사도행전 13:1-3
주님을 위해서 따로 세워야 할 것이 무엇인가요?
What should be set apart specifically for the Lord?
교회는 신앙을 전수하는 공동체, 복음을 전파하는 공동체입니다 The church is a community that passes on faith and spreads the gospel. 마28:18-20 행1:8
디아스포라를 통해서 일하시는 하나님이 HOF교회를 사용하십니다 God, who works through the diaspora, uses HOF Church. ① 내가 복음의 사람이 되기 Become a person of the gospel ⓶ 다음세대가 신앙생활에 노출되기 Expose the next generation to a life of faith
주님을 사모하고, 소중한 것을 드리는 성도가 되십시오 Become a saint who longs for the Lord and offers precious things.
한 사람이, 내가 되기를, 내 자녀가 되기를 소망합니다 I hope to be that person, to become me, and to become my children
Summary
The church's mission, as outlined in Matthew 28:18-20, is to save souls and make disciples of all nations. Disciples are witnesses who testify about Jesus Christ, and the church plays a vital role in transmitting faith vertically to children and horizontally proclaiming the gospel to neighbors. The Antioch Church serves as an exemplar, expanding God's kingdom by reaching out to society and nations beyond its immediate community. While the modern church faces challenges like declining Sunday schools and shrinking populations, there is hope in witnessing underprivileged children in Indonesia receiving Christian education and becoming disciples. To prioritize the faith of children, efforts are being made to develop a curriculum, and prayer gatherings are planned to seek guidance from the Holy Spirit. The Antioch Church's model of prayer, fasting, and alignment with God's will is encouraged, including offering the church's most precious resources, such as sending missionaries. Obedience and fasting are presented as means to walk in faith and align with God's heart. The church is urged to offer its most valuable possessions and become a supportive community that journeys together. With faith, obedience, and unity, the church can overcome challenges, revive wounded souls, and satisfy hungry souls. By carrying the torch of hope and believing in God's presence, the church can fulfill its mission to make disciples of all nations.
Script
Before the Lord ascended, He gave a message to the church. It is found in Matthew 28:18-20: "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'" The mission of the church is to go to all nations, save souls, and make them disciples. Now, who are the disciples? Acts 1:8 states: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Disciples are "witnesses." In this generation, from one generation to the next, from here to there, the church's role is to become a witness and testify to others about Jesus Christ, the Savior. It is a place where I become a witness, pass on the gospel to my children so that they become witnesses, and be a witness to my neighbors! It is a place where I become a disciple, raise my children as disciples, and make my neighbors and nations into disciples! That place is the "church."
The church is a community that passes on faith to children and is a missionary community that spreads the gospel to neighbors. Vertically, it involves the transmission of faith, and horizontally, the proclamation of the gospel. When these two aspects are in action, God works through the church. It is not about the number of saints, but about whether "vertical transmission and horizontal proclamation" create waves and flow. We hope that the contents of the ministry of Jesus Christ, which took place on this land two thousand years ago, will be carried out through our children. We believe they will carry out the ministry of Jesus, become His witnesses, and establish a community of the next generation. Furthermore, we believe that through them, a mission community will arise, reaching out to society and nations to save souls.
Today, the "Antioch Church" emerges. The Antioch Church was the first Gentile church. The Jerusalem Church was a Jewish church. Even within the Jerusalem Church, they experienced the amazing grace of God. However, they were a church confined within their own Jewish community, preaching the gospel only to the Jews. Therefore, God established a church centered around the Gentiles, capable of proclaiming the gospel to the ends of the earth, and that is the Antioch Church. What the Jerusalem Church couldn't do, the Antioch Church now begins to take on. The Antioch Church! It is a diaspora church. As a diaspora church, we have a role to play. Whenever God expands His kingdom, He has always used the diaspora. Abraham was part of the diaspora. Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and even the entire nation of Israel were scattered from Egypt to Canaan. You and I have come to Sydney as part of the diaspora. Whatever reasons brought us here, God will use us, along with our children. It is certain. However, as those who are being used, we must be prepared.
