The Power of His Love

By Pastor Young Joon Park

1-3-10

 

Mark 16:20

20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

 

The background of this verse

3 ¨ö years ministry of Jesus

50 days prior to Pentecost Day – Jesus¡¯ Passion, His Death on the cross and His resurrection

10 days prior to Pentecost Day – Jesus¡¯ Ascension

On the Pentecost Day – Holy Spirit

 

 

I. The New Spiritual Dimension

 

3 weeks ago I shared about Jesus¡¯ Ascension.

 

My parents and my elder brothers visited me and my family after I immigrated to the United States of America. I was very happy because I missed them so much.

 

But I was sad when they left for Korea.

I took them to LAX and said good bye with sadness.

I was still standing until the airplane was out of my sight.

And I came home with sadness.

 

Jesus¡¯ Disciples were watching Jesus¡¯ Ascension and kept watching even Jesus was out of their sight until an angel stopped them from staring at the sky.

They were in the deep hopeless distress and depression. They thought that everything they did following Jesus Christ was in vain 40 days ago.

 

But all of Jesus¡¯ Disciples were not sad any more at Jesus¡¯ Departure. They returned to Jerusalem with great joy because of His Ascension.

 

Why did they have two distinct reactions for the departure of the Loved One at two different times?

 

First one was His Sacrificial Death on the Cross. – They had fear and depression.

Second one was His Ascension from the earth. – They had great joy & no fear.

 

Why did they have different reactions between these two separate occasions?

During this 40 days Jesus had encountered with them to build them up their new spiritual realm in their life at new dimension, and finally Jesus showed them the amazing miracle and gave them the great hope through His Ascension on His last day with His Physical Body on the earth.

 

The meaning of Jesus¡¯ Ascension to them is the great hope and conviction of the Lord with great understanding, and it was not a separation from Jesus, but His Being with them eternally. He departed from them, but He was with them always.

 

We need to understanding about the dimension.

0 dimension – a dot or a point

1st dimension – line

2nd dimension – square

3rd dimension – cube

4th dimension – beyond 3rd dimension

 

Up to 3rd dimension is visible and understandable with our natural mind.

4th dimension is invisible and not comprehensible with our natural mind.

 

Colossians 1:16

For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible (up to 3rd dimension) and invisible (4th dimension), whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him:

 

We all live in three dimensional world, however, we cannot understand the spiritual realm with our 3rd dimensional concept because the spiritual realm is 4th dimensional. That¡¯s why we have to have our own flesh understanding put to death on the Cross of Jesus Christ. Our flesh understanding is our stronghold in our life, and many of the strongholds were built up based on the 3rd dimension from the mother¡¯s womb until today.

 

We live by our own flesh understanding, but it is not incomprehensible by our 3rd dimensional understanding. And that is why that they did not believe it at all and reject it.

 

Our Christian faith is not based on the 3rd dimensional faith, but the 4th. Our Christian understanding is not based on the 3rd dimensional understanding, but the 4th. Our Christian life is not based on the 3rd dimension life, but the 4th.

 

Jesus¡¯ 11 Disciples had never seen Jesus Christ being lifted up without any flying object in front their eyes and that was impossible with their 3rd dimensional mind. They did see the spiritual realm that was way beyond their dimensional mind.

 

The revelation of the Lord was upon them through Jesus Christ Ascension, and they could go beyond of their limited dimension mind to the new 4th dimension world through their faith in Him.

They were not able to physically see Jesus any more, but they knew that Jesus was with them continually until His Second Coming.

 

They did have a great understanding of the Kingdom of God such as knowing who Jesus was and the fact that the Word of Jesus was the Truth.

 

The great understanding and the revelation came upon me when I had encountered the Lord; needless to say the great joy came upon me at the time.

 

So it is time we need to come to the Lord and enter into the new 4th dimension by faith. You cannot visualize with your own eyes, but you will be able to see the spiritual realm by your faith; which is the 4th dimension.

 

I want my life to be shifted into the new dimension in Him from this year of 2010. I also pray that God shifts all of you up into the new dimension as well.

No more of the more of the same level of life as last year and the one before that.

 

We need to submit our life to the Lord and live it daily, to enter into this new spiritual dimension in at least three areas.

1) Love our God with our full heart daily – the priority

Matthew 22:37-38

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the first and great commandment.

 

Personal relationship with the Lord, stay in the fellowship¡¦

 

2) Rely on Him alone daily in every case.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

 

God reins our life and the world¡¦

 

3) Walk by Faith in Him daily

Hebrews 11:6

But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

 

 

 

Then you will begin entering into the new spiritual dimension.

This is not going to happen in a matter of one or two days, but continual building up to it is required.

Jesus built them up in 3 ¨ö years through His Discipleship during His Ministry and the last 40 days after His Resurrection.

 

II. In Action of the New Spiritual Dimension

1. Spreading the Gospel

  1) They went out

  2) They preached everywhere,

 

Jesus¡¯ disciples entered into the new spiritual dimension with great joy and conviction.

They came back to Jerusalem with great joy after Jesus¡¯ Ascension, worshipped the Lord, had fellowship and prayed every day. On the Pentecost Day the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they were empowered by the Holy Spirit.

 

From that point on they stepped forward to share the Gospel to the lost ones, and spread the Good News of the Salvation from Jerusalem and to the nations continually.

