Title: The Closer That Day Gets
One day, someone came to a pastor and asked.
If you are living your life of faith alone, it is easy for hardship, fatigue, and the evil devil to come and take you away. However, if we belong to the church, the organization of faith, and the community of love, even if the evil devil comes in one way, he flees in ten, and our faith deepens.
In verse 25, it says, “Do not forsake the gathering of people, as is the habit of some, but encourage them, and let us do it all the more as we see the day drawing near.”
As the day draws nearer, first, we must strive to gather together. Faith grows only when we gather, worship becomes when we gather, prayer when we gather together has strength, and grace overflows when we sing praises when we gather together.
Hebrews 4:16 says, "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." In Acts 2:46, it is recorded that “the saints of the early church worked hard to gather in the temple with one accord every day.” If we gather in the temple every day to pray, sing, and listen to sermons, the Holy Spirit will work in them, and like the early church, the agents of the gospel will spread like flames to the heavens and the earth.
Students who attend school well become honors students and model students. In the company, employees who go to work well become exemplary employees. Likewise, in church, you must first attend well in order to receive a lot of love from God and the approval of people.
Deuteronomy 12:13 says, "Be careful not to offer burnt offerings anywhere that you can see." That is, there is a fixed place. “But you shall offer burnt offerings in one of your tribes, in the place the Lord chooses, and do all that I command you there.” There is a place and there is a time.
Likewise, meetings of the church have a set time and place. In John 20:19, on the first day after the Sabbath, the resurrected Lord appeared to the disciples where they were gathered together. Thomas was not there. So he doubted the Lord's resurrection. Where we gather, the risen Lord reveals Himself. Therefore, those who do not attend the gathering do not see the Lord, and therefore the devil is easy to enter into their hearts.
In Matthew 25, there is a parable of the ten virgins. The five wise virgins prepared oil to welcome the bridegroom, but the five foolish virgins went out to prepare oil, but the door was shut and they could not enter the house. Examining this verse again, it is not the oil preparation that matters, but whether it was inside or outside. Even if there was no oil preparation, if I had stayed at home, I would have received the Lord's bridegroom and would have been able to receive the Lord's forgiveness.
In other words, it does not matter whether we have the oil of faith or not. If you live your life of faith together in an organization called this church, your faith will grow even if you are attracted to it.
How did we know and believe in the Lord? Also, we cannot boast of how great our faith is. If I had been at the door without going out to prepare the oil, I would have attended the reception of the bridegroom of the Lord, and I would have been forgiven for not preparing the oil through the Lord's forgiveness. This story tells us that it is not a matter of whether we have the oil of faith or not, but that we can receive God's love only when we are within this fence called the church.
Second, we must strive to pray.
To pray means to ask. “Pray without ceasing” is recorded in 1 Thessalonians 5:16, 17, 18. Just as the body dies when breathing stops, so when prayer stops, the soul dies. Therefore, breathing is the life of the body, and prayer is the life of the soul.
We have many subjects for prayer. Personally, we need to pray for the filling of the Holy Spirit. For the church, we need to pray for revival and growth, quality improvement, and temple construction. We need to pray for the evangelization of this society. You must pray for it.
Third, try to be thankful.
The Bible says, “Give thanks in everything.” We should not be thankful because we have special conditions to be thankful for, but we should live a life that gives thanks for God's grace in small things and in everything.
A grateful person has the thought of gratitude in his heart first. The expression on the face holding that thought is always bright. Good impression. And speak positively. In Ephesians 5:4, it is said, “Turn and give thanks, for there are no shabby, foolish or mocking words.”
When you say thank you in a positive way, the praise does not stop on your lips. Ephesians 5:19 says, “Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord in your faith.”
This is ‘Silso, Clean, Iloilo’. First of all, positive words with a bright smile and a smile make friends. I want to be close.
Gratitude never ceases on the lips of a person who speaks positive words, has a bright expression and always has a bright smile. Those who strive to give thanks always offer gifts to God. I try hard to give priority to the things that please the Lord rather than others. And in the joy of giving, I never forget to give thanks.
Fourth, we must strive to learn.
Galatians 6:6 says, "Those who are taught should do all good things with those who teach the word. The learner must grasp the intentions of those who teach the word of God and receive inspiredly the meaning of the word. First of all, we should carry a Bible and read these words regularly.
If you miss the right time to eat and eat at the next meal, it is easy to overeat and easy to get an upset stomach. Just as eating meals at regular times is beneficial to health, we need to set the food of God's Word regularly, read, read, and meditate on it, and have QT time to listen to sermons positively and participate in Bible study. It will bring great benefits to your spiritual growth.
The closer you see that day, the more you should strive to learn. You cannot grow without learning. Evil spirits cannot approach the saints who are armed with the Word.
Fifth, we must strive to love.
Love has no borders, and love has no enemies. There is no tax on love and no curfew on love.
However, it can be divided into the love of the human world and the love of the Lord. Human love has a backstory, it has strength, and there are tears, but the love of the Lord is tears of emotion, even if there are tears, there is no backside, and love does not bite, there is no damage, and there is no exhaustion. Because we receive that love and live it, the closer we see that day, the more we want to live by giving, inflicting, and giving that love.
Theologian William Berkeley said, "Many people come to church not because they are persuaded by theological theories, but because they see the love of the saints. Because I saw you and your shabby side."
In Romans 14:18, it says, "He who serves Christ is pleasing to God, and also praised by men." In the last verse of Luke 2:52, there is a saying that as Jesus grew up, he became more loving with God and men. It means that we should not be loved only by God and hated by men, but we must become saints who are pleased with and loved by God and men alike.
Sixth, we must strive to serve. If the nature of service is divided into two, hidden service is something that God is pleased with and liked. Of course, both are very valuable. Some people like to serve secretly in secret, while others take the lead and set an example of service and have others follow suit. All of these things are pleasing and pleasing to God.
To use force here is not to waste it, but to use it. To use force means to act, not to stop. To use strength means to give strength, and to gather strength in one place.
It is literally the use of force. It's not just about having power. It means gathering power. If you do not use your strength, your life of faith will be difficult.
Seventh, we must strive to evangelize. The etymology of the word evangelism is the same as the etymology of the word martyrdom. Therefore, do not evangelize with easy ginger, but evangelize with the spirit of martyrdom with a sense of mission to rescue souls that will fall into hell.
As that day draws nearer, we must strive to gather together, strive to pray, strive to give thanks, strive to love, strive to serve, and to evangelize. I pray that you will do your best to live a life of faith and receive many blessings from God. Amen.
(1991.12.17)