The Gospel that Goes to the Ends of the Earth (Rom. 15:22-33)
Let us bless and greet one another, “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” The title of today’s message is, “The Gospel that Goes to the Ends of the Earth.” This title contains our future, and when we give worship, I think there are three varieties. There are some people who only keep the Word of God as a reference, there are some people who receive grace from God’s Word, but there is a third group of people who hold onto the Word of God as a covenant in faith and follow it throughout the week. The third category of people are the ones who receive God’s grace and carry out God’s covenant in their fields. The first two categories of people are just living a religious life. I bless you all in the name of Jesus Christ that you may have the blessing to hold onto the covenant that God is giving to you personally through worship and through His Word, and to follow it throughout the week.
Today’s scripture is the content of the letter Paul wrote to the church in Rome. He had never met the people of the church of Rome before, but through these epistles, he is communicating with them. Apostle Paul was called as an apostle to the Gentiles, and because the Roman church was filled with Gentiles, he saw this as a part of his ministry. During that time, Rome was the superpower nation, and the land that the Roman empire conquered was tremendous. All of Europe was within the Roman territory, so the Roman church had a very important position. Even in our bodies, there are important body parts, and an important body part plays an important role. What is the role that the Roman church needed? During this time, Apostle Paul and everyone thought that Spain was the ends of the earth; it was the farthest west they had gone, so Paul needed the church of Rome’s help to get to Spain. So, he needed the Word of God, their offering, and their prayers. In order to communicate with the Roman church through the Word of God, Paul is sending these letters. We must have the same Word. Even between spouses, they must have the same Word of God. If the Word is not the same, they will be spiritually different. So, Paul doesn’t technically have to go to the church of Rome, but he is making an effort to go there and stay with them so they may have spiritual communication with God’s Word.
1. Gospel
If someone goes to church, they will hear the gospel at least once, but how does this person really hear the gospel? There are some people who just think the gospel is the way to salvation, but there are other people who believe the gospel is absolute, that we cannot live without this gospel. There are those kinds of people who live like that. God begins to work through the people who hold onto the gospel as absolute.
1) Jesus Christ
(1) Sin, Death, Authority of Satan – Set free (Rom. 8:2)
Why is the gospel absolute, unique, and “only”? Because without the gospel, humankind cannot solve the problem of sin and disasters. Without this gospel, we cannot escape from the forces of Satan and his evil spirits. Third, without this gospel, our spiritual state cannot change from death to life. Where do all human problems begin from? It is the spiritual, fundamental problem, but we always put the focus on the wrong problem, incorrectly. As a result, people choose religion and worship idols, and if we pray and worship anything other than Jesus Christ, then evil spirits work. Every nation has their own god. The more you worship those gods, the more evil spirits work. 1 Cor. 10:20, Paul says, “What pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons.” So, in other words, religion and idol worship, those are worshiping the devil, and the reason is because people have left God and they are children of the devil. Unless the fundamental, spiritual problem changes, we cannot solve the spiritual, mental, or physical problems.
Why is it that there are so many churches and seminaries, but mental problems continue to increase in America? People do not get mental problems because they are mentally weak. Even if somebody is successful, they get mental problems, why? It’s because humans lack spiritual strength. Humans can only have spiritual strength when we are filled with faith in God, when we rely on God alone, but Original Sin makes us think that we can live on our own. When we are young, we may look like we can on the outside, but the more time passes, the more we realize we cannot live on our own with the result of mental problems. As we continuously bear the heavy burdens of our stress, it results in mental problems. It’s because that covenantal relationship with faith in God is weak, so we have to take all of our burdens ourselves. People who have mental problems end up falling into drugs, and yes, many people may try drugs and substances, but if you have a mental problem, you will fall into addiction. Whether it’s addiction to alcohol or any other kind of addiction, already in America, you can see the number of people with addictions increasing; that means there are more people with mental illnesses. This also means it’s because there are more people who do not have spiritual strength. Even as people go to church, they lack spiritual strength, so they lack mental strength and they fall into addiction.
