The Evangelist’s Prayer for God’s Absolute Plan (Deut. 27:1-10)
Today we will share the grace of God with Deuteronomy 27. Until last week, we shared the word of God with Deuteronomy 21. And the Word in between that and this chapter was the specific application of the law. And so, after all of that, Deut. 27 talks about the totality of the laws.
Through Moses, God gives us the laws on Mount Sinai, and this is something that never existed before. God was giving the guidelines on how to live their lives as people of God who have been saved while living in the land of Canaan. However, the people who used to live in Egypt want to live like they used to in Egypt. The way of living in Egypt is just to live according to my own standards. They don’t want to listen to the words of anybody else; they just want to live however they think is right.
However, the result of the lives of the Israelites who lived in that way was nothing but suffering. This was not only in the age of Egypt, but ever since from the beginning of time, God created human beings in the image of God, to be with God. If humans are separated from the Word of Life, they can never enjoy anything like blessings, prosperity, subduing, and conquering. A life that has been separated from those blessings is a life where I have been separated from God as my own god, living with my own standards.
Living in that way seems like we are living the way that we want, but there is actually something else in the background. It is actually Satan who is controlling this world with the authority that is holding onto the thoughts and hearts, making people live that way. Any life that is separated from the Word of Life is death. Even before our eternal death, we live a life of suffering on earth, and then we go to our eternal death.
That is why in Gen. 3:15, God gave us the promise of salvation through the offspring of the woman. The one who will be born as the offspring of the woman will be the Messiah. The way for them to keep the covenant in Leviticus is through the sacrifice. In other words, the only way to atone for the sin of disobeying God is through death.
Jesus Christ is the One Who will die for all of our sins, but until Jesus Christ comes to earth, there must be a flawless animal to take all of the curses of my sin. Because these words are something you can never say out in the world, we only tell you this in the church. If we live a long time in the world, it’s possible for us to question, “Are these words even true?” Because when we are so used to hearing about the words and circumstances of people, the words are strange to us. So I hope through this infinite word of God you’ll find the accurate direction of your life.
Before Jesus Christ came to earth, the only way for humans to be with God was through the sacrifice where something had to die on their behalf. Before they were able to know what was dying on behalf of their sins, God gave them the law to show them what was wrong.
From Deut. 21 to 26 and even much before that as well, God has given us his law, totalling 613 laws. When they were living in Egypt, the Israelites did not need this because they just had to live according to the standards that they created as humans living amongst each other. However, the method of living for the saved people of God is absolutely to be within God’s control and reign. That is how we say that the Lord is my Lord and my Christ. Living our lives following the Word that our Lord gives us is how we live our lives under His reign.
In the world, like in Egypt, the Pharaoh or king is the ruler. Then in the world, all they have to do is follow the standards that were set by that ruler. However, the people with salvation are living in the world and still have to follow the ways of the world. However, because they are citizens of heaven, they must follow the rules and the guidance of God’s Word. So, even though we are living in the kingdom of the world, we must go into the reign of God’s Word, and that is why God gave us the law. The goal with which He gave us the law is to reveal to us that we are sinners. By knowing we are sinners, God wants us to receive redemption through the blood of the cross that He has given us.
The land of Canaan is a place where God is specifically fighting the wars and they are following God’s Word. Then, all the blessings of Canaan have been prepared by God and God guides us to them. I’d like to look at the content of Deut. 27 under this overall picture.
In Deut. 27:1, it says, “Keep all these commands that I give you today,” in other words, it means follow and obey all of the commands I’ve given you exactly. Back in those days, they did not have paper, so, take these words of the law and put them on large stones. He says to coat these large stones with plaster because once the plaster dries, as long as it is not forcefully broken, it will remain. In other words, God is making it so we are always looking at God’s Word. Even if there is wind or rain, what is written on the plaster on the stone will not disappear, so always look at that Word.
