If you gain strength individually, you will be able to see everything
2 Timothy 2:1 “You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”
♬ Hymn for scheduled worship: Korean/English Hymnal #191 I’m Rejoicing Night and Day (#427 in previous version)
If you tried to find a solution every time you encountered a problem in the field, you would not be able to win the fight. That is why God’s people need to find strength elsewhere. You don’t have to tell anyone that you need strength when you have a problem. In your everyday life, you will need a strength that you cannot see. Those who have this strength will have their eyes opened.
1. Our field
If you look at the representative figures in the Bible, they encountered many difficult challenges. They were challenges that were hard to fathom or were altogether unexpected, but they were persistent and meant to bring those people down. Joseph and Moses had the most problems. Joseph lost his mother when he was very young and went to Egypt, barely escaping death at his brothers’ hands. Moses suffered due to problems originating from his family and the nation. At three months old, he was supposed to die, but he was placed in a reed basket in a river and adopted by a princess. As a result, he did not know his roots. At 40 years of age, Moses was a murderer, escapee, and a fugitive. Samuel and David faced problems with the church and society. They faced problems within the church and had to fight unbelief. Because of politicians who had lost hold of the covenant, they had to go to war. There were also people who spread the Gospel while many kings worshiped idols instead of God. Those individuals were Isaiah and Elijah and Elisha. During the period of Rome, many individuals who staked their lives on the Gospel were persecuted. Within the empire, the disciples of the Early Church had a unique strength. Apostle Paul told his disciple, Timothy, “Be strong in the grace.” He told him about the importance of having a strength that would overcome the field.
2. Our eyes
The person who has a unique strength through the Gospel can have a different set of eyes. When they look at problems or events, when they look at people or the future, they see with the eyes of the Gospel. They have eyes to see spiritual reality as well as knowledge. They are able to hear God’s message and they are able to see the field without the Gospel. They then align their fields and their global perspective to God’s direction. Their eyes are open to the work they must do in their field. Through these people, God is fulfilling His works of world evangelization even today.
- May I experience the strength of the Gospel through today’s message and prayer. Allow me to experience viewing my problems as a foundation for the Gospel.
Remnant Study of Evangelism Lecture 232 / 2010.6.19