• Give Thanks to the Lord2)

    [Psalm 136:2]
    2007.10.07 | Pastor Emeritus Jaerock Lee
    • Scripture Reading

      Psalm 136:2

      "Give thanks to the God of gods, For His lovingkindness is everlasting."

      Introduction

      Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

      This service is for the celebration of the 25th anniversary of Manmin Central Church and the 2nd anniversary of GCN.

      Let's give thanks and glory to our God who has founded and blessed Manmin Central Church and GCN to this day.

      Many people from around the country and many overseas countries have come to celebrate this service.

      I give heartfelt thanks to our precious guests and welcome all of you who are attending this service.
      And I welcome all those new comers to our church and church members' families and relatives.

      I also give thanks to all the pastors of Manmin at home and abroad, missionaries, church workers, all the brothers and sisters in faith, and GCN workers who have dedicated yourselves only to the glory of God.

      Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, and guests, Manmin Central Church, which was opened in the providence of God, now faces the 25th anniversary.

      Our God has protected and guided our church with His blazing eyes. He has also revealed numerous signs and wonders and improved the faith of the church members through them.

      And He has let us greatly accomplish world mission by guiding us with the ways that we never thought of.
      One of the most outstanding fruits was the launch of GCN, the Global Christian Network, and now we are celebrating its 2nd anniversary.

      At first we had none of the finance, manpower, and technology that were necessary for the broadcasting.

      But the work of creating something from nothing took place in the wisdom and power of the almighty God, and the broadcasting ministry of GCN started and expanded so fast in a short time.
      GCN has broadcast to almost every country through 3,300 cable TV stations, 8 over-the-air TV stations, 9 satellite TV channels and the Internet, and through them countless souls have been saved and testified to the grace received.
      Recently it has sent its 24-hour programming to the whole world including Europe, Africa, Middle East, Russia, and Asia through the satellite "Thaicom 5."

      It means that simultaneous broadcasting service has been made possible anywhere in the world.

      The prophecy of Habakkuk 2:14 saying, "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea," is being achieved through the ministry of GCN.

      Today I give thanks to God for His love that has been revealed to the world through us, and I wish you will share the vision and missions that God wants our church and GCN to accomplish.

      Through the message, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ the Savior of all mankind that the grace and glory of God that has been upon our church for the last 25 years through His word may come upon your life as well.

      Body

      Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, honored guests, the first title of thanksgiving is that our God has faithfully fulfilled His word to us as spoken.

      Numbers 23:19 says, "God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?"

      The word of God recorded in the Bible has been accomplished without the slightest error from the beginning of time until now.

      Every word of God that has been given to our church since its founding has been fulfilled absolutely as it has been spoken.

      For the last 25 years, God has been faithfully fulfilling His promise that He gave to us at the time of church opening.

      The church started just with 9 adults and 4 children, but now it is one of the biggest churches in the world that has a congregation of about 100,000.

      Now our church has formed a great denomination that has 6,600 branch churches around the world, and has enlarged its ministries not only through various crusades, pastors' seminars, and commissioned missionaries, but also through various media including books and newsletters, internet websites, and the broadcasting ministry.

      The mission in Israel, deemed the remotest part of the earth; and the Canaan Sanctuary, that has been our longing, have already been initiated; and our God will let us build the Grand Sanctuary through the "kings of the world."

      Since the time we had a small sanctuary of just about 40 square meters without any windows, God had gave us the vision of the Grand Sanctuary.
      He has commanded us to build the ark of salvation that will reveal the living God and His glory.

      It is to awaken countless people from spiritual slumber and adorn them as the brides of the Lord through the messages preached from and God's power manifested in the Grand Sanctuary.
      The starting point of the Grand Sanctuary is none other than constructing the Canaan Sanctuary that is on going at this time.
      These major flows tell us how precisely the prophecies that God gave to us God are being fulfilled.

      I believe that you will realize and feel more convinced that God confirms His word in His faithfulness as time goes by.

      So, when God's promises are completely fulfilled, I pray that all of you may enjoy the accompanying blessings and emotions as partakers of these visions.

      I pray in the name of the Lord that you will be able to experience this grace of the faithful God in your life, too!

      Dear brothers and sisters, and honored guests, the second title of thanksgiving is the amazing power of God that He has manifested for us.

      Jesus said in John 4:48, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe."

      The reason that God has showed signs and wonders is for those who see them to possess true faith.

      It is another expression of His love to let them receive the strength to overcome the world. But not everyone experiences those works of God's power.

      Many Christians say they believe in the almighty God, but lead some kind of thirsty or desperate Christian life without experiencing God's power.

      Since the opening of our church our God has continually manifested amazing wonders and signs in His great love.
      The blind came to see, the mute to speak and the lame got up, walked and jumped.

