Title: Happy Evangelist
Contents
Acts 26:24-32
happy evangelist
It is the preachers' fault that the members of the Korean church have fallen into quantityism, belief in ups and downs, and selfishness. The Western theologian, who pointed out that “members of the Korean church believe in money,” also attributed the reason why Korean members became that way to sermons. He pointed out, “It is because the church members only listened to such sermons and lived their faith.” In other words, the Korean church pulpit pursues private interest rather than public interest, and emphasizes ethics in the chapel, but ignores ethics and social justice outside the chapel. If we really want God's will to be done, preachers need the reform of the Word, and believers need reform of their lives.
The English word for happiness is ‘happiness’, which comes from the word ‘happen’. ‘happen’ means ‘to happen by chance’. Therefore, 'happiness' means 'I am thrilled and happy to have met something good by chance'. I am happy to meet a good person by chance, I am happy because I met a good opportunity by chance, and I am thrilled to have won the lotto by accident… . People who dream and expect happiness that come by chance are people who live in pursuit of happiness. These people are people who live with the fate that comes by chance.
People who live dreaming of happiness that happen by chance are happy when the things they dreamed and waited for happen, but they resent when the things they dreamed about do not happen. complains. I am angry. “Why can't I meet such a person? Why doesn't that opportunity come to me? Why don't I win the lottery? Why does the god of fate turn away from me?” Even Christians rejoice and rejoice when they meet a good person and get a good opportunity, but when the good opportunity they have been waiting for does not come and the good person they dreamed of does not appear, they blame God and complain to God. Some people buy a lottery ticket and pray, “God, if I win this lottery, I will give half of it as a building offering.” But will God really be pleased with us like this?
We should work hard for happiness rather than expect it to be accidental. George Washington Carver once said, "Successful people are not happy, happy people are successful." That's right. True happiness is the fruit of sweat, tears and blood. A man of God should value the process more than the result. We have to run non-stop today to make our dreams come true. Those who run like that are happy not only when walking on a prosperous road, but also on a path of hardship. It is not only the time to lay down the burdens of life and worship God, but also to climb a steep hill carrying the burden of a mission. I am happy in a high position, and I am happy in a low position. Happy to have, happy to lose. We are happy when we are healthy, and we are happy when we are sick.
In particular, ministers who fulfill the mission God has entrusted to them, and evangelists who spread the gospel of life, must not lose their happiness no matter what situation they are in. This is because the moment we lose happiness, resentment and complaint dwell in our hearts, we become slaves to our work, and Satan falls into the trap of temptation of Panon and struggles, eventually losing our mission. Therefore, the missionary must be able to live by declaring ‘I am happy’ for the rest of his life. We must seek the anointing of happiness. You must be able to declare that you are “happy” even if you are persecuted. You should be able to declare that you are ‘happy’ even if you suffer a loss. You should be able to declare that you are ‘happy’ even if you are framed. You should be able to declare that you are “happy” even when you are going through hardships.
We can meet the evangelist who preaches the gospel saying, “I am happy” in the text God has given us today. I hope that all of you who hear these words today will become evangelists who declare, like this evangelist, ‘I am happy.’
I. Paul is crazy about Jesus.
Read verse 24 of the text. “When Paul made this excuse, Festus cried out in a loud voice, saying, Paul, you are crazy; your great learning is driving you crazy.” Amen.
Acts 26 is the story of Paul, who voluntarily became a sinner in order to go to Rome and preach Jesus Christ, defending himself before King Agrippa, Festus, and other dignitaries. It is common sense for most criminals to defend themselves in order to receive a light punishment when they are given an opportunity to make a final plea. He explains the circumstances in which he had no choice but to sin and asks for mercy. I will never sin again, so I beg you to forgive me. However, the Apostle Paul does not defend himself when given the opportunity to make a final argument. It tells the story of why he, who was a legalist, gave up on the law, and why he became a preacher of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who died on the cross, who took the lead in punishing Christians.
