Sunday Worship Service January 12, 2025
Prelude
Call to Worship Exodus 20:3
Hymn JBC # 59 Great is Thy faithfulness
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 261 Dear Spirit, lead me to the Saviour’s side
Offering
Scripture Philippians 1:12～21
Prayer
Sermon “To live is Christ”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 491 Have faith in God
Doxology JBC # 671
Benediction
Postlude
Paul encountered the resurrected Christ, and Paul was changed from someone who severely persecuted Christians to someone who passionately preached the Gospel of Christ.
In last week’s message, we read together about Paul’s conversion in the book of Acts.
However because Paul became a missionary for Christ, his life from then on became one of suffering
He was imprisoned many times for preaching Christ, and (although it is not written clearly in the Bible) it can be assumed that in the end, Paul was likely executed.
Even this letter to the believers in Philippi is believed to have been written from Paul’s prison cell while he was imprisoned in Rome.
However, even though Paul was in prison, he never lost his hope and strength.
In Philippians Chapter 1 verses 3~4, just before today’s passage, it says the following:
I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy
What kept Paul going in prison was above all else his faith, the belief that Jesus Christ, the resurrected Jesus Christ, was always with him.
Also, we see what a great source of joy prayer was to Paul. The joy of being able to pray for everything, especially for his friends in the faith, helped sustain Paul.
For Paul, thinking about the believers in Philippi and thanking God for them while praying was a source of joy.
The church in Philippi was established through Paul’s missionary work. It seems that the believers in the Philippian church were still supporting Paul both physically and spiritually even after he had left Philippi.
Philippians chapter 4 verses 15~16 says this:
Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need.
Other letters written by Paul tell us that he was a tentmaker by trade, and that he worked to support himself as he preached.
However, the passage we just read tells us that Paul accepted physical support (goods and perhaps money also) from the believers in the Philippian church.
Because of this, we can assume that there was a special trust and warmth in the relationship between Paul and the believers of the Philippian church. (from the fact that Paul did not receive aid from other churches, but he did from the Philippian church)
And for Paul, it was the greatest joy for him to be able to think of the believers in Philippi supporting him and to pray for them.
Being able to pray for our friends or family in the faith brings great joy to those who believe in God.
We also think about and pray for other people, perhaps our family, especially our church brothers and sisters, friends and acquaintances.
I hope that we know that just like Paul thought of and prayed for the believers in Philippi with joy, we too can pray in faith for others and that this in itself brings great joy.
Why does praying bring us joy? This is because God who hears our prayers is certainly with us.
When we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, God is surely listening to our prayers because of the name of Christ.
I hope that we believe in this promise from the Bible, and that we are believers who pray with joy.
Let’s look at verse 12 from today’s passage.
12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.
“What has happened to me” is talking about the Paul experiences of severe hardship and persecution due to preaching the gospel of Christ, even to the point of being put in prison.
If we think about it, even though he was working for God and to tell people of God’s salvation, being arrested and put in prison for this is tough.
When Paul was arrested, he might have first thought that he would no longer be able to preach the gospel of Christ.
But then Paul was able to see what happened to him since then not from his own point of view, but from the point of view of God and of spreading the Gospel of Christ.
Even though he was put in prison, Paul says that being put in that kind of situation actually served to advance the gospel.
Acts chapter 16 describes the time when Paul was imprisoned in Philippi.
Accusations arose from people that Paul and his friend Silas, who were preaching in Philippi, were “stirring up confusion in the city". Because of this, both of them were whipped again and again, and then were thrown in prison.
Around midnight, Paul and Silas were singing songs of praise and praying. Then suddenly a big earthquake occurred, shaking even the foundations of the prison, and all the doors keeping the prisoners in their cells opened and their chains came loose.
Then the jailer who was guarding the prison feared that the prisoners had escaped and his duty would be called into question, and was about to commit suicide (Acts Chapter 16 Verse 27).
But Paul shouted out “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” (Acts 16:28)
The jailer asked Paul and Silas “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
They answered, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your household.”
It is written that the jailer and his family were baptized, that they came to be believers in God, and that he and his whole household were filled with joy.
Paul experienced that even his (Paul's) unreasonable (unjust) experience of imprisonment could be greatly used by the Lord God in such a way, leading to the Gospel being shared.
