그 능력의 비밀

I will greet the people next to me.

You are a person of blessing. You are an evangelist.

As we go through life, many unexpected things happen.

So, many people become flustered and discouraged by such things.

There are things that are bound to come no matter how hard you try to stop them.

So we think this way.

“Why did this happen to me? Why is there such pain?”

There is a problem that we absolutely cannot solve with our own strength.

There are things that cannot be done with human strength and ability.

This is called absolutely impossible.

So, I sometimes see the helpless side of humanity and feel its limitations.

In that case, as believers in God who rely on His power, what should we do in such a situation?

Do you feel that God is protecting you even in such situations?

Do you feel God's protection?

Do you feel that God is guarding my heart and yours?

Observing the events that unfolded for me and those related to me this past week, I realized, "Ah, there are so many things that cannot be done by human strength and ability."

God must protect us.

God must guard our hearts and minds.

God must be with us in our lives.

I felt this.

I hope that you and I, too, will experience God's protection amidst all things beyond human strength and ability, experience the living God, and become people of faith who rely on God even more.

It is not that the many people gathered in the early church were without tribulation and persecution.

Tribulation and persecution continued to plague them as well.

The problems have become more numerous over time.

I thought that if I believed in Jesus and did the gospel movement, everything would go well, but persecution, tribulation, and problems kept coming ceaselessly.

However, these people had this belief.

The Gospel cannot stop even in the midst of tribulation.

The Gospel can never be stopped.

No matter what persecution and tribulation come, the Gospel cannot be stopped.

Even if problems, tribulations, and persecution come into our lives, the gospel must continue to be proclaimed and spread.

We sometimes stumble, waver, and face difficulties while carrying out the gospel movement.

Even so, the Gospel cannot be stopped.

Therefore, you must continue to preach the gospel.

We must continue to proclaim the gospel.

We must continue to hold onto the Gospel.

I hope you recover the faith of the early church and move forward with the belief that the Gospel cannot be stopped under any circumstances.

The Gospel must continue to be preached.

You must not be tempted by people.

You must not miss worship just because you have been tempted by people.

Do not give up evangelism because of people.

Do not give up on missions because of people.

You must not stop evangelizing just because problems and persecution come.

You must not give up on missions.

Why is that?

This is because we are Christians who look to God and believe in God, not people who look to others.

Therefore, we must live a life of continuing to preach the gospel, transcending all of that.

This was the faith of the early church.

The characteristic of the disciples of the early church is that they overcame everything and did not stop preaching the gospel, even amidst any tribulation.

Then, how was the early church able to do this?

It is not human strength and ability.

It is not human wisdom or strength, either.

What kind of ability did you have?

I bless you in the name of the Lord, that through today's message, you and I may discover the secret of that power and walk the path of the Gospel in any situation.

First, it is the secret of that ability.

If we look at the beginning of Acts chapter 14 today, we see a scene where two apostles preach the gospel on the spot.

Many phenomena occur as you preach the gospel.

There are people who believe, and there are people who do not.

However, they did not stop preaching the gospel.

If you look at verse 7, it says, “He preached the gospel there.”

He did not stop preaching the gospel.

And so, he goes to a land called Lystra.

In Lystra, Paul and Barnabas meet a man who has been unable to walk since birth.

The fact that one has been unable to walk since birth means it is an old problem.

How many people are still breaking down and suffering because of such things?

But when Paul proclaimed the name of Jesus, this man was healed.

If you look at verses 8 through 11, Paul said loudly, “Stand up straight on your feet.”

Paul saw something.

I saw the faith in this person.

Verse 9 says, “When he heard Paul speaking, Paul looked at him intently and saw that he had faith to be saved.”

When the messenger proclaimed with faith and empowerment, and the receiver met in the field with faith believing that it would happen, something amazing happened.

The work of the Holy Spirit has taken place.

Then, many people misunderstood.

I thought, “Barnabas and Paul’s abilities are amazing. Barnabas is a god.”

