Title: Saints who live boldly in the world
Contents
※ Ephesians 2:1~7
In today's Bible, who are we as Christians? A definition is coming out. Ephesians 2:4-5 “We who were dead in trespasses, God made us alive together with Christ, raised us up together, and seated us in heaven with Jesus Christ in Jesus Christ.” We were dead in our sins and trespasses, but God made us children, and now we live with Jesus in heaven as people with heavenly citizenship. It is a very good statement, but strictly speaking, it is one of the words that puts us at a very disadvantage in living in this world.
When I lived in the United States, sociologists in the United States refer to them as 'marginal people' when they say academically how they describe immigrants from Korea. In other words, ‘neighbors’. Koreans have no choice but to live as neighbors even if they live as US citizens. Because culture, order, and appearance are different. This can be said to be similar to the situation of us Christians.
We live on this earth with citizenship in heaven. 1 John 2:15 “Do not love the world or the things of this world. If you love this world, the love of God is not in you.” Even though we live on this earth like this, we cannot live clinging to this earth. The Bible always says, “Forget the things of the earth, and look to the sky and live. Live by looking at the things above.” Therefore, since we live on this earth and look to the sky, we have no choice but to live on this earth as people around us.
Christians living on this earth as neighbors can easily get hurt. Because it does not live according to the laws of the earth, but according to the laws of heaven. The Bible tells us that if you hit the left cheek, stick out the right cheek, that is, live with loss and forgiveness. But, toward us, God said, “Live boldly on this earth. Rejoice in the Lord.” You say. How can we, as neighbors, live boldly on this earth?
First, verse 4 says, “We, who were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ, raised us together and seated us in the heavenly places in Jesus Christ…” One of the important things the Bible teaches us is that we were dead before we believed in Jesus. However, the Bible defines it as a life we live through meeting Jesus, a new life.
Before I knew the Lord, the Lord knew me and called me to receive the Lord and lead us to a new life. However, the Bible tells us that we go one step further from dying and living in this way, and that He has made us sit with Jesus next to Jesus, who is seated at the right hand of God.
So today's Christians are saying that they live on this earth, but in reality they are God's people living next to Jesus in heaven. So, even though we are living on this earth at this time, please realize that we are the people of heaven who are sitting in heaven with Jesus.
If we have this certain belief that we are the people of heaven who sit together in heaven with Jesus, we can live boldly enough while living as strangers and strangers on this earth.
2 Chronicles 16:9 “The God who is in heaven searches the earth and gives power to those who seek God with all their hearts.” We seek God with our whole heart, we look to heaven with our whole heart. These words can be put more simply, aspirations and ambitions. We, who are living as strangers on this earth today, believe that we must have holy aspirations and holy ambitions toward God with all our hearts. It is at this time that the power of God will come upon us and we will be able to live boldly.
Are our possessions ours? No, it's from God. We can live boldly when we know clearly that what we have today belongs to God, not mine. We become weak when we have regrets and attachments to the things of this earth. In fact, we cannot take anything with us when we leave this land. So, as people of the kingdom of heaven, I hope that we know that everything on this earth belongs to God and entrust everything to God. And what we need to know is that God is making us better tomorrow than we are today. The Lord came to this earth to give us life and to give us a more abundant life. Therefore, when we acknowledge that everything we have belongs to God and entrust it to God, we can live boldly on this earth.
Also, we do not live by the emotions we felt when we live on this earth, but we live by the word of God. It's because the pilot's comfort in controlling the plane even in the dark of night is not by feeling, but by looking at the instrument panel. Joshua 1:7 “But be strong and very courageous, and keep and do all the law that Moses my servant commanded you; do not turn to the left or to the right, so that you may prosper wherever you go.” I hope
2007-01-27 10:24:13