Rather than thinking of himself, Paul had his eyes fixed on advancing the gospel, and he was able to look back on what had happened to him from the point of view of how the gospel would keep spreading.
This shows us the necessity of being able to see what happens to us not through the lens of our own thoughts and hopes, of our own feelings and contentment (although these are also important, and we can’t do away with our own feelings and hopes), but from the point of view of advancing the gospel of Christ.
Christ is with us, and works through what happens to us to advance the Gospel.
As we hold on to that belief and are made alive in the gospel, I hope that we also live for the advancement of the Gospel.
In verse 15 onwards in today’s passage, it talks about the different motivations people have for proclaiming Christ.
15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.
And in verses 16~17, it says that there are those who preach Christ who are motivated by love for Paul, but also others who are motivated by causing Paul suffering.
In verse 18, it says:
18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,
What an amazing thing to say. Wouldn’t it be true to say that we think that motivations are important when preaching the loving Christ?
Don’t we think that having the pure intention of simply wanting to share about Christ is important, and that if there is any envy or conflict involved, that would not be preaching the gospel?
What Paul means to say here is that even when we as humans have impure motivations, the Gospel of Christ is stronger still than the impure motivations and hearts of man and transcends them.
Even Christians, and also Christian churches, are made up of sinful people, and is a gathering of sinners, so unfortunately even amongst ourselves there is envy and conflict.
Even so, the Gospel of Christ covers even us with our sinful natures.
More to the point, when we who cause envy and conflict repent of our selfish and sinful human natures and submit these things honestly to God, isn’t the Gospel also spread through us in this way?
While we hope for the grace of Christ to work in us sinners and make us more like Him, let us also hope that through our sinful selves, Christ (and only Christ) is spread amongst us and glorified.
Let us look at the last verse of today’s passage, verse 21.
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
For Paul, to live was Christ. As an evangelist, Paul went through many difficult experiences, and must have suffered in a great many ways.
Since Paul was just a man, it seems he had many failings and a had a fairly volatile character, and the Bible tells us of cases where Paul had disagreements and clashes even within the church.
But, for Paul, when it came to knowing that “to live is Christ”, Paul did not have any hesitations.
Paul would have been thinking “I have life because Christ lives”, “Because Christ lives, I am also alive today”, “Because I am called to preach Christ, I have been permitted to live this day.”
For us, the Lord Jesus Christ being alive is not a vague concept with no concrete reality, is not a mere thought, wish or ideal.
It is the reality that the One who died on the cross for us and rose again now continues to give us the hope of living in God’s power through the Holy Spirit.
In this way, Christ is indeed alive. Since Christ is alive in us, we can also say “to live is Christ” for us.
If we are ever in doubt questioning “What am I living for?” or “Is there any meaning in my life?”, in these times let us raise our eyes to Christ.
Let us continue listening to the words of Christ as told through the Word in the Bible, and let us rejoice in knowing the truth that we are alive in Christ.
For us, to live is Christ, that is because Christ lives, we also live.
Because our imperfect, limited, sinful selves are redeemed by the perfect, sinless Jesus Christ, forgiven of our sins and freed from sin, we can live in a life of joy.
Let us hold on to this promise from the Bible and go forth living with the Lord and living every day for the sake of Christ.
Saturday, January 4, 2025
Sunday Worship Service January 5, 2025
Prelude
Call to Worship 2 Chronicles 7:14
Hymn JBC # 2 Come, Thou almighty King
Prelude
Call to Worship 2 Chronicles 7:14
Hymn JBC # 2 Come, Thou almighty King
The Prayer Time
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 261 Dear Spirit, lead me to the Saviour's side
Offering
Scripture Acts 9:1～9
Prayer
Sermon “Paul’s Conversion”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 19 Love divine, all loves excelling
Doxology JBC # 671
Benediction
Postlude
The New Testament consists of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), the Book of Acts (today's Bible passage), several subsequent books in epistle (letter) form, and the book of John's Revelation.
It was Paul who wrote most of the epistles in the New Testament. That Paul is called Saul in today's passage. Paul and Saul are the same person.
At the beginning of today's passage we read
1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
The “Lord's disciples” are followers of Jesus Christ. At this time, Jesus had already been killed, resurrected, and ascended into heaven.
