God Who Came to Meet Sinners

God did not command a religion. He had sent Jesus Christ into the world not to seek the righteous but for the people who have lost hope and realized they are sinners, to be able to meet Him. The Gospel is the message of love God has sent to man, and Jesus Christ is the greatest consolation God has given to man.
One day I was eating at a restaurant and a young man entered and sat down on the table beside me. Being larger build than average, this man was awkward in his movements and didn’t have a pleasing countenance. From the moment he sat down and placed his order (that included an extra serving of rice), he was dropping things on the floor, had sauce on his face and even made unpleasant noises while he was eating. It made me think that many people would snub him, and presumably he would have had many hard times and heartaches. I observed him closely for some time and discovered that he had a very kind heart; I felt a surge of sympathy for him. The Lord comes to people in a life of loneliness and difficulties like this young man and says, “God loves you. And I will give you grace to prove it to you”.

On one occasion, I was having a meal with some acquaintances and one of them was very aggressive that everyone sitting in company had to walk on eggshells around him. Later on, I found out that he was struggling through a really difficult life, and for that reason he was often exhibiting defensive attitudes. I could fully understand his situation, considering how he was living under extreme stress without any happiness. The Lord says to such a person, “God’s loves you. I will give you grace and reveal this to you!”

There is a story written in the Bible of a woman who was caught in the act of sin. Surrounded by people who shunned her, she had nowhere else to go. She was totally renounced and faced with a dead-end; she was to be stoned to death. At that moment, Jesus came to her and comforted her saying, ‘I forgive you. From now on, nobody will oppress you” (John 8:1-11).

As Jesus cried on the cross, ‘Eli, Eli, Lama Sabachthani!’ (Matt 27:46), He was not only crying unto God but giving us the promise, ‘Never again will you be alone! Never again will you be abandoned!’ After He said, ‘it is finished’ (John 19:30) He breathed His last. By this, He was saying, ‘I have carried and paid the price of the weaknesses and frailties of the souls who will meet me.’ Jesus Christ is He who has come to the lonely miner in a coalmine, disregarded by people; He has come to the person groaning in an unstable society of a country in Africa where there is severe human rights abuse; He is God’s peace and consolation who has come to a pitiful human life living without any purpose in a remote corner of society.

The Church Standing in the Midst of Persecution, is to be Served

There are many people who serve in the church. They include clergymen such as pastors and ministers. These servants have not merely heard and received the Gospel, but they have met the One Who desires the Gospel to be preached. They live with perseverance and thankfulness even today by relying on the Lord’s words, ‘I will nurture you through to your final moment in the world!’ and they zealously serve until the day they are freed from the clay vessel they have on the earth. The church of Christ must care for and teach those who have listened to the Gospel and come before the Lord, and help them so that they do not succumb to the enemy’s attack. The will of God to be accomplished through the church is for them to attain eternal life.

However, the world persecutes the church of Christ. If we trace back the history of persecution, there would be no end to it. Even along about 40-50 years ago, persecution was so severe in Korea that nobody was able to openly say, ‘I attend a church’. Public figures such as celebrities attended the church secretly because their Christian identity could be an impediment to their success. Nevertheless, the churches in Korea have grown thus far because of the believers who remained faithful and dedicated in the midst of persecution.

Korean churches today are not being persecuted directly like the past. One of the chief reasons is that the Christian church has become stronger with the increase in congregation numbers. But we can feel the force of persecution from the world upon the church even just outside the land of Korea. While most of the Asian countries are pervaded with antagonism toward the Christian church, it is almost impossible to build a church in an Islam country in the Middle East. Jesus has spoken many times about such happenings, and even said in His supplication to the Father, “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world” (John 17:14).

As the present Christian church of our country has grown stronger, there are other works the church has to undertake with a grateful heart. However, persecution against the church is no longer external but actually happening within the church. The church has grown to where it is today because of the sacrifices made by those who gave their lives to keep their faith when the society was oppressing the church. So then, with what right does one persecute another within the Christian church, and even try to destroy the church of another? Only the Son of Man has the authority to judge, and even He has not yet begun His judgment. Hence how can anyone dare persecute, criticize and pass judgment on the saints and the church? How could anyone accuse the people again of the sin that only the blood of Jesus has washed away?

The people who trouble the church are actually only a small minority. It is truly heart breaking that innocent people are being incited to do what is not right. If we have truly met Jesus, we must show evidence of His testimony. The saints do receive persecution in the world. Therefore, we should at least comfort, protect, encourage, and share love and goodness with one another inside the church. What would happen if a child who is bullied outside were also given a hard time at home? Everyone should be embraced and forgiven in the church regardless of their flaws and shortcomings. We must not cause distress to even a single person for our own benefit.

