[God Is Love] By Visible Signs
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May 25, 2014 |
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Senior Pastor of Manmin Central Church Dr. Jaerock Lee
He is God's servant of love and power who has awakened people of all nations by spreading the core of the gospel following the example set by the Lord in manifesting the fiery works of the Holy Spirit.
Manmin Central Church opened with only 9 adults and 4 children in 1982. Through the works of the Holy Spirit the church has grown to become a mega-sized church with approximately 10,000 branch and associative churches world-wide. Just as Jesus preached and confirmed the word by the signs that followed His teaching, Dr. Jaerock Lee confirms that the Bible is the truth by showing the power of God.
He has conducted many overseas crusades such as in Uganda, Japan, Pakistan, Kenya, the Philippines, Honduras, India, Russia, Germany, Peru, DR Congo, the U.S., and Estonia since 2000 and showed explosive powerful works. Among them, Uganda Crusade was reported by CNN.
He also preached in Jerusalem at the Israel United Crusade 2009. He proclaimed Jesus is the Messiah and it was broadcast live to approximately 220 countries. He is dedicated to the Word and prayer to accomplish the providence of God who desires all people of all nations to be saved at the end time by proclaiming the gospel to the end of the earth and achieving the mission of the ministry to North Korea. www.drlee.or.kr
"Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know" (Acts 2:22).
Since God is love, He desires all men to accept Jesus Christ, be forgiven of sins, and reach eternal life (1 Timothy 2:4). So He let churches be established and His Words be preached. He also showed amazing signs, wonders, and powerful works. Moreover, in each period He established His people so that His invisible love might be made visible and tangible through them.
Then, what kind of ministry has God entrusted to a person attested by God as the proof of His love? And what kind of blessings will come upon us when we trust and love him?
1. In each era God's people have been attested to by Him
Acts 3:22 reads, "Moses said, 'The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren; to Him you shall give heed to everything He says to you.'" It is the prophecy concerning Jesus, who is God's only begotten Son who came to the earth in flesh. At the same time, it is about prophets whom God has sent for His people.
Adam, the first man, received the authority to rule over all things and subdue them from God and he lived as the lord of all things. But, by the temptation of the serpent, Adam committed the sin of eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that God had forbidden him to eat. After that the entire situation was turned upside down. His communication with God was severed and he lost all the authority and the blessings given by God. He was cast out from the Garden of Eden. On earth, ruled over by Satan, Adam was left on his own like an orphan and he couldn't find the way out of the diseases, sorrow, and pain he had brought upon himself.
However, the God of love chose such people as could deliver the will of God throughout the ages and presented the way to share love with God again. In particular, He taught the Law to Moses, the leader of Exodus. This Law is the basis for living our believing lives. Additionally, He appointed many prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, and Malachi and allowed for them to deliver the love of God.
Even after Jesus fulfilled the providence of salvation, resurrected, and ascended into heaven, God has still been appointing His people and accomplishing His will at opportune times. By choosing appropriate men for the time of the Holy Spirit such as Apostles Peter, John, and Paul in the Early Church, God let them show the proof of His love by delivering His love.
2. The duties of men set by God as the witnesses of God's love
Let's delve into the God-given duties of men who are established by God as the witnesses of His love. In other words, let's look into what kind of love God demonstrated to the people through these people.
Firstly, they healed people of diseases and infirmities and set them free from all bonds that ensnared them
By His crucifixion on the wooden cross, Jesus set us free from the chains of sin and evil. But the work of God setting us free isn't restricted to saving souls and leading them to Heaven. It also means even while we live on the earth He cures all diseases and infirmities and loosens our bonds of wickedness. Likewise, God's people let people bound to diseases and infirmities go free.
The love of God towards us is not vague or abstract but specific and direct. If the proof of His love for people were just to save them after death, it would be hard for them to feel the greatness of His love while they live on the earth. God wants His beloved children to receive blessing and feel happy during their earthly lives as well.
That is why God allows people to have faith and experience His love by liberating them from diseases, infirmities, and all kinds of suffering through those He has established and attests. Though people say they have faith, it is not easy for them to meet God and for them to be made perfect in their works.