After Jesus ascended into heaven, the Lord's Holy Spirit descended on and empowered His disciples.
Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the disciples began to preach with great power that “Jesus Christ is Lord” and that “there is no salvation for man except through Christ.”
The Book of Acts describes in detail the evangelistic works of the disciples after being empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Paul, who later preached Christ and wrote many of the epistles included in the New Testament, was at first a fierce persecutor of those who followed the teachings of Jesus Christ.
He threatened and even sought to kill the Lord's disciples.
Paul had received permission from the high priest to persecute Christ's followers and was on his way to Damascus with palpable evil intent.
There he was to bind up Christ's followers, both men and women, and take them to Jerusalem.
We know how intense Paul's persecution was during this period because there are several passages in the epistles where he himself alludes to the fact.
In Galatians 1:13, we read
13 For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.
Paul had persecuted God's church and even tried to destroy it. And through it all, Paul believed he was serving God diligently.
This is evident in the same passage in Galatians, the next verse, 1:14.
I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
Paul says that he was “extremely zealous.”
However, if we look deeper into the meaning of the words, “advancing in Judaism,” and “extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers,” can we not infer that Paul was more concerned with his own zeal than with his love and sincerity toward the Lord God?
We can infer that Paul was not living in the love and mercy of God and the joy that comes from Him, even though he appeared to be a fervent believer on the outside.
And I think it is possible that Paul was actually suffering internally from this.
As Paul approached his destination, Damascus, with the intent to persecute Christ's followers, a light from heaven flashed around him.
Paul fell to the ground and then heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
It was the voice of Jesus Christ.
The voice said, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
Jesus did not say, “Stop persecuting me,” but rather asked him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
It was an exhortation to Paul to look within himself.
Jesus asked Saul,
“Why do you persecute me? What is your motivation for doing so? What drives you? “
Thus, through encountering Jesus, we are forced to look within ourselves.
Even today, we continue to encounter Jesus through the Bible, Jesus continues to question us, and we continue to look within ourselves.
As Jesus questions us, as we spiritually communicate with Him (through prayer), we are forced to really consider “What do I really want? Who am I really?”
We do not know what was going through Paul’s mind at this moment. After this Paul is blinded.
Later in today's passage, we are told that Paul's eyes were reopened by a man named Ananias, and that Paul then transformed into a zealous preacher of Jesus.
We might get the impression that Paul was instantly transformed from a persecutor of Christ to a passionate evangelist of Christ.
However, I believe that such a change actually occurred gradually within Paul as he persecuted Christ's followers.
Despite his persecution of Christ’s followers, having seen those who followed Christ and lived in His ways, the realization that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and is the true God Himself began to emerge within Paul.
Paul had never met Jesus when He was alive. However, by observing the lives of Christ's followers, we can say that Paul had met Jesus.
In the Book of Acts, chapter 7, which precedes today's passage, we read about the story of a man named Stephen being martyred (being killed for preaching Christ).
No matter how much people opposed and hated Stephen for preaching Christ, he did not hate them back.
The people were so angry with Stephen that they threw stone after stone at him and killed him.
Then Stephen said, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” (Acts 7:60)
Paul was also present there. It is written that Paul approved of the killing of Stephen. (Acts 8:1).
The Bible does not tell us how Paul felt as he watched Stephen's execution.
However, Paul's heart must have been violently shaken by witnessing Stephen praying “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” about those who were stoning him to death.
In addition to Stephen, Paul must have felt something from the other believers whom he had persecuted, and change had begun inside him without him noticing.
When Jesus asked Paul, “Why do you persecute me?”, I think Paul was reminded of Stephen's death, his own approval of Stephen's execution, and was forced to rethink many things.
Paul was more zealous about the teachings and practices of Judaism than anyone. But I think Paul realized that he did not truly know about the essence of God, His love and His forgiveness.
Paul asks the voice, “Who are you, Lord?”
Paul would have known that it was in fact Jesus. I believe that Paul was asking the essential question, “Who are you, God, in relation to my life?”
When we hear the Lord speak to us, we too may ask, “Who are you?” and “How are you involved in my life right now?”
We do not usually have such dramatic experiences as Paul's, where a light shines from heaven and we hear a voice.
