በኮቪድ-19 እና በዓለም አቀፉ የመላላኪያ አገልግሎት መዛባት ምክንያት ‹ነጻ የታተመ መጽሐፍ አገልግሎታችንን› ለጊዜው አቋርጠናል፡፡
በዚህ ሁኔታ ምክንያት በዚህ ጊዜ መጽሐፎቻችንን ለእናንተ መላክ አንችልም፡፡
ይህ ወረርሽኝ በቅርቡ እንዲያበቃና የፖስታ አገልግሎት እንዲጀምር ጸልዩ፡፡
ይህ ወረርሽኝ በቅርቡ እንዲያበቃና የፖስታ አገልግሎት እንዲጀምር ጸልዩ፡፡
Subject 22 : The Gospel According to LUKE
[Chapter 2-12] Believe in Jesus Christ Truly in Your Heart (Luke 2:25-35)
(Luke 2:25-35)
“And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:
‘Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,
According to Your word;
For my eyes have seen Your salvation
Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.’
And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, ‘Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.’”
People Who Had Always Been Waiting for the Savior
The account of today’s Scripture passage is a story that occurred on the eighth day after the birth of Jesus Christ when Mary and Joseph came to the Temple of Jerusalem with the Baby Jesus to carry out circumcision and give the first offering before God. It is the same today as it was in the past. People who wait for God as well as those who believe in God are all over the earth. They all have been waiting for the coming of the Savior as ever.
There was a man named Simeon living in Israel, and this man was waiting anxiously for the coming of the Savior, Jesus Christ. It was revealed to him that he would not see death before he had seen Christ who was to be born on this earth. Just then, filled with the Spirit in his heart, this man came into the Temple of Jerusalem. It was when Mary and the Baby Jesus had come into the Temple of Jerusalem to offer sacrifice before God. The man named Simeon saw the Baby Jesus and took Him up in his arms. Furthermore, he returned glory to God and said, “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32).
After blessing the mother and the Baby, he went on to say, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also)” (Luke 2:34-35). This means that the man named Simeon, a believer of God, recognized the Baby Jesus who was born on this earth by the Holy Spirit of God. He also said that the fall and rising of many in Israel, as well as humankind, are dependent upon this Baby Jesus. Here, Simeon was delivering words by having recognized the Baby Jesus properly.
He said that Jesus is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against; and things really did come true according to those words. God created all things in the universe. He is the Master of all things. He also created human beings in His image. He gives people salvation by saving them from sins, but He judges those who do not believe. Like so, people who believe that God is the Creator and the King of all kings become thankful for and believe that the Baby Jesus Christ came to this earth in human flesh. We human beings are all so very meager creations. However, even though we are meager like that, as we think about His first advent to this earth for us, we become very thankful, and deep emotions start to arise in our hearts. It is a glory that simply cannot be expressed into words.
As we celebrate Christmas, we see Christians of this day and age greeting Christmas with just emotional inclinations, without even knowing the true meaning of Christmas or Jesus Christ properly. Like Simeon and the shepherds shown here, it must be a time of precious blessing when one realizes the true meaning of the coming of the Lord, but Christians aren’t doing that. In Korea especially, Christianity has become one of the worldly religions, and thus, people aren’t showing any interest in what God is saying. They tend to think that as long as one believes in Jesus and becomes a kind person, does not steal, and does good deeds, then that is okay. If this is the case, Christianity is fine and so is Buddhism. They tend to think that so long as virtue is sought, any religion is fine. Like so, Christianity today is becoming secularized.
When Roman Catholicism became secularized, Protestantism arose about 500 years ago, and the Reformists claimed, “Let us return to the Word of God. Let us believe in God through the Word.” Since then, at least there were many priests who revered God and conservative believers who pleaded for people to truly believe in the Lord properly, and thus, they sacrificed themselves much for the gospel and God. But these days, despite the situation being like so, there are just too many people who place too much weight on how to grow the church, how to gather up many congregations and live prosperously, and how to enjoy wealth and fame driving nice looking cars.
As we believe in the Lord in this declining age, we must correctly know about Jesus Christ and wholeheartedly believe in Him. God came to this earth approximately 2,000 years ago. Jesus Christ, who is God, came to this earth back then, and what we must truly know correctly is who exactly He is and what did He do after coming to this earth.
First of all, who is Jesus?
