title confession
Contents
♡♥♡ Confession / Matthew 16:16
*** Introduction
About 60 years ago, a great revival took place in a village called Wemba in Congo, Africa. An amazing work of change took place when an entire village returned to the presence of the Lord. But this revival is not due to the work of missionaries. It's not about bible study. This marvelous revival occurred because of the sincere repentance of two women and a man.
One day the Holy Spirit began to work. While praying, the hearts of the two women were deeply caught by the Holy Spirit and they began to change their lives. One of them is a woman who has served in this church a lot. This woman can be described as 'seongmi' to express the situation in Korea. I kept thinking about why I used a bag of rice that had been sacrificed to the church before. So the woman brings it to the church and confesses it before the saints.
“Actually, this rice is supposed to be used in the church, but I wrote it. Please forgive me.”
Then another woman appeared in front of the saints. And I make this confession.
“I am a person who works in someone else’s house. However, there was a time when I brought one of the owner's eggs without telling the owner. I repent of it.”
Then a male saint comes out and makes a confession.
“I am a bookstore owner. A long time ago, I went to the missionary's house while dating a missionary. When I came back, I didn't talk to the missionary and just brought a Bible with me. I want to give it back and repent.”
The sincere confession of these three men to set their lives right has brought God's amazing revival to this small Congolese town of Wemba. People started to change their way of life. And God began to use those who were transformed. It is said that the village was full of surprises and shocks, and in the end, the whole village returned to Jesus.
People have a habit of trying to hide their mistakes. I try to hide even the obvious things if I can. We Christians know well that we can never hide from God. Still, I try to hide it. In Matthew 9:4, “Jesus, knowing the thoughts, said, Why do you have evil thoughts in your hearts?” In Hebrews 4:12, “The word of God is living and has power, and it is It is sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Therefore, it is the safest and most desirable way for us to confess the thoughts of our hearts to God.
This text is called ‘The Great Confession of Peter’. Although Peter was a quick-tempered and hot-tempered person, he was a “person of confession.” Peter met Jesus while he was recruiting disciples. They had been netting on the Sea of Galilee all night, but it was time to return with an empty boat. Jesus was standing on the shore of the lake and said, “Go out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” Peter obeyed without questioning the situation, and the result was that he caught a fish that was twice as full. Immediately Peter confesses. “Lord, leave me. I am a sinner.”
In the text, Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say I am?” The disciples answered, saying, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and some Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Then Jesus asked, “Who do you say I am?” While everyone was silent, Peter confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Another confession was when the resurrected Jesus asked Peter, who betrayed him by cursing, “I do not know the Lord.” “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” he asked. Peter said, “Lord, it is. You know that I love you.”
Peter was good at going out, he was good at showing off, and he betrayed him fiercely. On the other hand, I knew how to confess to the Lord at the right time and place. The Lord was pleased with his confession. We too may not do well, or we may sin. But the most important thing is, ‘Are you able to confess all these facts to the Lord?’
‘Confession’ builds trust with each other and makes love deeper and more beautiful. In particular, the confession of faith in the Lord is an indispensable and important thing for us Christians. Do you want a deeper trusting relationship with the Lord? Prepare to confess your love to the Lord. Confess who the Lord is to me.
Previously, on some talk shows, I heard that a couple had to confess 'I love you' every day after confirming their love, and 'Kiss them more than once.' Even when I think about it, men in Gyeongsang-do seem to have a hard time. These days, when comedians make a proposal to ‘marry me’ in a Gyeongsang-do style, isn’t it funny that they say ‘even if I have a baby’? No matter how you think about it, it's too blunt.
But when it comes to faith, let's change our mind for a moment. Let's confess our heart toward God. It's awkward and difficult at first, but a better way is to write. If you do that, confession will come naturally while you pray.
A certain pastor visited the deacon's house. I knocked on the door several times, but there is no response. The TV is turned on in the living room seen through the window, so there must be people there, but there is no answer. So the pastor wrote Revelation 3:20 on the back of his business card and left it on the door. “Look. I knock at the door; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door... ” is the phrase. In other words, it is an expression that the hearing was not possible because the door was not opened.
After the worship service on the following Sunday, the deacon quickly delivered a note to the pastor and left. In the memo pad, Genesis 3:10 was written. “I heard your voice, but I hid you naked.” He said he couldn't go out because he was taking a bath.
It's a funny story, but it's a charming answer.
The confession of faith is important because the church is built on the profession of faith. The Lord promised to build a church on Peter's confession of faith. The fact that the church is built on the profession of faith means that a person is built up as a church by making a profession of faith in Jesus. Therefore, the church community is a gathering of people with the same profession of faith. Ephesians 4:4-6.
“There is one body and one Spirit, and in the same way you were called in one hope of your calling. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God... ”
Now, if the Lord asks you, “Who do you say I am?”, how would you answer? The Lord wants a confession from our own heart, rather than a noble, learned, theological answer. Because the Lord cares about each of us. When he called us, he called us one by one. When you entrust a task, you entrust it one by one, and when you stand before the Lord on the last day, you will settle accounts one by one. Therefore, confession of faith must also be made in the relationship between myself and the Lord.
Jesus gave Peter, who made a perfect confession of faith, the key to open and close the kingdom of heaven. “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Says This key is the gospel of God, the word of truth, and is necessary when carrying out the work God has given us. In other words, witnessing and teaching the Word is the key to heaven, and communicating with God through prayer is the key. This is John 20:23. “Whoever's sins you forgive, they are forgiven; and whose sins you keep, they remain.” This is the authority given to the saints to protect and build the church, which is the body of the Lord.
As such, in the church, the confession of myself is important, and the relationship with the Lord that I form is important. Now, in order for Daebok Church to stand strong, each of us must have a confession of faith. Through this confession, you will be connected as one in the Holy Spirit and you will be able to have amazing power. In 2003, through our confession of faith and love, we earnestly pray that all of us will enjoy happiness and that we will be able to witness widely.