Title: The Apostle's Evidence
(Lecture 2) 1 John 1:1-3 The Apostle's Testimony
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Concerning the word of life that was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, this life was made manifest. We have seen and testify of this eternal life, and we proclaim it to you, that it is with the Father. has been revealed to us, and what we have seen and heard, we are also telling you that you may have fellowship with us, which we have fellowship with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ (1 John 1:1-3).
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The Reconstruction Church to which Eunseok Church belongs is a denomination that started as people who were released from prison after being imprisoned for refusing to worship a shrine during the Japanese colonial period. When I hear their stories, I feel a lot of loss of confidence in myself as I think, ‘Am I confident that I will not be afraid to die or be imprisoned because of Jesus?’
In the Bible, we hear stories of the apostles who were not afraid of death and testified of the gospel. And we hear about many Christians who were persecuted for the sake of Christ even in the early church and did not give up the gospel until they died. However, such stories should not end as mere stories of great men or history.
We should see the greatness of faith in such things. You should be able to admire the power of faith that made you a person who was afraid of death and was willing to die for the Lord by holding on to those who tried to go their own way. And we must seek that kind of faith. My heart fears death and tries to avoid being imprisoned, but it is faith that holds my heart so that even the valley of the shadow of death is not afraid.
If it's just asking for faith in the comfort and well-being of my one body, my body that will perish, I have no choice but to say that it is too poor and childish.
Faith makes us look to the kingdom of heaven and life, not to look at our body. Faith makes known all things in heaven that have been given to us. Because of this, faith makes us poor but rich. Because it makes you live as one who has nothing but has everything. I wish we could live in this belief.
When we think about it, it can be said that the apostles were able to be firm in their faith because they met Jesus directly, heard the word from Jesus, witnessed the miracles of Jesus, and even touched the resurrected Jesus. That is why we, too, have the illusion that our beliefs can be improved by experiencing mystical experiences.
But Judas Iscariot followed Jesus and saw all kinds of miracles, but in the end he betrayed Him. Peter was so afraid of dying that he even denied Jesus three times. In the end, we need to know that just because we have a new experience does not improve or protect our faith.
In fact, the pilgrimage to the Holy Land is only then. At first, they say that they received grace because of the things that move them, but after a while, all feelings and feelings will disappear. That is, grace is not acquired and sustained by experience. However, there are some things that make you think of the Word because of some experience and remember the grace you have forgotten because of the Word. Therefore, if you live by the Word of who Christ is in your heart, that is grace and the firmness of your faith.
In fact, whatever the believer does in Christ is a special life and experience. If you think that I am not worthy of living without eating, even eating rice is a blessing. If so, eating is a special experience for him. That is why believers should be able to think of the Lord in their daily lives. If he thinks that it is because of the Lord that he lives day by day, he meets the Lord every day. In this life, he meets, sees, hears, and touches the Lord.
Verse 2 says, “This life was made manifest, and we have seen and testify to this eternal life, and we declare it to you, that he was with the Father and was made manifest to us.”
What the apostle testifies is life. However, it was not a doctrinal witness that believing in Jesus would lead to eternal life, but it was a life that was real to the apostles enough to say that they saw eternal life.
I am not telling you to evangelize. Instead, I will ask you whether the Jesus Christ you believe in exists as a true and irreplaceable and precious One that you can say you have seen and heard. I ask if you have such a firmness to Christ in your heart that you can say that my life has no meaning without Jesus Christ. If you have such determination, the truth in you will make you work as a witness, even if you are not told to evangelize.
In fact, our problem is not that we do not witness and do not evangelize, but rather that we do not have a firm belief in Jesus Christ. Because of this, it is always shaken by the problems of the world.
You too are messengers and witnesses. But what will you convey and what will you testify to? If you don't see or hear anything, you can't do anything. I hope we can see and hear Christ in the Word. And live by witnessing and communicating only Him. This is your mission.