Title Act and teach (Acts 1:1-2)
Contents
Acts and teaches (Acts 1:1-2)
The title of the book, Acts, is a literal translation of the Greek word ‘praxeis apostolon. There is no way to tell whether the word is plural or singular with the Korean word ‘Acts’. However, the Greek word 'praxes' is the plural of 'praxis', which means 'act', 'act', or 'action'.
So, the English Bible is not written as ‘Act’ but as ‘Acts’ in the plural. Faith is not just an act of following the Lord. Belief means that everyday life continues with Acts. Only then can our lives become the screen of the gospel that illuminates the life of the Lord in this world, and only then can we live the life of the book of Acts that saves the world.
Luke wrote the 24 chapters of the Gospel of Luke before he wrote the 28 chapters of Acts to Theophilus. That is why, of course, the book of Acts, as well as the recipient of the Gospel of Luke, was the same person Theophilus. However, although the recipients of Luke and Acts were the same Theophilus, there was a difference in their titles. In the Gospel of Luke, the word “sir,” Theophilus is used, whereas in the Acts of the Apostles, it is simply called Theophilus.
The reason is that Theophilus, who was in a high-ranking position in Rome, after receiving Jesus Christ through the Gospel of Luke 2,000 years ago, laid down his position and title in Christ for Luke, who was in a different ruling class than himself. . It is because he could never become a true friend of God, even if he did not put down his status, title, and possessions in Christ.
In fact, the meaning of the name ‘Theophilus’ is a combination of ‘theos’ meaning ‘God’ and ‘philos’ meaning ‘love’ or ‘friend’. Therefore, Luke was the one who spared no self-sacrifice and self-sacrifice so that Theophilus could become God's true friend in order to receive God's love, and Theophilus was the one who embraced and loved Him who had no choice but to die. I have become a true friend of God who puts down knowledge and possessions.
In that sense, the church of God will also experience a new life through those who do not spare self-sacrifice and self-waste in Christ. will be able to achieve
What we want to note in this passage today is the content of the first part of the introduction of the preceding letter by Luke to Theophilus. Those are two words in the life of Jesus, ‘doing’ and ‘teaching’.
As soon as Jesus came to this earth in a physical body, he was by no means the first to teach people. Before Jesus could teach the people of this earth, he did what he had to do first. In that sense, it was always the actions of Jesus that preceded the teachings of Jesus. Jesus' teaching was clearly rooted in his actions.
Jesus was originally the God of the heavenly throne and was equal to God the Father. But he came to this earth personally in a humble body. The fact that He came in a physical body means living together with humans who have been defiled by sin in the human world. Indeed, he made sinful human beings his friend. And as he shared with them, he showed them what pain and sorrow are, what is true and what is false, pain and suffering, and a life of right discernment.
So, what was the ultimate purpose of Jesus' actions? That is the ultimate purpose of Jesus on this earth. It is to throw your life away and save you as an insider in the kingdom of God. The Lord came to this earth for that work, and for that work, the Lord shared with and worked with sinful humans, and the Lord made a sacrifice on the cross for that work.
Through today's text, we are emphasizing that Luke taught with the second word while recognizing the Gospel of Luke that Luke wrote for Theophilus. If the Lord who came to this earth in a human body had done what He Himself had to do, we would have seen His actions clearly with our own eyes, but we would not have understood the meaning of anything. The Lord did not stop by doing what you had to do first. The Lord has taught us what we need to know about His works.
The Lord commanded His disciples:
“Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).
The Lord has clearly commanded His disciples to teach the people. But the Lord never gave this command to the disciples from the beginning. After sharing room and lodging with his disciples for as many as three years, he instructed them to teach them what they had to teach, day and night, and then taught them only right before he left this world and ascended to heaven.
However, in order to teach anything in this world, it is so important to learn correctly before teaching. Moreover, the Lord has commanded me to teach what I have prepared, what I have taught. This is because we cannot teach people and the world or save people and the world without the right teachings of the Lord.
If so, what is left of us who believe in the Lord? It is always taking the Lord's teachings seriously. To do this, you should always keep two things in mind.
In order to live in the teachings of the Lord, first of all, we must not be afraid of being hurt. There is no way to receive the Lord's teachings without getting hurt.
Hebrews 4:12-13 reveals the characteristics of God's Word as the Lord's teaching.
The word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. We appear naked before the eyes of those who have dealings with us.”
The words of the Bible, the teachings of the Lord, are like a magnifying glass, revealing even the remnants of sins and desires hidden in the deepest part of our bodies. The word is sharper than any surgery or scalpel in this world, and it tears even the puss of sin and desire that fill our hearts. Because there is no other way to save us.
Second, we must always be humble if we are to continue to abide in the Lord's teachings. Humility is, in a word, “knowing one's own weaknesses.” It is because only those who realize that they are poorly weak can stand in the teachings of the eternal Lord. This is because only those who know their weaknesses can acknowledge the Lord's leading and pursue the right path. People who consider themselves strong try to take advantage of the Lord, but cannot surrender themselves completely to the Lord's teachings.
That's why our Lord said this to us who live today through Matthew 5:1.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Who the hell is poor in spirit? Who can live as the poor in spirit? He is a humble man who confesses that he cannot do anything in his own strength. This is because only that person can live as a vessel containing the infinite grace of God. With a proud heart, no one can contain the mercy of God. But those who despair of themselves can find hope in God. That is why, no matter where we are, we must always be humble to follow the Lord's teachings.
Dear classmates, Let us all live the life of the book of Acts, following in the footsteps of Jesus. Before teaching, Jesus showed in His body what He must do. The life of Jesus is a screen toward the truth, lived as a mirror. It was only to bring us who are outsiders from the truth and life to insiders of truth and life.
Of course, the Lord did not stop with that life. At the end of three years of life with sinful and treacherous people, he asked them to ‘teach and keep’ through your Word. In that sense, in order to keep the word of the Lord, we should not be afraid to heal and heal the wounds of our hearts through the word. In order to follow the teachings of the Lord, we must live with a humble heart anytime, anywhere. Our Lord will guide those who want to receive eternal life through the Word, and those who want to live humbly through the Word, to become examples of true deeds and teachings that will always lead them into the truth. At that time, the Lord will make all of us become people of the Book of Acts, that is, members of the Lord's Church, who steadfastly observe and follow the Lord's actions and teachings.
“If anyone speaks, let it be as if he were speaking the word of God, and if anyone would serve, let him do it with the power that God supplies” (1 Peter 4:11a).
dear god
Before preaching the word of God,
Before doing the service of teaching anyone,
Before you breathe God's provision into someone
Let us first become the ground of truth and life.
Let our lives be the bedrock of Christ,
May the footsteps of our Lord be revealed in our lives.
What are we lacking in our own conduct today,
What is weak in our own teachings living today
make us aware
Help me to be a humble person, a person of word who follows Your actions and teachings.
So, in this dark age, to shine the light of Jesus Christ
People of the book of Acts, please make them members of the Church of the Lord.