Passage

Colossians 3: 2
"Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth."


[Introduction]

Let us give all thanks and glory to God the Father who has blessed us to have church workers' devotional service.

I also give thanks to all the devotees who have prepared for this service with all your hearts, minds, and souls.

Dear devotees, those who love God and have faith should long for duties in church.

Your heavenly glory and rewards will be different according to how well you fulfill your duties and produce the fruit.

Thus, those who have the hope of Heaven will definitely consider their church duty precious.

Also, as time goes by after you receive a title your hope of Heaven should increase.

If you have increased hope of Heaven, the lingering attachment for the earthly things will disappear, and you will have greater fervor for the kingdom of God.

Now, I hope you will check how preciously you considered your church duty, and how great a hope of Heaven you have through this message.

Most parts of this message apply to the full-time Levite workers, but this message applies to all the church workers.

I pray in the name of the Lord that all pastors, deaconesses, deacons, senior deaconesses, and elders who are participating in this service will perform their duties well having the hope of Heaven, thereby storing up abundant rewards.


[Main]

Dear devotees,

Those who have the hope of Heaven, first of all, do not live a life of falsehood.

Not everybody who seems to be leading an enthusiastic life in faith really has the hope for Heaven.

There are people who cheat God, the Lord, and the Holy Spirit, and even themselves.

Of course, nobody can cheat the almighty God.

Here, to cheat means they don't change their heart but they just pretend to be practicing the will of God in hypocrisy.

But in most of these cases, they not only nicely and effectively cover for themselves, but they also deceive and cheat themselves.

This was the case with the Pharisees and the priests at the time of Jesus.

Luke 18:9-14 is the parable of Jesus about the prayer of a Pharisee and a tax-collector.

The Pharisee distanced himself from others and prayed saying, "God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get..."

He was praying that he hadn't committed any sins and he gave the tithe, so he was confident.

Additionally, Pharisees kept all the traditions of the elders, which were very complicated and difficult for ordinary people to keep.

But it was not the action that came out of true love for God or from a longing for righteousness in their heart.

Even the worldly people can pretend to be holy and righteous in order to earn the recognition of others and enjoy authority and honor.

These Pharisees kept the traditions of the elders because they loved enjoying wealth, power, and recognition.

They seemed to have great faith and righteousness in the eyes of men, but they did not cultivate goodness of heart, which is the most important thing.

In their arrogance they judged, condemned, and despised others, while at the same time they were incapable of realizing their own evil.

They had put their hope not in Heaven, but on this earth.

They had deluded themselves into thinking that it was just the deeds themselves that were seen as faith by God.

This is how they could stand before God in such self-deception and pray saying that they were 'righteous, godly, and holy'.

However, God searches the heart.
He does not desire the outward deeds that are revealed before men; He wants the righteousness cultivated in our hearts.

Rather than these Pharisees who were in falsehood, God considered the tax-collector who repented of his sins more righteous.

Even today, there are some people who are in such a state of falsehood.

They don't circumcise their hearts. They make a pretense of living by the word of God, and loving their shepherd.

They also make a pretense of loving and having reverence for God and also of having great faith and faithfulness.

It is with such pretense that they are able to deceive others.

Others might think these people are praying hard with faithfulness and that they are recognized by God and the shepherd too.

Also they may have deluded themselves into thinking that they have great faith, they love God, and they long for New Jerusalem.

But they have to check the fruit they have produced to see if they shun worldly things because they really put their hope in Heaven, or because they want to earn the recognition of others.

If they really put their hope in Heaven and love God and the shepherd, they will produce true fruits.

For example, if they really love God, they will love their brothers, too.

They will constantly have consideration for others as they interact with other people.

They won't become envious or jealous but will rejoice when others are doing well. Even when others' faults are revealed, they will try to cover for that person.

They won't become irritated just because things do not go as they want. They won't pass judgment or condemnation on others. They try to have consideration for the standpoints and hearts of others without giving them a hard time.
They wouldn't hurt the feelings of others with sharp and piercing words but treat them with a gentle heart.

If they really love God and the shepherd, they will bear the fruit of loving their brothers as they love themselves.