Deut. 27:4, where would they raise these stones? On Mount Ebal. That means God has even determined and specified the location where they must raise these stones. In Deut. 27:5, He says, “Build there an altar naturally without using any tools on them.” Then Deut. 27:6, “Build the altar of the LORD your God with fieldstones and offer burnt offerings on it to the LORD your God.” The burnt offering is for the atonement of sins, it was the same as Jesus Christ pouring out all of Himself on the cross. So, He says, “Raise up the words of the Old Testament and then give the burnt offering.”
Then in Deut. 27:7, to sacrifice fellowship offerings. After you have received the atonement of sins, give offering that is fellowship between you and God. Deut. 27:8, “You shall write very clearly all the words of this law on these stones you have set up.” It is possible that people might look at the word of God but aren’t looking at it clearly or accurately. God gives us His Word every week but we do not hear it accurately, so we go in a very vague way. We just keep passing by with the word we already knew previously; that is not the covenant.
The covenant is the Word God is giving me specifically through this worship. “Why is it that God gave me this covenant through the Word during this moment and this worship or for this week? Instead of doing that, why can’t I just live my own walk of faith at home and live my own walk of faith at home by reading the Bible?” There are many believers in America who think that way, that is the characteristic of people who are not able to enjoy the blessing of church.
Jesus Christ says, “I will be with you through Immanuel,” that means that God will be with us through the church, through the Word. Then He will also be with each of us individually as well. Then in this age of the New Testament, God is with the churches and He is with them through His Word. When that Word is relayed through each church, there is a Word given to each individual.
However, there are many people and especially people who have believed for a long time, “Why do I have to go to church, why can’t I just listen at home and read the Bible by myself?” Those are people who have not yet received what the church means through God’s Word. God desires to change the culture of this region through the church, however, that person is irrelevant to changing the culture of that region. That is a person who thinks they just have to live their individual lives as children of God; that’s why they don’t need the church.
Then, do you think their walk of faith will work out in a stable way? It will not, because the church is raised together by being a connected body. So, if one individual person falls down, they are not able to receive the intercessory prayer or the word from anybody else. But the reason why there are many people in America who think this way is because there are so many different Bible studies, I think they confuse that with church and worship.
I wonder if they are thinking that way because, “Either way we are looking at the word of God, so why don’t we just gather together in Bible studies?” Then that person will lose out and will not be aligned with God on why God has given them their specific talents and specializations. Then, I believe that person is someone who uses their talents and specializations just to live their lives and to eat well, and they live their walk of faith by themselves. The devil does not leave them alone.
This is not something we can do on our own. That is why God raised up the Early Church in Mark’s upper room, because God gave the word he needs to give through that church in order to evangelize to that region. So, God continuously gives His Word to His church according to the direction and time schedule He is working in. That is the method through which God carries His Kingdom forward. If there’s a denomination or church, there’s a Word for that group because God has a plan for raising up that organization.
That is the reason we listen to the headquarters messages and go to the Remnant Conference of America because there is a reason and a stream in which God raised up this group. But if we are irrelevant to that stream, we are saying, “I will not follow the identity of this group.” It’s a similar logic as someone who is living their walk of faith alone without going to a church or listening to a pastor. I’m explaining to you the church as well as the church organization or denomination to explain to you how God is carrying out His Kingdom through His Word.
Even though God’s Word is the same, it is different in every church. But people who don’t understand that will say things like, “Why is it that people who are being used by God will receive something different but our pastor said something different? Perhaps ours is wrong.” That is a person who does not know the church. The Lord raises up the church, and even though the logos of God’s Word may be the same, the word God gives to each church will be different based on the circumstances of the church, the time schedule of that church.
So, whatever messages you are listening to another church on YouTube, that’s something else feeding your knowledge, but it has nothing to do with your spiritual life. It still may not be a bad thing because it is still God’s Word, however, it is irrelevant to the stream of the church and how God is working.
The characteristic of these people is that they are not receiving answers. So, who are the people who are receiving answers? God gives to the church, because that in itself is answers, because every week, God gives us a promise. We follow that stream. As we follow that stream, God’s Word doesn’t change. Even if we look at the same word of Acts 1:8, it may be different every day. “This pastor interpreted that verse this way, but why is this pastor interpreting it this way?” that person is acting like God. Instead of looking at it like that, you need to look towards God, asking, “Why is God giving us this message through this verse today?” Then the Holy Spirit inside of you will allow you to realize.
