Title Like That Child/John 6:1-15
Content like that child
John 6:1-15
Dong-an Church - Kim Dong-ho (19980913)
1998. 9. 13. Sunday Sermon
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After the worship service last Sunday evening, the youth representatives came to visit me. After talking about the youth club for a while, the young men handed me an envelope. Hearing that the church is struggling financially, the young people fasted one meal at a time and saved up little by little, and they offered me nearly a million won of money.
One million won is not a small amount of money, but it was not a lot of money that could be of much help in resolving the financial difficulties our church is currently facing. However, as I received the donations from the young people, I was able to intuitively feel that this donation was equivalent to two fish and five barley loaves of the child who caused the miracle of the five-year-old fish. And I couldn't think of that day, but I had a very strong feeling that this donation would work a very important and beautiful miracle in our church.
Our church met the IMF during construction. In terms of the construction period, we met while one and a half of the two years had passed, but from a financial point of view, we met with more than 60% of the total construction cost left. it is no different.
It was the special grace of God that I was able to complete the construction safely and enter the building under such circumstances. It was not a special grace, but God's grace that was close to a miracle. Nevertheless, the final devotion and sacrifice required of us in order to cleanly finish the work of building this church and offer it to God without blemish remains. I'm going to tell you that story in a very specific way today. And we are going to go through it with you.
In order for our church to dedicate this beautiful temple to God, the total cost of construction costs to be paid in E-Land, the money borrowed from the bank, and the money to purchase and pay other equipment and materials, is about 2.7 to 3 billion won. I need money. Of course, it's a lot of money, but it's an amount that our church can afford, so there's nothing to worry about. This is because even if we are just in charge of the current situation, we can solve the problem if we work hard and work hard for a year and a half.
As of now, the unpaid amount of the construction donation is about 1.2 billion won, and the amount of money that can be paid for church construction every month is about 100 million won from the church finances. .
But I have one big desire. That is, we do not want to carry the debt of church building until the beginning of the new two thousand years. At the latest, we want all of these issues to be resolved by the end of December 1999. So, on the first Sunday in January of the second millennium, we want to start the long-awaited second millennium by offering the dedication service to God.
I hope that you will also be able to pray to God with this beautiful desire with me from today. How wonderful it is to begin the long-awaited two thousand years by dedicating this wonderful and beautiful temple to God without blemish and perfection. Of course, it is not as easy as we thought, but if we put in a little effort and dedication and prayer, it is possible. ?
Of course, it's not easy, but it can be done. But it was our young people who taught me how to do it wonderfully and beautifully. I had the same thought last Wednesday night. And I was so overwhelmed with that thought that I stayed up all night without being able to sleep. That is, for the next 15 months, we too, like the young people, would fast at least one meal a week and do the same exercise to donate it to God as if we were to eat five bowls.
One person every week is 3,000 won, 5,000 won, and 10,000 won. The idea is to give it 15 months at a time, just as if we were to give out all five bottles. If that becomes a burden, you can donate 1,000 won every week. The important thing is that all members of the church participate in our movement with a heart that loves God and the church. If all members of the church participate in this movement and give their lives to God, I believe that the miracle of Oh Byeong-Eye will appear in our church as well. The donation that our church can collect for 15 months through this kind of movement may be my wish, but it will be about 300 million to 400 million won. If that is the case, the dedication service can be held on the first Sunday of January 2000 without any problem.
In fact, it can be said that 3-4 billion won is not a lot of money in our church. Even if you don't quarrel with the members of the church like this for 15 months, it can be done without any major problems if you delay the dedication by just 3-4 months. And, to be honest, if the church continues to grow according to the current trend, the church growth section may be able to cover that amount of budget. Therefore, even if you don't make such a fuss, maybe it's possible to do the dedication on the first Sunday of January 2000. Still, I want to do this with you guys. This is because what God requires of us is not money, but love and devotion to the Church, the body of the Lord.
I was thinking about this last Wednesday night, and although it is not a big deal, I thought that I should first make a small sacrifice to God in order to demand such devotion from the church members. I thought that I should give up about 10 million won out of what I received from the church. And I thought that if the church members demanded the dedication of Oh Byeong-Eye, the church members would also be happy to participate in this work. After my thoughts stopped here, I got so excited that I couldn't sleep. All members of the church fast one meal a week and donate the money to God every day like a five-year-old fish. How do they sleep when they dedicate this beautiful chapel to God on the first Sunday of the new millennium, thinking that a new era is coming? could you sleep?
Money isn't the problem. Of course, at first, I thought about money and did the calculations, but then I realized that money was not what God required. When all the members of the church unite and do such a thing, I learned that the church during us will really be able to feed 5,000 people and be used by God as a church in a new era that blesses the nation and people. Because it is not done with money, but with sacrifice and devotion like the children of the text and like the youth of the church during us.
I want to finish my speech.
If this is done beautifully, the church during our time will be remembered as a truly special church. First, it will be remembered as a church that planted a church during the construction of the church and did not neglect relief and missions. Before the construction, Ilsan Dongan Church was planted, and during construction, Daejeon Dongan Church was planted. Not only that, even when construction was difficult, we did not delay or neglect large and small projects such as 100 million won for North Korean compatriots and 150 million won for the construction of the seminary. As a result, we are in a bit of a difficult situation right now, but it is a problem that can be solved within one year of next year. 'I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us' (Romans 8:18). Amen.
Second, it will be remembered as a church built with prayer. We made a prayer booklet while building the church. The church members who brought the booklet prayed to God. Some prayed a hundred times, some a thousand times, some ten thousand times, and some more than 20,000 times. Our church is a church built with prayer. And it is a church built according to that prayer. Everyone, please open the prayer booklet once and check whether the prayer has been fulfilled or not. If we prayed without printing the prayer, it would be impossible to verify it, but because we printed the prayer, we can confirm it accurately. This is a church that has received 100% prayer answers. I can't describe in words how amazing it is.
During the massive construction, not one person was seriously injured and this has never been a problem. Despite the tremendous construction work, the construction has never been stopped due to complaints from residents for a single day. It started with a groundbreaking service on July 10, 1996, and on July 10, 1998, I was able to preach my first sermon in the parish during the all-night service on Friday before entering the church. Do you think all of this is a coincidence? It's not like that. It is a church built with the providence and history like the miracles of God. It is a church built with prayer.
Third, it will be remembered as a church built with the dedication of Oh Byung-Eye. Ahead of the perfect dedication, God has given us the opportunity to plan amazing things through young people. For the next 15 months, the members of the church fasted one day a week and gave the offering to God like a five-year-old fish to complete the work, and how much it would be remembered as a church dedicated on the first Sunday of January in the year 2000. Would it be something to be proud of and something to be happy about?
In order to produce this beautiful miracle, for the next 15 months, drive like a child in today's text and like the young adults of our beloved Dongan Church, offering two loaves and five barley loaves to God every week and worshiping me and all of you. I hope you can.