When Paul saw that, the governor Festus called out in a loud voice, “Paul, you are crazy,” and treated Paul like a madman. But Paul makes a respectful statement of his integrity in response to Festus' accusations of blaming madness for his ignorance. “I am not mad, Sir Festus, but I speak true and perfect words.” Paul was not agitated even though he was being treated like a madman. As Festus said, the apostle Paul was a famous scholar of his day. Greek science, Roman law, Jewish tradition, there is nothing that has not been mastered. Not only that, but Paul's background was also great. If Paul had entered the education field with his career and background, he would have been the president of a national university. Had I entered the business world, I would have been the head of a large group. Had he entered politics, he would have been more than a provincial governor. Even though he was such a Paul, now he has become an insult from people. He voluntarily became a criminal and stood in court.
But what's even more surprising is that, despite being so insulted by people, there was no commotion at all. Let's look at Paul's dignified attitude. Read verse 25 together. “Paul said, Sir Fest, I am not crazy, but I speak true and perfect words.” Amen. You can see that the defendant boldly shouts to the judge and does not give in the slightest, but rather is carrying out his mission as an evangelist to them. This is the image of Paul, a man who was crazy about Jesus.
Deok-Mu Lee, a scholar of the Joseon Dynasty and Jeongjo period, who worked at Gyujanggak, organized and interacted with books, and wrote many books, is a man crazy about books. He coined the name ‘Ganseochi’ (看書癡), which means a fool who reads only books. He read the book like a thirsty man. When people saw him smiling, they thought he must have borrowed another strange book from somewhere. He has read tens of thousands of books. I wrote a letter to borrow a book even though my ten fingers were frostbitten and swollen to the size of a chestnut. During the Joseon Dynasty, people considered it honorable to say that they were ‘crazy’ or ‘stupid’. I thought that living without going crazy and without swearing was worse than dying. So, Silhak Ja-ga Park, who lived at the same time as Lee Deok-mu, said, “A person without walls is a useless person.”
Modern people are all crazy about something. No, it has become a world where we cannot live without going crazy. If you can't help but go crazy, shouldn't you be crazy about something worthwhile? Shouldn't we be more mad about the eternal than the perishable? The early church members were all crazy about Jesus. Even Paul was crazy about Jesus. So Paul was willing to be a sinner for Jesus' sake.
2. Paul, who was crazy about Jesus, was happy.
Read verses 28-29 of the text. “Agrippa said to Paul, “You are trying to persuade me to become a Christian with a few words.” Paul said, “I say little, but many, but I wish God that not only you, but also all who listen to me today, would be like me, except in these bonds.” Amen.
Paul said, “King Agrippa, do you believe in the prophets? I know you believe.” Agrippa laughs and says, “You persuade me to become a Christian.” Then Paul said that not only you, but everyone who listens to me today wants to be like me, believers in Jesus Christ, except for these bonds.
Many people gathered at the place where Paul was interrogating. People saw a humble sinner there. The trial was delayed, and Paul had already been in prison for two years. So your face would be pale. He lived on poor food in prison, so his face must have been completely malnourished. He could not move freely, so his health could not be good. The clothes were ragged and the colors must have been shabby. Therefore, in the eyes of ordinary people who only see visible phenomena, Paul must have been despised and sympathized with. It would only look unfortunate.
So, you must have agreed with Governor Festus, “Paul, you are crazy, and your many studies are driving you crazy.” Wasn't it Paul, who once had a good reputation? So, he must have pityed Paul, kicking his tongue, saying, “How did a man who had such a high level of learning become so weak? “How did a man so passionate about the law become a sinner?” “What is that chained up?” “What a pity you left behind!” You would have thought so. But the Apostle Paul, rather, is saying to those who look at him with sympathy, "I am not mad, I am speaking true and perfect words." "May all of you become like me."
Before meeting Jesus, Paul thought that it was his mission to catch and kill those who believed in Jesus. So he went looking for people who believed in Jesus and wielded a sword. They went as far as Damascus to search out those who believed in Jesus. But in Damascus, he met the risen Jesus. I learned that Jesus, who died on the cross, was the Son of God. I knew that Jesus' death was not a cursed death, but a substitutionary death for my sins. We knew that He was the Judge who would come to judge us. Here, a Copernican transformation took place in the life of the apostle Paul, and he became a new man. The persecutor became an evangelist. The enemy of Christ has become a servant of Christ. Now, being imprisoned, whipped, and suffering because of Jesus was a joy. Suffering for Jesus became happiness and fell on Jesus. But I was happy.
Crazy people have something in common. that everyone is happy.