July 9, 2024. New Family Field Worker Training,
Lesson 1 – God’s Plan for the New Family, Session 6
Scripture Reading: Acts 1:8
♠Introduction:
This is a time for the new family retreat, for the new family. I grew up in a Christian household. And I served as a minister for 40 years. There has always been a concern in my heart: “When a new family goes to church, can that person really understand the gospel? And can that person truly receive answers to prayer?” You probably have felt that too, but I worried about it a lot. When a new family goes to church, they should be able to know the gospel properly, receive grace, and receive answers to prayer, but aren’t there obstacles to that inside the church? Of course, there are none in God’s church itself, but among us there are many. We must help the new family receive grace and receive answers. Of course, it is not us who make it, but we are the ones who run errands so that the grace can be there.
Since they are a new family, there are three things that must first be made clear.
① Your salvation was received by the grace of God. There were no conditions, but faith is the condition, and even that faith is what the Holy Spirit made you realize. Beyond that, you cannot receive answers through your own realization. “I believed in Jesus because of this,” “I became like this because of that,” that is not the case. That is why it must be taught properly. Then what’s next?
② “How should we live?” The new family does not know this either. Each denomination emphasizes different things, right? Some insist that you must be baptized. Some insist on holiness. Some emphasize experience. All those things that emphasize one aspect are not wrong. However, now that you are saved, you are to become Christ-like, to follow the teachings of Christ, to follow what God desires. That is sanctification. And though we will be fully transformed in eternity when we go to heaven, that is our goal. That is glorification. The new believers must understand these basics.
③ Then, what is the secret of answers in the life of faith? Earlier, we asked questions such as, “Who is Christ, who is God, and who am I?” In order to receive answers to prayer, today’s sixth lecture is important. Jesus said, “Believe that you have received what you have asked in prayer.” Before I understood prayer, I could not understand this word. “I have not received, but believe that I have.” One day, I came to understand prayer, and when I did, this word became everything. Right? When Joseph held onto the covenant, he had already received it. The rest was simply fulfillment. Right? When Moses received the covenant from his mother, he had already received all the answers. Then isn’t all of Scripture like that? “Ah, I see, this is prayer. This is worship.” Right? Then, if you don’t know that prayer and worship are important, you end up dying spiritually. Right?
So the word that came out of this is “Who is the Holy Spirit?” When you hold onto the covenant, the Holy Spirit works. That means you have already received the answer. When believers hear the pastor’s sermon and receive grace touched by the Spirit of God, that is already the answer. Of course, it will come to pass later, but “When the day of Pentecost came,” that means it had already come. So when believers receive strength during worship on Sunday, that is everything. Right?
And this is scientifically proven. One of my friends went to the Vietnam War and returned. He was traumatized in Vietnam. One day, while eating with us, he collapsed. He collapsed while eating, and that was the first time I saw epilepsy. It was so painful to watch him convulsing. We didn’t know what to do. After some time, he became fine. He was very apologetic, and as friends, we encouraged him and talked. His mental shock had turned into epilepsy. That is science. The thoughts you have now will surely turn into your body. We think that only what comes into our bodies is the answer. But when you receive the grace of the Holy Spirit and the Word comes upon you, surely later your life will change.
So in the introduction—when talking about the work of the Holy Spirit, we must tell the new family practical stories through events.
1) Genesis 1:27 (Us)
The Holy Spirit already existed. When creating mankind, it was not “I” but “Us.” From the beginning, the Triune God was with us, eternally, always present. If you don’t believe this fact, there’s no need to go to church on Sunday. Right? Though unseen, when you receive grace at church, later evidence will appear, later answers will come, and everything happens from there. So we must help them receive answers.
2) Exodus 24:14–17 (Wilderness)
In Exodus 24:14–17, the three feasts appear. The Jews misunderstood this. They thought it was about harvesting grain. That is not the case. Coming out of Egypt symbolizes salvation—that is Passover. Gathering into the storehouse refers to the heavenly background—that is, the Feast of Ingathering. Pentecost does include harvesting grain, but it is not just that. It is about the Israelites journeying forty years in the wilderness, following God’s power. That is Pentecost. Last Sunday’s sermon on the Feast of Harvest was about this. This must be understood in reality. You are on a wilderness journey, so you must go through the world by the Spirit of God, by the power of God.