The person who asked the first question is someone who only understands God’s word through his brain, and just by understanding the Word through your brain, you will not receive answers. Because I have my actual life I’m living, this Word must come into my heart in order for my life to move in that direction.
If we’re in a situation where we cannot gather in the church, we listen through YouTube but the reason we make an effort to gather in the church is because the Holy Spirit is giving each person their own message, knowing this field and this time schedule. If you want to receive God’s Word today, He will give it to you. However, if you’re only here just because it’s Wednesday night worship, that’s the kind of word you’ll get because the Holy Spirit is accurate. The Holy Spirit knows the state of your heart and will work accordingly.
If you want to hold to the Word of the covenant that you truly need, then God will give you that Word. You have to understand it like that in order for you to help and relay this accurate word to people who are not able to come to the church. There are also some people who think, “We just have to repeat the pulpit message to somebody else,” and those words may sound correct but they are slightly wrong. Because that individual has their own time schedule and their own level of being able to understand God’s Word, so instead of just regurgitating, you have to be able to use the pulpit message appropriate to their level so they can understand. Isn’t that right? If there is somebody who is new to the church, they may listen to the word or message, but they cannot understand it.
Then, the correct Word to give them is to give them this Word in a way they can understand. If somebody has actually done field ministry before, they would know this, but if someone’s only knows about this theoretically or based on doctrine, they think they just have to give them the word regardless, and that is incorrect. That is why it is not based on my experience, but the way the Holy Spirit guides us is how we relay the Word. It is possible for anybody because the Holy Spirit knows what Word must be relayed to this individual, and we listen to what they have to say as well. Then the Holy Spirit gives you the Word that this individual absolutely needs.
Christ must become your Rock and the word must come through that Christ in order for the house to be built upon that rock. If instead of doing that, you’re just doing the Word you’re thinking, then that becomes your own message, that is not coming from the rock. Because you already know a lot of the Word, you’re just giving the message from your thoughts. The Word we received this week is Jesus Christ Who is the Rock, the Holy Spirit is with us.
Then, if you’re praying for one individual, then without a doubt, the Holy Spirit will give you the words to relay to that person. That is what He means when He says, “I will be with you.” That is what it means that the Lord Who is seated at the Throne will be with you and will deliver the word certainly. Only the people who hold onto God’s Word and pray will be able to understand what this means. Until this point, it’s hard to understand, because whoever is praying, asking, “What is the Word God wants to relay to this individual?” God will give them that Word.
Then, why do you think God told the Israelites to give the burnt offering and the fellowship offering at the location of Mount Ebal? In order for you to understand why, you must read Deut. 27:13-15. In Deut. 27:12, God calls out certain tribes and says, “These tribes shall stand on Mount Gerazim to bless the people.” There is a valley between Mount Gerazim and Mount Ebal. Then in Deut. 27:13, it says, “These tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal,” and they stand on Mount Ebal to pronounce curses.
Why are they pronouncing blessings on Mount Gerazim and pronouncing curses on Mount Ebal? God told them to raise up the law and commandments on Mount Ebal. Because there are the commandments, there is also sin. Because there is that sin, then rightfully, they must give the burnt offering and fellowship offering to God. Just now, God told us that the way God rules over His Kingdom is with His Word, and if you’re going, following your own thoughts, that is being dragged by Satan, that is not being controlled by God.
Even when you are running your ministry, if you’re going according to your thoughts, that is not God’s reign. If you want to give the Word that God wants to give to that person, that person really needs it, it must not be from your thoughts. The Holy Spirit will only work with the Word when you rely on Christ, Who is the Rock, the Holy Spirit, because the Bible says, “the Holy Spirit will teach us and remind us of the Word,” and if you rely on that Holy Spirit, He will allow you to realize the Word to relay to others. That is the Word you relay not the Word you think. Isn’t that right? There’s a lot of the Word of God, but you need to relay the word that this person needs right now, and the ones who are praying will experience that. The ones who are praying at this moment will receive the words God needs to give you at this moment.
