You Should Do As I Have Done For You (Jn. 13:1-20)
Let us bless and greet one another, “Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God.” We are giving the first Sunday worship in the year 2025 to the Lord. We cannot begin anything haphazardly, we must begin in a way that is aligned with the Lord, and how can we have a beginning that is aligned to our Lord? God is His Word, then that means we must live our lives, centered on the Word that God gives us. But there is so much of God’s Word, what Word is He using to guide us? The Word that God is actively proclaiming to me right now, I need to follow the Word He gives me. Then, God will restore all things according to His Word in 2025. However, the reason why 2025 and every year before did not work out is because I lived my life regardless of God’s Word. And today, during the first Sunday worship of the year, may God give us the grace to be led by His Word.
1. God’s time schedule
1) Before Passover (Jn. 13:1)
In today’s scripture, in Jn. 13:1, it says, “Just before the Passover Feast.” We may not think anything of this, we just think, “Okay, it’s the Passover,” but God is fulfilling everything according to His time schedule. On the Lord’s Day, the Lord works according to His time schedule, and Jesus knew that the hour had come for Him to leave the world.
(1) Hour for Jesus to leave this world (Jn. 13:1)
(2) Hour to go to the Father (Jn. 13:1)
(3) Jesus knew (Jn. 13:1)
There is a time when we are born into this world, and there is a time when we leave the world, and the Bible tells us that knowing the time is wisdom. There is a time when we work; we must know what time it is. If we know God well, then we will know His time. But if we don’t know when is the right time, we will not be correct. Jesus knew that the hour had come for Him to leave the world, meaning He must die on the cross. Jesus knew that after Jesus resurrected from death, He will go back up to the throne of heaven to be with God. God already knows when you will leave this world. Being aware of this as you live your everyday life makes you wise.
2) Devil
(1) Heart of Judas (Jn. 13:2)
Jn. 13:2 says that the devil had already prompted Judas to betray Jesus. The devil opposes or rejects God. When Satan, the devil, gives us a thought, there is something that happens. There is something I can think on my own, and then there are thoughts that God gives us, but we also have thoughts that the devil gives us. The thoughts that God gives us give us grace and peace, and if I have my own thoughts, then I can stop those thoughts.
(2) Prompted Judas to betray Jesus (Jn. 13:2)
However, when the devil gives me a thought, I cannot control or stop that. Because this is not my own thought, it is given to me from an outside source, Satan, and he is controlling me with that, I cannot stop that thought. Satan gives the thought to betray Jesus Christ and sell Him for money into Judas’ heart, to the point where Judas cannot resist it.
(3) Happening within God’s time schedule
So, what does it mean if we suffer from mental problems? It means I’m dragged in a direction I don’t want, and I cannot control it. Yes, we have problems with our brain, but we’re not able to control ourselves because the devil is giving us thoughts. However, even the fact that the devil put this thought into Judas Iscariot was one part of God’s great plan. There are people who misunderstand the words, “God knows all things and allows all things.” There was a student who was raped at a young age, and they are always resentful of and questioning God, and they feel that betrayal from God, “God controls everything, so why did God allow that to happen to me? Was God powerless to stop it?” That person does not know God well.
“Then, what about when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? Could He have not stopped that?” No, it’s not like that; God gave human beings free will. God gave us a personality so that we can make our own decisions. God does have the power to stop anything, but He does not work like that; He allows us to make our decisions based on our free will. “Then how is it that I was raped when I was so young, when I didn’t have any power? To whom can I tell this?” It is possible that the devil will attack you using people who are around you like this, and yes, God could have blocked Judas Iscariot from receiving this thought to betray Jesus from Satan, but God allowed it to happen. “Why did God allow me to experience this scar or trauma when I was young?” It is so that, through this, people can realize the gospel. God allows these things to happen so we can experience what life is like without the gospel, and we can go back to God through the gospel.
