Title: Progress in Faith / Philippians 1:25-28
progress in content
Philippians 1:25-28
It's the first week of the new year. In the new year, I wish you and your families God's great grace and blessings. Ebenezer--God's great grace that has led us up to this point will be abundant in 2006 as well, so Jehovah Jire--I bless you that you will have a healthy, joyful, gracious, full, and abundant year that God prepares with good things.
Although it is called a new year, the time God has given us is always new time. No time, no moment is new. No matter what time we are, we are always living in a new time last. Because time does not repeat. People think that last December 31st is old time, and today January 1st think of it as new time. It's just an illusion. No time in our lives has never been a new time, and times that will never come again are given by grace. But why do people think December 31st is the old time and January 1st is the new time? In fact, it is not because of time, but because of an old mind. In the continuous flow of time, we make a knot in the middle to arrange old things, and we make a knot of time because of the desire to start anew.
If you do, you will realize that the new year, the new day, or the new time is a matter of the heart, not of the actual date. Hanging a new calendar on the wall does not mean that a new time will come. A new time begins only when the mind is renewed.
The Bible speaks of time in two ways. The word 'kairos' is used when referring to the time of grace. When we say 'Now is the time to receive grace', this 'time' is kairos. When we say 'when we wake up in the morning' we use the word 'chronos'. When we just talk about the passing of time, we use the word chronos. People who live without thinking live the time of Kronos, but those who live the life of Kairos are living the life of Kairos, the time of a new decision at any time.
So the Apostle Paul said.
but be renewed in the spirit to follow God
Put on the new man, which was created in righteousness and holiness of truth. Ephesians 4:23-24
We renew our minds today, hold on to this simple, flowing time for a while, make a knot, and from now on we name it New Time. On the first day and first week of the year we have labeled this new hour, what are we going to make of our faith resolutions?
Apostle Paul exhorts the Philippian church members to live a life worthy of the gospel for the advancement of faith and joy. Faith also has life. A dead faith, a weak faith, a powerful faith, a living faith, etc. are like living things. Faith is not a solid mass given at any moment. Faith is a verb, not a noun. Faith moves, grows, perishes, and is renewed. That is why there must be progress in faith.
In 2006, I hope that you will become the members of the congregation who strive for a few things for the progress and joy of faith.
set your goals.
A person without a goal has nothing to achieve. A person who runs for a goal even if he fails is more capable than a person who does not fail because he does nothing.
The goal of -- young people think this is a clich . To say it a little noble and young, it means to have a vision. I often pray like, 'God, give me a vision'. But God doesn't give us a vision, but when we have a vision, God brings blessings to it. God, I want to live like this. Help. God, I have decided to do this. give me strength When that happens, God is with you.
This year, I will live my life of faith like this. At least at the beginning of the year, you should think about it at least once. There is no progress in faith or joy in the complacency of thinking about what will happen as time goes by. How will you live your prayer life? How will you serve? How many times should I read the bible? How will your family life be? How do I do evangelism? This year, I will live with a positive attitude. I will live with love this year. There should be goals, etc. When there is a goal, there is something to achieve, something to fight for, something to strive for, something to win, and something to gain joy from.
There is this article.
Your birth and death cannot be decided on your own.
But the breadth and depth of your life is up to you.
The beauty of your face cannot be determined by yourself.
But your facial expressions are up to you.
You cannot decide for yourself today and tomorrow's weather.
But the clarity and cloudiness of your soul is at your discretion.
Try to give yourself to God.
You have rightly divided the word of truth,
One who is recognized as a worker who is not to be ashamed of
Strive to present yourself before God. 2 Timothy 2:15
A life of faith is a life of 'dream'. Without 'dream', there can be no true life of faith. There are people who understand only by receiving faith. Of course, faith is a life in which we receive grace, receive salvation, receive forgiveness of sins, receive blessings, and receive answers to prayers. In that sense, faith is a life of receiving.
