2024.11.30 Core Message
Scripture Reading: Genesis 1:27-28
Restoring the Economy That Has Been Stolen. Right now, you can see that everything has been taken away by the three organizations.
▣ Introduction _ Genesis 1:27, 28
When God first spoke, He created us in His image, and there was God’s first command. “Subdue it, rule over it, and be fruitful.” This part is what we must restore.
- Prophecy
So, among those who believed this prophecy, very few restored this blessing.
1) Genesis 3:15, Genesis 22:1-21 – Joseph
In Genesis 3:15, God prophesied the amazing Gospel: “The offspring of the woman will crush the serpent’s head.” And God also told Abraham, “Through your seed, all nations will be blessed.” He spoke about the ram as well. But very few fulfilled this; one of them was Joseph. Joseph went to the land of Egypt and became a person God used to make Him known to the entire world.
2) Exodus 3:18 – Moses
In Exodus 3:18, it was Moses.
3) Isaiah 7:14 – Babylonian remnants
Truly, very few people experienced this Gospel movement. But for those who held onto the covenant, works definitely arose — Isaiah 7:14. It was the Babylonian remnants who received the covenant of Isaiah 7:14. Through them, world evangelization arose, and a great work took place.
- Peter’s Confession – Matthew 16:16-20
Peter confessed this covenant in Matthew 16:16, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” He received an incredible blessing that cannot be changed: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” Even when he ran away, Jesus came to restore him and gave him the covenant again. And then in verse 20, He said, “Tell no one.” This part is extremely important.
3. Matthew 16:20
Why did He tell them not to speak to anyone? This is very important.
1) 7 bartizans
2) 7 journeys
3) 7 guideposts
After Jesus’ resurrection, He gave them the true bartizans, journeys, and guideposts. At that time, He told them to go to the ends of the earth. But first, they had to wait. They had to go with this power.
[Paul – his team] (Acts 19:8)
Amazingly, the one who truly fulfilled this was Paul and his team. In Acts 19:8, Paul quoted exactly what Jesus taught.
▣ Main Message
To these people, to this team, God restored three kinds of economy.
- The economy of light
First, He restored the economy of light to those who held onto the covenant. - The mission economy
Second, He restored the mission economy. We must be able to do missions, right? We must study enough to do missions and build up our work enough to do missions. - The remnant economy
The remnant economy. These three are very important blessings of economy.
1. The economy of light – (light)
Now, to have the economy of light, what must we know? We must know what the light is.
1) Genesis 1:1-3
The economy of light comes from Genesis 1:1-3 — “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” He first shined the light of creation.
2) Isaiah 60:1-3
In Isaiah 60:1-3: “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.”
3) John 1:11, 12
In John 1:11, it says that Jesus Christ came as the light: “To all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”
[Only Gospel (Offering)]
So, when a church focuses on only the Gospel, offerings given there become part of the economy of light. This is critical. There are churches that truly hold to only the Gospel. When making decisions about church administration or any matter, do not ask, “Is this advantageous to me?” but rather, “Is this advantageous for the Gospel?” Always choose based on what benefits the Gospel. That is “Only Gospel.” If you do this, God will pour out the economy of light. Just watch and see.
So, for Pastor Song, since he is in this blessed timetable, he must focus only on the Gospel. Everyone uses the term “only Gospel,” but when making decisions, we must choose the Gospel-centered way.
That’s why I told Pastor Song, “Create three separate worship services.” First, one service just for the congregation, the first service. Second, have a separate worship just for the multiethnic people, where no Koreans attend. There are two reasons for this. First, if Koreans attend, it becomes harder for the multiethnic people to freely receive strength. Second, the message gets hindered and doesn’t flow clearly. They can attend the first service, but for their own separate worship, Koreans should not be there.
Third, have a service just for the sick, with direct messages for them. No need for extra people there except for translators. Do not let unprepared visitors attend; they often disrupt the environment and discourage the sick from coming back.
If Pastor Song establishes these three worship services, the church will become strong. The goal is not becoming a big church, but a church must grow when it focuses only on the Gospel. Then the economy of light will come.
- The mission economy
To have the mission economy, we must know what missions are:
1) The plague of darkness
Missions block the spiritual epidemic — the plague of darkness spread by Satan.
2) Globalization of disasters
Disasters are spreading globally, and missions block this.
3) Cultural domination by Satan
Missions confront and stop the cultural influence of Satan.
4) Hell’s background
Everyone outside Christ lives under the background of hell. Missions deliver people from this state.
5) Salvation — the background of the throne
Lastly, missions reveal salvation and the background of the throne. This is missions.
[Only Evangelism]
God pours the mission economy into the churches focused on only evangelism. Think about it. If this towel is dirty, you throw it away. But if this towel contains precious jewels, you treasure it and entrust it to someone reliable to deliver. Likewise, God entrusts the mission economy to those who are trustworthy — those who focus on only evangelism.
This Sunday, I will talk more about this during service, but you must truly save the church. Most believers do not know how to pray and have not been evangelized. When problems arise, they lose the Gospel and only follow their own thoughts — that’s Genesis 3. That’s why we must absolutely hold onto only the Gospel, only evangelism.
- The remnant economy — the scattered ones, sojourners, and remaining ones
To understand the remnant economy, you must first know what a remnant is. God raised remnants for a reason:
1) The remaining ones (Gospel)
Remnants are those who remain with the Gospel when everyone else loses it.
2) The ones who remain (Power)
Remnants are those who continue to stand because they know God’s power.
3) The ones who will remain (Culture)
Remnants are those who will remain in the future and change the culture through the Gospel.
4) The ones who will leave behind (Future Generations)
Remnants are those who will leave behind the Gospel, God’s power, and the covenant for future generations.
To such people, God pours out the remnant economy.
[Mission — Future Generations]
Among the scattered, sojourners, and remaining ones, God raises those who will focus only on missions, especially among the future generations. God pours the remnant economy into them.
These three restorations are not about simply eating, working, and dying — everyone does that. Rather, the people who truly restored them were Paul’s team. Paul understood Jesus’ message in Matthew 16:20 about the 7 bartizans, 7 journeys, and 7 guideposts. And those who helped Paul understood as well. When Paul said, “I must also see Rome,” the disciples all aligned with him — these are the people mentioned in Romans 16.
God poured the mission economy onto them — He poured it abundantly. If you have time, look up the ICC Commentary (International Critical Commentary). It is a difficult academic commentary, and one author spent decades just writing about Romans. It talks about Priscilla and Aquila — I read it, and it was incredible. They have a tomb in Rome, and they used their tremendous wealth to save the world. They devoted their lives to supporting Paul and still received incredible blessings.
Some people refuse to give offerings, but then where is their wealth stored? If it’s not in heaven, they have nothing. That’s when I realized: faith is the budget, and blessings are the settlement. I understood this when I read that commentary.