Title: The Real Star of Heaven
1 Thessalonians (11) The real star of the kingdom of heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:9-12)
< Breaking the illusion of a star >
According to an article the other day, a star CEO (CEO) is not very helpful in running a company. They say that if you hire a star CEO, it will be good for one year, but there is not much difference after that. It is difficult to make a movie with the high guarantee of the star. There is also a saying that the quality of the drama deteriorates due to the high cost of starring. The star became the main culprit causing trouble to many colleagues. Break your fantasy of stars. A star who appears frequently on TV, has a good talk, likes the stage, and likes to be in the front, is the de facto culprit.
Discover and praise and respect the hidden stars rather than the outward ones. Why is Ji-Sung Park praised? Because he's a star, but he doesn't act like a star. Unlike other stars who can't manage themselves and exhaust their energy due to all kinds of fame as a star, he is a star, but he only focuses on soccer and overcomes the high wall of foreign players with strong physical strength, sincerity, and viciousness. He is loved more because he is such a quiet star.
A quiet star that is not seen even in the church is more appreciated. The real stars of the kingdom of heaven that God is pleased with are those who quietly practice brotherly love like the Thessalonian church (verses 9-10). Hidden stars who don't look like stars are real stars. Visible stars are a burden to the community because they think, “I am different from them!”, but hidden stars are a strength to the community because they think, “I am a brother to them!” There should be many invisible stars in the church like that.
Why did the early church have problems? At first, the early church was a gracious church without stars. But gradually, stars began to appear in the church, and people showed off their money, power, and knowledge. When the church becomes the exhibition hall of the stars like that, the church is corrupted. The revealed star makes the church sick, but the hidden star makes the church healthy. In the church, true brotherhood can be established only if there are no stars.
< A real star in heaven >
Stars are lonely. If it goes wrong, it's easy to corrupt yourself. On the other hand, hidden stars are not alone. Because there are many neighbors to hang out with. It is a blessing to hang out in a low place than to be lofty in a high place. Hilariousness is a shortcut to the valley, but harmony is a shortcut to the summit.
It is said that when the geese make a V shape and fly, the geese in the back can fly 71% more easily if they ride the wind waves that the geese in front make by whipping their wings. Therefore, it is said that the front and rear geese change positions frequently while flying. Also, the geese that cry “Kakkaok” when flying are the geese on the back, and it is said that they cry like that to give strength to the geese flying in front. It is said that with such cooperation and encouragement, they can fly great distances.
A church must fly like a geese to soar high. Those who dedicate themselves ahead should be encouraged from behind. Also, the saints who have stored up their strength behind the scenes must be able to take the lead by saying, “I will do that now.” Workers who serve and encourage each other like that, and who always go ahead and do hard work that others do not do, quietly in the dark, are the real stars of Heaven.
One day, the church in Thessalonica was polluted by someone spreading a strange eschatology, and extreme eschatological ideas spread rapidly. So, there were people who insisted, “Now that the Lord is coming, what are you going to do with work?” and even eat food without working. At first, it seemed like a spiritual thing, but when I saw that it was causing a lot of trouble, conflicts and wounds arose among the members of the church. That is why the Apostle Paul exclaimed the end times and exhorted those who live on word alone to now work quietly (verse 11).
Why do conflicts and conflicts arise in human society? Because they don't work quietly. In fact, a person who is like a pillar that supports the community is a person who works quietly in an unseen place. The missionary work we are aiming for has been sustained until now because there were people who quietly prayed and devoted themselves. Some of them do not know faces or even names. You don't know how much strength and encouragement that quiet devotion is.
Shallow streams make a loud sound, but deep rivers flow quietly into the open sea. Good things are better done quietly, and there are many rewards in heaven. However, if you blow the trumpet, the value of good works decreases and the praise of the kingdom of heaven disappears that much. Therefore, always think of God's gaze rather than human's, and love, serve, and devote yourself quietly. Such a person is the real star of Heaven.