In this issue:
The Great God
In this age, God no longer shows His glory and power to mankind as He did in the past. But He still reveals His glory to some people in some places, especially where there is no Bible, and places where there are no Christians. So how then can we see and know the glory of God? We can see it in the Bible. We can see it in the lives of those who saw the glory of God in the Bible.
The Israelites
The Israelites saw and experienced God’s glory and power in Egypt, and along their way out of Egypt. They saw things that no one could have imagined: the Nile river turned to blood (Exodus 7:20), the land of Egypt filled with flies (Exodus 8:1-6), gnats (Exodus 8:16-17), swarms of flies (Exodus 8:20-24), the death of animals (Exodus 9:1-7), plagues (Exodus 9:8-12), hail mixed with fire rained down from the sky causing death to man and beast (Exodus 9:23-26), They saw the power of God in the form of a great swarm of locusts covering the land (Exodus 10:12-15), a three-day darkness that was not merely darkness but the darkness that could be felt (Exodus 10:21-23), and finally the death of the firstborn of the Egyptians and their livestock (Exodus 12).
They also saw the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night leading them on the way to their promised land (Exodus 13:21-22), the parting of the sea so that the Israelites could walk on the seabed but the Egyptians were drowned (Exodus 14), the feeding of manna from heaven not made by human hand for 40 years, the quenching of thirst by water from a rock, and the smoke of Mount Sinai and the great voice of God speaking to Moses. The Israelites who saw the glory of God were so afraid that they pleaded with Moses for God not to speak (Exodus 19). But they soon forgot God and worshiped other gods. They complained all the way because they did not believe in God. So God said, “Do not be like your fathers in the wilderness, when they tested me and saw my works, and when they rebelled against me. I abhorred that people, for they are a people who go astray in their hearts. I said, ‘They do not understand my ways.’ Therefore I swore in my anger that they would not enter my rest” (Psalm 95:9-11).
David
David was not mentioned in the Bible as seeing God as other people did. However, he wrote the glory and majesty of God a lot in the Psalms. So how did he see God’s glory? He saw it by looking at the things He had created. David was the youngest of his brothers. His early life was spent tending sheep in the wilderness. By contemplating the things God had created, he saw God’s glory and power. In addition, when he was in trouble, he experienced God’s protection after praying to God.
Daniel
Daniel himself wrote that he saw God’s glory with his eyes and heard with his ears: “On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, 5 I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. 6 His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude. 7 I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; those who were with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. 8 So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. 9 Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground. 10 A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling” (Daniel 10:4-11) Daniel, who was not afraid of lions and kings, was greatly afraid when he saw an angel or God in His glory, according to the above passage. He feared God and was not afraid of the things that people fear.
Peter, James, and John
The apostles Peter, James, and John saw the glory of Christ. “After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. 4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” 8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.” (Matthew 17:1-8) The apostles were terrified when they saw Jesus’ glory.
The apostle John, when he was old, saw the glory of the Lord Jesus again when he was exiled to Patmos. “I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.” (Revelation 1:12-17)
Old men generally are not easily frighten. But the apostle John was terrified he saw Jesus. John used to lie down in the arms of Christ. Why was he not afraid of Christ then? It was because Christ did not put on his glory. But when he saw Christ in his glory, John was frightened to death and fell at Jesus' feet. Anyone who saw God in his glory would be as terrified as John.
Let us, therefore, see God with our spirit and fear him. If we fear God, we would respect him and hate sin; we would do the work he asks us to do; we would hate what God hates and love what God loves. But now, because we are so far from God, we do not fear him nor care about him, so, we do whatever we want to do. How sad!
Winning Lost Souls Is Key
Wrong Purpose
Most Christians today have the wrong purpose in their Christian life. They think they are saved and that's all there is to it. They do not intend to grow and progress. God’s will is that all men should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). Then He wants us to walk in the truth (2 John 3-4, 3 John 3-4). Walking in the truth means living according to God’s purpose. We must love what God loves and hate what God hates. We must prioritize what God prioritizes and ignore what God ignores. One of God’s priorities is winning lost souls. However, believers today only want blessings and protection from God, and they are not interested in or willing to do what God asks. They are more interested in fulfilling their own desires. They only pray for their own desires to be fulfilled.
