Title: Grow Up to Christ!
Contents
In this era, the word ‘identity’ is often used. The reason is that they do not know their identity or are being shaken. The same is true before God. Uncertainty about how we should live before God and who we are has reached a serious level. Now we need to establish our spiritual identity. Who are we to God, and what kind of life should we live?
To all Christians, God calls them “man of God.” Those who live for God are called ‘people of God’. All Christians must live worthy lives as people of God. So, what kind of life should you lead? It can be confirmed through the words of the apostle Paul to Timothy, the son of faith. First, there are things that ‘people of God’ should avoid. We must avoid those who love arguments and quarrels, and those who love money and turn away from the faith. Next, there is something that the ‘man of God’ must follow. There are some things that a “man of God” can win by avoiding, but it cannot be completely overcome by just avoiding it. Because you can win by chasing. He commanded us to pursue ‘righteousness’, ‘godliness’, ‘faith’, ‘love’, ‘perseverance’ and ‘meekness’. The six virtues mentioned here have characteristics that make each other whole. Therefore, it is a virtue that must be pursued at the same time because it complements it without being dependent on any one thing.
God's people must grow up to Christ. ‘Growth’ is defined as the growth of living things, such as people and animals, and the increase in the size of things. When we talk about the growth of a person, it can mean all the physical and mental development processes that occur during all the processes of becoming an adult, and it can be seen that all processes of adapting to society through mental growth and development are considered growth. However, in order to achieve perfect growth, not only physical and spiritual growth, but also spiritual growth must be achieved. According to the analysis of the original Greek, the word ‘grow up’ means continuous growth. In our beliefs, the most important thing to watch out for is stagnation or regression. God's holy will is that we must continuously achieve spiritual growth, and strive to achieve growth in any environment. The area in which ‘people of God’ must grow in order to grow into Christ is to achieve growth as ‘maturity of character’, ‘executor of love’ and ‘true obedient’.
In 2012, Cheonggye First Church set the motto, ‘You, man of God, grow up to Christ’, and set three goals for this year. The first is to become like Christ. While walking with Christ, we want to live a life that is to become a Christ-like character. The second is to change. Paul admonished us not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our hearts (Romans 12:2). First, because Christians have a responsibility to be transformed and to change the world. The third is to broaden your horizons. The goal of our church is not only to do more work than it is now, but also to grow into a church that can exert a great influence on society.
Saints! We are God's people. Let's grow up to Christ. Amen