Not Me But Only Christ (Jn. 3:22-36)
Let us bless and greet one another, “Happy Father’s Day!” Last time, we had, “Happy Mother’s Day, and today we have Happy Father’s Day, so I hope that you guys will just receive all the blessings. How can we have a happy Father’s Day? I hope that, through today’s Word, you will hold on tightly to God’s Word.
Last week, we received the Word of God titled, “The Absolute Plan of God.” Throughout the week, there is a standard of whether you were successful or if you were not successful. If you walk together with the Word God has given to you, then that week was successful because you were walking with God then, and everything in the universe belongs to God. The One Who moves all creation is God. Then, failure is not walking with that Word. But people in the world will say, “If your physical job is going well, then you are successful.” There is not a single example of true success like that. God is the One Who raises people up and lowers them, and I hope you will all begin a very successful life where you walk with the Word God is giving to us today.
1. John
1) Baptism
(1) Jesus (Jn. 3:22)
Jesus Christ performed the miracle at the wedding at Cana, and then He overturned tables in the Temple, and now we see an individual named John the Baptist. This John the Baptist actually baptized Jesus in the Jordan River, and the Bible tells us that John the Baptist is the final prophet of the Old Testament.
(2) John (Jn. 3:23)
John the Baptist’s whole life is to testify that this Man is the Messiah. He was born six months before Jesus, so he’s older than Jesus, and before Jesus turned 30 when He began His public ministry, John the Baptist was baptizing many people with water and leading them.
(3) Everyone is going to Jesus (Jn. 3:26)
In today’s scripture, we read about how John the Baptist and Jesus Christ were baptizing in this river, and John the Baptist’s disciples are going over to Jesus to get baptized, and one of John the Baptist’s disciples report that to him. What’s important is that people might be telling you facts, but they will put their weight or their focus on their perspective. Of course, they are telling the facts, but the focus or the weight with which he tells this fact to John the Baptist is, “You are losing all of your disciples to Jesus.”
If it is not only the Word of God, people are bound to put their emphasis on whatever they desire, and if you just listen to their words as they are, then you are making a mistake. You must confirm, is this truly the fact? If this is truly the fact, then this person is also putting in their own point that they want to get across. But for you guys, you must discover through this fact the plan that God desires. Every single person speaks of their perspective to their benefit, that’s why they’re easily swayed.
2) John
(1) What God does (Jn. 3:27)
What does John the Baptist say to these words? Jn. 3:27, John replied centered on God, “A person cannot do anything unless it is given to them by God.” So, how should our faith go? We should believe that, if God allows it, then it will happen, and if God will not allow it and it is done by mankind’s effort, then it will fall.
(2) I am not the Messiah (Jn. 3:28)
(3) I am sent ahead of him (Jn. 3:28)
(4) You yourselves can testify (Jn. 3:28)
Then, John says, “You yourselves can testify that I have said, I am not the Messiah, but I am sent ahead of Him. John is saying, “I am not the main character; Jesus is,” but the disciples are disciples of John the Baptist, and they want to be the main figure, and that’s why we have factions and groups, and when we have divisions and groups, they fight and compete. But, if you are somebody who has faith like John the Baptist, then you will not be swayed by the words of people.
3) John’s confession
(1) I am not the bridegroom but the friend (Jn. 3:29)
Then John gives the example of a wedding. The main figure of a wedding is the bride and the groom. Jesus Christ came to this earth as the groom, and if we believe in Jesus Christ, we are married to Him as His bride.
(2) The friend is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice (Jn. 3:29)
If there is a friend of the bridegroom who comes, they should be happy for the groom, so he is saying, “It is right for me to bring people to Jesus Christ now that He is on earth; this is a rightful thing.” I think it’s a universal fact that in a household, people will ask, “Do you like your mom or your dad better?” What should the kid say? Kids who are a little bit sharper will say, “I like both,” or they’re just around their dad and will say, “I like you more, Dad,” but then they’ll go to their mom and say, “I like you more, Mom.” But that becomes a problem. At your job, there are people who are always trying to split sides, “Who is going to be on my side? Who is going to be against me?” That’s how nonbelievers live. Because they don’t believe in God, they have to be centered on themselves, meaning they have to create their own sphere of influence, but the people of God who believe in God must not be like that.
