Title: Only Through Prayer
Contents
Thanks to Jesus, the nine disciples escaped from their shameful and sweaty position, but they seemed to be curious about why they could not cast out the demons that Jesus easily cast out and why they had to suffer the disgrace. So, after waiting for all the people to withdraw and be alone with Jesus, I asked Jesus: “Why were we not able to cast out the demons?” (text verse 28) Jesus’ answer to this was “with something other than prayer. This kind cannot go out” (verse 29). This is Jesus' rebuke that the cause of the disciples' failure was that they tried to cast out demons without praying. He was pointing out the mistake of not praying and the failure that he suffered because he did not pray.
Without Jesus, the disciples, who were sent out for the first time alone, even in pairs, must have done it while believing in God and praying earnestly in fear and trembling. But when they did, they could really experience the amazing fact that demons were cast out by them and the sick were born. Mark 6:12-13 testifies that “the disciples went out and preached repentance, and cast out many demons, and anointed many sick people and healed them.” So, these disciples already had a history of exorcising many demons and healing diseases. But why did it fail this time?
The disciples of Jesus apparently cast out demons and healed diseases over and over again, so they began to mistakenly believe that they had the power to cast out demons and heal diseases, and it seems that they became proud. Because of fear and trembling, it seems that the urgency to pray earnestly clinging to God alone has gradually faded. I wonder if I may have neglected to pray and even forgot to pray at all. The disciples of Jesus were put to the test of pride, and that pride was the cause of their painful failure. “This kind cannot go out by anything but prayer.” The Lord's words were to rebuke the pride of the disciples who thought they could cast out demons on their own without relying on God.
This story reminds us of several facts. First, it seems to symbolize our Christian mission today that a man brought Jesus' disciples to cast out demons from his demon-possessed son. It is a reminder that the church has a mission to heal this world that is cramping and paralyzing as if possessed by all kinds of demons.
Second, the fact that the nine disciples were unable to cast out demons from a child while Jesus was away also symbolically shows that the church without Jesus is unable to exercise any spiritual power to cast out demons or heal diseases. It's like. It teaches us that every attempt to do something on our own without relying on the Lord through pride is bound to fail.
Third, the fact that Jesus' disciples were able to get out of a situation where they were the subject of quarrels and ridicule was only when Jesus came to them again, what makes us realize. In order for the Korean church to escape from the situation in which today's society is flirting and being pointed at, the Lord really needs to come again among us.
Fourth, if we know that only the Lord has the power to heal the diseases of this society, we must diligently preach and testify of that Jesus Christ. And first, we must strive to become disciples who are faithful to his teachings. If the Korean church likes to name the church and has been indifferent to or failed in revealing and exalting the name of Jesus Christ, then they must repent thoroughly.
It is often said that the power of miraculous growth of the Korean church lies in early morning prayer. But you should know that there are pitfalls. If you make a mistake, it is easy to think that prayer itself has some kind of magical power. We need to know that the root of church growth is not in prayer itself, but in the grace of God who answers prayer. That is, we must pray true prayer. Prayer should not be something to be proud of. God who answers prayer should be our only pride. Have Protestants in Korea ever stopped praying at dawn? As all the churches belonging to Protestantism go on, it is prayer that they do more and more and less than they pray. are you showing What does this mean? Isn't the conviction that the power of church growth is in prayer was too simple and hasty?
Then what is the true power of church growth? That's right belief. It is the faith that knows how to pray rightly. What is right prayer? It is completely dependent on God. It is acknowledging that we are completely powerless before God. Throwing away all pride. We must keep in mind that as long as we forget the grace of God who answered our prayers, we are filled with pride that we pray a lot, and consider prayer as a magic wand for church growth, there is nothing more to expect from the Korean church. I hope that we will become those who work on the Lord's work through prayer. We pray that we will be able to carry out the work of the Lord only with true prayer. I pray that we will all be able to accomplish the Lord's work, relying only on the grace of God who answers our true prayers.