3) Joel 2:28
This appeared again as an event in Joel 2:28. When was it? It was during the time of Elisha. When Israel had completely fallen into idolatry and was perishing, at that time, the prophet Joel gave the solution. God will pour out His Spirit on His servants, both men and women. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. That was spoken then.
4) Zechariah 4:6
So, when in the deepest darkness, you cannot overcome by your own strength. That is Zechariah 4:6. Israel was rebuilding the temple, but had stopped and fallen into despair. Then God spoke through the prophet Zechariah: “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit.” They held to this covenant, and fulfillment began. In between, very important words were given.
5) John 14:16, 16:13
Jesus spoke repeatedly at the end. Among many words, at the very end, He said, “It is to your advantage that I go away. The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, will be with all believers.” Do not forget this. The Holy Spirit will make you understand all things. Right? This is how pastors carry out their ministry—with this power. This is what pastors preach. It is the Holy Spirit who makes you understand what God has given. Why do believers pray? Because the Spirit of God is with us, He gives us understanding. That is why we are told, “Do not think too much, but pray.” If you think too much, you will certainly go the wrong way. You must turn your thoughts into prayer. These things must be explained.
6) Acts 1:8
And Jesus explained again at the end. “Will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” That is not for you to know. “You must wait for what the Father promised.” And He said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” This must be explained clearly.
7) Acts 2:17–18
How can you have this? When you hold onto this covenant and pray, amazing things happen. “Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” The same word appeared again.
8) Acts 13:1–5, Acts 16:6–10, Acts 19:1–7 (21)
How was this covenant fulfilled? As history continued, Paul followed the covenant exactly as it was. Right? He fully followed the leading of the Holy Spirit. This must be explained: “You also must go that way. That is prayer. That is worship. The Spirit of God is with you more scientifically than science itself. ‘I feel wronged.’ That is not really an unjust experience. Yielding and losing is not really losing. Winning is not really winning. Our victory is in receiving this leading (the Holy Spirit). When the way is blocked, you receive the leading to see and receive what God has prepared. To evangelize the world, you must always relive the grace of the Upper Room of Mark. That is how Paul reached Rome.” This must be explained.
9) 1 Corinthians 12:1–11 (Gifts)
And the one who received this grace most abundantly was Paul. What is this? The Spirit is one Spirit, the Spirit of God, yet He gives you unique gifts. With those, you do everything. The gifts may differ. Right? There is no need to emphasize only one. This is what it means to live.
10) Romans 16:25–27
And how far does this go? To that which was hidden for ages past, which will remain forever, and God is with you in that. This is certain.
Whatever you think, you will receive answers according to that. Beyond that, you cannot receive. I don’t know your spiritual level, but you will receive only according to your level. Right? Effort has nothing to do with it. Your answers come according to your spiritual level. So the new family, and you as well, must enjoy this. That is why personal prayer time and worship time are very important.
Then two more things must be taught.
① The world (by the power of the Holy Spirit – the seven remnants) – Lead the world by the power of the Holy Spirit. That is the seven remnants. How did Joseph overcome? “Only a man in whom is the Spirit of God.” That was it. You too, your children too, must believe like that. After seeing the fire on Mt Horeb, Moses enjoyed. Right? To the young Samuel, the amazing voice of God was heard. “From that day on, the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power.” Right? Elijah knew this, so he asked for nothing else but “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” The clever ones in Gilgal, Jericho, and Bethel were not used. Instead, Elisha prayed, “Let me have the spirit of God so that I may do it by His strength,” and he began the Dothan movement. In the end, Daniel, who always prayed holding to the Word, transformed Babylon. Right? He transformed the king. This must be remembered.
