Title: Prayer for Salvation
Contents
prayer for salvation
Proverbs 11:24-25
During the last rainy season, torrential downpours fell in the southern regions and Gangwon-do, causing many people to lose their homes. We need a lot of help when we face such difficulties, and our people have a good tradition of helping those in need rather than just leaving them alone. We know that we are actively helping the rich according to the rich, the poor according to the needy, the government according to the government, and the church according to the church.
Barnabas sold all the fields he owned to help the needy neighbors. This is a beautiful image that shows the beauty of his personality and the maturity of his character. However, in Acts 5, there is a man who wants to receive the same praise as Barnabas, although his faith and character do not reach them. Their names are Ananias and Sapphira.
The reason why these people's personality and faith are not as good as Barnabas's is that they collapse in front of money. They also promised to sell the field they had and give it all away, but it was a waste of money because the money was generated. So we hide some and give you the rest.
As the Lord said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21), there is no one who will not be shaken in the face of material things. However, it is character and faith that overcomes this heart. Barnabas put material things in front and controlled their greed with character and faith, but Ananias and Sapphira did not. So you fall. Thought to do good, they fall in front of material things, and they leave a miserable name in front of the church.
Working with material things, especially salvation, is such a difficult task. In particular, the Korean church is often criticized for being stingy in caring for society, but in fact, the Korean church is never stingy in caring for society. For example, about 50% of social facilities are run by Christians. And it is true that the church pays missionary expenses and relief expenses in various places with yin and yang, although we do not speak publicly. Also, as an example, the church is where beggars come to their hearts and shout out loud, and there is no other place other than the church that sends even a thousand won to them. Nevertheless, I personally think that the reason why it is evaluated as stingy is because society's expectations for the church are that high.
‘Take care of the poor’ is something the Lord Himself practiced, it was a recommendation decided by the Early Church, and it is also the reason why 7 ordained deacons were selected for the Jerusalem Church. Of course, even in today's text, the Bible encourages us to actively strive for salvation.
Tonight, I would like to get the subject of prayer by examining the reasons why the Lord asks us for relief and what the benefits of relief are.
■ First, let's think about why we need relief.
The main reason for this is that the Lord wants us to do that. When the Lord commands us to give alms in the Sermon on the Mount, He even tells us how to do it. Where can we find that word?
Matthew 6:2-4. “Therefore, when you give alms, do not blow the trumpet before you, as hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that men may glorify them. so that your alms may be in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
So why is the world always full of people in need of relief? It's such a stupid question, but it's because there are so many poor people in the world.
Then why do people become poor? If the question becomes like this, the topic becomes heavy for a late-night prayer meeting.
In the world, the problem of capital becomes a political structure and a system of life. So, we can deal with this problem academically, but if you say it here and now, you will fall asleep, and simply put as the Bible says, you will become poor in the following few ways.
The first is laziness. Proverbs 24:33 says: “Let us sleep a little longer, sleep a little more, put our hands together and lie down a little more, and your poverty comes like a robber”
One of the reasons people become poor is because they are lazy. There is an English proverb that says, "The early bird catches the most prey". Also, in our proverb, “Poverty cannot be saved even by the country,” but there is no way for the lazy person to be saved by the country.
Another is disaster. If you look around the country these days, you can feel the words so much. Suddenly floods or fires cause the loss of homes and property, leading to poverty. There are also cases of poverty due to war. If you look at the recent wars in Iraq or Israel and Jordan, this statement is very real.
Another word often used by some progressive people is because of the social structure. It has improved a lot now, but there are still many people who are living a difficult life because they are not getting the same treatment or wages as they did.
In fact, there was a time in the past when it was so user-centric that the people working under it suffered.
Even in the UK, a democratic country, after the Industrial Revolution, even a 12-year-old boy was almost imprisoned for 18 hours a day, in many cases working and not receiving adequate wages. There were many similar incidents in Korea in the 1960s and 1970s. So, it also provided the reason why our labor movement became exceptionally strong. In this world, there are many people who suffer from poverty for various reasons. So relief is needed.
However, as we saw in the case of Ananias and Sapphira, it is very difficult to share one's wealth and give it to others. So there must be prayer.
We often experience that greed is quenched through prayer. That is why we must pray for peace of mind, faith, and courage in our hearts this night.
■ Second, let's consider the benefits of giving relief.
We all don't really enjoy sharing our wealth. Because there is a greed that is deeply rooted in our hearts. And because it's instinctive.
※ While reading a book, I read an article by Kim Young-woon, who runs a shoe repair shop in Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do.
That's right. Sharing money is difficult. Sharing time is also difficult. Sharing your heart is difficult. Therefore, the Lord promises blessings to those who share their time and money in this way.
This is what the Lord promises. First, the Lord says that He will surely repay you for everything you share and give. “And whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, that person will by no means lose his reward” (Matthew 10:42).