Quotation: Deuteronomy, 30:19
The scriptures tell that the Lord sets two ways before us. It is a quite frightening story that two ways are set before us whether we believe in Jesus or not. For example, though we think we are given a grace to believe in Him, if an incident happens, and a way we choose isn't His way, we will start walking on a path a step beside His way. If we choose a wrong way again, we will be further apart from His way. If we repeat this at most ten times, we won't be able to remember where we have taken the wrong way. A book tells how a faith in which believers simply believe only the Holy Bible has been inherited until modern times. I found a gospel we heard is a very rare. This was inherited to us by struggles of many brothers and sisters for their lives. It is very astonishing truth that a mentally ill man, a personality disordered man such as I, of all things, inherited it. However, even in a life with a faith, we sometimes choose a wrong way. In any cases it happens. For example, a murder was caused because how to break bread was different, some were killed because they worshiped in a different manner. Reading what happened in the past, I found a gospel and a faith we were granted unsurprisingly were very rare. In this way, we are always being asked which way to choose. 1 Corinthians, 15:43-44
Which shall we choose, things in dishonor or in glory, a natural body or a spiritual body? Actually, we were born and raised as selfish and egoistic beings. But we are given promises those we will be raised in glory not by our own power, but by the work of the Cross, when we heard His gospel and recognized Jesus as our Lord. As a matter of fact, all of us know we are weak at the back of our mind. A man, who was full of pride to be in a highly ranked position in this world, once told me he is afraid to get up in the morning. I think he could recognize his weakness. And, if he accepts the Lord and pray for Him, "I'm sorry I was so selfish.", He will make him strong by His mighty power. We can't be a strong man by our own power. We are weak, but we will be strong by an experience that the power of resurrection of the Lord Jesus works through us. Even though we can't grasp it completely, we will know it when we go back to the Heaven leaving this natural body, that we can enter the Heaven not by our own power, but by His grace, changing us into strong man. As written on the Verse 44, we were sown in natural bodies. Actually, we spent ten months in mother's womb, came out of it, and made of blood and flesh. But, through His work of death and resurrection on the Cross, we will be changed into spiritual bodies. Talking about a spiritual area and natural area, we live in a natural area. But the scriptures tell we will be changed into spiritual bodies. On the Verse 1 of Chapter 1 in Genesis, it is written, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." The Heaven is invisible, this world is visible. In other words, the Heaven is a spiritual area, this world is a natural area. It is said the Lord God is the Spirit, also, the Heaven belongs to a spiritual area, the Angels are spiritual existence. On the other hand, the earth is in a natural world. We belong to it. It is a principle in the Holy Bible that one who belongs to the earth can't be change into spiritual existence, even how hard he tries. If a natural body and a spiritual body can be transformed each other easily, we will be able to be the God easily. But if we recognize how miserable we are, we will obediently nod in agreement that we won't be able to be like the God. But it is mysterious that the Scriptures tell one who believes in Jesus will leave his natural body and be raised in a spiritual body. Our bodies get corrupted gradually in ten, twenty, forty, eighty years. And when a weary body loses its life, our spirit and soul will go back to Jesus and given a spiritual body. It is an utterly unbelievable promise. But the Lord told us His truth, whether we believe it or not, whether we understand it or not, which way to choose. If we don't choose it because we can't believe it, because we can't understand it, we will be lead to the eternal death. But the Scriptures tell the eternal life given by the Lord exists even though we can't understand it. He promised tha we will be lead into the eternal Heaven, no matter how worthless we are, if we accept it like infants. All of us wants to have an eternal life, but we don't know how to get it. Neither do I. Before I met Jesus, I have been believing I'm a Buddhist. But, while I was in trouble with alcohol dependence syndrome, I wasn't relieved by visiting temples. Once I pursued an artistic career, but it had no use to cure the disease. I was dismayed. Any religions don't work, neither cultures, then what shall I trust on? My own efforts? A dependence syndrome rejects any efforts. I was in no way out situation. Then I met the Holy Bible, brothers and sisters and Jesus. When I met Him, I felt it's rather different from any religion. I've been thinking how's the difference. After a while, I thought, they are also religious people. I think I was at a branch of two separate ways. Then my wife was invited to Sunday worship and attended it regularly. I was surprised looking at her shining face after the worship. Also, I found there was no light within me. It repeated again and again. Then I thought this is genuine, and started to gather the fellowship again. I attended a funeral held in the fellowship, I was totally overwhelmed with wonderfulness of the ceremony, I believed firmly this is it. Since then, I could see a way of life and have an experience filled with fellowship in the Lord and REJOICE. For a while, the gospel was spread among my friends. Here's one of them, well know parable in the Chapter 10 of Luke. This story clearly tells the difference between a religion and a faith. Luke, 10:25-37
This is a famous parable, called "the Good Samaritan", telling how to acquire the eternal life. If we read this superficially, we think we have to be like the Good Samaritan to be loved by the Lord and acquire the eternal life. But, this isn't an attitude Jesus requires to us. If we stand on a different viewpoint, this story tells totally different things to you. Who can enter the Heaven, who can choose a way of life? It is he who finds himself to be a traveler who met robbers, was stripped, beat, and fell on the road half dead. Such man will easily find that a Samaritan they flouted was Jesus. This story is totally different if you think you are a Good Samaritan, or a traveler fell on the road. If this story is told in public, most of people will think, "I will be like the Good Samaritan.", or some may boast, "I've been already one tenth of the Good Samaritan." Those who say, "I'm like a traveler fell on the road" will be rare. So, there are two ways, which look the same but which are totally different. Our work will be nothing, no matter how earnestly we worship the Lord, do good things, if it is from our arrogance. Only when we recognize we are worthless and can do nothing, we will find how much the Lord loves us, and does good things for us. I think it is the most arrogant that we try to be like the Good Samaritan, it is His deeds, not ours. A brother who taught me this first also told me that this is the very attitude of religious people. They think they can do anything by themselves. But believers know they can do nothing by themselves. This is the difference. In this world, there are a lot of people who believe the Holy Bible, and the Lord Jesus. As a matter of fact, most of believers are going to be the Good Samaritan. But, the reason we insist the faith is different from the Christian religion is that we want to be believers, that is, we want to be men who can say we are travelers fell on the road half dead. If we can say so, we will be those who seek for the power of Jesus, those who love Him, those who pray to Jesus, those who trust on His words in the Scriptures, not on their own ideas. As a result, we will understand which way to choose, a way of death or a way of life, a way of curses or a way of blessings. Ezekiel, 16:6
The Lord calls to us in this way. He tells we were kicking about in our blood when He passed by. He told us "Live!", again and again. I think the Scriptures tell we are such like this, as described in the parable of the Good Samaritan. But it is mysterious that when we say we are really weak and worthless, we won't be so anymore. We experience that when we calm down before the Lord, we will be lead by His true power of resurrection. John, 19:15-30
We are always under pressure to choose a way at a branch, a way of REJOICE or a way of shame, a way in an anxiety to get up in fear or a way in a relief from any troubles. There are words, "there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." The true meaning of His Cross is too profound for us to understand completely. But I think those who have entered the Heaven have been confirming it through experience that His REJOICE and His holiness and the eternal Heaven are assured by believing the Cross and by repenting and accepting it with true testimony of many brothers and sisters. I think it is a true grace that after we accepted Him even though we couldn't understand it, we can live in troubles in Jesus, with relieves, with His mighty sanctifying power, with confessing our weakness. |