< Galatians 6:17-18 >

“From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.”

“From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus” (Galatians 6:17). The Apostle Paul admonished it especially in the last chapter of Galatians. What the Apostle Paul was saying was that one must not try to receive the remission of sins or profess oneself to be sinless with a legalistic faith. Especially concerning the circumcisionists trying to become the people of God by receiving physical circumcision, he said clearly that trying to become descendants of Abraham by circumcision in the flesh is an erroneous faith. Because he had spoken sufficiently about the severity of the harm of such faith, he came to say, “From now on let no one trouble me.” He was saying that people should never again, with such faith, make him weary nor try to suck dry the marrow of his bones.

How would the Apostle Paul have been able to say such words? Those who tormented the Apostle Paul most weren’t the people outside. People who claimed such physical circumcision and practiced legalistic faith among the workers and saints in the churches of God tormented the Apostle Paul’s soul. Looking at the Pauline Epistles, it clearly shows how the circumcisionists had tormented Paul. As soon as the Apostle Paul managed to preach the true gospel to souls, those who advocated physical circumcision were immediately saying, “One can become a descendant of Abraham only by placing a knife on one’s foreskin and cutting it off.” By whispering such temptation when Paul was absent from the church, they had people receive circumcision in the flesh. Moreover, people who had received physical circumcision were slandering brothers who didn’t receive such circumcision. Without knowing how much that could damage the gospel of God, they had committed such an enormous mistake.

In great torment due to such people, Paul said, “From now on let no one trouble me.” He said, “Do not trouble me with such things. Stop forming factions and stop doing works that aren’t worthwhile. Believe well in the things in which only you believe. God has saved us from sins by the grace of the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and all one has to do is believe in this Truth well and to preach it well. Yet, due to what is lacking, do you insist on saying that one has to receive circumcision in the flesh and keep on encouraging those who have not received the circumcision? Do not trouble me with such things.”

Even in this day and age, there are people like those circumcisionists, and they are tormenting the saints. Now, they are saying that one could receive the remission of sins by offering prayers of repentance. Also, by hypnotizing themselves on their own, there are those who believe that they are without sin just by believing in the blood of the Cross only.

They are those who obstinately believe that they do not have sins because the Lord has saved them from sins by shedding His blood while dying on the Cross, all the while not knowing, not believing, and not accepting the gospel of the water and the Spirit and refusing to surrender before God’s Word of truth. And, they are spreading an imperfect gospel to people by hypnotizing themselves, along with other numerous people, that not having sins is right because Jesus has shed His blood for their sins.

Today, those who have the legalistic faith are under the illusion that they have received salvation from their sins by hypnotizing themselves. They continue to believe that they don’t have sins while in a state of self-hypnosis due to their own emotional denial. These people obstinately say that they don’t have sins. They are saying so for the reason that Jesus has saved them from sins by shedding His blood while hanging on the Cross and dying. Is this really true? It is true that those who believe in Jesus properly don’t have sins? Is it also the case that sins in their hearts have really disappeared?

It is the case that people who believe in Jesus coming to this earth by the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit and having saved us from worldly sins are without sins. But, those who deceived people as well as themselves by self-hypnotized faith have sins. They are mocking God the Father and Jesus Christ, and tormenting God’s church and the saints who have the true gospel of the water and the Spirit. They go on living under deception without even knowing that they are killing people who should not die, and keeping people alive who should not live (Ezekiel 13:19). Their faith is something that is an excessively erroneous faith.

Today, people believe that they would become holier if they keep on trying to sanctify themselves for a long time after believing in Jesus, but such faith is a legalistic and deed-oriented faith. Also, those people today who try to receive the cleansing of sins by prayers of repentance and believing in the doctrine of sanctification are also following erroneous faiths. For people today to obstinately believe in having been chosen by God without even knowing about the gospel of the water and the Spirit is also an egocentric and absurd faith. Such people of faith are spiritually tormenting God’s servants, just like the cicumcisionists had tormented the Apostle Paul.