Why do people keep on falling into mental illnesses even as they go to church? It’s because they don’t accept the gospel as absolute. The gospel is not just the gospel; it is absolute, it is unique, and it is “only.” We must receive this gospel by confessing that “I need nothing more than this gospel.” Then, the forces of darkness in your family line will start to break down. But if you just go to church haphazardly, that will not break the darkness of your family line. The darkness in your family line is the problem that keeps on repeating, over and over. It cannot be solved without “only” the gospel. The gospel that Apostle Paul had was absolute. But there are people who go to church, but they still commit suicide or they still have addictions or they still have mental problems because the gospel is not “only” for them. So, how do you and I know the gospel of Jesus Christ today? This determines your future, and all the answers will follow, based on that.
Why was Paul trying to proclaim this gospel to the ends of the earth, which was Spain? Because he knew that we cannot live without this gospel. If we do not have this gospel, what can we not do? The spiritual problem of mankind cannot be solved. The spiritual problems are not visible to the eyes, because humans were created so that we must believe in something because we are spiritual. Animals do not need to have faith because they are not spiritual beings, but humans are spiritual beings so we must have faith or belief in something. If somebody says, “I don’t believe in God,” then they believe in something else. That’s what it means to be a spiritual being. Maybe they believe in themselves, or they put faith in their ideologies, or they put their faith in money. This is what it means to be spiritual. If the object of our faith is not God through only Jesus Christ, it will result in a spiritual problem. In other words, Satan, the devil, begins to work on us, but this is all invisible. This results in mental problems, too; it results in physical ailments. Not all ailments are from that, but it’s different depending on the stream of your family line, because that’s not something you choose. Only the people who know the absoluteness of the gospel can overcome, and this gospel is so urgent. We must proclaim this gospel urgently.
I told you about the statistics of America. One day, there are dozens or hundreds of kids who are dying every day from heart attacks, from drug overdoses, and there are dozens or hundreds of people who are dying from shootings or suicide, and even just in one day, the number of people who are being raped is tremendously high. These problems are not because of a lack of laws. It’s not a result of bad education. People have all of the education, but if you have a spiritual problem, this is the result. This will continue to get worse over time. The gospel must go into the superpower nation of Rome; otherwise, they cannot survive. Who will do that? Apostle Paul says, “I will do that.” Wherever I live, that is my mission field. Those are the people who will be used by God. If you think, “Someone else will do it,” that’s not right. People think, “Am I the only one who has to do this?” Those people cannot be used by God. Wherever you are, God has given you that field to do three things. The absoluteness of the gospel, because the gospel is urgent. There is nothing more urgent than proclaiming the gospel. Whatever work you are doing is not urgent; what are you going to do with that work? If God does not bless you, even your job becomes nothing. There is nothing more urgent than proclaiming the gospel. If this gospel is not proclaimed, then all of our children will fall. You must have this urgency of the gospel. Who will do that work? Me. That is the one who has the gospel.
(2) Me – Set free (Eph. 2:3)
Paul has this unique gospel, and what was the content of this gospel? The gospel that finished everything on the cross. What exactly was finished on the cross? Did Christ finish your money problems? What did He do? If you look at the Bible like that, you will never find this gospel. You can look at the textbooks at school for that, you can read other materials for that, you can believe in other religions for that. The problems humans can never solve on their own—Satan, sin, and death—cannot be resolved without the Christ. That fundamental problem is finished. From the moment you understand this, you will be filled with life. This gospel means that I died on the cross with Christ, and now, this Christ lives in me. Now, I live, no longer centered on myself, but centered on the life of Christ. This gospel must be our “only.” How can you overcome all of the problems, the stress, the burdens of life? If you believe that Christ is the Lord of your life, you will overcome. Even though you know this, if you lack the faith, you will fall.
