The Way The Church Should Teach Christians

[The fundamental solution to overcome the threats of sports, screen, and sex]

Today’s modern church has been greatly threatened by sports, screen and sex. Specially, sports and screen (TV, movies, etc.) have been big factors for rapid secularization of the Church. In order to secularize the Church by distorting the purity of the faith, Satan always appears in various forms in each period with different subjects and contents for new challenges and crises of faith at all times. The Church has put every effort to defend the faith from Satan.

In modern society with the crisis, even the sports, screen, and sex have become the social problems due to the rapid development of civilization, and thus the faith of Christianity has been greatly threatened by these factors. When Christians watched TV more and more, they fell into confusion between humanism and truth; and faced loss of values and confusion in contradiction with common sense and truth.

If special care and right education of faith are not given to Christians who are exposed to the dangerous condition of the world:

The Christians who once committed a sin can be further depraved due to fallen conscience.
The Law and moralism without the Holy Spirit lead to an antinomic behavior from contradiction between deeds and words. The most urgent problem for the Church to solve is how to keep pure faith from sports, screen and sex.

The Christians with more access to sports and screen (TV, movies, etc.) become naturally addicted to the ideas of the world and are easily dragged by Satan, and thus their faith is eventually paralyzed. Those people with such paralyzed faith lose faith toward God without realizing themselves due to fallen values and conscience; and the fallen conscience further leads to sexual depravity which brings the total destruction of faith. The past history shows that sexual depravity destroys families, societies, nations and furthermore the human race as well as individuals.

The ultimate goal of Satan

Sexual immorality contains a great number of spiritual secrets beyond human reason.
The ultimate purpose of Satan to corrupt Christians morally is to corrupt them sexually which eventually leads to an absolute damage by disconnection of relationship with God.

As the Bible says that “because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband (1Co 7:2), it is natural and desirable to have sex with his or her own spouse in faith. For example, if an ordinary sin in relation to God has the power of one grenade to blow up, then sexual immorality has a power of a bomb that can blow up not only an individual but a society and even a country and through moral hazard to disconnect the relationship between God and Christians, and this is a Satan’s strategy and the ultimate goal.

Without God’s permission, the pleasure that Christians enjoy at their disposal is called ‘spiritual theft’.

“Moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor—it is the gift of God.” (Ecc 3:13)

“…God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him…” (Ecc 5:18-19)

The truth is that the blessing which I can enjoy as I planted is given by God. However, people of the world have wrong idea that they can enjoy whenever they want as long as they have money, time, and youth. The sad reality which we are facing is that such corruption (secularism) is widespread even in the Church.

Since Christians cannot do anything without God’s permission including repaying a vengeance, judging their brothers (Ro 14:10), only God has sovereignty of all things, and Christians have only right to do good deeds (Eph 2:10, Tit 2:14). According to the law of retribution I should compensate by spiritual pain, tribulation or physical diseases, etc. as much as I enjoyed pleasure (blessing) or aesthetic at my will without God’s permission, not to mention spiritual disconnection with God (Gal 6:7-9). This is the truth, and we should bear in mind that the world is being run in accordance with such a rule (truth) in the past, present and future.

In the mean time, many people mentioned about bad influence and seriousness of sports, screen, and sex on Christianity, and the Church also made much effort to prevent such trends through various education of faith. However, it is very unfortunate that there is no clear solution to present in the Christian world in spite of fully realizing fruitless outcomes compared to the effort put into so far. Now, I would like to mention once again the fundamental solution to overcome the connivance of faith due to sports, screen, and sex even deeply situated in Church and the role of Christianity toward corrupting world.

1. The Church should teach Christians the role of the salt and the light.

The crisis of Christianity always started from affluence and comfort. According to the history of Christianity, in any generation affluence and comfort brought indolence and laziness; and pure and clean zeal of faith has faded away due to the climate of extravagance and pleasure; and eventually the Church has lost its power and gone into formality and formalism. In regard to this corrupting world, what has the Church done for the role of Christianity and presented for the solutions of those problems?

The Bible says that Christians are the salt and the light of the world (Mt 5:13-16). If Christians bore the role of the salt properly in any age, they could bear the Christian duty which was to lead the corrupting world to the way of truth. However, in order to deal with this role properly, the spiritual symbolic meaning of the salt and the light should be solved. Only then, the true role and essence of the Church can be surely known. But like today, if the salt is only interpreted as an anti-corruption agent or a flavoring spice as to the world, the purpose and nature of the Church will be bound to remain a mystery forever.

