Title Let's become one in 2012
Content Let's become one in 2012. / Ephesians 4:1-6
As the famous American writer "Mark Twain" said: "I put the dog and cat in the cage. They got used to it right away and they started getting along. This time I put the birds, pigs and goats in the cage. They saw them become friends after some acclimatization. So this time Baptist. I tried putting people, Presbyterians, and Catholics in the Hanuri. They started fighting right away, and I saw them fighting more and more fiercely as time went on."
What does it mean? It is a joke that criticizes Christians arguing with each other without becoming one. It was Jesus' last wish to not fight but to become one and get along well. The last prayer that Jesus left when he died was that the disciples would be united. “I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you, Holy Father, preserve them in your name, which you have given me, so that they may become one as we are.” (John 17:11)
It is the earnest desire of Jesus that we become one, and the desire of the devil to be divided. So Satan divided Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. And Satan also divided Adam's two sons, Cain and Abel. After division, there must be an evil devil and Satan. So, you need to know the forces behind it. Behind the division is an evil spirit that controls it. Satan is an alien and divisive being.
Our Korean people's beliefs are world-famous. Koreans will be the only people who pray with me every morning at church. Koreans are the only people who work hard enough to get sick even at the bazaar. The zeal for prayer and zeal for service is something the Korean church can be proud of and deserves praise. But we have one weakness. Something? is good at fighting. The zeal of prayer and service often goes astray and turns into a zeal for fighting. Few peoples fight as well as Korean church members. In particular, if you look at immigrant churches, new ones appear easily, but they also disappear easily.
I think the reason Korean church members fight so well is because they don't know how bad it is or how bad it is. Korean church members know all too well that drinking and smoking is a sin. So I think that once you become a church member, you should stop drinking and smoking. Even if it happens, I do not do it secretly. But strangely, he doesn't seem to think that fighting is a sin. Even people who have been to church for a long time can see how easy it is to fight. Because you don't know how serious a fight is. According to the Bible, fighting is a great sin. “If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift at the altar and go first and be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23) It means that God does not accept it. That's why God cares about how important it is for us to get along.
How can I get along? How can we become one? You must have the heart of Jesus. When you have the devil's heart, fights and divisions occur. However, when we have the heart of Jesus, we can be reconciled and become one. So, what is the heart of Jesus?
First, humility. Humility is a characteristic of Jesus. Whose character is pride? It's the devil's character. Matthew 11:29 introduces the character of Jesus like this: “I am meek and humble of heart…Learn from me.” We must learn the humility and meekness of Jesus in 2012. If we humble ourselves like Jesus, we can become one. However, if you are proud like the devil, you will inevitably be divided. A humble person does not brag about himself or offend others. He humbles himself and exalts others. So where there is the humble, there is peace and unity. But proud people boast of themselves and attack others. When you attack others, the opponent does not stand still. So quarrels and conflicts arise. The Bible warns those who attack others with pride: “Why do you judge your brother? Why do you despise your brother (Romans 14:10). God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).
The second is meekness. Meekness is also a characteristic of Jesus. A meek person seldom fights. Doesn't it make a sound when your palms touch each other? People who fight are similar, so they fight each other. No matter how bad a person is, he cannot fight a meek person. A meek person does not become angry with one another, so it is not a fight. For example, throw a stone into the Hawaiian sea. What will be the reaction? Will the sea be mad at me for not being able to bear it? The sea has no words. Only the stone thrown will be ashamed. The sea does not have power and is not standing still. A meek person does not stand still because of lack of strength. He has a strong power, but he doesn't use that power. When someone asks you to fight, don't become a person who fights with you, but I hope you all embrace stones with a heart as meek as the sea.
The third is patience. What is essential to maintaining unity is patience. What is essential to maintaining a marriage is patience. If there is no patience, any couple will inevitably break up. It is no coincidence that in life I meet people who make it difficult for me. That's what God does. It is training to be patient. Avoiding this will not solve this problem. Wherever you go, there is always someone like that. Because that is God's will. So there is only one way. It is to have a long-suffering character. When we are patient, we can keep our unity.
The fourth is love. Love does not seek its own interests (1 Corinthians 13:5). Dividing is essential when seeking only my own. We can become one when we put aside our own interests and take care of the interests of others. The devil's favorite words to divide us are: “Do not lose. Claim your rights.” Even at home, the devil says so. “Do not lose. Find Your Husband's Rights Claim your wife’s rights.” What would happen if I assert my rights without taking any damage as the devil said? Will it be a fair relationship? Not like that. There will inevitably be division.
There are so many conflicts in the world. However, if you look for the causes of the discord, there are many times when it is really trivial. For example, couples fight over how to squeeze toothpaste. The husband knits from the middle, and the wife knits from the bottom. There are couples who can't tolerate the difference and get divorced after fighting. Also, there are couples who divorced after fighting because they didn't take them off straight when they took off their socks and turned them over. Many people fight not over the truth, but over trivial things like toothpaste or socks. For the truth, we must fight for our lives. However, small things such as toothpaste and socks are something I can make concessions to. When we lay down our interests in a loving heart, we can become one. In 2012, I wish you all to become one with humility, gentleness, long-suffering, and love. Amen.