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 Sermon > Sunday Evening Service |
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Title |
According to the Word of God - 32ndAnniversary of Church Opening |
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Speaker |
Rev. Jaerock Lee |
Bible |
John 1:1 |
Date |
2014-07-27 |
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[Passage]
[John 1:1]
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today, we are celebrating the 32ndanniversary of the church opening. God the Father established this church in His providence and He has been protecting and guiding us for the last 32 years. Let's offer up our thanks and all glory to Him. Right from the opening until today, our church has been conducting its ministry according only to the word of God. Above all, we obeyed the words of the 66 books of the Bible as they arewhile pursuing holy and sanctified lives. Moreover, we have also obeyed the words of God given from time to timein deep inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Today's reading passage John 1:1 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." As said, the Word is God.If we trust God, and if we love God, we will definitely obey His words. Also, the living and active words of God will certainly be fulfilled through those who trust and obey.
For the last 32 years since the opening, God has reaped many fruits through our obedience and He is continuing to fulfill His providence. In this message, we will look back on the ministry of this church that was accomplished according to the Word of God, and I hope you will also gain more trust and love, and receive grace and power.
[Main]
Dear brothers and sisters,
April 17, 1974, that was the day I met God. Being in poverty and disease-stricken, I had only been waiting for my death.But, I was healed in a church,and what I then craved the most was the Word of God. I wanted to know who God is, and how I could communicate with God. I diligently read the Bible, and I attended all worship services and revival meetings. I just believed all the words of God, and I obeyed all the words of God.
Because the divine healing I experienced was so great, I could never doubt God, and I believed all the signs and wonders written in the Bible. I loved God so much for healing me and giving me Heavenwhen nobody else could help me and I wanted to fulfill His words so much.
As I only obeyed the words of God, I received a calling to become a pastor, a servant of God. I was too old to go to theological college, I had lost my mental power tomemorize and I couldn't really take any entrance exam. But I did not say that I couldn't do it. I only obeyed the Word of God to become a pastor, and since then, I only lived with the word of God and prayer. I repeatedly did 100- or 200-night vowed prayers, and I obeyed all the urging of the Holy Spirit to fast for 10, 15, 21, or even 40 days.
I also only obeyed the word of God when I opened the church in my senior year of the theological college. God gave me the name of the church, the time and place to open the church, and the finances to open the church. I had only about 7 dollars with me before the opening of the church, but God gave me the money to open the church in such an unexpected way. He also gave me the name 'Manmin' or 'All peoples' with the vision to preach the gospel to all peoples.
He guided me to Shindaebang Dong area where I had never been, and I asked many people for the way to get there, and eventually I signed a contract for a place that was about 900 square feet. I had many relatives who could help me with the money to open the church, but I did not rely on men. God sent me 13 members including four children. They were the beginning members of the church.
God also let me know how I should pray and fast for the opening, and that there would be hindering works of Satan, and how I could overcome those hindrances. God urged me to offer four prayer meetings beginning in March, and in May He gave me the time to open the church, saying, "Open the church when the sun is scorching."
Then He said, "You will face a test, but do not worry. Just believe and pray, and I will pay you back with blessings."And in June, there was actually a test, disturbing the opening of the church. One of my classmates was jealous of the divine healing and works of the Holy Spirit taking place through me, and he slandered me with false rumors. He said I was calling myself the Christ or that I was creating factions. I heard the professors' council was going to expel me.
One of the professors advised me not to open the church telling me about this situation. I became a pastor according to the word of God, and I was in danger to be expelled even before beginning my ministry, so how ridiculous this situation was!But God told me about this situation, "Rejoice and give thanks. Pray for them with love."As I gave thanks in prayers according to the word given, all the misunderstandings were resolved in a moment, and my classmate who had slandered me repented.
On July 25, 1982, according to the word of God, we finally opened the church on a hot summer day when the sun was scorching. Just like the sun would look brighter after a storm, the joy of being able to open the church after the storm of the harsh test was beyond words. The history of Manmin Central Church was made only according to the word of God right from the beginning.
Sometimes, as we obeyed the word of God, in reality situations looked like they were getting worse. But when we acted with faith until the end in any situation, God eventually fulfilled His words. Since the opening, as we have been obeying the words of the Bible and praying fervently everyday,as in the Bible the signs and wonders have never ceased.
