Title: For the Church / Colossians 1:24-29
Preacher Park Jong-soon (Chungshin Church)
Title For the Church
Bible Text Colossians 1:24-29
“I now rejoice in your sufferings for your sake, and fill the rest of the sufferings of Christ in my flesh for the sake of his body, the church. was hidden from ages and generations, but now it has been revealed to his saints, that God might make them known how rich the glory of this mystery is among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. preached him, admonishing each one, and teaching each one with all wisdom, that each one might be made perfect in Christ, for which I also labor with all my might, according to the work of him who works in me with power” (Colossians 1: 24-29)
If we look at the letters Paul wrote, we focus on teaching how to live for God, how to work for the church, and how to live with our neighbors.
The text focuses on how to work for the church.
Today is the anniversary of the 46th anniversary of the founding of the Chungshin Church. It should be a time to correct the attitude of how to serve the church according to the teachings of the text.
All objects, including people, have existence value and meaning.
Take the piano as an example. The piano is there to be used as an instrument to praise God. The piano is not here for the sake of itself. The same goes for the microphone here. It's not plugged in here for the mic itself. It is here to amplify and hear the word of God.
Why am I here? Do I exist for me? no.
Paul said in Romans 14:8, "If we live, we live for the Lord; if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord's." Regardless of life or death, the value of human existence is for the Lord.
In Ephesians 5:10, Paul said, “Try what is pleasing to the Lord.”
His confession was that if Paul had a reason to live and work, it was to work for the Lord.
In the text, Paul reveals what to do for the church.
1. We must serve with our bodies.
Verse 24 says, “I fill my body with the rest of the sufferings of Christ for the sake of his body, the church.” That means you must suffer for the sake of the church. In other words, we must serve and love the church with our own body.
There are two kinds of attitudes. It is one who serves with the mouth and one who serves with the body. Those who serve by mouth are good at speaking
Love with your mouth, kind with your mouth, serve with your mouth. But they are just words.
Those who serve with their bodies do not speak well. But the body sweats and works. No bad days are specified.
Oral ministers enjoy commanding, "You must do this, this and that," while not sleeping.
However, those who serve with their bodies do it themselves first before telling them to do it.
The church needs people who serve silently rather than gossipers and gossips.
Paul dedicated his body to working hard for the church.
I remember the person who conducted the choir of the Chungshin Church many years ago. He is now directing the choir of another church.
Special Events If there is a music worship event, a special stage must be made and the chairs must be removed.
And when the music service is over, the removed chair must be moved to its original position and the stage installed must also be removed. But the conductor hangs out with the young people and moves the chair and clears the stage by 11pm. When conducting, I am a conductor, but once I let go of the baton, I return to serving as a member of the church and practice serving my body. You need a team like this.
Church work should not be neglected.
First Baptist Church in Indianapolis is a church that gathers about 5,000 people even in the evening.
I attended a Sunday evening service.
About 60 men, wearing white trousers, dark blue jackets and red ties, were guiding everywhere. They were church officers. And he said that he was the president of a conglomerate, a university professor, a bank governor, a city councilor, a hospital president, a doctor, and the president of a venture company.
I was wearing a uniform with my own money and giving dinner. They were people who served with the body.
Let's think about how I will serve the church with my body.
Let us serve the church with our hearts, our bodies and our materials “I fill my body for the church, which is the body of Christ.”
2. We must do God's will.
In verse 25 it says, “I have been a minister of the church to fulfill the word of God according to the economy that God has given me for you.”
The meaning of the word “according to the economy” is to follow the will and providence of God.
It is to serve the church, but not according to my own will, according to my plan, but according to the will of God.
Just as a good soccer team is formed only by following the will of the coach, in order to become a good church, we must follow God's will. And serving the church must follow God's economy, not my stubbornness or my experience.
My company or my business can do whatever I want.
However, the church should not try to carry out my will or my stubbornness because the Lord is the Lord.
A member of a church in Seoul dedicated a German-made grand piano to the church as a commemoration of retirement. He gave up because the parish piano was too old.
“Master Kwon, you dedicated the piano to your appointment.
“Yes. I dedicated it.
“A certain saint dedicated a new piano, can I accept it?
..... I haven't talked for a while.
After a while, he answered, "Pastor, no. It can't be. At that time, I prayed and dedicated it with tears, but you must not remove it. It cannot be done until dirt gets into my eyes."
That's why we still haven't put the new piano into the parish.
Then the pastor asked me if there was no way.
“It is not that there is no way.
"If there is a better way, please teach me.
“Start praying today.
“What kind of prayer are you talking about?
Before we do anything Before we oppose anything, we have something to do. It's asking, "Lord, will you do this or will you oppose it?" The Lord also prayed, "Not my will, but your will," and then took up the cross.
No matter how good or outrageous I am, I have to ask the Lord and do it. No matter how much I hate, feel, or dislike, I should ask the Lord before opposing. It should be, like Paul, “that it might be done according to the economy.”
3. Be wise.
Verse 28 says, "We preached him, admonishing every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom." All things evangelism, teaching, and serving the church should be done with wisdom.
1 Corinthians 2:6-7 says, “It is not the wisdom of the world, but the wisdom of God.” The wisdom Paul was talking about was not the wisdom I learned from the world, but the wisdom God gave me. According to 1 Corinthians 12:8, among the gifts of the Holy Spirit are "the words of wisdom."
4. You must do your best.
Verse 29 says, "For this I also labor with all my might, according to the work of him who works in me with power."
To work with all your might means an athlete struggles to the end.
Why should we do our best for the church?
Because the church was established by the Lord.
The church is because the Lord is the Lord.
Because the church is the body of the Lord.
Because serving the church is serving the Lord.
Because to love the church is to love the Lord.
Because this church is a spiritual legacy that we will pass on to our descendants.
Let's work hard for the Lord and for the church.