Title Change and Maturity
Contents
※ Bible: Colossians 2:6-7
The year 2006 is now half over. We will do our best for the remaining 6 months. I pray like this every day. ‘God, guide me so that I don’t settle for today’s reality. Give me a clear vision, and give me strength and courage to keep moving toward my goal.’ When our faith begins to settle, we regress and eventually fall. Even if you have attended church for decades, you cannot expect spiritual maturity if you are satisfied with yourself saying, “It is good as it is” without the desire to be renewed. Spiritual maturity requires the passion and the will to constantly be renewed. You must lead change without fear of change. The Reformed Church is called the Reformed church in English. This means that the church must be renewed day by day, and our faith must mature day by day. Change and maturity are the church's mission in the world. But what about us today? Are there any obstacles to change and maturity?
During the remaining time in 2006, we want to share grace in the Word while thinking about how we will achieve new changes and spiritual maturity.
First, spiritual change and maturity are thoroughly accomplished in God's grace.
Colossians 2:6-7 and 2 Peter 3:18 we read today say, “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Our growth is by the grace of God. It was not through his own efforts that David, a shepherd of sheep, became king. It is by the grace of God that Peter, who puts the sickle and does not remember, led many people in the early church to Christ and became the leader of our faith. Change and maturity are the grace of God.
God expects us to grow spiritually. Just as parents want their children to grow up healthy and beautiful when they raise them, the God who sent us to this earth wants us to be transformed and mature to become complete saints who resemble Christ. That is why He transforms and guides us through His Word. The reason that Abraham became the father of faith is because God Himself came and spoke to Him.
God grows us through various things.
Some set it up as a choir, and some set it up as a shunjang, giving them an opportunity to mature. It is God who entrusts the task, and it is God who gives the strength and ability to carry out the task. Therefore, I hope that you will do your best in the ministry given to you, experience God's grace, and become believers who change and grow.
God changes us through encounters.
Second, we are transformed by the life of Jesus.
Jesus is the giver of life. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” That is, when we have Jesus in us, there is life, and that life saves and changes us. Mary, who was betrothed to Joseph, conceived the baby Jesus by the Holy Spirit. It was an unacceptable environment, but Mary obeyed. ‘Oh Lord! I am a slave girl, so please do according to your will.” When I opened the door of my heart, I conceived the baby Jesus and gave birth. Today we also say, “Jesus who came here! Lord, do as you will! open my heart Sit down in my heart!” When we receive Jesus among us while we are young, we will be transformed and mature. And from now on, we must kill ourselves so that Jesus can work in us.
Third, those who are transformed by the life of Jesus in the grace of God change the world.
In the Bible, we can see many ancestors of faith who led the age by being transformed by the life of Jesus. The changed Moses liberated Israel, and the changed David became a great king by defeating the Philistines who had tormented Israel for 300 years. The changed Peter founded the early church and led many people to Christ. The transformed Paul became an apostle leading Gentiles to Christ. Those who have been changed have always been preciously used.
Change and maturity are no longer a matter of choice. It's a matter of survival. Change and maturity are not only a matter of individual survival, but also a matter of the survival of the church. Therefore, our church should be transformed into the life of Jesus and become the church of God that not only matures in personal faith, but also changes Gangnam, Korea, and the world. In the second half of 2006, I hope that all the saints will be transformed and mature in Jesus.
2006-07-18 16:45:27