Title: The Church Showing the Progress of Faith
Contents
The text is from Acts 1:8
I pray that it will be a year in which the spirit lives and shows the progress of faith. In Acts 2:17, quoting Joel 2:28, it says, “In the last days I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh…”
“My spirit” is the Holy Spirit, and when we receive this Holy Spirit, our spirit begins to come to life. Until then, the life of thinking only about things of the flesh is now changing to a life of thinking about things of the Spirit. Romans 8:5 says, “Those who are after the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are after the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. I say. As a result, the spirit governs the conduct of the body. It's different than before. In the past, the lusts of the flesh governed the spirit. In Romans 8:13, “If you live according to the flesh, you will surely die, but if you put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit, you will live.”
1 Corinthians 14:14 “When I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays” If the spirit lives, the spirit prays, and as the spirit prays, the gift of discernment of spirits comes. (1 John 4:6) Distinguish between spirits and evil spirits. Cast out the spirits of demons by the Spirit (in the name) of Jesus. There are 7 phenomena that appear to believers in faith while the Spirit lives. Until last week, I talked about 4 things. First, I spoke of a holy life in the form of the soul, second, a life of prayer with the breath of the soul, third, a life of the Word as food for the soul, and fourth, a life of devotion and loyalty as a reward for the soul. In addition, I will give a total of 7 phenomena that appear in the progress of faith.
Fifth, it is a missionary life that saves souls.
From last Monday to yesterday, I came back from a missionary trip to Malaysia. I had to go to Mungusa Church and Sumawa Church where the chapel dedication ceremony was held several times, changing planes, vans, and boats to hold the dedication service and return to the dormitory late at night. I was very tired from the busy schedule there, but I was able to forget my fatigue and give thanks to God because I thought that many souls would serve God better, worship God and lead a religious life through those churches. In particular, I would like to express my gratitude to those who prayed for the Lord's blessing to be with the families and those who accompany who donated to the building of the chapel.
Sixth, it is a life of victory wearing the armor of the soul (full armor).
Victory is spiritual victory. James 4:8 'oppose the devil', Mark 16:17 'cast out demons', Ephesians 6:11-12 “Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist the devil and deceit. The wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, and against the rulers of the world of this darkness, and against the spirits of evil in the heavens.”
If you go to many foreign countries, you can hear from local Koreans that Korea has become more interested in Korea little by little after the 1988 Seoul Olympics and when it reached the semifinals of the World Cup soccer match. So I'm going to do a good workout and see! It can be seen that it brings not only the joy of victory, but also the growth of national power. Victory in these movements is important, but victory in faith and victory in spiritual warfare are even more important. I hope that our country will become the most powerful country of faith, the kingdom of God where the Holy Spirit works.
I hope that the spiritual power toward the world will “evangelize the world” more powerfully than Japan’s economic power and the power of America’s superpower. Let's all win the spiritual battle. Become a spiritual winner. Just like Paul's confession, "I have fought the good fight, I have run the race, I have kept the faith," and there must be victory.
Lastly, it is a blessed life with a prosperous soul.
The apostle John said in 3 John verse 2, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in good health, as your soul prospers.” That's right. We Christians say, “The soul must be well. “Your children should be fine.” As a result of living a good life of faith, you should not only set an example for those who believe, but also envy and challenge those who do not believe. Even if you have a family who doesn't believe, your heart must be inclined toward Jesus because of me.
There was a famous atheist in America whose name was Robent Ink Sool. As a famous lecturer, he was a tycoon who served as the Prosecutor General. When he died, his daughter asked. “Father, when I die I must go to your place, where should I go?” ' Sool answered. “I don't know where I'm going. So, follow your mother and believe in Jesus.”
That's right. While we live in this world, we must be blessed and prosper, but not only in this world, but also our souls must be blessed and prosper. After you have finished your life in this world, you must lead to life in the kingdom of the Lord and enter that kingdom. I pray that such blessings will come to all the members of our Shepherd Church.