② Studies/occupation/work (Priority) – And lastly, this must be taught. Children will have studies, occupations, work, right? This must be taught. Change the priority. What is Priority? Change the order. Otherwise, it will not work. In everything, in every difficulty, in every success, you must first receive this grace. That is truly the end. Then the new family begins to receive answers. Right? If we teach them wrongly, then in fact, they will not receive answers. In some ways, we must not even teach them our own motives. We must even take that away. “I received grace because I was sick.” If they testify like that, we must change that too. “God originally called you. God called you, and that was only the occasion, not the condition. We can get sick while living, but even so, we are still God’s children. If I am sick, I am God’s child. If I am healthy, I am not? That is not true!” This is important. We must help them receive answers. When I gathered some young adults and taught them what the gospel really is and what prayer really is, history arose among them. Among those who received grace then, some are still testifying to answers today. That is not because they had something of their own. If they had something of their own, that would be a disaster. They saw the power of God within the gospel. So don’t attach conditions or reasons—just do it. Jesus said, “Only.” That means no matter how much you struggle with other things, it is all in vain. Why waste time on vanity?
Main
Here, it is good to look up the Bible together using this book (textbook). At this time, history begins again. When we look up the Word together, the greatest healing occurs for the new family, because usually we only listen to preaching one-sidedly. After giving this kind of introduction, when you look at the Word together, healing takes place. In my experience with healing ministry, memorizing Scripture and transcribing sermons brought tremendous works.
So then: ①Who is the Holy Spirit? Then ②what is the one thing we must do? Then ③how can we do it? Then ④what results come? Up to here, you must organize and explain for them to know. Without teaching them about the work of the Holy Spirit, answers to prayer, and the power of worship, most Christians do not receive answers, in my observation. They cannot evangelize. Those who go to church faithfully and follow the pastor’s messages with grace are simply continuing, but in reality, they do not know.
1. Who is the Holy Spirit?
Who is the Holy Spirit?
1) He is the Spirit of God (Joel 2:28, Acts 2:17–18).
He is the Spirit of God. Right?
2) He is the Spirit of Christ (Acts 16:7).
And He is also recorded as the Spirit of Christ in Acts 16:7.
3) He is the Spirit of truth (John 14:17).
He is called the Spirit of truth in John 14:17.
4) He is God Himself (John 14:6–17).
He is God Himself. Right? So when this work takes place, no one can block it.
5) This is the way God is with us. God’s dwelling place is the temple. Believers are the temple where God dwells. Receiving Jesus into your heart as your Lord is acceptance. Unbelievers are controlled by evil spirits inside them. Their status changes when they accept Christ. This is the way God is with us. So this must be explained. (1) “Don’t you know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” This is tremendous. (2) “You could not be delivered from sin and death, but the law of the Spirit of life has set you free.” So show them this. (3) He will protect you, teach you, guide you, and make you understand. He is the Counselor…
Prayer is very important. Even during worship, there’s a difference between listening to the pastor’s sermon while praying and just listening. When the elder prays, if you just close your eyes and wait, it feels tedious. But when you participate in the prayer, it is completely different. Likewise, if you set aside specific times and pray, that is tremendous. You must first receive this power. “Will You restore the kingdom to Israel at this time?” That’s none of your business. Don’t lean on crutches. Don’t change the order. It’s not that restoration of the nation is unnecessary. But “Is that what you can do right now? Is that the order?” No. First, restore the gospel, and when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will receive power and then bear witness. Do not reverse the order.
2. Believers have only one thing to do. This is to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8).
What is the filling of the Holy Spirit?
1) You must be filled with God.
2) You must be filled with Christ.
3) Power and witness will appear.
4) World evangelization will surely be fulfilled.
In the end, it is to be filled with God. Right? What is being filled with the Holy Spirit? It is being filled with Christ. It is being filled with the power of God. Then world evangelization will surely be fulfilled. “We were filled with the Holy Spirit, but the church closed down.” Does that make sense? It must lead to evangelization.
3. How can we be filled with the Holy Spirit?
How? There are important things.
1) Only the children of God can be filled with the Holy Spirit.