It seems that attending the assembly has given you a greater sense of "hope and longing" towards the HOF Church. The director of the Korean Pentecostal Holiness Church's education institute shared the current situation of the Korean church. After the COVID-19 pandemic, around 60-70% of churches in Korea no longer have Sunday schools. Due to a social phenomenon where children do not come to church and the population is declining, the situation has reached a critical level. Consequently, scholars say that the next five years are the last opportunity for the gospel to reach children, which is a despairing prospect. However, the next day, you visited a childcare center run by a missionary. It was a place where underprivileged children who desired to live in dormitories could hear the gospel and receive Christian education. Seeing over 30 children reciting the Bible, praising, and welcoming you with smiles, it seemed like an alternative to the despairing news you heard the day before. "Ah! There is hope. Children in Indonesia are hearing the gospel and becoming children of God, disciples, and witnesses." These children in the childcare center started a brass band a few years ago and they sing a hymn that goes, "When the trumpet sounds and Jesus rides on the clouds in glory, sending angels to gather the redeemed saints from all nations, I will join the feast when the trumpet calls my name." It was so touching that tears filled your eyes. At that moment, you felt this in your heart, "Pastor Jeong, is it a despairing situation? I wanted to show you hope even in despair. Look at these children. Listen to their voices of praise. My work does not cease. Through these children and the HOF children, they will become witnesses of the gospel and disciples." While listening to the sound of the trumpet, it seemed to awaken your frail heart and resonate as a signal towards hope.
Dear beloved saints, I believe that God is establishing HOF Church just like the church in Antioch. I believe that our children will become ambassadors of the Gospel, filled with the Holy Spirit, and workers who embrace all nations. However, in order for this to happen, there are certain things we need to prepare for.
Firstly, we need to become people of the Gospel ourselves. Faith is something that is passed on. The Gospel should flow within us so that it can be passed on to our children. Let us focus on Jesus Christ. May the presence of Jesus within us be so wonderful, and may the joy of praising Him be restored in our lives, flowing first and foremost within our homes.
Secondly, we need to prioritize exposing our children to the church. What people see and learn during their childhood shapes their values. If they are exposed to faith, they will become people of faith. If they are exposed to the world, they will become worldly. When I was young, I always centered my life around the church. As a result, without even realizing it, my standard of judgment became "God." It was not something I learned, but something that naturally formed within me. Then, as I went to college and learned specifically about who this God is, He became real to me, and it became my personal confession of faith.
Therefore, what I am currently praying for is to organize the curriculum for our church's children. Through contacting various materials and churches, I had the opportunity to meet the director of a Korean educational institution. We are planning to hold seminars via Zoom for parents and teachers during the months of July and August. As I see how God continues to bring people into our lives, I am filled with anticipation that He will open up new channels and lead us in our church. Please pray that a suitable curriculum will be prepared for our church.
Look at Acts 13:1. There are various individuals with different backgrounds in the church of Antioch. In verse 1, we see "Barnabas," a warm-hearted person who is a Jew. There is "Simeon called Niger," which means he is a black man. "Lucius of Cyrene" is an African. "Manaen, who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch" is a wealthy and high-ranking individual. Finally, there is "Saul," a thorough Jew who is the opposite of Barnabas. They are truly a diverse group of people. However, when they gather together to pray, they become one, and they hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. It is interesting to note that people with diverse generations, personalities, and cultures become united when they pray. Yes, prayer brings us together. Prayer binds our scattered hearts as the Holy Spirit unifies us. Therefore, starting from this Wednesday, we plan to gather together to pray. We invite you to join us in a time where we experience the leading of the Holy Spirit. If you have the desire to pray but hesitate, I encourage you to obey. That obedience will bring about renewal for you and the community. I am eager to see how God will work through us, weak as we are. I believe that something new will happen when just two or three gather to pray.
Now, let's look at verse 2. "While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting..." The King James Version translates it as "As they ministered to the Lord and fasted..." What does this mean? Are they supposed to worship and fast at the same time? Or does it mean that fasting is necessary for the Holy Spirit to work? One pastor interpreted it in this way: When we worship God, we sometimes become so engrossed that we even forget to eat, and we say that we worshiped even though we missed a meal. That's a very fitting interpretation. Don't we have experiences like that? We get so carried away in singing praises that we don't even realize mealtime has passed. Our friends understand what this means. They're playing a game, and suddenly it's evening, and morning has come, the first day...
