A dead body does not feel hunger or thirst at all. It does not feel pain. It is the same for our souls. Those whose faith lives are dead don’t try to receive the word of God, however the word is delivered to them. Even though they don’t do the work of God, they feel nothing. On the contrary they feel good about living lives that revolve around their flesh. Whenever they go to church, they sit about two thirds back in the chapel, and do not want to go to the front. They always sit very far away from the pulpit, and after the blessing, they quickly leave the chapel so that they don’t have to meet other people.
These people do not feel spiritual thirst. Even if the church has a special worship service or event, they have nothing to do with it. Even though the church is under construction, they have nothing to do with it, and if they are told to come to church early to pray, they have nothing to do with it. Even though they hear that the church has some problems, it has nothing to do with them. If they are comfortable, then everything is OK as far as they are concerned. Those who have no responsibility for the work of the church and who, whatever the church may say, feel that the church is irrelevant to them, are like branches cut off from the vine.
The dead cannot get up and eat even if they are offered delicious food. There is no way that a dead body can ever feel so thirsty that it will leave its tomb to get water. But a living person cannot sustain its live without eating and drinking. The living person looks for something to eat and drink to keep his life.
“For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.” (John 6:55~56)
Please bear in mind that a spiritually living person continues to seek God's righteousness to maintain his holy spiritual life.
Pastor Seok-Jeon Yoon
Extracted from the church newspaper #557 (Dec. 23, 2017)
