Church Community and the Body of Christ · Looking Back on the Journey

Study Topic: Live by Faith as the Church · My Love, My Church · One Body in Christ

We cannot save every person. We cannot force open human hearts, nor can our human efforts cause someone to be born again.

Yet there is an unmistakable truth: God himself is actively at work in certain souls even now.

God touches the heart of a person first. He causes them to feel the futility of life, to question eternity, and to seek God the Creator when the worldly things they relied upon begin to shake. And God searches for a person who will share the gospel of life with that very soul.

Therefore, the most important question we must now ask ourselves is this:

"Are you prepared with the gospel?"

The Calling of Workers Entrusted with the Gospel

The Harvest Is Plentiful, but the Laborers Are Few

When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion on them and said to his disciples in Matthew 9:37-38: "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."

There are definitely harvest souls prepared by God. The issue is the laborers who will serve those souls.

If a soul whose heart God has opened passes beside you, and yet you are not prepared with the gospel, what will happen? When that person asks about the meaning of life and you only offer worldly talk, when they ponder eternity after death and you cannot offer any answer, when they are seeking God and the conviction of the gospel within you is not clear—how heartbreaking that would be!

That is why God is preparing you as a worker of the gospel today:

• To know the gospel fully,
• to believe the gospel firmly,
• to explain the truth of the gospel step by step,
• and to boldly proclaim the gospel of life to a soul.

God desires to establish you as precisely such a person.

Do Not Bury the Gospel in Silence

We were saved by the gospel of free grace. Yet if that gospel does not move at all within me and remains silent, we must quietly examine ourselves.

Thinking that we know the cross, know the resurrection, and know salvation, and yet having the gospel never once flow through our lips—we need to examine our faith deeply.

God did not call us to be people who merely store the gospel away alone. He called us to be messengers who let the gospel of life flow out to neighbors.

Therefore, we come to pray:

"God, let me not become someone who buries the gospel in my chest and keeps silent.
Establish the truth of the gospel clearly within me, and open my lips at the moment you have prepared."

God Entrusts Souls to the Prepared Person

A good shepherd leads the sheep to green pastures and beside still waters to feed them. Likewise, if we are prepared with the gospel, if the Word of life is abundant within us, and if God's love for a soul flows through us, God can entrust precious souls to you:

"Deliver the word of life I have entrusted to you to this person.
Feed this lost soul with heavenly food."

Therefore, the process of being prepared with the gospel is not merely a time to accumulate personal knowledge. It is holy preparation for a soul that God will entrust to you.

Christians Are Soldiers for the Kingdom of God

We must not reduce the ultimate purpose of our faith too small. Meeting God, receiving comfort of heart, enjoying peace, and having my life get a little better cannot be the whole of faith.

We are people called for the eternal kingdom of God. And at the center of that kingdom is always the gospel.

The holy weapon God has placed in our hands is not flashy human wisdom or eloquence. It is not worldly philosophy or refined religious techniques. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ alone.

The Gospel at the Center of Saving Souls

The Gospel Is the Power of God to Save Souls

What is the power of the gospel? It is the power of God that saves sinners and brings them to eternal life.

The foundational human tragedy lies in the severed relationship with the holy God due to sin. Even if appearing peaceful on the surface without any apparent problem, all human life is under sin, and the end of that sin is eternal death.

Therefore, looking upon a lost soul, we cannot pass by indifferently. If that soul does not yet know God and is not saved, what is most urgent and essential for them right now?

Before worldly advice or material aid, there is something needed first: the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Center of the Gospel Is the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus Christ

The center of the gospel that we have explored deeply together in this course is so clear: the atoning blood of Jesus Christ and the victorious resurrection life.

On the cross, Jesus paid the full debt of sin that we could never bear, and by rising again, he completely shattered the darkness of sin and death.

Therefore, the power to rescue people from destruction and transfer them into life exists nowhere else in the world: it exists solely within the gospel of Jesus Christ's cross and resurrection. Thus, a worker of the gospel must hold this truth in their heart more clearly than anyone else.

We Must Be Able to Discern the Spiritual State of a Soul

When looking at family, interacting with friends or coworkers, or even meeting someone who has attended church for a long time, we must be able to hold one essential question:

"Has this soul truly been born again?"

We must not rest complacently, thinking, "They attend church, so they must be fine," or "Their character is gentle and good, so there's no problem." Salvation is not the result of religious activity or human morality.

It is a spiritual event of realizing one's sin, repenting, and receiving new life by wholehearted faith in Jesus Christ's substitutionary cross and resurrection. Therefore, if the salvation of a soul beside us is not clear, we must guide them before the gospel through warm care and prayer.