      Countless sick people were healed of various incurable diseases including various cancers and AIDS.

      Those who had been poisoned by harmful chemicals or carbon monoxide gas were revived, and broken bones, dead nerves and severed tendons and muscles were made whole by God.

      Many couples who had long been infertile came to receive the blessing of conception by receiving prayers.

      Above all, whenever we held crusades in many countries, God showed tremendously powerful works, and it is something most of you guests from overseas have witnessed.

      How many people were healed and testified to their healings just by one-time prayer and in just a couple of days?

      If necessary for the kingdom of God, God let typhoons die out as we prayed, and on the other hand, He gave us clouds and rain according to our needs.

      Now I cannot illustrate every occurrence with detailed examples of the powerful works of God manifested. But, the works of God's power have increased daily for the last 25 years.

      We Manmin members have firsthand experienced these powerful works, and have been able to believe in the living God.

      Because we possessed true faith, we have been trying our best to live His word and walk in the light.
      Now our God promises us that we will see greater works from now on.

      Our God will let us more clearly testify to the living God not only by helping us believers experience His power but also manifesting amazing works before unbelievers.

      Our God will continue performing such things that belong only to God and revealing amazingly powerful works that people cannot believe even after witnessing them.

      I give real thanks to our God who has been with us in His amazing power and will manifest even greater works from now on.

      Brothers and sisters, and precious guests, the third title of thanksgiving is the love of God who lets the way of salvation be proclaimed to many people around the world.

      1 Timothy 2:4 says, "[God] desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."
      In our time there are so many people who don't know the gospel.

      They are rushing along the path to death without knowing the love of God and the meaning and purpose of life.

      And many others, even though they have heard the gospel, do not believe in God from the heart, but instead live in difficulties because they cannot find the way to meet God.
      Even in abundant living conditions, they have no satisfaction of mind, but become addicted to alcohol, drugs and temptations of life. Thus, they dig their own graves and even abandon their own lives.
      Our God wishes to show the path of salvation that is before everyone in the world through the ministry of Manmin that is actively accomplishing the world mission and the manifestations of the power of God at this church.

      Today, wherever the kingdom of God is expanded through Manmin, dead souls are revived and the heartbroken are made well.

      True light has come upon those who lost the hope without realizing the meaning of life and those who were tormented from insurmountable situations caused by diseases, famines, wars, crimes and various disasters.

      This has been due mainly to the ministry of GCN.

      Many viewers in those places where we cannot spread the gospel firsthand and where we cannot send missionaries, have reached salvation through GCN.

      They have realized God's heart and will through messages and received healings through the time-and-space-transcending prayer and sent back their testimonies to us.

      They have possessed faith by witnessing powerful works of God, and gained the assurance of salvation and God's answers.

      They have come to long for better kingdoms of heaven, and been thankful for gaining peace and comfort amidst of the sufferings of diseases and disasters.
      From now on the word of life and news of God's power will spread to many more places of the globe.


      Let's give thanks to our God who will enable the way of salvation to be heard in the coldest places covered with ice and snow, the remotest mountains and throughout the human race and all and nations with the varied languages and differences.

      Conclusion

      Dear brothers and sister sin Christ and all guests, our God of love has opened up the path to life by sacrificing the life of His only begotten Son Jesus.

      And for the last a couple thousand years He has sent men of God and let them cry out, "Repent, come back to the arms of God!"

      Before the days that God destined pass and the cultivation of mankind is completed, He will cover the whole world with fiery works of the Holy Sprit once again.

      And He will show the love of God and the path to salvation to all the souls of the world.

      The duty of spearheading this work of God has been assigned to our church and GCN.

      For this, God founded our church 25 years ago and has long since laid the foundation.

      God has given me more and greater power through the long years of trials, and added stronger faith to the members of the church.

      He has raised many servants of the Lord and church workers, and placed firm bases for a world mission.

      And He chose GCN as a means of the mouthpiece of God to accomplish world mission.
      Thus, He has equipped our church with every detailed thing necessary for the ark of salvation in the Last Days.

      He Himself has accomplished all these things to this day, and now my heart is throbbing with joy and expectation just to imagine what He will do in the future.

      So, I eagerly want all of you including pastors and church workers to be more zealous, fulfill the providence of God and participate in the glory promised by God.

      And I ask all of you here in attendance to anticipate what kind of ministries God will accomplish through this church, and to become partakers of it in your hearts.

      Please have great expectations of this church's ministry from your homes afar and remember to keep us in your prayers.

      I pray in the name of the Lord that, when we fully complete all our God-given duties and meet before His throne, we will all sing the songs of triumph to our God!

      I give all thanks and glory to our Father God who has faithfully fulfilled each and every word and will continue accomplishing His word even more greatly in the future.

      Amen




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