¤[Theme music]¤
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>>John Bradshaw:
This is It Is Written.
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I'm John Bradshaw.
Thanks for joining me.
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1620: one of the
most significant dates
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in the history
of the United State,
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and it wouldn't
be a stretch to say,
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in the history of the world.
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¤[Music]¤
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Martin Luther had nailed the
Ninety-Five Theses to the door
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of the Castle Church in
Wittenberg 103 years earlier.
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By 1620, Luther had been
dead for more than 70 years,
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John Calvin for nearly 60;
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Ulrich Zwingli had
died almost 90 years before;
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Theodore Beza, the disciple
of Calvin whose likeness
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is on the
Reformation Wall in Geneva,
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John Knox who
stands to his left,
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the Englishmen William
Tyndale, Thomas Cranmer,
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Nicholas Ridley,
and Hugh Latimer--
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they'd all been
gone for decades.
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In fact, by the
time you get to 1620,
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the recognizable
names of the Reformation
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had all moved off the scene.
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It could be said
that the Reformation ended
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around that time,
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with many scholars
saying that it came to an end
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with the Peace of
Westphalia in 1648,
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a number of treaties that ended
the religious wars in Europe.
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So at about the time
the Reformation ended,
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one of the most significant
developments in the proclamation
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of God's Word
was getting underway.
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And you could see God's
fingerprints all over it.
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If you've never seen
it before, Plymouth Rock,
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45 minutes south of Boston,
in Plymouth, Massachusetts,
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comes as a bit of a surprise.
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The legend is that Plymouth
Rock is where the Pilgrims
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got off the Mayflower when they
arrived on these shores in 1620.
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The fact is this
is only a fragment
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of the original Plymouth Rock.
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The original
broke in half in 1774,
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and souvenir hunters chipped
away at the rock over the years,
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so there's much less of
it today than there once was.
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Now, I know you
don't always want the facts
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to get in the
way of a good story,
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but another fact is that no
one ever claimed the Pilgrims
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landed at
Plymouth Rock until 1741,
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121 years after the Mayflower
arrived in Plymouth Harbor.
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But all that's
incidental, really.
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The rock itself is
not what's important.
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Today it's a symbol, a
symbol of new beginnings
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and the pioneer spirit.
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It's an icon visited by more
than a million people a year.
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So what were the
Pilgrims doing, anyway,
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landing at Plymouth Rock,
or wherever it was they landed?
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Understand that
and you'll understand
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the birth of a great nation,
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and you'll see how the
guiding hand of God shepherded
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His people and fostered
the growth of the principles
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of the Protestant Reformation.
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So let's back up a few years.
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The Pilgrims on board
the Mayflower were Puritans,
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English Protestants who
were committed to purifying
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the Church of England
of Catholic practices.
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The seeds for the English
Reformation were sown by Patrick
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and Columba and
Aidan and others like them.
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Centuries later, John
Wycliffe was described as
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"the Morning Star
of the Reformation."
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And then there
was William Tyndale,
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who heroically stood
up against King Henry VIII
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and translated the
Bible into English at a time
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when such a translation
was desperately needed.
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With his dying breath,
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Tyndale prayed that God would
open the eyes of Henry VIII,
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which God did only two
years later when the king
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gave his permission for
four different translations
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of the Bible into
the English language.
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It was Tyndale's scholarship
that provided the lion's share
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of the King James
Version of the Bible.
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¤[Music]¤
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But even though
the church in England,
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or the Church of England,
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had separated from Rome, it
was in desperate need of reform.
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Now, while it's true
that England's King Henry VIII
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was strongly
motivated to separate
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from the Roman Catholic Church
because it would not annul
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his marriage to Catherine
of Aragon in the 1530s,
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England's antipathy towards
Rome ran much deeper than that.
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There were significant doctrinal
issues that separated the two,
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but the Puritans
wanted even more than that.
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Even though the
Church of England
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was structurally
independent from Rome,
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that wasn't
enough for the Puritans.
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They believed that when it came
to matters of Christian faith
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and Christian worship,
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that to depart
from what the Bible said
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was both unnecessary and unwise.
