2025.10.19 Sunday 1st Service
Scripture Reading: Acts 10:1-6
▣ Introduction: What should we do when we meet hardship, crisis, and failure?
Thank you. Today we must confirm what answer you absolutely need to take with you. There are times when many new family members ask like this. They are trying to live the life of faith, and then a great hardship suddenly rushes in on them. There are also people—not only new family members—who meet a crisis while living the life of faith. And some people face a great failure. What should we do at such times? Most people become pessimistic like this and respond in such a way. Some people simply stop coming to church, hide, try to avoid it, and just give up. There are many people like that. Some people, in a great crisis, even go so far as to take their own lives.
1. God’s plan is in a completely different place.
So what must you go and find today? God’s true plan is in another place. We must find that. So this is not something solved by giving up or by trying hard. God has another plan. We must find that. Most people give up. Others say, “I will fight to the end and win.” In truth, neither of the two is right.
1) Prayer is finding God’s plan.
God’s plan is in a completely different place. Finding this is prayer. Today you must find this answer. That is how you must respond when a problem comes; and if right now a problem has come to you, then it is an answer God has given—what kind of answer is it? It is something better.
2) God has prepared something better, something unimagined, something great.
Satan tries to give you something bad. God is trying to give you something better. It is even something you never imagined. And God prepares something greater. This is the first and most important path of answer in the Bible. It is a situation that is utterly beyond understanding.
2. Those who discovered God’s plan
Now then, the examples you know well will already be coming to mind.
1) The seven remnants
The seven remnants who moved the world were all like this.
(1) Joseph (family problem) – From the beginning, he had God’s true plan (the concrete answer of world evangelization) (Genesis 45:5).
For Joseph, problems arose starting right in the family. So among hardships, the hardest is the one that occurs in the family. How severely was Joseph attacked? They tried to kill him. In the era Joseph lived in, a person could kill you and bury you and no one would know. So while it is true that Joseph prayed much, he also knew that God’s true plan—His answer—was not in his own household but somewhere else. Fortunately, Joseph did not realize this later while he was living; he realized it from the beginning. Therefore he came to see the world completely differently. You must surely see this today. You must find this answer. The sun, moon, and stars bowing—he already had the concrete answer for world evangelization. He knew that God’s plan was not in the place where his brothers were talking, arguing, and rejoicing. So one day when the brothers were about to kill Joseph, they sold him instead. You cannot imagine how shocking that was. He ended up as the prime minister of Egypt. The brothers, shocked, trembled before Joseph. At that time Joseph said this: “You sold me, and I became prime minister”—is that what he should have said? He said, “It was not you who sold me. God sent me ahead to preserve life.” This means Joseph knew this. Therefore you, who are in great suffering now—there is no need to be discouraged. In the Bible and in history, it has always been so. You must hold to this covenant.
(2) Abraham and Moses who realized late, and Joseph, Samuel, and David who realized early
There are many examples, aren’t there? But they fall into two categories—those who realized late, and those who realized early. Abraham and Moses realized after quite some time. Joseph, Samuel, and David realized early.
※ If you do not find God’s true plan, you will continue to remain trapped in wounds and hardships.
Otherwise, you will remain trapped in your wounds and hardships. Today, without listening to anyone else, hold on to God’s Word and find what God’s true plan is for you. In fact, from that moment, answers come.
2) The heroes of faith in Hebrews chapter 11 – the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen
Hebrews chapter 11 gathers the heroes of faith. But if you read the beginning of chapter 11, it says this: “What is faith?” It asks. We do not yet possess it—“things hoped for.” And “things not seen.” That is what it says. Yet though it is hoped for, it is substance. Though you do not yet have it, you have the substance. Though it is not seen with the eyes, you have the evidence. Holding to that covenant, may today become an unforgettable day of blessing in your life, when you gain the strength to hold the covenant once again. I bless you in the name of the Lord Jesus.
3) John Bunyan (16 years of imprisonment) – The Pilgrim’s Progress
As you know, John Bunyan, who received a sentence of 16 years in prison, found the answer. He discovered God’s tremendous plan. As you know, through the book The Pilgrim’s Progress, he carried out the work of changing the world from there.
3. How do we find God’s plan?
So then, today we ask: How do we find it?
1) The Early Church, though faced with hardships (the label of heresy, social severance, imprisonment, being chased, execution), overcame the Jews, Macedonia, and Rome.