The center of the family must be Jesus Christ. The parents must raise the children so that the children follow Jesus Christ. But the moment you take Jesus’ spot and you say, “This is my child,” that is when suffering begins. God has completely entrusted this child into my family momentarily, just as God had entrusted John’s disciples to him momentarily; you have to return them to the Lord and Master. My child does not belong to me; my child belongs to God, so I have to give my child to God.
(3) That joy is complete (Jn. 3:29)
The owner of your business is God; you are simply the owner who is working on behalf of the Master, or you are used as an employee. But if you are the manager of this business, then you have to ensure that everyone is following the owner of this business, and that brings you joy. But people who don’t go to church, or even if they do go to church but they do not have faith, they think, “I’m the owner.” Because they are their owner, the people around them can cause division. “This person is like this, that person is like that,” and the beginning of all problems is because you try to put yourself in the wrong position. All of our lives’ problems have already begun the moment you try to become the master of your own life.
But John the Baptist immediately says, “I am not the bridegroom; I am only His friend. I am here for the groom.” The Owner or the Master of the Church is Jesus Christ, and somebody from another ethnicity from a long time ago said, “If the Owner of the Church is Jesus Christ, then I don’t have to listen to you, Pastor Park,” and maybe I didn’t understand because he spoke in English, but I realized he was speaking in a state where he was his own master. Does this mean a child does not have to listen to their parents’ words? That’s like a child saying, “I only follow Jesus; I don’t need my mom and dad.” God reigns over the family through the parents, then it’s not that the parents are unnecessary; God reigns through the parents. So, the parents’ posture is, ‘This child does not belong to me, I must raise this child on His behalf.”
Same thing at your job, there is a person who is the boss or the owner, and they think they are the lord, so that’s why the people under them suffer. Employees think, “Why do I have to work for him?” That person is not much better than me; why do I have to work for them?” Why do you think people think like that? It is because they do not think of God as their Master; because they are the main figure, that’s why they think like that. “Why do I have to submit to you?” So they just grit and bear it because they have to make money, but the problem has already begun. We have to believe, “Oh, God is actually moving this business through this owner.”
2. Jesus Christ
1) John’s confession
(1) Jesus must become greater (Jn. 3:30)
(2) I must become less (Jn. 3:30)
Then John the Baptist says, “Jesus must become greater and I must become less,” then what is my existence for?
(3) One who is from the earth belongs to the earth (Jn. 3:31)
Jn. 3:31, John says he is someone who is born of the earth. In other words, we are not from above or from heaven. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks as one from the earth. What are the words that belong to the earth? These are words of people. Everything you see on the news, all the people you’ve talked to every day, these are the words that belong to the earth, and if you keep on listening to that, you’ll spiritually die. Even on the news, we are only listening to the words of the earth, saying, “Oh, what is the bigger benefit to America? Should we intervene in the Russian war or not?” When we talk to the people of the earth, it’s just, “Is this person going to be of help to me, or will they hurt me?” Because they are of the earth, they say words of the earth.
2) Jesus Christ
(1) The one who comes from above (Jn. 3:31)
(2) Is above all (Jn. 3:31)
(3) He testifies to what he has seen and heard (Jn. 3:32)
However, John the Baptist says that Jesus is from above. This means that Jesus is a person Who is born from above in the Kingdom of Heaven where the Throne of God is, and He has come here in the form of a human to testify to us what He has seen and heard from the Father God. Humans are spiritual beings so we must listen to the words that are from heaven, just like we need oxygen to breathe. If we do not have oxygen, we die; a spiritual being cannot live by listening to the words of the earth. Only when they listen to the words of God, the words of heaven can be spiritually breathed. Why is living on this earth so painful and difficult? It is because we are not spiritually breathing. Because we cannot see or believe the spiritual things, we are facing difficulties and suffering, but we don’t know why. It’s because you keep listening to the words of the earth, you are facing your limitation.
