Acts 15:18 *Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world*.
*SAD PART IN REFORMATION HISTORY: THIRTY YEARS WAR (1618-1648)* (b)
The thirty years went beyond religious war and later assumed a political dimension. It also became a fight for power and territorial control. Those days, the religion/ faith of the emperor was the official faith of his territory. Where a Roman Catholic emperor ruled, his empire was Roman Catholic.
The battle had four phases and they are:
i. *Bohemian Phase 1618-1625*: Czech Protestants fought against the Emperor. Emperor crushed them at Battle of White Mountain 1620. Bohemia lost independence for 300 years.
ii. *Danish Phase 1625-1629*: Denmark’s Lutheran king invaded to “protect Protestants”. Got smashed by Catholic general Wallenstein. This was very disappointing to the Lutheran king.
iii. *Swedish Phase 1630-1635*: Sweden’s king Gustavus Adolphus known as “Lion of the North” was a protestant( Lutheran) king who fought to defend Sweden against Catholics. He was a military genius whose heroics earned him accolades. He was known as father of modern warfare.
iv. *French Phase 1635-1648*: This phase of the war was different. France was led by a Catholic, Cardinal Richelieu but he joined the Protestant side to fight against Catholic Habsburg Spain and Austria. This was political and not religious because control.
In those thirty years, Europe became chaotic. Hell unleashed its fury. In 1631, Madgeburg, a protestent city of 25,000 lost 20,000 people in one day when the Catholic armies invaded.
Armies switched sides for money, most of them fought for the highest bidder. General Wallenstein had 100,000 men who fought for money. The soldiers raped women, took food forcefully, diseases spread every where.
*WHAT HAPPENS WHEN BRETHREN FIGHT*
The first thing that happens is that Satan is glorified. He loves when we fight and argue among ourselves. He loves discord. That is his style of making us cold and insensitive to the Spirit.
When believers fight and argue on needless issues, they abandon missions and evangelism. During those thirty years of war, the church at that time did not expand into unreached areas. Souls were not won. I doubt If missionaries were sent out.
*Satan uses unnecessary doctrinal arguments to distract and divert our attention from the real assignment*.
Somewhere in the middle of that fight, Mohammed was prepared for Islamic conquest. As believers were fighting, Islam gained so much ground and established kingdoms. That little time of slumber, just thirty years, the world is still paying for it till now.
Anytime I come online and I see those that love to pick on other ministers and churches, I can perceive their coldness towards souls from afar. They don't care, it is not about the lost, it is now about ego. All around us, souls are dying in sin.
*Stop trying to win doctrinal arguments, arise and win souls*.
Father, we ask that you revive your church and restore us to the path.of unity in Jesus name.