China

   Jesus came to find the lost sheep   Luke 15:1-7  『 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it ? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance  』 Regarding the background of Jesus telling this parable, the Pharisees and scribes were dissatisfied when they saw  “ Jesus eating with tax collectors an...

  What kind of life is pursuing righteousness?   During their sermons, church pastors say,  “ Salvation comes by the grace of God, not by the law. ”  A person who believes in Jesus  “ has his sins imputed to Jesus Christ, and the righteousness of Christ is imputed to the believer. ”  So, although he was a sinner before, he became righteous because of Christ. It's not wrong. What is the problem? First, most pastors do not say to believers, "In order for believers' sins to be transferred to Jesus through Jesus' atonement death, they must become dead in union with Jesus Christ who died on the cross." Since pastors say that sins are transferred by believing in Jesus, they think that all they have to do is believe in Jesus. Second, most pastors do not say that  “ those who died in union with Jesus on the cross are now resurrected with Jesus. ”  Those who are currently resurrected with Jesus are recognized as holy by God's grace. Because they do not kno...

Jesus' mother and siblings   In Mark 3:31-35,  “ There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him. ”  And the multitude sat about him, and they said to him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seeking for thee. And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren? And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother. 』 When Jesus' mother, Mary, and his brothers saw him performing his ministry, they thought he was possessed by a demon. So they came to Jesus, and Jesus emphasized that his family was a spiritual family. The obstacle to living a life of faith is physical identity. Physical identity is the self, and is established as a solid castle in the hearts of believers. Jesus told us to deny this. It is a spiritual war against oneself. Mark 10:26-30 『 And they were astonished ...

Controversy over the authority of Jesus   Mark 11:27-33  『 And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was walking in the temple, there came to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders, And say unto him, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave this authority to do these things? And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? answer me. And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, why then did ye not believe him? But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed. And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things  』 When  “ Jesus, who announced the judgment of the temple, ”  appears again in the ...

Parable of the woman who found her lost drachma   Luke 15:8-10  『 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, does she not light a candle, and sweep the house, and diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbors together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. 』 This is the second of Jesus' parables. The first parable is about a shepherd losing one of his hundred sheep, and the shepherd goes out to find that one sheep. It is not that the sheep has lost its way, but that it has lost its shepherd. So, the story is about a shepherd leaving ninety-nine in the field and going in search of one. This indicates that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, abandoned his throne in heaven and came to this earth. And, the second parable is a story about a woman looking for a lost coin. ...

Jesus' death on the cross   Mark 15:33-37  『 And when the sixth hour came, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calledeth Elias. And one ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down. And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. 』 The Jews thought that Jesus was their Christ and welcomed him into Jerusalem with great enthusiasm. But Jesus exceeded their expectations. The "Christ they were waiting for", they thought, should be their king who would save Israel, not a defendant on trial before Pilate. When the Jews' expectations were not met, their welcome turned into betrayal. If they did not list...

Parable of the Ten Virgins   Matthew 25:1-2  『 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 』 It is very important to know to whom Jesus spoke the words of the text. Chapter 25 of the Gospel of Matthew is a connection between chapter 24 and what will happen in the last days. The original text of the Bible did not have chapters and verses, but chapters and verses were introduced around the 16th century to make reading easier. Therefore, believers must remember that chapters 24 and 25 are connected from the perspective of the original text. Chapter 25 includes not only the parable of the ten virgins, but also the parable of the talents and the parable of the sheep and goats. Therefore, the object in Jesus' parable of the ten virgins is the same as the object in the parable of the talents or the sheep and goats. As in the analogy of 10 pounds, the num...

A woman with an issue of blood for twelve years is healed   In Mark 5:25-34,  “ a woman who had been suffering from an issue of blood for twelve years ”  thought that if she touched the hem of Jesus ’  clothes, she would give birth, so she came behind Jesus and touched the hem of his clothes, and the issue of blood stopped immediately. So when Jesus asked her who it was that touched her, she told everyone why she had touched her and how she had been healed.  “ Jesus said to her,  ‘ Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace. ’” 『  thy faith hath made thee whole; ( ἡ   πί στι ς   σου   σέ σωκ έ ν  σε ) 』 What does this mean? The Greek word for it is  “ healed. ”  It is an incurable disease that cannot be cured by human methods, but the sick person had a firm belief that Jesus could cure it, and this faith cured the disease. This means that God's power healed the sick through the sick's faith. So what is this faith?...

Parable of sheep and goats   Matthew 25:31-33  『 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 』 Sheep and goats symbolize  “ beings without the ability to exist on their own. ”  They were deceived when they said that they exist on their own. If we are deceived, we each go our own way. The deceived sheep and goats sinned in the kingdom of God and became trapped in the dust of the world. So, they were separated from Christ, but Christ came to this world and took them away. In Matthew 25:34,  “ Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ”  Those on the right ta...

I came not to send peace, but a sword   Matthew 10:34-37  『 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 』 Jesus is said to be the Prince of Peace, but he said,  “ I did not come to bring peace. ”  In Isaiah 9:6, it says,  “ For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, ”  The Prince of Peace. 』 He was called the Prince of Peace. But he came to give swords to the people of the world. Most churches interpret and say that  “ discord arises bec...