People who witnessed the resurrection
Acts 1:1~14 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." (10~11)
♬ Hymn for scheduled worship: Korean/English Hymnal #183 There Shall Be Showers of Blessings (#172 in previous version)
Jesus became the first fruits of the resurrection. He also abides with us 24 hours a day. Anyone can call upon the name of Jesus Christ. If you hold onto the covenant of the Lord who resurrected, then miraculous works will take place. For this to occur, we must confirm a few things.
1. Disbelief that must be discarded
The Lord who resurrected no longer requires the need of oil. That is why He met with the two women who came to put oil upon His corpse. The Lord who resurrected sought out Peter who was discouraged and dismayed. He also appeared in the presence of two disciples heading to Emmaus. Jesus then appeared in front of Thomas who was suspicious and questioned the validity of the resurrection, as well as the disciples at the Sea of Tiberius and 500 other disciples who were all also doubtful. The resurrected Lord appeared before these people and delivered His covenant. We must hold unto this covenant and quickly discard our disbelief. When we throw away our disbelief, more works will arise.
2. Source of answers
The Lord who has resurrected gave three sources of answers. If you firmly hold to the covenant and pray, then God’s kingdom will descend upon you (Acts 1:3). Also, when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you will receive power and become a witness (Acts 1:11). This is the source of answers. If you possess this source, then you will absolutely receive the answers similar to the Early Church.
3. The answer that God will absolutely give to us
If you hold onto the covenant and devote yourself to prayer, answers are sure to come. Devoting yourself to prayer means discarding other interests and holding onto the covenant, rather than just praying all the time. At that time, the kingdom of God will come upon us, and the forces of darkness will flee, just as this power appeared during the Pentecost. This answer was given to both Stephen and Paul. When you enjoy the blessings of the resurrected Lord like this, God will grant immense strength. As you hold onto this strength, you will gain leisure and God’s time schedule will come. Also, unique answers will arise in your business and academic field.
-As you hold onto prayer and the covenant given to you by Christ, you will see your vision and gain strength. With this strength, you can maintain your business and academics, absolutely receiving answers. This is why the Early Church devoted themselves only to prayer.
Immanuel Church Sunday Worship 2nd Service / 2010.4.4