 

Jesus commissioned His Disciples to be sent to make disciples of the nations during the 40 day before the Pentecost Day.

 

Jesus¡¯ Disciples had begun to understand the real meaning of the Second Commandment, ¡°Love your neighbor as yourself¡± when Jesus ascended to Heaven.

And they boldly share the Love of God to their neighbors when they were empowered by the Holy Spirit. They were getting into action in submitting themselves to obey the second commandment of the Lord ¡°To Love Your Neighbors¡± continually from Jerusalem.

 

I do believe that they not only obey the commandment, but had a great compassion heart for the lost soul. They saw that their soul was dead and there was no hope in their lives, but for the eternal judgment. We are going to face the eternal life in Heaven or eternal judgment in hell sooner or later.

 

Have you thought about your children, family or friends whom you love is going to the eternal judgment in hell without knowing the Love of God?

Or you are going to find yourself to face the eternal judgment in hell?

 

How horrible it is so!

I do not want my children, my family or my friends to face the eternal judgment, but the eternal life only. 

 

Sometimes my grandson Josiah was crying so sadly when I baby sit for him, because he could not find his mother. I had a compassion heart when I saw his heart how he was so sad, so sometimes my tears came down from my eyes because of his sadness from his heart with no hope in his mind.

 

People who will face the eternal judgment will cry out not only because there is no God for them, but also there is no second chance for them as well.

People do not realize what they are doing or where they are going.

 

Those people are our neighbors that Jesus gave us the Second Commandment ¡°to Love Your Neighbor.¡±

 

People do not like to go through the narrow gate, even if so many things that they want to do are against God¡¯s Will. That could mean only one thing: that they do not want to follow Jesus Christ at all.

They do not like it, and do not want to follow the leader or church, and finally they hide themselves from the Lord.

 

They choose the gate that is wide and broad, because the wide gate is easy and satisfactory for their flesh desire, and they want to live doing whatever they want to.

But they did not know what is ahead of them. We live on earth just momentarily, but we live eternally with our Father God in the Kingdom of God or eternal judgment in hell depending on how we choose to live right now.

 

Mathew 7:13

Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.

 

There are so many people choosing the gate that is wide and broad that leads to destruction today around us.

 

It is time for us to shift to the new dimension to reach out to them by the Holy Spirit.

And we need to have the sensitivity to the Holy Spirit whatever and whenever He leads us.

 

Year 2009 for our church was ¡°the year of the intimate relationship with the Lord.¡±

This year for our church is ¡°the year of Evangelism.¡±

 

Last several months God spoke to me from 2010 to reach out to the lost that had never known Jesus.  Additionally, He also reminded me through the signs that our time is very serious.

 

God gave us the special word for us today.

Hezekiah (Ḥizkiyyahu) is the 14th king of Judah who reined Judah between 715 and 686 BCE. He was threatened and oppressed by Sennacherib king of Assyria.

The Kingdom of Judah was almost destroyed by a king of Assyria.

At that time God gave King Hezekiah the promise through the prophet Isaiah.

 

This Word is for our church today.

 

Isaiah 37:30-31

30And this shall be a sign unto you, you shall eat this (first) year such as grow of itself; and the second year that which springs of the same: and in the third year you sow, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof.

31 And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward:

 

Two weeks ago I shared about the prayer of three for the lost from your family or friend.

How many people remember the prayer of Three?

Do you remember the hand illustration of it?

 

Now it is time we need to go out to reach out to the lost and share the gospel.

 

Let¡¯s do it together to reach out the lost.

 

A) Let¡¯s start to pray in the Holy Spirit.

a)     Petition for the lost

b)     Fill the blank with lost people¡¯s name

c)      Submit one part to Church, so we can pray for them together.

 

B) Let¡¯s invite people who do not attend any church to OGC and to the Cell Group

 

3) Share the Gospel to non believers

Jesus Christ is the Way
Jesus Christ is the Truth
Jesus Christ is the Life
Jesus Christ is the only Door to enter to the Father

2. Signs

  1) while the Lord worked with them,

  2) He confirmed the word by the signs that followed.

 

When we are in the ministry the wonders and signs will follow.

The signs are not our ability, but the Lord works in us.

We have to yield ourselves to the Lord to excel the gift of the Holy Spirit among us for the evangelism and for the Kingdom of God alone.

The signs will follow, because the Lord is working in us, and He will confirm it.

 

The purpose of the Power

1. for the evangelism

2. for the perfecting (equipping) the saints

3. for the work of ministry

4. for the edifying of the Body of Christ

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

Our purpose today is to preach gospel to the lost with compassion heart with God¡¯s love and bring the people to the Kingdom of God.

The power of the Love of God brought me to the Kingdom of God. We love the Lord and carry on His Loving heart in loving our neighbor and bringing the Kingdom of the Lord.

 

We hear the phrase all the time, but my question is ¡°Are we really doing it?¡±

If we don¡¯t, then we have to repent our disobedience and move to the new dimension.

 

Testimony

One missionary on the way to the village.

God spoke to him to preach the gospel when he was passing bush area.

 

The serious business to God:

Ezekiel 3:17-19

17 Son of man, I have made you a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at My Mouth, and give them warning from Me.

18 When I say unto the wicked, ¡°You shall surely die¡±; and you gave him not warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at your hand.

19 Yet if you warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.