He is the Master of all the creations. He is your God as well as mine. Though He is God, He became a creation Himself, that is, a human being, for us sinners. Though He is God, He was born on this earth in the image of us human beings through the body of a woman. Jesus was born in the image of a human being in such a shabby place in order to save us from sins. Those who believe that Jesus Christ is God, the Judge, and also the Savior who has come to this earth to blot out their sins will be able to enjoy rising before God and live out eternal life, receiving the blessing of becoming God’s children. However, those who do not believe like that will surely perish.
Your Rise and Fall Depends on Jesus Christ
This man named Simeon said, “This Child was born on this earth for the fall and rising of many people.” On what does the fall and rising of all of us human beings depend on? You will enjoy the rising and suffer the fall depending on whether or not you accept in your heart the work that Jesus has done. He is the Son of God and the very God who had created all things of the universe, the One who has saved you by becoming a human being, coming down to this earth in order to save you from sins, vicariously receiving the baptism and dying on the Cross, and being resurrected from that death. On whom does the fate of humankind depend? It depends on none other than Jesus Christ. I am saying that this is our fate.
The entire history of the world is His (the Lord’s) history. He puts all things of the universe into motion and carries out His work according to His wishes and plans. Therefore, as for all the people in the world regardless of whom they are—whether they are the brothers and sisters in the Church, whether they are under a communist regime, or whether they live in Buddhist countries or not—the vicissitudes of their fall and rising depend on whether or not they accept Jesus Christ as their God and Savior. It is said that this Child was born for the fall and rising of many in Israel. It means that you can become God’s children if you believe that Jesus Christ came to this earth and gave us everlasting life by taking on the sins of the world by receiving the baptism, receiving the judgment for our sins vicariously by getting nailed to the Cross and shedding His blood, and then being resurrected from the dead. You can receive all the blessings before God, or on the contrary, you can also receive all the curses.
We have nothing to boast of before God. We have something to boast of only when we think on our own, but before God, there can never be anything for us to boast about. It is actually so. I’m not saying this out of my humbleness, but rather, I am saying this because we actually do not have anything to boast about. Do you really think that there is something for you to boast of when you stand before a perfect God who has created the universe and everything in it? On the contrary, you have nothing but lacking. You are strong headed, false and despicable at heart. You are lacking, very self-righteous, wanting to receive love, but not knowing how to cherish others, and wanting to receive care, but not knowing how to care for others.
If you are still trying to save yourself through your own virtuous deeds, you are challenging God out of your arrogance. Although God has told us not to put any other gods before Him, you have blasphemously become an idol yourself before God. Although you are truly lacking before God, you are challenging God just as Buddha had tried to exalt himself higher than the true God saying, “I am my own Lord throughout heaven and earth.” From God’s view, all the people in this world, that is, all the creations made by God, without exception are those who are lacking. We are existences that are lacking, weak, filthy, and loathsome, always committing sins, constantly having evil thoughts, and doing evil deeds. The Lord said that human beings are those who are filthiest among all things. He also said that what comes out from the human heart are the twelve sins—evil thoughts, murders, fornications, covetousness, strife, lewdness, pride, foolishness, and so on—and that people are born with these sins and actually commit them as they live out their life.
However, these people are blasphemous beings who try to reign on top of God by creating religions and making up doctrines. They place themselves high above those doctrines all the while trying to look at the speck in others’ eyes but unwilling to perceive the plank in their own eyes.
We Shall Have No Other Gods before God
We must realize on our own that we are too insufficient. Only when we know ourselves correctly, will we be able to receive Jesus Christ as our Savior and believe the fact that He came to this earth, received the baptism from John the Baptist in order to save us, vicariously died on the Cross, and was resurrected from the dead. Jesus Christ now sits at the right hand of the throne of God the Father as the King of all kings
People who do not know their lacking cannot receive Jesus Christ. To not receive Jesus Christ is to not accept all the works of the salvation of Jesus which He has accomplished in order to save us by coming down to this earth, taking on all our sins, and vicariously receiving the judgment on our behalf on the Cross. Therefore, to not accept the works accomplished by Jesus in our hearts is to become servants of the Devil before God.
The Devil wasn’t created as the Devil from the beginning. An angel became the Devil after having risen against God but then getting put down by Him. People can all too well become the children of the Devil, should they do wrong. In conclusion, those who do not know their fundamental nature do not realize their lacking, and therefore, they think they don’t need God’s help and the work of salvation He has done. Hence, they become the children of the Devil. They tend to think that they are an entity close to perfection as if they were some kind of a stone image of Buddha, having no weaknesses, unyielding to cold even in frigid winds, and unyielding to heat even in the hot winds.
