building with to change our lives spiritually to make us more like Christ. If a sermon teaches me how to be like Christ, with an application of the information about the Bible in it, and an exhortation to my soul to change, then it probably is a good sermon. But the preacher who has lost the point of every preaching exercise HAS TO HAVE the purpose to spiritually change the lives of the audience, is not a good preacher nor does he produce good sermons."

pc10 Sexual Purityis an exhortation to purity in sexual matters for the Christian. We look at various aspects of the issue.
Topics: It is not an impossible fight! | The Biblical Model | Homosexuality and Prostitution | Nudity and the Mind | Self-Stimulation | Resisting the Temptation.
Excerpts: Job 31:1 I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid? Job understood that sexual sin begins with the sight, and the seeing before desiring. Job made a covenant with himself, a commitment that he would not look on young women to desire them or to let his imagination run wild with them even their image or in his thoughts. Equally, Jesus taught us in Mat. 5:28 that even thinking sinful thoughts without doing them is as sinful as actually doing them. This is an amplification of Exo 20:17 “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife”. David saw before taking (2Sam 11:2).
Fasting is to teach us that the body does not control over us, and this is exactly what is necessary for people with this problem. This sin is pinned to the thoughts, “for as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” Pro 23:7. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” Phil 4:13.
Read the Tract: pc10 Sexual Purity.

Missionary on Furlough Spiritual Needs is an article by David Cox (veteran missionary) to help pastors and missionaries understand missionary needs.
Excerpt: When a pastor "takes in a missionary on deputation or furlough", he ministers to that missionary.... Pastors also need this encouragement as much as missionaries need it. When they get together to fellowship, they are able to encourage one another. But every pastor ministering to a returning missionary should encourage them along these lines of faithfulness and reward in eternity.
Topics: Introduction | Unfit Missionaries that should not be missionaries at all | Stop the Merry-go-round, I want to get off | Some Tips for Pastors Encouraging Missionaries | 1. Do not undermine their way of leading or doing the ministry | 2. The two essential elements are talk and prayer. | 3. Get more than just the pastor involved in praying for the missionary. | Remind your missionary by asking for an update if it has been a while. | Effectively disseminate prayer requests.
Read the Article: Missionary on Furlough Spiritual Needs.