13. August. 2019. Tuesday  Prayer Journal

God’s Plan Which May Appear like Failure

Daniel 1:8~9 But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs,

♬ Hymn for scheduled worship: Korean/English Hymnal #501 O Zion, Haste (#255 in the previous version)

[Message Video] https://youtu.be/dy9aErsNuAQ

  God gave Israel the Gospel to do world evangelization. However, Israel was unable to realize it. Babylon invaded Israel, burned down the temples, and destroyed the nation. As a result, the Israelites were taken as captives. In the midst of this were Daniel and his three friends who made a resolution. What did Daniel and his three friends resolve?

1. A Field Witness
  They resolved to become witnesses of the field. They declared that they would not drink the wine or eat the food given by the king which meant that they would not eat the food offered to idols. Daniel and his three friends were taken as captives because Israel came to ruins for not possessing the Gospel. That is why they made their resolution. Christians today are holding onto wrong ideologies. That is why world churches are closing down. As a person of God, you must hold onto the Gospel and resolve to become the witness who saves the field.

2. A Spiritual Witness
  They resolved to become spiritual witnesses. King Nebuchadnezzar made a large idol and told them to bow before it. When the trumpet sound blew, everyone had to bow down, but the three young men did not follow the king’s decree. Despite the king’s plea and encouragement, the three young men refused and professed that God would save them if they were thrown into the fiery furnace. They even boldly asserted that even if God did not rescue them, they would never bow down to a golden idol. Just as they believed, God protected them in the fiery furnace by sending an angel. Absolutely, no one can overcome a spiritual child of God.

3. A Witness of the Age
  God called Daniel to be a witness of the age. When Daniel became prime minister, people who indulged in slander and defamation arose and helped put into effect, a law that would execute anyone who worshiped gods other than the king. Even though Daniel knew this royal edict was stamped with the king’s edict ring, he knelt on his knees three times a day to pray just as he had done before and gave thanks. Consequently, Daniel was lowered into a den of lions, but God sent an angel to block the lions’ mouths, and Daniel survived without any kind of harm. The king sent the people who plotted against Daniel into the den of lions and made a record of this incident for all to know.

[Prayer of the Evangelist] Dear God, thank you for calling me as a field witness, spiritual witness, and witness of this age. Let me hold onto this covenant and become a witness to save all people.

Immanuel Church Sunday Worship 1st Service / March 31, 2019

[Bible Reading] Ephesians 3

[Gospel Memory Verse] John 20:31
But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.