Title: Three Blessings of the Shepherd
Contents
1. Words that begin
It can be said that everyone lives for success and success. No matter what field you work in, no matter what kind of work you do, there is no one who does not want to be successful.
But the question is, how much injustice and corruption, flattery and flattery, bread and bribes, cowardice and vileness, lies and deceit, pretense and hypocrisy, conspiracies and conspiracies, ugliness and viciousness, lewdness and debauchery, selfishness and duality, factions and conflict, exclusion and betrayal, fighting and war, etc. Even worse, careers and successes give up the more valuable friendships and love, justice and truth, home and self, and even the faith that leads to eternal life.
So, we have to ask what real success and success are. No, there are many people who have succeeded in their careers and made a comeback, but failed in life. Therefore, the elderly Apostle John wished Gaius, whom he truly loved, good luck and success as a blessing from God.
2. Three blessings that saints should receive
The Apostle John said, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in good health, as your soul prospers.” In fact, Gaius was a good believer who was praised, respected, and trusted by the Apostle John and his church members, so he deserved the apostle's prayer of blessing.
What we should note here is that first of all we wished the soul well. The Apostle John did not wish first for the success of any field Gaius engages in, nor did he wish for health first. He first wished the soul well.
“Soul” is psyche (Ψυχ?), meaning the ego, personality, or the total inner nature of man, and the verb “as well as well” is yu o-du-tai (ε?οδο?τα?), which means 'to succeed' or 'to prosper'. , 'to make a profit', 'to pave a way', etc.
How are we? Are we successfully developing our own faith personality and living our faith? In other words, whether our personality and life are being transformed into holiness through obedience to the indwelling Holy Spirit. This successful change is theologically called 'sanctification'.
Holy growth and success in Jesus Christ is not a matter of stopping or not. Just as our own spiritual growth and success are not only beneficial and virtuous to ourselves, so our own spiritual ignorance and incompetence are not only our own harm and misfortune. Whether we like it or not, we can be good or virtuous, or harm and unhappiness for others. Therefore, the growth of our faith personality and the success of our mature religious life should be accepted as a duty before God rather than as a right.
Everyone, I hope you will lead a successful life of faith that is becoming sanctified day by day by focusing on prayer and the Word, faithfully obeying the Word, and being faithful to death.
Not long ago, a sad but obvious thing was published in a newspaper. A general who was the number one candidate for the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force stopped crying because of a wind that blew in the past. It depends on your morals as a leader.
A few days ago, America's first female fighter pilot had to take off her uniform for such immorality.
Also, it is impossible to enumerate all the cases in which so-called successful and successful people have collapsed due to the exposure of immorality and illegality, such as dishonesty and bribery.
Worldly success and advancement without success in the sanctified life of walking in the Lord and following the Holy Spirit are destined to collapse rapidly the moment the sins committed rise up. Success and advancement without success in life is nothing but empty success and advancement.
Everyone! Like Gaio, I wish you all the best as your soul prospers. The most valuable and important success and advancement in life is one's spiritual growth before God and a life worthy of the Gospel. In this way, when we stand upright before God and live, believe in the fact that the God who is in charge of life and death will surely work for us to succeed in all things and take responsibility for our health.
Young Joseph, who was a pronoun for his extraordinary hair, was hated by his brothers after believing in his head and acting, and eventually became a slave in the house of General Potiphar in Egypt. However, when the unbelieving man trusted and trusted only God and acted, he succeeded in everything he did because God was with him. When I was working as a slave, when I looked at the general affairs of General Potiphar's house, when I was imprisoned because of my mistress's conspiracy, and when I saw the work of prime minister of Egypt, God was with me and I prospered.
Dear all! No matter what situation you are in, I hope that you will remain firmly in the Lord and become prosperous saints because God is with you.
Just as our souls who trust and obey God prosper, the God who makes all our things prosper takes care of our health as well. You will also need the Shinbaram health method and bear soles, but you can maintain your health only if God protects you. It is not a matter of death or death, but of God's will for the sick.
Please believe that our God is still alive and working.
3. The shepherd's joy, the Christian's life
What does it mean that our souls are well, that our own sanctification and life of faith are successful? In a word, walking in the truth.
The itinerant missionaries sent by the Apostle John returned and testified of the truth in Gaius. In other words, it testified to the fact that all of Gaio's life stems from the truth, follows the truth, and embodies the truth. In a word, we walk in the truth, the truth of the gospel, Jesus Christ. Like a branch grafted into another tree, we live a life of imitating the Lord Jesus Christ.
Indeed, the motive, purpose, style, stage and domain of Gaius' actions were the Word of God, the truth of the Gospel. As such, living in Christ, the truth of the gospel, is the shepherd's greatest joy and the greatest joy.
4. Conclusion
There are many people who have succeeded and succeeded in their careers, but have failed in a more important life. Those who are so-called worldly successful or successful people have no choice but to experience the more precious righteousness, truth and love, and the tragedy of sacrificing their friends, family, and themselves.
Therefore, Apostle John prayed for success and success as a blessing from God to Gaius, whom he truly loved. We earnestly pray that all of us will be the joy of the shepherd by enjoying the blessing of God who makes all things prosperous and healthy through the growth of our faith personality and success in our faith life in the Lord.
(Poongseong Methodist Church. Book: Complete Commentary on 27 New Testament Books/ Interpretation of Difficult Scriptures I, II/ Salvation Before Jesus Came/Paul’s Understanding of Humanity/ Prosperous Prayer/ Seasonal Sermonbooks/ Sermonbook 19. T. 426 -3051)