REFORMATION DAY
Until the 1500s, the Church forbade Christians to read or own a personal copy of the Bible. Many people at that time were also not literate and thus not able to read. On 31 October 1517, Martin Luther nailed a document, called his ’95 Theses’, to the door of a church. This document propounded two central beliefs—that the Bible is the central religious authority and that humans may reach salvation only by their faith and not by their deeds. This sparked the Protestant Reformation.
Since then, the Bible has been translated into many languages of the world, giving most individuals an opportunity to come to know the truth of the gospel from the Word – a personal relationship with God is only possible through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
24-Hour Word Watch on a Social media group – 31 October
Every year on Reformation Day, believers worldwide celebrate the privilege of having the Bible available in their own language. We invite Christians to join again this year in a 24-hour Word Watch, where any number of believers form a WhatsApp/ Telegram/ Facebook group and take turns to read through the New Testament in 24 hours. Not only does this fill the atmosphere with the Word of God, but it also touches the heart of everyone participating. Many testimonies of wonderful healings, miracles and deep inner conviction of God’s love have been shared over the years.
HOW?
- Create a Social media group and invite 23 other people to join you in reading and proclaiming the New Testament in 24 hours over your nation.
- Use the 24-hour roster and try to fill all the hours of 31 October, from midnight to midnight.
- Each person takes an hour to read and proclaim the appointed Scriptures aloud.
- When it is your hour to read, sign in on the Group and sign out after completing your hour.
Resources
Download the image of the Word Watch to share on WhatsApp/ Telegram/ Facebook
Download the 24 hour roster to fill in names and find Scriptures to read
Article: The spiritual value of a Word Watch
Artikel: Die geestelike waarde van ‘n Woordwag
