The Archives Devotional Magazine June 2015 | Page 11

Week Two

NOTE

“FOR IF GOD BE ON OUR SIDE, WHAT MATTER MAKETH IT WHO BE AGAINST US, BE THEY
BISHOPS, CARDINALS, POPES, OR WHATSOEVER NAMES THEY WILL?” ―WILLIAM TYNDALE

DAY 1
Jesus saw the crowds and went up a hill,
where he sat down. His disciples gathered
around him, and he began to teach them:
“Happy are those who know they are
spiritually poor; the Kingdom of heaven
belongs to them! Happy are those who
mourn; God will comfort them! Happy are
those who are humble; they will receive what
God has promised!
“Happy are those whose greatest desire
is to do what God requires; God will satisfy
them fully! Happy are those who are merciful
to others; God will be merciful to them!
Happy are the pure in heart; they will see
God! Happy are those who work for peace;
God will call them his children!
“Happy are those who are persecuted
because they do what God requires; the
Kingdom of heaven belongs to them! Happy
are you when people insult you and
persecute you and tell all kinds of evil lies
against you because you are my followers.
Be happy and glad, for a great reward is kept
for you in heaven. This is how the prophets
who lived before you were persecuted.”

DAY 2
“You are like salt for the whole human race. But if salt
loses its saltiness, there is no way to make it salty again.
It has become worthless, so it is thrown out and people
trample on it. You are like light for the whole world. A
city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a
lamp and puts it under a bowl; instead it is put on the
lampstand, where it gives light for everyone in the
house. In the same way your light must shine before
people, so that they will see the good things you do
and praise your Father in heaven.
“Do not think that I have come to do away with the
Law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets. I have
not come to do away with them, but to make their
teachings come true. Remember that as long as heaven
and earth last, not the least point nor the smallest detail
of the Law will be done away with—not until the end of
all things. So then, whoever disobeys even the least
important of the commandments and teaches others to
do the same, will be least in the Kingdom of heaven.
On the other hand, whoever obeys the Law and
teaches others to do the same, will be great in the
Kingdom of heaven. I tell you, then, that you will be
able to enter the Kingdom of heaven only if you are
more faithful than the teachers of the Law and the
Pharisees in doing what God requires.”

Lighting a Lamp
Born in England around 1491 A.D.,
William Tyndale studied at Oxford and
Cambridge, where he met Erasmus. He
was ordained in 1521, then began to
translate the Bible from Greek and
Hebrew into English. He knew eight
different languages and was the first
person to print the New Testament in
English. There were already translations
from Latin into English, but the
language had become so corrupt, that
the meaning of scripture was being lost.
So, Tyndale went to the original New
Testament languages of Greek and
Hebrew. He firmly believed that people
should read the Bible in their own
tongue, lighting a lamp for everyone to
see. The established English church at
the time, largely influenced by Cardinal
Thomas Wolsey and Thomas More,
disagreed so wholeheartedly, that they
arrested William for heresy and burned
him at the stake. Ironically, the same
year, Thomas More was executed for
treason by King Henry VIII.