The Man Christ Jesus

Seeing how the situations were in the Early Church, let's consider why the apostles said the following words:

Jn 1:1-14 『In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.』

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word [God] came into this earth in the flesh and used the name Jesus; He preached the things of heaven to all men and testified to the truth by which they could be forgiven and saved, so that people with a sincere faith believed that Jesus was the very God and followed Him.

Php 2:5-6 『Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, …』

Paul, who is acknowledged as the apostle of apostles, believed firmly that Jesus is God. Likewise, the Apostle John testified that Jesus is God the Word of the beginning. Paul and John the Apostles viewed Jesus in a spiritual eye, and they realized and believed that Jesus was in the very nature of God. They are representatives of the Early Church as examples of faith for us; they are now respected by all Christians. How were they in their times? They followed Jesus who was not esteemed at all in those days. Now almost all the people consider Jesus as God; but at that time, people regarded Him merely as a carpenter's son. However, those two apostles were different from the people in their faith.The Apostle Paul testified that Jesus is God who created all things, in his letters to the saints at Colosse.

Col 1:15-16 『He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.』

While people were mocking and saying, "How could God come as a man?" the Apostle Paul believed Jesus to be God the Creator and followed Him. Through all ages, there are always followers of the truth and its opposers as well. When people blasphemed Jesus Christ and the truth, afflicting and persecuting its followers, the apostles like Paul and John constantly testified that He is the very God.

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The Man Christ Jesus

In preaching Christ, we often experience the same things as the Early Church did. Let's find out how the apostles of the Early Church preached Christ who came in the flesh and how the religious leaders in those days opposed them. Also, let's see who can enter the kingdom of heaven and who are to go down into hell.

The man Christ Jesus

1 Ti 2:4-5 『who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,』

Paul emphasized that Jesus was the man in his letters to Timothy; he used the word "man" before Christ, saying, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." In those days, almost all the religious leaders expected God to work in the spirit, not in the flesh, when He did His ministry as the Son in this earth. By having such a wrong expectation, they fell into the error of regarding Almighty God as the one incapable of having flesh and blood like men; and as the result of their thought, they rejected and persecuted Jesus and they also persecuted many Christians who believed Him in the Early Church.However, the apostles who were sincere in their faith confidently testified that every spirit denying that Christ came as a human being is the spirit of the antichrist from the devil.

1 Jn 4:2-3 『This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, …』

The saints and apostles in the Early Church believed that it was natural for Christ to appear as a human being when He came into this earth. On the contrary, the religious leaders reproached and opposed them, saying it was impossible for Him to come in the flesh.

(continuation)

Rebirth(3)

Apostle Paul was born again by receiving Christ as his master.
Gal 2:20 『I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.』
Apostle Paul lived a new life after receiving Jesus Christ. He wrote to the saints of the Early Church: ‘If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation' (2 Co 5:17), ‘Put off your old self and put on the new self in Christ' (Eph 4:22-24). Paul crucified his old self and put on the new self. He said that Christ lived in him; what pleased Christ was his pleasure, and what He wished was his wish. Jesus came into this earth to save sinners, and He was pleased when they repented. So was Paul who received Christ as his master; to him, all men were the objects to be saved. So he began to preach.

God gives much fruit to the reborn

Like Paul, we, too, should crucify our old self that does not please God. When only Christ lives in us, we will be pleased with what He wants. Sometimes we try to bear fruit without being broken. However, this is not God's will. Only through the pain of breaking our sinful nature, we can put on the new self; when we become new by receiving God as our master, what pleases God will be our pleasure and His glory our glory. Then God will let us bear much fruit. In the parable of the talents, Jesus rebuked the man who had received one talent and didn't allow him to enter the kingdom of heaven. It was because he just kept the talent, without breaking his own self. How about those who had received two or five talents? They broke themselves to be born again, so that they could bear much fruit. The man who had received the one talent, however, kept it to himself for fear of the pain of sprouting. That was why Jesus rejected him.
We are now endeavoring to bear the fruit of life, going through difficulties and adversities. The pain itself is not our ultimate purpose but only a process for bearing fruit. It is God's providence to make us suffer, so that we may be born again and bear fruit. If we understand this, we can accept any hardship as God's great gift for us and give thanks to God.

Though there are hardships in the process of our being born again, we shall endure, keeping in mind that everything in our life goes according to God's plans. Dear brothers and sisters! I hope you will be born again and have hope for heaven, so that you can give more glory to God.