Romans 5:18 states, “Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.”

What righteous act did Jesus Christ do after having come to this earth? Jesus took on our sins by receiving the baptism from John the Baptist, and in doing so, He cleansed us from all our sins. And, after bearing worldly sins through His baptism, He saved us from sins by shedding blood on the Cross and dying vicariously. Hence, the Apostle Paul said that the faith of believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit is the mark of Jesus on his body. The Apostle Paul had received forty stripes minus one, five times from the Jews, and had come back to life from almost having died from being stoned in order to spread the gospel of the water and the Spirit. He suffered even more spiritual troubles because some of his church members were trying to become the people of God by receiving circumcision in the flesh. In Paul, there was the mark of the faith of believing in Jesus who had come by the gospel of the water and the Spirit.

The Apostle was a true servant of God because he had the mark of the faith of having spiritually died with Jesus Christ and having been brought to life again with Jesus Christ. While dedicating all his spiritual and physical life to the Lord, he had the faith to witness that the gospel of the water and the Spirit is the faith that he believed in and that it was the only truth. In Paul, there was the mark of such faith. Even in our hearts, there is the mark of the faith of believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and also in our flesh, there is the mark of having received spiritual and physical suffering because of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

As I conclude the sermons on Galatians, I would like to witness for sure what the main subject of Galatians is. It is that the faith of the circumcisionists among the Galatian church members was wrong. “If one receives the circumcision, that person would become a people of God and a descendant of Abraham.” I know it is my duty to witness that people who claim such faith is mistaken. The Apostle Paul’s faith was “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ”(Galatians 3:27). Accordingly, Paul correctly witnessed the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit.

If one were to ask in which Bible passage did Paul witness the gospel of the water and the Spirit, the answer would be the following words: “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ”(Galatians 3:27). This passage implies precisely the gospel of the water and the Spirit that Paul believed in. Is it not? Why did the Apostle Paul speak about the baptism Jesus had received from John? That is because Paul had faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. If the gospel of the water and the Spirit were bluntly shown so that everyone could know, why do you think that it was said so frequently to be a secret in the Bible? (1 Corinthians 4:1, Ephesians 3:4, Colossians 4:3) Do you think that God would have taught the gospel of the water and the Spirit to those who were opposing Him? Would you have opened a treasure chest in front of your enemies if it were you? It wouldn’t make sense! God has revealed the gospel of the water and the Spirit to those who obey and follow the Word of God. However, as for those who were not so, He had thoroughly concealed the gospel of the water and the Spirit as a spiritual secret.

I wish that all the people in the world would listen to these sermons on Galatians in order for them to be warned of the harm of today’s circumcisionists. It is only the Book of Galatians that speaks about the great wrongfulness of the legalistic faith and also about the wrongfulness of those who try to receive physical circumcision. In Galatians, we can find out the traces that the Apostle Paul had disclosed the inconsistent faith of the circumcisionists and led the saints in the Galatian region to the path of right faith with the Holy Spirit and the Word of the Truth.

In this day and age, there are so many people who do not believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit among those who claim to believe in Jesus. They should not spread a gospel that is different from the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Because the gospel that they believe in and preach is a false gospel, it is better not to preach it. For them to preach such a gospel is doing evil before God.

They speak falsely and in vain, “Believe in Jesus. If you believe in Jesus, there is no sin.” While not even being able to make people perfectly receive the remission of sins by the gospel of the water and the Spirit, they are slightly scorching peoples’ souls with the false half-gospel and as a result, turning people into sinners. Although there are many people who believe in Jesus, because the number of people who have been born again is small, the number of people who opposes God increases. Also, the love for God by most believers is growing cold, and the number of people who want to believe in God decreases instead. Although there are many people who believe in Jesus, because they believe by having been deceived by liars, even those who want to receive the remission of sins before God are prevented from encountering the real truth of salvation. False gospels, which are not the gospel of the water and the Spirit, do not save peoples’ souls, but rather, they kill them.

