The life of the evangelist
Ephesians 5:15~21 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. (17~18)
Hymn for scheduled worship: Korean/English Hymnal #401 Savior, Lead Me, Lest I Stray (#457 in previous version)
A person must be objective and have a wide perspective. If we are pessimistic or bigoted, we will lose sight of many important things. We must fight between the truth and the falsehoods, but when our benefits are at stake, what do we choose? Though it may be an immediate loss to us, we must choose the truth. For the rest of our lives, there are many inexplicable things that await us. In such a situation, we must live the lives of evangelists. There are things we must keep in mind and remember regarding the life of the evangelist.
1. People who are loyal to the small things can receive large answers.
Because we are children of God who have received salvation, we must have both a larger, overarching plan and small minute plans regarding the work of God. But if we lose hold of the smaller, more detailed plans, we will lose hold of everything. People who are faithful from the smallest things can receive larger answers. No matter where we go- whether it is school or work- we have to excel from the smallest things. This is having victory from the smallest of our fields. Joseph and David both had victory in their respective fields as slave and shepherd. Even if we accomplish a seemingly trivial matter, God will give us large answers.
2. The world moves to the beat of very small things that are invisible to the eye.
Very small things are cannot be seen to the eye are at times the forces that overcome the world, and at times the beat that moves the world. What are these small things that are invisible to the eye? We may at times meet people whom we cannot understand, and people who are beyond common sense, but rather than ignoring them, we must have the wisdom to understand and examine them closely with regard. At the same time, we must consider time to be precious, and discern what the will of the Lord is during those precious hours. We must also receive the filing of the Holy Spirit, praise the Lord with our heart and psalm, and with the fear of the Lord, obey the Lord. People of the Gospel who possess the aforementioned small things are capable of moving the world.
3. Great works will arise when we excel at the fundamental, basic and foundational things.
God has called us to solve the spiritual problems flowing through our families. This is the fundamental thing. God has called us to solve once and for all the fundamental problems that are the culprits that destroy our families. This is a very basic matter. ‘Foundational’ means that it is very elemental to common sense. If we, who possess the Gospel, excel even just a little in this matter, great works will arise.
- The small things we put into action as we live the lives of evangelists will connect to larger answers and eventually move the world. Put into action little things through which we can reflect upon today’s Word, today’s prayer, and today’s evangelism.
Immanuel Church Sunday Worship 2nd Service / 2010.12.26