Berea commissioners are the source of blessing
Jesus bore our curse on the cross that we
might receive the blessing Abraham had received from God.
“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the
law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who
hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in
Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Galatians
3:13~14).
The blessing we have received is the blessing
God had promised to Abraham. God not only blessed him but also made him the
source of blessing so that through him all might be blessed.
“I will make you a great nation; I will bless
you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those
who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families
of the earth shall be blessed" (Genesis 12:2~3).
Christians are the people who are not content
at being blessed themselves only; they have the commission to share the blessing
to the peoples of all nations. If one claims to be blessed and still does not
share it with others, he is only a half Christian.
Berea commissioners are the delegators of the Picture of God’s Will
God made His covenant with Israel through
Moses and became their God to make them a kingdom of priests.
“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My
voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above
all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of
priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:5~6).
However, after conquering Canaan as God had
promised and constructing the temple, they forgot their original duty. Without
minding their inherent duty as the mediator between God and all other nations,
they became arrogant and disdained the Gentiles. Consequently, only after they
were scattered among the nations by foreign invasion, they began to associate closely
with Gentiles.
Out of all the
people of the world, Bereans have come to know the Picture of God’s Will before
anyone else. Bereans have the duty to convey it to the people of all nations. A
Berean who acknowledges this and dedicates his life is the Berea commissioner.
Virtue is a fundamental quality of a Berea commissioner
A virtuous heart desires to share
goodness with others, not to monopolize it. God has called us in His glory and
virtue.
“As His divine power has given to us all
things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him
who called us by glory and virtue” (2 Peter 1:3).
God is virtuous that He showed His
virtue and shared His glory with us. Since we have gained His glory by faith,
we must partake in God’s virtuous nature and add virtue to our faith.
“But also for this very
reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to
knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance
godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love” (2
Peter 1:5~7). The
compassion of sharing with others the glory one has gained from God is the
starting point of taking on the commission.
Selected from the series <The Path for the Berea Commissioners>,
Written by Pastor Ki-Taek Lee, Director of Sungrak Mission Center
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