However, those who truly know that they receive from God will always show their allegiance by giving thanks for the grace. If you subtract loyalty from faith, what is left? If you subtract dreams from loyalty, what is left? Only selfishness and greed remain. Therefore, faith is what those who know the grace of 'receiving' live by fulfilling 'dream'. Giving time, talent, material, and even life is the life of faith. Faith begins with receiving, but completes with dreaming.
Where your treasure is, there your heart will be. Giving to God is not simply giving your material things, but giving your heart. Giving my heart to you. Therefore, God values what is pleasing to you. God bless such people. When you give, you are blessed.
In particular, please pay a full tithe. Tithing is a living confession of faith that confesses that God is the source of my life. 'I believe that I am a saved child of God. Tithing is the confession that I am living by the grace of God, who is the source of blessing!' Therefore, when the tithing is clear, the confession must be sincere.
God also blesses those who give joy. If you are a believer who truly believes that God is the source of blessings, try to give them joy. There is progress and joy in faith. That is the fountain of blessing.
love more
May this year be a year of more love. As we go through life, we realize that there is nothing more beautiful and precious than love.
A rich young man came to Jesus and asked how he could obtain eternal life. Then the Lord told us to keep the commandments. This rich man confidently replied, "I have kept it since I was a child." At that time, the Lord looked into the man's heart and said, 'You lack one thing: sell your possessions, give to the poor, and follow me' (Luke 18:22).
Brothers and sisters, we do many things in our religious life, but the most important thing, 'one thing', is missing, isn't it? We are busy with many things, but 'one thing is lacking'--aren't we missing out on love? No matter how great a thing is, nothing is more valuable than love. Nothing moves our hearts more than love. Nothing fills the heart as much as love.
The final form of life we want to achieve is a life of love. The person we want to be in this world is a person of love. The fruit that God wants from us is the fruit of love. Although prophecies, tongues, powers, and worship cease, love is eternal until the end of heaven.
J.W. Goethe wrote this poem.
where are we born
in love.
how do we perish
without love
How do we overcome ourselves
by love.
how can we find love
by love.
what makes us cry
love.
What always unites us
love.
It is not a poem, but it is an article that makes you realize how precious love is. I pray that this year will be a year of progress in faith as love grows more abundantly.
Pray always.
As I get older, I often think that people who live without prayer are amazing. It is truly amazing that there are people who live their lives without prayer while navigating this unknown world, looking at the difficulties, pains, and pains they encounter in life. It is a time of prayer and fellowship with God. It is a time of grace. It's time to reinvent me. It is a time to fill the life of God in me. It's not just about arranging words, it's about putting your hands together in front of God. It is looking to God. In difficult times, I look to the Lord to have mercy on me. When there are good things and happy things, it is not my good-looking, but only the grace of God, raising both hands and glorifying God. Even though I am nothing, I am simply giving the Lord a heart of gratitude and emotion to ask if he has given me this kind of joy.
Life is a life of prayer. A life of faith without prayer is like a blackout light bulb. There is a shape, but no light. They look alike, but they don't have the ability. Prayer is the life force of faith.
Why is my prayer life not working well even though I know it? It is because of bad faith habits. It's because I have a habit of always procrastinating and joking around. Busy? So, do you pray when you have nothing to do or are bored? The busier you are, the more you need to pray. It is also because of vague beliefs. Because I do not believe that God is with me. It's because you think of faith in your head, but it doesn't lead to your body. This is because the Word is not a concrete faith that becomes flesh. Because it is not the faith of the fear of God. A heart of earnest longing for God, a heart of reverence for God--that is what makes prayer.
This year's small motto is 'Experience miracles through prayer'. If you pray and see, living itself is a miracle. I hope that 2006 will be a year when there will be no ceaseless shouts of prayers here and there when you come to church. I hope that united prayers will overflow in every meeting place. I hope that the church will be a church where God's grace flows down like a waterfall in prayer. I hope that the lives of the saints will be abundant in prayer. I hope you will be gracious. I wish you a year of experiencing miracles in prayer.