As you know very well from the Book of Galatians, the Apostle Peter received spiritual reprimand from Paul. While not even practicing all that a Jew has to follow himself, Peter showed a legalistic way of life by telling the Gentiles to live like Jews. Actually, for Jews to meet with the Gentiles and to eat with them was illegal. In spite of this, there was a time when Peter had met and ate with the Gentiles who believed in Jesus. While doing so, Peter tried to run away because he was surprised that Paul had come. That is why Paul reprimanded, “Why are you leaving since I’ve come? Why do you pretend to abide by the Law? Even though you have received salvation by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, why are you telling the Gentiles to keep the Law that you cannot even keep?”

Like this, if it weren’t for the Apostle Paul, most people would not have realized how wrong receiving of circumcision in the flesh was and would have looked over it. Most people would not have known that circumcision in the flesh perverted and disturbed the gospel of the water and the Spirit spiritually. Peter had said, “There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism”(1 Peter 3:21), and it is only obvious that most people do not know how dangerous spiritual hypocrisy is because even Peter was hypocritical, all the while believing in the baptism Jesus had received.

Even today, people in this day and age know that one cannot be born again by offering prayers of repentance, but they continue to offer prayers of repentance. There are only a small number of people who know how greatly wrong the prayer of repentance that they offer is. Even though they may have been saved by the faith of believing in Jesus as the Savior, they try to cleanse their wrong doings by prayers of repentance, and they go on thinking that to do so is a right thing. However, that is a greatly mistaken faith.

Did we receive the remission of sins by offering prayers of repentance to Jesus Christ? We have received the remission of sins when we turned back from a false faith and came to believe that the Lord has saved us from all sins by receiving the baptism and dying on the Cross for us. The Lord cleansed all our sins from our hearts with the gospel of the water and the Spirit. By believing in that gospel of the water and the Spirit, one becomes a righteous person without sins. The true gospel of salvation is the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Then, how can people think that they can get rid of their sins by offering prayers of repentance? That is only a religion, not the faith of believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.

Today, do you think that your sins disappear by offering prayers of repentance? You must realize that one cannot receive the remission of sins by offering prayers of repentance. But, while professing that they have been saved by believing in Jesus as the Savior, ordinary people do not know that it is wrong to offer prayers of repentance. People think that one can receive salvation from sins by tolerating the legalistic faith of offering prayers of repentance or by trying to cleanse their personal sins by such prayers.

Of course, there has to be a life of repentance within our lives of faith. We have to repent our wrong doings, and actually turn around from them by faith. But, this does not mean that there has to be a life of offering prayers of repentance. Rather, we have to confess our sins while believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. It means that there has to be a life of admitting our sins before God and that we must turn back from sinful ways everyday. However, the foolish faith of trying to cleanse their committed sins by offering prayers of repentance is a greatly mistaken faith. But, there are so many foolish people who try to cleanse their sins by prayers of repentance.

Do you know that there are a lot of such foolish Christians? Do you know fully that today’s evangelicals and legalists who try to cleanse their sins by offering prayers of repentance have erroneous faiths? Perhaps, one in a hundred thousand would know that. Still, it’s no use even if they know. Most Christians know that they must be without sins by believing in Jesus as the Savior, but they can’t deny that they are full of sins, no matter how fervently they offer prayers of repentance. It is because they can’t resist offering prayers of repentance for they actually have sins in their hearts. Their conscience informs them truthfully of their sins. Thus, their faith becomes the type of faith that tries to receive the remission of sins by saying, “I have done wrong. Please forgive me.” Such faith is the formal faith of today’s Christianity. People call such faith the doctrine of justification.

