February 11th 2009 Wednesday Message
Original Message by Joshua Jung Myung Seok
Summary by Will Yeh & Shaun McMillan

Scriptures:    Matthew 21:42 (Reference: Psalms 118:22), John 17:14-17, John 10:28, 12:25

In every time period those who are of Jesus were hated and suffered all kinds of things at the hands of those who were not of Jesus. People who were of the world always hated Jesus. And they always hated the people of each time period who followed Jesus.

John 17:15, he said that the reason for walking this path is so that we don’t fall into evil. The reason one walks the path of suffering and injustice is to be kept from falling into evil. If you follow the path of the world and fall into evil because [following this path] is painful, then everything is over. That path is the path of hell.

Jesus said, “Finding one’s life is losing it and losing one’s life is finding it. If anyone loses his life for me, he will find it.” He said anyone who wants to live will die and anyone who is willing to die will live. What he means is this: “When a person is willing to die for God and Jesus, that path is the path of eternal life that the Lord walked. Therefore, it is the path in which both the spirit lives and faith lives.”

Even if the world forsakes the people who follow Jesus, the Lord will never forsake them. We must be people who are of Jesus no matter what tribulations and persecutions come. Jesus wants us to persevere even more as people of the heavens through the persecutions and suffering. We absolutely must not be shaken. As Jesus said in His Words, we must obey his new command and love each other and not resent each other.

Jesus said, “I will come soon.” Now is time for us to not forget those words even for a day, stop believing vaguely, and must truly prepare, pray, and remain awake every single day. No one knows that day or the hour. Therefore we must prepare and ready ourselves to meet Jesus and live the life according to His Words.

Even now people can’t feel deeply or really understand well how tormented a life the Lord lived when he was on the earth even though they read the bible. Know that the suffering he went through in his heart or the countless many terrible things that happened to him in reality cannot be described with written words. You must know that and realize by going through the experience yourself.

If we go to the world to escape the momentary persecutions and suffering that comes from evil, then we will lose the path of eternal life and end up in hell which is a world of eternal suffering. That is why Jesus told everyone to carry their cross and follow him on the path of eternal life that leads to Heaven.

Only those who follow that path will really come to understand just how great a path Jesus and his followers walked. Only when one lives that life can one know just how extremely severe the suffering, pain, and injustice he lived through. People who participate in Jesus’ suffering are the blessed people. People who are of the world cannot participate in that suffering. I wish that everyone live with realization/understanding of what Jesus said.