What is salt?

Until now, the role of the salt and the light has been mentioned only in the aspect of ethics and morality in the Church. Christians based on moral principle have been produced as preachers have delivered sermons about salt within the framework of morality by adapting for themselves.

Now, it is the time to correctly present the spiritual meaning of salt in a more concrete manner. As the rainbow in the Bible represents the eternal promise, salt is the symbol of promise between the Lord your God and the Israelites in the Old Testament period. Salt was used as the symbol of promise to eternally keep the promise between God and the Israelites by seasoning grain offerings and other burnt offerings with salt in the law of sacrifice. This is called ‘the covenant of salt”.

“Every grain offering of yours, moreover, you shall season with salt, so that the salt of the covenant of your God …” (Lev 2:13)

“the Lord God of Israel gave the rule over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt?” (2Ch 13:5)

“… It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the Lord to you and your descendants with you.” (Nu 18:19)

As if a couple who is getting marry puts on a ring to each other as a symbol of the covenant of abiding love, the meaning of the covenant of salt represents to fulfill to the end and achieve the things once promised by God, and salt is used as that symbol. Such covenant of salt was fulfilled by crucifixion of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, and further by staying together forever as the second coming of the Holy Spirit after death (Ac 1:4-5).

In the era of barter, rice, leather, shells, etc. played the role of money according to the need, whereas in modern times currency or credit cards have been playing the role of money. Likewise, salt was the symbol of the covenant in the Old Testament, whereas the Holy Spirit who came at the expense of shedding blood of Jesus Christ can keep and maintain the fellowship between God and Christians and the salvation in the New Testament.

Likewise,

In the era of the Old Testament, the only way to receive salvation was to season with salt according to the law of sacrifice to have fellowship with God.
In the era of the New Testament, the ultimate point of the covenant of salt which is the fulfillment of covenant of eternal salvation is the Holy Spirit due to the expense of blood- shedding of Jesus Christ.

In other words, the true meaning of salt is the Holy Spirit. Seasoning with salt in the Old Testament is the same as receiving the Holy Spirit in the New Testament, and this is namely participating in the covenant (the more detailed information will be mentioned in the next message ‘the salt and the light”.)

The role of the spiritual gift

As Christianity is a spiritual religion, it will be completed on the basis and through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and it can be faithful to the essence of true Christianity in the presence of the work of the Holy Spirit. However, the Church without the guidance and work of the Holy Spirit is a mere pagan religion with loss of essence as Christianity. As the work of the Holy Spirit includes 9 kinds of gifts such as the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, the gifts of healing, the effecting of miracles, prophecy, the distinguishing of spirits, various kinds of tongues, and the interpretation of tongues (1Co 12:8-10), it can be faithful to the essence of true Christianity only when the gifts are well blended with the life of faith. The spiritual gift is a natural phenomenon which appears in a spiritual Christian, and faith is to pursue spiritual things, thus there is no meaning of having faith when the faith is not spiritual (Ro 8:9).

Specially, as Christianity is a spiritual religion, it has begun on the basis of the Holy Spirit and completed through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Christians can communicate with God only through the Holy Spirit and receive the power of God (1Co 2:4-5); and their faith can become mature and healthy only when they sense, feel, and see God.

“For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” (Ro 8:14)
“but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,…” (1Co 2:4-5)

As faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of Christ (Ro 10:17) leads to the growth of faith, there should be both the work of the Holy Spirit and gift in order to have perfect faith. Gifts become eyes, ears, hands, and feet to make unseen God visible. Specially, through the fulfillment of prophecies, people feel fear of God and the presence of the living God. Through the power of the gift, people can experience some mysterious power beyond their ability, and they feel that the power is not their power but the power of God. At this very moment, they can feel the work of God within them, and their faith becomes mature and perfect. As if we cultivate plants and flowers with fertilizer to grow well, gifts play the role of fertilizer of faith for Christians (1Co 12:7).

The true meaning of salt

The role of salt is not merely carrying out lawful and ethical acts in order to prevent corruption or season the taste of faith as we know but revealing only the work of the Holy Spirit to the world; and the Church and Christians can play the role of salt by following the guidance, work and power of the Holy Spirit (1Co 2:4, 13). Therefore, now the Church should correctly present the Holy Spirit which represents the true meaning of salt for Christians to play the role of the true salt and the light to the world.