The Early Church was placed amid enormous hardships. First, they were branded as heretics. Whenever the gospel—the true gospel—was proclaimed, this always happened: they were labeled as heretics. In a democratic nation, even if you are labeled a heretic it may not matter. But in an age of dictatorship, once you are branded a heretic, that is the end. You are cut off from the whole society. What then? Not only were they cut off; they were arrested and imprisoned. They were called heretics and then arrested and imprisoned. The one who went around zealously arresting them was Paul. And wherever they went, they were chased. It did not stop there—they were executed. What then? If these five things were applied to you, how would you act? I am very curious. If these five things came to me, what would I do? Yet the Early Church completely overcame the Jews. As you know, though they had no power, they overcame Macedonia. They even overcame Rome. That is certain. You must know this well. By that, all the answers will come to you. As I often say, by that, all the answers come.
2) Do not be wounded by difficulties, and do not just let them pass.
Among the families and elders around us, I have seen this. Because the times were so hard, there was poverty, disease, and tremendous suffering. You must not respond by being wounded by it or by just letting it pass. Do you understand? If remnants carry wounds, those wounds follow you for your whole life. You resent your parents, you are discouraged, and it follows you all your life, even until you grow old and die. This is important.
3) Do not be discouraged, do not take reckless courage, but find the answer within God’s covenant – worship and prayer.
Amazingly, by God’s grace, when I came to understand the gospel, I received the answer right there: “I will be a witness who proclaims the gospel to the sick, the poor, and those perishing without the gospel.” It is a little embarrassing to say, but from that time until now, this answer has continued to come. To be honest, the answer has come to the extent that I have no time to be sick and no time to think about anything else. If anything, I have sometimes thought, “I want to rest. I could use a break,” but otherwise, the work has continued without stopping.
Today, without looking at the person next to you, hold on to the Word and find that answer. You must. Otherwise you will suffer losses more unfair than you can imagine. I found it easily. I have visited many churches. I thought, “No, this is not it.” Today, seeing someone who received ordination as a pastor, I said such things. There were times I felt truly sad. I went to church to try to live the life of faith, and I saw many church leaders using words that were very dismissive of the church and of the pastor. It made me sad. Why do you come to church? Why do you offer worship? Then nothing will work. They live lives far from evangelism and die like that. I saw that. So I said to the person ordained today, “A pastor does not need to be respected, but he should not be despised, right?” And I said, “There is something else that is sad. Many church leaders worry that the ministers are so ineffective that the church does not work, that it is difficult, that the region is difficult. That is sad.” I said, “A servant of the Lord has no excuse. He must save unconditionally. He must save the region, save people, and save the church.” And that is what I saw. From there I found all the answers. It is not hard.
If you do not get discouraged, do not take foolish courage, and today find the answer within God’s covenant, then works will surely arise. In fact, we came to worship in order to do exactly this. We pray to see where God’s true blessing lies. I truly bless you in the name of the Lord Jesus that today will become an unforgettable day in your life.
▣ Main Message: Where is God’s plan?
※ God’s plan is not in Jewish zeal, the law, religion, feasts, or success.
The Jews, wielding much power, are persecuting—but Jewish zeal? No. The Jewish law? Religion? The feasts they kept to the end? The success the Jews speak of? God’s plan is not inside those things. That is why today something tremendous happened. In the house of Simon the tanner, a work arose. “Church leader”—the word “tanner” refers to a leather tradesman. Peter went to the house of Simon the tanner. Now, picture the scene in your mind for a moment. The house of Simon the tanner seems to have been something of a large home. Why? Because it was a house where evangelists, coming and going, could rest. He was a person of great calling. Peter stayed at that house. And while Peter was praying there, in a great vision, something happened. A work that changed the age took place. In the midst of heavy tribulation and suffering, the question is: Where is God’s plan?
1. The place where the original covenant is restored – the house of Simon the tanner
First, we must surely find this. God’s will lies in the place where the original covenant is restored. That was precisely the house of Simon the tanner, and that time.
1) Restoration of the original gospel
Simply put, it is restoring the original gospel God gave us—restoring the original gospel.
(1) Genesis 3:15 The Christ who will break the authority of Satan
“The seed of the woman will crush the serpent’s head.” “The Christ will come and break the authority of Satan who destroys you.” Enter into that.
