Luke 12:22-32

 (Luke 12:22-32)

And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.  The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.  Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?  Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.  Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

In the Gospels, Jesus always said "My Father." First, he said "Your Father" to those who seek his kingdom. Jesus is giving up his Father to his disciples. In Mark 1:15, ``And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. It means that the Gospel that you believe without repentance is useless. Jesus first said that the kingdom of God is near. It means repentance is absolutely necessary to enter the kingdom of God.

The Gospels and Acts speak of the kingdom of God and Jesus Christ. Acts 8:12 also says, ``But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 』In Acts 20:21, 『Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. 』

From a human standpoint, they speak of repentance and faith, but what the Lord has seen is of the kingdom of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. What we must take seriously today is the absence of the kingdom of God and repentance.

Acts 19:2, He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. This is the story of the church in Ephesus. They believed. Because they believed, the Apostle Paul asked, ``Have you received the Holy Spirit?'' Instead of asking, ``Have you repented? The reason can be found in 18:24-25.『And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.  This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. 』

Apollos did not know much about the baptism of Jesus Christ. So, he taught only the baptism of John, which is the baptism of repentance that obtains the forgiveness of sins. John cried out, "The time is full and the kingdom of God is near, so repent." And through 18:27-28, Apollos knew a lot of the knowledge of the Bible, so he went to the synagogue and said, "Jesus is the Christ," and it is said that he overcame the Jews. Believers in Ephesus knew and believed that Jesus was the Christ. And they were baptized by John. Perhaps they also repented. But Paul asked, "When you believed, did you receive the Holy Spirit after that?" However, they said, "I haven't heard of the Holy Spirit."

However, many churches today teach that "It is through the work of the Holy Spirit that you believe in Jesus, and you cannot believe in Jesus as the Christ unless the Holy Spirit works." Then, this may contradict what Matthew 7:22-23 says: ``Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 』Prophecy, exercising power, and expelling demons cannot be done without the help of the Lord. But why does the Lord say he doesn't know?

Many churches quote 1 Corinthians 12:3, ``Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. 』This is the path of destruction by forcibly solving the Bible. What we say in 1 Corinthians 12:3 and Matthew 7:22-23 is not about salvation. In 1 Corinthians 12:3, the word “not with the Holy Spirit” means “in the Holy Spirit”. The Holy Spirit does not dwell in us, but we are in the Spirit.

This does not mean that you are saved. In the book of Revelation, both those above and below the earth worship the Lord. Even this is not a word to be saved. The demon-possessed man came to Jesus and fell on his face, saying, "You are the Son of the Most High. Just because you are the Son of God” does not mean that those who are demons will be saved.

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