A megachurch pastor reminded believers not to focus on behaviors while ignoring the essence of the Christian faith, saying the nature of fasting was more important than the act.
In a sermon titled "Fasting for Whom" and released on the WeChat account of "SaRang Chinese Ministry" last Wednesday, Rev. Dr. Jung-Hyun Oh, the senior pastor of the SaRang Church in South Korea, said, "When the people of Bethel asked God whether fasting was necessary, He replied, 'Are these not the words the Lord proclaimed through the earlier prophets?'"
How did Isaiah, the representative of the prophets, speak about fasting?
The pastor cited verses of Isaiah 58:6 to describe, "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?" He added, "The true fasting is to care for the disadvantaged groups in society and to obey God’s words in daily life. So when facing questions about the nature of fasting, we should respond that we would follow through with true fasting."
Based on Zechariah 7: 9-10, he also pointed out what was true fasting, "This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.'"
The first thing our Lord Jesus did after fasting for forty days was to proclaim prophet Isaiah's saying: "The spirit of the Lord is on me because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor."
"We believe that spiritual freedom is true freedom", he said, "The Pharisees were representatives of those who claimed to be consistent with what they believed but actually ran counter to them. They were not offering worship to God, but to themselves, as they were just self-compassionate, self-satisfied, and self-centered. But the tax collectors were true worshipers who worshipped in spirit and in truth."
"What is important to our hearts? Do not be like Pharisees who fasted on the outside, but be a tax collector in this age who beat his chest every day and prayed to the Lord for mercy. If you want to offer true worship in spirit, you must be victorious in the congregational worship every Sunday. If worship is the root, then our daily life is the fruit. If the congregational worship is the foundation, our daily life is a construction built on it."
Finally, the pastor reminded believers that if they worked on weekdays like Cain, they would not be able to present offerings that are pleasing to God like Abel on Sunday. He expected churchgoers to go about their daily lives as if they were attending congregational worship.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
韩国"爱的教会"主任牧师提醒基督徒：信仰不要流于行为而忽略本质
6月16日，韩国“爱的教会”中文礼拜部发布了主任牧师吴牧师的证道。吴牧师以“为谁禁食”为题，提醒大家信仰不要流于行为忽略本质，比起表面禁食行为更为重要的是禁食的本质。
当伯特利人向神询问是否需要禁食的时候，神的回答是：“借从前的先知所宣告的话，你们不当听吗”。这是在强调比表面的禁食行为更为重要的是禁食的本质。
吴牧师指出撒迦利亚书7章9到10节讲到了真正的禁食：“万军之耶和华曾对你们的列祖如此说：要按至理判断，各人以慈爱怜悯弟兄。不可欺压寡妇、孤儿、寄居的，和贫穷人。谁都不可心里谋害弟兄。”
而以赛亚作为先知的代表，神通过他是怎样说关于禁食的问题？
吴牧师引用了以赛亚书58章6节：“我所拣选的禁食不是要松开凶恶的绳，解下轭上的索，使被欺压的得自由，折断一切的轭吗？”，对大家说：“关怀社会上的弱势群体才是真正的禁食。真正的禁食是在日常生活中的顺服。面对关于禁食本质的话语，当下领受并回应‘是的，愿我里面有真正的禁食’，这才是我们应有的反应。”
我们的主耶稣在禁食四十天后做的第一件事，就是向那个时代宣告先知以赛亚的话语说：“主的灵在我身上，因为他用膏膏我，叫我传福音给贫穷的人；差遣我报告：被掳的得释放，瞎眼的得看见，叫那受压制的得自由，报告神悦纳人的禧年。”
“我们相信，属灵的自由才是真自由！”吴牧师说：“法利赛人是表面上主张所行与所信一致，但实际上却背道而驰的典型代表。他们不是在向神献上礼拜，而是在向自己礼拜的人。他们只是在自我怜悯，自我满足，非常以自我为中心。而税吏却是以心灵和诚实献上敬拜的真正的敬拜者。”
“重要的圣所对我们来说是什么呢？就是不要成为表面上禁食的法利赛人，要成为每天捶着胸祷告恳求主开恩怜悯的21世纪的税吏。若想献上真正的敬拜，发自内心的敬拜，就要在每个主日的聚众礼拜中得胜。聚众礼拜若是根，那么我们的日常生活就是所结的果子。聚众礼拜若是地基，那么我们的日常生活就是在这地基之上建造的建筑。”
最后，吴牧师提醒弟兄姐妹如果我们在工作日如同该隐一样度过的话，到了主日是无法像亚伯一样献上神所喜悦的礼拜的。牧师期待大家主日的聚众礼拜如何，平时的日常生活就会如何。
https://www.christiantimes.cn/news/35130/%E9%9F%A9%E5%9B%BD%22%E7%88%B1%E7%9A%84%E6%95%99%E4%BC%9A%22%E4%B8%BB%E4%BB%BB%E7%89%A7%E5%B8%88%E6%8F%90%E9%86%92%E5%9F%BA%E7%9D%A3%E5%BE%92%EF%BC%9A%E4%BF%A1%E4%BB%B0%E4%B8%8D%E8%A6%81%E6%B5%81%E4%BA%8E%E8%A1%8C%E4%B8%BA%E8%80%8C%E5%BF%BD%E7%95%A5%E6%9C%AC%E8%B4%A8
韩国"爱的教会"主任牧师提醒基督徒：信仰不要流于行为而忽略本质
A megachurch pastor reminded believers not to focus on behaviors while ignoring the essence of the Christian faith, saying the nature of fasting was more important than the act.
In a sermon titled "Fasting for Whom" and released on the WeChat account of "SaRang Chinese Ministry" last Wednesday, Rev. Dr. Jung-Hyun Oh, the senior pastor of the SaRang Church in South Korea, said, "When the people of Bethel asked God whether fasting was necessary, He replied, 'Are these not the words the Lord proclaimed through the earlier prophets?'"
How did Isaiah, the representative of the prophets, speak about fasting?
The pastor cited verses of Isaiah 58:6 to describe, "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?" He added, "The true fasting is to care for the disadvantaged groups in society and to obey God’s words in daily life. So when facing questions about the nature of fasting, we should respond that we would follow through with true fasting."
Based on Zechariah 7: 9-10, he also pointed out what was true fasting, "This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.'"
The first thing our Lord Jesus did after fasting for forty days was to proclaim prophet Isaiah's saying: "The spirit of the Lord is on me because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor."
"We believe that spiritual freedom is true freedom", he said, "The Pharisees were representatives of those who claimed to be consistent with what they believed but actually ran counter to them. They were not offering worship to God, but to themselves, as they were just self-compassionate, self-satisfied, and self-centered. But the tax collectors were true worshipers who worshipped in spirit and in truth."
"What is important to our hearts? Do not be like Pharisees who fasted on the outside, but be a tax collector in this age who beat his chest every day and prayed to the Lord for mercy. If you want to offer true worship in spirit, you must be victorious in the congregational worship every Sunday. If worship is the root, then our daily life is the fruit. If the congregational worship is the foundation, our daily life is a construction built on it."
Finally, the pastor reminded believers that if they worked on weekdays like Cain, they would not be able to present offerings that are pleasing to God like Abel on Sunday. He expected churchgoers to go about their daily lives as if they were attending congregational worship.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Korean Megchurch Pastor Says the Essence of Fasting Lies in Obeying God's Word in Daily Life
