Title: Rumors of Jesus
There is a saying that words without feet go a thousand miles. Nothing spreads as fast as rumors. It spreads widely in all directions with great speed. When I surveyed the customers of a certain car dealership, 57!!% said they had heard the rumors. 53% of people who go to the cinema go by word of mouth. Rumors are contagious. It spreads amazingly from mouth to ear and ear to mouth. The word of the Thessalonian church was very good. Their story of faith, hope and love spread through Macedonia and Achaia to all the world (1 Thessalonians 1:3,8). I hope the rumors of our church spread like that. Rumors of Jesus have tremendous power.
?? Audience mobilization power.
Rumor has the power to mobilize an audience. An audience is a group of people who gather to listen to a lecture or sermon music. On October 3, in Sangju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, 11 people were crushed and 70 others were injured as crowds gathered to watch a music concert hosted by MBC were pushed and pushed to take a seat. The accident occurred because the people who came to hear the rumors did not follow the order.
Emmanuel Rosen, author of the book “Sell by word of mouth,” cites research by a university professor. They studied how jackdaws find food during the cold winter months. He rescued a dead cow from the farmhouse, moved it into the woods, and hid in a nearby log cabin to observe the jackdaws. A jackdaw found the carcass of a dead cow and flew away. A few days later, dozens of ravens came. The number of crows is increasing day by day. One study found that when one or two jacked ravens found food, they summoned family and friends. It was not that he was secretly aware that there was food, but that he informed his colleagues and that they came in groups to eat and live together.
Rumors became known that Jesus was in a certain house in Capernaum. People flocked to know where and from whom the rumor had been heard.
“Many people were gathered together, and they could not be brave even at the door, but Jesus spoke the way” (verse 2). This is the power of “the rumors of Jesus”. It is the rumors that circulate that have mobilized such a large audience.
As a single church, the church with the largest number of gatherings in the world is located in Korea. This is Yoido Full Gospel Central Church. The parish has a size of 20,000 people, and the number of worship services through TV broadcasting is about 5,000. Including the Jiseongjeon, there are over 350,000 worshipers every week.
?? It is the cooperation of four people, the power of four people.
The rumor of Jesus sparked the cooperation of the four. There is a saying called four quarters and five fevers. It refers to tearing into pieces. If there are more than three people, it is difficult to add them together. However, what has been revealed through the rumors of Jesus in Capernaum is unity and unity.
Verse 3 says, “They came to Jesus with a paralytic on four of them.” It is the rumor of Jesus that caused the four people to work together and cooperate. The rumors of Jesus made people cooperate. To save one person, we united our hearts and strength. “Even an enemy that cannot be stopped alone can be stopped together. If you twist a string in three layers, it is not easily broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12). The best efficiency is voluntary cooperation. Bees get nothing if they don't cooperate, but they can get anything if they work together, though small. For the church to thrive, we work together. Hands, Feet, Eyes, Nose, Mouth can do anything if they work together.
The law of life is not competition of greed, but cooperation for good for all. The strength of the townsfolk is gathered for the good will of saving a paralyzed man, and the four of them unite to bring the sick person to Jesus.
Professor Ahn Chang-ho is speaking like this. “When you are divided, you become individuals and lose sovereignty, and when you unite, you become citizens and enjoy sovereignty. When you join, you are commanders; when you divide, you are obeying commands.”
Mutual aid is a law of nature. Families, churches, and nations perish when divided, but grow and develop when united. There is no happiness in counter consciousness. There is joy in the consciousness of cooperation. Hands wash your hands. Even a barber can't cut his own hair. The barber cuts the barber's hair.
In Korea, there are two Hwangs that the world envy. Dr. Woo-Suk Hwang is the CEO of Biotechnology (BT), and Chang-Gyu Hwang, President of Samsung Electronics, is the CEO of Information Technology (IT). Both of them are from Seoul National University and are the same age. Two people met. “Combining these two technologies could cure incurable diseases such as AIDS and diabetes,” we decided to hold a regular meeting and discuss the issue. Combining these two different technologies will enable new discoveries that will astonish the world.
