20180909 Sunday Worship Sermon (111th Church Anniversary)
1 Thessalonians 1:2-8
“The Church of a Divine Rumors”
Today, we recognize our 111th birthday for our church.
So, I hope we can ponder together what kind of church we want to become as we celebrate our church's anniversary.
There is a saying, "news travels fast."
It means rumors spread quickly.
Whether it is good or bad, rumors travel fast.
I think this is more so nowadays because of various social network services; it is almost impossible to conceal anything anymore.
In addition, it seems rumors spread faster in Hawaii because we are a small community.
Of course there are some rumors about our church.
Some of rumors are positive but some are negative.
And some of them are true, and some are not.
Rumors are only rumors.
But I think it is important that people hear good rumors about our church.
I want Olive Church to become a church with a good rumor for others to hear.
And we should spread the good news as the fragrance of Jesus Christ.
In 2 Corinthians 2:15 Paul said "For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing."
Fragrance may be invisible, but it spreads very far and quickly.
When people love a fragrance, they are attracted to it naturally.
As the pleasing fragrance of Christ, we must spread beautiful and divine rumors about our church.
We sometimes search the internet to find the best restaurants out there.
We read reviews, count the number of stars that the establishment received from previous visitors, and find out as much as possible before we visit a restaurant.
I think a church is the same.
If a church is known to be a good church, many people will come to that church.
But if a church is known to have issues, people will be reluctant to visit the church.
Two weeks ago, I visited Virginia with my family to help my daughter start college life.
One of the first things we did was researched churches near the college where my daughter would go.
The closest Korean church was nearby.
However, the church was a church that had recently had a conflict and division.
So there was a negative rumor about that church.
We hesitated to visit the church, and we tried to find another church that had a good reputation.
Similarly, what people hear about a church creates an impression.
Therefore, it is important to have good rumor for the growth of the church.
The scripture that we read today is about the Thessalonian Church.
The Thessalonian church was the good-rumored church; the church was gracious and exemplary in every way.
It was also filled with gratitude and praise.
This is why it was considered by all as the good-rumored church.
The rumor spread throughout the land.
Paul had praised the members of the Thessalonian church for their faith, hope and love for one another.
I would like to take a closer look at the Thessalonian church to find out how and why it was celebrated.
Furthermore, I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on ourselves by examining through the Thessalonian Church.
First, the Thessalonian Church demonstrated the work of faith.
For the church to be good-rumored, there must be the work of faith.
Our faith must be revealed in our lives.
The word "work of faith" specifically means that our faith must appear in our lives.
Once we have faith, we must continue to show our faith in our lives.
It is insufficient for us to demonstrate our faith just within the church.
We must show our faithfulness throughout our lives; so, those who do not believe can realize that we are the children of God.
This is “the work of faith.”
How is our faith?
We are all believers within the church.
Then, when we are outside of the church, are we realized as faithful servants of the Lord?
A man worked in a company for many years.
Although many employees worked in the same office for many years, they did not know each other well.
One day, this man decided to start a Christian fellowship meeting in his company.
When he attended the first meeting, he realized that there were many of his co-workers that worked in the same office.
Although they have worked together in the same space for many years, they did not even know that they were Christians.
Why do you think this happened?
Is it because they did not have enough conversations?
No, it isn’t.
It is because they come to church like a believer, but once they leave the church, they live without faith.
If they shortly prayed before having their lunch in the cafeteria or read a Bible verse at their desks, they would have quickly recognized each other as Christians.
The reason, I think, is that they did not want to expose themselves as Christians.
For some reason, they have hidden their faith.
How about you?
Have you ever tried to hide your faith?
Have you ever been ashamed to demonstrate your faith?
Think about this.
Brothers and sisters, the work of faith must be revealed specifically in our lives.
We must show our faith in every step of our lives.
The people of the Thessalonian church had the work of faith.
They never hid their faith.
And they lived by their faith.
At first, they were ridiculed and discriminated; however, they were accepted and praised eventually.
Their work of faith resulted in a divine rumor.
The rumor that spread quickly and changed many in the process.
Our faith isn't something that we only demonstrate within the church; rather, we must manifest our faith in every step of our lives.
This is how we show our work of faith and start a beautiful and divine rumor about our church.
I pray that through our work of faith, a divine rumor will begin about our church.
Secondly, the Thessalonian Church had the patience of hope.
The believers of the Thessalonian Church faced many difficulties.
They were persecuted, yet, they kept their faith.
Some ran away from the persecutions.
Some did not have enough courage to have faith in the Lord.
