The Treasure of Treasures Is Faith
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July 31, 2016 |
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 Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).
The history of Manmin was solely a path taken by faith. God has been watching us with His blazing eyes and whenever we showed Him our faith, He changed all the trials into glory. This is because the treasure of treasures is faith.
1. The power of faith
On July 25, 1982, when we had the first service, the sanctuary was just about 33 square meters, and there were only 13 members including 4 children. The money on hand was only 7,000 won, which was about 6 or 7 dollars then. With faith, we stored up countless prayers and fasting and the number of church members increased very rapidly.
We had the establishment service on the 77th day after the first service, and we already had 170 members. In less than 5 years from that time the number of members hit 3,000. We had to move to bigger places without even having enough time to build a new sanctuary. The main power-source of such growth was powerful works that guaranteed God's word that was preached.
In our church, great healing works took place, and the news spread all over the country. Sick people, the demon-possessed, and people with problems in spirit and body came from all over the nation. The blind came to see and the lame to walk. The manifestation of powerful works became greater year by year. Experiencing such works of God's power, the faith of our church members increased quickly.
2. What is faith that is the treasure of treasures?
Firstly, spiritual faith is the faith given by God from above.
There was a father who wanted his son to be set free from demons. Mark 9:23-24 says as the following. Jesus said to him, "If You can? All things are possible to him who believes." Immediately the boy's father cried out and said, "I do believe; help my unbelief."
Here when the father said, "I believe," and "help my unbelief", they are different kinds of believing. He heard about the power of Jesus, so he first had faith as knowledge thinking Jesus could heal his son. But because he did not have spiritual faith to believe from the heart, he asked Jesus to help his unbelief.
God gives us spiritual faith when we walk in the Light according to God's words. If we say, "Lord, I believe" without living by His word but in sins, then it is a lie (1 John 1:6).
If we truly believe that God is alive, we will have the deeds of obeying His commandments. Faith without deeds is dead faith (James 2:17), and with dead faith nothing can be accomplished.
Secondly, spiritual faith is the faith to obey even the impossible things.
If you have spiritual faith you can obey the commands of God, even if it doesn't agree with what you think. It's because you believe that God is the loving Father who gives you only the best things. Also, you believe God is wiser than you and He has greater power than you, so you can obey relying on His wisdom and power.
When God commanded Abraham to offer his son Isaac, if Abraham had had fleshly thoughts, he would never have been able to obey. He believed that God had a reason when He told him to offer his son Isaac, and he also believed that even if Isaac died, God would revive him. God was so pleased with the complete obedience of Abraham. God fulfilled all His promises given to Abraham.
The history of Manmin was also that of obedience and trust. God says 'go', then we go, and God says 'stop', and we stop. He tells us to help the needy and do missionary works and we just do them. Even though we didn't have enough money, we trained pastors as He urged us. I proclaimed the spiritual realm knowing there would be persecutions from others. We just obeyed the will of God unconditionally and immediately, and God took all the responsibilities.
Thirdly, spiritual faith is unchanging faith no matter what the situation.
In any hardship, or even if a long time passes, spiritual faith never changes (Mark 11:24; James 1:6-7). The promises of God are certainly fulfilled. But sometimes the time that God wants and the time that men want can be different. God who knows everything fulfills everything at the most appropriate point in time.
We have believed without changing since the opening the providence of God given to this church. Our ways were not always easy. Not being able to see just an inch ahead, we were afflicted in every way. But the church committed everything into God's hands giving thanks in prayers. After some time, the plan of God in allowing the trial was revealed.
We came to establish a new denomination based on the five-fold gospel of holiness. We were recognized more by other church councils, and held many overseas crusades and seminars.
The fruit of revival continued, and in 1993, we were selected as one of the top 50 churches in the world. We were accelerating our ministries when we had another major trial in 1998 and 1999. Some of the pastors and Levites were no longer able to hide their unrighteousness in the church, and they left the church in groups. Meanwhile they created false rumors to slander the church and deceive the members. They even spread such rumors to the church councils of Korea and the press of the world. But even before this trial had begun, God let me know that it would come. God told us it would not result in disaster or hardship, but blessings that were coming upon us at the speed of light.
Blessings and glory were confidently proclaimed every week in the sermons. After the three trials, in Muan Manmin Church in March 2000, a work of creation took place. The well that was giving out only salty sea water began to pump up fresh water. From the Uganda crusade in 2000, the era of overseas crusades began, and the explosives works of power began being unfolded all over the world. Many people did away with idols and converted. There were many people who were healed through the broadcast ministry, as well.
From 2007, as God commanded us at the opening of the church, we began to preach about Jesus Christ in Israel, 'the remotest part of the earth'. The WCDN (World Christian Doctors Network) and MIS (Manmin International Seminary) were established to make our vision more concrete. The broadcast ministry opened wide through GCN, and more publications were carried out in many countries. We were enabled to spread the holiness gospel and the works of God's power to all corners of the world.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, since the opening of the church, God has always been with us. He has always blessed us and allowed for us to be prosperous. The glory of God has been revealed greatly thus far, but the works of God that will be manifested from this point on will be so much more glorious. Many church members will ride on the flow of changes that are even faster. The church councils that have been filled with sins and departed from God will also rise together with our church through the works of the Holy Spirit. I ask you all to be able to stand before God having faith like pure gold in this hope. I pray in the name of the Lord that you will all become noble and precious instruments of God.
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