The same thing is going on in today’s scripture, Judas Iscariot received the thought to sell and betray Jesus. Jesus Christ had to die on the cross anyway, and God did that work through Judas. However, Judas Iscariot was controlled by darkness and evil spirits, so the Bible says that it was almost better if he was never born. As we live our lives, things we don’t want will happen to us, and very crazy things will bind us, but what is it that God desires? God wants you to stand up in the midst of that difficulty and go back to Christ. Judas Iscariot’s decision to sell Jesus ultimately fulfilled God’s plan. All of the difficult and terrible things you may have experienced in your past became the ultimate reason why you met Jesus Christ and received the gospel, and that’s why, if you come to understand the gospel, all of your problems are finished. It’s no longer a problem, why? Because you see God guiding you. However, if I have salvation but I don’t see God guiding me, then I have to do something on my own. But I’m a child of God, and God will guide my life no matter what, so no matter what problem, circumstance, or crisis I face, it doesn’t matter.
3) Jesus
In Jn. 13:3, they were eating their evening meal, and in the book of Matthew, right before Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus, they had a Communion. In Jn. 13:3, it says that Jesus knew that God the Father had put all things under His power. You need to know who Jesus is well.
(1) God had put all things under his power (Jn. 13:3)
God the Father has placed all authority under Jesus Christ, the authority to forgive sins, the authority to judge, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus, and all authority has been given to Jesus so that all creation kneels before Jesus, so if you don’t know Jesus, you don’t know anything. As much as I know Jesus is how much I know God. The more I know Jesus, the more power I receive. The devil wants to take power away from Jesus, little by little, from us. Satan makes us think, “Now that you’ve received salvation, you have to live diligently, by your own strength.”
(2) He had come from God (Jn. 13:3)
However, Hebrews 1:2 says that Jesus is the Creator. There are some heretical religions or organizations that say that Jesus is less powerful than God, or simply that Jesus is one of the angels, and that’s a heresy. The Jewish religion believes in God, but they don’t believe in Jesus, meaning they don’t really believe in God, and there’s another religion that acknowledges the Old Testament as well as the New Testament, but they have added their own Mormon Bible and say, “You have to believe in this too.” All of these things are set as evidence that they do not believe in God. If it is true that Jesus is God, then everything is finished with that. There’s another religion that talks about God the Mother. They say, “Why do you always say, ‘God the Father,’ that’s so unfair or unequal; we have to talk about God the Mother.” Those people cannot escape from disaster, they cannot escape from the devil. The disasters are actually already in that family line, because Christ is the only name to block disasters. There is no other name to break down the authority of Satan than the name of Jesus Christ, because God the Father has placed all authority under Jesus.
(3) Knew that He was returning to God (Jn. 13:3)
When does that authority go back to God the Father? After world evangelization is complete and the people of God have received salvation, then the authority will return from Jesus Christ the Son to God the Father. The word, “God” means Jesus, and if you don’t know Jesus and you talk about God, you don’t know God. The Old Testament and the New Testament are all talking about Christ. In the name of Christ, all the forces of darkness are broken down and all Creation will kneel before Christ. Your business and job must also be done in the name of Jesus Christ. You must live your life in the name of Christ. That is submitting my life before Jesus. Even the day we leave this earth is the day our mission from Christ is finished.
There was somebody I texted, “Merry Christmas,” to, and they responded, “Happy holidays.” I’m sure they said that without thinking about it. They don’t come to church, it’s just someone I texted. Do you know what, “Happy holidays,” means? It means that today is a day that we get off from work or school, so we get to play. Do you know what “Merry Christmas” means? It means, this is the day of Jesus, and they change the day of celebrating Jesus into a day of celebrating a day where, “I don’t have to go to work, so it’s a ‘happy holiday.’” Then what happens? Just like in today’s scripture, Judas Iscariot was not able to control the thoughts given by Satan, Satan will also give me thoughts and emotions that I cannot control myself. For example, let’s say someone is born a man, but the devil keeps telling them, “You’re female, you’re female,” and they cannot stop those thoughts. Or, the devil will go into you with thoughts and drag you around with thoughts, “I’m worthless, I have to kill myself and die,” or Satan will also give you unnecessary words, “I can do anything, I can do everything,” to ultimately lead you to your destruction. In order for you to live as a normal, healthy person, you must receive the Word of Christ and live according to that Word of Christ.