For this reason, the Apostle Paul is telling us that it is wrong to try to cleanse sins by receiving physical circumcision. Paul said, “From now on let no one trouble me.” We must understand Paul’s heart altogether. Paul was so greatly troubled by the circumcisionists that he had ended up speaking such words. Such doctrinal faith has been handed down up until now, and it has made the faith of many people erroneous. Also, such faith led to the faith of trying to receive the cleansing of sins by offering prayers of repentance today.

We must know how wrong of a faith it is to try to become a purely righteous person in body and spirit later, after having believed in the doctrine of sanctification. We must know that such faiths are troubling God and Paul, and that we must also turn back toward the truth by throwing away such false faiths. Trying to become the people of God by receiving circumcision in the flesh as in the Early Church Era is truly a greatly mistaken doctrine.

While walking down a street, I came across a newspaper published by some evangelicals. I was greatly disappointed by its content. People who made that newspaper didn’t know the gospel of the water and the Spirit. I felt in my heart that such gospels should not be preached. Although it is true that God had blotted out all our sins, they shouldn’t say that they are sinless unconditionally without the correct knowledge of the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Their sins do not disappear by believing like that. Nevertheless, they were preaching the half-gospel while believing it.

Because God had blotted the sins of humanity by the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit once and for all, we can become people of God only by knowing and believing in our hearts that Jesus Christ the Son of God is our Savior, who came by the gospel of the water and the Spirit. We must know and believe in the Truth and love of the Lord who has blotted out all our sins by the gospel of the water and the Spirit. It is no exaggeration to say that for people to believe in Jesus having blotted out our sins on the Cross, without knowing about the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit, is like having faith by hypnosis.

What evangelicals always speak about is that Jesus had blotted out all our sins by being hanged on the Cross. Because God from His side had blotted out all their sins on the Cross, these people claim that one would be without sin if the person were to believe in being sinless from their side. Words that they speak may seem right at first glance. However, none of it is true. It is because sins in their hearts don’t disappear just because they know the correct answer. We must know that sins don’t disappear just because people know only the result of the gospel without even knowing about the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit.

To be actually saved from all our sins, we have to know the correct result of God’s salvation as well as the formula that leads us correctly to the answer. It is not the case that one gets to receive salvation from sins by knowing only the right answer without knowing about the formula to the remission of sins. To all of us, Jesus said, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). That is why I am frustrated over the faith of the evangelicals. These people go on preaching that if one were to just believe in Jesus, that person would be without sins even if he or she does not know about the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit. Thus, how frustrating is this?

The difference between someone who knows the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit and someone who does not know is only as slight as a thickness of a single sesame leaf. But, the result of this seemingly slight difference is extremely great. If one were to place a single sesame leaf over a person’s eye, it would prevent that person from seeing this world. Do we know the gospel of the water and the Spirit or not? This really is the faith of a single sesame leaf difference, and according to the difference of whether a person knows or does not know the gospel of the water and the Spirit, that person either becomes a righteous person or a sinner. By the difference of a single sesame leaf, one can either see the whole creation or not. I am saying that the difference between you knowing about the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit and you not knowing is that great.

Every gospel preacher must know correctly the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit and then preach it. Put differently, we should preach the gospel after believing in the appropriate formula of the Truth that would lead to the right answer. Those who say that they have been born again must say that they have been born again by knowing and believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. All those who claim to have received the remission of all sins without even knowing about the gospel of the water and the Spirit are of false faith. Their faiths are all wrong. God had blotted out all our sins by the gospel of the water and the Spirit, but how could people who do not even know this gospel Truth have received salvation from their sins? Their faith is something that doesn’t even make sense. In other words, they are only trying to wring out money from people. It is truly a sad thing.

When souls enter the church of non-truth, the ministers there kill those souls that should not die, and keep the other souls alive that should not live by placing them under the hypnosis of the remission of sins. Because people feel good when they hear that they have no sin while having been weighed down by sins all this time, they are being deceived without any second thought. Because people have always been oppressed so much by their sins, they feel good just to hear the words saying that sins will disappear by believing only in the blood of the Cross.