Thus, throughout the ages God has sent men who could show God's works with great faith and love. Through those witnesses of His love, God healed people's diseases and infirmities and set them free from all bonds that entangled them. It causes His children to experience the love of God.
Secondly, they deliver the love of God
In order to be able to deliver the love of the Lord, one must also have love in his heart. Since Jesus had the love of God the Father, He could give His own life for us. Through Him we can feel the depth of God's love. Since Jesus put on a human form on the earth, He knew well about men's sufferings.
Apostle Paul also expressed his earnest love for souls by saying in Romans 9:3, "For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh." He felt very thankful for the grace of the Lord who saved him, the worst of sinners. So, though his life was frequently at risk and he suffered from severe persecutions because of it, he preached the gospel until his last moments.
Through Apostle Paul, many believers in the Early Church experienced the love of God and they exceedingly loved, served, and followed him as they would do the Lord. They wholeheartedly served him such that he said in Galatians 4:15, "Where then is that sense of blessing you had? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me."
Thirdly, they teach the will of God correctly
Although a child realized his father's love and wants to return to father's bosom, if he doesn't know how, he can't come to father. The persons attested by God communicate with God deeply and can teach us exactly what we must do to return to God. The direction leading to God is presented in the Bible, but its difficult passages written by the Spirit's inspiration can't be understood and explained by men.
It is because the Bible can be understood only by one who has cast away sins through countless times of prayer and fasting; who lives by the Word of God; and, who is able to communicate with God in a deep level.
Apostle Paul said in Galatians 1:11-12, "For I would have you know, brethren that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ." And Ephesians 1:17 also says, "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him."
It is in this way that Apostle Paul was able to communicate with God so closely, lead believers to the truth, and accomplish the providence of God.
Fourthly, they testify to the living God by manifesting signs, wonders, and powerful works
God is almighty and He is the Creator and the Master of the heavens, the earth, and all things. By showing things that people can't do as proofs, He helped people believe that God is alive and all His words are truths.
Also He chooses people who are proper before Him so that through such people, others may know that God is alive and almighty and that He controls and leads human history and men's life, death, fortune, and misfortune.
Jesus showed God is alive by performing countless signs, wonders, and powerful works. Through them, He testified that He had come from God. He opened the eyes of the blind and the mouths of the mute and healed all kinds of diseases and infirmities. By showing such great power, signs, and wonders, people could believe Jesus and return to God (Acts 2:22).
Other biblical figures also confirmed that they were men of God and that God the Almighty is alive by showing signs that confirmed their words (Mark 16:20).
Apostle Peter's power was also such great that people even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any one of them (Acts 5:15). Also handkerchiefs or aprons were carried from Paul's body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out (Acts 19:12). Even today God works in the same way as He did around 2,000 years ago through appropriate people (Hebrews 13:8).
3. Blessings given when trusting in the people established by God
Those with good hearts and love for God serve men attested by God as witnesses just as they serve God and the Lord. Jesus said in John 13:20, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me."
Thus, when we serve these people of God and love them, God accepts the service and love and blesses us.
In 2 Kings Chapter 4, a woman in Shunem, who was not able to conceive a baby, served Elisha with her heart. It led to the blessing of conception of a son. Also, when her son suddenly died, Elisha prayed to God and revived him. The woman in Shunem received the great grace of God by serving His man attested by Him.
Of course, the origin of all grace is from God's love but she could experience the love as something tangible because Elisha was there. Therefore, God sending Elisha as the proof of love is a great blessing to the woman and it was also God's expression of love for her.
Furthermore, Joshua received the power to stop the sun and the moon because he was with Moses and trusted him to be a man of God so deeply. By following Elijah his teacher until the end, Elisha received the double portion of Elijah's inspiration so he performed the amazing power even to revive the dead.
That is not all. The Bible tells us many incidents where people received blessings by trusting, loving, and being with men attested and sent by God such as achieving a victory in wars and being provided with food when there was no food.
Today such works are still happening. Countless members of Manmin Central Church have been healed of incurable and terminal diseases and many have received the solutions to their problems in their families and their businesses, for which they glorified God.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I pray in the name of the Lord that by trusting and loving people whom God set as His witnesses to preach about God the Creator and our Lord Jesus Christ you will fulfill all your heart's desires.
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