The Word is God, the Word of God is what heals our spirit, mind, and body, and it changes our thoughts and our heart. That’s why we must teach our children to listen to the words of Jesus. Since a few days ago, I’ve been threatening my daughter, “You know, Father’s Day is coming up,” and I think she was taking the money she was saving up, about $50, and she went to buy something. She wrote a card for me, but I think she wrote it in English and put it into Google Translate and then wrote it in Korean because the way the text is written is very English-translated. Even if you speak Korean your entire life, you wouldn’t say a sentence like this normally.
She said, “Happy Father’s Day. I usually don’t agree with things that you say, Dad.” I said, “Is that so?” She said, “But there is one thing I like. I like that I’m in an environment where I can be closer with God.” I was preparing today’s message and thought, “Well, that’s everything, then!” She’s different from me, there’s no reason for her to agree with everything I say. She’s a girl and I am a man, she was born in America and I was born in Korea, so everybody is different, so it’s true that she doesn’t agree with most of the things I say, but all she has to do is agree with one thing. All she has to agree with is walking with the Lord with me, but do you think I’m still kind of sad or no? I was about to be a little bit upset but said, “Okay, that’s good.” That feeling of feeling sad was coming from a very human place. “You’re my daughter, of course you should agree with what I say,” but I have to help her to go to Jesus, to God.
Isn’t it the same thing at your job? There are many things that are hurtful or unfair, things don’t go the way you want, and you don’t get the finances the way you want; it’s very hard, and every moment that happens, make Jesus your Lord, what does that mean? That means, in this situation, what is the Lord’s plan? Then you will receive His answer. Just ask for that one prayer. It doesn’t matter how many difficulties you’re in; that is your situation, but what is God’s plan? Ask that. If something unfair happens to you, yes, it is unfair, but ask for God’s plan. This means that you might think, “Yes, I do feel like I’ve been treated unfairly, but what is God’s plan that He is trying to fulfill?” That is faith.
In Jn. 3:31, Jesus says He exists for all Creation because He is the One Who created all the earth, and I am part of that creation. I am a creation, the fact that He is above all creation means that He reigns over and rules creation. If you serve the things that God created as if they are God Himself, that is an idol. Do you think that people worship idols even when they go to church? Yes, they do. Even while the Israelites were worshiping God in the Temple, they were worshiping idols. If you are worshiping and relying on the creation that God has made as if it were God Himself, that is idol worship.
We must serve and rely on God only. If you rely on and serve money, that is idol worship. If you rely on your child, that may become idol worship. If you put your faith in and rely on the power of the nation of America, that is idol worship. Then, even as you go to church, you’re worshiping idols. You rely on your own strength instead of trusting in God; you trust your strength. You need to trust in the One Who is above all creation. Creation is just the creation, no matter how amazing something is, it is just a creation, and if you worship idols, God says He will curse down to 3 or 4 generations because idol worship is the channel through which Satan works.
Exodus 20:3, God says, “Do not place any gods above Me.” If you place anything above God, that’s a demon, that’s Satan, so how do we worship demons? It is by making an idol and serving it for yourself. Col. 3:5 says that our greed is idolatry. All of our problems begin from idols, from greed, then Satan will begin to work inside of that individual using evil spirits. That cannot be solved or healed in a hospital, because there is a spiritual being, a corrupted angel, Satan, who is controlling that person’s heart. When will that change? Only when we make the Lord into our Lord will we be free from Satan’s grasp. The problem inside of your family, your children, in your job, we are weak. But if you serve the Lord as your Lord, God’s Kingdom will be established.