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They wanted to follow
the example of the Lutherans,
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or the Reformed
Protestants elsewhere in Europe,
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and return to what they believed
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was a more biblical
form of Christianity.
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Yet, the Church of England
continued to embrace many
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of the forms of Catholicism.
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The Protestant
movement was separated largely
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into two wings:
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the Lutheran-Calvinistic wing,
often called Reformed theology,
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primarily after the teachings of
Martin Luther and John Calvin,
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and the Arminian wing, which was
patterned after the teachings
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of Jacob Arminius
and others who focused
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on the role of Christian free
will in the salvation process,
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along with practical teaching,
such as non-participation in war
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and separation
of church and state.
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The Puritans of England
clearly took their beliefs
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from the
Lutheran- Calvinistic wing.
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And this would be
demonstrated by their views
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on religious freedom,
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particularly when
they came to the New World.
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The Puritans
played a significant role
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in the political
history of England
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throughout the 17th century.
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For a time, the Puritans ruled
the country under the leadership
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of Lord
Protector Oliver Cromwell
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during the 1650s.
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Early in the 1600s,
King James I decided
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that he would not tolerate
the agitation of the Puritans
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any longer.
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They'd either come into line
with the policies and practices
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of the Church of
England, or they would leave.
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And many of them left.
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It was difficult for
those who lived in England.
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Many of them began describing
themselves as Separatists
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because they
came to the conclusion
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that the Church of England
was never going to change.
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Many of them fled
to the Dutch Republic,
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which at the time
was more favorable
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to Reformed Protestantism.
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Life was hard
for those immigrants.
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Many of them had been farmers,
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and they were not able to
farm in their new homeland.
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Instead, they
had to learn a trade.
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But they considered
these difficulties just part
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of God's way of forming
in them a godly character.
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"They knew they were pilgrims,
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and looked not
much on those things,
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but lifted up
their eyes to heaven,
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their dearest country,
and quieted their spirits."
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But many of those Pilgrims
chose to leave the Netherlands
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and return to
England before leaving again
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onboard a ship
called the Mayflower.
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They were headed
for the New World.
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Now some
Pilgrims didn't make it.
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I'll tell you
more in just a moment.
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¤[Music]¤
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>>John: I'm John
Bradshaw from It Is Written,
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inviting you to
join me for "500,"
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nine programs
produced by It Is Written,
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taking you deep
into the Reformation.
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This is the 500th anniversary of
the beginning of the Reformation
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when Martin Luther nailed his
Ninety-Five Theses to the door
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of the Castle Church
in Wittenberg, Germany.
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We'll take you to Wittenberg,
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and to Belgium, to
England, to Ireland,
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to Rome, to the Vatican City,
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and introduce you to the people
who created the Reformation,
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who pushed the
Reformation forward.
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We'll take you to
sites all throughout Europe
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where the reformers
lived and, in some cases, died.
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We'll bring you
back to the United States
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and take you to a
little farm in upstate New York
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and show you how God
spread the Reformation here.
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Don't miss "500."
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You can own the
"500" series on DVD.
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Call us on 888-664-5573
00:09:00.30\00:09:05.04
or visit us online
at itiswritten.shop.
00:09:05.07\00:09:09.14
>>John Bradshaw:
This is It Is Written.
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There were actually two
ships that left England,
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bound for what
would become known as
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the United States of America.
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There was the
Mayflower and the Speedwell.
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Together they left Southampton
on August the 5th, 1620,
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but the Speedwell leaked--
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not great for a ship intending
to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
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Both ships stopped in Dartmouth
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so the Speedwell
could be repaired.
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After leaving Dartmouth,
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they made it 350
miles beyond Land's End
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before it was
discovered that the Speedwell
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was taking on water again.
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So, once more, they
returned to Dartmouth.
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The Mayflower decided it would
push on without the Speedwell.
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Some of the
Speedwell's passengers crammed
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into the Mayflower,
and so the Mayflower,
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with 102 passengers
and between 25 and 30 crew,
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headed off on what
would be a miserable voyage,
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but they made it.