But there are times when God speaks to us through the Bible and even through other people and various circumstances.
It is then that we ask, “Who are you?” and “What should I do?” with the intent of following the path revealed to us, one step at a time.
Paul is blinded after this encounter and his compatriots took him by the hand and led him to Damascus.
He was blind for three days and did not eat or drink anything.
Today's passage is very important in the sense that Paul was reborn as a preacher of Christ and preacher to the Gentiles (foreigners), extending the gospel beyond the Jews.
Paul had since gone on to do great things as a preacher of Christ.
But the fact that Paul had earlier persecuted (even killed) followers of Christ would remain with him.
But such was God's plan. God does not always use those deemed worthy and qualified in the eyes of men for the work of evangelism.
Instead, God chose someone like Paul, whose past (a major obstacle) appeared to make him an unlikely candidate as an evangelist of Christ.
When Paul tried to preach the gospel, I think he was rebuffed (feared) by many people who said, “Did you not terribly persecute Christ’s followers?”
Paul was faced with such voices and his own past and sins as he became convinced of God's love and forgiveness.
In other words, despite his past as a persecutor of Christ, Paul was chosen by God and, overflowing with the joy of forgiveness, became an apostle of Christ.
And Paul grew increasingly convinced that he had been called to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ as part of God's grand design, far exceeding his own understanding.
We, too, have to confront ourselves when we encounter Christ and when we are challenged by His words.
This may lead us to confront our inner self and sins, which is something we would normally prefer not to do.
But only through such a process do we finally come to the conviction and joy that Jesus really died on the cross to atone for our sins, and that we are therefore forgiven of our sins.
Let us be grounded in the faith given to us by Jesus and continue to walk together on the path of Christ, with joy and gratitude for the forgiveness of our sins, while also turning inward to examine ourselves.
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 261 Dear Spirit, lead me to the Saviour's side
Offering
Scripture Acts 9:1～9
Prayer
Sermon “Paul’s Conversion”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 19 Love divine, all loves excelling
Doxology JBC # 671
Benediction
Postlude
The New Testament consists of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), the Book of Acts (today's Bible passage), several subsequent books in epistle (letter) form, and the book of John's Revelation.
It was Paul who wrote most of the epistles in the New Testament. That Paul is called Saul in today's passage. Paul and Saul are the same person.
At the beginning of today's passage we read
1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
The “Lord's disciples” are followers of Jesus Christ. At this time, Jesus had already been killed, resurrected, and ascended into heaven.
After Jesus ascended into heaven, the Lord's Holy Spirit descended on and empowered His disciples.
Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the disciples began to preach with great power that “Jesus Christ is Lord” and that “there is no salvation for man except through Christ.”
The Book of Acts describes in detail the evangelistic works of the disciples after being empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Paul, who later preached Christ and wrote many of the epistles included in the New Testament, was at first a fierce persecutor of those who followed the teachings of Jesus Christ.
He threatened and even sought to kill the Lord's disciples.
Paul had received permission from the high priest to persecute Christ's followers and was on his way to Damascus with palpable evil intent.
There he was to bind up Christ's followers, both men and women, and take them to Jerusalem.
We know how intense Paul's persecution was during this period because there are several passages in the epistles where he himself alludes to the fact.
In Galatians 1:13, we read
13 For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.
Paul had persecuted God's church and even tried to destroy it. And through it all, Paul believed he was serving God diligently.
This is evident in the same passage in Galatians, the next verse, 1:14.
I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
Paul says that he was “extremely zealous.”
However, if we look deeper into the meaning of the words, “advancing in Judaism,” and “extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers,” can we not infer that Paul was more concerned with his own zeal than with his love and sincerity toward the Lord God?
We can infer that Paul was not living in the love and mercy of God and the joy that comes from Him, even though he appeared to be a fervent believer on the outside.
And I think it is possible that Paul was actually suffering internally from this.
As Paul approached his destination, Damascus, with the intent to persecute Christ's followers, a light from heaven flashed around him.
Paul fell to the ground and then heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
It was the voice of Jesus Christ.
The voice said, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
Jesus did not say, “Stop persecuting me,” but rather asked him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
It was an exhortation to Paul to look within himself.