2. Love His people to the end
1) During evening meal
(1) Took off his outer clothing and wrapped a towel around his waist – Servant (Jn. 13:4)
Jesus knew that the hour had come for Him to die, and after the evening meal, He got up, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist to wash their feet. Even during this time, during the Last Supper, the disciples were still under the belief that Jesus was this powerful leader who will save the Israelites from Roman colonization, and “If I stay next to Jesus, He will become King, and I will be powerful and successful because of that.”
(2) Washed his disciples’ feet (Jn. 13:5)
The disciples still had this kind of heart, and in that time, in the Middle East, whenever visitors came into a home, the lowest servant would wash their feet. Because they are walking around in the dust with sandals, and when they come into the house, how dirty is that? But there was no servant like that in this house they were in, but somebody had to wash their feet, so now they’re kind of in an invisible power struggle. Just like us, we come to church and we compare our education, “Who’s better educated than me or worse?” Or we look at who makes more money or who’s more rich than me. Or, we try to do this power struggle and we measure people up, trying to be better or stronger than others. Among the disciples, they were having a power struggle of, “Who is going to be Jesus’ right hand man?”
(3) Dried them with the towel (Jn. 13:5)
That is when the Lord begins to wash His disciples’ feet, acting as the lowest servant. He washes their feet and wipes them with a towel. Then Jesus says, “Do unto others as I have done for you,” does that mean we have to wash each other’s feet? We don’t wash our feet when we come into the church; we don’t even wear sandals. That’s not what Jesus is saying.
Later on, Simon Peter says, “Then wash everything, my head and hands, too,” and Jesus says, “You’ve already taken a bath,” so we’re not talking about actual “washing.” Jesus is saying, “You have already received salvation by faith in Jesus Christ, so your whole body is clean.” However, as we live our lives, our feet keep getting dirty. This means that, as we live our lives, we continue to gain more sin, the sin of not believing in God. As a result of the sin of not believing in God, we have our transgressions, and the Lord is saying, “I’ll take care of that.”
In Jn. 13:1, it says, “Jesus loved His own, and He loved them until the end.” What does it mean that He loved them until the end? It was demonstrated in washing their feet, so how does Jesus love His people after He died on the cross? Even right now, Jesus is continually washing our feet. This means that through His Word, He is washing away all of our sin, that is, not believing in God, and the transgression that results from our sin. What do we call “sin”? Anything we do that does not come from faith in God is sin. For nonbelievers, they don’t know Jesus at all, they don’t know God, they are sinners, but for us, we receive forgiveness through Jesus Christ. But despite that salvation, there are areas of our lives where we live without believing in or trusting in God, and the Lord is telling us that He will wash that for us until the very end. Inside of us, there are things we place above Jesus Christ, we prioritize that. There are things I love more than I love the gospel. 2 Cor. 10:4-5 describes this as a stronghold that is inside of us, and it opposes God. In America, there are very strong ideologies of democracy, individualism, and capitalism, and those things might be great, but if we prioritize them above the gospel, then it results in disasters.
Everything must be underneath or below Christ. If there’s anything that is above Christ for us, that must be washed by the Lord. Because of the traumas and scars that you’ve experienced in your past, you’re not able to hold onto Jesus now. Or, on the other hand, you’re so drunk on the memory of success that you’ve made in the past, that you don’t hold onto the gospel now. Those things must be restored by the Word of God and the work of the Holy Spirit. Even right now, the Lord is seated at the throne of heaven and is giving us His Word, and by the work of the Holy Spirit, we can understand His Word. All we have to do is come to the answer in all things through the Word. Are you not able to understand your past? That’s normal, that’s why the Lord is saying, “I will continuously wash your feet, I will continuously heal and restore you through My Word.”