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Slowly but surely,
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life was established
here in this new land.
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More and more people
would follow in the footsteps,
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or in the wake, of
the Pilgrims of England.
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¤[Music]¤
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They were driven by a desire
for liberty of conscience,
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but they really didn't
understand what that truly was.
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The idea that God has given the
right to control the conscience
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to the church and has given
the church the right to define
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and punish heresy
is a school of thought
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that came right out of Rome.
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So while these
people had rejected
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many of the doctrines of Rome,
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they retained the
spirit of Rome: intolerance.
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Any church they set up would
ultimately be a church-state.
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They dictated that
only church members
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could have a say in government.
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The secular power was
in the hands of the church,
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which can only lead in
one direction: persecution.
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¤[Music]¤
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In 1631, when Boston
was a brand-new settlement,
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a Puritan minister, not 30 years
old, arrived here from England.
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Roger Williams was a Separatist.
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He believed that for a person
to be truly faithful to God,
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that person should separate
from the Anglican Church.
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He and his wife Mary
would have six children,
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all born in the New World:
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Mary, Freeborn,
Providence, Mercy,
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Daniel, and Joseph.
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It wasn't long and
people knew he was here.
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¤[Music]¤
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Roger Williams was the
first person in this land
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to stand up for something
that today we regard as a right.
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He believed that
liberty of conscience
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was the inalienable
right of all people,
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whatever their religion.
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He went so far as
to establish government
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upon the principle
of religious freedom.
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He was the first person in
modern Christianity to do that.
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Williams believed that
the government had no place
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dictating to individuals when
it came to religious matters.
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That was an
entirely new way of thinking.
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It was revolutionary.
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In the early
days of the colonies,
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church attendance
was required by law.
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You could be
fined or even imprisoned
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for not attending church.
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Williams was
scandalized by this,
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and he decided to
do something about it.
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>>Lincoln Steed: And it didn't
trouble the Puritans whatsoever,
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that while they'd
left a bad situation
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to come to the New World,
they just set the same model,
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where they would say
everyone had to go to church.
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You'd be fined.
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You had to, uh, abide
by what the minister said.
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No freelance religion.
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Uh, Roger Williams comes along,
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and he was the conscience
and really the, the, uh,
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the guiding light of the true
principles of religious liberty
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that we're keeping alive today.
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>>John: It seems strange
to be talking about a battle
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over religious
freedom in the United States,
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but keep in mind the
times and the mindset then.
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The church of Rome
had taught very thoroughly
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that there was no
religious freedom.
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It claimed to be the
voice of God in the world.
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The church spoke;
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church members did what
they were expected to do.
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So even though the
Church of England had separated
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from the Roman Catholic Church,
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it still retained a
lot of Rome's ideas.
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So when the Puritans
came to the free world,
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they were still hung up on the
concept of the church saying,
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"Jump!" and the
faithful saying, "How high?"
00:14:07.54\00:14:10.65
They had not embraced the
concept of religious liberty.
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So in spite of the Reformation,
further reform was still needed.
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So while the Pilgrims and
other Puritan settlers came
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to these shores for
the purpose of exercising
00:14:22.66\00:14:24.83
their own liberty of conscience,
00:14:24.86\00:14:27.30
many didn't believe in
extending the same right
00:14:27.30\00:14:29.36
to those who held
different beliefs.
00:14:29.40\00:14:32.10
Freedom was fine for themselves,
00:14:32.13\00:14:34.44
but not for people who
taught and practiced things
00:14:34.47\00:14:36.30
they disagreed with.
00:14:36.34\00:14:38.31
One historian described
this attitude with these words:
00:14:38.34\00:14:40.94
"New England divines
(pastors and theologians)
00:14:40.98\00:14:44.31
insisted repeatedly
that demand for uniformity
00:14:44.35\00:14:47.42
of religious practice in no way
violated liberty of conscience.