(2) Genesis 6:14 The ark
“Come into the ark. Make an ark for yourself.”
(3) Exodus 3:18 The blood sacrifice
After several hundred years, God spoke to Moses: “Bring My people out and offer a blood sacrifice.”
(4) Isaiah 7:14 Immanuel – the greatest answer, the most necessary answer, the true success
After about a thousand years, He spoke again: “Raise the remnants. A virgin will conceive and bear a son, and you shall call His name Immanuel.”
What is the greatest answer for us? Immanuel. What is most needed for the remnants? Immanuel. Has your work truly succeeded? Immanuel. This is what He explained. And at each of these times, the works that blocked the seven disasters arose.
2) Restoration of the glory given to Abraham – It ended with building an altar while holding the covenant that through you and through your seed the nations will be blessed and none will be able to stand against you.
Thus the glory God gave to Abraham from the very beginning—God’s will is in restoring that. From the beginning God said to Abraham, “Through you the nations will be blessed.” He failed to find this. Because he did not find where God’s plan lay, Abraham kept facing hardships. The hardship is not the real problem; the problem is that he could not find the way. He went here and a problem arose; he went there and a crisis arose. Everywhere he went, there was no way. But it is not that there was no way. “Through you and through your seed the nations will be blessed, and I will make it so that no one can stand against you.” He held to this covenant and built an altar, but it ended there. May today be the day this is restored.
3) Establish a secret bartizan and live as a witness.
This morning at our breakfast meeting with the session, I met with those who were remnants and are now elders. When they were middle and high school students, they attended our remnant conferences, and now those remnants have become elders. So I said this: “From now on, establish a secret bartizan.” Church leaders are also successful figures—people who have passed the bar and other high exams. “Those who are successful must have a secret. You must build that bartizan. And then you will stand as witnesses.” This is what must be restored.
2. The place where what Christ has given is restored
Second, what Christ has given—God’s whole will is inside the place where that is restored. It is not difficult. Inside the mystery of the gospel God originally gave. Knowing that your path in life is hard, Christ spoke of the secret—to those who are inside it.
1) The platform of the throne – bartizan
Simply put, the platform of the throne has come into being—the bartizan.
2) The watchtower of the throne – journey
The watchtower of the throne has come into being—the journey.
3) The 300% answer of the throne – guidepost
The great 300% answer of the throne has arisen—the guidepost. Those who are inside this are bound to receive God’s important answers.
3. The plan that saves the age
Third, where is God’s plan contained? It is within the plan that saves the age, which many in the Early Church did not know.
1) Cornelius – Rome
They thought they were suffering hardship and persecution, but God’s plan was for Cornelius. Why Cornelius? Because God’s plan was for Rome.
2) Rome – because within it are the 237 nations
Why Rome? Because within it are the 237 nations.
3) The 237 nations – because within them are the 5,000 tribes
Why the 237 nations? Because within them are the 5,000 tribes. Therefore God’s plan is somewhere else. So you must never be discouraged; you must remember.
▣ Conclusion: The promise given to the people who will proclaim the gospel and to the church
You are people who will proclaim the gospel, right? Our church is a church that must proclaim the gospel. If so, God clearly gave several promises.
1. The ten secrets – Survive under any circumstance (Calvin’s five doctrines). Spiritual eyes, no competition, summit, going into what is absolutely impossible and doing it by God’s power
You will survive under any circumstance. This is what we are saying. John Calvin summarized the Bible in five lines. First, human beings cannot be saved. They cannot be saved. Second, they have no condition by which to be saved. Therefore God gave the condition by which we can be saved—Christ. This salvation cannot be blocked. That is the fourth sentence. And what is the last sentence? Those whom God has saved cannot be destroyed. That is right.
Therefore, you will survive wherever you go. You must hold to this covenant today. Wherever you go, because you have spiritual eyes that overcome the physical, you will overcome. Remnants, we do not compete. Why? Because we go to the summit. You must remember. Why do we go to the wasteland? We go to the nobody. We go to the nothing. Why? Because we go into what is absolutely impossible. You must hold to the covenant. There, we do it by God’s power. God’s plan is in a completely different place.
2. When you find God’s absolute plan, that is when the work begins – The reason the world’s churches are closing is because they are in a place that is not God’s plan.