When the Gospel Is Clear, the Soul Is Seen Before Other Conditions

When the gospel is faint, worldly problems and conditions all seem of comparable size. Yet when the absolute value of the gospel becomes vivid in the heart, life's priorities fundamentally shift.

Far beyond where that person works, how much they earn, or what they have achieved in the world, a vastly greater and essential question enters view:

"Has this soul obtained eternal life?"

Because life in this world passes away in a moment, but eternity has no end. When we realize this eternal reality and urgency, the gospel begins to captivate our hearts completely.

We Must Become People Captured by the Word

Looking back at the history of the early church, the gospel never remained intellectual speculation or knowledge in the head. The Word of God completely captured human hearts.

Scripture records in Acts 18:5 that Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus, and in Acts 19:20 that the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.

Humans did not achieve great things by their own power and schemes: the living Word of God was at work. When the Word grasped a person, and that person obeyed and proclaimed the Word, God saved countless souls through that very Word.

God's Heart for One Soul

Even If the World Turns Away, the Gospel Is Unchanging Truth

When sharing the gospel, at times we may face rejection from people. They may scoff, be coldly indifferent, or find the truth of the gospel uncomfortable.

Yet the reaction of worldly people cannot shake the truth of the gospel.

God sent his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to this earth, caused him to bear all our sins on the cross, and raised him from the dead. Scripture proclaims in Acts 17:30-31 that God now commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.

The gospel is not a theory devised by humans, but the eternal word of salvation given to all humanity by the living God.

We Must Repent and Believe in Jesus Christ

When we hear the word of the gospel, our response must be clear:

First is true repentance: turning humbly away from the self-centered place where I lived as the master of my life without God.

Second is believing in Jesus Christ: religious ritual or moral deeds cannot make us righteous, nor can human good works pay the debt of sin. It is receiving into the center of the heart Jesus Christ, who completed salvation through the cross and resurrection, as Savior and Lord.

God Rejoices Most When a Single Soul Returns

When sharing the gospel, many people may listen and pass by without responding. Yet if even a single soul returns to God's embrace from among them, that becomes the joy of all heaven.

In Luke 15:7, Jesus said: "Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance."

In the eyes of God the Father, a single soul is more precious than the whole world. Therefore, one who proclaims the gospel is not bound by visible numbers or crowds; they look upon the one person whom the Lord beholds.

Even if everyone else turns away, if one person opens the door of their heart, repents, and personally meets Jesus, for that alone we offer tearful thanksgiving before God.

A Person Who Deeply Knows the Value of the Gospel Proclaims It

No matter how valuable a treasure one holds in one's hand, if its value is not recognized, it will inevitably be left abandoned in a closet. The same is true of the gospel. Many say they know the gospel, yet live pushing it aside in daily life.

Because they have not yet deeply realized how glorious and precious the gospel is.

Yet throughout all the knowledge, philosophy, and religion of the entire world, the power that saves a sinner under eternal destruction is the gospel of Jesus Christ's cross and resurrection alone.

If so, what is the most valuable and noble thing we possess today? It is the gospel that God freely gave us.

We Must Share the Greatest Grace We Have Received

God freely gave us this unfathomable, holy gospel as a gift. That is why the apostle Paul confessed in Romans 1:14-15 that he was under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish, and so was eager to preach the gospel to those in Rome also.

Being saved by the gospel means having received the greatest grace a human being can possibly receive. In the heart of someone who truly grasps the weight of that grace, this holy confession blossoms:

"I cannot live keeping this tremendous gospel of life only to myself."

A Holy Heart That Cannot Bear Not Sharing the Gospel

Paul confessed in 1 Corinthians 9:16: "For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!"

These were not words reluctantly uttered under the crushing weight of religious obligation. They are the earnest confession of a soul that has immensely experienced the glory of the gospel and the value of life:

"This gospel of life that saved dying me—how could I remain still without proclaiming it?"

This burning heart is the core of one captivated by the gospel.

Seek God's Heart for Lost Souls

We must know the aching heart of God the Father as he looks upon wandering souls. God earnestly desires that not a single soul perish, but that all come to repentance.

Therefore, we quietly kneel and pray:

"God, pour into me that compassionate heart of the Father.
Give me the Lord's tears as he looks upon lost souls, and let me not pass by their eternal destiny with indifference."

Properly knowing the truth of the gospel and harboring the heart of God the Father can never be separated.

God Entrusts Souls to the Prepared Person

When we are filled with the truth of the gospel, know the Word of God rightly, and remain awake in love and prayer for a soul, God trusts us and entrusts his precious sheep to us:

"Feed my sheep.
Deliver the word of life I gave you to this lost person."

