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The Church of God has recently received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. This award is given to all our members in Zion who have worked hard together with one heart and mind to put God’s teachings into practice; it is presented in recognition of our members’ sacrifice and service for others. That is why the award seems more valuable to us.
Now the good news keeps pouring in from all over the world that our churches have received the awards, including the President’s Volunteer Service Award from the U.S. President and the Presidential Group Citation from the President of the Republic of Korea. Let’s take time to think about why God continuously grants us these honorable awards today, through the Bible.
“I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth”
God has promised He will let the people of Zion, who fully believe in His teachings and follow them in accordance with His will, receive honor and praise among all people in the world.
Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” “The sorrows for the appointed feasts I will remove from you; they are a burden and a reproach to you. At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you; I will rescue the lame and gather those who have been scattered. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they were put to shame. At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes,” says the LORD. Zep 3:14–20
God encourages the people of Zion not to fear and not to let their hands hang limp. This shows God’s children may encounter difficult situations that make them let their hands hang limp. However, God tells us to rejoice and be glad because He will give us honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth.
This is the word of promise and prophecy God has given to us who are living in these last days—the age of the Holy Spirit. The Church of God is the only church that has successively won highly prestigious awards, and the media has been scrambling to report the Church of God’s activities and awards received, with much concern and praise for our church. Each and every one of our churches all around the world performs the role of light and salt and leads people around them to spiritual enlightenment, in the joy of living for others. This helps people view the Church of God favorably.
Blessings for those who obey God’s word
We are now witnessing the exact fulfillment of God’s words and prophecies in the Bible.
If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. Dt 28:1–6
God has prophesied that if we fully obey Him and carefully follow His commands, He will set us high above all the nations on earth. God has reiterated that He will make us the head, not the tail (Dt 28:13–14). Only those who obey God and keep His commandments can be the protagonists of this prophecy.
Until now, we have walked a different path from the people of the world. Although many people do not follow God’s word, we have tried to live according to God’s teaching, with respect for His laws, decrees and regulations, and we will continue to live that way. The reason the Church of God can achieve such amazing things is because God who fulfills everything according to prophecy dwells in the church and God’s people who follow His word dwell there, too.
Everything written in the Bible is to be fulfilled
The prophet Isaiah clearly tells us that all the prophecies written in the Bible will never remain unfulfilled but God will indeed fulfill them.
“I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.” Isa 46:10–11
God surely fulfills what He has said and does what He has planned. So, the prophecy that God will make us the head by setting us high above all the nations and give us honor and praise is now coming true before our very eyes and will continuously be fulfilled. God’s purpose is to be accomplished by any means.
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Heb 4:12–13
The word of God is not dead, but alive; it is being fulfilled exactly. God’s word is also active enough to change everyone’s heart and to give praise and honor to the people of Zion. So, if we pay attention to God’s word and obey it, we will see the living word of God being fulfilled precisely and witness the glorious work of God.
The Bible repeatedly emphasizes that every word of God will be fulfilled without fail.
The LORD Almighty has sworn, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand . . .” This is the plan determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations. For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back? Isa 14:24–27
Who can thwart what God the Almighty has purposed? Who can disturb what God has planned? Nobody can turn it back. God’s word is to be fulfilled without fail although some may stand in His way.
God said, “As I have purposed, so it will stand.” This applies only to the people of Zion who follow the teachings of God. As a result, all the prophecies in the Bible are now amazingly coming true one after another in Zion. In many places in the Bible, God has said He will surely fulfill His prophecies. So, let us believe the word of God till the end, living each day with excitement and expectation about how God will give us praise and honor.
Secrets of the Church of God’s growth
When I visited the UK recently, I came to know that atheism, the belief that there is no god, is prevalent across European societies which I had expected to have a strong tradition of Christianity. I’ve learned that many people in Europe do not believe in God and they are gradually becoming more skeptical of the church. Because of that, the number of Christians is decreasing over time, and many of the church buildings are being used for other purposes.
This has helped me renew my sense of mission to spread the light of truth quickly so that the light can shine brightly in this dark world. Preaching the gospel is not something we can do on our own; we absolutely need God’s help to do it.
Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. Ps 127:1
Only God manages and operates all things. We just have to believe and obey God’s word and carry out everything God has commanded us.
Everyone who visits the Church of God asks this question: What are the secrets of the Church of God’s ongoing prosperity and growth, while Christianity is declining across Europe and all over the world? All this is possible thanks to God’s help, right?
I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. Ps 121:1–2
The Bible says our help comes from God. Only when God helps us can we graciously accomplish the movement to preach the gospel to seven billion people. From a human point of view, the goal of preaching to all seven billion people seems unreachable. However, although our beginnings seem humble, God will make our future so prosperous.
The Church of God has now been established all over the world, although its beginnings were small. The kingdom of God has been established across the five oceans and six continents of the world, and people from many nations are streaming to Zion according to the words of truth. This has been possible all because of God’s help. I want all of us, children of heaven, to fully understand that God the Father and God the Mother lead us in all things and to firmly believe that our help comes from Elohim who created the heavens and the earth, keeping in step with the words of prophecy.
Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. Ps 115:1
Until now, God has given glory to us who have done nothing to deserve it. From now on, the glory must return to the name of God, right? First of all, we should give glory to God, and then we need to devote ourselves to displaying God’s glory, so that all people in the world, all the inhabitants of the universe, will praise God forever.
Do like the good Samaritan
Our brothers and sisters in Zion have received many awards for their devotional services for neighbors in need. It is the same spiritually. God has told us that His reward is with Him in heaven, and that He will give to everyone according to what he has done (Rev 22:12). Then, what achievements should we leave behind in our life to receive God’s reward?
In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Lk 10:30–37
In the parable told by Jesus above, the priest and the Levite just passed by the man who had fallen into the hands of robbers and was left half dead, because they thought that if they got involved, it would cause inconvenience to them. However, when the Samaritan saw the man, he took pity on him and did everything he could possibly do for him, thinking of only one thing: ‘What can I do to save his life?’ Jesus clarified that the Samaritan was a true neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers, and said, “Go and do likewise.”
All people are like that man who was left half-dead by robbers. Unless we lead them to heaven, their destination will be hell; they will suffer the eternal torments of hell.
So many people pass by us every day. We must not just leave them alone, but take pity on them and think about what we should do to lead them back to heaven. Let us all have the same mindset as the Good Samaritan and work hard to carry out the movement to save seven billion people.
Which of the three people—the priest, the Levites, and the Samaritan—would God give a reward to? Wouldn’t He give it to the Good Samaritan? Those who save many dying souls by leading them to righteousness will receive the greatest rewards in heaven (Da 12:1–3).
We should all take the lead in saving human beings, keeping in mind what God said, “Do like the Good Samaritan.” I earnestly ask you to preach the words of life and blessing to your family, friends and neighbors and to all people around the world, so you will all receive rewards in heaven on the day of glory.