{"id":1362,"date":"2019-01-04T09:44:18","date_gmt":"2019-01-04T17:44:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/?p=1362"},"modified":"2020-04-25T16:50:36","modified_gmt":"2020-04-25T23:50:36","slug":"04-draw-near-to-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/blog\/04-draw-near-to-god\/","title":{"rendered":"#04 Draw near to God"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Good morning, brothers and sisters, may the grace and peace of our Lord be with you!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Draw near to God<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Fellowship with God not only has a starting point (baptism into Christ), but also needs to be maintained (drawing near to God).\u00a0 Drawing near to God is a spiritual discipline, and its purpose is to look to God and align ourselves with his will, so that our thoughts and actions become increasingly pleasing to God.\u00a0 There are four specific ways to do this, the first is to teach and obey the word of God, and the other three are listed below:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

    \r\n
  1. Fellowship (koinonia<\/em>)<\/u>:\u00a0 The shortest path to God is not walked alone, but with friends.\u00a0 The one closest to God is not the person who stands alone, but the person who stands with the assembly of God\u2019s people. \u00a0\u00a0When God\u2019s people gather together, each person becomes closer to God.\u00a0 When God\u2019s people listen to his word together, each person hears his word clearer.\u00a0 When God\u2019s people worship and pray together, each person draws nearer to the throne of God.\u00a0 When God\u2019s people serve together, each person has a more intimate relationship with God.\u00a0 God\u2019s salvation design was not for individuals to be saved and be alone, but for many to be saved and be together.\u00a0 His desire is not for one person to draw near to him, but for his many sons and daughters to draw near to him together.\u00a0 \u201cFellowship\u201d is not only \u201clife together in Christ\u201d, but it is the best way to draw near to God.\u00a0 According to the book of Acts, \u201cfellowship\u201d has the following characteristics:

    And all those who had believed\u00a0were together and\u00a0had all things in common;\u00a0and they\u00a0began\u00a0selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.\u00a0Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and\u00a0breaking bread\u00a0from house to house, they were taking their\u00a0meals together with gladness and\u00a0sincerity of heart,praising God and\u00a0having favor with all the people. And the Lord\u00a0was adding to their number day by day\u00a0those who were being saved. (Acts 2:44-47)<\/em>\r\n\r\n

    \r\n\r\n\r\n
      \r\n
    1. The people:\u00a0 \u201call those who had believed\u201d\u2014There were no onlookers, only believers.<\/li>\r\n
    2. The event:\u00a0 \u201cbreaking bread, taking meals together, praising God\u201d\u2014They worshiped in the temple, and had fellowship at the table.<\/li>\r\n
    3. The time:\u00a0 \u201cday by day\u201d \u2013 They met together every day, not once a week.<\/li>\r\n
    4. The place:\u00a0 \u201cwere together\u201d\u2014They gathered together, not scattered in different places.<\/li>\r\n
    5. The possessions:\u00a0 \u201cselling their property and possessions and sharing them with all\u201d\u2014They were good stewards of God\u2019s gifts, and shared generously with others.<\/li>\r\n
    6. The heart:\u00a0 \u201cwith one mind\u201d and \u201cwith gladness and sincerity of heart\u201d\u2014They were like-minded, sincere, and gladly meeting together.
      \r\n\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n
      Brothers and sisters, if you want to draw near to God, you must gather together with those in the body of Christ, worshiping, serving, and breaking bread together with gladness and sincerity of heart.\u00a0 In other words, live life together.\u00a0 It goes beyond a Sunday greeting, but becomes a part of life.\u00a0 You may ask, is this possible in our modern individualistic society, especially in the States?\u00a0 Even if you have doubts, you must try your best, because this is God\u2019s desire for us.\u00a0 Do not invade other people\u2019s privacy or gossip about others.\u00a0 Be sincere in your love for one another.\u00a0 Give priority to midweek gatherings such as prayer meetings, fellowship meetings, and special events at church.\u00a0 Your first plan of action should always be to go, to attend, to participate.\u00a0 Similarly with Sunday worship, Sunday school, and Sunday lunch.\u00a0 Your first plan of action should always be to go, to attend, to participate.

