Translator Jaeho Choi
Feb 20, Acts 2:22-29 [The citizens of the Holy Spirit]
Acts 22:22-29
[Citizen of the Holy Spirit]
Repentance realized by hearing the Words is the best human emotion and ecstasy.
The heaven community is where people who have experienced the ecstasy of Words gather. Just as we have to pass hell training to win a gold medal at the Olympics,
God trains us to make us a high-quality first-class citizen.
Today we will think about the citizens of the Holy Spirit that we should be.
First, it is difficult to become a citizen of the Holy Spirit just by hearing and stopping.
The Jews shouted, 'I even listened to what they said' (22:22).
Namely, the Jews screamed when they heard that the Lord sent Paul to strangers,not Jews.
So, they want to get rid of Paul.
It seems that they listened well because they were chosen by God, but they stopped listening like this.
People listen to what God said and stop listening as they think there is nothing to hear about.
If you stop listening, its hard to become a citizen of the Holy Spirit.
Second, the citizens of the Holy Spirit let a person live, who should be get rid of.
It is Christianity that saves those who should not live.
Paul defended very carefully but Jews got mad when heard the word foreigner.
For Jews, strangers were unclean beings who shouldnt be chosen by God.
They believed that they could become citizens of the kingdom of God, only by worshiping, performing ancestral rites, and offering sacrifices to eliminate unclean things.
They tried to get rid of Paul as he said he would do missionary work for strangers.
But the truth is, Jesus came close to Jews through Pauls mouth.
There might be a person, event or situation that I want to get rid of,
but Jesus come close to me through that person, event or situation.
And that is because Jesus want me to become a citizen of the Holy Spirit.
The environment I want to get rid of is the best environment where I can hear words, see my sins, and repent.
This is the redemption that makes me to a citizen of the Holy Spirit.
Third, you have to ask.
The centurion couldt understand Pauls Hebrew sermon at all,
but as the Jews got wild, he chose a whip to control the situation quickly.
The centurion tied Paul with a leather string to control the situation with his power.
Before trying to solve a problem, you should ask first.
We whip our adorable children,and punish ourselves as well.
Whipping our children or ourselves only tear off our heart and hurt our soul.
The citizens of the Holy Spirit should ask first.
Asking is a privilege.
God always answers our questions with Words.
Fourth, it gives the power of citizens.
The centurion was shocked to hear that Paul had Roman citizenship.
Now the centurion is in trouble as he might be punished on the contrary.
Thats what it means to have citizenship of the Roman Empire.
Moreover, the citizens of the Holy Spirit cannot be compared with that of Roman citizens.
The power of the citizen of the Holy Spirit is the power of knowing that I am a sinner.
When we, the citizens of the Holy Spirit, heartly repent, the kingdom of Satan collapse.
A testimony of a small group.
An American citizen holder was born and raised in Baker, Louisiana, USA,
where many of his childhood friends were imprisoned or murdered for drug-related incidents.
He experienced reverse discrimination as a white people.
He hated the region, so he went to a seminary and met a woman to marry.
His wife wanted him to make money and he joined an army as a medic and later became an officer.
He searched for health, wealth and happiness but he got divorced of affair in the end.
He came to Wooridle church and joined a small group.
He began to see his sins by hearing other peoples testimony.
Now his goal is to deliver the message of QT back in the USA.
He is an American citizen and he is the citizen of the Holy Spirit.
When we hear out till the end and when we ask our tough situation to God,
I believe we all can be the citizen of the Holy Spirit.