Not only such diseases as cancers and lung tuberculosis were healed, but also demons left, the blind came to see, the deaf came to hear and the mute came to speak. Those who were carried on stretchers stood up and went back on their own feet. People heard the news and came from all over the country, and the church grew even to the extent that within one year from the opening we did not have enough space.
Even though we wanted to move, there were no big buildings around, and we did not have money either. So, the word of God came upon us again. It was to build a temporary building on a vacant lot. What was wondrous was that He said, "If you build, it will fall, and if you build again, it will fall again, but then the providence of God will be revealed."So, we began to build the temporary building, and because we did not receive the permission of construction the local government officials tore it down. The church members built it once again and the demolishers demolished it in a moment.
It was so disappointing and we could not understand it in physical sense. But the members obeyed the word of God. They built it, and if it was demolished, they built it again. While they were doing that, they had increasingly more longing for a sanctuary.As we were doing it for several months, a big building was constructed near the church, and somebody suggested we move into that building.
But even though there was a good place, we could not afford that place with the faith and financial situation of the members at that time. But as the temporary buildings were demolished again and again, they began to have burning fervor, so the big amount of money to move to a bigger place was prepared in a moment. It was something difficult to understand with human thoughts, but as we obeyed the word of God, a way was opened for us to move to a new sanctuary as God said His providence would be revealed. After that, whenever we were moving into a new church building, and not just when we were moving, but also in everything we obeyed the word of God.
Even for the three tests in '98 and '99, God told us in advance. He said blessings would come at the speed of light if we passed them with faith. When we overcame such hardships with only joy and thanksgiving and obedience to the word of God, what we saw before our eyes was the gate opened towards world evangelism.
God commanded us to conduct overseas crusades from the year 2000, and in every crusade the power of God increased to expand the kingdom of God. Even when we were doing the overseas crusades, we went to a country and we went at a time that God commanded us. Even when there were requests with very favorable terms for us, we did not go if God did not allow. But if God commanded we went unconditionally.
We did not care even though we did not have anybody to help us and we did not have money, or even though there were threats of terrorism and legal pressure. When we showed faith to God until the end, God miraculously prepared money to finance the crusade. Threats of terrorism were dramatically lifted, and the legal pressures melted away. Everywhere we went, God let us bear the fruit as we obeyed, and He received glory as He promised. That's how we have been doing the ministry for the last 32 years only according to the word of God.
[Conclusion]
Dear brothers and sisters,
After we did many overseas crusades all over the world and after we finished the three-year ministry in Israel, God proclaimed the third stage of take-off from the year 2010. If you look back at the last couple of years from that time, you can more deeply understand the meaning of the third-stage of take-off.
In fact we faced 2010 having the hope that we would reap the fruits of all the seeds that we had been sowing for a long time. But instead of the news of blessing, what I had on my hands was a tremendous number of repentance letters. To open the way of forgiveness of sins that came on December 25, 2010, and also after that, too, I spent times of endurance and sacrifice that were like death itself. I wanted to build the Grand Sanctuary and accomplish world evangelism as quickly as possible, but the financesthat God said He had already given us were nowhere to be seen, but instead I lost my life-force in the spiritual training. Furthermore, sins were committed continuously, and I had to fill up the measure of justice by offering my life.
After spending these last four years this way, what did God accomplish in the third-stage of take-off?It was the flow of spirit called, 'standardization of spirit'. As He commanded me to fill up New Jerusalem with our church members, we can construct the Grand Sanctuary with the true meaning of it and greatly accomplish world evangelism only when there is a sufficient number of men of spirit and whole spirit. For this, we needed the repentance in 2010, and also the time to store up the measure of faith by checking our measures of faith.
That is why God let me endure again and again even though it just seemed impossible to endure just for one day. As said in Numbers 23:19, "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent; has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?" the providence of God will be certainly fulfilled.The point in time and the method might be different from people's thoughts, but it doesn't mean it is not being fulfilled, or delayed. God will receive glory to the greatest extent in the most appropriate time.
I ask you not to fall away from this flow of spirit but quickly come into spirit and whole spirit. In doing so, I pray in the name of the Lord that you will play important roles in each of the aspects of the ministry of this church, a ministry achieved only according to the word of God. Let us give all thanks and glory to God the Father who has been with us and received glory for the last 32 years and who will receive even greater glory soon. |
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