I recently heard a sermon by Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim titled “God Should Be Glorified,” which helped me change my misunderstanding I had about bearing fruit. I used to think that the only way I could bear fruit was through preaching, but I have come to realize that all the services, devotions, and offerings I do in the church are also bearing fruit.

When I serve God, my motivation should be intact. The reason why I serve and glorify God is that I have already received God’s grace. But some may have a wrong motivation of serving to get rewards. In the past, my church had the bad habit of comparing each other based on who preached more, taught more, or received bigger rewards. But now I have come to realize that bearing fruit means obeying God’s word and working in our own places, and glorifying God. I am merely a tool that God is using.

I also understand that the motivation for preaching is crucial. If my motivation is impure, I can cause suffering and harm the church, which can lead to division eventually. Preaching the gospel is not for my own sake but rather for the sake of the church’s representative. When I reach out to people without pure motivation, those who hear my preaching may not have pure motivations either since they won’t be guided correctly. It is like planting a disaster in the church. As the Bible says, ”Good trees bear good fruit, bad trees bear bad fruit.” Likewise, I cannot serve God alone, apart from the church. Our church is guided to serve with integrity through the teachings of the Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim. I give glory to God for this.

He once said, “We do not work for the sake of our rewards, but we love and serve God with pure hearts, as those who received His grace.” At the time of the sermon, I didn’t fully understand what he meant by those words. So, I wondered, ”Should I serve God just to receive rewards? Is this a bad idea?” But now, I understand that I had only grasped his words partially. While it is true that I may receive rewards for my service to God, but my starting point for serving should be to express gratitude and give glory to God from my heart for the grace He has given me.

I pray that God continues to guide, protect, and change my church through the Overseer. I do not want to forget the grace of Mother Church, Sungrak Church, and I hope to follow in its footsteps. May God achieve His will through all the Berea churches!

Minister Chang
from China
December 11, 2022