20180909 Sunday Worship Sermon (111th Church Anniversary)
1 Thessalonians 1:2-8
“The Church of a Divine Rumors”
Today, we recognize our 111th birthday for our church.
So, I hope we can ponder together what kind of church we want to become as we celebrate our church's anniversary.
There is a saying, "news travels fast."
It means rumors spread quickly.
Whether it is good or bad, rumors travel fast.
I think this is more so nowadays because of various social network services; it is almost impossible to conceal anything anymore.
In addition, it seems rumors spread faster in Hawaii because we are a small community.
Of course there are some rumors about our church.
Some of rumors are positive but some are negative.
And some of them are true, and some are not.
Rumors are only rumors.
But I think it is important that people hear good rumors about our church.
I want Olive Church to become a church with a good rumor for others to hear.
And we should spread the good news as the fragrance of Jesus Christ.
In 2 Corinthians 2:15 Paul said "For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing."
Fragrance may be invisible, but it spreads very far and quickly.
When people love a fragrance, they are attracted to it naturally.
As the pleasing fragrance of Christ, we must spread beautiful and divine rumors about our church.
We sometimes search the internet to find the best restaurants out there.
We read reviews, count the number of stars that the establishment received from previous visitors, and find out as much as possible before we visit a restaurant.
I think a church is the same.
If a church is known to be a good church, many people will come to that church.
But if a church is known to have issues, people will be reluctant to visit the church.
Two weeks ago, I visited Virginia with my family to help my daughter start college life.
One of the first things we did was researched churches near the college where my daughter would go.
The closest Korean church was nearby.
However, the church was a church that had recently had a conflict and division.
So there was a negative rumor about that church.
We hesitated to visit the church, and we tried to find another church that had a good reputation.
Similarly, what people hear about a church creates an impression.
Therefore, it is important to have good rumor for the growth of the church.
The scripture that we read today is about the Thessalonian Church.
The Thessalonian church was the good-rumored church; the church was gracious and exemplary in every way.
It was also filled with gratitude and praise.
This is why it was considered by all as the good-rumored church.
The rumor spread throughout the land.
Paul had praised the members of the Thessalonian church for their faith, hope and love for one another.
I would like to take a closer look at the Thessalonian church to find out how and why it was celebrated.
Furthermore, I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on ourselves by examining through the Thessalonian Church.
First, the Thessalonian Church demonstrated the work of faith.
For the church to be good-rumored, there must be the work of faith.
Our faith must be revealed in our lives.
The word "work of faith" specifically means that our faith must appear in our lives.
Once we have faith, we must continue to show our faith in our lives.
It is insufficient for us to demonstrate our faith just within the church.
We must show our faithfulness throughout our lives; so, those who do not believe can realize that we are the children of God.
This is “the work of faith.”
How is our faith?
We are all believers within the church.
Then, when we are outside of the church, are we realized as faithful servants of the Lord?
A man worked in a company for many years.
Although many employees worked in the same office for many years, they did not know each other well.
One day, this man decided to start a Christian fellowship meeting in his company.
When he attended the first meeting, he realized that there were many of his co-workers that worked in the same office.
Although they have worked together in the same space for many years, they did not even know that they were Christians.
Why do you think this happened?
Is it because they did not have enough conversations?
No, it isn’t.
It is because they come to church like a believer, but once they leave the church, they live without faith.
If they shortly prayed before having their lunch in the cafeteria or read a Bible verse at their desks, they would have quickly recognized each other as Christians.
The reason, I think, is that they did not want to expose themselves as Christians.
For some reason, they have hidden their faith.
How about you?
Have you ever tried to hide your faith?
Have you ever been ashamed to demonstrate your faith?
Think about this.
Brothers and sisters, the work of faith must be revealed specifically in our lives.
We must show our faith in every step of our lives.
The people of the Thessalonian church had the work of faith.
They never hid their faith.
And they lived by their faith.
At first, they were ridiculed and discriminated; however, they were accepted and praised eventually.
Their work of faith resulted in a divine rumor.
The rumor that spread quickly and changed many in the process.
Our faith isn't something that we only demonstrate within the church; rather, we must manifest our faith in every step of our lives.
This is how we show our work of faith and start a beautiful and divine rumor about our church.
I pray that through our work of faith, a divine rumor will begin about our church.
Secondly, the Thessalonian Church had the patience of hope.
The believers of the Thessalonian Church faced many difficulties.
They were persecuted, yet, they kept their faith.
Some ran away from the persecutions.
Some did not have enough courage to have faith in the Lord.