On Thursday, August 19th, Pastor Bose preached on patriotism. The month of August was called the month of Active Civic Position. The sermon was based on John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
The Pastor went into a detailed analysis of this Scripture verse.
“For God so loved the world…”
If God loved our world so very much, we also have to love our motherland, its people, land and culture. We can accomplish this task and improve our land by having true God’s love within us, being committed and sacrificial.
Love is a strong moving force in everything people do. Therefore the active civic position is based on patriotism, which also plays an important role in the national revival.
As we read further the Scripture says:
“…that He gave His only Son…”
God had to sacrifice His only Son for the mankind to believe in Him and attain everlasting life. To God the Father there was no one more precious than Jesus, yet He preferred the needs of the world to His love for His Son.
“In order to be active in the society, we need to give up our time, resources, energy. We need to sacrifice valuable and pricey things, – the Pastor said, – we can neither see the need of others nor fulfill it unless we have a sacrificial and sympathetic heart. If we are not opened to the problems of our today’s society, that means we did not clearly understand the purpose of our salvation.”
The next line says:
“…that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
People will not get to know God just because we want them to. Moreover, no-one can see God with a naked eye to believe in Him and attain eternal life. Christians today are God’s opened letters to the lost. The non-believers will judge what God the Father is like by our words, deeds and heart’s position. Looking at us, these people decide whether they need God, should they become the part of his Body or not. Therefore we are responsible not only for our life, but also for the lives of the others. We are to show God’s name to the world with dignity, avoiding misrepresentation of His image, His nature and His Word.
We are a “small image of God, created after his likeness”, we are God’s continuation on Earth. According to this verse, people would believe in God and receive salvation only by looking at us and trusting us.
“Those who believe in you will not parish, but will live eternally” – pastor Bose said.
Here are the three main conditions of an active civic position:
- Patriotism.
- Readiness to sacrifice, to give something up (a strong and conscious decision).
- Correspondence between the readiness to help (a strong and conscious decision) and the actual actions.
Dear reader, let me ask you: how many people can believe in you and what you are doing? How many people can be saved through your actions and your active civic position?
Reportage from the Central church
Service in Kiev, August 19, 2010
Translated by Irina Panasyuk
Edited by Natalie Ioffe