The Lord has given us the church not for us be served by it, rather that we may serve our brothers and sisters in the church. In regard to this, Jesus has also spoken clearly, the point of which was, ‘If I then have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet’ (John 13:14). This is the Lord’s command.
There are people who say it is difficult to attend church meetings by making excuse of their busy lives in today’s modern society. It is not that we do not understand their busy situations due to work, but every generation alike has had difficult circumstances. Perhaps people neglect church meetings because they believe such meetings do not benefit them? However, the Bible tells us that the purpose of gathering at church is to serve others, not in seeking our own interests. Hebrews 10:22-25 says, “let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering… And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some.”

Saul, Why are You Persecuting Me?

Apostle Paul’s name was ‘Saul’ in Hebrew. Saul was a model religious man who represented the life of a Jew. He prided in himself in that regard and strived hard to show that. As a Pharisee, he not only set an example of a holy life in serving God but also faithfully discharged his duty in contributing to the development of the Jewish religion. His greatest religious mission was to persecute the church. Later on he confessed, “(I was) circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless” (Phil. 3:5-6). He also said, “For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers” (Gal. 1:13-14).

Saul realized that the Gospel preached by Jesus and His disciples was in direct opposition to the spirit of Judaism. The works of Jesus was a threat to the spirit of the obedience to the Law. After all, Jesus had healed the sick on the Sabbath, He had consorted with sinners, and dealt with the violation of the Law from a completely different angle. For example, the Law had drawn a line to judge a person based on his or her action, but Jesus removed that line. Jesus extended the standard of judgment to even the state of one’s heart. According to Him, anyone who has lusted in his heart has committed adultery, and anyone who has hated his brother has committed murder. It appeared that the godly Pharisees and Jews were being treated equally to the reckless sinners. It seemed to dishearten those who were zealous in observing God’s law while to the contrary, support those who were sinning recklessly. Saul found this to be a dangerous threat that could destroy the precious historical legacy of Judaism, and a blunt challenge against Judaism, which God had given. Paul considered that persecuting and destroying the church of Christ was a very urgent task.

Another undeniable truth is that Paul was prejudiced against Christians from the very start. Saul could not at all understand Jesus’ intention. Jesus had said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfil” (Matt 5:17), but Paul did not understand it. The Jews had believed that they could be made righteous by observing all the religious regulations. Thus, Jesus reinforced the criteria of the Law more than the Pharisees, in order that the Jews would realize that their religious life was futile, prostrate themselves, confessing, “I am a sinner!” and seek forgiveness, and consequently receive salvation. However Saul had no way of understanding such will of the Lord.

In contrast to Saul’s anticipation that all the followers of Jesus would be dispersed once He was crucified, from the day of Pentecost, there was instead an increase in the number of people who remembered Jesus. Together with him, the persecution against Christians was becoming official and institutional. Saul, who later became Apostle Paul, was the person who had actively taken part in this. When Stephen was being stoned to death, Saul was guarding the clothes of the persecutors, in support of their actions (Acts 7:58). After the death of Stephen, the persecution against Christians spread throughout the entire area of Jerusalem. Eventually, most of the Christians excluding some of the Apostles, were scattered abroad to Samaria and other foreign countries away from persecution. Feeling exultant, Saul then went even to the other regions outside of Jerusalem to capture the Christians.

On his way to Damascus full of murderous intent, Saul was suddenly confronted with a light from heaven. When he fell to the ground he heard a voice saying, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ Saul was shocked and asked, ‘Who are you Lord?’ and he heard the voice answer, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting’. At that moment, Saul realized that Jesus whom he was persecuting was the Son of God, that all the absurd stories he had heard about Jesus was true, and that ‘the One who is to come’ as pointed out in the Scripture repeatedly, was actually Jesus. Jesus, whom Saul had regarded as a heretic leader, was the heir to the throne of Heaven, the Saviour who came to the rescue of man. Until then, Saul believed that God had given a religion and desired a strict adherence to the religious system. However, after he met Jesus, he realized that the purpose of the Law is in leading people to meet Jesus; he realized that he was the chief sinner in opposition to God’s work when he was being zealous for God and to protect Judaism (Acts 9:1-5).

Saul, Why are You Persecuting the Church?

Saul was blinded after being chastised by the Holy Spirit and he was taken into Damascus with the help of others. Once there, he neither ate nor drank and lay ill for three days. The saints in Damascus, whom Saul had planned to seize, provided him with lodging and food and took care of him instead. From then on, Saul set off in the exact opposite direction to the path by which he had come thus far. He became a witness to the Gospel. He became the very person he had scorned in the past. He cried out with all of his strength, “Jesus is the Son of God! Jesus is the Christ! Our forefathers were sinners! We too are sinners!” (Acts 9:6-22).

