The Grace of God
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November 29, 2009 |
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 "'Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,' says the LORD of hosts, 'if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.'" (Malachi 3:10)
Joy gives birth to more joy; and thanksgiving gives birth to more thanksgiving. This is because God receives our aroma of joy and thanksgiving and gives us more abundant conditions of joy and thanksgiving. I hope you become a precious fruit of God the Father, who constantly works for us without ceasing; just like a diligent farmer. We cannot count the amount of grace that God the Father pours upon us. Let us think about the three major areas in which God has blessed us this year.
First, God the Father gave us the grace for our souls to prosper.
God has always given us His grace to allow our souls to prosper. But this year, we feel that this grace is even more special, because Heaven has come much closer to the heart of our church members. Since the heavenly kingdom is in the spiritual realm, we can feel the kingdom of heaven to the extent that we cultivate our spiritual hearts and our souls to prosper. The more our souls prosper, the greater certainty we have in the heavenly kingdom so we can gain more strength to march towards it.
Take a moment to remember the times that you had this year. From the beginning of the year, God taught us the secrets to receiving His blessings, and made us prepare ourselves to become a vessel worthy of receiving His blessings. This spring, He gave us two festivities and gave us the grace to realize the fundamental problems, the sins that we didn't even remember we had committed, unforgivable sins, and the sins that had been placed deep in our hearts. The fundamental problem was the lack of love for God. Nevertheless, God did not rebuke us; instead, He forgave us and gave us the heart to love Him more. Many church members were moved by His enduring patience and endless love. We made up our minds to cast away untruth and thoughts of the flesh. So, now, many of us have the assurance of salvation and the certainty that we can also go into the city of New Jerusalem, the most beautiful place in Heaven.
And this year, God also began to give us songs and dances from which we can feel the heavenly kingdom. On the anniversary day of our church, we saw the performances of the songs and dances with the title "Heaven." After watching the performances, people of various ages and backgrounds said that the real Heaven must be very beautiful; and that they have gained a sincere desire to go to New Jerusalem. Furthermore, God also showed us many signs and wonders in the spiritual space and allowed us to experience the spiritual realm. By personally seeing and experiencing such things, our church members gained the strength to cast away sins that had been difficult to cast away. Members came to dedicate themselves more earnestly. Now, many members are filled with the happiness and peace in their everyday lives, because the fruits of the Holy Spirit are being borne in them, they are filled with a greater hope of New Jerusalem.
Second, God gave us the grace of being protected from accidents and illnesses.
God the Father has kept us safe this year so from diseases or accidents. The Korean government recently raised the epidemic disease level to the "serious" level. But, our church members don't have any fear, because we are kept safe by God, and because we surely believe that He protects us. Some church members may have experienced some tribulations; in the case where they didn't live in the word of God, like not keeping the Sabbath Day holy. But when they repented and received prayer with faith, they were immediately cured. They received healing transcending space and time, by receiving prayer on the phone or through video.
In the Bible, Jesus said there would be many disasters as we come closer to the end of the world. Today, so many people are suffering from war, terrorism, earthquakes, and so many other calamities. But even in this world, as Manmin members, we are protected by God in amazing ways. Even though cars are terribly badly damaged in accidents, our members haven't been injured at all. We also hear many testimonies from our church members in different parts of the world that they were protected in very dangerous situations. I hope you will be thankful that you are living in this space of love, and always dwell in the word of God.
Third, by the grace of God, we have received abundant material blessings.
This year, God the Father has received glory through the ministry of Manmin that has taken place in different places. The kingdom of God was enlarged through the broadcasting of Manmin TV and GCN, publishing, the crusade in Israel, many healing meetings with the handkerchiefs of God's power, church anniversary, the International Christian Medical Conference by WCDN, and charitable works. This means God has given us material blessings at a personal level as well as at the whole church level. When we kept on giving to God again and again, He fulfilled our needs and blessed our businesses and workplaces.
This year, we had such a great downturn in the world economy that there was concern about the "double dip recession." There were many company employees who lost their jobs and others who had salary cuts. But many of us at Manmin were promoted and had the increase of paychecks. Sales increased. Many unbelievers complain about their lives when the economic situation is not good. But we are always thankful in any situation because we have gained the kingdom of heaven, the most precious treasure of all (Philippians 4:11).
Through the process of preparing us into His vessels and planting the seeds of blessings in our lives, God makes our soul prosper and then ultimately gives us full-scale blessings. I urge you to give thanks to God for giving you the things to offer up to God, and the desire to give to Him, and for giving us so much more in return for what we have sown.
The above message is a summary of the sermon preached during Sunday morning service on November 15, 2009. If you want to read this sermon in more detail, visit our website (www. manmin. org) and click on "Sermon."
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