Awhile ago, there was a deacon when we were first pioneering our church, and we were not getting a lot of offering, but from the perspective of the pastor, we still needed to move the church because there are a lot of expenses like rent. So, I was worried. Then, there is something the deacon said as they were passing by, “Well, you should trust in God.” I heard that as God’s voice. My personality is pretty extreme, so I resolved, “From this moment on, I will never have disbelief to God regarding finances. I will entrust the Church to the Master and Lord, Christ.” Even if situations like that do come, trust in God more than your situation.
Don’t you face situations like this while you work in your job? Today is Father’s Day; don’t you ever look at your child and feel kind of anxious or nervous? Or for the students, aren’t there times when you look at the future or the present realities of your world and become afraid? For the young adults, don’t you have worries like, “Am I really going to be able to get married? Will I be able to go a long time in this job? Are there cancer patients wondering, “Am I going to live much longer?” There will be times we face this, just like the pastor can face a situation like that, we are all bound to face this, but there is only one way.
You need to believe in Christ as your Lord; there’s no other answer than that. You need to have the fundamental answer. Then, even if you do get cancer, if you truly believe in Christ as your Lord, and you entrust that to Him, then you will have God’s peace. The Bible tells us to use our bodies as a weapon of righteousness to the Lord, this is Romans 6:13. It says, “Do not use your body as a weapon for sin or an instrument of wickedness.” If your body has some kind of cancer or disease, say, “God, I entrust my body to You to use as Your weapon for righteousness.” Then, even if you do have a physical disease or cancer, at least in your heart, you will have God’s peace, and from that point on, healing takes place.
God is the Healer, and it’s the same if there are any people in your family who are suffering from mental problems. That family and their parents need to completely entrust it to the Lord. If you’re worried about this mental problem, it means you are not entrusting it. God will wait until you fully entrust it to Him. Once you fully entrust it to God, then this problem will turn into a blessing, because if it weren’t for this problem, would I fully entrust my life to the Lord? No, I wouldn’t, so this is actually not a problem; it’s a blessing. A blessing is not when visible things turn pleasing to us. The true blessing is learning how to be content in poverty and in wealth. The blessing is, even though I’m hard pressed on all sides, I am never crushed. The blessing is, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. That situation will only change when you make the same confession that John the Baptist did, that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Why is that? Col. 2:16 says that all creation was created by Him, through Him, and exists for Him. Everything we have exists for Christ. But if you are living your life for yourself, that’s why you suffer . So, even if you live, you live for the Lord; if you die, you die for the Lord. If you feel unfairly treated, may the Lord be glorified. Whether you succeed or fail, either way, may Christ be the Lord, and may He be glorified. Then, God’s Kingdom is established upon me. That blessing, that righteousness and Kingdom must be established upon me first.
3) The one sent by God
(1) Speaks the words of God (Jn. 3:34)
Then John the Baptist says Jesus Christ was sent by God. The evidence is that He declares the Word of God. Jn. 3:34, God sends the one who speaks the Word of God, so the evidence that God has sent you is that you speak the words of God. Jesus Christ did not say anything else on earth; He just said the words that God the Father told Him because the Word is God and everything follows the Word of God.
(2) Gives the Spirit without limit (Jn. 3:34)
It says in Jn. 3:34 that God gives the Spirit without limit through the Son. The Spirit is not some kind of energy; it is God Himself. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God the Father and God the Son, Jesus. This Holy Spirit lives inside of us, teaching us and reminding us of the words of Jesus Christ. If you are truly the saved children of God, then through the pastor’s message, the Holy Spirit will teach you God’s Word. If you are giving worship today, it means you are concentrating on the voice of the Holy Spirit. Using the sermon as a tool, you are concentrating on the message that the Holy Spirit inside of you is giving, that is why we must worship in Spirit and in Truth.