I heard a story from a senior pastor. While the pastor was reading the Bible, his daughter-in-law said, "Father, it's time for dinner," so they had dinner. He went back to reading the Bible, and after an hour or two, his daughter-in-law said, "Father, it's time for a meal." He replied, "No, I just had dinner. Why are you telling me to eat again?" It turns out, it was breakfast time.
The believers in Antioch did not fast in order to fast, but as they prayed and worshiped, they remained in God's grace and even forgot about mealtime. In doing so, they became of one heart and one spirit, and they heard what God was saying. Thus, the history of the Church and missions began 2,000 years ago in this way. I hope that as we read the Bible together, pray together, share our hearts in fellowship, and laugh and cry together in the shepherd's field, we will experience the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the beautiful history of becoming one community, even in small ways.
Some of them even missed their mealtime, but in verse 3, it is mentioned that they indeed fasted. So why should we fast? Since God knows all our needs, we don't have to pray while starving. He told us not to worry about what to eat, drink, or wear, and not to pray for those things. He is the one who provides everything. Then why does He tell us to fast? It is for the purpose of "obedience" when we understand God's will through prayer. It is to "respond" when God gives us His heart. If God gives us His heart, we just need to obey, so why should we fast? It is because the path of obedience is a "difficult path." When God gives us His heart, it is not something we can do by our own abilities. Before Jesus went to the cross, He fasted and prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. Why? It was to obey God's will when He heard it. It was not to struggle while starving, but to "obey God's will.“
In the second half of verse 2, the content of obedience that God spoke about is mentioned in the context of the Antioch Church. The church decides to pray and send "Barnabas and Saul." These two individuals are key figures in the church. They are the lead pastor and associate pastor.
What does this mean? It means that the church offered the "most important thing" to God. It was a decision that was difficult to obey. However, they obeyed because they knew it was God's will. It was a situation that was completely different from their own thoughts, but when God gave them His heart, they laid their hands on them and sent them to the place where God called them.
Here, they were laid hands on! It means that the church says, "We will be with you." It's not just saying, "Go and do it on your own," but it means that the church will be together with them. If they go hungry, we will share with them. And if that's not enough, we will go hungry together. We will share our finances and our hearts, cry together, laugh together, and work together as co-workers of God, as one family.
I hope that our church can become such a church. Like offering Barnabas and Saul, saints who offer their most precious things to God! I hope that HOF Church, which values the most precious things in our church, can be established.
While working with the youth in the past, I challenged them. When my life was going well, I requested that young people in their 20s, the most precious year of youth, dedicate one year to missions, studying the Bible, receiving training, or taking a leave of absence to become young people who offer their most precious things to God. During my own youth, I took a one-year leave of absence, studied the Bible, and experienced receiving a vision and being taught the direction I should go.
How delighted would God be to receive those saints who offer not just the tail end of their lives but the main body of their lives, telling Him to use it as He pleases! Instead of doing what I want to do during the most precious time of my life, I hope that saints and young people arise who dedicate themselves to what God desires.
So, what is the most precious thing to me? Through one person who dedicates themselves and obeys by offering without reservation what is most precious to them to the God who has given us His most precious Son, God will lead your story. It is the way God led the church through Abraham offering Isaac, Hannah offering Samuel, and Antioch offering Barnabas and Saul. God works through such churches. (Instrumental) I hope that our HOF Church becomes a church that carries on that baton. I hope that our children inherit that faith so that souls sought by God arise here and there. It's not about having a large number of churches but about a soul in a rural church offering their most precious thing, bringing revival to Wales, the UK, and Pyongyang, as God did in the past. I hope God visits our young people here, who are in this place.
Dear beloved saints! You and I are carrying one soul, one child, and walking together on the journey of faith within the HOF community. Though the steps we take may be difficult and the road may be rough, as long as we walk with the Lord and together with the saints whom the Lord has given us, we will be able to go anywhere. The path may be the cross, but beyond the cross, wounded souls will be revived, dry bones will come to life, and hungry souls will be satisfied, praising and rejoicing in the Lord's soldiers. I believe that faith warriors will rise up. God is with us. Let us carry the torch of hope and move forward once again. I bless you in the name of the Lord.