00:14:47.45\00:14:52.49
They contended that there
were two types of liberty:
00:14:52.52\00:14:56.49
natural (or corrupted) liberty
00:14:56.52\00:14:58.13
and the 'liberty wherewith
Christ hath made us free.'
00:14:58.16\00:15:02.26
Liberty to practice error
came under the former heading
00:15:02.30\00:15:05.73
and was not
really liberty at all,
00:15:05.77\00:15:08.20
but license, the 'liberty
for men to destroy themselves.'"
00:15:08.24\00:15:13.88
Roger Williams is truly
one of the towering figures
00:15:13.91\00:15:16.31
in the American story.
00:15:16.34\00:15:17.81
And he's one of the
towering figures in the advance
00:15:17.85\00:15:20.78
of the Word of God.
00:15:20.82\00:15:22.18
Not only did he advocate
religious freedom for all,
00:15:22.22\00:15:25.72
he was also one of the earliest
and most vocal opponents
00:15:25.75\00:15:28.56
of slavery on these shores.
00:15:28.59\00:15:31.29
He advocated fair treatment
for Native American tribes.
00:15:31.33\00:15:34.46
He also learned
many of the languages
00:15:34.50\00:15:36.60
of the tribes in the Northeast.
00:15:36.63\00:15:38.53
He'd run into trouble
with the Anglican Church
00:15:38.57\00:15:40.57
before he came to America.
00:15:40.60\00:15:42.40
When he got here and he
found the same principles
00:15:42.44\00:15:44.54
of intolerance in a
place that was supposed to be
00:15:44.57\00:15:46.81
a haven for
liberty, it disturbed him.
00:15:46.84\00:15:49.78
He did not agree with
the Puritans' attempts
00:15:49.81\00:15:52.01
to set up a theocracy.
00:15:52.05\00:15:53.15
He said, "Forced worship
stinks in the nostrils of God."
00:15:53.18\00:15:58.52
Williams
believed that Constantine
00:15:58.55\00:16:00.99
was worse for
the church than Nero
00:16:01.02\00:16:04.23
because Constantine
successfully united the power
00:16:04.26\00:16:07.40
of the civil government with
the authority of the church.
00:16:07.40\00:16:11.73
And before long,
00:16:11.77\00:16:13.10
things would get much
worse for Roger Williams.
00:16:13.13\00:16:17.14
I'll have more in a moment.
00:16:17.17\00:16:18.51
¤[Music]¤
00:16:18.54\00:16:23.35
¤[Music]¤
00:16:24.88\00:16:26.58
>>Announcer: In Matthew
4:4, the Word of God says,
00:16:26.61\00:16:29.18
"It is written, 'Man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:16:29.22\00:16:32.39
but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
00:16:32.42\00:16:35.99
"Every Word" is a one-minute
Bible-based daily devotional
00:16:36.02\00:16:39.33
presented by
Pastor John Bradshaw
00:16:39.36\00:16:41.50
and designed especially
for busy people like you.
00:16:41.53\00:16:44.40
Look for "Every
Word" on selected networks,
00:16:44.43\00:16:47.30
or watch it online
every day on our website:
00:16:47.34\00:16:49.74
itiswritten.com.
00:16:49.77\00:16:51.77
Receive a daily spiritual
boost. Watch "Every Word."
00:16:51.81\00:16:55.14
You'll be glad you did.
00:16:55.18\00:16:58.58
¤["Every Word" theme music]¤
00:17:00.08\00:17:05.22
>>John Bradshaw:
Five hundred years
00:17:05.25\00:17:06.32
after the
Protestant Reformation began
00:17:06.35\00:17:07.99
on October the 31st, 1517,
00:17:08.02\00:17:10.89
we might be tempted to
wonder what Luther and Knox
00:17:10.93\00:17:12.96
and Zwingli and
Calvin and Farel and Beza
00:17:12.99\00:17:14.73
and the Huguenots
and the Anabaptists
00:17:14.76\00:17:16.40
and so many others achieved.
