Title: We need to restore our original mind
2 Kings (56) You must restore your original intention.
(2 Kings 23:28-37)
< You need to restore your original mind >
Although Josiah carried out a powerful religious reformation, the reform ended incompletely. He died unexpectedly at Megiddo while trying to stop Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt, from advancing northward (verse 29). And all of Judah was brought under Egyptian interference. So Jehoahaz, who had been established as king by the people, was deposed by Pharaoh Necho, and then captured and killed in Egypt. Seeing Judah in such a miserable state, I wonder how good it would have been if King Josiah's Reformation had been successfully accomplished. In order for the nation to stand upright, the religion must stand upright, and especially the church must stand upright.
Humans instinctively hate change. That is why there are many times when we hesitate to change without feeling a crisis until we fail. So we need a crisis and we need a sense of crisis. A real crisis can be prevented if you prepare well with a sense of crisis. In that sense, the Korean church also needs to pursue change with a sense of crisis, but how should it be changed? Instead of trying to change after others who have succeeded, you should go back to the beginning and try to establish the foundation of your faith.
The initial intention that I had when I first believed in Jesus, when I first came to church, and when I made a resolution on the first day of every year, is the most effective alternative. If you lose your original mind, you gradually become dirty and dull, only the sound becomes louder, and you become emotionally childish. Also, as we forget gratitude and become more emotional, our anxiety also increases. Losing your focus is the same as losing your goals. In the end, it is more important to restore the original mind than to find any resource or means.
Why do people lose their focus? It can be natural to lose focus over time. But it is the obsession with ability that drives us to lose our focus. Why did Saul lose his mind? I lost it while knowing the taste of power. The power given to those who do not know how to share it is not a blessing. Even the church is more likely to lose its original intention if it pursues attractive abilities. In the end, the terms ‘power ministry, power church’ should be used with caution. This is because the pursuit of ability can shake your initial heart and cause you to lose your true heart.
If you pursue non-essential things rather than essential things, you lose your original intention by looking at academic achievement, wealth, and status as the core contents of blessing. There are many people in the world who are rich, educated, and have a high status, but they do not have the scent of a human being. There are church members who are rich, educated, and have such a high position, but they do not smell the fragrance of Jesus at all. Mind is more important than ability. In the end, one of the most important prayer topics of the saints is to ask them not to lose their original intention. When you try not to lose your original intention, you become new and the church becomes new. True power also comes from a true heart.
< Work cooperatively with each other >
Another thing is that I regret watching King Josiah's reforms. Although the king caused a storm of reform, the effect of the reform did not reach the people deeply, and it is regrettable that he could not change his children in particular. Three of Josiah's sons became kings of Judah. These are the 17th king Jehoahaz, the 18th king Jehovah Kim, and the 20th last king Zedekiah. I wonder how good it would have been if even one of them had inherited the previous king's will to reform.
In the end, King Josiah did a good job of reforming the bad things, but not the reforming the good things. In particular, we do not know how important it is to raise a reformed and dedicated person who is worthy of the will of God. Reform cannot be accomplished alone. The fruits of good reform will come out when each person develops a character, and when the characters encourage and support each other, spark the spark of reform.
Why do so many reforms fail? Because it is unilaterally pushed by some people. First, we must break down the walls of people's hearts and evoke vitality and the will to reform. You can't win everyone's hearts. Still, you have to pray and exercise wisdom to win people's hearts. If someone says something like this in your life, it will give you a lot of strength. "Pastor! You can get through this situation well enough. Be strong. I will help too.” Reform cannot be done alone. True reform will happen when we put our hearts together and pray with each other.