But human beings are never an entity like that. God says that human beings are like reeds swaying in the wind. Damaged, ripped, weak, lacking, dirty, filthy, and feeble beings are precisely yours and my self-images. For this reason, we are in need of the Lord and Savior Jesus. We are in need of the God of salvation. For this reason, God had to become a human being in order to come as the Savior for you and me. For this reason, Jesus Christ came to this earth as the Savior, the King of kings, and God. That is why we call Him Christ. He came to this earth in human flesh as God and the High Priest of the Kingdom of Heaven. In order to save us from sins, He personally became a human being, took our sins unto His body through the baptism, vicariously gave up His body on the Cross, and shed His blood. Having done this, He was able to save you and me. He has saved us like that.
Do You Want to Be Well Off?
If you want to be well off, I want you to believe in the ministry work that Jesus Christ did by coming as your Savior. Jesus Christ is your Savior and God. To be specific, He saved you from all the sins by coming to this earth, receiving the baptism, taking on all our sins onto His body, getting hanged on the Cross to cleanse them, vicariously suffering through cruel hardships, and vicariously receiving the judgment for our sins. To be prosperous in your life, all you have to do is to believe in that Jesus, who has made you the children of God like that, as your Savior. However, if you do not believe in Jesus Christ, you will fall. If you do not believe in Jesus Christ, you will suffer destruction. That is why the Bible tells us so.
That Jesus Christ has saved us is the Truth that is all so simple, brief, and clear. It is something neither difficult like philosophy nor futile like Zen Buddhism where they insist on everything returning to where it had started. It is something that is precise and brief. Just as Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6), He is precisely the Truth, the Life, and the Way to Heaven. Truly Jesus vicariously became our Savior. Having come by the water and the blood, He became our Savior.
Yet, why do you not believe? Do you have some pain in your heart? Do you have the doubt that how can this be if there is God? Fundamentally, weren’t you someone who was to suffer destruction before God? Weren’t you someone who was originally destined for hell? You are not qualified to say such things as how could God do this to me if there really is God. What qualifications and what right do you have? Your ancestors were born in sin and such a plight and have sent down to you sins and the curse. Yet, having been born like that, what right do you have that you can say to God, “Why did You make me like this,” and “If there indeed is God, how could He do this to me?” It is the fault of your ancestors. It is our fault. It isn’t something we can resent God for. We should just have faith in God and in the works that Jesus Christ has done. How can we dare to judge God? That is precisely arrogance. People like that are arrogant. Such people must listen to the words of Socrates when he said, “Know yourself.” People like that are those who still do not believe in God. We must throw away doubt and pride and believe in the Lord.
It is said, “This Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign.” It means that Jesus Christ is a sign for us. It is also said, “To those who believe in the name of Jesus Christ, He gave the right to become children of God,” but what does it mean, as stated here, to believe in the name of Jesus Christ? It is to believe that Jesus Christ was born on this earth, took on your sins and mine by receiving the baptism from John the Baptist at the age of thirty, died vicariously by getting crucified on our behalf, and became the true Savior by being resurrected from the dead. This is precisely what our acceptance of Jesus Christ into our heart is all about.
What does it mean to have faith in Jesus? Is it true that all we have to do is believe in the name of Jesus itself? To believe in the work that He has done is to genuinely believe in the name of Jesus Christ. It is not like saying, “I believe in You,” with just a picture hanging on a wall. I went to a professor’s house in Mongolia. The people living in the house had a photo of the head of Lamaism hanging on the wall, and on the other wall, they had a picture of Jesus hanging. Despite having done something like that, they told me that they believe in Jesus.
Is it faith by having a picture frame of Jesus hanging on a wall and saying I believe in Jesus? What wrong did God do to you? Whether or not you believe in God depends on your volition, but the truth is that God has never done anything wrong unto us. God is the One who supplies everything to us. Also, because God is merciful, He is someone who has been enduring our evil deeds for a long, long time. But why do we not believe in Him who is all so full of grace like that? If we do not believe, we shall fall in the end.