2) Peter – Jesus
(1) Lord, are you going to wash my feet? (Jn. 13:6)
Then Peter asks, “Why are You washing my feet?” He says, “Lord, Who are You to wash my feet?” That’s a very humanistic way for him to think. He is saying, “I am a student, and You’re my Teacher, how could you wash my feet?” It seems very polite and thoughtful, right? But actually, because of our politeness, it stops us from understanding the Word. Because of your conscience, because of your kindness, you’re not receiving God’s Word. Because you are so morally and ethically upright, you’re not able to hear the Word.
(2) You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand (Jn. 13:7)
That’s what Peter is saying, and from a human’s perspective, those are such nice words, “Teacher, how could You ever wash my feet?” but that’s not what the Lord is saying. It means that Peter doesn’t really understand the spiritual meaning, and that’s why Jesus replied in Jn. 13:7, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” Then He says, “Unless I wash your feet, you will have no part with me.” Even if you’ve received salvation, if you’re not continuously receiving God’s Word and the working of the Holy Spirit, then you are living separated from Jesus. If someone has received the gospel, received salvation, and become a child of God, then you have to help them come to church so they can continue to receive God’s Word and receive the works of the Holy Spirit, but what happens if you leave them alone? The devil will never leave that person alone. Actually, seven stronger evil spirits will work upon them. Then, even if their soul and spirit is saved, their physical life will be destroyed. In other words, their mind and their heart will be destroyed. For example, they will suffer with mental problems and addiction.
There was a student I was consulting with who does drugs, and I asked them, “Why did you start doing drugs?” And they said, “I felt empty inside.” There’s a lot of different types of drugs, and they said they’ve done three drugs. I asked, “What happens when you take these drugs?” They said, “One of the drugs I tried made my body feel so warm like I was in a warm blanket, and there was another drug, when I was on that drug, I felt like I was the king, I felt like I could be the president.” And then there was another one, but I don’t remember what he said. So I asked this student, “So through these drugs, your brain is being altered so that even though your body is not warm, it feels warm, and even though you’re not the president, you feel like the president, and if your brain is altered like this, do you think you could be normal and healthy? There’s this substance going into your brain and altering it so that it makes you feel this way. Of course, before you were empty and you were stressed, but now you feel like the king, so you must love this feeling.”
It’s the same thing with alcohol, when people drink alcohol, their rationality is subdued and only their emotions are heightened. Then, through drugs and substance usage, you are numbing your rational mind and you are heightening the ecstasy of your emotions, then how could your brain be normal and functioning? But that emptiness inside of you doesn’t go away, it’s not healed. But they said, “When I take the drug, that state changes.” When you go through surgery, they numb that area with anesthesia, so you cannot feel the pain of the surgery. But then later on, you still feel pain, don’t you? If you are on substances or alcohol, then you are constantly numbing yourself, that means that you are a patient undergoing surgery. What happens if I use anesthesia to give surgery, but I keep taking anesthesia for the rest of my life? It means that I’m still a patient. That’s for example. Let’s say, for example, in your everyday life, you have to rely on alcohol or drugs to get through the day. It means that you are a patient of addiction and you have no way of controlling yourself, so you have to come up with a strategy. You have to come to the understanding that, “Even though I feel ecstasy when I’m on drugs or alcohol, my brain is being destroyed, then my brain cannot be normal.” A person’s entire life is centered around their brain, so if their brain is destroyed, then they cannot even make good decisions. That’s why we must restore this.
(3) You have no part with me (Jn. 13:8)
Jesus is saying, “You have no part in me unless you are washed.”
