Title: Misunderstanding about grace
Contents
“As co-workers with God, we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. He said, “I heard you in your favor, and I helped you in the day of salvation.” Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. ” (2 Corinthians 6:1 2)
Korean Christianity seems to be strongly shamanistic. It seems that there are a lot of beliefs in Korea. We live without much difference from the rest of the world, but at a retreat or revival, we repent and become hot. However, when we come back down to the world, the enthusiasm and grace of that time disappear again, and there seem to be many people who live the same life of faith as they did in the past. Why?
You should eat regular spiritual food such as cutie and meditation, but it may be because you are not trained. However, an important factor in such a phenomenon is that the concept of grace is distorted. We cannot experience grace only during retreats or revival meetings. Moreover, it is not only at that time that God bestows many special graces. A revival meeting is absolutely not a gathering like a ‘customer gift-giving event’ or an ‘event-like meeting’. And it shouldn't be like that.
Especially these days, there are cases where we get excited by dazzling praises and dance moves, so it is sometimes mistaken as if we have just received 'grace'. It's just that the rhythm was fun and I was 'impressed'. Even in concerts around the world, you will see people falling down in tears and enthusiasm. Because music has an influence. But the tune of music itself cannot completely change your life. Praise filled with the Holy Spirit, planted with the word of God as precious lyrics, can change lives. Only music that contains the truth of God's Word in its lyrics can truly change and save lives. If the lyrics of the praise are not biblical and are filled with lyrics asking to comfort only human suffering, then it is just a new set of songs disguising praise.
Now we need a transformation of our perspective. God is always shining on us the “beam of grace” that never loses. In fact, we are always living basking in God's grace. But there is a "fog of sin" piled up before us. That's what cuts us off from the rays of God's grace. The curtain of sin blocks the rays of God's grace, so we are not enjoying the 'light of grace'.
The problem is with us. The more we sin, the more we are obscured by the fog of sin and unable to feel His grace and presence. While wandering through the darkness in the filth, you do not realize the filth. However, if we always seek God with all our heart and sincerity, we can experience the abundant grace that we experienced during the revival meeting. You can recover the "hot first love with Jesus" in distant memories.
Another problem that prevents us from basking in the light of grace is the window of our defiled heart. Because of the windows of our hearts tanned with lust like fire, windows stained with pride, and windows of hearts tinted with worldly colors It is not enjoying the perfect rays of God's grace. Even if the sun's rays of grace continue to shine on us, we may be intoxicated with distorted grace (a state of faith that changes according to our moods and emotions) and worldly impressions disguised as God's grace. God's grace has the power to change our lives. But that's the only moment of catharsis or artificial worldly emotions. God's grace is not the kind of thing we taste and seek to sustain when we are emotionally and mentally exhausted, like drugs or tranquilizers. Christianity is not a ‘religious service business’.
When we repent of our sins and seek God wherever we are, we can experience God's grace. We should always receive and enjoy grace based on the Word of God, the Bible. And true grace can be enjoyed when we obey God's Word. God's word is like a lump of coal, the fuel that can keep the locomotive of grace running nonstop. Even if it is foolish and shameful to live according to the Word, like the march of fools, you will experience true grace and miracles when you only believe in God.
We want to close the word.
Why do we always ask, “Did you receive grace?” only after a revival meeting or retreat, and why don’t we greet our friends by saying, “Did you receive grace?” after hearing the sermons of the Sunday worship service? How about asking? From now on, it would be good to suddenly ask, "Are you living with God's grace?" "Are you always living with God's grace?" I hope the other person will be really embarrassed, as we receive a surprise attack on the question “Are you blessed?”, which we only hear at revival meetings and retreats. maybe.