ScriptureIsaiah 60:1-3
"Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; But the LORD will rise upon you and His glory will appear upon you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising."
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
God the Father called year 2010 'The Year of Harvest.'
Just as He said, it was the year to harvest true grains that would receive salvation and that would accomplish sanctification to enter New Jerusalem.
Let's give all thanks and glory to God the Father who loved us so much that He gave all the best things and led us to the best path for this year 2010.
In addition, by His power which was unbelievably more amazing than ever before, He worked more greatly and quickly, and He was with us in countless signs, wonders, and with power.
How can we ever express our thanks for all this with words-
I hope that you will never forget this thankfulness and grace, and that you will make a new resolution in this New Year's Day service.
This resolution should not the ritual-like ones which you have usually made at the beginning of a new year.
I hope that tonight's resolution will be the true one that you will truly change yourself, that you will only live by the word of God, and that you will run the race of faith with your eyes fixed only on New Jerusalem.
I ask you in the name of the Lord that, by doing so, you should surely come as a fruit of sanctification, repay the grace of God the Father, and become a pleasure to Him.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
The fact itself that we give the very first hour of a new year to God the Father is a blessing.
By the way, 'faith' is the most important thing by which you can please God the Father.
And thus, on the first day of a new year, coming to the altar of God the Father, and giving the first hour to Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength is faith.
If you offer this hour to God by faith, you will surely receive answers and blessings.
Furthermore, as you receive the prayer of a servant who is guaranteed by God, your life will be protected and guided in the New Year.
I extend my sincere thanks to those who devoted themselves in various fields for the kingdom of God and souls during the last year.
I pray in the name of the Lord that, each and every one of you who are attending this service may receive and enjoy all the blessings that God the Father has prepared for you as you worship God in spirit and truth.
I dearly desire for countless children to glorify God and that the sanctuary that contains the beauty of God the Father to be constructed.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
Isaiah 60:1-3 says, "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you and His glory will appear upon you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising."
This verse is the word of promise that God the Father had given us from the start of this church.
Since God the Father knew how this church would arise and shine the light, He gave us this verse to present His will and providence for this church.
Indeed, just like this verse, this church has risen and shone the light since our beginning.
This verse will be even more vividly accomplished in Year 2011.
For this, God the Father gave Manmin an opportunity last year to prepare ourselves both physically and spiritually.
He allowed us to drive away spiritual darkness, which was sin and evil, and He aligned the church organization so that all the parts could intimately unite together to work like one.
Figuratively speaking, we now have the best crew and ship which can sail out no matter how powerful the waves may be before us.
However, it doesn't mean that we have everything we need now.
With a mindset that says that 'this is a new beginning again,' we should be both spiritually and physically further be furnished one thing after another.
Only then, can we completely accomplish the will and providence of God the Father as a church that arises and shines in the world.
Now, what is actually a church that 'arises and shines-'
It is the church that unfolds the true heart and will of God the Father to Korea and to every corner of the world with means of the holiness gospel and God's power.
There are many churches and servants of God our there to preach the Word of God, but it is a rare instance in which the heart and will of God is correctly presented.
It is just as what Amos says in 8:11, "'Behold, days are coming,' declares the Lord GOD, 'When I will send a famine on the land, not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, but rather for hearing the words of the LORD.'"
It is in times like these that someone has to preach the gospel of sanctification which contains the true heart and will of God. That person also has to be able to manifest the power of God to confirm the word and reveal the glory of God world-wide.
Obviously, the light shines more brightly in the darkness.
Even a tiny flame can be easily spotted in pitch blackness.
You can locate the flame even from a distance.
Today's generation is in this pitch blackness due to sin.
Sin and evil are rampant to an extent that words can't describe.
Today's world is more stained with sin and evil than the day when there was the Flood of Noah and the day when Sodom and Gomorrah met with the calamities of judgment.
If the people of Sodom and Gomorrah could see the situation that exists today, it would be shocking even to them.
Besides, sin and evil are not limited to just a couple of places or a few individuals these days.
From a young child to an old man, without distinction in age, and regardless of education, social position, or wealth, sin and evil are rampant.
It is beyond the limits from within which a family, school, or government can make effort to purify.
They try to become purified by means of rules and education, and yet the world becomes more evil, and it falls deeper into ever graver sin.
That's why today's scripture says, "darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples" indicating the current generation of today.
Now, what do we need when darkness is covering the world like this-
It is the light.
In other words, it is the word of God which can enlighten the darkened hearts of people.