00:17:16.43\00:17:19.17
Today it would seem
that the protest is over,
00:17:19.20\00:17:22.10
even though the most
influential church in the world
00:17:22.14\00:17:24.01
offers
indulgences, hears confessions,
00:17:24.04\00:17:26.14
teaches justification
by faith and works,
00:17:26.17\00:17:28.84
considers Mary
the queen of heaven.
00:17:28.88\00:17:31.21
Where are the Protestants today?
00:17:31.25\00:17:33.01
Protestants are being welcomed
back into the church of Rome,
00:17:33.05\00:17:35.32
and many see this as positive.
00:17:35.35\00:17:37.35
It's been said it's more
important to be divided by truth
00:17:37.39\00:17:41.02
than it is to
be united by error.
00:17:41.06\00:17:43.19
Paul said in 2
Timothy 4, verse 2,
00:17:43.22\00:17:45.43
"Preach the word; be instant
in season, out of season;
00:17:45.46\00:17:48.96
reprove, rebuke, exhort with all
long suffering and doctrine."
00:17:49.00\00:17:52.53
The Word--anything
less will never do.
00:17:52.57\00:17:55.77
I'm John Bradshaw
for It Is Written.
00:17:55.80\00:17:57.31
Let's live today by every word.
00:17:57.34\00:17:59.74
[Insects rasping]
00:18:00.34\00:18:01.71
¤[Music]¤
00:18:01.74\00:18:13.99
>>John Bradshaw: A hundred years
after the Reformation ended,
00:18:14.02\00:18:16.29
there was still a lot of
reform left to be accomplished.
00:18:16.32\00:18:20.13
As long as there was
no liberty of conscience,
00:18:20.16\00:18:22.60
and as long as the state
was united with the church,
00:18:22.63\00:18:25.20
the church was a long way
short of where it should be,
00:18:25.23\00:18:28.34
from a biblical perspective.
00:18:28.37\00:18:30.64
The man who would
bring the needed change was
00:18:30.67\00:18:32.64
a Cambridge-educated Englishman
who moved to the colonies
00:18:32.67\00:18:35.94
six weeks after
his 27th birthday.
00:18:35.98\00:18:38.01
Williams was forced
to leave Massachusetts,
00:18:39.51\00:18:42.65
and he went into exile in 1636.
00:18:42.68\00:18:46.42
In the winter, he
journeyed through the forests,
00:18:46.45\00:18:49.69
not knowing where he was going.
00:18:49.72\00:18:51.56
Along the way he made
friends with many of the natives
00:18:51.59\00:18:53.96
and later said that
he would rather live
00:18:54.00\00:18:56.06
with "Christian savages"
than "savage Christians."
00:18:56.10\00:19:00.10
His journeys led him here,
00:19:00.14\00:19:01.90
to a place that he
would name "Providence,"
00:19:01.94\00:19:05.04
convinced that the providence
of God had guided him.
00:19:05.07\00:19:08.58
¤[Music]¤
00:19:08.61\00:19:16.82
It was Roger
Williams, not Thomas Jefferson,
00:19:16.85\00:19:19.62
who first coined the
phrase "wall of separation,"
00:19:19.65\00:19:22.56
so far as church
and state are concerned.
00:19:22.59\00:19:25.19
In 1644, Williams
described the need to build
00:19:25.23\00:19:28.03
a "wall of separation
between the garden of the church
00:19:28.06\00:19:32.53
and the
wilderness of the world."
00:19:32.57\00:19:34.94
Leonard Levy, a U.S.
constitutional scholar,
00:19:34.97\00:19:37.57
commented on these
words of Roger Williams
00:19:37.61\00:19:40.01
with the following statement:
00:19:40.04\00:19:41.28
"Thus, the wall of
separation had the allegiance
00:19:41.31\00:19:44.81
of a most
profound Christian impulse
00:19:44.85\00:19:47.52
as well as a secular one.
00:19:47.55\00:19:49.55
To Christian fundamentalists
of the Framers' time
00:19:49.58\00:19:52.15
the wall of separation derived
from the biblical injunction
00:19:52.19\00:19:55.89
that Christ's kingdom
is not of this world."
