Title: People of God (Sunday Sermon on February 25, 2007)
Contents
Bible: 1 Corinthians 4:6-13. Sunday, February 25, 2007 Sermon.
Title: People of God.
I believe that God will give you great grace today.
If we think of the great people of God in the history of the Bible,
First of all, among the prophets, such as Abraham or Moses,
Isaiah or Jeremiah or Ezekiel or Daniel
Or it reminds me of Amos.
But those who came after that and believed in God before us,
That is, among the Christians who received the gospel early A.D.,
That is to say, after experiencing difficulties beyond words
How many people had to pass all the tests
Don't forget what happened.
In particular, the gospel of Christ was
It spread from Jerusalem.
And this gospel spread very rapidly throughout the world through Rome.
that had been disseminated.
At that time, the Roman Empire persecuted Christians terribly.
But even in this environment, the early church members did not give in.
Moreover, we strive to gather together while relying on God.
They were fervent prayers.
And the saints at that time trusted each other
Helping each other and sharing what is necessary for
By strengthening the bond between saints and saints,
It was a community life.
But there is one thing we must not forget.
It is the traces of the blood left behind by the ancestors of that faith at that time.
Now it has been turned into products of midday tourist attractions,
The fact is that it has become a means of earning foreign currency.
In other words, the history of the catacombs, the Colosseum event, the amphitheater,
or through other hermit village historic sites, how many,
Whether the people of our God have lived through years of suffering,
Even today, those who visit there
You can see the historical site.
What is a Catacomb? Christians who mean sanctuary
It is an underground tomb where they hid for over 300 years.
(But they also knew that their eternal resting place was in heaven)
During the time of Emperor Nero, Christians suffered a lot of persecution.
At that time, they had a home, a church, and a school together in an underground cave tomb.
It has lived for hundreds of years.
The size of the cave tomb is only about 1 meter wide and about 3 to 4 meters high,
The total length of the cave is 500 km.
So long and mysteriously incomprehensible
It is a cave tomb historic site.
And the numerous statues carved into the cave tombs,
Paintings, and many figures, are now
At that time, you can see the reality of primitive Christian art.
They are truly valuable cultural assets.
Now, these are all places of midday tourism to make money.
It has become (report)
At that time, their life was just a life as a mole.
I lived for days and years without ever seeing the light of the sun.
Please consider them. Put the dead invoice right next to it
These are the people who lived life and death together with the living and the dead.
Not only that. The so-called “Uchisar”
Another hermit village.
They also escaped the persecution of Emperor Nero and lived for 250 years.
It was a place where he lived the life of a hermit.
They were formed by lava from the volcano of "Mount Ergis"
As it passes, it is a novelty that has been eroded through weathering by rain and wind
Using an iron brush or wooden tools on limestone, etc.
Building an underground city with pure manual labor
They built prayer places, cave churches, houses, and schools there.
I lived there.
The persecution inflicted on them throughout the Roman Empire reached its peak.
Many were captured and lost their lives.
They were even taken to the amphitheater and served as food for beasts such as lions.
They put Christians into the arena defenseless.
Then he releases the hungry lions from all sides.
Then these lions will run to each other for food
In an instant, it crushes even the bones of a person, rips them to pieces and eats them.
What a terrible sight.
What could be worse than this?
The persecution of Christians, which reached its peak, began during the reign of Emperor Constantine.
He came and was freed by the rain and gained freedom.
Constantine the Great, too, recognized Christianity from the beginning
There was no intention of granting religious freedom to the people of the Roman Empire.
It was only to a lesser extent, but it was the
The policy was the same.
However, he then crossed the Tiber River in northern Rome.
The enemy, Maxentious, crossed a bridge called Mi-vi-an and
There was a fierce battle going on.
At that time, he was troubled, unable to sleep at night.
Then, at this very moment, he receives a revelation from God.
And he won the battle big.
In this way he was Lisinius of the East,
Destroyed all enemies and became the great emperor of the Roman Empire that crossed east and west.
And he issued the Edict of Milan in 313 AD.
This decree gives freedom to choose all religions,
It was also a declaration that allowed us to worship freely.
After that he converts completely to Christianity.
and he was confiscated at the same time
All church property was returned.
On the other hand, after that, Emperor Constantine established many churches.
They also made achievements in building.
That is, “The church of st John lateran” and
“The church of Peter”, and
Also “The church of Paul”, etc.
Everyone! Today's text is to the Corinthian church members who are arrogant and arrogant.
A reminder of how the apostles Paul and Apollos set an example
It starts with the word.
In verse 9 of the text, he put the apostles at the very end. Said.
“Like a Chinese character determined to kill”
“It has become a spectacle to angels and men,” he continues.
But all these things were made foolish only because of Christ.
it just looks stupid explains.
Everyone! Sometimes foolishly because we are servants of the Lord
that's what it looks like It's never too late and it's never enough
I just have to become a grain of wheat that has fallen to the ground,
That is why we must die so that our Lord can live among us.
Because it bears much fruit.
This is the evangelical life, the missionary life.
Everyone! What did the apostle Paul say?
He said that I am not inferior to you.
2 Corinthians 11:22. Are we Hebrews?
So am I; are we Israelis?
So am I; are they Abraham's seed?
So do I, he said.
He was a student of “Gamaliel.”
And he also had Roman citizenship.
And he was also a lawyer and a Pharisee.
But he renounced all interests
Rather, he said that he would die every day.
It was a life of self-doubt.
1 Corinthians 15:31. Brethren, I in Christ Jesus our Lord
By the pride I have of you that I have, I affirm
I die every day In this way, he lived a life of death every day.
The words from verses 10 to 13 of the text describe the life of the missionaries.
And that is the life of a pastor. And so is the life of the elders.
All of them were the lives of those who became servants of God.
did you say moore? Naked, beaten, homeless,
Working with your hands, folks! All these words are the words of the people who shared the gospel with blood and sweat in the past.
These are the passages that remind us of the lives of missionaries-pioneers.
Then, if you are humiliated, you will bless them; if you are persecuted, be patient.
If you are criticized, I exhort you,” he continued.
This is the path that all of God's servants walked.
Everyone! And then what did you say?
(We) have until now become like the filth of the world and the dross of all things.
It concludes the word.
Everyone! This is the great ancestor of our faith,
The life of the missionaries who preached the gospel to the world for the first time in the world
It is a passage that teaches you what kind of life it was.
If so, how did they overcome that great ordeal?
Or even being martyred as servants of the gospel
Were you able to fulfill all that mission?
It was only because they had placed their eternal hope in heaven.
So, even though life in this world is hard and blood, sweat and
Even if I say that it brings the pain of hard work
I was thinking of a heavenly reward.
So they became one grain of wheat.
Becoming another grain of salt and pouring sweat and blood together,
He has preached the gospel to us even today on this earth.
They lived as God's people. Amen.