The qualification has been given. God’s children are qualified to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
2) He gives to those who are saved and who believe. The children of God need only believe this fact and pray. The very fact that the Word of God is believed is proof of being filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4–8). If you are not saved, you are not qualified to be filled with the Holy Spirit. This must be explained clearly.
3) When you pray, you can be filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:13–15). If you pray at least once a day asking to be filled with the Holy Spirit, God will give you new strength and answer your prayers. When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, He gives you wisdom beyond your weakness and ignorance. The children of God need only believe this fact and pray. Since you have the qualification, you are not just believing anything—you are believing this fact and praying. This is truly the filling of the Holy Spirit. This is tremendous spiritual science.
4. When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, all problems are resolved.
Then what results come? Things happen in this world.
1) Acts 1:8
World evangelization takes place. This light shines throughout the world.
2) Acts 4:1–12
Especially in Acts 4:12 something important came out. It is a very important confession. This is what they come to realize: “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” If you do not realize this, many other things will appear very important. Right? They are not wrong—Jeremiah, very important. Elijah, John the Baptist, very important. But if you don’t see Christ, you miss it. “Who do you say I am?” “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Now, what will happen to the whole world? Just wait and see. This tremendous confession was made by Peter.
3) Acts 3:1–12
This was after the healing of the cripple. It is the confession made afterward. It means Peter had assurance.
4) Acts 8:4–8
Politics cannot solve this. Theologians cannot solve this. Theologians are important. The reason theology exists is to make us see the Bible properly. The purpose of theology is to make us properly understand the grace of salvation. Beyond that, it does not help. The believers themselves must receive answers. You too must receive answers. It is by the grace of God that the church lives, people are saved, and the world is saved. Darkness is raging. “What will happen to my future?” Don’t worry about that. That is not the question of someone who is saved. Did Joseph ever ask, “How will I live?” Not once. Right? He simply went with God’s covenant, and God did the rest. People with spiritual problems worry a lot, but don’t. If you go into this covenant, you will surely stand as a witness. The reason God raises you is to raise you as a witness.
♠Conclusion: Ephesians 6:18 (Strength)
“Pray in the Spirit on all occasions.” This was said while explaining spiritual warfare. Speaking of Satan, Paul said, “Pray in the Spirit at all times.” Simply put, it means: Always receive this strength. Tell the new family: “Always” includes both good and bad. Always receive this strength. “Why is this happening to me?” That is temporary. Joseph, one day, was sold and almost killed. Temporary. But the history that remained was tremendous.
In the end, you must ask: “In every event, what does God want from you?” That must be asked. Also: “What does Satan want from you?” This must be applied to every new family. Especially to those with terminal illness: “What does Satan want from you?” The answer is clear. Then ask: “What does God want from you?” That is the answer. “In this extreme situation, Satan wants you to despair, be discouraged, fall into darkness, and die. But God has His highest interest in you. Then before whom must you stand?” This must be told especially to the truly sick. The sick are different from you. They waver back and forth. Some people say, “What’s the point of living long?” That is all a lie. When facing death, people desperately want to live. When a person faces death, their thoughts change. You must tell them: “At this last timetable, what does Satan want from you? What does God want from you? Therefore stand before God. Receive the strength that God gives!” To be “filled” means it appears in your body and your whole flesh. To be “filled with water” means overflowing with water. “Filled with food” means overflowing with food. The Bible uses this expression: “I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh.” Yes. While you live, during your life, this power will appear in your body and in your life. Believe this and pray. Then the new family will live. The best evangelism strategy is when the new family lives—they bring others. When they truly fight against darkness, then it is the cell, the team ministry. That is how real answers come.
Today, may this day be when the power of God comes upon you. I bless you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. One more important thing—at this time, even greater answers arise. When you hold onto the covenant, after worship most people just go back to worldly things, but if you pray holding onto the covenant after worship, that is what Rockefeller did. That way, what you heard in the pastor’s sermon, the grace you received, does not leave you all week long. That is true prayer. I will pray.
Prayer. God, we thank You. May this be a day of healing. Heal the unseen diseases of the body. Heal the spiritual diseases by the work of the Holy Spirit. May Your kingdom be established in every place. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.