Also, those who cheat God and themselves come to worship and prayer services to flaunt themselves before others.

On the other hand, those who put their hope in Heaven will attend because they feel joy and happiness when they are in communion with God.

They are changing their hearts and bearing the fruit of true righteousness through those times.

Those who put their hope in Heaven will perform their duties in truthfulness, too.

They don't just work only to the extent to be noticed by others, or just do that which has been given to them, but they look for other things they might also be able to do.

It is not true that they just do the things that the shepherd or the head of the departments check and it is not true that they will neglect the areas that nobody checks.

Even though nobody questions them on their responsibility, they will perform their duties with unchanging heart and eventually they will produce spiritual fruits.

I urge you to check your heart thoroughly as to whether you had the desire to flaunt yourself before others or act deceitfully before them.

I pray in the name of the Lord that, in doing so, you will put your hope in Heaven only and bear the fruits of truthfulness.

Dear devotees,

Those who have the hope of Heaven, secondly, will improve themselves considering their duty precious.

As you do your duties for a long period of time, you become accustomed to it.

You can have confidence in your ability to do your work because you have been doing it for more than a year or two.
But the problem is, when you get used to your work, there are some people who just do it as a matter of habit without making any improvements. This may even continue for 10 to 20 year or more.

Or, they just do the same work they have been doing for so many years.

You shouldn't be at ease because you are confident about your work, but you have to have constant improvement receiving wisdom through prayer.

Also, if you become accustomed to a certain work, you can expand and fulfill more duties to the extent your time and abilities allow.

You have to dedicate yourself continually thinking about what you can do for the kingdom of God.

It holds true in greater measure for the Levites and pastors who receive salary from the church.

If you just do as little work as possible and try to enjoy your leisure time, this is same as the worker who has buried one talent in the ground.

As a worker, you have to have some improvements after a certain period of time.

You should increase your capability so that you can do more and more work.

You also have to improve your abilities and skills even to match the experts in the world.

You have to improve your technological abilities and talents and try to become specialists in your areas.

For example, those who are working in broadcasting or information technology have to continuously learn and upgrade their skills with new technology.

The technology of the world is developing day by day, and if you just remain where you are, you have no choice but to fall behind.

It is not just you who falls behind, but it causes great damage to the kingdom of God.

It's the same with administrative workers or those in performing arts.
Thinking that you are doing well enough, you must not stay where you are now within the limits of your current capabilities and education.

Consider the case of singers in the world. If they cannot impress the people with something new in each album they produce, they will be forgotten by the public.

Those of you who do the work of God must improve yourself physically and spiritually every day.

You must not put your mind at ease and think, "I was singing like this 10 years ago, I am singing like this now, so I'll just keep on singing like this in the future as well."

You have to study continuously thinking of the ways to improve your skills, give glory to God, and endlessly touch the hearts of the church members more greatly.

Those who are successful in the world try much harder than others.

One of the best ballerinas of the world, Sue-Jin Kang, is well-known for her hours of practice.

During the 10 years that her name was not well known, she practiced at least 15 hours, even up to 19 hours a day.

Even now, although she is recognized as one of the best in the world, she practices for more than 7 hours a day.

She is not the only one who tries so hard.

If you observe successful business persons, scholars, or artists, you find that nobody lives at ease in laziness.

Most of these people increase the potential to achieve their dreams with effort and passion that others cannot imagine.

But their effort is mostly for their personal honor and personal benefit.

Now, what kind of effort and passion have you been investing as you are working for the kingdom of God-

The kingdom of God is enlarged through your ministry, and your faithfulness will be stored up as heavenly glory and rewards.

Then, isn't it obvious that you have to try harder than worldly people to improve and change yourself-

If you just stay in the same spot, doing the same old thing all the time without having any improvement in your skills or knowledge, it is something shameful before God.

If your singing skills remain the same as they were one or two years ago, it is something shameful too.

If you have stoppage or reached a plateau in any area, you have to change it and improve yourself.

Of course, it does not mean that the physical skills are so important that you neglect the spiritual development.

Even though you received the best education and talents, those who commit sins have nothing to do with God.

