My Love, My Church — Listen and Understand

A note on the audio: This lesson's audio is a sermon recording in Korean. The notes below are in English, but pressing play will play Korean speech.

The message as a whole views Christ as the head of the church and the church as his body, following the flow of Ephesians 1:22-23.

1. The Risen Lord Is at Work in You

The message begins by presenting the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the center of Christian faith. It explains that we need to go beyond knowing that Jesus was raised and understand the relationship in which the risen Lord is now with those who believe and works through the Holy Spirit.

The speaker says that people cannot produce faith or fully obey the word through their own strength. He explains that the Holy Spirit opens their eyes and helps them understand the gospel, turn from sin, and live with love and forgiveness. Connecting this flow with Romans 8:11, the message says that the Spirit who raised Jesus also dwells within those who believe.

An Explanation Through a Conversion Testimony

The speaker introduces the testimony of a person who had been deeply hostile to Christianity and began a conversation intending to refute the gospel, but unexpectedly responded with repentance and faith. These notes do not reproduce the person's name, affiliation, or relationship at the time. The message presents this experience not as a change brought about by logical explanation alone, but as an example of the risen Lord illuminating a person's heart. This is an individual's faith experience introduced by the speaker and is not recorded as meaning that every conversion happens in the same way.

The message says that obedience after conversion follows the same principle. It explains that fighting sin and following the word are not simply results of willpower, but a process in which the Holy Spirit works within people and helps them overcome the desires of the flesh.

2. The Church Was Built by Resurrection Life

The message connects Jesus' death and resurrection with the birth of the church. Centering on Jesus' promise in Matthew 16:18 that he would build his church, it explains that the church is not an organization created only to meet human needs, but a community built on the gospel of the cross and resurrection.

The speaker presents a theological analogy that connects the story of Eve being formed from Adam's side while he slept with Jesus' death and the church. This is recorded as an interpretation the speaker uses to describe the church as Christ's bride; these notes do not establish it as the only interpretation of the passage.

The message then describes the event of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-4 as the public beginning of the church. The Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead came upon the disciples, and they were established as a community that testified to the gospel and worshiped together. The message emphasizes that the church's life is found in the presence of the Holy Spirit and the gospel rather than in buildings or institutions.

3. One Body with Christ as Its Head

The message explains the church from the two perspectives of the universal church and the local church. Wherever they may be in the world, people who are born again through the Holy Spirit and believe in Jesus form one body in Christ. Following the flow of 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, the speaker says that those who believe received one Spirit and were called into one body.

At the same time, the message explains that Scripture repeatedly addresses churches that gather together in particular places. Even though the early churches did not have large and splendid buildings, they were called the Lord's church because they were communities gathered with Christ as their head. This is followed by an encouragement that a church is not inferior because it is small or outwardly modest.

With Ephesians 4:15-16 as its background, the message describes Christ as the head and each person as a member connected to the others. Its argument is that when every member serves according to the measure they have received, the body grows and Christ's love and glory are revealed on earth through the church.

4. Life Flows Through the Church

The message summarizes God's purposes in establishing the church in three directions. The first is to proclaim the gospel and show lost people the way of life. The second is to help those who believe overcome sin and discouragement and grow through worship, the word, fellowship, and prayer. The third is for the church to carry the gospel and love it has received into the world.

The speaker connects the community of the word, fellowship, prayer, and sharing seen in Acts 2:42-47 with this flow of life. He emphasizes not that a person's spiritual condition should be judged only by their record of church attendance, but that the gospel should genuinely renew a person's life.

An Experience of Restoration in Worship and a Small Group

The speaker shares his experience of receiving strength again through communal worship and small-group prayer when he was spiritually exhausted and weighed down by worldly desires. He describes his heart opening through the sermon and singing and the weight lifting from his heart as several people prayed together. These notes do not identify the community or its participants. They also do not generalize that the same form of worship or prayer guarantees an immediate, identical outcome for everyone.

The message connects the promise to “build my church” and the image of the keys of the kingdom in Matthew 16:18-19 with the church's prayer and gospel witness. It explains that the church should not stop at preserving its own faith, but should pray for closed hearts and suffering neighbors and go toward them with the gospel and love.

5. Restore Your Love for the Church

The message observes that many people today have lost their love and passion for the church because of its problems and failures. While acknowledging that the church's wrongs and the pain they have caused are real, the speaker encourages listeners to look again at Christ's purposes of salvation, growth, and service through the church.

The speaker recalls praying that the life-giving gospel would flow to spiritually dry people before a new church community was established in a particular area. These notes do not disclose the name of the area or the church. The message presents this experience not as evidence of one community's superiority, but as a prayer for the church to remain faithful to the gospel and become a community that brings life to its neighbors.

The encouragement to love the church is not recorded as meaning that problems should be concealed or that people who have been hurt should be required to remain silent. Love also includes the responsibility to address wrongdoing honestly, prioritize the safety and recovery of those harmed, and help the community change so that it lives in a manner worthy of the gospel.

6. Serve with the Grace You Have Received

The message explains that the church is a body that moves through Christ, its head, and the participation of its many members. Receiving grace comes first, but it warns that if people continually store up the grace they have received without allowing it to flow to others, their faith may remain only knowledge.

Following the principle in 1 Peter 4:10, the speaker says that each person should serve others with the gift they have received. He explains that not only visible roles, but also preparing food, welcoming people, putting things in order, and caring for and teaching younger people are ways of serving the Lord.

An Example of Sharing a Gift with a Younger Generation

The speaker introduces an example of a church member who, grateful for the grace received while learning the gospel, used personal teaching experience to prepare learning materials for younger people and serve in a small gathering. These notes withhold the person's identity and the names of the program and church, as well as the specific length of time involved. The message uses this example not as a command that everyone must do the same work, but as an illustration of how each person can build up the body through the gifts and experience they have received.

7. Love and Forgive

The message acknowledges that people may hurt one another while serving the church. The speaker also shares an experience of being hurt when his concerns were not understood as he cared for younger people in a community. These notes do not reproduce the place, the positions of the people involved, or other identifying information, and retain only the meaning of relational misunderstanding and hurt.

The speaker speaks of continuing to serve despite the hurt and encourages listeners to release resentment and forgive. Following the flow of Colossians 3:12-15, he expresses the hope that people will bear with and forgive one another and become one in love. He explains that the church is not a gathering of perfected people, but a place where people who are being transformed learn together.

This encouragement is not recorded as meaning that abuse or ongoing harm should be endured or that a relationship should be restored immediately. When danger continues, people should maintain a safe distance and seek help from trusted people and qualified professionals; reconciliation should be considered within a process in which responsibility and real change are evident.

8. Serve One Another in Humility

Mentioning Ephesians 5:21, the message encourages listeners to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. It explains that all Christians, including pastors and church members, are people saved by grace and should serve the church with the posture not of masters who elevate themselves, but of servants who help one another.

The speaker gives examples of ordinary service such as directing parking or cleaning up after a meal. He says that humble service means respecting the direction of others and being the first to roll up one's sleeves rather than asserting one's age, position, or years of faith. These notes present the specific community circumstances in the source as general examples.

Submitting to one another does not mean obeying unjust demands made by leaders or a majority without question. The message's central point is that, in keeping with the will of Christ, the head, people should not insist on their own rights, but should respect one another and seek the good of the community. The message closes by expressing the hope that through such small acts of service, many people will receive help and give glory to God.