(3) Righteous – Live by faith (Rom. 1:17, Gal. 2:20)
You receive faith by hearing the words of God. The one who lives by the life of the Lord. The one who has life will come to life. This is the spiritual life. If humans don’t drink water, they die. That is our physical life. If we cannot drink the spiritual life, then we will spiritually die. The spiritual things are invisible. But there are signs that we are spiritually dead, like mental problems and suffering. Life is so hard, it feels like you’re going to die, just like if you don’t drink water, you will have side effects. If you don’t receive the spiritual life, then you will have these mental reactions. It’s a sign that you are lacking the spiritual life. Quickly change back into the life of Christ. Entrust your whole life to Christ. There is no reason for you to hold onto your own life anymore because you holding onto your life is called, “sin,” then you will spiritually die, you will be seized by Satan, and it doesn’t end with just that. The repetitive problem of your family line will keep on repeating again. You cannot solve that by success. You cannot solve that with a great personality. You cannot solve that with a lot of money. But the one who lives by the light of Christ will come to life no matter where they are. This is the gospel that Paul received.
2) Calling
(1) Purpose of being called (Acts 9:15)
As soon as God gave us the gospel and salvation, He gave us our calling and mission at the same time. When God called us, He had a goal to accomplish through us. When a company hires a new employee, it is because they have a goal or a project to give them. When God called us, He called us for the work of God’s kingdom. That is our mission.
(2) Priest of the gospel (Rom. 15:16)
What is our position? It says in Romans 15:16 that we are called as priests. Depending on your role, your power will change. Donald Trump has a difference in authority, based on whether he is a businessman or the president. We have been called as the priests of the Kingdom of God. You must have pride regarding this duty or position. Even if you have worldly success, you have pride in that, but that’s in the kingdom of the world. With that level, you cannot survive in America. You are a priest of the Kingdom of God. You are the priest who breaks down the wall or barrier between the world and God. You need to have pride in that role. You can test where your spiritual state is by looking at what you are proud of. Are you proud of being a priest of the gospel, or are you proud of your accomplishments in the world? That’s just the kingdom of the world. You will never change the world with that pride. We are priests of the gospel, we are a royal priesthood, we have been called to declare His wonderful praises, and through that spiritual position, we have spiritual power and authority.
(3) Witness to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8)
This is the gospel that will be relayed to the ends of the earth. Do not worry about the future. You will be a witness to the ends of the earth; your future is already guaranteed. This unique gospel that I have will be proclaimed to the ends of the earth. It doesn’t matter whether we are in the Age of AI or other ages in the future, because this gospel will be proclaimed to the ends of the earth, and the people who receive this gospel as unique, absolute, and “only.” If you look at the young adults in America, I’ve never met somebody who has a sense of “absoluteness.” Maybe other people have it, but among the Caucasian young adults I’ve met, no one had “absoluteness.” It’s very fascinating, because I was proclaiming the gospel in many different regions, but I’ve never met anyone like that. What is the gospel that they have? They say, “I have the gospel but I also acknowledge all other religions.” That person will never overcome the devil. They will never block disasters. The gospel is unique, the gospel is absolute. Without this gospel, we cannot break down curses, disasters, darkness, or hell. God will raise the person who holds onto this absolute gospel and unique gospel to the ends of the earth. If the gospel is not unique, then even as people go to church, they will have mental problems.
3) Ends of the earth
(1) Spain (Rom. 15:23)
This gospel is everything, we cannot live without this gospel. People don’t have that anymore. So, people are listening to the gospel, but it is not their “only.” But the devil is broken down when we say “only the Gospel.” The spiritual background of your family is broken down when you have “only the Gospel.” Everyone hears about Jesus Christ when they go to church; even the devil knows Jesus Christ, but how do you know Him? Is Jesus Christ “only,” absolute, and unique? Are you perfectly sufficient and complete with this gospel? That is what will make the devil kneel, that is what breaks down disasters. But without that, if you make your child successful and give them everything in the world, they will still fall because they heard the gospel vaguely, then no matter what they try, it won’t work. Paul knew this and testified the gospel all the way to Spain.
