Title Lent and the Church (March 12)
Contents
Bible: Acts 2:43-47
Title: Lent and the Church
(…) Lent was originally a period of preparation and examination of those to be baptized on Easter Sunday. However, by Augustine, it was observed as a period of penitence and self-control for all Christians. (…) Lent speaks specifically of temperance. You have to restrain your emotions. You have to restrain what you see. You must refrain from speaking. Sexual desire should also be curbed. Thinking must be restrained. Intemperance makes people sick, destroys families, and angers the country.(…)
The words of the Bible today show us what the early church looked like. The early church is the standard by which we evaluate and judge the church today. Please share the grace of Lent through the appearance of the early church.
① I focused on worship.
The church was established to offer spiritual sacrifices. 1 Peter 2:5, The church was built as a spiritual house like living stones and gathered to offer worship that is pleasing to God. God was most pleased with being worshiped by humans. (…) The center of worship is to give my life to God. You have made my godly life the center of worship. However, He has set a day to focus our mind, body, mind, and strength. This day is called the Lord's Day (Sunday). On the day we meet God, on the day we hear the voice of the Lord, He shows us the vision of our lives. (…) God is omnipresent, so he can worship anywhere at any time, but since people cannot discern it, he allowed the day of worship and the space of worship.
② Concentrate on the Word.
The true church is centered on the preaching of the Word. The church is a great source of spiritual food and a center of the Word. Of course, service, service, and programs are important in the church, but receiving the Word comes first. Spiritual healing begins when we receive the Word. The Word regenerates us and makes us prophets. (…) When we focus on the Word, just as grapes are ignited and become wine, our lives are changed and our personalities are changed. When we focus on the Word, our weak lives are born again and we become Christians. The Word is medicine like the water of life. (…) We need to focus on the Word with the attitude of the patient, just like the patient who focuses on treatment.
③ I focused on prayer.
A life of faith is a life of prayer. The life of faith does not mean living a good life, living conscientiously, and doing good alms and service. That is how even unbelievers live. A Christian is a person who prays and must have a history of deeply meeting God on a one-to-one basis. (…) When you pray before God, it tells you how to live and what to do. He tells you whether you should eat this bread alone or with whom you should eat it. I am so grateful and happy that I believe in Jesus, but he makes me realize whether it is okay for me to live like this alone, and if not, whom I should recommend this life to. If you truly pray, God will speak. (…)
We must gather to focus on worship. As dust gathers to become a mountain, gathering symbolizes strength. It is an expression of mental power. The life of faith is a life of fighting in the world. There is power where you focus. There is a prayer movement, a Holy Spirit movement, and a repentance movement where we gather and focus. When we gather together and concentrate, there is evangelism, service, love, and strength. I hope that Lent will be a time of concentration for the blessing movement. Amen.
Lent and the Church
(Acts 2:43-47)