We also need the power of God that confirms the Word spoken.
Churches are supposed to play this role of shining the light, but where can we find such a church in this world-
I am not saying there isn't such a church at all, but I do say that it is so hard to find such a church.
Churches should point out sin by the word of God and help people's lives to change. But, in many cases they can't do it.
Even though sin and evil are so prevalent throughout the world, churches should never take a part in it.
Churches should teach their people to understand the heart and will of God, and to live by the word.
However, there are many churches which don't preach the word of God, but rather wrongly teach their people to compromise with the world.
For the time of this situation, God set up Manmin Church.
God knew that there should be a church that would arise and shine when people would truly need the light in the dark world.
It was the reason God set up 'Manmin' in His providence that He planned before the ages.
Just as He had Noah prepare the ark for the great flood, and just as He forewarned Abraham about the judgment in Sodom and Gomorrah to give a chance of survival to Lot and his family, He set up Manmin in this end time so that Manmin could play a role of the ark of salvation.
Just as God saved Lot and his two daughters due to Abraham, He wants to help just one more soul to reach salvation through Manmin.
Dear brothers and sisters.
In fact, receiving salvation itself is not an easy job in this end time.
Just as Jesus said in Luke 18:8, "However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth-" it is now truly difficult to find faith.
Well, many people still confess that they believe, and they say, "Lord, Lord" looking for the Lord, but how many of them have spiritual love which makes them able to receive salvation-
Jesus said in Matthew 7:21, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter."
People may say they live by the will of God in their own way. However, when precisely judged by the standard of God's word, how many of them can courageously confess that they lived by the will of God-
The chances are that even though there are so many verses in the Bible that point out sin, some churches goers don't even pay attention to any of them at all.
They just say and believe such things as, "I will be saved because I go to church," "As long as I go to church, I can receive blessing," and "God is love. He forgives any kind of sin." They misinterpret the word of God to have it fit with their thoughts.
In this kind of spiritual flow, this church should arise and shine the light on the world.
We should shine the light with the word of God.
Then, those who are of goodness and those who truly want to believe in God will surely come to the light.
They will come from various places near and far
On the other hand, there are people who hate light.
Our Lord said in John 3:20, "For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed."
Those who do evil and live in the darkness will eventually distance themselves from the light no matter how frequently the word of light is preached.
However, we should never give up on them.
By all means, we should shine the light of salvation on them as well.
To draw such people like them near to the Lord, we need the power of God for sure.
Indeed, it must be the explosive power of God.
There must great explosive works of the Holy Spirit which exceed the powerful works recorded in the Bible.
With this power, this church will accomplish national evangelization and widen the door to the world mission.
Then, kings and nations will come before us.
BY doing like this, God adds to the number of souls who can be saved, and He accomplishes His providence.
God the Father opens the door of blessing like this through this church.
It actually began way before the start of the church.
However it is this church that has been continually played the role of the 'church that shines the light'.
From now on, however, a totally whole new era opens which is different from before.
The actual start of the new era begins with the days of Canaan Sanctuary.
How much have you prepared yourself for the days of Canaan by faith-
For a long time now, I have told you what would happen and what kind of servants of God and workers we would need in the days of Canaan.
I have diligently prepared myself for it.
From the start of this church, God inspired my heart and had me prepare for these days.
Even though I have prepared myself and developed my capabilities, this is not enough.
The faith and obedience of the entire body of members should be supporting and strengthening in preparation.
When you look back on yourself during this past year of 2010, how well have you prepared yourselves for this-
Since you should no longer remain as you were in the past, God the Father inspired my heart and did the work of shaking you from your very roots.
On top of the newly built foundation, God the Father is setting up the church that will 'arise and shine,' which He truly wants.
He is causing this church to experience rebirth as a church which can shine the light, which is ever increasing in strength and brighter than before.
The power that is manifested by me will bring explosives works which are in a completely different dimension.
Referring to these works, God the Father called it, that is the change of power and the works resulting from the change, "resurrection."
As if the dead became revived, I together with this church and all of you will come out to a whole new different level, and He called it "resurrection." That is: "a revival and revitalization."
God said that, as the day of this 'resurrection' comes, my body will not only fully recover, but it will be stronger.
The time of refinement and repentance when you could find your deepest self will pass by, and you will run only forward with joy and happiness.
Using the abundant financial blessing, we will accomplish the kingdom of God without a hitch.
He said the most important thing is that the level of power would exceed the limit of our imagination.
