God is with me
Genesis 39:1~6 The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did. (2~3)
Hymn for scheduled worship: Korean/English Hymnal #373 If, on a Quiet Sea (#503 in previous version)
The Bible records many individuals who lived the life of an evangelist. Among them, when we think of Joseph, we remember the fact that, “The Lord was with Joseph.” This is the essence of what we must grab hold of as the number one thing in living the life of an evangelist. Today’s Word, evangelism, and prayer must stem from enjoying God who is with us.
1. God is with me
Enjoying God being with us is the beginning of being an evangelist. Noah lived the life of continually enjoying this blessing. Abraham went through hardships without correctly understanding this but eventually restored the covenant near the great trees of Mamre. Jacob, too, went through difficulties without realizing this blessing at first, but all things changed after his name was changed to Israel. Besides Joseph, Jacob’s sons had already received this blessing and yet lost hold of it all. Many people in their walk of faith know that God is with them because they heard these words, but they are not enjoying it because they have never tasted it in their lives.
2. The power to change problems into answers
If we realistically enjoy God being with us, then we can change all the problems into answers. Even at a young age, Joseph saw a great vision even with the difficulty of his mother’s death. In addition, even when he encountered an appalling incident of being sold into slavery, he saw God’s great plan. Even when he was falsely accused and imprisoned, he saw God’s great answer. Many people fall into greater problems after achieving success, but Joseph used his success as a tool for evangelism. Those who live the life of an evangelist will continually receive such blessings.
3. The life of saving others
If we realistically enjoy God being with us, we will not only save ourselves but others as well. All things in our life and all the important events at church will change into events of saving lives. It may seem as if we are saving others, but in fact it is an answer of saving ourselves. We will discover that God is with us in all circumstances. As a process of healing we need training to focus on God in order to enjoy this blessing. We need to receive training on a personal, team or church level to focus on God so that we can realistically enjoy God being with us. Through intensive training, we must taste the blessing of Immanuel as our own.
- How real is the covenant that God is with you to you? Place the covenant of Immanuel in your heart and set aside even a small amount of time to focus on God. This is the meditation upon God.
Core Training Message / 2010.10.30