The most feared animal in the African jungle is the ant. They travel in groups of 10 li long. Even the wild beasts scream and run away when they see a swarm of ants. Not because the ants are big and strong, but because of their cooperative spirit. In front of the cooperative spirit of ants, even an elephant can't keep up. Go to the ants and learn their cooperative spirit. The collection of different gifts can work wonders. Let's all join forces and participate in the movement to save lives and save souls. Specifically, one or two people are pointed out and brought to the Lord.
?? It is barrier-penetrating ability, 障壁貫通力.
Rumors of Jesus gave rise to wall-breaking power. There are always obstacles ahead of those who want to move forward. something is blocking it When the moon shines, clouds block it, and the Jordan River blocks it as it is about to enter the land of Canaan. You have to cross that river to step on the land of Canaan.
Look at verse 4. “I will tear down the roof and make a hole in it and put down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.” Verse 5, “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” . The dog barks, but the train goes. The greater the disturbance, the greater the desire.
When I saw this scene, I was reminded of the word barrier-penetrating power. What is penetration? It's about drilling a hole in a blocked wall to let it pass through. When they heard about Jesus, they broke through the barrier that stood in front of them. Climb the wall and climb to the roof, “to tear the roof out and make a hole.” They put the patient they had brought in a blanket, tied it with a rope, and lowered it down in front of Jesus indoors.
Jesus saw our “faith.” Faith is shown by works. Faith without works is invisible. “My brethren, what profit is it if a person says he has faith and has no works? can faith save him?” (James 2:14) Faith works with works (verse 22). “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead” (verse 26).
When water boils over 100 degrees Celsius, it produces energy called steam. You cannot get energy from water at 0˚C or water at 99˚C. If the temperature is lowered to 100˚C by raising 1˚C more, energy will not come out. It's not that your enthusiasm is lacking, it's that 1˚C is not enough. I hope that we can penetrate the barrier by raising the zeal of faith by just 1˚C. It means to show our faith to the Lord.
The paralytic was healed. The Lord said, “Your sins are forgiven you by the paralytic” (verse 9). “I tell you, get up, take your mat, and go home” (verse 11). Everyone we bring will receive this grace.
When traveling to the United States from Korea, you pass through Alaska, which means “a vast land”. Originally owned by Russia, the land was purchased from Russia in 1867 by US Secretary of State Seward for $7.2 million. At that time, the American media criticized the reason for buying useless ice cubes and putting them in the refrigerator. It was discovered that the land, which had been regarded as useless, had enormous oil resources. Also, gold mines are endless no matter how much they dig, and people are flocking to this treasure trove of unpolluted and abundant fish as a natural tourist attraction. The US is now bringing in oil from Alaska by burying the pipeline that ran through Canada from Alaska.
Jesus is a bigger and more precious treasure island than Alaska. You have to drill a hole to get in where he is. We need to connect the pipe of grace. We must draw in the grace and truth that is in Him. We need to tear down the old traditional roof. We need to pierce through negative thoughts about Christianity. The living water from him gives us life. Finally enrich it.
When Bush was a bachelor, he saw Laura Bush, now his wife, and fell in love with her at first sight. “Why are you following me?” “I fell in love with the girl at first sight.” “If you keep doing this, I will scream,” Bush said. “I’m not afraid to scream. Do whatever you want!” Bush trembled a little, but followed calmly. When Laura reached her house, she screamed. "Mom! I'm getting married!" Women are so funny. I mean, I'm shivering!
Maybe it's just a rumor or a story made for fun.
Rumors of Jesus have the power to mobilize the audience. It's not a rumor, it's a true rumor. The news of Jesus sparked a movement to bring people to Jesus. Rumors have had penetrating power to break through the barriers. A miracle occurred in which the paralytic was saved. We want the Bucheon Donggwang Church, the body of the Lord, to become the epicenter of the spread of the word of Jesus. “The master said to his servant, “Go out into the streets and by the hills, and compel them to bring them in, that my house may be filled” (Luke 14:23), God’s command. Obey the evangelism command. If you do not obey, obey. If that doesn't work, even pretend to be obedient. Then God works.
“As the Lord commands, go over the mountains and across the water and tell the whole world, Jesus saves you”
Next week is Damo Festival Sunday.
all gather! Deliver everything! pray all! All blessings! Join us!