God bless you! :)

Rebirth(2)

How could he start again? A common thing served as a motive. When the building was completely destroyed by fire and all his efforts came to nothing overnight, he was terribly distressed. Then he drove about the town and happened to see a mason laying bricks. Beginning with the first brick, the mason laid red bricks one upon another; after several hours of the day, there rose a high brick wall. Watching this, he realized: ‘I had nothing in the beginning. However, I could set up a big store, because I wholeheartedly laid bricks one after another like the mason. Now, I'll try a new start, with the mind of the bricklayer.' This indomitable spirit enabled him to rise again and succeed in his business.
The building, which had been burnt down, was restored by its owner's fortitude. In our life of faith, whether we can get over difficulties or not depends on who masters our spirits. If we are not ruled by God but by any other spirits, we will be thrown into despair whenever we face difficulties. If arrogance has dominion over our spirits, we should crucify it. If our spirits are mastered by desperation, we should also drive it out from our hearts. There are many trials and pains in the process of our rebirth in God. Since we have hope, no adversity can deter us. On the contrary, those who get easily frustrated, even though they've gained success, are thrown into despair when a misfortune befalls them. We endure any adversities and hardships, believing that there are God's certain plans for our lives.

Christ died as a kernel of wheat
Jesus Himself showed an example of being born again as a grain of wheat.
Isa 53:3-10 『… Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. … Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.』
Christ was oppressed, wounded, pierced, despised, mocked, …. "He will see his offspring": Until this word was fulfilled, Christ had been totally crushed in distress. However, Jesus endured all the pain, knowing that unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it cannot bear much fruit. By the perseverance of Christ Himself, we have been able to seek salvation and have the hope of eternal life.The Bible says that it was God's will to crush Christ. Then, it is also God's will that we should suffer. If we endure and are born again, we can bear much fruit.
Stephen prayed for those stoning him, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them" (Ac 7:59-60). If he had the mind of a sinful man, he would have hated them. However, he received Christ as his master, so that he could be born again and love even his enemies with the heart of Christ.(continuation)

Rebirth(1)

Rebirth...

People experience many hardships and trials in their lives. Taking their cross, they walk the path of suffering. This is the life of pilgrims. How about us who have received God? God has a plan for our life. If we realize this fact, we will understand that our present suffering is a part of God's great plan for our salvation and the process of our rebirth.

Suffering in God's plan
This is what happened in America. There was a fire at a store in Chicago, and the store was completely destroyed by fire. Its owner was a self-made man who had undergone difficulties. So his neighbors and customers commiserated him on his misfortune. One day, in the ashes stood a small notice board saying, "I will begin again tomorrow. There is no reason I give way to despair." The owner of the destroyed store opened a street stall beside the board and placed some of his articles on sale. All his business went up in smoke overnight, but he didn't get frustrated. People were moved by his unyielding spirit. As soon as he displayed articles on the stall, they were sold out. Before long, he made enough money to build a new building.

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Do you know?

Would You Believe in the Existence of God the Mother?

Everyone, whether he is a Christian or a non-Christian, agrees that the Bible is the standard of God's teachings. Apart from the approval of society, the Bible itself strongly denotes that every record in the Bible is the powerful "will of God."

When people who believe in God do not follow the words written in the Bible, people usually say, "'How can we admit such people believe in God?" "Don't tell anybody that you believe in God." Why do they say so? The answer is simple. It's because people already know and agree that people who believe in God must believe and follow the words of the Bible. The Bible has been a barometer which judges the thoughts and behaviors of people who believe in God.
Now, this writer wants to tell you briefly about the heavenly Mother among many teachings of the Bible. In the Bible, God the Mother as well as God the Father is recorded as God, who will save mankind. Isn't this shocking?

I'm not writing this to make an issue and to show the difference between the Church of God and other churches by asking the readers why we should only call God "Father" and why we can't call God "Mother" too, to satisfy people of this age who ask for the gender equality.
People think that God the Father created the heavens and the earth alone. However, the Bible testifies that the heavens and the earth were created by God of the male image (Father), whom we can know through Adam, the created man, and God of the female image (Mother) whom we can know through Eve (Genesis 1:26). And Jesus' disciples testified that Abraham and Sarah in the Old Testament represented God the Father and God the Mother (Luke 16:19, Galatians 4:26).

Have you received salvation?

When Christians are asked, "Have you received salvation?" they reply, "Yes," but if they are asked, "Do you celebrate the Passover?" most of them will hesitate in answering. Actually, no one can be said to be "saved" without knowing about the Passover.

The Church of God is the only church in the world that celebrates the Passover of the new covenant on the fourteenth day of the first month by sacred year as was written in the Bible (Lev. 23:4). The Church of God can celebrate the Passover because the Second Coming Christ, Ahnsahnghong, has restored the Passover that Jesus established two thousand years ago.
The Passover is one of the most important feasts that God has granted because God promised to give us the forgiveness of our sins and eternal life through the Passover.
Also, by celebrating the Passover, we can escape from all disasters. Even in the Old Testament times, there was a marked difference between the people who celebrated the Passover and the people who did not. Those who did not celebrate the Passover were always destroyed.
In other words, if we do not celebrate the Passover, we cannot have the forgiveness of our sins or eternal life, nor can we be saved from the last disasters.

The Church of God, that believes in the prophecies of the Bible, celebrates the Passover, the truth of the Early Church, following the teachings of Christ Ahnsahnghong.