00:19:55.92\00:19:59.56
The fundamental principle
of Roger Williams' colony
00:19:59.59\00:20:02.43
was that every man should
have liberty to worship God
00:20:02.46\00:20:05.77
according to the
light of his own conscience.
00:20:05.80\00:20:08.97
Rhode Island's
founding principles,
00:20:09.00\00:20:11.21
civil and religious liberty,
00:20:11.24\00:20:13.54
became the cornerstones
of the American republic.
00:20:13.58\00:20:17.01
This was extremely significant.
00:20:17.05\00:20:19.68
And so today, the Declaration
of Independence states:
00:20:19.71\00:20:23.39
"We hold these
truths to be self-evident,
00:20:23.42\00:20:26.39
that all men are created equal;
00:20:26.42\00:20:29.29
that they are
endowed by their Creator
00:20:29.32\00:20:30.93
with certain unalienable rights;
00:20:30.96\00:20:33.70
that among these
are life, liberty,
00:20:33.73\00:20:36.90
and the pursuit of happiness."
00:20:36.93\00:20:39.30
And the Constitution
guarantees freedom of conscience
00:20:39.33\00:20:42.30
in religious matters.
00:20:42.34\00:20:44.11
"No religious test shall ever
be required as a qualification
00:20:44.14\00:20:48.74
to any office of public
trust under the United States."
00:20:48.78\00:20:52.61
"Congress shall
make no law respecting
00:20:52.65\00:20:54.98
an establishment of religion,
00:20:55.02\00:20:56.99
or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof."
00:20:57.02\00:21:00.69
It was this environment
that allowed the preaching
00:21:00.72\00:21:03.06
and the teaching of
the Bible to flourish.
00:21:03.09\00:21:05.29
Of course, there have
been those who have abused
00:21:05.33\00:21:08.30
their religious freedom,
00:21:08.33\00:21:09.73
but just think
of the alternative:
00:21:09.76\00:21:11.50
a world in which you're not free
to believe what you believe.
00:21:11.53\00:21:15.27
That's the world Martin
Luther faced when he nailed
00:21:15.30\00:21:18.11
the Ninety-Five Theses to
that famous door back in 1517.
00:21:18.14\00:21:23.18
Word began to
spread back in Europe
00:21:23.21\00:21:24.58
about a place where a
person could worship God
00:21:24.61\00:21:26.95
according to the dictates
of his or her own conscience.
00:21:26.98\00:21:30.65
As one historian
wrote, "Massachusetts,
00:21:30.69\00:21:33.46
by special law,
offered free welcome and aid,
00:21:33.49\00:21:36.52
at the public cost, to
Christians of any nationality
00:21:36.56\00:21:39.93
who might fly
beyond the Atlantic
00:21:39.96\00:21:41.70
'to escape from wars or famine,
00:21:41.73\00:21:43.57
or the oppression
of their persecutors.'
00:21:43.60\00:21:45.20
[And so] the fugitive
and the downtrodden were,
00:21:45.23\00:21:48.20
by statute, made the
guests of the commonwealth."
00:21:48.24\00:21:52.54
The colonies grew, and
the world saw the prosperity
00:21:52.57\00:21:56.28
and the increasing strength
of a church without a pope
00:21:56.31\00:22:00.45
and a state without a king.
00:22:00.48\00:22:03.15
In this patch of earth,
Roger Williams raised up
00:22:03.18\00:22:05.52
a memorial to religious freedom.
00:22:05.55\00:22:08.39
The establishment of
the Rhode Island colony was
00:22:08.42\00:22:10.66
a landmark event in the history
of the Protestant Reformation,
00:22:10.69\00:22:15.20
a new haven in a new land where
people would finally be free,
00:22:15.23\00:22:20.94
to follow the dictates
of their own conscience
00:22:20.97\00:22:22.97
when it came to
matters of faith.
00:22:23.00\00:22:24.44
Even the Puritans
of Roger Williams' day
00:22:24.47\00:22:26.88
couldn't accept his thinking.