Being used as a channel to convey God's life is an unparalleled glory for a Christian. Therefore, do not let your study of the gospel remain merely an acquisition of knowledge. Stand as living laborers prepared to save souls at every moment of life.

The Church as Christ's Body

It Does Not Stop at Leading a Soul to Salvation

In this journey, there is a crucially important conclusion we face:

If we shared the gospel and a soul believed in Jesus and was born again, what comes next? Is leaving that person to live out their faith alone the complete picture God intended?

By no means! A person born again through the gospel must be deeply united with the church, which is the body of Christ.

Faith Is Not a Solitary Path, but a Calling as a Body

Today we live in an era where everything can be handled individually. One can watch sermons alone on a smartphone, read books, and study the Bible alone. As a result, it is easy to think of faith as: "A relationship between just me and God alone is enough."

Yet God's holy plan revealed in Scripture never stops at individualism. God calls his saved children as members of one body, which is the church.

The Church Is the Living Body of Christ

The Bible does not call the church a mere religious club or human social gathering. It declares it to be the body of Christ.

In 1 Corinthians 12:27, the apostle Paul declares: "Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it."

We who believe in Jesus are not isolated believers scattered about independently. We are members organically connected in the one body of Christ. Therefore, being united to the church community is not an optional extra of faith, but an essential divine order for spiritual life and growth.

True Life Is Supplied When Attached to the Body

Just as a hand or foot severed from the body cannot live on its own, a Christian must be firmly attached to the church, which is the body of Christ.

Within the church community, we:

• are supplied with the pure Word of God,
• receive the fervent prayer support of fellow members,
• experience the true love of Christ,
• receive mature counsel and comfort,
• and are made complete through the diverse gifts of the members.

And with the gifts God has given you, you serve and build up other weak members. This is the true principle of the body shown in Scripture.

'Attending' Church and Being 'United' with the Body Are Different

Going to a worship building once a week and returning quietly in religious routine is completely different from taking deep root in the church, the body of Christ, and living in union with the members.

In true union, there is:

• personal spiritual fellowship,
• holy mutual accountability,
• care that shares pain together,
• a shared vision for the kingdom of God,
• and relationships of interceding in tears for one another's lives and maturity.

To someone saved by the gospel, we must teach this wondrous joy of communal union.

The Evangelist Does Not Tie Souls to Themselves

Just because I evangelized someone and nurtured them with the Word does not mean that person becomes my personal follower or possession. That soul belongs solely to the Lord, purchased with his own blood.

Therefore, the one who shared the gospel does not confine that soul only to a private relationship with themselves, but with a generous embrace helps them take root within the entire church, the body of Christ.

I cannot supply all the needs of a soul alone. That person needs the diverse gifts and love of the entire body of Christ.

United with the Church, One Enjoys Abundant Grace That None Can Give Alone

No matter how deeply we care for and love a soul, we cannot supply everything they need by ourselves. Yet within the church, the body, there are colorful members established by the Lord:

Some members help with deep insights into the Word, some accumulate tearful prayers night and day, some offer warm comfort and encouragement, some meet practical life needs, and some wisely counsel so they do not lose their way.

Therefore, when a soul is connected to the whole body, God's abundant grace—which no individual could ever fully provide—flows continually into their life.

The Church Is a Community Growing Together in Love

Scripture states that the members within the church are joined closely together and grow up to the full measure of Christ.

In Ephesians 4:15-16, the apostle Paul testifies: "Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love."

The only Head of the church is Jesus Christ. We are connected to one another under Christ the Head, and when each member joyfully devotes themselves according to the gift given them, the whole body grows healthily and beautifully.

The Life of a Disciple Who Carries the Gospel Forward

The Completion of Evangelism Is Raising Another Disciple Who Proclaims the Gospel

When we share the gospel with someone and they repent, believe in Jesus, and are born again, the next step must follow: caring for that soul so that they take healthy root and grow within the church, the body of Christ:

• Proclaiming the gospel fully,
• nurturing them with the Word,
• deeply uniting them with the body, the church,
• and finally raising that person as a harvest laborer who shares the gospel with yet another soul.

This is the full, complete picture of gospel ministry revealed in the Bible.

We Have Formed One Body in Christ

The Lord's Supper that we share together also clearly demonstrates that we are one body united in Christ.

In 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, the apostle Paul says: "The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread."

We are not independent beings saved separately to live as we please. We are holy members redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ and bound into one body.