The curses are pronounced on Mount Ebal because that’s where they raise up the commandment then rightfully, there is sin, and rightfully, they must give their offering there. Then in Deut. 27:14, “The Levites shall recite to all the people of Israel,” Moses tells the Levites to tell all the people, “Cursed is anyone who makes an idol,” then all the people shall say, “Amen.” What does “amen” mean? It means, “I agree with this, too,” and that’s what “amen” means. “Amen” also contains the meaning that, “I believe God will do this,” and that’s why the Bible tells us to give glory to God by saying, “amen.”
So, as the Levites declare these laws to the Israelites, all of them must reply, “Amen,” and he says this all the way throughout the rest of the verses. I don’t know how many laws they may have said, but the Bible has recorded specific laws, that they must not only inscribe on the rocks and stone but they hear it verbally and respond with, “amen.”
When Jesus Christ came to earth, He talked about the Ten Commandments from Matthew 5 to 7, so if you don’t know Jesus Christ, you’re bound to be stuck in the Old Testament. The characteristic of the heretic around you is that they will take the words of the Old Testament and they will tell them to people because the Old Testament did tell us to do this, and that’s the end for them. If you ask them, “Do you believe in Jesus Christ?” They will say, “Yes.”
What is a heresy? A heretic is someone who has the Bible, they have and acknowledge the Bible, but the end is different. If they don’t have the Bible at all, that’s just not Christ. However, why is it that people who go to church are bound to be dragged in the direction of heretics who also have this Bible? If you do not know the accurate Word of Jesus Christ, you’re bound to get pulled into the direction of the heretic because they tell you the words of the Old Testament.
There’s a church in Korea called, “The Church of God,” and for them, the person who made that church is God. They use that with Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Old Testament, and the Mormons also use the Old Testament as well even though they also have the Book of Mormon. It’s the same with Islam, they use the Old Testament, so what is the characteristic of all the Old Testament? It’s the law, so if you don’t know the law and the gospel, you’re bound to get swept up by the heretics, and you will not be able to give them the law, either.
That is why Jesus Christ came in the New Testament and gave this word to the people of the Old Testament who had the law. Their attitude or reaction is to oppose Christ. The characteristic of heretics is that they will oppose those who believe in Christ, they will oppose them by saying, “These are the words we must live with in the Old Testament.” Just like the people opposed Jesus Christ by using the law of the Old Testament to obey the Sabbath, saying, “Jesus Christ did not.” This means they are following the law without knowing the goal or the reason why it was given to them. They have learned the law to the extent where they don’t know why they need Jesus.
So, they only know the law and are following the structure of the church and are bound to get swept up by those words, and they will attack people based on their actions. They attack people saying, “The Bible told us to do this, but why are you not doing that?” But because you don’t know the gospel, you’re not able to reply to them. We know the Word, “Jesus Christ,” but we don’t know the true gospel. We just know the words, “Prophet, Priest, and King,” but we are not able to give the accurate answer to those who come at us through the law. The gospel is giving the other people the answer. So, you can only give them the answer if you know the laws of the Old Testament and the gospel given to us by Jesus in the New Testament.
With the actions of the law, we are bound to get trapped under curses, and that’s why God is telling us to give the burnt offering there. Gal. 3 says, “Those who are stuck in the actions of the law are trapped under a curse,” but the Jewish people said, “I kept the actions of the law,” they say, “I’m living according to the Word,” so the Jewish organization was the same as the heretics, and we’re not able to give them the answer to that, because we can only relay the gospel when we know the gospel ourselves.
What is the answer Paul gave? With our actions of the law, it will only bring curses; it is by faith that we are righteous. With the physical actions, we are not able to keep the law, and that is why only by believing in Jesus Christ Who has fulfilled all of the law will our sins be covered and forgiven.