When we go out into the world, that is also worship. You are serving God. Even in the world, you are serving God in Spirit and in Truth. You working or volunteering in the Church is not working or volunteering; it is serving God in Spirit in Truth. Today’s worship is serving God. How do we serve God? We serve Him as our God, saying, “God, give me the Word You desire to give me through the pastor.” If you’re falling in worship, it means you’re falling to serve God, and if you fail worshiping God, then your whole week is failure because it means you do not have the word God is giving you today. If you don’t have the Word God is giving you, then it means there’s a gap in your relationship. “I’m just going to follow my own thoughts and I’m not going to listen to God’s word. Yes, maybe I’ll listen to it, but I’ll just keep it as reference; I’m not going to follow God’s Word as absolute.” You don’t have to listen to my words, but you have to listen to the words of the Holy Spirit that is telling you through this sermon. That person will have success throughout the week.
That is the word with which you must walk this entire work. That is success. What is failure? A failed life either does not have the word of God, or either God gave them the Word, but they live without the Word. Yes, we need to teach the Bible well, but that’s not enough. The one who is a witness of a life walking with God’s Word, that is the person who must teach. There’s a difference between someone who has been to Africa personally, and someone who hasn’t. There are some people who have never been to Africa, but they’ve researched very well and can speak about Africa very well. “This person has a gift for teaching,” but that’s from the brain and is being relayed through the brain, but somebody who’s actually been to Africa personally, their words have strength because they’ve personally seen it with their own eyes and they’re telling you about it.
The Word God gives you every Sunday, hold onto that Word, walk with that Word, and come back next Sunday with evidence of that. If you are holding onto the Word last week of God’s absolute plan and remain in it, then without a doubt, you will have evidence, and that is what the Lord desires. But if you don’t have that as your standard, then you want some great pastor, some great words to inspire and move you today. That person has no interest in holding onto and walking with the Word that week. They just want to come to church on Sunday and be moved and inspired by a great message, then their walk of faith has failed and their life itself will fail. It doesn’t matter. No matter what situation in life you’re in, the Holy Spirit inside of you gives you God’s Word.
That’s why Joseph went to Egypt alone, and Gen. 41:38, the Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Whom can we find who is filled with the Spirit of God like this man?” it doesn’t matter even though he went to prison, he didn’t have his parents, he was all by himself. It doesn’t matter even if you are alone, because the Triune God is with you, guiding you with His Word, I must simply follow His Word.
(3) Placed everything in Jesus’s hand (Jn. 3:35)
In Jn. 3:35, God has placed everything in Jesus’ hands. Everything, meaning, all of creation on earth is in Jesus’ hands. If He opens something, it opens; if He closes something, no matter how much you try to open it, it will not open. There is a channel through which God moves all of creation. It doesn’t matter how hard you work; that’s just your hard work, it is not God’s work. God so loved the world that He sent His one and only Son, that is His absolute plan to save, and He moves all creation to that.
Your correct life has nothing to do with God. Your positive thinking has nothing to do with God. The way your face looks, whether it’s good or bad, has nothing to do with God. God’s plan is that He sent His one and only Son to save the earth, and then He placed His Holy Spirit inside of us and is continuing that work today. And for the one individual who has their eyes opened to see this, God will move all of creation in that direction.
Every time the Israelites did not do this or see this, they were taken as captives to nonbelievers. But, when this did happen, God brought all the other nations in creation to Israel. During the reign of King David, Israel was the greatest and strongest nation, this is because God gave them their strength.
3. Jesus Christ
1) One who believes, One who doesn’t believe
(1) Whoever has accepted – Christ (Jn. 3:33, Jn. 19:30)
(2) Has eternal life (Jn. 3:36)
Then, whoever believes in the Son, that is, whoever believes in the cross and resurrection, will have eternal life, because the reason Jesus Christ came to earth was to die on the cross. He had to die on the cross to liberate us from the problems of our Original Sin, Satan, and hell, and whoever believes in that has eternal life.
