Quotation: 2 Corinthians, 4:6-7
A brother, I trust from the bottom of my heart, often says these words, you will easily imagine, "I believe it not because it strikes a chord with me, but because it is written in the Holy Bible". When I started gathering this fellowship, I couldn't understand what these words mean. I wondered why he says such a jargon, and why he can be so daring. Also, I wondered how I can believe I can't understand. On the other hand, I thought that I can believe it because it strikes a chord with me. I worried that if I believe it without understanding it, it is like "Anything viewed through the eyes of faith seems perfect." To be honest, I couldn't find any difference from believing a cult religion. 18 years have past since I started walking with Jesus, now I can say, "I believe it not because it strikes a chord with me." It means that only His word is a lamp, only His word is a light, and a safety belt. Recently, I think His word is a safety belt, very often. Also, it means that if I am apart from His word, I fell head over heals. And I was never betrayed by His word during 18 years. I have to say that I believe it just because His word tells. I think a word he has been saying, though it is not quoted from the Holy Bible, is true. I can't add any other words to it. I think believing, or trusting can be expressed only in this way. Just like a hymn we sang, it doesn't depend on whether we can believe it or not, whether we can understand it or not. Jesus never betrays, nor disappoints us. Believing Jesus is not vague deed. It is believing words in the Holy Bible, His words. We can't fudge, nor adulteration it. If you hear, "I believe it because His words tell so.", you may say, "What are you talking about?", just as I was 18 years ago. But it is true. Some of you might have experienced, when you first heard the Holy Bible calling, it struck a chord with you. But it is quit difficult to keep up believing Jesus by only that experience. Some of you might have thought, He is the God I have been searching for. But it is really difficult to carry on walking with Jesus for years, tens of years by only that experience. What a large number of people, once met Jesus, left away from Him. Many, many people met brothers and sisters, and moved away from them. I think what we need is "everlasting REJOICE". It is necessary for us that a REJOICE we never heard, nor saw before we met Jesus is provided constantly, again and again. Trusting is obeying Jesus' words. If we obey His words, we will know where the result is derived from. On the other hand, if we don't obey His words, we will not be able to know whether the result is derived from, nor how it is. We hear many times that the behavior, "I know He says these, but as for this, I can by no means accept it.", is a cause of losing blessing. I can definitely say, if we are not blessed, it is because we didn't obey His words. Looking at the Holy Bible closely, we find it says, "On that day when you wanted to obey cordially the words in the Holy Bible, or His words, you will be changed". Any time I read the Holy Bible, it reminds me that for years I couldn't believe it. But I think that I had a hope to believe it if there is a way to do it, and it was credited to me as righteousness. I think the most important thing the Holy Bible tells us is "On that day when you wanted to obey cordially the words in the Holy Bible, or His words, you will be changed". The Holy Bible tells, Malachi, 3:10
You can find these words of recommendation at the end of the Old Testament, on Malachi3:10. After this call, Jesus came, and the new covenant, the era of New Testament started. We will be blessed, if we know a fact that the new covenant is provided. As we today had a bread and wine, they symbolize it. The Holy Bible distinctly tells that His blood is a new covenant. It also tells us that we are provided a new covenant, and not like how we were. The New Testament begins with these words, Matthew, 4:15-17
If you read the New Testament, you will find that those who obeyed Jesus' words became to be blessed. Peter couldn't understand what Jesus said, nor John. As a matter of fact, they didn't understand His words, until Jesus was crucified. The Holy Bible tells they couldn't understand what Jesus wanted to tell, even though they spent three and half years with Him. But they followed Him. There's no reason clearly written in the Holy Bible. But I am sure that they, Peter, John, and lately Paul, met Jesus everyday, had a close fellowship, and trusted His personality. However, the Holy Bible tells all of them went away from Jesus, when He was arrested. They were despised when Jesus vanished from their view. Their confidence is collapsed. They didn't know to believe the LORD, to trust to Him. They were changed all at once, after Jesus died on the cross. As promised, the holy spirit was provided to them, and He guided them to remember what Jesus said, word by wordĄŁ Since then, they could obey His words in earnest, or rather I should say they wanted to obey Him from the bottom of their heart. I am sure that for them every word Jesus said, from the very first words, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.", sounded different. His words became a lamp to their feet and a light for their path. We knew it through the Gospels in the New Testament, and Acts. They testified, through His words, Laws written in the Old Testament were turned into a new Laws of freedom. They said, through His words, a new fellowship with the personality of the God, Jesus, was provided. All these were accomplished "through His words". When Jesus died, and vanished away from the ground, and everything in front of them were shut off, they could have a new fellowship with Jesus, through His words. What was incomprehensible while they walked with Jesus became a truth for them. It begins for you, too, when you first pray for obeying His words. Daniel, 10:12
As written above, His words promise it. It's not written "Because we were humble". "When we set our mind to humble ourselves before our God", the LORD recognizes it as righteous, and leads us to the point. We find the result afterward. Anytime I read the Holy Bible, I think "All is finished at the very beginning." An old legend in a local area so far away says, "Those who think themselves to be really weak, and unable to do it can do nothing, and nothing is derived from him." But I think we rely on Him because we are weak. We need Him because we are dirty, fragile, and valueless "jars of clay". His words inform us that Jesus selected our jars of clay and lives within them. The question the Holy Bible asks every one of us is if we cordially believe the truth which the Holy Bibles tells. I think it depends on the answer to this question whether we can be blessed or not. Let me read 2 Corinthians, 4:6-7 again. 2 Corinthians, 4:6-7