3) Peter did not understand the word
(1) Wash my feet, hands, and head as well (Jn. 13:9)
Then Simon Peter responds, “Then not just my feet, but my hands and head as well,” and he responds that way because he doesn’t understand what Jesus is saying. Peter is saying, “If you wash my feet, then You should wash all of me.”
(2) Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet (Jn. 13:10)
Jn. 13:10, “someone who has had a bath only needs their feet to be washed.” This means that, for someone who has received salvation, all we need to do now is, by receiving God’s Word, wash away the disbelief that comes into their life.
(3) The one who was going to betray him – Not everyone was clean (Jn. 13:11)
The reason Jesus said this was because among the disciples, who was not bathed; in other words, there is one person who has not received salvation, and that was the one who would sell Him. Jesus was saying that about Judas Iscariot. So today, why are we talking about taking baths? We’re not really talking about that, it’s talking about our sins and transgressions. The Lord has promised to wash that with the cross and with His Word.
3. You should do as I have done for you
1) What Jesus has done (Jn. 13:12)
(1) Now that I have washed your feet (Jn. 13:14)
Third, Jesus Christ says, “As I have done for you, you should do these things for others now.” This is not something that is optional, Jesus Christ says, “As I have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.” You must do that. Even now, the Lord is washing our feet. Even right now, there are things inside of me that oppose God without me even realizing it. But the Lord knows this so He puts on the image of a servant and continues to pour His Word and His Spirit upon us. Then, once you receive that from God, you must do the same thing with the people around you and the people in the church.
(2) You also should wash one another’s feet (Jn. 13:14)
What is the Church? “Oh, that person has so many problems, I’m going to avoid them,” that’s not the church. You’re only thinking that because you’re ignorant. But the Bible tells us that the head of the Church is Christ and we are His body. Then, what happens if the whole body gets sick because of a virus that goes through the nose? Why is it that the virus only went in through the nose, but the entire body is suffering? That’s what the body is like. But what if there’s someone inside of the Church who really doesn’t know God’s Word and they are so dragged around by Satan that they’re not even aware of it? In other words, they don’t believe in God and they keep on acting like they don’t believe in God? They don’t believe in God when it comes to money or finances, and because they don’t believe in God regarding their money, they think that their money is theirs. Then, if that person is thinking that way, it doesn’t only affect them, it affects the entire church, but the reason we’re not able to understand that is because we live in America. We’re so entrenched in the idea of individualism that we think, “I just need to make sure I’m okay,” but that’s not oneness.
(3) If you know and do these things, you will be blessed (Jn. 13:17)
When one person gets COVID, it’s spread everywhere. That’s how you need to think, that is why we must wash each other’s feet; otherwise, it will harm you. If you’re not able to understand this, think about your family. What happens if there’s a mental illness in your family? Then your entire family will suffer, then what will you do? For that one person, everybody devotes. That’s what I’m saying. Let’s say there’s someone in the church and you’re wondering, “Why are they like that?” It’s not about you judging, “Why are they like that?” Go and wash their feet. Go to them with the posture of a servant, with the Word of God and prayer, and the Bible tells us that when you do that, you will be blessed. So, stop asking to be blessed, but Jesus says, “You will be blessed if you do these things.” The Bible says that the one who is blessed is the one who meditates on the Law day and night. After God called Abraham out of Ur of Chaldea, He said, “You will be a source of blessings and through you, all nations on earth will be blessed,” and the One Who is the Blessing came to Earth as Jesus Christ, and He continues to bless us with the Word and the Holy Spirit. Because we are so lacking, He continues to bless us, and that’s why we must do the same thing with one another.
What did the Early Church do? In Acts 2:42, it says they devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching, which means they devoted themselves to the Word they received during worship. And they broke bread, meaning they had fellowship with one another, foruming about the cross of Jesus Christ. They shared their forum regarding the Word they had received from the Apostles, and they devoted themselves to prayer. So, what does the Church do? Yes, people in the church might talk about politics or education or schools, and people in church might talk about business as well, but what must the church be centered on? We must be centered on the Word of God we’ve received, and we must have a culture that is centered on sharing the Word that we’ve received from God with each other and praying for one another with it.