(3) One who doesn’t believe – God’s wrath (Jn. 3:36)
But whoever rejects that or doesn’t believe in it, God’s wrath remains on them. Why are there continuous disasters on earth? It is a result of not believing in Christ. Why are there so many churches in America but it is continually flooded in disaster? It is because we do not believe in Christ. Even if we do believe in Christ, we just keep Him as a reference point, not as absolute, then just as the Israelites were taken as captives, even if you have salvation, you face disasters. You and I must believe in the same way that John the Baptist confessed: “Not me, only Christ.” I am not the master of my life; Christ is the Master of my life.
Your scars can never be healed. The reason you are scarred to begin with is because you had your own standards, centered on yourself. “If I went 50% for this person, then they should meet me halfway, but they give 0%,” that becomes a scar. “If I did 50%, you should at least give me 1%; why do you give 0%?” Why does that become a scar? It’s because you created your own standard. If you had the standard of God’s Word, it wouldn’t matter, but you have your own standards, then the word of God is not the standard; your thoughts are your standard. It’s the same between husband and wife. Some people say, “A pastor should be like this,” and that might be true, or someone may say, “A deacon or deaconess should be like that,” but there’s not a single person who can follow every word of the Bible. You need to see the God inside of them, guiding this person.
You need to know and believe and follow this Christ the Lord in order for the disasters in America to be blocked. The shootings in America continue, then your child may be safe, but there will be a great harm to the nation. Even if your child is not the one who is shot in a shooting, they will have a severe trauma. Even if your child is not the one to personally do drugs, if there are drugs circulating around that school, your child will be harmed negatively by it, that is why we must proclaim the gospel and change these disasters.
There are so many churches, so many seminaries, and honestly, so many Bible studies, but even as people go to church, they’re still struggling. There’s only one thing, the only difference is, do you believe in God’s Word as the absolute, or are you keeping it as a reference? Most people just keep it as reference. If I don’t believe in the Word of God, I turn my back to it. If following the Word of God leads to my disadvantage or a loss, I throw the Word of God away.
The Word of God is Truth; the Word is God, and God moves this earth according to His Word. The reason why people suffer and go into disasters even as they go to church is because they do not hold God’s Word as absolute. If you’re facing death, then just die. But you have more problems because you doubt God and you’re trying so hard to save yourself. If there’s something unfair, just take it, but you need to trust in the Lord, but you’re trying so hard to not be in an unfair position, that’s why you suffer. If you don’t have money, you can just live without money, but instead, you keep doubting God and try to make something of your own life; that’s why you suffer. When you believe in the Lord as your Lord, God’s true blessings will be upon you.
2) I have been sent by God (Jn. 17:18)
It says that God sent Jesus to the world, but in John 17:18, God says, “As you have sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world.” This means I’m not going into the world to study or work; God is sending me into the world, but because you keep going out to make money, that’s wrong, because you are the center of your life. The God Who has saved you is sending you out into the world, and when He sends you out into the world, He is not sending you out empty-handed.
(1) Given them God’s word (Jn. 17:14)
John 17:14, it says He is giving them God’s word. On Sunday, He gives you God’s Word personally and sends you out into the world with it. But as soon as you leave the church, you forget what you’ve heard; that person just has to go make money, it means they have to be the Lord of their own life, and they only have to live at their level, then everything will be a problem for that person. You must receive the Word of God and walk with that Word throughout the rest of the week. “The Word is just the Word; how could the Word walk with me in my life?” That’s what prayer is, prayer is the method to walk with the Word in your life. Then, the Word moving in your life is prayer.
(2) Those who will believe in me through the message (Jn. 17:20)
Then John 17:20 says, not only must I be saved, but other people must be saved as well. At your school, in the region where you work, there are people who will receive salvation through me, that’s why we are called the ambassadors of Christ. If we are the ambassadors of Christ, we must relay the words of Christ. Yes, we’ve talked about and say many things, but the mission is to declare the words of Christ to people.