Example of Jesus
While on earth, the Lord Jesus set a good example of what God’s children should prioritize.
Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” 33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” 34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” (John 4:31-34)
What was the food of the Lord Jesus? It had to do with doing the will of him (God the Father) who sent him and to finish his work. But now what is our food? Our food is either working, making money, or seeking pleasure. It is incredible that a believer does not do the will of God the Savior, and if he does, he does so unlike what Christ did. From now on, let us do the will of God and finish his work.
So what does Christ mean by “doing the will of him who sent him”? Christ said this after he had spoken about saving the Samaritan woman. When Christ told the Samaritan woman that He was the Messiah, the Savior, the woman was so happy that she left her water jar at the well and told the people about Christ (John 4:28). Just as the Samaritan woman forgot her water jar, so was Christ who was so happy that he didn’t even need to eat. Therefore, winning the lost soul brings great joy to both parties involved.
Humble person
A person who wins souls will have a humble mind. Because he wants to catch souls, he naturally gives up his pride and becomes humble. If he is not humble, he will not be able to win souls. When a hunter wants to catch his prey, he has to be well behaved in the wilderness. He needs to avoid making a fuss, avoid drinking alcohol and smoking, and keep himself sit still. Likewise, a person who wants to catch the lost souls must be self-controlled in everything. That way, he can become a humble person.
Love developed
A person who wants to catch the lost souls can develop love for everyone. Because he no longer looks at the outward appearance but cares for the soul and sees that the soul will go to hell, he will have compassion on the person. Therefore, he will also have a desire to help others in their needs. Such compassion and helping is the beginning of love. He will be like the good Samaritan that the Lord Jesus gave as an example. But those who do not care about lost souls, no matter how much they understand the Bible, how much they pray, and how much they give, cannot love or tolerate people. Therefore, let us visualize with our spiritual eyes about what the outcome of the life of the lost souls would be in the end, and then, use our time, money, and energy to rescue them from that dreadful end.
Good Death and Bad Death
Some people prepare for death in advance. The things they prepare for are: buying a burial plot that will accommodate burying side by side or lower and upper, in the case of husband and wife, building a tomb, collecting the necessary expenses for the funeral, and preparing in advance for the expenses. Such preparations are good. They give the bereaved family peace of mind while they are grieving. However, such preparations are only for the body and not for the soul, so they are not enough.
Death is a very big deal among Christians in America today. When churches recruit members, they say that the church will take care of their funeral expenses when they die. This is very important consideration for those who either do not believe or are not strong in their belief, so when they join, they choose the church that will provide the best care when they die. And it makes sense to think about these things because in America, the funeral costs are about ten to twenty thousand dollars. However, joining a church by considering this thing alone is not the best preparation and choice.
Man must die one day because he is sinful. When he dies, from a human perspective, he can die a bad death as written above in the physical aspect. But what is more important to consider is where the soul goes after the body dies. The Bible says, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” (Psalm 116:15) Why is the death of the saints precious in the sight of the Lord? Because the saints enter the heavenly kingdom where he lives. The ascension of the soul to heaven is very good. For in heaven there will be no more tears, nor death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain (Revelation 21:4). Therefore, no matter how the body dies, whether good or bad, the soul and spirit going into heaven is a good death. On the other hand, if the soul and spirit go to hell, no matter how much the survivors may wish for it, it is a bad death. For hell is a place of eternal torment, where the worm never dies, the fire never goes out, and where there is gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:42, 50 Mark 9:48).
Therefore, Christ said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28) Furthermore, “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). We have a body, so we must eat and drink. However, we must give more priority to the spirit than to the body. For the body will become dust after death and will not be able to eat anything. But the spirit will not die and will live forever.
Therefore, let us think about and choose only what the spirit will experience in heaven. Let us focus on the good death that is, the kingdom of heaven. Let us not focus only on the body, which will decay and be destroyed. Let us not focus too much on how things would go smoothly on the day of the funeral.