(2) Roman Church – Mission base (Rom. 15:23-24)
And he says, “I will visit the Roman church,” why must he do that? Because if he wants to do missions in Spain, he must set up his base in the church in Rome. Nowadays, we can have wire transfers in the banks and fly with airplanes, but back then, they couldn’t do that. The church of Antioch was in the Middle East, and to go all the way to Spain was impossible. The Roman church was closer, and that is why Paul said, “I will visit the Roman church,” and that’s why he gave this message of the gospel first, because in order to do ministry, you must have the same Word of God. It might seem like it’s all the same, but it’s not; every church has a different Word.
(3) Spiritual communication with the Roman Church (Rom. 15:24)
Yes, the Word of God is the same, and we have different body parts, but we have one body, so the Word of God must be the same, to go in the same stream. Even in the family, you must have the same Word of God to have spiritual connection. Even if everybody believes in Jesus Christ, if they receive a different Word, then they will be spiritually different. This is the reason the Apostle Paul needed to visit Rome.
2. Unify for world evangelization
1) In the service of the Lord’s people
(1) Visit the Jerusalem Church (Acts 11:28-30)
So, Paul is saying, “I want to go to the church of Rome before I go to Spain. However, now, I am on my way to Jerusalem because they are struggling, and we need to give them service.” The church of Jerusalem cannot be active in society because they were called heretics by the Jewish church, so the church of Jerusalem, all of the members sold their land and used that to support one another. Because they could not be active in society, they could not make any money.
(2) Offering from the Church of the Gentiles (Rom. 15:26)
On top of that, there was a famine during that time, so they did not have food, so there were Gentile churches who heard about the struggles of Jerusalem, and they gave their offering for them. So, they gathered their offering together and gave it to Apostle Paul to deliver to the Jerusalem church.
(3) Pleased to give offering – First gave themselves (Rom. 15:27, 2 Cor. 8:5)
We give our offering with joy, and 2 Corinthians 8:5 says that even before you give offering, you give yourself to the Lord first. Then, by the will of God, we also give to other people with joy. So, offering is not just offering. We just think of it as money. You’re giving yourself. You are giving in faith. Then, the result of our faith comes back to us. And without a doubt, in the stream of the gospel, the economy of light follows. If Apostle Paul was doing his ministry all by himself, he would never have to talk to Rome, but without a doubt, he needed the church of Rome’s offering and prayer support. God is unlimited, but to whom will God entrust His unlimited power? God will entrust His unlimited finances to the person and the business that will do the work of world evangelization. Does it feel like a waste to give offering? God cannot entrust His finances to that person. The one who is able to give with joy, that’s the principle of offering. People say, “I give my life to God.” Do not give your life; give your offering because you already know you’re not going to die, so you say you will give your life so easily, but you never want to give your offering. So, give yourself first to the Lord and then give to others.
2) Church of the Gentiles
(1) Owe it to the Jerusalem Church (Rom. 15:27)
(2) Received spiritual blessings (Rom. 15:27)
(3) Owe it to the Jews to share physical blessings (Rom. 15:27)
Why were these Gentile churches giving their offering to the church of Jerusalem? In today’s scripture, Rom. 15:27, it says they had a spiritual debt to the church in Jerusalem, because the gospel spread to the Gentiles through Jerusalem. So, the Gentiles say, “We received the spiritual blessings.” So, whatever we have, which are the material blessings, we will deliver to the church of Jerusalem. This is something that is not in your economics class; this is the economics of God’s Kingdom. What is the economics of God’s Kingdom? If God gives us finances, we must flow it in the direction that does not have finances. If God gave the Jewish people the gospel, then they must continue to flow the gospel to the Gentiles who lack it, but because the Jews did not share the gospel, God struck them with disasters. If you’re holding onto the gospel just by yourself, you are not pleasing God, then nothing will work out for your life, and you will keep getting afflicted with spiritual problems because God gave me the gospel to flow into others through me, so God fills you with abundance in the gospel so you can flow it to others. Even the finances God gives you, He does it so you can flow it to others, but if you’re holding onto it yourself, it will all rot away. You will lose all of your money, this way and that way, why? Because you don’t know the financial flow of God.