(3) I am in the triune God (Jn. 17:21)
The Triune God is living inside of us, guiding that work forward. When you say, “I agree, this is what I want to do,” Then God will pour His Spirit upon you like water, just like He did for Jesus. He will pour the power of the Holy Spirit upon you to the extent to do world evangelization. That is not done by our strength; it is done by the power of God. Your strength is limited, and it cannot defeat the devil at all. You also cannot overcome nature. You don’t know your future. Because you don’t know your future, you barely have to live, day by day. But the person who received God’s Word knows the future because God will guide you according to His word, then that is the future, and if somebody knows the future, they are different. That is Sunday worship. If you are not able to receive God’s Word here today, then even though you came, it is still a fail. I hope we will re-confirm.
3) Holy Spirit
(1) Power – To the ends of the earth (Ac. 1:8)
(2) Only through prayer (Ac. 1:14)
In Acts 1:14, they devoted themselves to prayer so that the Holy Spirit filled them. I only prayed for one thing, for the Holy Spirit of God to completely control me, because I cannot do this. In the past, how I used to live is, “I don’t need anything else; I’m enough; I don’t need anybody’s help, I can live all by myself,” but the end result is, things we couldn’t control keep happening. Even my thoughts, I cannot control. I don’t even know where these thoughts came from, they are controlling me and dragging me around. That is a state of chaos, it’s a mental illness. If you live your life centered on yourself, by your own strength, for a long time, that is going to be your result.
(3) Evangelize to the ends of the earth, Doors of mission (Ac. 2:9-11)(Ac. 3-28)
You need to entrust everything to the Holy Spirit so that the Holy Spirit controls my thoughts, my heart, my body, my conscious, my subconscious, why? Because this gospel must be proclaimed to the ends of the earth. Until my last breath on earth, that is the end of the earth to me, and God promised to be with me from that point, and inside of that work of God, anything you need will follow. Health will follow, wisdom also follows because God moves all of creation to fulfill His Word and plan.
Conclusion
1 Me × Only Christ
2. My goals × – Only God’s kingdom
3. My strength × – Only power of the Holy Spirit
So in conclusion, not me, only Christ. Only God’s plan. I hope you will always look for that. Not my goal, but my goal is the Kingdom of God. Not by my strength, but by the power of the Holy Spirit. If that happens, then God will lead you forward, regardless of you. May you enjoy this blessing first and stand as a witness in the world.
Message Prayer
Let us pray holding onto the Word we have received from God.
Offering Prayer and Newcomer Blessing
God, we thank You. We have returned Your material blessings as offering. We pray You will bless the hands that have given the offering for Temple Construction, the missions to the ends of the earth, the future generations, and we pray You will answer all the hands that have given offering for Sunday, Thanksgiving and other topics with the economy of light to save the world. In Jesus Christ’s name we pray, amen.
God, we thank You.
In Jesus Christ’s name we pray, amen.
Announcements
1. Online zoom early morning prayer (Mon.-Fri. 5:30, Sat. 6AM) – Raise the bartizan of prayer
2. Native American Navajo camp is on 6/23(Mon.)-27(Thurs.)
3. LA Children’s Retreat: 7/4 (Thurs.)-5(Fri.), $110
4. LA Youth Retreat: 7/11(Thurs.)-13(Sat.): First registration 6/30: $220, Second registration: $250
5. Region – Summer camp (Children), 7/20 (Sat.)
6. Florida camp (Anticipating end of July, beginning of August)
7. 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, filling, and working, and guidance of the Holy Spirit, be upon the heads of the people of God, the people of all nations, and the remnants who desire to know, believe and testify of the fact that Christ is the only Lord, upon all their businesses, ministries, and academics, be with them from now until forevermore always, amen.