From Someone Who 'Learned the Gospel' to Someone Who 'Lives by the Gospel'

This course explores truly precious, essential truths: humanity's existential condition, the nature of sin, repentance and being born again, the reality of heaven and hell, the clear evidence that Jesus is the only Savior, the love of the cross's substitution, the life and hope of the resurrection, true faith, and the church as the body of Christ—these are the core truths of the gospel we explore.

Yet organizing all these truths neatly in a notebook cannot be our final goal. Now that gospel must genuinely move alive in your life.

We Must Be Able to Serve the Soul Before Us with the Gospel

The practical question of one who has engraved the gospel in their heart is this:

If God were to send a lost soul before you today, could you share the gospel of Jesus Christ with them step by step?

• "Why is life so empty and anxious?"
• "What truly awaits after death?"
• "Why must I believe in Jesus alone and not other religions?"
• "How can I receive forgiveness of sins and obtain true salvation?"

When they ask these desperate questions of the soul, can you answer warmly and clearly with the biblical gospel? This is precisely the prepared gospel laborer whom God seeks.

Faith and Prayer of Those Who Carry the Gospel

Serve a Soul with Love to the Very End

Just because we delivered the word of the gospel once does not mean our service is finished.

Pray in tears without giving up. Wait with patience. Embrace them with God's unchanging love. Help them through the Word, establish them firmly upon faith, and lead them to be deeply united with the church, the body of Christ.

And walk together until that soul stands tall as a disciple who proclaims the gospel to another person. Gaining a soul is not merely adding another name to a church attendance roster: it is a sacred ministry of raising a true disciple who bears God's eternal life.

To You Whom We Love, We Deliver This Gospel

To you reading these words now, we offer the most solemn and essential question:

"Do you truly believe the gospel of Jesus Christ?"

Humanity departed from God, the source of life, because of sin, and the inevitable outcome of that sin was eternal death. Yet God did not turn away from you. He sent his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, caused him to bear all your sins and die shedding his blood on the cross, and by raising him on the third day, opened the way of eternal life.

Now God calls you in love: Turn away from a life where you were your own master, and receive Jesus Christ in the center of your heart as Savior and Lord.

Believe in the Lord Jesus

Scripture clearly promises in Acts 16:31: "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."

Religious ritual cannot save you, nor can human good works wash away your sins. Jesus Christ alone, who died on the cross and rose again, is your only Savior. Do not hesitate; return into the embrace of that gracious Lord.

Do Not Walk the Journey of Faith Alone and Lonely

If you have received Jesus Christ in faith, now enter into the church, the body of Christ.

Hold hands with fellow believers and grow in love. Be supplied with the Word of life, receive the prayer support of the members, and share warm love. And serve weak members with the precious gifts God has entrusted to you.

So that you, too, may ultimately become a channel of blessing that boldly proclaims this glorious gospel to someone else.

Now the Prayer We Must Offer Is Clear

We bow humbly and pray before God:

"Lord, fashion me into a harvest laborer to work in your field.
Let me know the gospel of the cross and resurrection more clearly than anyone else, and pour into me the Lord's aching heart as he looks upon lost souls.
When a soul prepared by God stands before me, let me not be silent, but boldly and warmly proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Through the gospel proclaimed through me, let souls be brought to life, and let them take deep root within the church, the body of Christ, to grow together."

Let Not the Gospel Halt with Me

By God's freely given grace, we received the gospel of eternal life. That gospel saved us and gave us eternal hope.

Therefore, do not let this honorable gospel stop with just me alone. Let this gospel flow to beloved family, friends, neighbors, coworkers encountered daily, and that single soul whom God brings into your life. And establish that soul firmly within the community of Christ's body.

This Is the Path Walked by One Who Holds the Gospel

• Deeply realizing the eternal value of the gospel,
• being completely captivated by God's living Word,
• being awake in prayer in the Holy Spirit,
• stepping quietly toward that single soul sought by the Lord,
• proclaiming the pure gospel of the cross and resurrection,
• serving with love so that soul comes to repentance and faith,
• uniting that born-again life with the church, the body of Christ, so it grows healthily,
• and ultimately raising that person as a disciple who saves yet another soul.

This is the blessed life of a harvest laborer sought by the Lord.

The gospel explored in this course extends into daily life. Our journey of living by the gospel continues today.

"Lord, use me as a faithful laborer of the gospel.
Let me be completely captivated by the Word, let me walk in love toward a lost soul, and let me bear abundant fruit of life while I have breath on this earth."

The gospel that saved me flowing through me into the world, a lost soul returning into the Lord's embrace, that soul being built up beautifully within Christ's body, and through that church the gospel reaching out once again toward the whole world—

that is the reason God has entrusted the gospel to us today, and as debtors to the gospel, the most glorious path we are called to walk with joy all our lives.