What does it mean to fall? When we read the Book of Esther, there comes Queen Vashti. One day, as the king was feasting in a banquet he had held, he asked his wife, that is, Queen Vashti, to come because he wanted to boast her great beauty. He had called her in order to show her off to his officials. However, the queen was also holding a feast somewhere else, so despite several more encouragements from the king, she said, “Just as the king is holding a feast, I am also holding a feast. So, know that and tell the king I cannot go.” What happened after that day? The king took away the queen’s royal position. It means that the he had the queen stripped of her clothes and cast out into the streets. Dear fellow believers, I want you to know that to fall has a concept similar to that.
The Lord said that such people shall fall; but to that, some people say, “Yes, if You want me to fall, then let me fall.” Dear fellow believers, once you fall, such a great misery will fall upon you. If you don’t know what it means to fall, you might think in your heart, “Let me fall if He wants me to fall, and let me rise if He wants me to rise.” But, falling is not a simple curse like that: The path toward the fall is none other than death. It is getting stripped of all their possessions and receiving the curse. It means that if they do not believe in the work of Jesus Christ, they will lose everything that they have. They will lose their life, and even their soul will be thrown into the fire that shall never be quenched. They will have all their wealth taken away, including children and everything else, leaving out nothing. They will receive such curses and suffer death without even realizing what is happening because of being thickheaded.
Like so, there are so many people holding fast to their stubbornness, not understanding instead of being able to understand when told what this Word means. If we were to say to those whose liver has rotted completely due to much drinking, “If you drink any more, you will die by liver cirrhosis,” they will say, “It’s all right. Leave it be.” Like these people whose mind is stupefied by being drenched in alcohol, people who are foolish do not listen to the Word of the Lord.
Jesus, who is God, came to this earth and became the Savior for you. But you must clearly understand what happens to you if you do not believe in this grace and this Truth. If you do not believe, you will suffer destruction, but if you believe, you will enjoy prosperity. I want you to know that whether or not you become victorious, and whether or not your life prospers does not depend on what good or bad you do. In the Book of Romans, it is written, “So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy” (Romans 9:16). Your life does not become successful just because you do good deeds unto others, not do anything evil, and go on living carrying out work well and sincerely. You must believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior, and you must believe in and accept the works Jesus Christ has done.
People tend to think that accepting what the Lord has done means requiring something great from them, but all they have to have is a believing heart. It is that simple. Dear fellow believers, whether or not you believe in God is what determines your fall and rising. As I’ve told you, to believe in one’s heart is not something difficult. It is something simple. All you have to do is to open up your heart and accept the lord and His Word. If you want to fall, don’t accept, but if you want to enjoy prosperity, then all you have to do is to accept.
People who ask why their life is in such a mess and those who think that they truly don’t know why their life is so miserable must look back upon themselves. “Did I truly believe in the Lord? Am I in this mess even though I have believed in Him?” I want you to reflect upon yourself with these questions whether or not you did truly and properly believe in Jesus. I want you to think whether or not you have followed Him after starting to believe in Him, and whether or not you have followed the Word spoken by Jesus Christ by faith. The entire humankind, from the greatest to the feeblest, must accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. They must accept the works that He has carried out to save them all. Only then will they be able to receive blessings. You will be able to receive the blessings of heaven and earth. If you not accept, you will suffer destruction. You will lose everything.
As we welcome this Christmas season, we really must properly know its meaning. It isn’t simply a celebration of the birth of the Holy God on this earth. God, who had created all things of the universe, as well as you and me, came down to this earth in human flesh. He came down and saved you and me. You must bear in mind that He has saved us from sins, destruction, and curse. Therefore, we all must accept Jesus by faith. If we do not accept, then we will suffer destruction, but if we do accept, then we will prosper. As Christmas draws near, we must think about that. We must reflect upon ourselves and think whether or not we truly believe. Then, after bracing ourselves up once again, we must introspect ourselves and put things in order if we are found not to have believed in Jesus properly. When we think about these things, this Christmas can become a very meaningful festive day.
Sending some Christmas cards and doing things that look good to the world aren’t everything right. Has God done anything wrong to you? God has done nothing wrong to you. He continues to move the four seasons, provide us with sunlight, give us fresh air, and show mercy on you and me. Even though you and I are lacking, He has treated us with mercy. But if a person were to still not believe in Him, resent Him, and not believe in Jesus Christ as one’s own Savior, then that person will surely go down the path toward destruction, that is, the path toward eternal death. He will lose much more than what he has now. He will eventually lose everything. Also, he will be receiving every curse instead.
