[오늘의 한문장] 사도행전으로 오늘을 읽다

 ‘하나님께서 주신 복을 흘러 내보내는 통로‘, 이것이 바로 그리스도인정체성의 핵심이다. - P53

20Achan replied, ˝It is true!...

20Achan replied, "It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what I have done - P114

24Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold bar, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor.

25Joshua said, "Why have you brought this trouble on us? The Lord will bring trouble on you today." Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them.

- P115

26Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.

- P115

Joshua has Israel come forward by tribe, clan, and family. Achan is identified;he admits he took a robe, silver, and gold and hid them in his tent. The itemsare recovered. Joshua and Israel stone and burn Achan and his family. Theyheap rocks over him and call the place the Valley of Achor. Then the Lord turnsfrom His fierce anger. - P115

When God reveals that Achan is the sinner among the tribes, Joshua addresses Achan as his son and calls him to give glory and honor to God. Then, Achan is to confess what he has done - P116

. Many of us do not enjoy confronting others. It can be uncomfortable, especially in community settings. However, ignoring sin is costly. Sin can spread like a disease, causing even more corruption. - P116

Today, when people encounter sin in the church, they might join a different church that seems to have less trouble or avoid churches altogether. But this passage reminds us that we should not be reluctant to confront those whose lifestyles are undermining the holiness to which we are called. We cannot afford to look the other way. - P116

In this story, we see the insidious and pervasive nature of sin and its severeconsequences. Some may consider the capital punishment of Achan and hisfamily too severe. However, we must remember that the sin of Achan hadalready affected more than one person. His greed had cascading effects. Itnot only affected him and his family but also caused the death of thirty-sixpeople at the battle of Ai. The Israelites died in what should have been aneasy victory for God‘s people.  - P116

We should remember this story when we aretempted to sin. We may think that our sins only affect one person,
should recognize that they can also negatively impact our families, church-es, and even our possessions.
but we - P116

Heavenly Father, I pray that You would grant wisdom to Your people. I pray that church leaders would shepherd their communities with grace and integrity. - P116

Give them the discernment and courage to recognize and confront the sins that threaten to harm Your people. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen. - P116

˝구원˝ 니느웨와 일꾼 모두 요나 하나님이 뜻을 돌...

"구원" 니느웨와 일꾼 모두 요나
 하나님이 뜻을 돌이키사 그들에게 내리리라고 말씀하신 재앙을내리지 아니하시니라 욘 3:10 - P120

순종하지 않아야 할 이유를 찾자면 정말 수없이 찾아낼 수있어요. 우리는 핑곗거리를 찾는 것에 관한 한 선수거든요. 그많은 이유 가운데 가장 흔한 것은 이것입니다. ‘꼭 내가 하지 않아도 할 사람이 있겠지. 하나님이 정말로 원하신다면 다른 누군가를 찾으실 거야. 내가 순종하지 않는 일에 대해서는 좀 죄송하지만 뭐, 우리 교회만 해도 이 일을 대신할 사람이 얼마나 많아?  - P128

그러니까 나는 동쪽 니느웨가 아니라 서쪽 다시스로 가도돼. 하나님이 정 원하시면 다른 누군가를 또 부르실거야.‘
요나가 여호와의 얼굴을 피하려고 일어나 욘 1:3 - P128

기억하십시오. ‘엘로이‘, 보고 계신 하나님, 그분은 그날 요나가 당신의 낯을 피해 불순종의 길로 돌이키는 것을 다 보고계셨습니다. 고개를 돌려 보세요. 헉! 그분의 얼굴은 벌써 내눈바로 앞에 이르러 있네요. 그분은 언제나 우리를 추적하세요.
왜요? 니느웨의 12만 명, 그 죄인들의 구원도 귀하지만 하나님께는 당신의 종 한 사람도 똑같이 귀하기 때문입니다. 그래서그가 이스라엘 영내에 있든 밖에 있든, 다시스행 배 위가 아니라 그 배의 밑창으로 내려가 쿨쿨 잠이 들어 있기까지 해도 그분은 끝까지 따라오십니다. 그만큼 사랑하시기 때문이에요.
- P132

함께 기억하겠습니다. 하나님의 긍휼과 자비는 니느웨의 많은 죄인들뿐 아니라 우리 한 사람 한 사람에게도 똑같이 향해있습니다. 그분은 우리가 남겨진 일평생, 내가 행했던 불순종 - P132

트라우마를 극복하고 하나님을 계속해서 신뢰하며 예수님...

트라우마를 극복하고 하나님을 계속해서 신뢰하며 예수님께서 하신 약속을 기다리기 위해, 베드로가 내린 처방은 성경말씀의 빛으로 현실을 재해석하는 일이었다. 그리하여 마침내공동체의 마음이 하나로 모아졌고 영적인 집중력이 확보될 수있었다. 이처럼 지도자는 결국 해석자다.  - P32

시대정신을 읽고 공동체의 분위기를 읽는 것도 중요하지만, 무엇보다도 하나님의말씀으로 현실을 재해석할 수 있어야 한다. 부정적 해석, 파괴적 해석이 아니라 공동체를 보듬어 안고 다독이며 세우겠다는•명확한 목적의식을 지닌 해석을 할 수 있어야 한다. - P32

