Title The Most Beautiful Church .....
2005/10/08
Have you ever wondered how other people would rate you today? This is very important because we do not live alone, we live with other people. Of course, as Christians, how God views us is the most important issue. If God evaluates me well, most people are expected to evaluate me as well. How are you evaluated by others? This problem is also true of churches. A church that is pleasing and praised by God is destined to receive a good reputation from people. In addition, the reputation of the church is closely related to its revival.
Our church must have a good reputation as a good church. To do that, we need to be really good churches. What kind of church is a good church? The church in Antioch was the most beautiful church for us to model. This was a church that had a good reputation, especially among non-believers. How did they get such a reputation? What was the appearance of that church, so that it received a good reputation from the world?
Conditions for being a good church
The church in Antioch, the most beautiful church that ever existed on the earth, was founded by unknown lay people. However, the lay people who founded the church were people who proved their faith by enduring the hardships they had to endure for their faith in the Lord. When a great persecution broke out in Jerusalem, many saints were scattered in all directions to escape the persecution. Even though they were scattered to escape hardship, they did not get discouraged or frustrated and preached the gospel wherever they went. Because the people who founded the Antioch church were such good people, that church was able to become such a good church.
A church taught by the Word
Christian
The people in Antioch who began to call believers Christians were the people of the world who did not believe. In their view, the people attending the Antioch church were completely different from other people. As a result of Barnabas and Saul teaching the words to the saints in Antioch, the lives of the church members in Antioch were changed beautifully. The changed appearance of the members of the Antioch Church was evident in the eyes of non-believers.
Antioch was a cosmopolitan city at that time, so there were many peoples including Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, and Jews. Each of these people had their own unique religious habits and lifestyle. However, the members of the Antioch Church showed their own unique way of life that was completely different from other peoples. Everyone could tell that they were something different from the others. Not only were they morally good, but they always preached Christ and lived a life of obedience to Christ's teachings, which was different from the Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, and especially the Jews. So the people of Antioch gave the Saints in Antioch a nickname, and that nickname was “Christian.” It meant followers of Christ.
As such, the name “Christian” is the name that our ancestors in our faith earned by loving the Lord passionately and obeying His Word. The name 'Christian' is the name given to those who obeyed the Lord's word despite all adversity and suffering and never ceased to preach Christ. The way of life of these Antioch saints became their reputation, and that reputation became their name. The name that our great ancestors got like this is our name now. Do you know how precious and beautiful our name as Christians today is?
very good church
However, the important thing today is whether we are living a life worthy of that name. Six years ago, we decided to name the church 'Very Good Church'. We ourselves call ourselves a ‘very good church’. And now, other people also call us a ‘very good church’. How do you feel? But it's not just something to be happy about. That's how heavy our shoulders are. Its name is 'True Good Church', but what a shame if we ourselves are not. How will people laugh at us? How detestable will God be with us? As the name suggests, we must become a ‘very good church’. I must become a 'very good saint'. Its name should match our form. This is our challenge and our responsibility today. Please don't forget.
The members of the Antioch Church lived a life of obedience to the Word with a passionate heart to love the Lord. They preached Christ wherever they went. That is how he got the name Christian. Do the members of our True Good Church truly love the Lord fervently today? Are you making every effort to obey the word of the Lord? Are our appearances changing beautiful and holy day by day? Are you eager to give your life for the Lord? Are you filled with the Holy Spirit and boldly preaching Christ? Only when we all become such saints can we truly become a truly good church. Let's keep in mind that our names and our lives must match today. A good church doesn't happen automatically.
solution to the problem
The world we live in today is a world full of problems. There are many problems nationally and socially, individuals, families, and even churches. Politics and economy are full of problems, and people are clamoring that religion is also corrupt. What is the solution to all these problems? Will the problem be solved if we elect a good president or legislators? It may be somewhat helpful, but neither the president nor the lawmakers can ever solve these problems. So there is no solution? There is. All Christians in our country today need to live a life worthy of that name. All we need to do is live a life worthy of the name of the ‘True Good Church’. Today, we must restore the glorious name that our ancestors of faith risked their lives for. I hope that you will restore the Christian life and become beautiful saints who restore the glory of their name.
Christian Life - Relief
The members of the Antioch Church were taught by the Word and lived a changed life, so they were called Christians. But what kind of life did they live? The details of their life are not given, but we can see one beautiful aspect of them in verse 27 and below. Among the prophets from Jerusalem, Agabus prophesied that there would be a great famine in the world. However, as the saying goes, there was a great famine during the reign of Emperor Claudius. At this time, the saints of the church in Antioch gathered as much money as they could and sent it to the church in Jerusalem (verses 27-30).
to be a beautiful church
The church refers to the gathering of God's people gathered in the name of the Lord. Therefore, in order for the church to be a beautiful church, the faith and life of the members of that church must be beautiful. In order for the faith and life of the saints to be beautiful, all the saints must diligently learn the word of God and obey the word they have learned. Obedience to the Word means love for the Lord. Listen to what the Lord Himself has to say. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15) “He who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him” (John 14:15). 14:21)
A good church is a church that loves the Lord passionately. It is a church that fervently loves the Lord and obeys His Word. The members of such a church are beautifully transformed in their lives. As a result, you not only receive praise from God, but also praise from people. Do you have a burning heart to love the Lord today? Do you truly live by faith, and do you always make a commitment to obey the word of the Lord and do your best? Am I longing to devote my whole life to living for the Lord? Let us restore the glorious name of Christian. Let's become saints worthy of the beautiful name of the True Good Church. May the grace and blessings of the Lord be with you.