However, men of faith will be blessed with rising. People who genuinely believe in God will believe in God’s Word, follow the words of God’s servants who lead them, and unite with the Church despite the lacking in their acts. Such people get to prosper.
It is said that these Words spoken by Jesus will pierce the souls of people like a sword. I hope you will remember that. Just as you get pierced in your soul, quickly become honest and look back on why you are getting pierced. Think quickly about what is wrong with you and what you must believe. Then, I want you to quickly believe. I do not want you to just listen to the sermon and then forget about it as you leave your seat.
Dear fellow believers, don’t you really want to prosper? Do you not want to be well off? Brothers and sisters, do you want to be all well off or not? Do you want to be well off only in the flesh? The Lord said that if one wants to be well off spiritually, he must first accept the Lord as his Savior at heart. Then, his flesh can also be well off. If you want to be well off, that’s what you must do. To the saints in His Church, the Lord said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). If one attends God’s Church but do not know about the Truth and follow it, then that person is mentally deficient. If the person attends our Church but does not know how Jesus Christ has saved him, then he is surely a mentally deficient person. Furthermore, if the person attends our Church but says that Jesus Christ having saved him by the water and the Spirit is not correct, then that person is not just mentally deficient but completely insane.
Jesus Christ Isn’t Always the God of Love
If people hear and accept the Truth, God will bless them according to the Truth as it is, but if they do not accept it, then God will become the God of wrath toward them instead of becoming the God of love. He will rip them into small pieces and put them into a manure pail so that they may not be recovered. If someone else were to try to use them by picking them up and cleaning them, God will place them under a chopper and cut them up so that the person won’t be able to do so. Also, if someone were to try to sew them up and use them, God will not let that happen by throwing them into a pit of fire and burning them so that no one may be able to take them out. Like so, the Lord is the God of justice.
As we greet Christmas, we must properly know and believe in Jesus Christ well. We mustn’t think lightly of Jesus. I’m saying we mustn’t think trivially of Him. I’m saying we mustn’t think frivolously of Him. We mustn’t always think of Jesus Christ as the Baby Jesus in the bosom of Mary. Jesus Christ is God who has created humankind, including that Mary. Dear fellow believer, you mustn’t ever think trivially of Jesus Christ. What I’m saying is that Jesus Christ isn’t someone whom you can choose to believe in. Also, He isn’t someone whom you can choose to believe according to the Word. “All I have to do is to believe somehow. Also, all I have to do is to go to church and live virtuously, not doing any evil deeds. All God has to do is to give me much blessing for I am like that. All He has to do is give much blessing.” Are you perhaps thinking like this? Are you trying to make a good living by fawning on this place in whatever way possible? If I had been born in the Old Testament times, I would have said to such people, “Repent, you brood of vipers! You, children of the Devil!”
The Lord came to this earth in order to save us who are lacking by delivering us from destruction and curse. Even though He came in flesh as our Savior, He was never a weak person. He is the perfect One. He is just, and He is the omniscient and omnipotent God. He is the Creator. It is said that His eyes are like the flame. Before Him, you cannot hide anything; you cannot hide your heart hidden deep within your spirit; you cannot hide your thoughts, actions, your past, present, and future. As you stand before Him, that is, if you go before Him without having believed in Him, you won’t be able to avoid His judgment. Hence, He had no choice but to come to this earth so that He might save us from sins and destruction. Moreover, by urging His servants, He is admonishing you to believe in Him.
Dear fellow believer, this Christmas, I want you to listen carefully about Jesus and the works that He has done, and believe. Rather than putting forth your dim-witted obstinacy, I want you to believe firmly. Despite having stayed in the Church for a long time after having received the remission of sins, there are those who try to obstruct the spreading of the Word and put much weight on things of the flesh. But please do not do that. God is the God of love, but when a person crosses a certain line, He will stop tolerating that person. God isn’t always merciful. When a person crosses a certain line, He will dispose of that person. Before God, seek His mercy every day, and believe in Him. To believe in God is to believe in Jesus. Do you understand this? To believe with heart is to have genuine faith.
What the Lord earnestly wants from us are things such as these: “Truly believe in Me. Believe that I am your Savior. Believe that I am your God.” If you believe in Him and His Word, your soul will be led by Him, and if you receive His guidance, you will constantly be walking on the right path even though you don’t want to. However, if you don’t believe, you won’t be able to receive guidance from the Lord even if you want to. That is why I continue to ask you to believe in Him.