00:22:26.91\00:22:28.54
You see, it was the prevailing
belief 400 or so years ago
00:22:28.58\00:22:31.98
that the civil
government had every right
00:22:32.01\00:22:34.48
to dictate to
people's conscience.
00:22:34.52\00:22:36.89
That did not sit
well with Roger Williams,
00:22:36.92\00:22:38.62
and it led him
into deep conflict.
00:22:38.65\00:22:41.32
But the conflict that
he experienced brought,
00:22:41.36\00:22:43.89
to everyone that
followed, freedom.
00:22:43.93\00:22:48.00
¤[Music]¤
00:22:48.03\00:22:52.80
Now, of course that meant
that if you wanted to opt out,
00:22:52.83\00:22:55.37
to practice no religion,
to disagree with the church,
00:22:55.40\00:22:59.07
then it was your right to do so.
00:22:59.11\00:23:01.98
And it's this
spirit of religious liberty
00:23:02.01\00:23:03.81
that's described
in the New Testament,
00:23:03.85\00:23:05.81
just a few verses
from the end of the Bible,
00:23:05.85\00:23:08.18
where the bride of
Christ blends her appeal
00:23:08.22\00:23:11.32
with that of the Holy
Spirit in urging humanity
00:23:11.35\00:23:14.96
to accept God's
gift of salvation.
00:23:14.99\00:23:17.89
"And the Spirit and
the bride say, 'Come!'
00:23:17.93\00:23:20.66
And let him who
hears say, 'Come!'
00:23:20.70\00:23:24.17
And let him who thirsts come.
00:23:24.20\00:23:27.24
[And] whoever desires, let him
take the water of life freely."
00:23:27.27\00:23:33.17
Freedom of conscience would
take hold in America in a way
00:23:33.21\00:23:36.91
not seen in any other civil
experiment in human history.
00:23:36.95\00:23:41.25
The inalienable right to
worship and follow conscience,
00:23:41.28\00:23:45.05
as a person
chooses, would become
00:23:45.09\00:23:47.52
one of the main cornerstones
of the American experience
00:23:47.56\00:23:50.69
and of the final stages of
the Protestant Reformation.
00:23:50.73\00:23:54.20
¤[Music]¤
00:23:54.23\00:24:00.67
Roger Williams
demonstrated how important it is
00:24:00.70\00:24:03.57
for believers to press forward.
00:24:03.61\00:24:06.14
While the Reformation
accomplished an enormous amount,
00:24:06.17\00:24:08.88
in terms of opening up the
Bible and bringing the light
00:24:08.91\00:24:12.05
of God's Word to the human mind,
00:24:12.08\00:24:14.55
there was still a
lot left to accomplish,
00:24:14.58\00:24:16.45
much more to learn,
00:24:16.48\00:24:18.29
more for the church
and more for believers
00:24:18.32\00:24:21.06
as they grew
towards God's ideal.
00:24:21.09\00:24:24.39
John Robinson was a
pastor of Pilgrims in Holland,
00:24:24.43\00:24:28.13
and he said this to many
who were preparing to leave
00:24:28.16\00:24:30.43
for the New World:
00:24:30.47\00:24:32.30
"Brethren, we are now
erelong to part asunder,
00:24:32.33\00:24:36.47
and the Lord knoweth
whether I shall live ever
00:24:36.50\00:24:39.71
to see your faces more.
00:24:39.74\00:24:42.21
But whether the Lord
hath appointed it or not,
00:24:42.24\00:24:45.01
I charge you before
God and His blessed angels
00:24:45.05\00:24:48.05
to follow me no farther
than I have followed Christ.
00:24:48.08\00:24:53.59
If God should
reveal anything to you
00:24:53.62\00:24:55.49
by any other instrument of His,
00:24:55.52\00:24:58.09
be as ready to receive it
as ever you were to receive
00:24:58.13\00:25:01.70
any truth of my ministry;
00:25:01.73\00:25:04.83
for I am very confident the
Lord hath more truth and light
00:25:04.87\00:25:09.64
yet to break forth
out of His holy word."
00:25:09.67\00:25:14.01
I'm confident the Lord has more.
