Title: The Saints Who Live with the Lord
Contents
“Oh, by the grace of God”
Today is the 91st anniversary of 3.1. Recalling the tradition and mission of our church, “The love of God is the love of the country,” we commemorate the patriotic patriotic ancestors. 40% of elementary, middle and high school students say they do not understand the meaning of verses 3-1
Last Friday at 5:30 a.m. in Amsterdam, I was moved to tears as I watched the women's figure skating Yuna Kim doing well at the Winter Olympics in Amsterdam. It was tears of pride and emotion for the country and people. In fact, the two Japanese players who played with Yuna Kim in between were also very good. applauded. However, when Yuna Kim came out, I prayed. “God, please don’t let Yuna Kim make a mistake. Let me be the best of the best in the world. Let us bring a precious gift to our people!”
I realized that being the best in the world does not come through the mistakes of others, but through my own abilities. “Olympic champion Yuna Kim of Korea!” (The Olympic Champion from Korea Yu-Na Kim), we were with him as he sang the national anthem in tears as he hung his gold medal around his neck under the Taegeukgi. Of course, Yuna Kim herself was also with the country and people. Yuna Kim delivered her greetings to the people in the interview. “Thank you for always believing in me and praying for me.”
The life of the Apostle Paul was a life where the Lord stood by him and gave him strength. He also became a powerful person by having the Lord by his side. The secret to a competent life and a competent nation lies in having the Lord by your side.
1. Those who live with the Lord by their side do not live self-centered, but Lord-centered.
It must be very painful and painful to be abandoned by someone. Moreover, it must be disappointing and anger to be abandoned by someone you love and trust. But the Apostle Paul did not blame anyone. Rather, he prayed to God for them, saying that he did not want them to blame them. It is reminiscent of Jesus pleading with God to forgive the sinners who crucified Him on the cross. That's right. We believe that believers who live with the Lord by their side will become like the Lord because they do not live self-centered, but Lord-centered.
The apostle Paul commanded Timothy, his beloved co-worker, as if exhorting him. ‘Know these things’, ‘turn away from such people’ Yes. In order to become a saint who lives with the Lord by his side, we must turn away from ‘such as these,’ that is, from those who are self-centered. And we must live a life centered on the Lord, that is, a life that overcomes the world with the power of godliness.
This time, I went on a trip to the Holy Land in Portugal and Spain with the clergy in Yongsan, Jung-gu. Portugal and Spain were under Muslim rule from the 8th to the 15th centuries. However, despite the fact that they coexisted for nearly a thousand years and were strongly influenced, the two countries are so strong that they can be called Christian countries. It is said that 95% of the believers in Portugal and 90% in Spain.
The places that moved me the most during the pilgrimage were the visit to the birthplace of Ignacius Loyola (1491-1556), who renewed the spirituality of church reform through the Jesuit movement, and the prayer room and the small church of conversion built in his house.
One of the three great Spanish saints in the 16th century, Loyola was born to a noble family. There were six family honours handed down from generation to generation. ①Keep strong faith ②Keep trust with people ③Respect honor ④Be brave ⑤Live a flawless life ⑥Live with a chivalric spirit (protection of the weak, etc.) However, he was a soldier when he was young Life was messy, including drinking alcohol. I believed, but I didn't live by my beliefs. His psyche, of course, would not have been comfortable. Then he went to war and was hit by French shells, seriously wounding both legs. After suffering a life-and-death crisis, he experienced conversion while repenting of his sins in the prayer room of the top house, his birthplace. In 1521, he was thirty years old. Falling in love with God and fascinated by Jesus Christ, he made two decisions as he thought that he should serve God and live. One was to imitate the saints and live like the saints, and the other was to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in Jerusalem and live there.
Putting his decision into action, Loyola took off her knight's uniform and changed into a monk's. And in 1523 he arrived at the Holy Land in Jerusalem. But I did not live there all my life. Because I realized that the holy land for believers is not only in Jerusalem, but in each person who follows the will of God and becomes like Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life. So he said that conversion is a process, and after that, he left Jerusalem for 34 years of pilgrimage until he was called by God at the age of 65.