When does the church lose its strength, in other words, when do you lose strength? If you’re not centered on this, you will lose strength, and in Acts 2:46-47, it says they did the same thing whether they were in the church or if they were at home, so this means, what is your family centered on? What is the center of your business or your job? Do you have a family and a business that is centered on sharing the Word you received from God and praying with it? Doing that is how you wash other people’s feet and doing that is how we are blessed. You would know this. You know yourself whether the core of your family is based on resting and sleeping and being comfortable, or if your house is centered on the Word of God and prayer. You also know with what center you run your business, are you trying to make money or are you trying to share the Word of God and prayer?
Jesus also told us how to be blessed. In other words, Jesus said, “First seek God’s Kingdom and His righteousness.” What is God’s Kingdom? It is the Word that God gives us from His throne, and the power of the Holy Spirit that God gives us from the throne of heaven. If we have received that from the Lord, then we must share that with one another. That is a blessed businessperson, that is a blessed family, and that is what we must do. When I say, “That’s what we must do,” people think, “Why do we have to do so much?” I was listening to the forum with the kids, and they said, “God says that He will do everything, so does that mean I don’t have to study anymore? God is going to do everything, then does that mean I don’t have to get a job and I can just play?” That’s a result of American education, and if you let your kids remain in American education, that’s what their life will be like. Because for these kids, every single thing is centered on themselves, “My life, my efforts, my hard work,” then they hear, “God does everything,” so they think, “I don’t have to do any work.” And I said, “That’s natural,” but later on, those kids will change.
God lives inside of me, He gives me the desire of His Word, and God fulfills His Word within me. That’s why God came into me as life. Now, God personally gives us His Word, allows us to understand His Word, and allows us to act to fulfill His Word. That’s our walk of faith. Then, no matter what problem, situation, or crisis you’re facing, God gives you His answer through His Word. If you’re curious about anything, ask God and He will give you His answer through His Word. That is how we wash each other’s feet.
2) Told in advance (Jn. 13:19)
(1) So that you will believe (Jn. 13:19)
In Jn. 13:19, Jesus says, “I am telling you this now before it happens so that when it happens, you will believe that I am He.”
(2) Whoever accepts anyone I send accepts Jesus (Jn. 13:20)
Then He says, “I am sending you out into the world. Whoever accepts you accepts Jesus.” You can’t just know this with knowledge by studying the Bible. You have to hold onto this firmly as your covenant. Why did the Lord send me into America, into this world? Your reason might be, “I came here so I can give my kids a better education,” and there’s another pastor I was talking to who said they were born with a disability in Korea, but in Korea, they don’t take care of the disabled, so they moved to America. There are some people who fled to America because of corrupt politics in their nation. Everybody has their own reasons, there are even some people who are running away from the law in their own nations and run away to America. Actually, Moses did the same thing. He was a criminal in Egypt and he ran away, but that may just be my reason; we need to find the Lord’s reason.
Why did the Lord send me to America? To testify the words of this gospel. People in this world are wandering without knowing what the problem or the answer are. They are in darkness, they are in a state of chaos and confusion. No matter how much they succeed in life, they are in a state of emptiness that cannot be filled, and you need to give them the answer to that. The answer to set us free from these problems is Jesus Christ. In other words, there is a problem that comes before the problem you are facing and feeling now. Why is my family so full of powerlessness? Why is my family so violent and abusive? There is a problem that came before the violence, there is a problem that came before the powerlessness. Why is our family so full of sexual immorality and lust? There is a problem that comes before the lust. Why is it that my family is full of mental illnesses, generation after generation? There is a pre-existing problem. Why is it that everybody in my family line dies at the same age or of the same disease? There are families like that, that was actually my family. One of my relatives passed away and I heard from a friend, the person who passed away, their father is my uncle, and my uncle passed away the same way at the same age from the same disease. That uncle’s son also died at the same age from the same disease, only a few years older than me. Now in that family, the mother has received the gospel and salvation.