This is totally different from what we think. Treasure is in a dirty, fragile jar of clay. Our grace is sufficient for us within weakness. We are strong because we are weak. Paul lived all the time within this grace. A week ago, I attended a Gathering with REJOICE in a local area of Japan. Soon after I arrived at the event site, a sister who lives there talked to me. I remembered her, because she hesitantly called me three weeks before the event. She told a husband of a sister who is very close to her hospitalized with an end-stage cancer, and he rejects to meet anyone. In spite of an intensive prayer by sisters, they couldn't even notify him about his disease. She wondered if she should visit him at a hospital. On the phone, she said, "I think committing my way to the LORD and waiting for His answer without any action is different. I am unable to get anything going. What shall I do?" Instead of answering her question, I testified my experience, which I may have testified here several years ago, a testimony about "Treasures" which was derived out of my "jar of clay". For tens of years, I remembered it again and again, and I may have told her before. But I couldn't stop telling it again, though it was a very long story. A long time ago, a brother who lived so far away called me. He asked me to visit his father, who was hospitalized in Tokyo. But there was a serious problem. His mother was staying with him, and she really hated the Fellowship. In her presence, we couldn't even say "Fellow...". He earnestly asked me to go to meet his father, because his life was not so long. As a result, I visited him. It took 10 minutes by walk to the hospital from the near by station. As I walked, I got down, and I felt like going back. On the way to the hospital, I was asked in mind, "What is the purpose of this visit? Why do I feel so depressed?" My mind was searched. It was revealed little by little how I am. "The reason why I'm so depressed is that I'm afraid of being turned away at the door, being embarrassed, or being humiliated. I may be satisfied if I can tell him about Jesus, have a superficially pleasant fellowship, have a chance to pray with, and comfortably go home. As a whole, I was just self-obsessed." Gradually, an order was put to the chaos in my mind. Questions came across, "What does Jesus want me to do? Does Jesus really want a pleasant fellowship, a prayer with him?" Then, suddenly His words occupied me, short phrase, "For I was sick and you looked after me." After that, these words come to my mind again and again. You can find them in Matthew, chapter 25. Matthew, 25:34-36, 39-40
I felt a thought rushed up that the LORD will please my behavior, itself, that I visit parents of a brother we love, whom he has been praying. This must be His will. I was filled with a thought there's no problem even I get humiliated. No matter how the result of my visit is, it is not a problem. It's enough to do what is assigned to me. Jesus is already pleased. I felt my mind is organized adequately, step by step. And, when my mind is guided and settled to the position, abruptly, enormous, surely enormous REJOICE came into me. I was so much and much delighted, and couldn't stop from weeping. I can't forget every moment of that experience. As I arrived at the entrance of the hospital, anything has already been done. I was filled with a peace. I could enter his room supported by His words. I was put out of his room, as if I was turned away. But a fire lit within my mind kept burning during the visit, without vanishing away. I can precisely remember a passion I felt then. From that time, I feel like I understand the REJOICE Jesus' disciples shared when they met Him on their way to Emmaus. Let me read Luke, Chapter 24. It describes how disciples get despised after His crucifixion. Luke, 24:30-32
It doesn't mean "Understanding the Holy Bible." Just being with them enables us to meet the LORD. His words, themselves have a power. When we are apart from our own will, and walk under a guidance of His words, we will never get disappointed, as written in the Holy Bible. After this visit, at any of my visit to a patient in a hospital, a grace which reminds me of the procedure how I was granted the REJOICE was given to me. I testified this on the phone. I felt a sister at the other end of the line was encouraged. At the end of a call, she said "I will pray again", and hanged up. It was a month ago. And, I met her again last week. She told me, "I could experience the same REJOICE brother said. I know how it was." She looked actually happy. The sister once could not mark a first step forward, by thinking on this, that, and the other, visited a sister's husband who is not told he suffers an end-stage cancer, relying on His words. In a sense, she may be said meddlesome, or overdone. I am sure that a lot of struggles were within her. She told me in a happy vein, "Being apart from worldly troubles, and in between anxiety and expectation, I was given an enormous REJOICE and peace under His guidance just as you experienced. Also, she told me about REJOICE which happened after her visit. But what I would like to think about is not what happened after her visit, but what happened before it, that is, she was changed greatly, and it began, while she couldn't see anything, and when she relied on His words, and took notice of what His words tell, what He pleases. I wanted to talk about what is not seen, not what is seen, and also a fact that your hope and wish are already granted, at the very moment when you hope to obey His words in crystal-clear mind. Hearing and doing is different. Those who just hear it will never do it, even if they hear it again and again. "Doing it" isn't a worldly word. "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." "Doing it" the Holy Bible tells is as this. In another word, "Praying it", that is to hope to cordially rely on His words, and ask for "a faith as small as a mustard seed", "a trust as small as a mustard seed." Then, a sea of peace you have never seen will certainly fill your mind, just written in the Holy Bible, according to a promise given in His words. In another word, a calm and enormous REJOICE will fill you, and you will definitely say, "I know how it was." If not so, it doesn't sound right. Finally, let me read some verses in James. James, 1:21-25
Thank you for your kind attention. |