Just try and say to all sinners that they are no longer sinners. They would feel good then. Sinners would feel good just to hear that they don’t have sin anymore. Whatever the reason and whether or not they know about the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit, those who preach false gospels say, “You had sins originally, but now you don’t have any.” And those who have been put down by sins can only feel happy to hear those words. Liars are trapping so many souls in a web of their false teachings. If people get caught in such self-hypnotizing gospels, the false leaders are claiming these people as their fleshy prey.

If sinners were to believe that they are without sin, it would feel good! But, in the hearts of those who believe in Jesus without knowing about the gospel of the water and the Spirit, there are still sins for sure. Then, they would compel people to testify their being sinless by hypnotizing them, and to serve the Lord by inciting their hearts. A certain evangelical group in Korea held a large missionary assembly recently, and they placed advertisements on television and in newspapers. To do so, it would have taken at least 200 or 300 thousands of US dollars, and they had gathered that much money in such a manner. If they say, “I truly wish that you will participate in this precious work,” their church members cannot help but to participate. People donate at least a couple of thousand dollars, and those who have some material wealth even donate 100 thousand dollars a year. As they have been oppressed by sins, the moment they hear that they don’t have any sins, they feel so good that they donate large amounts to have that feeling last for a while. However, as time passes by, such emotions completely vanish, and they become religious people by once again becoming sinners.

Thus, people who have been hypnotized donate large amounts, show fervor with a special zeal, and go crazy by feeling good. And then, after having all their money taken away, they get kicked by the swindlers’ heels. Even after that, they don’t realize that they have been deceived. They get to thinking that they have become discarded because they led holy and pious lives. In this world, Christianity actually exists without the gospel. That is why Satan, the Devil, is not persecuting Christianity.

Even in Korea, the evangelicals say that there would be no sin if one believes in Jesus. These evangelicals have deceived so many people. They have killed countless souls with false beliefs. As for people who are deceived by the false gospel, they feel very good in the beginning, but after a few years, they become sinners again.

The Apostle Paul had been under torment because of such people. They were those who said that they were sinless without even believing in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit. From time to time, they would say groundlessly that one could become a child of God by receiving circumcision in the flesh. But, could it be possible for them to become people of God by receiving circumcision in their flesh? Did Abraham become a people of God by receiving physical circumcision? Abraham became a people of God by believing in the Word spoken by God, and as its sign, he received circumcision in the flesh. Those who have now become children of God are those who have passed over their sins to Jesus Christ to cleanse themselves of their sins by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. That Truth is the gospel of the water and the Spirit. People became God’s people only by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Spiritual circumcision refers to the cleansing of all the sins by believing in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit.

God saved us through the gospel of the water and the Spirit. But, without knowing about this Truth, people are saying that they don’t have any sin within their hearts, despite the fact that there certainly are sins in their hearts.

If the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit does not seize one’s heart, sins of whoever that may be will never disappear before God. All the Apostles believed in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. But, in this 21^st century, those Christians who say that they believe in Jesus without knowing about the gospel of the water and the Spirit are offending the will of God. The will of God is to save people who believe that Jesus has saved all humanity from their sins by the gospel of the water and the Spirit. But, it is really a matter of regret that people are talking about and spreading only the blood of the Cross without knowing about the gospel of the water and the Spirit. It is just like the perspective of religious pluralism. Such people regard Jesus as one of the gods of the world as well as Buddha is also a god. Christianity does not believe in idols created by human. Rather, it was built on the basis of the faith of believing in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit.

Where would the evidence of having received salvation of the remission of sins by believing in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit be? It should be in our spirits and in our hearts. From what sins could we say that we have received salvation, without even having the evidence of salvation, which comes by the gospel of the water and the Spirit in our hearts? Although you may know the answer—if one believes in Jesus, there is no sin. But, if there are still sins in one’s heart, then that person hasn’t received the remission of sins yet. People commit sins in this world, but if all such sins do not disappear and if the heart is in agony due to the sins, then that means that they are not free of sins yet in their consciences, no matter how they have tried to gain comfort by hypnotizing themselves that they do not have sins. How can people with sins be called saints? They are just church members, not saints.