Loyola, who read 'The Life of Christ' and 'Life of the Saints' in a hospital bed and wanted to live like the saints, no longer lived a self-centered life. He was recognized as a Jesuit by the Pope in 1540 because he lived a Christ-centered life, who even knelt before the cross and whipped himself. We believe that those who live with the Lord by His side will glorify God by living a Christ-centered life with the power that the Lord gives them.
This is Galatians 2:20. “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. Now that I live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Amen!
The Apostle Paul said that the Christian is the old man who not only died on the cross with Christ, but also that Christ lives in him. That's right. A Christian is a new creation in which Christ lives. Dear saints, I pray in the name of the Lord that you will be more faithful to the love of God, the love of the country, the love of the church, and the love of your neighbor by living a Christ-centered life with the Lord by your side.
2. The saints who live with the Lord by their side do not live secularly, but rather live heavenly.
It is the words of 2 Timothy 4:17,18. The Apostle Paul said that the Lord stood by him and gave him strength. The people he trusted and loved abandoned him, but the Lord never forsakes him. Not only that, but the Lord gave him strength. The strength the Lord has given me has become a power that cannot be compared to the help I have not had from people.
There is power in those who have the Lord by their side, that is, those who live with the Lord by their side. That power makes us victorious in our battles against ourselves, against the temptations of the world, and against the temptations of the devil. Of course, there are hardships and sufferings for those who live with the Lord by their side. But do not despair or despair. He does not live secularly, but rather he lives in heaven, so he makes full use of the power the Lord has given him.
A person who lives a heaven-oriented life has characteristics. The Apostle Paul saw that the Lord stood by him and gave him strength (1) for the mission of proclaiming the word through him. ②And he clearly set forth the vision that the word proclaimed through him might be heard by all Gentiles. ③ He also declared the conviction that God will deliver him from all evil works as he has delivered him from the lion's mouth, and ultimately save him so that he may enter the kingdom of God. That's right. People who are secularly oriented make the so-called career and success their goals in life. However, those who live a heaven-oriented life live with a vision according to the mission God has given, and live with the assurance of salvation that He will guide them to enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, he believes that he will live a life that glorifies God not only in the mouth of the lion, but in the power of God to deliver him from all evil.
The three holy places in the world for Christianity are Jerusalem and Peter's Basilica in Rome, and the San Diego Temple in Spain. Among them, Spain and Portugal, both countries, like Christian countries, there were many great sanctuaries and precious relics built over hundreds of years wherever they went. One of the most impressive experiences was walking while meditating on the 'Road to Santiago', that is, the pilgrimage of St. James. The walking time was short, but I thought a lot. Here are some of the things I've seen and heard.
- The pilgrim's path is never short. The distance from Spain to Santiago is 800 km, or 2,000 li. The pilgrimage of faith is a long road.
It takes patience.
- Pilgrims must leave every day. Towards a new place, to a destination, to a higher place, to a better home
- Pilgrims should lighten their luggage. As the road progresses, the life of the pilgrim becomes simpler.
- Pilgrims feel very lonely when they walk alone. It's nice to meet someone and accompany them.
It is truly a joy and a blessing to go on the road with the Lord.
- The pilgrim's route is always said to be the most difficult for the last few kilometers.
This is Hebrews 11:16. “They now long for a better home, which is in heaven. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, but has prepared a city for them.” Amen!
The writer of Hebrews said that life on this earth is life as a foreigner and a stranger, that is, a pilgrim. (Hebrews 11:13) Yes. The pilgrim's destination is a better home, heaven. Dear saints, I bless you in the name of the Lord until you enter the city that God has prepared for you without being ashamed of being called your God by living a heaven-oriented life with the Lord by your side.
Dear brothers and sisters, I earnestly pray in the name of the Lord that you will glorify God for ever and ever by living with the Lord by your side. Amen!
“Only for the Glory of God”
(After returning from a trip to the Holy Land in Portugal and Spain)