2017.2.12_The Church Purchased By God

The Church purchased by God

Acts 20:26~35

Those who have been baptized with the Holy Spirit and have become His children

God is righteous. God is invisible to human eyes. No one in the world has ever seen God. He has established righteousness for us to know Him.

The Israelites, the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, received the law from God. The law was a standard of righteousness for them. They tried to keep the law, but it couldn’t make them righteous. It could make their bodies righteous and prosperous while they were living in this world, but it couldn’t save their souls.

In the fullness of time, God made Jesus Christ righteousness.  From then on, whoever believes in Him is saved forever. John 1:17 says, “The law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ”, and Galatians 3:19 says, “What was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions”.  In the past, the Israelites were acknowledged by God by keeping the law, but we have become righteous by believing in Jesus Christ.

Jesus preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near!”, while John the Baptist had preached that the kingdom of heaven has come. Although the words were similar, the meaning was very different. It is the same with baptism. John baptized people with water only. The baptism of John was for repentance and could not make anyone righteous. However, the baptism with the Holy Spirit, which we received after listening to the words of Jesus Christ, has made us righteous.

Jesus said to His disciples before the Ascension, “John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit”. (Acts 1:5) There is the difference between water baptism and the baptism with the Holy Spirit. Paul’s ministry verified it.

This happened when Paul went to Ephesus. There he found that the disciples had received John’s baptism. They admitted that they were sinners, but they had never been absolved from their sin and born again. Paul introduced Jesus to them, and he baptized them and placed his hands on them. Then the Holy Spirit came on them.

The baptism in the name of Jesus is the same as the one with the Holy Spirit. When we have been baptized with the Holy Spirit, God acknowledges that we are righteous. Our status after the baptism with the Holy Spirit is different from it was in the past. We are the children of God who can inherit the riches of heaven. This wonderful change of status that we have experienced is not abstract.

Because we have been baptized with the Holy Spirit He came on us. Those who have received the Holy Spirit can reveal the identity of demons and cast them out from a person’s body (Mt 12:28).

Those baptized with the Holy Spirit should treasure up the precious status given to them and be honored by it.

The overseer ordained for the church purchased with His blood

The fact that the Holy Spirit has come on us shows that God loves us. Parents love their children. It’s not necessarily because the children are smart or gentle. Even if they have defects in their character or bodies, parents still love them. Parents’ love encompasses not only their merits but also their faults.

A fault found in someone makes even his close acquaintances keep their distance.

However, his parents are different. They love their children faults in spite of their faults. Such a love fosters the children’s healthy growth and development.

God’s love toward mankind is the same. The fact that God purchased mankind with His blood proves it. The life is in the blood. (Leviticus 17:11) God’s life is in God’s blood.

The blood of God is so precious that it cannot be purchased, not even for the heavenly host and angels, and everything in the universe. God bought us with such precious blood. He bought not only our good attributes but also our faults and sin. That’s why we can freely reveal everything about ourselves to God without fear.

After the cease-fire of the Korean War, the United States and North Korea conducted a prisoner exchange. The United States exchanged one thousand North Korean soldiers for every one American Soldier in order to save their own people who had been taken captive in the North. It means the United States considered their people so valuable.

God bought the human race with His blood. That’s because He considered them so valuable.

Today we can acknowledge our sin and expose our faults because He paid such a high price to purchase us. God called the people He bought with His blood and made them the church.

It is not necessary to say how precious the church is in His eyes. He appointed overseers to care for the churches. Acts 20:28 says, “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood”.

The overseer is not a duty that anyone can do just by volunteering nor can anyone take the office from another by force.

Only the Holy Spirit can appoint the overseer. He has the proper reason to designate the overseer.

Acts 20:29~30 says, “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them”.

It is a matter of course that all kinds of problems arise in the process of establishing and growing a church. Especially when a person turns up and provokes the people with doubts and complaints latent in their minds. By cunning words he stirs up people to follow him causing great difficulty for the church.

The overseer must rely on the Word to build up the congregation. Acts 20:31~32 says, “So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears. Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified”. And when the words are delivered through the overseer, members must accept them as the words of God and obey them with humility.

Those who hold up the overseer’s arms

Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. At that time, he needed a fellow worker. Even though there were many people in Israel, God appointed his brother Aaron, whom Moses trusted most,  and anointed him.

It was God that appointed Aaron. However, some of them ignored his authority and went so far as to turn against him. They did so because they thought of him only as Moses’ brother.

1 Chronicles 16:22 says, “Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm”.

When you see His anointed ones, you must be especially careful.

This is what happened when David was bringing the Ark of the Lord, which had been captured by the Philistines, into the City of David. He was so delighted to bring back the Ark of the Lord that he, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might.

Michal, the wife of David, despised her husband while watching the scene from a window.

And when she came out to meet him, she said mockingly, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his subjects’ female servants as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!”.

Hearing it, David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD’s people Israel–I will celebrate before the LORD. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.” After that, Michal had no children to the day of her death. (2 Samuel 6:16~23)

If you respect the Holy Spirit and love the church, you will love the overseer whom the Holy Spirit has appointed. When you love the overseer, it doesn’t mean that you love only his good points. When Jesus bought us with His blood, He bought our sin and faults as well as our souls.

If we really are those who have received such love, we must love the overseer whom God appointed over the church with the same love.

We must love even his faults and shortcomings.

The support and love of the congregation play a vital role for the overseer to overcome all kinds of difficulties and effectively lead the church. After Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, he underwent all kinds of hardships as a leader while they were passing through the desert.

When the Israelites arrived at Rephidim, the Amalekites attacked them. Moses left the battle to Joshua and went up the mountain with Aaron and Hur. He went to the top of the mountain and held up his two hands. Then the Israelites prevailed against the Amalekites.

But when he lowered his hands, then the Amalekites prevailed against the Israelites.

Moses had to keep his arms up. When Moses’ hands grew tired, Aaron and Hur made him sit on a stone and held his arms up on both sides. Because of them, Moses’ arms remained steady till sunset. and the Israelites was able to defeat the Amalekites. Like Aaron and Hur, we must hold up the overseer’s arms rather than be one of the men who drags down his arms. We must not speak a word of criticism or ridicule about him.

It happened that Noah drank some wine and became drunk, and he lay uncovered inside his tent.

Ham, one of his sons, found him drunk first. He saw his father’s nakedness and laughed at him, and he told his brothers about it. But, after hearing it, Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s nakedness.

When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what happened, he blessed Shem and Japheth and cursed Ham and his son Canaan. We must be men after God’s own heart. There are also men’s faults in the church that God bought with His blood. The overseer is not a man without faults. But God entrusted His work to the overseer.

Who are you, that you should forcibly point out the faults God has forgiven and nullified what Jesus’ blood did? Avoid bringing any charge against those whom God has chosen. (Romans 8:33~34) It is the Holy Spirit that has appointed the overseer for the church. Put a gag in your mouth and hold up the overseer’s arms.

We must love the overseer who speaks for God, so he can always be courageous. Love his helpers.

And love the souls that God has left the overseer to take care of. Then, our own faults will also be hidden before God who bought even our faults.