Passage

Philippians 2: 13
"for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."

Introduction

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
This is the last Sunday of the year 2008, and after this evening service we will have the annual convention.
And so, in this message, we would like to think of what kinds of blessings God the Father has given to us this year.
Today's passage from Philippians 2:13 says, "...for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."
As these words say, God the Father has given us prayer points every year.
And as we pray with faith and obey, He answers us and gives us blessings.
What kinds of blessings has God the Father given to us in this year 2008?
Through this message, I would like you to have a time to give thanks and glory to God the Father who has been with us in this year.

Main

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the first prayer point of this year was 'End Time'. As we see the signs that the Bible mentions are being realized in our daily lives, we can understand the second coming of the Lord is very near.
God the Father has urged us to be spiritually awake and prepare our oil through the parable of the ten virgins waiting for their groom.
Also, as said in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, He wants us to preserve our whole spirit, soul, and body complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He doesn't want us to panic because we are not prepared to receive the groom like the five unwise virgins.
He proclaimed that it is really end time with His earnest desire to let none of you who are attending church fall into the 7-year Tribulation.
Now knowing this, how well have you prepared your oil according to God's word?
Spiritually, preparation of oil is to always pray fervently and have the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Only when we do this can we prepare ourselves as brides.
Namely, we can cast away sinful natures and evil natures from our heart and become people of spirit.
And to the extent that we cultivate pure and good hearts, we will put on more brightly shining and more beautiful linen when we enter the 7-Year Wedding Banquet.
Of course, our body, the spiritual resurrected body, will give out brighter lights.
Now, how cleanly have you washed your robes that you will wear to the wedding banquet in the air?
When the time comes we shouldn't still have the stains and dirt of the people of the world.
There shouldn't be anybody who does not even realize that he is giving out foul smell of the flesh.
We cannot go into the wedding banquet with such garments.
If you have been praying fervently and washing your spiritual robes, I urge you to keep up your fervor.
If you feel you didn't try enough, I urge you to try harder in the coming year.
In doing so, I urge you to get what you lacked this year and come into spirit and whole spirit quickly.
Brothers and sisters, the second prayer point of this year was the 'prepared one'.
As the end gets near, the great providence of God that He will fulfill through our church will be revealed more clearly.
And God has advised us to be 'prepared people' who can be used in each area when these works of God are being fulfilled.
For this, we need to be prepared spiritually and physically.
We need workers who have knowledge and capability in administrative management, technology, different skills, law, diplomacy, etc.
I know some of you are developing and improving your knowledge and skills to be used for the kingdom of God.
We can also be assured that God the Father is making us prepare for the future of our church.
For example, He reorganized the Planning Dept. which is a core department of the church.
He established the organization and system that can match our vision to be ready for the future.
For example, to catch a fish in a lake, a small boat and a small net would be sufficient.
But if we want to catch fish in the ocean, we need much bigger boat and more professional fishing equipment. Also, we need more workers.
Like the fisherman fishing in the ocean, God is allowing this church time to gradually prepare to attract and accommodate the many different peoples who will be coming to us.
As a part of this preparation, God let us make a new dept. called 'Interpretation Dept.'
God tells us to have excellent interpretation skills so that we will be able to deal with any kind of situation when people of different languages and cultures come from all over the world.
Of course, physical preparations are important, but more important thing is the preparation of the spiritual vessel.
No matter how beautiful and good the vessel may appear, if it tarnished or if it isn't clean, it cannot be used.
First of all, it has to be clean to be used for any purpose. Thus, the first priority for us is to prepare a pure and clean vessel of our heart.
Along with this, if we can develop each one's physical talents, it would be like adding luster to what is already beautiful.
How did you spend this year in this kind of spiritual flow?
Have you done something special to prepare yourself to become a prepared person? Or did you just spend the whole year just thinking that you should do something?
Of course we need big plans, but what you can do right now is just look back how much fruit you have borne in the areas of your charge.
We still have time. I urge you to prepare yourself spiritually and physically for the kingdom of God from today, from this very moment.
Brothers and sisters, the third prayer point of this year was 'sanctuary'.
It's the point for which we have always been praying since the beginning of this church.
The ultimate goal is the construction of the Grand Sanctuary, but before that, we have to build the Canaan Sanctuary with our faith and prayers.
Yes, you have been praying for a long period of time.
Also, in the New Year service of last year, you gave the construction offering for the Canaan Sanctuary with all your best.
But still you don't see the Canaan Sanctuary before your eyes, do you?
God the Father has prepared something much better than what we have expected.
When that time comes, we will feel that it's been worthwhile to wait for a longer period of time.
We will enjoy the blessings of the Canaan Sanctuary which will be our true satisfaction, comfort, thanks, and pride.
God the Father does not only give the land and building of the sanctuary.
Through the process of building it, He lets our faith grow up and makes the sanctuary of our heart more perfect.
He will also pay us back for all the times during which we will have been praying for the sanctuary with our longing hearts.
As you have sown, He will pour down amazing blessings on your families, your workplaces, and your businesses.
As explained, the construction of the sanctuary is blessing for us. It's spiritual and material blessing.
And now we have to fill just a little more the golden censer that contains the aroma of prayer for the construction of the Canaan Sanctuary.
Because we have to bring down the great answer of blessings, we have had to pray for a long period of time. And if we fill up the amount of aroma of prayer just a little more, the golden censer will be filled soon.
God is giving us the opportunity to participate in this historical event of receiving the answer for the construction of the Canaan Sanctuary.
Let us fill the aroma of prayer in the golden censer by praying with unchanging faith and longing.
Brothers and sisters, the fourth prayer point of this year was 'Power of God'.
This is not just some power of God but the power of God which is inexpressible with words.
Especially, in the two special healing sessions, I believe you must have felt the different level of power.
Moreover, this year, we have experienced the spiritual space more clearly.
First, the moving of the dragonflies through the space became a happy memory of our church members.
In South America which has summer now, or in tropical countries like India, they can see the dragonflies even now in December.
Wherever our church members are, the same kind of power is taking place going beyond the limitations of time and space.
In the prayer title 'Power of God' there was also the meaning of bringing down rain from the cloud that is just the size of a hand.
It refers to the power to control the weather conditions.
Do you remember what happened in August? I am talking about the hurricane Gustav becoming very weak in the spiritual space.
I prayed for that during a Sunday morning service upon the request of a believer in the United States, and God the Father answered us as I prayed.
It was another occasion through which we experienced that God can do everything, even the things that men cannot do.
Also, in November, when our mission team went to India for a pastor's conference, they had a rain that quenched the drought that had lasted for a long time.
The same kind of work that took place when I went to India in 2002 happened again. And this is not all.
This year also, God the Father has shown to us so many times the inexpressible works of God's power in the spiritual space.
This was possible because of your continuous prayers.
Let us give all thanks and glory to God the Father who has answered all our prayers faithfully.

Conclusion

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have talked about it, we have received answers to the prayer titles of the church this year.
Have you also received the answers to your three personal prayer points? I know many of you have.
Even though the answer is not visible right now, it doesn't mean you have not received it. God the Father gives to us with the best things.
If you have sown the seed with prayers and faith, God will make it sprout, bud, and grow up.
Therefore, just because you don't see the fruit right now, you shouldn't say there is no answer to your prayer.
I hope you will always rejoice and give thanks by trusting in God who gives to you the best fruit at the most appropriate time.
I pray in the name of the Lord that your lives will be filled with overflowing answers and blessings in the coming year.

[Amen]