Observe the Apostle Paul’s faith. He finished his epistle with a blessing, saying, “Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit” (Galatians 6:18). The salvation of Jesus Christ that saved us by the gospel of the water and the Spirit must be with our hearts. Our salvation from sins is from the faith of believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit with our hearts, not in the doctrines of Christianity. We received salvation by knowing and believing in our hearts the gospel of the water and the Spirit.

Yet, there are so many people who have tormented Jesus Christ. Especially those who believe in Jesus actually trouble Him. That is truly foolish.

News about having received salvation arrives from all over the world. Even today, a pastor in Peru sent a message, and this person was truly honest. He said that he had thought to receive salvation until that time as a pastor, but he came to realize after having read our books that he had falsely believed. And then, he sent a message saying that it is correct that Jesus bore the sins of everyone in the world when he received the baptism and that Jesus saved everyone in the world by shedding His precious blood on the Cross. This person is truly honest.

Koreans are very emotional. They have the tendency to follow their friends and go wherever their friends are going. If a friend believes in Jesus, people tend to believe the same without any inquiry. They tend to cry if a friend is crying, and if the friend goes to church, they tend to follow along because they feel bored. The majority of Koreans believe in Jesus the same way because they are comparatively prone to be drawn into the bandwagon effect.

There is a true story that will evoke your laughter. An uncle came to church with his nephew, and it was the case that the uncle came because the nephew, believing in Jesus first, was constantly asking the uncle to go to church together. When this nephew was praying, he said, “Dear God the Father, my uncle is here. Please grant him salvation.” When this uncle had carefully listened to the prayer, he realized that his nephew was calling God “father.” This uncle came to think, “If so, God seems to be on the same level as me, and since His degree of consanguinity doesn’t seem to be lower than mine, I think it is right that I call him an elder brother since nephew had call Him ‘father,’” and thus, he prayed, “God the elder brother, I have come.” How ridiculous is this? Whatever the case, most Koreans are like this. They like to question the degrees of consanguinity, forget easily, and start a faith just by following someone without second thought.

I really wish you would discern what kind of faith pleases God and what it means to believe according to His will. For us to believe in Jesus well and to believe according to the will of God is to receive the remission of all sins by believing in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit and to return glory to God. A steamed bun without its filling isn’t tasty. Also, a pizza without sauce, cheese, and toppings doesn’t taste good. Like this, faith without the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit is nothing.

Although there are many people who believe in Jesus in this day and age, I truly wish that the faith of believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, the Word of Truth, would be in their hearts, and I hope that they don’t become people who torment God and Jesus Christ. I wish for every person in this world to have a faith that would please God. It is so with you and me also. Thus, I wish to conclude Galatians as follows.

Dear fellow believers, let us think for a moment. In this day and age, there are so many Christians who trouble Jesus, and they dare claim to be sinless by believing only in the blood of the Cross. Without even knowing and understanding the gospel of the water and the Spirit, they groundlessly profess to be sinless and, by doing so, are tormenting God. We must set such people right. Those who know the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit can lead them to the right path.

All the saints, servants, brothers, and sisters in our church believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit well. However, throughout the world, there are a great number of people who trouble Jesus, yet who claim to believe in Jesus. Because the Lord has saved us by the gospel of the water and the Spirit, we must believe so, but there are those who torment Jesus instead of believing on their own accord. People must turn back from their erroneous beliefs. They must repent.

People shouldn’t offer prayers of repentance, but rather, they should turn back. The word “to repent” is “Metanoeo” in Greek, which means “to change one’s mind” or “to change one’s mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one’s past sins.” It means to actually fix by turning back from one’s evildoings. That is what repentance means. Saying out loud just by one’s lips, “I have done wrong” is not true repentance. Prayers of repentance try to compensate for one’s evildoings by allowing one to just say out loud, “I have done wrong.” It is so. Since you know this well, I believe that there is nothing more to be explained.

