Title Let's become nurturing believers
Contents
There are many churches in this land, and although about 20% of the population of our country is Christian, there are also many people who enter the church out of a sense of duty or religion without conviction of faith. What is even more surprising is that there are cases where, unaware of their spiritual status as a newborn baby or a child, they do not feel the true joy of their religious life, refusing to receive help or care from others, or suffer from a lot of work and service without feeling the need. Why is this? There are many reasons, but the main reason is that they are indifferent to their own spiritual growth. Or, it is because of the illusion that if you diligently attend the Sunday worship service, you will grow on its own. Of course, faith grows through worship and preaching. However, true spiritual growth is achieved through systematic nurture. Nurture is to help a spiritually young believer to grow to the maturity of Christ. There is nothing more joyous than watching an ordinary born again believer grow into a mighty soldier of the Lord. We hope that you will enjoy the special emotion and joy God has given you by being nurtured and nurtured.
1. What is parenting?
It is to help the regenerated children of God become godly, mature, and zealous harvest workers. It is to help new believers grow in faith with the help of a nurturer and become devoted and reproductive ministers to God. He saves us and nourishes us. God not only saves his chosen children, but also trains and teaches them in the lives of the saints to live righteously until the day when the hope of eternal life is fulfilled. (Titus 2:11-14)
This training and teaching continues until the believer's faith continues to grow and become more like Jesus Christ. The goal of nurture is to help you grow to the fullness of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:13-15)
In verse 12, “Nurture us, leaving all ungodliness and worldly lusts, and living in this world with soberness, righteousness, and godliness” shows two aspects of God’s nurturing of believers.
First, it is a passive aspect. It speaks of ungodliness and worldly lusts. 'Ignorance' is an element of unbelief, and 'lust of the world' is a 'worldly desire' stemming from ignorance of God, meaning worldly pleasures, wickedness, strife, and possessiveness (3:3, 1 John 2). :16). As children of God are nurtured by the Word, they cast away ungodliness and worldly lusts.
The second is the active aspect.
① Soberness: It means that you have to be careful and control your inner desires in your relationship with yourself.
②Righteousness: It indicates that we should act fairly and based on the truth in our relationships with others.
③ Reverence: It means a life in which we must fear and obey God in our relationship with God.
These virtues are not automatically followed by accepting Jesus. It is made possible by being nurtured and trained by the Word. At the end of this verse, “living in this world” means that the field where God nurtures believers is not heaven, but the world we are living in. Christian ethics does not require that it be accomplished in an environment separate from the world. Rather, the world is a practice dojo for training mature disciples.
Verse 14, “He gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify us, that we might become His own people, zealous for good works.” means The purpose of Christ taking possession of the people and making them his own is to “encourage me to be zealous for good works.” Christ's own people are to be 'zealous' for actions consistent with God's will and precepts, and live a life of following Him.
2. Biblical example of parenting (Wild Dog and Ostrich Yehwa Lae 4:3,4)
Paul preached the gospel, begets children of faith, exhorts every man, and teaches every man with all wisdom.
“We preach him, exhorting each one, and teaching each one with all wisdom, that each one may be made perfect in Christ, 29 for which I also labor with all my might, according to the work of him who works in me with power.” . (Colossians 1:28,29) "Counseling and teaching" is an important part of the apostleship. It is not accomplished through faith in Christ through the apostles' evangelism (v. 27). Continuing to exhort and teach to be "holy and blameless They must be brought up so that they can stand without reproach” (verse 22).
Nurture is to work according to the work of the one who works in me. It is the Holy Spirit who works in me. This labor is the labor of nurture. We teach under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, not simply by hard work. This is what nurture is. Also, parenting is about caring for each person. True nurturing is caring for each individual and guiding them with love. Caregivers should care for and nurture each soul. Individual upbringing should be tailored to the person's interests and spiritual condition. Caregivers must recognize the importance of a person. When one person stands upright with the gospel, he can share the gospel with another and lead him to God. (Romans 5:19)
If you are nurtured by the gospel, you will not be the person you are. That person will evangelize and nurture another person. So, the lineage of faith continues. (2 Timothy 2:1,2) One person raised by the gospel is important. It changes the world. Let us also become believers who care for one soul and nurture it with the word (Galatians 4:19).
“In Christ there are ten thousand teachers, but not many fathers, because in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel” (1 Corinthians 4:15). A teacher leaves only with knowledge. However, fathers not only give birth to children, but are also responsible for nurturing them for maturity. A father rebukes a child when he or she goes astray, and in severe cases uses a whip to discipline him.
Jesus gave His life for us when we were enemies with God (Romans 5:10). This is true love. To love those who love me is what Gentiles do (Matthew 5:47). It is what everyone instinctively does. True love is to love and treat your enemies, those who have nothing to do with you, and those who are inferior to you, and sacrifice yourself for them.
Saints! For the purpose of spreading the gospel, let's embrace the unborn child and give birth to children of faith, and let's nurture them. I hope that you will be able to risk your life for nurture. Therefore, I hope that Sarangbang, each institution, will have a history of doubling leadership. (continued next week)