Title: Man of God / Acts 22:22-30
Contents Man of God / Acts 22:22-30
The apostle Paul can be said to be a man of God.
A man of God means a person who belongs to God. Everyone in the world can be divided into two. One belongs to the devil and the other belongs to God.
Those who belong to God live for God. But those who belong to the devil live for a world that will decay. Depending on what he lives for, you can know his affiliation and mode of existence.
A man of God refers to a person after God's own heart. Otherwise, God would not use him.
Therefore, it is true that the man of God deserves to be welcomed, respected, loved, and supported everywhere in the world. Such people will be needed wherever they go in the world.
In reality, however, the opposite is happening. A person of God who deserves to be welcomed and respected can be hated, banished, and even executed.
It is a historical fact of all time and age that a vassal is a person who is detrimental to the country and people and should not be on the earth. .
Likewise, evil people who should not exist in the world are supported as public servants, while those of God who should be supported are rejected like enemies. This is the reality.
Paul is a man of God. He is essential for the salvation of Israel and mankind.
And yet, here the crowd is shouting like a riot.
Verse 22 says, “And when they heard even these things being said, they cried out, saying, Let this man be taken away from the world, and let him not let him live.”
No matter how you think about it, it's strange. Why the hell are you an emoji?
It is a rebuke that is caused by the difference in the way of existence between the people of the earth and the people of God. Then, what is the mode of existence of God's man?
1. God-dependent.
There are two reasons why people have no choice but to depend on God to live.
One is in the intrinsic aspect of human beings and the other is in the practical aspect.
In other words, when God created man, he made a form out of dust, breathed life into it, and became a man by rain.
In Genesis 2:7, it says, "The LORD God formed man from the dust, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul."
This means that we were created essentially dependent on God. Life is the divine element. Therefore, as a spiritual being, man belongs to God and therefore depends on God.
The children I give birth to and who belong to me are always supposed to depend on their parents to live. Never depend on other people's parents. Because it didn't belong to him.
And in Ecclesiastes 3:11, it says, "God made all things, beautifying them in their seasons, and instilled in man a longing for eternity...". Therefore, we long for God, who is the source of eternal life, and live according to Him.
In addition, human beings are always living with conflicts and worries that arise from the imbalance of necessity and possibility in the course of life. This is where we come to realize to some extent the limitations, imperfections, and sinfulness of human beings. Therefore, human beings cannot conscientiously become self-dependent and rely on the hand of the Almighty.
In this way, a god-dependent person cannot be an atheist because he relies on and fears God with a humble heart when the Word and the Holy Spirit work in his heart; You cannot become a rebel because you love and obey God with a joyful heart, and you cannot become a rebellious person because you serve God with a loyal heart.
A typical representative of that is the Apostle Paul. He confesses:
Galatians 1:24 says, “I gave glory to God through me,” and in Philippians 1:20, “According to my earnest expectation and hope, I am not ashamed of anything. that Christ may be glorified in
And 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Those who belong to God will someday make such a confession and devotion.
On the other hand, a person of the world is always self-dependent. As pointed out in Romans chapter 1, their mode of existence is that they do not want to put God in their hearts and do what they want.
Romans 1:28 says, "And since they did not want to have God in their hearts, God gave them over to a lost spirit, to do what is not fitting."
So these people depend on their knowledge, love money, and serve idols that they need. Instead of being ruled by God, they are fighting to rule even God.
As a result, they are arrogant, disobedient, and tend to be insensitive to all evil and uncleanness and iniquity and lawlessness. That is why he tries to calm his conscience with alcohol, tobacco, and drugs.
Therefore, there is no way for self-dependent people to like God-dependent people because the lifestyles of those who belong to God and those who belong to the world are completely different.
This does not mean that we cannot follow their lifestyle in order for the people of God to be welcomed by the world.
Even if we face hatred and persecution, we have no choice but to live by faith in God. That is why Paul was faithful to the revelation of God, whether others liked it or not.
2. It is prophetic.
All of God's people are living in the world as prophets.
1 Peter 2:9 says, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the goodness of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” I did.
In 2 Timothy 4:2 it says, “Preach the word, be persistent in season and out of season, rebuke, rebuke and exhort with all patience and teaching.”
It is our mission to spread the beautiful virtues of God and His blessings.
The word of God is the word of prophecy. Therefore, all of us who receive and preach this word have a prophetic mission.
Therefore, the people of God have no choice but to go wherever they are told to go and shout whatever they say.
The people of God are not conscious of others. It doesn't matter whether he has power or not, it doesn't matter if he has a lot of money or not. We are just being faithful to what God has told us to convey.
However, sin reigns in the world. Romans 3:10 says, “As it is written, there is none righteous, not even one.” That's right. All humans are sinners.
That's why I hate hearing about sin. Like Herod, who did not want to hear the warnings of John the Baptist, the world always hates the people of God. Proud souls are always reluctant to hear because they accuse, rebuke, and call for repentance.
Galatians 1:10 says, "Am I now seeking to please men or God or do I seek the joy of men?
We Christians are all people of God. Then, my whole life should be devoted only to fulfilling the will of God who made me exist, called me, entrusted me with a mission, and sent me here.
3. It is heaven oriented.
People in the world are living a present or future-oriented life. They are past-oriented, obsessed with the past, material-oriented, focusing only on materials, and external-oriented, focusing only on appearance.
However, the people of God do not attach much significance to the next world.
No matter how splendid the past, it is future-oriented, moving forward without looking back; it does not boast of it no matter how large it is in quantity; it is meaning-oriented in pursuing what is right rather than how much it is, and no matter how gorgeous it looks, it is enviable. It is an inward orientation that emphasizes inner fidelity without being overconfident or withdrawn.
That is why the people of the world strive to be high, strive to be great, and boast about it.
However, the man of God does not hesitate to become the dross of all things in the world in order to become great in the sight of God.
Those who want to be great become small, and those who want to be high become humble. This is the way God's people exist. Therefore, it is future-oriented beyond the next.
If a player does well in the middle and then falls at the last place, is there any use in a draw? Even if you fall behind in the middle, you are the winner when you come in first at the end.
No matter how splendid the past is and no matter how the next generation develops, if you go to hell at the time of God's judgment, there will be no such pitiful and pitiful existence as that life.
In today's text, the commander who took Paul away was about to tie him up with a leather cord to interrogate Paul. At this time, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, "Can you scour the Romans without accusing them of sin?"
When the commander heard this, he came and said to Paul, 'Tell me, are you a Roman?' 'Yes.' The commander was afraid when he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen.
In this way, people in the world focus on outward appearances. So each person is using his/her wisdom to the extent of self-improvement.
You are trying to make yourself stand out from your real self. But the man of God does not have to do that. Because the judgment of this world is not great. The man of God only acknowledges the authority of God's judgment.
Therefore, in the end, we must strive more and more to become worthy people in the kingdom of God.
Now we must neither fall into conceit too easily, nor too quickly into despair. I don't become a saint just because the world praises me, nor does I become a villain because I spit a crown of thorns on me. Until there is a judgment in the kingdom of God, we must learn to remain silent.
Dear saints, Christians live on earth, but they are people of God.
We must follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and live like a man of God like Paul.
Because of this, you will be attacked by the world or by Satan, but it will be an honor.
Matthew 5:10-12 says, "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
To all of you who follow the path of righteousness and truth until the end, I bless you in the name of the Lord that you may be with us in the reward and glory of heaven.