Jesus is not on the earth. Yet He asked, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ When did Saul ever persecute Jesus? Jesus became the sacrificial offering and justified the sinners; those He justified He called as His church, which is His body; He made them become born again through the Holy Spirit; gave them His name to receive His protection and nurture. The meaning of the Lord’s message to Saul was, ‘Saul, Saul, the church is my body. Why are persecuting the church?’ On hearing this, Saul came to know God’s love for the church for the first time. He came to understand God’s heart.

Later on, Apostle Paul said, “Are they ministers of Christ? —I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches” (2 Cor. 11:23-28). He had endured many unbearable hardships throughout his service to the church. As he was suffering all kinds of humiliation sometimes he wanted to give up everything, but the Lord did not let him stop and said, “My grace is sufficient for you”.

Later, Apostle Paul said, “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief” (1 Tim. 1:15). Again he confessed, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ” (Rom. 1:16) and, “For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s” (Rom. 14:8). He also said, ‘For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; or if we are of sound mind, it is for the church’ (2 Cor. 5:13) and, “For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all” (1 Cor. 15:9-10). Wherever Apostle Paul went to preach the Gospel, the Holy Spirit revealed that chains and tribulations were awaiting him (Acts 20:23). Yet even in times of despair he confessed, “Yet none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself,[b] so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24).

When the Jews persecuted Jesus, He endured it. However, when Saul was persecuting the church, Jesus Himself asked, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? With what right are you persecuting my church?’ Today, the church is being persecuted from inside and outside. However, anyone who has truly met the Lord will never persecute the church. A person would not be able to persecute another without cause or knowing the one s/he is persecuting. We must remember that the Lord will call into question saying, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’

God Avenges the Persecutor

While the persecution of the church angers the Lord as well, the church does not directly fight against the persecutors. Romans 12:14-15 says, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep”, and verses 19-21 says, “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Christians have resentment in their hearts because of persecution. We sometimes question whether the persecution we endure would be remembered, however God will surely avenge for us. In Revelations, those being persecuted cried out, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ and God gave a white robe and said to them, ‘rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed’ (Rev. 6:10-11). When Cain had killed Abel, God said to Cain, ‘What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground’ (Gen. 4:10). God listens to and remembered the cries of the saints’ blood. Thus we must rejoice and be glad to be persecuted as saints, just as the prophets in the past were persecuted (Matt. 5:11-12).

There are instances when persecutors of the church are avenged through angels. Nobody would be able to escape once God avenges the persecution against God, the persecution, grumbling and affliction against the Lord’s servants, and the persecution against His church. It will be too late for regrets. The story of the youths, who had mocked Elisha and were put to death, is written in the Bible (2 Kings 2:23-24).

Not only that, in the last chapter of the book of Job, Job repents saying, “You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, ‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’ “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:3-6), and after he had repented, he recovers what he had lost in the past. Nobody will be able to evade the responsibility after persecuting the church. Matthew 12:36-37 says, “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned”. People act rashly because they have not met Jesus and do not know God, however that is very dangerous.

Meet Jesus First

People persecute the church and oppose God because they do not know God. When the Jews were giving a hard time to Peter and the Apostles, a teacher of the Law named Gamaliel tried to stop them by saying, “And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God” and they stopped what they were doing.

We should not persecute Jesus or the church. For that reason, we must first meet Jesus. We must lay off the heavy religious life of the past, become members of the church and be led by the Holy Spirit who operates and comforts us from within. John 3:8 says, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit”. The world cannot see it, but the Holy Spirit leads us. We should not impose hardships on others in the church, but instead benefit them.

Apostle Paul said, “From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus” (Gal. 6:17). This is saying, ‘Just as Jesus has suffered, was scourged and His body was torn upon the cross, I have bean beaten many times. I have received many scars. Do not trouble me anymore. Look at me and remember Jesus.

We have to become true Christians. We have to meet Jesus and experience a complete transformation. We must fall prostrate before Christ, repent and be born again as a humble person. Only after that, can we stand as a complete Christian. Do not think of a religion with your own conviction, but first meet Jesus, prostrate yourself before Him and have an experience of fervent repentance. We must relish God’s love for us. We must receive the consolation of God who established the church and pours His love upon the church. Therefore, we have to first meet Jesus. We must have a definite experience by which anybody could recognize that we have met Jesus. We ought to meet Jesus and be born again.