There are people in America who have received tremendous financial blessings, and they have all of their different opinions, for example, Rockefeller. He raised up hundreds of churches, and even right now, the reason churches don’t pay taxes is because he paid all the taxes for the churches. He raised up hundreds of colleges, so how could all of that happen through one person? God has that ability, because he knew how to use the finances God gave him. I hope you and I also have that blessing. If you try to save it all for yourself, you are not aligned with God’s Kingdom.
Whatever grace you have received, you must continue to flow it outward. Have you learned a lot? Then you have to use your education to help those who are less learned. Your life is going to crumble because you only try to boast of yourself. Do you have a lot of social experience? Then you must relay that to the next generation. That’s something the Jewish people did well. Everything you have is a footstool. Do you have experience in failure? Then you must show that to the next generation, “if you do this, you will fail like that.” You must flow everything you have outward. There is nothing that is unnecessary. Are you healthy? Don’t brag about it; use your health to help those who are weak. That is God’s principle.
3) God who makes all equal (2 Cor. 8:13-15)
(1) Your plenty will supply what they need
(2) Their plenty will supply what you need
(3) One who gathered much, one who gathered little – Equality
It says in 2 Cor. 8:13-15 that God’s principle is for equality, that, if I have abundance, then I will use my abundance to fill the needs of others. When I am lacking, other people will fill my need with their abundance. So, whether someone has gathered a lot or someone has gathered a little, God will make them equal. Do you flow out a lot? Then, when your children are lacking, God will allow others who have abundance to flow into your child. You must take your finances and your gospel to continue to flow it out into the field, and the reason the Apostle Paul requested the Roman church to do this was actually to bless the Roman church. The Corinth church did not know this. They were very stingy with their offering in the church of Corinth, because even though they were gathering a lot of offering, they were not flowing it outward. However, only one church, the church of Phillipi, used their offering well.
Why did God make America so strong? To flow out the good things, and it’s not only the gospel; it’s also bad things, too. You need to know that. “Oh, America is so great,” why do you think God made America great? To use America’s greatness to help those who are weaker, but why are we falling? America is failing because we are trying to use our greatness to break down weaker countries, that’s the principle of the world, and if your children learn the principles of the world, they will never succeed. Do you have strength? Then help those who are weak. That is a mentality only taught in churches. The world does not teach like this; the world says, “If you have strength, then trample on the weak, and get more power for yourself.” That’s what America is doing now, isn’t it? Yes, it helps a little, but mostly, it’s the former. That’s what the world does, but that’s not the Kingdom of God. Do you have power? Then help those who are powerless. Do you have a lot? Then help those who have a little. Are you healthy? Then help those who are not healthy. That is the way God flows towards equality. So in everything, do not brag about yourself, but instead, brag about Christ. I hope you will brag that the reason God gave me this is to do this work of God. The reason the Jewish people failed is because they were bragging about themselves, “I am the chosen people,” but the reason God gave them blessings was to flow the blessings to the Gentile nations.
3. Prayer
1) Ministry
(1) Saved from the persecution of the Jews (Rom. 8:31)
Then, Paul requested the Roman church to pray for him. Paul asked the Roman church to have intercessory prayer for him because he knew there were people who wanted to kill him in the Jerusalem church.
(2) So the church of Jerusalem can receive offering (Rom. 15:31)
The second prayer topic Paul asks is because there is a 90% chance that the Jewish church in Jerusalem will not accept the offering of Gentiles, because in the Jerusalem church, the courtyard of Gentiles is at the very bottom, and then after the courtyard of Gentiles is the courtyard of women and children, that’s where they put the offering box. If they put the offering box there, it means they can participate in worship, but they did not have an offering location in the Gentile courtyard. This means they are telling the Gentiles not to worship, that is the Jewish mentality, so they have an ideology that is doomed to fail. So, even though the Gentiles received the grace and the gospel for salvation, there is a large chance that the Jerusalem church would not receive their offering.