      <\/li>\r\n
    7. The breaking of bread<\/u>:\u00a0 The breaking of bread represents \u201cChrist-centered worship\u201d.\u00a0 Breaking bread is Christ-centered, centered around the Lord\u2019s table, sharing the Lord\u2019s bread and cup.\u00a0 It is a form of worship, an act of faith, a remembrance of the Lord with our spirit.\u00a0 Every Sunday worship is a Christ-centered worship, regardless of whether the Lord\u2019s supper is observed that day.\u00a0 Brothers and sisters open their hearts to praise the Lord.\u00a0 They receive God\u2019s word together, experience the presence of God, and are blessed beyond measure.\u00a0 In the midst of worship, many will find their strength renewed, their questions answered, and their difficulties overcome.\u00a0 Some people think that worship is the same as \u201clistening to a sermon\u201d, and they do not come to worship God, but only to listen to a message that can make them feel good emotionally or allow them to gain some knowledge intellectually.\u00a0 They do not fear God nor respect others, and are constantly looking at their phones, making phone calls, or walking around.\u00a0 It is sad that there is this kind of behavior and attitude towards God.\u00a0 The church, on the other hand, has a responsibility to offer a high-quality worship service.\u00a0 Every part of the worship must be carefully planned and well-thought-out.\u00a0 From the major components such as the selection of hymns and the content of the message, to the smallest details such as the accuracy of the bulletin and PowerPoint slides, each act of service should be prepared and carried out with reverent hearts.

      Worship is the most direct and eternal form of fellowship with God.\u00a0 When we are in heaven, all earthly activities will cease to exist.\u00a0 We will no longer need to share the gospel or plan any church events, but the worship of God will never cease.

      \r\n\r\nThen a voice came from the throne, saying: \u201cPraise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both great and small!\u201d\u00a0 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude,\u00a0like the roar of rushing waters\u00a0and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: \u201cHallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty\u00a0reigns.\u201d\u00a0 (Rev 19:5-6)<\/em>

      \r\n\r\n<\/li>\r\n
    8. Prayer<\/u>:\u00a0 The meaning of prayer is to humble oneself and look up to God.\u00a0 A praying person should adopt a posture of humility, whether it is to bow down, to kneel, or to stand with hands raised towards the heavens.\u00a0 A praying person should have a heart filled with gratitude:\u00a0 Here I am, a lowly person on earth, speaking to the exalted God of the heavens, and he actually listens to my prayers!\u00a0 The essence of prayer is trust, admitting one\u2019s own inadequacies, and trusting in the heavenly Father for help.\u00a0 Those who are prideful are unable to pray, because they cannot humble themselves.\u00a0 Churches that are prideful are also unable to pray\u2014we have money and we have people, why do we need to pray?\u00a0 \u201cNot praying\u201d sends a message to God, \u201cGod, we don\u2019t need you, we can rely on ourselves!\u201d\u00a0 Can such people draw near to God?

      Prayer is God\u2019s grace to us, a privilege for God\u2019s children, that we may draw near to God through his Son.\u00a0 Prayer is not simply supplication, but also includes thanksgiving, adoration, and confession, drawing near to God with our spirit.\u00a0 The gospels record Jesus praying many times, as an example to his disciples.\u00a0 The book of Acts also records many prayers of the disciples and the church, such as:

      They all joined together constantly in prayer<\/u>,\u00a0along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. (Acts 1:14)
      <\/em>Then\u00a0they prayed<\/u>,\u00a0\u201cLord, you know everyone\u2019s heart.\u00a0Show us\u00a0which of these two you have chosen\u201d (Acts 1:24)
      <\/em> They devoted themselves to the apostles\u2019 teaching\u00a0and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread\u00a0and to\u00a0prayer<\/u>.\u00a0 (Acts 2:42)
      <\/em> When they heard this, they raised their voices together in\u00a0prayer<\/u>\u00a0to God.\u00a0\u201cSovereign Lord,\u2026\u201d.<\/em> After they\u00a0prayed<\/u>, the place where they were meeting was shaken.\u00a0 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit\u00a0and spoke the word of God boldly. (Acts 4:24, 31)
      <\/em> Peter sent them all out of the room;\u00a0then\u00a0he got down on his knees and prayed<\/u>. (Acts 9:40)
      <\/em> When Paul had finished speaking,\u00a0he knelt down with all of them and prayed<\/u>. (Acts 20:36)<\/em>\r\n\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

      Brothers and sisters, the four spiritual disciplines of drawing near to God are:\u00a0 teach and obey the word of God, fellowship with each other, worship and break bread together, and prayer.\u00a0 To be most effective, these must be done together with brothers and sisters:\u00a0 study God\u2019s word together, fellowship together, worship together, pray together.\u00a0 Praise God that practicing these disciplines will be beneficial to a person\u2019s overall wellbeing.\u00a0 You will worry less, trust more, have a vibrant spirit, and a constant joy.\u00a0 You will find favor with God and man.\u00a0 May your year start well as you draw near to God and receive his blessings.<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Good morning, brothers and sisters, may the grace and peace of our Lord be with you! Draw near to God Fellowship with God not only has a starting point (baptism…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1352,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,57,50],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-devotionals","category-koinonia","category-pastor-warren-wang"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1362"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1362\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1956,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1362\/revisions\/1956"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cbcwla.org\/home\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}