Then, does that mean we shouldn’t do anything? That is someone who doesn’t know Who the Holy Spirit is. That is a person who is centered on themselves and has no idea about the working or guidance of the Holy Spirit. All of my actions are only under curses. Only by believing in the work Jesus Christ has done are we forgiven of our sins and considered righteous. Now, the Holy Spirit is with us and He is not just staying still, but He is taking us forward. Now, we are receiving the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
How does the Holy Spirit guide us? It is through the Word. How do we receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit? If you want to receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you do, but if you say you do not want to receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you act according to your thoughts, and no matter how much you live that life, the only result is curses. So it is not a standard of your actions, it is the standard of Christ. Your actions are not the standard, but it is what you do with the Holy Spirit.
What does it mean that we act with the Holy Spirit? It says in the Bible that there is a mother cow who is yoked with their calf, and wherever the mother goes, the calf goes along with it. That is the guidance and following the Holy Spirit, and that is why Jesus says, “My burden is light.” Yes, I’m still going, but I’m not going by myself or as the main character, but Jesus Christ is the main bearer of the load. I’m united with Him, going with Him. That is the practice or action we talk about.
You must know this in order for you to help the legalistic or religious people who have gone to church for a long time. We’re saying words that are quite simple. Even though they are simple, if we don’t know what the law is, it is not simple. If you don’t know what the law is, how could you know what the gospel is? Unbelievers don’t have the law at all, they don’t have the law, they’ve created their own set of laws. Whether it’s morals and ethics, or it’s some kind of norm, like common sense, that is the standard they follow. They think that’s right.
But it’s completely irrelevant to God, that’s how they fall into curses, because they are in Original Sin. The Israelites were sinners even before God gave them the law. The reason God gave us the law was to reveal our sin, but even before God gave us the law, we were sinners, and the Bible tells us that to nonbelievers, God gave them a sense of conscience. In Romans, it says, “Even if they didn’t have the law, they would still know that this is wrong because of their sense of guilt,” so there’s no excuses.
If God made us completely ignorant, that would be strange. God gave the Israelites the law and God gave the nonbelievers them their guilt and their conscience. If we didn’t have the law, we wouldn’t know what “sin” is, and the Bible also says, “God gave us a sense of conscience so that even when we look upon nature, we can know God,” but because people don’t know a way to find that God, people will raise up idols and create religions. Even though there are many churches in America, there are not many churches that know this accurate gospel and are able to testify and relay this accurate gospel. That is why we must be able to see the laws God gave us in the Old Testament through the lens of the gospel to help and save those who are stuck in the law.
For people who are stuck in the Old Testament, they will be very diligent because they are centered on actions, and they have to live according to God’s Word. Does that mean that someone who is living by the guidance of Jeuss Christ and the Holy Spirit does not work hard? They are struggling to receive the filling of the Holy Spirit. That is why our main struggle is that as soon as we wake up in the morning, we really beg for the filling of Jesus Christ, Who has finished all problems. Because Jesus Christ must seize me and control me, that is why we struggle for that.
The Spirit of the Lord Who is at the throne of heaven must completely guide me in order for me to follow His Word. Only when I rely on Him will I know God’s plan to relay it to the people in the field I meet. But we look down on those actions and we look down on that kind of struggle or effort. Instead, we are way more interested in the actions that we can see. That’s like the Jewish people who were only focused on the external signs and showing off something, but the true Jewish people are the ones who knew the internal things. That is why the true walk of faith is fighting the struggle in a place that is invisible. That is how we receive God’s guidance.
Before we go out into the world, we have the action and have that struggle and effort to receive the filling and power of the Holy Spirit, then the whole day will be led by the Holy Spirit. We struggle for the working of the Holy Spirit to be upon all the people I will meet and upon the field and work I will do. But the problem is that we say we’re enjoying the gospel without having done any of this, so it looks like we really have nothing.