They began calling Barnabas Zeus and Paul Hermes.

Then, in verse 15, Paul and Barnabas say this.

“Men, why do you do such things? We, too, are human beings with the same nature as you.”

It means, “I, too, am nothing more than a helpless human being, lacking power and ability, just like you.”

So they turn their gaze to God.

It was not I who did it, but God.

Therefore, it means to give glory to God.

Everyone, where does this ability come from?

Where does our ability come from?

Where does Paul's power come from?

There is something we must always be careful about while carrying out the gospel movement.

It is not people who are great, but the Gospel that is great.

It is not Paul who is great, but the gospel that worked in Paul that is great.

It is not my power, but the power of the name of Jesus.

We may be misunderstood as we preach the gospel.

As you engage in the gospel movement, there are times when you receive praise.

People may also lift you up.

You must absolutely not get the wrong idea at that time.

It is not I who did well, but the Gospel that is great.

The person was healed not because of my ability, but by the power of the name of Jesus.

Therefore, we must give glory to God for everything.

Sometimes, people are falsely accused while engaging in evangelism activities.

They also face slander and criticism.

Never lose heart when you are criticized.

If we do not preach the gospel, we will not be criticized.

As the ship heads out to sea, it encounters rough seas and waves.

If the ship does not go out to sea, such things do not happen.

If the ship does not go out to sea, it will always be quiet.

We are misunderstood, criticized, and persecuted because we are carrying out the right evangelism movement and preaching the gospel.

However, the important thing is that whether we are praised or criticized, we must return to the essence of the Gospel.

You must always give glory to God in all things and bear witness to the name of Jesus.

I have seen much of God's work in mission fields and camps.

Looking back, I always feel that "I didn't do a single thing."

That is the power of the Gospel.

Aren't the things that happened by the power of God the power of the Gospel?

How can such things happen?

How was it possible for a disciple to rise up on the scene and for a history of healing to take place?

That is the power of the gospel, and the power of the gospel is the power of God.

Romans 1:16 says, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.”

When the gospel was preached, a great multitude of Jews and Greeks came to believe.

Why did this happen?

This is because there is the power of God in the Gospel.

Where the gospel is proclaimed, darkness is broken, the Kingdom of God comes, and the work of life takes place.

Through the power of the Gospel, people in despair have gained hope.

A history unfolded where a dying life came back to life.

This is the power of the Gospel.

This is the secret of that ability.

Looking at verse 3, it says, “Speaking boldly in the Lord.”

All the saints of our Yeolbang Church, I hope you will boldly proclaim the Gospel relying on the Lord.

'Proclamation' is called kerygma.

Kerygma refers to the authoritative proclamation of the message entrusted to oneself.

Evangelism is proclamation.

Evangelism is proclamation, not persuasion.

Evangelism is not something I do, but the proclamation of the gospel.

Therefore, you do not need to consider at all how the other person will react.

We are not responsible for the consequences after the gospel has been proclaimed.

Please do not worry about that at all.

“How will the other person react after I proclaim the gospel?” is not something we should consider.

We are simply people who sow the seeds of the gospel.

We do not have the ability to change people.

Humans are not beings capable of healing others.

We just need to plant the seeds of the gospel.

It is God who makes fruit bear.

Everyone who is destined to be saved is bound to believe.

If you do not believe, it is not yet God's timetable.

There is absolutely no reason to be discouraged.

The important thing is to boldly proclaim, empowered by the Lord.

You must speak boldly, empowered by that ability.

In the future, many such things must happen in our church as well.

As the Gospel is preached, healing must take place and our health must be restored wherever the Gospel is revealed.

As we preach the gospel, things must happen where our health also improves.

Just like the man in Lystra who had been lame from birth, a history of our health being restored and healing must take place today as we preach and receive the Gospel.

I believe that when you, empowered by that ability, move forward in faith in the field, these things will happen.

However, everyone, please take a look at yourselves.