But what is the problem that happened before that problem? It is the problem of sin, of not believing in God, and it is the problem of being seized by Satan, and it’s the problem of me being trapped in the problem of the background of death and hell, that is the cause of the other problems. So, when I say, “Go and testify of Christ to the field,” I’m not saying to just tell them about Jesus and make them come to church, I’m saying, you need to give them the solution to the problems of their life. If you don’t meet Christ, there is no answer. Humans are created in the image of God, so we have no answer other than being with God. That is when we give them the answer. That’s what the Lord sent us into the world to do, to be an ambassador of Christ. Therefore, anyone who accepts you, is not only accepting you, but they are accepting Jesus.
(3) Whoever accepts Jesus accepts God (Jn. 13:20)
But there are some people who are too embarrassed or shy to give the gospel, but that’s because they don’t know who they are. We are doing the work of Christ on His behalf, and Jesus promised to be with us with all authority in heaven and on earth. Until your children restore this identity, they will be a slave to America, and every single person is bound to be a slave to America, and the devil that is controlling America, no matter how much you succeed. No matter how much money you make, you will be a slave to Satan because you are worried about your money. It is because you do not know who you are. I’m an ambassador of Christ and the Lord has sent me into this world and to America, and whoever accepts you, accepts Christ. And whoever accepts Christ accepts God. When that happens, the Light will shine in your field. You have no idea how important this Word is. You need to hold onto this identity of yours and live in the field. In my family, every day, at 11pm, the family gets together and shares the Word forum. We do that, especially because I have a kid. So, we talk about the Word we received during Sunday, we do this every day, we forum about it every day, and for five minutes after that, we have meditation, deep breathing prayer.
3) Jesus in the throne of heaven even now
(1) Gave the Word – Answer (Ac. 2:14-42)
Why do we get cancer? It’s because the oxygen is not being transferred into the cells fully, and the older you get, the more shriveled up your lungs are. That’s why when you meditate on the Word of God and you enjoy deep breathing prayer that gives your body oxygen, your brain is restored. Honestly, if you just close your eyes momentarily, healing takes place, so what is Holy Meditation? It is thinking deeply and carefully about the Word God has given to me specifically, and if we don’t do that, we will always be worried and anxious. While you meditate on the Word God gave you, you do deep breathing and listen to peaceful music. The first person who always gets up is my daughter, exactly at 4 minutes in. I said, “Right now, you might not understand but later you’ll get it.” Everything in our lives comes from our brain, and if our brain gets strength, we can even overcome stress. If your brain has power, then you will have wisdom. That is the Holy Meditation that concentrates on God. In America, there is so much self-meditation, and they say it heals you, but it actually gives you seven more evil spirits.
(2) Gave the filling of the Holy Spirit (Ac. 2:4, 4:31)
So, what must be the center of our family? It must be the Word of God and prayer. Just five minutes a day, what’s important is, what is your family centered on? In your business field, just do it momentarily; at school, just do it one moment. But what am I living my life centered on right now? That’s what I’m saying. First, seek God’s Kingdom and His righteousness. Then, even right now, Jesus is seated at the throne of heaven and pours His Word upon you, and He gives you the filling of His Holy Spirit. In the Presbyterian church, they say, “Once you’ve received the Holy Spirit once, that’s it.” In the Pentecostal church, they say, “You have to continuously receive the filling of the Holy Spirit.” but actually you need to combine both of them to be correct. There’s evidence in the Bible of that, when you accept Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit does come into you. In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit came upon them. That’s called the filling of the Holy Spirit. Then in Acts 4, there was a gathering of the same people, and the filling of the Holy Spirit took place again, and it also says, “Do not neglect the Holy Spirit,” yes, the Holy Spirit dwells within us, but we need to receive the filling of the Holy Spirit every day.