Jesus asked Saul,
“Why do you persecute me? What is your motivation for doing so? What drives you? “
Thus, through encountering Jesus, we are forced to look within ourselves.
Even today, we continue to encounter Jesus through the Bible, Jesus continues to question us, and we continue to look within ourselves.
As Jesus questions us, as we spiritually communicate with Him (through prayer), we are forced to really consider “What do I really want? Who am I really?”
We do not know what was going through Paul’s mind at this moment. After this Paul is blinded.
Later in today's passage, we are told that Paul's eyes were reopened by a man named Ananias, and that Paul then transformed into a zealous preacher of Jesus.
We might get the impression that Paul was instantly transformed from a persecutor of Christ to a passionate evangelist of Christ.
However, I believe that such a change actually occurred gradually within Paul as he persecuted Christ's followers.
Despite his persecution of Christ’s followers, having seen those who followed Christ and lived in His ways, the realization that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and is the true God Himself began to emerge within Paul.
Paul had never met Jesus when He was alive. However, by observing the lives of Christ's followers, we can say that Paul had met Jesus.
In the Book of Acts, chapter 7, which precedes today's passage, we read about the story of a man named Stephen being martyred (being killed for preaching Christ).
No matter how much people opposed and hated Stephen for preaching Christ, he did not hate them back.
The people were so angry with Stephen that they threw stone after stone at him and killed him.
Then Stephen said, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” (Acts 7:60)
Paul was also present there. It is written that Paul approved of the killing of Stephen. (Acts 8:1).
The Bible does not tell us how Paul felt as he watched Stephen's execution.
However, Paul's heart must have been violently shaken by witnessing Stephen praying “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” about those who were stoning him to death.
In addition to Stephen, Paul must have felt something from the other believers whom he had persecuted, and change had begun inside him without him noticing.
When Jesus asked Paul, “Why do you persecute me?”, I think Paul was reminded of Stephen's death, his own approval of Stephen's execution, and was forced to rethink many things.
Paul was more zealous about the teachings and practices of Judaism than anyone. But I think Paul realized that he did not truly know about the essence of God, His love and His forgiveness.
Paul asks the voice, “Who are you, Lord?”
Paul would have known that it was in fact Jesus. I believe that Paul was asking the essential question, “Who are you, God, in relation to my life?”
When we hear the Lord speak to us, we too may ask, “Who are you?” and “How are you involved in my life right now?”
We do not usually have such dramatic experiences as Paul's, where a light shines from heaven and we hear a voice.
But there are times when God speaks to us through the Bible and even through other people and various circumstances.
It is then that we ask, “Who are you?” and “What should I do?” with the intent of following the path revealed to us, one step at a time.
Paul is blinded after this encounter and his compatriots took him by the hand and led him to Damascus.
He was blind for three days and did not eat or drink anything.
Today's passage is very important in the sense that Paul was reborn as a preacher of Christ and preacher to the Gentiles (foreigners), extending the gospel beyond the Jews.
Paul had since gone on to do great things as a preacher of Christ.
But the fact that Paul had earlier persecuted (even killed) followers of Christ would remain with him.
But such was God's plan. God does not always use those deemed worthy and qualified in the eyes of men for the work of evangelism.
Instead, God chose someone like Paul, whose past (a major obstacle) appeared to make him an unlikely candidate as an evangelist of Christ.
When Paul tried to preach the gospel, I think he was rebuffed (feared) by many people who said, “Did you not terribly persecute Christ’s followers?”
Paul was faced with such voices and his own past and sins as he became convinced of God's love and forgiveness.
In other words, despite his past as a persecutor of Christ, Paul was chosen by God and, overflowing with the joy of forgiveness, became an apostle of Christ.
And Paul grew increasingly convinced that he had been called to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ as part of God's grand design, far exceeding his own understanding.
We, too, have to confront ourselves when we encounter Christ and when we are challenged by His words.
This may lead us to confront our inner self and sins, which is something we would normally prefer not to do.
But only through such a process do we finally come to the conviction and joy that Jesus really died on the cross to atone for our sins, and that we are therefore forgiven of our sins.
Let us be grounded in the faith given to us by Jesus and continue to walk together on the path of Christ, with joy and gratitude for the forgiveness of our sins, while also turning inward to examine ourselves.
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