(3) With the Roman Church – Spiritual unity (Rom. 15:32)
Then, Paul says, “After I go to the Jerusalem Temple for service, then I will go to the Roman church.” After the spiritual connection, after we share the same Word of God, and we have the same goal, this is the direction and the content of missions. If you try to do missions by yourself, that’s not biblical. Apostle Paul could have gone on missions by himself, but you cannot win a war by yourself. We are in a war. This is not just a fight, it’s not even just a battle, this is a war. A “war” means the churches must unite together and fight as one. And if you want to continue this war, then you must have continuous support. If you only try to do this by yourself, then you are limited by your resources. That’s why Paul always worked through the churches. Even your ministry, if you are not flowing the Word through the church, then one day, your ministry will end. This is the spiritual stream. That’s why Apostle Paul wanted to go to the church of Rome to share the Word of God with grace, and to rest and eat together.
2) Flow of the gospel
(1) Filling of the gospel – Overflowing
(2) Flowing of the economy
(3) Filling of the Holy Spirit – To the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8)
If we enjoy this gospel with fullness and abundance, it will keep flowing outward. God gives us abundance. In Psalm 23, David says, “My cup overflows,” so God does not give us so that we are lacking; God gives us so we are abundant. When we give our life to God, God will work in fullness. Why do you not give your life to God? Because you don’t believe him; you only believe in yourself, so you cannot give your life. Then what do you think will be the resulting masterpiece? Your masterpiece will be limited by your IQ, but if you entrust your life to the unlimited God, that is the masterpiece that results. When you give your child to the most renowned teacher, you say, “Teach however you want,” but if the parent controls the teacher, saying, “Only teach them like this, teach them like that,” then they cannot make a masterpiece. You have to entrust your child to the teacher, saying, “Teach them as you see fit,” that is how the skills of the teacher will be given to the student.
Our life must be completely entrusted to Christ. Why are you worried about your future? Why do you keep getting stuck in the scars of your past? It’s only causing you suffering because you refuse to entrust it to God. You’re holding onto yourself, even if you give your weakness to God, then the Lord will work. Don’t say, “This person is being weird to me,” entrust that to God as well, but you fight with that person because you’re holding onto that situation, trying to do it by yourself. “The pastor is saying something weird,” why are you thinking like that? God will be the judge and God will take care of who is right and who is wrong. There is no need for you to fight. God already knows, but you keep on trying to fight because you don’t believe in God. You keep on getting stuck on that person’s words because you don’t believe in God. That is a person who is living on this earth, but if someone lives looking to heaven, they entrust it to God, then God will work by Himself. God will work to the very end through the person who is holding onto the covenant that this gospel will be proclaimed to the ends of the earth.
3) Work, Studies
Your studies and your job are connected to proclaiming the gospel to the ends of the earth. Anything that is not connected will fail in the end; you may be smart and succeed, but one day you will fall because God does not bless you. Your studies and your work must be used in proclaiming the gospel to the ends of the earth. That’s a blessing, that, by God’s grace, and I bless you in the name of Jesus Christ that everybody will receive this blessing without exception.
(1) Work, study while praying
So, the person who worships while they pray can succeed. If someone faces a problem with the strength of prayer, a problem will not be a problem, but a lot of people only pray when they face a problem. But that’s what all religious people do, even Buddhists do that, they pray because they have a problem. But what God gave to us is the one who studies and works and does all things in prayer. What does it mean to pray? It means you entrust it to God, then God will work. God works in your job, your studies. There’s a difference between somebody who works with their mind and somebody who entrusts it to God. The wisdom of heaven upon me. God will guide you and give you a way to escape. If somebody trusts in their own mind, then they fall in the face of crisis. If there’s just one more pandemic, then they will fall. So when you face a crisis like a pandemic, you cannot think your way through that, but the one who prays to God and receives His guidance will see the path that God opens.