(3) Makes you proclaim the Word (Ac. 14:31)
The Lord is saying, “I will continuously send that to you from the throne of heaven,” and Jesus said, “I will continue to give you the Word from the throne of heaven and the Holy Spirit will help you understand it.” That’s how we’re able to relay this Word out into the world. That person, that family, that business that is centered on this will continuously receive the works of God. There are families that have been Christian for a long time, but if they don’t have this center, then they look Christian on the outside, but they’re all withered up and dried on the inside. And you can tell immediately, when they face a problem or situation, they have no strength. You can only tell what kind of soldier somebody is on the battlefield. It doesn’t matter how strong their armor is, or how strong they look. On the battlefield, that’s the only place you can tell.
For believers, it really doesn’t matter how long you’ve believed or gone to church, … you need to find the answer in God’s Word because God continuously gives us His Word and God continuously pours out the works of the Holy Spirit. Then, when you receive the filling of the Holy Spirit, you will relay God’s Word. Instead of speaking “my words,” you will instead speak the words that save, the words of God. That’s why, as soon as you wake up in the morning, you need to meditate on the Word God has given to you.
Conclusion
1. Morning – Meditation Concentration (Strength)
How can you check your own state? As soon as you wake up in the morning, what do you think about? That’s your level. For people who are spiritually set, as soon as they wake up, they think about God’s Word. There are some people who are centered on work, so as soon as they wake up, they think about the work they have to do, or for other people, as soon as they wake up, they’re filled with anxieties and worries. It doesn’t matter, even if you’re a pastor, or you’re a church officer, whatever you think about when you first wake up, that is your level, that’s why you must meditate on the Word God has given to you. You need to concentrate and ask God, “Why did You give me this Word?”
2. Day – Every thing, person, work – With prayer
Then throughout the day, you will hear people’s words and face situations and none of that saves you. Yes, maybe people’s words and <such things are> necessary to maintain a physical life, but it cannot save your spirit. That’s why you need to change all of that into prayer. That’s in the daytime. If you’re not able to do that, you will lose all of the spiritual things because you’re focused on working, and then when you face a problem, you’ll get lost.
3. Night – Answer with the word
At night, that is your time to receive an answer … <from> God. Let’s say throughout the day, you’re betraying people, gossiping about others, and tearing people down. If you just let that stay, that’s going to stack up inside of you. Let’s say you spend all night scheming about how to deceive others so that you can get more rich, yes, that might be the case, but at night, you must wash yourself. Just like today’s scripture, the Lord is doing that, even now, therefore, we must do that now. May you have victory throughout the week.
Message Prayer
Let us pray together holding onto the Word we have received.
Offering Prayer and Newcomer Blessing
God, we thank You. We pray the Word You have given to us will be fulfilled in our lives, and we return Your materials as offering. We pray that You will bless the hands that have given this offering that everywhere this offering is used, lives will be saved and people who are lost in diseases or weakness will be saved. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, amen.
God, we thank You. God, we pray that the Word You have given to this family will be fulfilled in their lives. Lord, we pray that You will bless this family so they may be restored to be centered on the Word of God and pray continually to save the field. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, amen.
Announcements
1. Online zoom early morning prayer (Mon.-Fri. 5:30, Sat. 6AM) – Raise the bartizan of prayer
2. Hollywood camp – Temple
3. 1/19-23, PK Retreat and New Year’s Meeting.
Accepting donations from business people. (We accept the name of the business and prayer topics as well.)
4. Offering can be given to the church venmo: @Antiochmissionchurch
Benediction
Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the unending love of God, and the indwelling, guidance, working, and fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be upon the heads of all the people of God, the people of all nations, and the remnants who desire to save their families, their fields and their churches, holding onto the words of Only Christ and prayer, be with them from now until forevermore always, amen.