Do you think that I am speaking too harshly today? But that is never the case. I want those of you who feel as though your soul is getting pierced a lot to repent. It is said that His Words will pierce through soul of people like a sword. When your soul gets pierced, all you have to do is to calculate the result fast and believe in His Word quickly. If you do so, you will never again be pierced. Do you like it when someone stabs at you and attacks? It is never good.
God also endures much and waits for you. Believe in God while He is still enduring long. While there is still a chance, believe. Good times like this will not last forever. Peace in family, peace in society, and peace in country will not last forever either. Only He knows what will happen and when.
As I greet this Christmas, I get to see and recognize even more insufficiencies of my own. However, I believe that the Lord came to this earth and became our true Savior in order to save you and me who are so lacking like this. And so, in the end, I give thanks for everything. I realize and thus am thankful that Jesus Christ has given us the great blessing of becoming the children of God and being able to enjoy the glory of God in the future by saving us, who are so lacking like this, from sins, destruction, and curse. Furthermore, I am genuinely thankful for the fact that He came to this earth personally in order to do the righteous work for our salvation.
But one thing that saddens me is that there are still many people who do not believe in Jesus Christ as their God and Savior. When I see them, my heart aches very much. I think that as long as I can guide them into receiving the remission of sins, I will be able to endure any kind of hardship. If my heart is like that, then wouldn’t God deplore much more in His heart as He see the unbelieving? There are exactly two things that God gives us human beings: One is the blessing, and the other is the curse.
If a certain man were to receive the curse, don’t you think that He will deplore so much by Himself? What is more, how great do you think His desire to give him the blessing would be? Don’t you think that God deplores so much to see human beings created in His image arriving at death after having continuously walked on a path toward the curse due to lack of discretion and having no faith in Him?
Dear fellow believers, you must know God’s heart. You must know the merciful heart of the preachers in God’s Church. Do not think towards me, “He is making personal attacks.” I am someone who has the task of having people receive blessings before God. However, what benefit would there be if I were to say to those who do not believe, “It’s all right. Don’t worry. It’s a joyful Christmas, so let’s have some delicious food and enjoy”? Of course, people who amuse themselves will eat well and enjoy well even if I don’t say such words. Nevertheless as a gospel preacher, I must show you the way. Should there be a way for you to receive God’s blessings now and in future, I must deliver to you what God finds joy in so that you may receive the blessings, regardless of what the past is in your mind. You must believe, and I must deliver God’s Word. Dear fellow believers, as we greet Christmas, I want you to believe in the Lord with all your heart. To believe in Him wholeheartedly is precisely to receive Him.
Dear fellow believers, Jesus Christ came to this earth in order save us, who are so lowly and lacking and always going against His wishes. Like so, He has saved you and me by the water and the blood. Hence, those who believe in the work that He has done by coming to this earth will rise, but those who do not believe in it shall fall. They will suffer destruction. There is never a middle ground.
Jesus Christ is the Life for you and me. He is also the Savior and the Author of blessing for you and me. He is truly the consummation of all treasures. Therefore, when Jesus Christ comes to you, you must greet Him into your heart and believe in Him.
Dear fellow believers, let us receive blessing by believing in Him. You and I are beings that are always lacking; those who cannot do anything special before God. Hence, we should go on living at least by the gifts of God-given blessings. If we were to kick away God-given blessings as well, with what strength do you think we can go on living? Dear fellow believers, I hope you will all truly become recipients of the blessing by believing in that wonderful grace and salvation bestowed by the Lord. I wish for all the saints of the Church in Korea and all our coworkers and believers throughout the world to receive the blessing of God by believing in Him.
Today, we received a message from Pastor Peter Lee in Vietnam. He said he got to know the gospel of the water and the Spirit properly by reading our books, and hence, he was able to believe correctly. Also, he said he would carry out the work of spreading this gospel there. From Pakistan, a young man who had read our books and received the remission of sins sent us news along with his confession of faith. He said that he was currently distributing Urdu booklets of the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and that he wanted to translate our books into the Urdu Language.
Those who have met the gospel of the water and the Spirit first must share the blessing they have spiritually received from God with others. As we share it with others, it may seem as though we have nothing left, but in truth, God fills us again with a great many things. Even those who are so far away in places such as Vietnam and Pakistan receive the blessing and share that blessing with others. Yet, if those close to us aren’t able to receive the blessing because they do not believe, then how can there be anything as deplorable as this?
Let us all receive the blessing by believing in the Lord properly.
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