Now we are running a new business to serve the gospel more vigorously. We are going to test our new products next week. I hope this work will be done quickly. The motto of this new enterprise is “Beautiful buildings, beautiful city, and beautiful life.” I wish to spread the gospel by earning a great amount of material things through this new enterprise. I hope to do so by uniting our hearts together.

God gave many blessings to us, who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. For us to be able to preach the gospel throughout the world to this extent, in such a short period of time, is the grace of God, and this was possible only because God had given us wisdom, help, and blessings. He has blessed us in preaching the gospel as well as in serving the gospel with material means. God has done so through you and me.

In the Song of Solomon 8:4, it is said,

“I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem,

Do not stir up nor awaken love

Until it pleases.”

We have received the remission of sins by His grace in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Since God has truly saved us, it is our duty to spread this gospel to other people with the sincere joy of doing the work of God. Also, we are joyous to do the work of God although we may be lacking.

The work of the gospel is for the volunteers to serve. Those who feel that the work being done by the church is burdensome, irritating, and freedom binding, should not worry because they will not be asked to do the work. This doesn’t mean that there are such people in our church, but rather, it means that the work of God is done through volunteers. It is written, “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

I give you work to do, but it is because our faith will not be sustained if you and I don’t do the work of God. If the righteous do not do the work of God, they will be doing improper things, and then our hearts will become corrupt and filthy. Our hearts will become unusable hearts. Thus, to keep our hearts, I create and offer work to make you serve the Lord.

Is there anyone who would like to say, “Give me my freedom”? Then, don’t hesitate to inform me of that. Such a person doesn’t have to work. To those who really dislike doing the work of God among our ministers and workers, I tell them not to do it. The policy of God’s Church is like that. Regardless of who it may be, whether it be our youths, Sunday school children, or adult brothers and sisters, what is certain is that they should not do the work against their own will. One should first think and see what is right and examine if doing so is beneficial. And, only those who have set their hearts on the work of God should volunteer, and must do it by faith. If it is something that you are going to do, you must do it voluntarily and by faith. By doing so, God will be pleased and accept everything that we serve. However, if we do not do it voluntarily and by faith, how could God receive our serving with joy?

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Of course, there are times when we do the work inevitably. Frankly speaking, there are instances when I do the literature work unavoidably, although I do it voluntarily. Why? The reason is because it is a work that has to be done by someone. I say that I do it under compulsion because the body gets tired, despite the fact that my heart wants to do the work with joy. I have taken on this task, and thus I should finish it. But, even if I do it all day long, I cannot finish proofreading even a single sermon. If I modify some passages this way, this seems to be lacking, and if I change them into another way of expression, that still seems to be lacking. So, when I look at the whole manuscript after finishing it all, I feel embarrassed. In spite of it all, one thing that is certain is that, although repetitious, I have said only the right things, without having said anything preposterous. By the way, I have become someone who can work by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and thus, I do it voluntarily with a joyous heart. Of course, there are instances when I drag my body and do the work of God with difficulty because my flesh feels depleted of strength.

If we don’t do the works of God, there is nothing for us to do. If you stop doing the works that you are in charge of, do you not have anything to do? What would you do, if not serving the Lord? Wouldn’t you be living while intoxicated, with your nose turned red from drinking alcohol? If you don’t do the work of serving the Lord as such, you would lead a more cruel life than that of your parents, which you have slandered, saying “I won’t live such a hopeless life like that of my parents.”

I am happy. Are you also happy? Yes, we are happy because of the Lord. I give thanks before God. I do not think that we have many days in which we can spread the gospel of the water and the Spirit. That is why I believe that we should diligently spread the gospel while we still can. We must work hard while we can still work. Now is the time for us to do the works of God. You and I must do the works of God now. Amen.