Demise of the persecutor

Acts 12:20~25 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. But the word of God continued to spread and flourish. (23~24)

♬ Hymn for scheduled worship: Korean/English Hymnal #399 Fear Not, Little Flock(#204 Blessed Assurance, Jejus is Mine in previous version)

As you live your walk of faith, there are times that are difficult. You may face hardship because of people or fall into trials because of church work. Therefore, some people leave the church, other people fall into trials, and people even fight amongst themselves. We must properly open our spiritual eyes. If we know the strategy of Satan, we have no choice but to triumph. Why are these hardships coming to us, and how can we overcome these conflicts and trials and properly receive answers?

1. The reason of God

Although it may appear that we are facing hardships, God has the greatest reason. Joseph’s brothers tried to kill Joseph and sold him as a slave. David’s father-in-law, Saul, tried to kill David. Even though it appeared that they were facing sufferings, God had the reason and purpose of breaking down the greatest power of the darkness. The forefathers of faith suffered a lot for the reason of missions that would save the future descendants. The reason the Early Church was falsely accused as a heresy and faced hardship was for the sake of showing the truth.

2. The time schedule of God

If that is the case, what must we do with evil people or the persecutor? God has a time schedule. Bringing death or life upon evil people, paying back our enemies, avenging the unfair things that we have faced is all in God’s hands. King Ahab and King Herod who persecuted the evangelists ended their lives with a wretched death. No matter how powerful a nation may be, Egypt, Babylon, Assyria or Rome that blocked the Gospel were miserably destroyed. The age of Noah that disobeyed God and the age of Sodom and Gomorrah were completely destroyed.

3. The blessing of God

If we were to take even five minutes to give ourselves to God and kneel before Him, the answers would start to come. Just like the model of answers in the Bible, we will stand at the spiritual summit that saves the field and age and receive the great blessing of fulfilling the spiritual vision by receiving answers from God. God perfectly prepares the answer of world evangelization for the children of God who look towards God and concentrate on the covenant. Therefore, we must prepare to receive this answer.

Forum Topic

What is the reason for God’s calling? What reason does God have for my present problems, and what kind of plan does He have to change it into a blessing? Hold on to God’s plan and pray.

Immanuel Church Sunday Worship 2nd Service / 2013.8.4