We should not think of Paul as just a great person.

Does Paul really seem like an amazing person?

You might think, “Wow, Paul is really amazing and I’m envious.”

You might think, “That’s a bit different from me.”

But what did Paul say?

Didn't I say, "You and I have the same nature"?

He confessed, “I, too, am a helpless, powerless being, always within my limits, just like you.”

Paul is also a person with many limitations.

There were also physical limitations.

Even the disciples he trusted so much left Paul.

Nevertheless, God used Paul.

If you read Acts chapter 14, another surprising scene appears.

Although Paul was persecuted, he went to Derbe and preached the gospel again.

Satan's attacks were so persistent that he stoned the evangelist Paul.

Since Paul was also human, how much pain must he have felt?

How difficult must it have been?

You might have thought, “Why do I have to do this? What did I do wrong to deserve this?”

If it were me, I would have experienced such internal conflict.

However, Paul went back into the city even while covered in blood.

He did not run away, but went back in and established disciples there.

Paul is not a person who does not fall.

I am someone who can fall.

Is Paul a great and extraordinary person?

Paul, like us, is a person who can stumble and waver.

However, God raised Paul up.

God raised up Paul, who was in God's hand.

We must experience this in the field.

You must be held in God's hand.

If God gives us strength, we can rise.

How painful would it be if your whole body were covered in wounds?

If it were me, I might have resented God and decided to just survive first, forgetting about the mission and everything else.

However, Paul went back in and established those people with the gospel.

How could Paul have done such a thing?

It is because there was a mission.

Of course, there was a mission.

Isn't it because he saw the disciple?

you're right.

He was able to enter again because he saw the disciple.

However, the important thing here is to see how God works through people.

That way, you too can wait and be patient.

Persecution, tribulation, and difficulties continue to come into your lives right now as well.

How can you be patient and wait?

Please see how God works through people.

If we do not know this, there is no reason for us to go through the trouble of coming here to worship.

There is no reason to praise and worship God here.

Please observe how God uses people.

From my perspective, God's hobbies seem quite strange.

If you only hire capable and outstanding people, wouldn't many people acknowledge you?

However, He used David, who was tending sheep alone in the mountains where no one acknowledged him.

He used a boy named Joseph, who could do nothing but dream.

Joseph was a man who was sold to his brothers.

He used Moses, who had failed, become a murderer, and fled.

He used Daniel, who had been taken captive to a distant foreign land.

He used Esther, a woman who had no power.

He used people who were lacking and powerless.

The same goes for Paul today.

Paul is also a person with many limitations.

Ultimately, God enabled the weak and powerless to rely solely on Him and, empowered by His power, do His work.

He did so to reveal God's power, not my own.

To be more specific, in Romans 7:24, Paul was in the impossibility of the flesh.

He confessed, “O wretched man that I am.”

Did you think Paul was just a great man?

However, Paul confessed to himself, “O wretched man that I am.”

It is that one's life is lacking and weak.

So I came to look to God more.

It means that through that, I came to rely on the Gospel more.

Paul was even amidst the difficulties of his environment.

It was physically impossible, and there were many difficulties in the environment as well.

The message of Philippians 4:12 is also about that.

“I have nothing going for me right now, I am lowly and hungry, I have no family, no parents, no one to help me, I have no good background, no decent job, and I have no education.”

We also often get caught up in such thoughts.

However, Paul said, “I have learned the secret of the whole.”

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Ultimately, the difficulties of his circumstances led Paul to rely on God even more and look to Him.

Those many difficulties and impossible situations actually became grace and strength that made me look to God more.

We also have many limitations.

There are family and economic limitations.

There are limitations in health and limitations in human relationships.

That does not mean our lives are over.

We need to firmly hold onto the conviction we had when we first started believing in Jesus until the very end, but that is not easy.

People say, “Christians must endure. They must be patient,” but it is not easy.

If you force yourself to endure and just hold back, you may develop a psychosomatic illness later on.

Then what should I do?