2. The Church should teach Christians to live the life of witness.

The Church should teach Christians that to believe in Christ is to do only good deeds by surely establishing the meaning of existence (mission) as Christians.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,” (Eph 2:10)
“…for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.” (Tit 2:14)

Biblical teaching method is to teach Christians being stupid and foolish to the world and prepare them for the loss. This is the way God wants Christians to be, and makes the Church look virtuous to the world. On the contrary, the world rather sends complaints and criticisms toward the Church when Christians are cleverer, more coldhearted and more selfish than people of the world in the way of living. From now on, the Church should teach Christians the way of living on the basis of Matthew Chapter 5 verses 37-48 as ‘Ethics for Christian practices’.

“Whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two… Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt 5:37-48)

The reasons for Christians to live as ‘ethics for Christian practices’ (Mt 5:37-48)

(1) The confirmation of the truth to the world is namely to live the life of the witness. The truth which is the word of God is not made of worldly common sense used in the world and secular human thoughts and wisdom; but it is to show to the world that all things are operated according to the word of God and fulfilled by the truth. However, mostly the worldly law and the truth are paradoxical.

In the world, I have to kill others for me to live, and take away wealth from others for me to accumulate it; and this is the logic and the way of the world. On the other hand, since I have to seek to lose my life to keep my life and discard anything to gain them according to the truth, Christians should confirm to the world that all things are fulfilled according to the truth in the end by living the life of the truth and this is the life of the witnesses.

(2) Christians should live this way to return to God’s attributes (the essence of universe).

Since God is love (1Jn 4:7-8) and God created the universe with love that is the essence of God, the act of love by Christians means to return to the essence of principle of creation, which implies to the accord with God. In other words, to love is being clothed with the image of God (1Co 13:4-8), and God will be glorified when these two things are fulfilled.

3. The Church should teach retribution to Christians.

In the Bible, all sins are subject to the judgment and retribution. The world is operated according to the truth and various strict punishments of suffering have been made with regard to retribution. The Bible says that one of God’s attributes is retribution in addition to love (Jer 17:10, Ro 2:6).

Repentance and retribution

As Jesus said, “Whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” (Gal 6:7), the Church should certainly teach that the retribution is always followed according to his deeds in any form and in any manner although he received the forgiveness for his sins.

In the Bible, there is one story that one slave who owed his lord ten thousand talents was forgiven for all his debt but he did not forgive his fellow slave who owed him a hundred denarii and rather threw that fellow slave in prison. After his lord heard the news, the lord was upset and handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that he owed the lord (Mt 18:23-35). Like this parable, if I want to be forgiven but I do not forgive others, then I will not be also forgiven from God. We should keep this in mind.

As Zaccheus was saved by the determination of repaying four times as much as his extortion (Lk 19:8), true repentance will be established only when I put my pledge and determination into action of repaying four times as retribution for my sins. As my sins are first forgiven through repentance and I forgive others who committed the same sins that I committed to others, I should know that there is a compensation for my sins to be forgiven by the law of retribution, and this is the truth. This is the only way to partly prevent Christians who are insensitive to sin in the modern church from prevalent sins in the world (Additional explanation about retribution will be mentioned in the next message which is titled as ‘Forgiveness of sins’).

4. The Church should lead Christians to receive the Holy Spirit.

Churches can be true churches and become real churches only when there is the work of the Holy Spirit. If a church and Christians do not have communication with God, then that church and those Christians cannot be called a true church and true Christians, respectively. Therefore, the most urgent problem of the modern church is to restore the Holy Spirit.

What is salvation?

Among the concept of salvation in the Bible, when one received the Holy Spirit and one received help by the act of the Holy Spirit, etc., then there are often times the expression of ‘one received salvation’ is used. A cup of water could be salvation to those who suffered from thirst in the middle of desert; and warm meals and coats could be salvation to those who experienced hunger and extreme cold weather, respectively. Likewise, since in real life, which we are facing, the Holy Spirit who widely applies salvation to spirit, soul and body, etc. in a holistic way is omnipotent, transcendent salvation can be applied beyond the trend of the age, changing environment, thoughts, ideology, etc. As long as Christians are filled with the Holy Spirit at any age, they can have full faith even in the furnace of blazing fire called the world as Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego survived in the furnace (Da 3:27).

The duty of the Church

The teaching of Christianity has mentioned up to the fullness of the Holy Spirit; and the responsibility of ministers is to teach and prepare Christians to receive the Holy Spirit and to guide them the right way; the Holy Spirit would directly teach and guide them thereafter.