A larva becomes a pupa and endures time to transform into a beautiful butterfly.
Likewise, Manmin spent the year 2010 preparing to leap into a new level.
As its result, we came across with the 'amazing moment' which couldn't be described otherwise, as a 'resurrection.'
On the day of the celebration of Jesus' birth, December 25, 2010, this time of resurrection finally began.
Now, as a church that arises and shines, what kind of works will this church do in 2011-
As you may know, we will take a bit more of an active part in the Korean Christian community.
In 2010, this church began the preparation for this, though just a little. From here and there, many requests have been made to this church.
Since it is not the time yet for us to actively participate, we are declining such requests, but the time comes near when we should take more part in it.
In the long run, it is the power of God that is at the core of this activity.
Some may say in their fleshly thought, "We should be free from the accusation of heresy. Then we can more actively work and evangelize this country." But it is not so.
Those who truly want to know the sincere will of God and those who acknowledge the work of God's power will unite together with Manmin.
On the other hand, those who seek for their own benefit over the will of God, and those who stand against the work of God's power and interfere with it cannot work together with us.
Just as God said once before, when the time comes, Korean Christian community will divide into two; spirit and flesh.
Those who have goodness in their hearts and those who believe in God the Almighty in their hearts will surely come to the light that this church shines.
Just as I mentioned before, there will be 'automatic revival', people will rush into our church even though we do 'nothing'.
Many churches will want to work together with us, and they will request handkerchief prayer meetings and seminars.
Year 2011 will be the earnest beginning point of this Korean Christian community work.
Dear brothers and sisters.
One of the many important jobs that we should do as 'a church that arises and shines' is 'the battle against the antichrist.'
As you came to know from the most recent, Estonia Crusade, the forces of the antichrist have occupied the world much deeper and wider than we expected.
What they hate most is the power of God.
In addition, they hate the word which precisely proclaims the heart and will of God.
Therefore, the forces of antichrist will keep more of their eyes and ears alert for the ministry of Manmin.
We may have conflicts against them in many places.
Of course, the forces of antichrist will get stronger and stronger as the day the Lord comes back to take us home is nearer and nearer.
However, we should have the power as strong as theirs in order to accomplish the world mission which is the duty given to Manmin.
To save just one more soul, until the Lord comes back again, we should go every corner of the world.
Broadcasting ministry, Book Ministry, handkerchief prayer meetings, seminars, and so on; there are so many things to do.
As we are doing these works, conflicts with the forces of antichrist, both minor and major are going to be unavoidable.
They will try all means to interfere with the ministry of Manmin.
Since we have the power of God that goes beyond imagination, however, despite their disturbance, we will surely accomplish the world mission which is given to Manmin in the providence of God.
And we need spiritual warriors who can do their jobs in the front line.
That's why I've told you that we need servants of God and workers who are prepared.
Once we have these prepared servants of God and workers, the power of God which is given to me can be freely manifested through the handkerchief.
We can greatly accomplish the world mission as much as we want.
This ministry and the works will be earnestly unfolded in year 2011.
So, how many works are there we should do-
Not only in this country, but also in overseas countries, we should go in the name of Manmin, and we will give great glory to God. Aren't you thrilled as you think of it-
We should together accomplish these overwhelming moments.
I ask all the servants of God, Levite workers, church workers, and layman members to unite together and support me.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
And all of those Manmin members who are attending this New Year Day Service around the world!
The New Year 2011 has just begun.
There is the expression that says, "The most important button to get buttoned right is the first button."
This service is like fastening the first button before God the Father.
I ask you to worship God in spirit and truth not only for this 1st half of the service, but also for the rest.
I urge you to offer the beautiful aroma to God the Father with all your heart, soul, mind, strength, and even your life.
And I do hope that such a heart and deeds of yours will last without change until the next New Year's Day Service.
Just as you heard in this service, there are many things for Manmin to do.
Depending on how well we are prepared, we can accomplish more, or we can do less.
For the last 29 years since the start of this church, my heart has been burning hotter and hotter.
My passion to accomplish God the Father's work is burning like a fire.
Who will truly refresh the Spirit of God-
Let's leave the past behind, and start a new race with a renewed heart!
Let's become Manmin who will arise among the whole world and shine the light in the midst of the explosive work of the Holy Spirit which no one ever has imagined before.
May the glory of God the Father fill the whole earth through Manmin not only for this year 2011, but until the Lord comes back to take us home, in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, I pray!
2011-01-03 Posted
2011-05-29 Updated