Those who do not pray and those who break peace cannot be used for God's kingdom.

Those who have hope of Heaven have faith and they live by the word of God.

But if they have been really changing themselves spiritually, they must have received the guidance of the Holy Spirit to improve their physical skills as well.

Even though you are lacking in some areas, it's not too late.

Think about how your department can produce better fruits for the church, and how you can have excellent skills in your area of charge to become the strength in God's kingdom and to benefit the church members. Become more skillful workers as you try your best and receive wisdom and understanding from above.

Dear devotees,

Those who put their hope in Heaven, thirdly, should long for spiritual things.

They should long for the sanctuary of God, the Word, power, and their shepherd.

How happy and joyful were you as you began to experience the spiritual realm when you came to church for the first time-

You sort of lamented saying, "Why have I only now come to this church and met this shepherd-", and you decided to dedicate yourself.

You were full of thanksgiving that you could experience this power of God. You were filled with joy that you could listen to this message.

Some of you cried out in prayer in the sanctuary whenever you had time, and you listened to the audio sermons for hours and hours.

You waited for long periods of time just to shake hands with your shepherd, and then you were filled with joy through the rest of the week.

When you received a little duty in the church, you were thankful from heart and made up your mind to fulfill your precious duty properly.

You gathered in the church even after you finished work, and you knelt before God to pray as much as possible.

And yet, you did not say it was hard or tiring, but you were happy that you could do the work of God.

How did you feel when you first became a Levite-

You were thinking something like, "I don't care about low salary. I wouldn't care even if I have to do laborious work. I am happy if I can only stay in the sanctuary of God."

But can you say your initial attitude is the same after 1, 3, 5, or 10 years-

Of course you should have the same attitude and even more fervor.

You should consider your duty even more preciously, and your thanksgiving has to increase, too.

But is there any of you whose zeal has cooled down, and you just work like an employee of the world working for money-

Even in this world, there are people who just fill up their lethargic work hours while others are trying their best to increase their ability and become successful.

These people just do the work given to them, just enough to receive the salary and go back home.

They try to do as little work as possible, and they don't want to do more difficult work that requires more time and effort.

They try to avoid responsibility or something cumbersome in an effort to have as much personal time as possible.

If anyone works with this kind of attitude in the church, he is no different than a common laborer.

You have to think about whether or not you are really beneficial to the kingdom of God; whether or not you are receiving salary from the church only to care for your personal comfort and needs; and whether or not you are of value to the kingdom of God.

Even among the lay-members, there are many who work for the kingdom of God, but they spend their own money and time.

Considering this fact and that you receive salary from the church, how much more time and effort should you put in to fulfill your duties-

Moreover, in order to fulfill the duties in the kingdom of God, you must understand the will of God.

Therefore, each department should think about the following:

How many times a year does the department head and all workers come as one before the shepherd-

Did each department whole-heartedly try to understand the will of the shepherd and obey it, thinking about the things you have to do in the current flow of the church, and what kind of spiritual vision you should have for the future-

You shouldn't just say 'senior pastor is busy.' If you really want to listen and obey, you will arrange the time and make an appointment to see me even for a short moment.

If you really consider your duty precious and have the spiritual eagerness, you will definitely come before the shepherd.

In the name of the Lord in this year 2011, I urge all the departments to be united with the shepherd according to the will of God and ride on the flow of spirit as one.


Conclusion

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

There are many excellent people in this world.

They sing with angelic voices, and they play the musical instruments with the talents of geniuses.

They accumulate vast knowledge throughout their lives and keep abreast of state-of-art technology.

But no matter how great the talents and achievements of the worldly people are, all these will become extinct after their earthly life.

The excellent talents and the vast knowledge and skills will become useless for them.

But each duty that you are fulfilling will be paid back in full as heavenly rewards.

Colossians 3:1-2 says, "Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth."

You were raised up with Christ, and you have hope of Heaven, and I urge you to set your minds only on the things above.

Lead a life in faith without any falsehood, improve your skills and knowledge, and long for spiritual things.

I pray in the name of the Lord that, in doing so, you will become the key players in leading the era of the Canaan Sanctuary and you will enjoy praises and honor in Heaven.