When the power of faith is revealed
2 Thessalonians (3) When the power of faith is revealed (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)
< Do good with joy >
What is the use of living with a stomach ailment due to conflict, wounds, and stress because of unhappiness in the family because of not being able to take care of yourself after graduating from college, and living in harmony? The purpose of study is ultimately to achieve joy and happiness. Why study the Word? It is also to obtain joy and happiness in the Word.
Some choir conductors are terribly angry that the choir members can't sing. Then the members of the choir also sang while groaning. Then God will not be glorified through that hymn. It is better not to do well with a happy face than to do well with an unhappy face. Others, on the other hand, sing joyfully while mopping the chapel or washing the dishes. Then you will be happy, but the people who see you will be happy, and God will be glorified.
<Power is revealed when you take up the cross>
Especially gladly bear the cross. When will the history and power of faith be revealed? It appears when you dare to take up the cross knowing how to choose the narrow path according to God's will. Jesus' greatest work was to live and die on the cross. Likewise, the greatest work of the saints is to die on the cross before evangelism, missionary work, and service. If you do not crucify yourself and work on your own, you are doing your own work, not God's work.
Always have faith in the cross, confessing death in the Holy Spirit. In that sense, the Korean pulpit has a point to repent greatly. The name of the revival meeting was to make them look to Egypt. At the revival meeting, they speak of Jesus with their mouths, but the content is almost gag-level without the spirit of Jesus, making them look at the blessings of Egypt rather than the happiness of the land of Canaan.
Even if you die wandering in the wilderness, you can go to heaven, but how unhappy is your life? Now, when you believe in Jesus, let go of your pride and worldly greed and fill your heart with joy, joy, and thanksgiving in the Holy Spirit. Pursue material things to fulfill your vocation, but do not seek to satisfy greed. If you have too much without the spirit of Jesus, the possibility of unhappiness increases and the possibility of being struck in the calf by God later increases.
Do the saints have material possessions of their own? Or is it God? Many church members automatically answer that question. “It is God’s.” But it's better to answer honestly, "It's mine." If you say, “It belongs to God,” and you spend a little for God and a lot for yourself, then it is more honest to say that it is yours because it will hurt you more because of that hypocrisy. Of course, this does not mean that you should really think that it is yours, but it means that you should be serious about the issue of alleviating greed and the issue of God's sovereignty.
If you try to satisfy your greed with the blessings God has given you without the devotion of the cross, which is the clearest evidence of the experience of the Holy Spirit, it is better not to receive many blessings. What kind of blessing would it be if you received many blessings and did many calves? If you are not willing to take up your cross and share it with your neighbors, please accept a little. However, rather than such a passive life, after being thoroughly armed with the faith of the cross, receive many blessings and share a lot.