(2) Go to the field with strength and the answer
So, what are the studies our children must prepare for the future? Whatever they study in school is just rightful, but do you think that can keep up with AI? AI is much more intelligent, so in the future, that will not work, even if you graduate from a good school. Yes, going to a good school is good, but no matter how much you try, you will be falling behind AI. So, whatever you study is just basic, it’s rightful, but you must do the studies that are absolutely needed by the field. If your studies are not needed by the field, then you will not be used. Let’s say everybody studies nursing, but you have to have the nursing studies that are needed by the field, and you must prepare what the patients will need. Nowadays, you can even put in the scripture, Romans 15, into ChatGPT, and it will give you a very well thought-out sermon because AI will take all of the different materials of the scripture and sermons, and make its own sermon. With that level, do you think your education can compete with AI? AI keeps on studying by itself and developing by itself.
(3) Specialization, field, future – Answer 300%
Who is the one who will have victory in the future? There is one thing AI cannot do, the spiritual things. AI can never imitate that. No matter how intelligent AI becomes, it cannot know or understand the spiritual aspects of man. So, in order for you to be needed at your work, you must prepare the spiritual things for the future, because the future will continue to suffer from spiritual problems. The one who has spiritual strength to save, only they will survive. That is the future lying before our children. So, I’ve told you this in advance, I’ve warned you, so I hope you will listen and receive grace and guidance.
Conclusion
1. Person without reason, excuse, calculation, motivation
In conclusion, if you want to proclaim the gospel to the ends of the world, you cannot have your own reasons. For people who keep looking for reasons, they cannot continue anything. For example, students who are bad at studying keep looking for a reason why they cannot study. Same thing in the church, people look for reasons. “Oh, it’s because of this, it’s because of that,” they cannot continue then. You should have your own reason, but nothing should be a reason.
2. Everything is a blessing – Wandering, conflict
You must have no excuses. There are two people in my family who were sick, but I was the only one who was not sick. One person got mad at the other person, “You got me sick,” but for me, I just didn’t get sick so the sickness had nothing to do with me, so it was a life without excuses. If someone gets sick, they blame it on someone else, “I got sick because of you,” but do you know how to not have an excuse? If you have strength, you don’t need an excuse. For a person who has strength, they have no reasons. “Oh, it’s because of them, it’s because of me,” that’s already a sign of weakness. A lion does not need any reason, because they are powerful, but a weak animal like a bunny, they will have a lot of reason. “Life is so hard to live,” it’s because the bunny lacks power, but if somebody has power, then they don’t need a reason. Everybody is making excuses and reasons, but you shouldn’t need that.
3. Person with spiritual strength
The one who has strength does not calculate; the one who doesn’t have money will calculate, but people who have faith and spiritual strength will not calculate. “If I go to this church, what will happen to my business? If I go to that church, it will help my business more,” they do not calculate like that. People who calculate have such a small vessel; they can never succeed. You must have no ulterior motives; you must have no motive other than the gospel. Those are the people who will be used to proclaim the gospel until the end. I bless you in the name of Jesus Christ that you are the ones who will enjoy, have, and share this blessing to others.
Message Prayer
Let us pray holding onto the Word we’ve received today as our covenant.
Offering Prayer and Newcomer Blessing
God, we thank You. We believe the gospel You have given to us is absolute and unique. Allow us to stake our lives upon this gospel, and allow us to be used by God to proclaim the gospel to the ends of the earth. We desire to spend everything we have: our health, our finances, our time, and our knowledge for this gospel. We pray You will bless our lives so we may be used for the gospel.
We have returned Your materials as offering. We pray that You will bless the hands that have given this offering with the blessing of the economy of light for world evangelization. In Jesus Christ’s name we pray, amen.
Benediction
Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the unending love of God, and the indwelling, working, guidance, and fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be upon the heads of all the people of God, the people of all nations, and the future generations who desire to proclaim this gospel until the ends of the earth, be upon their studies and businesses, be with them now until forevermore and always, amen.
Let us spread the gospel to the ends of the earth!