공동체 전체의 분위기와 맥을 정확히 짚어 내기 위해서다. 공동체내부의 흐름을 정확히 감지하지 못하면 엉뚱한 진단, 엉뚱한해법으로 빠진다. 요컨대, 안에서 공감해야 할 때와 밖에서 도전해야 할 때를 분별하는 지혜가 곧 지도력이다. 베드로는 그러한 지도력의 모범을 보여 준다. - P33

요엘의 예언이 성령 강림 사건을 이해하는 틀이듯이, 다윗의 예언은 예수님에 관한 일들을 이해하는 틀이 된다. 이처럼베드로는 구약성경을 여러 차례 인용함으로써 먼 과거의 기록이 현재를 해석하는 틀이 된다는 점을 몸소 보여준다.
- P39

우리에게도 성경은 오늘을 위한 책이다. 현재 우리에게 일어나는 일을 해석할 수 있는 틀을 제공하기 때문이다. 무엇보다도 지금 우리 가운데 일어나고 있는 구원 사건이 하나님의뜻에 따른 것임을 깨우쳐 주기 때문이다. - P39

예언은 과거의 일과 현재의 일에 대한 하나님의 생각, 판단, 관점을 밝히거나 하나님의 뜻과 속성, 능력을 선포하는 말이다. 이렇게 예언을 재정의하고 나서 보면 오순절에 임한 성령은 예언의 영이 맞다. 성령을 받은 이들은 방언을 통해 일종의 언어적 발화 행위를 했는데, 그 내용은 "하나님의 큰 일"에관한 것이었다. 그런 의미에서 방언은 곧 예언이었다. 더 나아가 베드로의 증언 자체도 일종의 예언이었다. - P41

베드로와 사도들은 성경의 가르침과 성령의 충만함에 기반한 독특한공동체를 일구었다. 이전에 없던 새로운 길을 낸 것이다. 새로운 길을 내는 데는 믿음의 상상력이 요구된다. 교회 역사에서중요한 변곡점마다 개혁자들을 추동하고 이끌었던 것도 바로그 상상력이다. - P47

그러니 궁극적으로 기적을 일으키는 동인()은 사도들의 믿음이 아니었다. 기적을 일으키는 동인은 하나님의 계획과 의지였다. - P51

But the Israelites were unfai...

But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel.

2Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, "Go up and spy out the region." So the men went up and spied out Ai.

3When they returned to Joshua, they said, "Not all the army will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary the whole army, for only a few people live there."

4So about three thousand went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai,

- P108

5who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted in fear and became like water. - P109

11Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions.

12That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.

- P110

13"Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them. - P111

Achan from the tribe of Judah takes some of the devoted things for himself,
causing God‘s anger to burn against Israel. As a consequence, they are de-feated at Ai. Joshua questions the Lord, and He replies tha Israel has sinnedby stealing devoted things. He commands them to consecrate themselvesand come forward by tribe, clan, and family until the guilty party is identified. - P109

When more spies are sent to the smaller city of Ai, they see that there are only a few people there. Thus, Israel sends only a couple thousand soldiers for battle. However, the Israelites lose the battle, and they are terrified. Joshua and the elders fall before the Lord in desperate prayer, and God tells Joshua that Israel has violated their covenant. - P112

One person has stolen and lied, but the entire community is affected. - P112

The situation may seem extreme to us, but the truth is that the sins of even one person can impact an entire community. - P112

May we be quick to identify, confront, and repent of any sins in our churches so that nothing will hinder us from achieving our victories in God. - P112

The people of Israel are told to consecrate themselves in preparation for thenext day. They are to cleanse and sanctify themselves, recognizing that theyare going to go before the holy Lord. The next day, tribe by tribe, family byfamily, the people will go before God, and it will be revealed who has violated the covenant and defiled the whole community.  - P112

This unfaithfulness isa kind of adultery. The Lord and His people are supposed to be committedto one another, but an outrageous act-a willful sin against God-hasviolated this relationship. At its root, this sin is idolatry.  - P112

We must bewareof idols in our lives, for they can tempt us away from our committed rela-tionship with the Lord. - P112

We must bewareof idols in our lives, for they can tempt us away from our committed rela-tionship with the Lord. - P112

Joshua tears his clothes, falls facedown, and remains there all day before theark of the Lord. His response reminds us of the importance of seeking theLord in times of trouble and uncertainty. When we experience distress andworry, we sometimes turn to Him at first. But over time, we become wearyof intentionally seeking Him out.  - P113

We can learn from the example of Joshua,
who had the habit of turning to God in good and bad times. He knew thatturning to God was best because He was the only One with the ultimatepower, authority, and providence.
- P113

While Joshua receives a very cclear message from God, we do not always hearsuch direct answers when we are in distress. When we have brought ourquestions to Him for an extended period of time, we can be left wonderingwhether God has even heard our cries because we have been suffering forso long.  - P113

We might desire an instant fix, asking God to get rid of whateveris causing us distress. However, it is imperative that we keep seeking Hisface and trusting Him. Even when it feels like we are met with increasinguncertainty and lack of clarity as we follow God, we can be assured that Hewill answer.  - P113

We may not always receive our desired answer, but we can trustthat God‘s answer will always be what we need so that we can grow in Him. - P113

Dear God, I ask that You reveal any idols in my heart. - P113

Help me and my church community to root out sins, humbly seek Your correction, and walk in accordance with Your truth and ways. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen. - P113