No matter what persecution and difficulties come, I must have this kind of faith within me.

“Although the current situation and circumstances are as they are, Jesus is the Christ. The Lord is with me. The Lord overcame all my darkness, curses, and calamities and brought them to an end on the cross. Christ, who brought everything to an end, is now with me.”

The Lord is with me forever and leads me to heaven. He is my Lord and my Christ.

I hope this faith is restored to you.

We go forward with such grace and strength.

How can we endure on our own strength and hold out to the very end within our limits?

In the future, this world will become an even more difficult place to endure without God's grace and strength.

Mental difficulties will also continue to arise.

Therefore, there will be many people who cannot endure and fail.

Please show me the evidence.

Please show me the evidence of a life that transformed the absolute impossible into the absolute possible, stating, “Without God’s grace and power, nothing is possible.”

I hope that when people ask you, “What do you gain from believing in Jesus? Has anything gone well?” you will be able to confess like this.

It is alright. There is no problem. The Lord is with me. The Lord will be with me until the end.

I hope to live a life with evidence that allows me to confess and show it like this.

I pray in the name of the Lord that the saints live the life of an evangelist who heals this land and all lives, carrying the evidence of having met Jesus.

There was something Paul did not have.

Paul had no conflict or regret.

The world is full of people in conflict.

There are also plenty of people who regret it.

However, Paul experienced the power of God.

I experienced the living God.

He had evidence that he had been healed through the history of that ability.

If the Gospel healed me and changed my life, what would have been in Paul's heart?

Everyone, why did we come all the way to church on Sunday, our day of rest?

Why do we give offerings and why do we listen to the Word?

If God is not alive, all of this has no meaning.

Aren't you here because you also believe that God is alive and have evidence of healing in your lives?

So Paul had absolutely no bitterness.

I had no regrets.

I absolutely did not fall into that.

Paul was empowered by the power of the gospel.

Paul had evidence that his life had been healed and transformed by the power of the gospel.

Do you need a miracle?

What more miracles are needed?

You have been saved.

I am a child of God.

I received tremendous blessings.

That is your strength and ability.

The very fact that you believe in the living God as His children in the field becomes strength and power.

This is the conclusion.

The apostles of the early church, along with many church leaders and disciples, lived for the gospel.

What about us today?

What are we sweating for?

What are you living for?

We do not live our lives many times; we have only one lifetime.

You only live once.

Everyone, today, don't you feel a desire to live solely for the Lord, just like the Apostle Paul?

After listening to today's message, doesn't that make you feel that way?

I hope that you, our beloved saints, will live for the gospel just like the disciples of the early church.

“God, please let me live for the Gospel starting today. Through the power of the Gospel that has taken place in my life, please let me continue a life of evangelism.”

This gospel movement we are doing, the work of spreading the gospel, is truly valuable.

Do you believe it?

Why am I telling you this?

If it were a worthless task, there would be no work of Satan.

As I witness how much Satan attacks pastors, their families, and the congregation, I realize, “Ah, the gospel movement is truly a worthwhile endeavor.”

It is an evangelism movement that never stops, no matter what happens.

No one can stop the 237,500 ethnic international student camps.

Please confess yourselves.

“I will not stop the Gospel under any circumstances.”

I hope you move forward with this faith.

What we need is not great human ability, but faith that grasps the power of the Gospel.

Just remember these two things.

It is faith that grasps the power of the Gospel, and the assurance that God is with me.

Please hold onto these two things as you go.

That will do.

Everything is accomplished by God's power, and the work of God's power must take place.

I bless you in the name of the Lord that this week may be a place where you experience the secret of that power.

Thank you, Lord.

Please grant that I may live the life of an evangelist who is empowered by the power of the Gospel and relies on the power of the Gospel.

Please let things happen in our field where we boldly proclaim Jesus Christ, empowered by the Lord.

Therefore, please let a biblical work of healing take place.

I pray in the name of Jesus Christ.

amen.