00:25:14.34\00:25:16.95
God has more
for you in His Word.
00:25:16.98\00:25:20.88
That was true in the
time of the Pilgrims,
00:25:20.92\00:25:23.15
and that
commitment to the Bible,
00:25:23.18\00:25:24.62
to the progress of God's light
would lead others to advance
00:25:24.65\00:25:28.66
the cause of the
Reformation and guide multitudes
00:25:28.69\00:25:32.26
into a deeper understanding
of God and His Word.
00:25:32.29\00:25:36.36
¤[Music]¤
00:25:36.40\00:25:41.60
>>John: How can you enjoy a
successful Christian experience?
00:25:43.51\00:25:47.81
How can you know
victory instead of defeat?
00:25:47.84\00:25:50.85
How can you live with
honor and integrity before God?
00:25:50.88\00:25:55.15
Well, you can, and our
free offer today tells you how.
00:25:55.18\00:25:58.09
To receive "The War Is Over,"
00:25:58.12\00:25:59.69
call us on 800-253-3000
00:25:59.72\00:26:02.89
or visit us online
at itiswritten.com,
00:26:02.92\00:26:06.46
or you can write to
the address on your screen.
00:26:06.49\00:26:08.96
I'd like you to
receive our free offer,
00:26:09.00\00:26:11.03
"The War Is Over."
00:26:11.07\00:26:13.40
Thank you for remembering
that It Is Written exists
00:26:13.44\00:26:16.37
due to the gracious
support of people like you.
00:26:16.40\00:26:19.84
It's your kindness that makes
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00:26:19.87\00:26:22.64
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00:26:22.68\00:26:25.38
with the world.
00:26:25.41\00:26:26.68
You can send your
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or you can support It Is Written
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through our
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00:26:31.62\00:26:35.46
Thanks for your
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Our number is 800-253-3000
00:26:36.86\00:26:40.06
and our web
address is itiswritten.com.
00:26:40.10\00:26:43.06
>>John Bradshaw:
Let's pray together now.
00:26:44.20\00:26:46.10
Our Father in heaven,
00:26:46.13\00:26:47.47
we're thankful today
that we have Your Word
00:26:47.50\00:26:49.44
and that we have
freedom to worship You.
00:26:49.47\00:26:52.21
And to believe
what we wish to believe,
00:26:52.24\00:26:53.88
according to the
dictates of our conscience.
00:26:53.91\00:26:56.04
We thank You for
the wall of separation
00:26:56.08\00:26:58.98
that You have erected
to protect our freedom,
00:26:59.01\00:27:02.68
to prevent others from dictating
to us what we should believe.
00:27:02.72\00:27:06.42
So, Lord, with that religious
freedom, I pray for wisdom,
00:27:06.45\00:27:10.23
for grace, that we
might exercise that freedom
00:27:10.26\00:27:13.83
in a way that
grows us into Your image,
00:27:13.86\00:27:17.73
that leads us in the
direction of Your Holy Spirit.
00:27:17.77\00:27:23.24
Now, Father,
there's somebody thinking
00:27:23.27\00:27:25.71
that they must
give You their heart.
00:27:25.74\00:27:27.08
I pray, draw
that man, that woman,
00:27:27.11\00:27:28.48
that young person right now,
00:27:28.51\00:27:30.65
that decisions
will be made even now,
00:27:30.68\00:27:32.18
that we will value
this freedom we have,
00:27:32.21\00:27:34.92
given to us at great cost.
00:27:34.95\00:27:37.49
And use it in a way that
will lead us into Your kingdom.
00:27:37.52\00:27:40.79
We look for that day,
that day of Jesus' return.
00:27:40.82\00:27:42.72
May it be soon, we pray.
00:27:42.76\00:27:44.63
Take our hearts
and make them Yours.
00:27:44.66\00:27:46.83
We ask You in Jesus' name.
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Amen.
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Thanks for joining me.
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I'm looking forward to
seeing you again next time.
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Until then, remember:
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"It is written, 'Man
shall not live by bread alone,
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but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
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¤[Theme music]¤
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