Examining my life
2 Corinthians 7:10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. (10)
Hymn for scheduled worship: Korean/English Hymnal #515 Lift Your Eyes and Look to Heaven (#256 in previous version)
Before you begin to live the life of an evangelist, you must examine your life. What does it mean to examine your life? It is examining your faith. With your faith (you must be able to view minor things according to God’s standards) you must have faith in God’s power and not use your standards or your strength. Therefore, the Bible says there is no need to worry. But there is something to worry about. Depending on the time, there is a situation when you do need to worry deeply. It is when, within faith, you are anxious and worried about finding God’s will. Worrying to find God’s will is the best prayer.
1.The blessing of deep sorrow
It is all right to have sorrow about living according to God’s will. In order to find God’s will, it is all right to stay up at night. In the Bible, having sorrow in search of finding God’s will leads to salvation (2 Corinthians 7:8~10). God wants to give us the best things, so it is necessary for us to worry to find God’s will. The best prayer is one in which you are passionately seeking God’s will.
2. When you have sorrow in the morning and evening, there is something you must examine
When you have sorrow in the morning and evening, there is something you must examine. It is okay to agonize about evangelism. If you have sorrow about finding today’s Word, evangelism, and prayer, God will grant you His abundant grace. You must simply pray in the morning about your day’s schedule and evangelism. You should begin to worry, “Through my schedule today, how can I evangelize?” In the daytime, you should think about God’s plan and pray as you examine your surroundings. Then, at the end of the day, you can pray for the people and evangelists you met, pray for tomorrow’s meetings, and prepare materials that will be helpful.
3. Even if you simply think about this, you will receive answers.
When evangelists simply think about God’s will and evangelism in the morning and the evening, answers arise. These thoughts allow us to grow (Philippians 1:6), and make us aware of God’s answers and His peace (Philippians 4:7). Examining my life in this way with faith is important. It consists of thinking about my personal work, my church work, and all other areas with faith. You should think about these things, worry about them, confirm them through the message and pray, because finding God’s will is the start to a new life.
- What important thing must I worry about? Meditate on the small actions and thoughts within your faith and begin anew. Specifically, start to worry about evangelism. As your thoughts grow, you will get a taste of God’s answers and His peace.
Study of Evangelism Lecture 7 / 2010.10.23