Without a doubt, the gospel is freedom, but we don’t have the power of being guided. Even though we have the gospel, we follow our own thoughts so nothing comes of it. That’s why people are like this. There are plenty of people who are stuck in the Old Testament or simply do not know the gospel so they’re ot able to enjoy the gospel, so that is why I hope every single morning, you will struggle to receive the filling of the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ Who is our Rock. Stop calculating a plan with your brain, but I hope you will receive God’s guidance, to receive His plan, then the works will take place and you will receive this guidance. You must know this well.
But if you don’t have that, then nothing will come of your faith because you know something should be taking place but you don’t know the mystery of having to take place, there will be nothing that takes place. Regardless of what words or what you hear during the day, without a doubt, you must receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit. If you use your thoughts to try to determine what actions would be good or bad, that’s the law and that has no answers, but instead, you need to receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit every day, and that’s why we talk about 24 hour prayer, because we must receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
You shouldn’t make judgments based on your thoughts, then rightfully, 24 hours is rightful. When you return back home at night, there might have been large incidences that happened all throughout the day. You need to resolve that before God. Because God gave you that incident, God gives you the answer. That is our struggle. If you don’t know this, but instead you’re bickering over people about why they are acting like this even though they go to church, that is an elementary person of the world. They’re going to say things like, “oh I’ve told them so many times but they’re not fixing it.” That is why we need prayer, because we need the grace, the working and the guidance of the Holy Spirit upon that person.
The minister who knows this is bound to pray. But somebody who doesn’t know this thinks they only have to pray for the things they need or the physical things, so they’ll never pray. I went to the barber yesterday. I’ve been going there for about two or three years, and every week, I give them the Word of God, and there hasn’t been any reaction for the past two or three years. Then, what do you think will happen? I have to ask God, “What is Your plan?” because I have to ask the One Who is the Rock to receive His guidance.
God gives wisdom. I asked the barber as he was cutting my hair, “Do you sometimes have very deep conversations with people?” I asked them, and they said yes and I asked what kind of things they talk about “We talk about various things, including people’s girlfriends or wives,” and I said, “Not things like that, but don’t people talk to you about problems they cannot resolve?” He said, “Yes,” and I asked them, “Do they ever talk to you about depression?” He said, “Yes, but can’t you just resolve that with medication and therapy?” But I said, “There are problems you cannot resolve with that” I said, “If there are any people like that, the church can help them with that. He said, “Yes, that’s right.” I siad, “Do you realize that suicide rates have increased 20% to 30% in Korea town? And I especially among 20- and 30-year-olds especially as we’ve gone through the pandemic.
“Why do you think they’re committing suicide?” then he said, “oh My mother committed suicide.” She said she herself is living a bright and active life to not show this to her own daughter. I said, “if someone has committed suicide, it is because they have tried everything else that they can. They aren’t committing suicide because they don’t know how to live a active and bright life.” If I had the heart to give this person the gospel, then it would have been blocked. But because I went in with the heart of asking, “What is God’s plan to relay the gospel to all the other people who are getting their haircut in this hair salon?” That’s how this conversation came up and they even mentioned their own mother and their daughter.
If you guys are listening to what I’m saying and you think, “I should do that, too,” then you get 0 points. Because you listen to the message of the evangelist Like that, that’s why evangelism isn’t taking place for you. Yes, you should keep what I’m saying in reference, but what you should be doing is to pray to receive God’s plan for the people you are meeting in your life. But how people usually take it is, if I give an example, “If I copy that, then it’ll be easy,” and that’s why they’re not able to evangelize.
Yes, keep it in mind, but you must ask the Holy Spirit. If you pray for God’s absolute plan regarding this person, which is evangelism, then God will reveal it to you. That is how you rely on the Holy Spirit and receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit for many people. When you pray for God’s absolute plan, then the Holy Spirit will reveal it to you. That’s the reason I’m telling you this right now. For people who pray for God’s absolute plan, they are bound to know.
