Grace and Peace
(Rev 1: 4∼8)
Whenever we seek anything without God, we face nihilism. Grace is the peace of Jesus Christ, who condescended to stoop himself over us helpless beings. Lets see what it takes to have this grace and peace.
1. We absolutely need our church community. In verse 4, John sends his letters to seven churches. The number seven refers to the perfect number of the seven days of Gods creation the absolute universal number. Thus God entrusts us, his blessed people with revealing his will. He instructs us that blessed are those who read and obey the Word, and he designates the church as the blessed community. God is interested in the salvation of his people. Revelation is a book that reveals His love, focused on our salvation rather than dreadful chronicles of wars. Theres no perfect church on earth. However, unlike the world, people in the grace community are becoming united on the recognition that they are 100 % sinners. There they enjoy peace and pleasure, whether distressed, indebted, or discontented, which is unexplainable without owing it to Gods grace. We enjoy peace when we recognize our sins by grace, not with our knowledge. Lesslie Newbigin says that the authority of the gospel is testified when we live out the message of the gospel through worship in our community. Our mokjang is a model community of humbleness, where we reveal our meanness and pettiness, guided by its leadership. Thus we learn godly peace and grace by serving others in our church community, unlike the world community whose members can leave it anytime they please.
2. We need the help of the Trinity. The Trinity, who created us in Genesis 1:1 continues to help us as it is written in Revelation. In chapter 1, God gave his revelation to Jesus, who made it known to John through his angel. God did this to show his servants what must soon take place. Notice that three different verbs are used in verse 1 in order to reflect the different roles of the trinity three in one and one in three. Thus God makes us revive by drawing the curtain of revelation gradually according to our faith through the Word, which is living and active and penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow.
3. We need the ministry of God the Son, the faithful witness. Revelation is by no means a dreadful story. It is rather the story of Jesus grace and peace, who broke the seal of the scroll, which no one but Jesus, son of David can open. In Revelation 1, God saved us from our sins and made us his priests through Jesus blood and his revelation. We can enjoy Gods grace and peace as long as we keep in mind the revelation of Jesus Christ no matter what trials we have. Yet to those who struggle with their own efforts without grace, life is total emptiness because they cant understand the Word. We need to polish our trials with the Word till they shine and are used for the sake of others and their training.
4. We need to repent. In Zechariah 12:12~14, Davids descendants mourned individually for their salivation. The family that pleases God is the one whose members repent and mourn respectively. So it is with our mokjang, where we can enjoy grace and peace as the result of our application. When we choose a worldly bridegroom instead of Jesus, we will meet the day when we wail. We need to choose everything by faith. We should not blame or resent Jesus for our trials. Instead, we need to lament and mourn over our sins in person, waiting for the day when we meet Jesus.
5. We need to understand that God is the alpha and omega. No one can finish the incidents in our life but God, who began them as the Alpha and will finish them as the Omega. Those who are in trials like me can bring a lot of people to God by polishing our trials with the Word and rejoicing. I have also used my trials for others by polishing them with the Word, giving my thanks to God for them even though I had considered divorcing many times before I met Jesus. The secret to enjoying grace and peace is revealing our trials to others and bearing our spiritual fruits instead of having a grudge against God for our trials.Some deaconess sent us an encouraging letter for a young sister of our community, who entrusted her baby to an orphanage. She said that she was enjoying a great pleasure because of her now 10-year-old adopted daughter. When she bore her second son, she confessed, she even didnt want to see him because of the extreme pains that she had during her delivery. She was also disappointed that she didnt have a daughter. Yet, touched by the 21 year old sisters confession, who didnt abort her baby, she decided to do her best in bringing up her new baby. Thus we can live an ever-giving life under all circumstances after receiving the revelation of Jesus Christ. Whether adopting or being adopted, only those who read the Word and apply it in their life are blessed to enjoy the grace and peace.
'John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne.'(Rev 1:4)