What do you think? We must stop this quickly. Churches all over the world are closing. Why? Because they are in a place that is not God’s plan. No matter how outstanding they are, they are in a place that is not God’s plan. As I said long ago, a person who boards a pirate ship—it is a thief’s ship, right? If a person on a pirate ship is a good person, is that okay? That is even worse. Right? Because he is so good, the pirate ship prospers. A person on a pirate ship is too conscientious—that makes him worse. If you boarded a pirate ship, you should not obey—yet he obeys too well, works too hard, gives his utmost, keeps the rules too well. That is worse—because he is on a pirate ship. Therefore, when hardship comes, you must not be discouraged or make useless attempts. If you only find what God’s absolute plan is, from that moment works begin. Today you must take this covenant with you.
3. Job, who found the answer within hardship
Satan’s goal is your destruction. God is absolutely not like that.
1) The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Let me not blame the Lord for this.
Satan filed a lawsuit, didn’t he? “God, You have blessed Job so much—how could he not believe? If You take away all his possessions and he loses everything, he will not believe God.” That disaster truly fell upon Job. When it hit, what did he do? His property, his children—everything was destroyed. At that time Job said, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. I came into this world with nothing and I will leave with nothing. Let me not blame the Lord for this.” That was Job’s first answer.
2) My Redeemer lives, and when I meet the Lord I shall meet Him outside of my flesh.
Then he became sick, and even his family, seeing how sick he was, cursed; his friends came to comfort him but cursed him. Then he said, “I know that my Redeemer lives; and when I meet the Lord, I shall meet Him outside of my flesh. I will not meet Him with this diseased body, but outside the body I will meet God.”
3) God’s purpose is unchanging; He has many such things with Him. After He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
When you suffer hardship, no human comfort can truly comfort you. When friends come and say many things, that also cannot comfort you. A cancer patient once confessed this to me: as he lay sick, relatives and friends came and went, and it made him so sad. “My friends are healthy—what sin did I commit to end up like this?” That is what he thought. “But that is not it. If God chooses to call you, He can call you without giving you sickness, right? He does not have to give you cancer to call you. If He wants to call you, He can. God has an important plan. You must find it. Living or dying is not the issue. Hold to God’s special plan and pray.” That is God’s Word. I only conveyed it, and a miracle happened to this friend. Even if it had not happened, that would be fine; but it did happen. Is that comfort? What did Job finally say? “God’s purpose is unchanging.” Right? “He has many such things with Him. After He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” Satan completely knelt. Truly, Job was blessed twofold. It was not because he suffered that he received it; it was because of God’s covenant that God blessed him twofold.
4. While worshiping, find God’s plan.
Today, as you worship all day, you must find this. You must never leave it undone.
1) Wounds are spiritual cancer; there is an answer in the problem.
Wounds are spiritual cancer. They will ultimately bring you down. You must completely find God’s plan. The fact that there is a problem means there is an answer, so it is good.
2) Spiritual sickness – When you gain strength, you become a spiritual person of mission. God gave the world to those who heal people with spiritual sickness.
If spiritual sickness has come to you—it likely has—I see that person as even more important. If you gain strength, you can become a spiritual person of mission. Paul healed people with spiritual sickness only three times, yet God gave him the world. Right? I too never imagined it. When I went into a village full of shamans to evangelize, I saw many things. Especially, I saw what is in the Bible. In the past, I did not even know such things were in the Bible. But when I looked, Paul had done that ministry. You cannot handle it; the answers will keep coming beyond calculation.
3) Remnants must turn every past thing into a platform; the sick must believe in God’s power. There is another world.
One of you is enough. Do it. Do not listen to people; hold to the Word and do it. Especially our remnants—every part of your past must be made into a platform. You who are sick—respect what doctors say, but do not put your faith in it. Put your faith in God’s power. There is another world. You must hold to it.
I bless you in the name of Jesus Christ that today will become the day of the greatest answer, and that you will truly not miss it. Let us pray.
Prayer. Let today be the day we see God’s hidden plan. Let us see that God’s plan is not where the Jews are troubled, but where lives are being saved. Let us see spiritual Rome. Let us see the spiritual change of the age. Let today be the day we see God’s special plan within our greatest hardships. Let today be the day the problems of our family line are turned into blessing. Let my incompetence be turned into God’s power. Let my disease become the road of mission. Let this be the beginning of a new life for me. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.