At this time of the year we are often focused on fall festivals, changing leaves, and the upcoming holiday season. We drink our pumpkin spice latte and kindle our bonfires with the excitement of childhood. But in the wonder of the fall landscape, let us pause to remember how our lives have been forever changed by a few days in latter October.
October 31, 1517
An Augustianian Monk named Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenburg, crystalizing a protest known today as the Protestant Reformation. This reformation included core convictions which span into the present church. In concert with the development of the printing press, this reformation placed the Word of God, in the language of the people, at the forefront of Christian worship. Here is a helpful article by Justin Holcomb and short-video from my friend Dr. J.T. English explaining a little more about what happened on this day in history.
October 28, 1966
A few hearty souls came together with a desire to worship God here in the City of Republic. They were bound together by a common belief that the bible was God’s Word and the church was His possession. From these beginnings came Calvary Baptist Church. With a heritage of faith expanding fifty-one years, Calvary has been used of God to change the landscape of this community. Our 50th Anniversary Video captures some of our unique history is southwest Missouri.
Re-Formation
As we step into our future let us remember our past. We are forever changed by the contribution of those five-hundred and those fifty-one years ago. We are the beneficiaries of their courage and conviction. Let us be challenged to be a people of courage and conviction. Let us be challenged to believe that it is by God’s grace alone, thru faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone that the sinner is saved to bring glory to God alone. Let us hear the words Sola Scriptura and be reminded of all the ways the Word of God is re-forming us.
We honor those who came before us, but let us remember the source of their strength. They were ordinary men empowered by an extraordinary God. We move forward in time because He created time. We stand on the truth of His Word, because He is the Word. We assemble as a church, because He gave us the church. We shine a beacon of light because He is the light.
May the Lord bless you richly in the weeks ahead as we reflect on the past and inaugurate the future, always allowing God to re-form us into the image of His Son.
-Pastor Adam
Adam Mallette 