“Be filled with the Spirit” (Eph 5:18)
“The Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things...” (Jn 14:26)
“When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth...” (Jn 16:13)

This is like being guided by the teacher in charge of the middle school, leaving the teacher in charge of the primary school when you enter the middle school. Likewise, you are supposed to live on the basis of love under the law in the absence of the Holy Spirit, whereas you are supposed to be guided by the Holy Spirit when the Holy Spirit comes (Gal 3:23).

For example, we need to go to Seoul the final destination from Taejon by train, but the teaching of Bible only mentioned about taking a train from Taejon Station. In this case, a train represents the Holy Spirit. In order to take a train you need to make some efforts on your own by paying train fare and coming to the station at least. The Church should teach and prepare Christians to make some efforts (repentance, love...) in order to take a train or receive the Holy Spirit. The next step is to arrive safely at Seoul station by sitting comfortably once you take a train. Likewise, the Holy Spirit directly rules and guides Christians from the next step beyond the departing station (1Jn 2:27). There are no such foolish people who try to run while riding in a train to Seoul from Taejon.

However, the modern church is foolishly taking the role position of the Holy Spirit beyond the departing point and trying to take over and teach even the next step only by humanly way (reason) without knowing properly the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We need to know the fact that this is not helpful to faith but rather harmful to it. Therefore, we need to keep in mind that the Apostle Paul did not present systematic theology or specific ways of faith but concluded with the emphasis on only the fullness of the Holy Spirit and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In addition, the Apostle John said in the Bible (1Jn 2:27) that “the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you,” and Jesus also said in his last words, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (Jn 14:16).

When Christians listen to the preacher who is filled with the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit is transferred to their heart (Heb 4:12). After that, they cannot commit sins because of being tormented by a guilty conscience even if they want; and they feel pain, cannot sleep without repentance, and struggle in pain of mind even if they commit sins. This is because the Holy Spirit is persistently working on their conscience until they come out of those sins. Today, there is no better Christian education of faith than teaching Christians and adolescents who are exposed to sports, screen and sex to receive the Holy Spirit in the prayer of repentance. As the Holy Spirit which is the salt is the last and best way of having faith beyond age, namely omnipotent for salvation, the only way to win the age of scientific civilization of the present or the future is to receive the Holy Spirit.

5. Reasons for Christians to stay away from sports, screen and sex; and live devoutly

Theft and retribution

As previously explained, ‘spiritual theft’ is enjoying a pleasure not by the reward of God but by the pursuit of human being himself. In other words, the blessing that mankind enjoys should be clearly within the range of the blessings that God (the owner) allows (Ecc 3:13, Lk 12:18-21), and enjoying without permission of God is called theft.

Now, roads to enjoy pleasures are piled up around us, and we are living in a social system where we can enjoy whenever we want. Therefore, the Church should teach the fact that people have to pay as much as they pursued and enjoyed the pleasure of sports, screen and sex with hardships and suffering for retribution. The retribution for enjoying a pleasure not by the reward of God but by the pursuit of human being himself is always paid as tribulation, hardships and suffering, thus Christians should stay away from pleasure, practice self-control and live devoutly (Ro 2:6, Job 34:11, Mt 16:27...).

Now, the reason for Christians to live devoutly is not just for Christian duty to practice self-control and live devoutly, but God’s wish for his people to walk by faith in freedom and comfort without spiritual and physical pain according to the teachings of the Bible. If Christians do not stay away from sports, screen and sex, pain (fear, worry, anxiety, envy, jealousy, various physical diseases, etc.) will always follow them; if there is a spiritual sin, the communication with God will be disconnected. Therefore, Satan lures Christians and waits for them after setting a trap which is called pleasure to the world in order to alienate and separate Christians from God.

The only problem solver to win the world is the Holy Spirit.

Now, the solutions for salvation and the role of Christianity in the corrupting world day by day due to sports, screen and sex are as follows:

The Church should lead Christians to play the role of the salt and the light.
The Church should lead Christians to live the life of witness.
The Church should certainly teach retribution.
The Church has rights and responsibilities for teaching and leading Christians to receive the Holy Spirit, and this is the only absolute solution for the Church to survive.

As described in the above, the Holy Spirit which is the salt is the only way to solve all the problems, and this is the last and the best line of defense, the solution of everything and the problem solver of faith to win the world.

Hallelujah! All honor and glory to God alone forever and ever! Amen.