Then, whether this person listens to the message or not, it doesn’t matter because I’m going to keep seeing them for a few years. However, we usually give up on this person. There’s a reason or plan God had when He allowed us to meet them, and God also has a plan for the many people through this individual, and if that’s God’s plan, that is the plan you must say. Now, they are bound to think about what I said whenever they hear a conversation like this with one of their clients. If there’s somebody among them who has been destined by God to receive God’s Word, then God will work.
Even though I’m not at that hair salon 24 hours, I’m playing that same role as if I were. This is how God has hidden for you the 70 disciples in 70 regions, so find them, but because you’re just thinking the words, “70 disciples in 70 regions,” and blinking blindly, you aren’t going to get it from your thoughts. But if you pray for God’s plan of evangelism to all the people you meet in your field, you’ll get the answer easily.
I’m not saying ‘easily” for nothing; God has already prepared them, but we are just not able to see it. We need to run our businesses the same way, to have a business that is aligned with God. May you have this blessing.
Prayer
Let us pray together, holding onto the Word God has given to us.
There’s a 99% chance that the dates of the Winter retreat will change from December 27-29 to December 28-30 because of the location. It’s because the hotel where we used to have the retreat has gone too expensive to maintain the price of the retreat. We’re renting a campground, but we are planning to have the leader retreat on Monday and Tuesday, so for two days leader retreat and we are doing that so that we can have a long time of concentrating on God’s Word.
Especially if we have a retreat coming up, this is what I do. I make that into my own time of concentration because I lay down all my other ministry and I only concentrate on this. What is concentration? It is holding onto the word only we have received and praying holding onto the word we received and praying, so when we go to a conference like RCA, I usually don’t go outside at all, because I just keep staying by myself, meditating on the word I have received and praying on that for whole three days, I don’t even want to talk to people. That’s my method of concentration that I use for retreats and conferences.
The reason I tell you this is because I hope you will find your own method of concentration during conferences and retreats. There are four messages: two leaders and two RCA messages, and I listen to them every day. If I’m at the point of listening to them every day, it should be even more for you. Why do I have to listen to them every day? Because we have to digest the words God has given to us and relay them to the kids. If someone doesn’t do any ministry, they may be able to listen to the word just once and pass on, but anyone that’s doing any ministry must be able to digest this word by listening to it again and again, praying about it. As you do that, you will receive how you relay this message to the people in your region as well.
But if we don’t do this, then like I said before, we keep on trying to learn something from somebody else, then your whole life won’t work out, because that’s not how Jesus did it. Jesus Christ actually went up to heaven in case we’d follow Him; now we cannot ask Him, and now the Holy Spirit that is invisible is within us, that is what I’m saying. I hope you will resolve everything within the Holy Spirit of Christ Who is the Rock Within us. That is the true discipleship training we need, but if I say, “Follow me, follow my words,” those are my disciples. Yes, of course because I’m a pastor I relay the words of the Lord, however, I’m trying to help this person hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and be led by the Holy Spirit. If there are any of our remnants who are not like this, I hope you will quickly change to be.
Let’s pray together at this time. There’s the Winter Retreat, and on Dec. 24, we have the Christmas event at our church. I hope you will think about this as the evangelism D-day and invite many people, because in all things, God’s unchanging, absolute plan is always for evangelism so no matter what we do I hope you will invite many people so they can hear the gospel. Let us pray together for Dec. 24th, and Dec. 28-30th.
Let us pray together finally for this region. Even right at this moment, Satan is working in or region, not among the animals, but among the people through mental problems and suicide. The church is the light of the world, let us pray together at this time, also for the missions field, that the light of Jesus Christ can shine transcending time and space, and throughout the whole 237 nations.
God, we thank You. Allow us to raise the house of our life upon missions and evangelism, upon the Rock of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Allow our lives to not be built upon the sand of our thoughts and experiences. May the answer of our lives be the missions and evangelism of the 237 nations that saves by only the power of the Holy Spirit, only the kingdom of God, and only Christ.
Benediction
Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the unending love of God, and the indwelling, working, guidance, and communion of the Holy Spirit, be upon all the heads of all the people of God who desire to save the 237 nations with the background of the kingdom of God, be with us from now until forevermore always, amen.