복음과 제자 시리즈 4 | Gospel & Disciple Series 4
"우리는 지금 되어가는 중입니다 — 본이 되는 삶을 향하여"
"Becoming — Toward a Life That Sets an Example"
Becoming — Toward a Life That Sets an Example
A Confession Before We Begin
Before I preach today, I want to make a confession.
I am still becoming.
The way I speak, the way I relate to people, the way I communicate — I am still in training. This past month, the time I spent watching YouTube increased. There were nights I fell asleep exhausted in front of content, having pushed aside the things I needed to do. And in those moments, a question arose:
"Am I truly being a source of strength
for the people in this church?"
This morning in prayer, a word came to me.
"I am the way and the truth and the life."
— John 14:6 (NIV)
This was the word Jesus spoke to Thomas in the middle of his confusion — not in a tidy moment, but in the midst of uncertainty. We are in that same confusion today. But there is a way. And that Way himself is speaking.
Paul and Timothy
Who was Timothy?
He was timid. He was often sick. He was young, and looked down upon because of it. He was not a finished person.
But Paul did not give up on him. He wrote letters. He waited. He saw him.
"I have no one else like him."
— Philippians 2:20 (NIV)
It was not Paul who made Timothy. The time spent together made him.
And Paul too learned from Timothy. Every generation sets an example for every generation. Timothy watched Paul live — and was shaped by it. Paul watched Timothy grow — and was moved by it.
The time spent together is what shaped Timothy.
It was not position. It was proximity.
God Started It
"He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
— Philippians 1:6 (NIV)
Who began the good work? God did. And who will complete it? God will.
Notice who Paul is writing to. Not finished people. Not the ones who have already arrived. He writes to people who are still becoming.
You do not need to wait until everything is in place. You do not need to wait until you feel ready. You do not need to be complete before you begin.
Right here, right now, is enough.
Completion belongs to God. Beginning belongs to us.
Look at this church. The numbers may be smaller than two years ago. But you are here. That itself is evidence. God's work in you did not stop. It is still in motion.
Becoming Is Practice
"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity."
— 1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV)
"Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them."
— 1 Timothy 4:15–16 (NIV)
Paul names five things: speech, conduct, love, faith, purity. None of these are born in us. All of them are formed through practice.
But I want to be honest with you. This age makes practice hard. The time that should go to training gets swallowed up by content. I know this firsthand. Yet through it all, there is one thing I have held onto — morning and evening devotions. Not perfectly. Sometimes I stumble. But I keep coming back.
That is my anchor.
Having one anchor to return to —
even when you drift — that is where practice begins.
Remember Mark. He quit midway. Paul refused to take him on the next journey. And yet, years later, Paul writes:
"Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry."
— 2 Timothy 4:11 (NIV)
People take time. Community waits. And community sees the growth.
In Community, Denying Ourselves, We Begin Again
"Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."
— Matthew 16:24 (NIV)
I have been wrestling with self-denial since I was nineteen years old. More than thirty years. This morning in prayer, for the first time, I caught a glimpse of what it means.
Self-denial is laying down the part of me that wants to quit.
In that moment, a new beginning becomes possible.
The old direction of example was one way — from older to younger. But now it flows in every direction.
Every generation sets an example for every generation.
모든 세대가 모든 세대의 본입니다.
Young people teach the older generation about digital. A new believer's enthusiasm challenges a long-time member. Paul learned from Timothy. I learn from you.
The very process of becoming is already someone's example.
Three reasons why the Way — the Truth — the Life speaks about self-denial:
- The Way speaks of self-denial because the right direction begins with letting go of ourselves.
- The Truth speaks of self-denial because truth becomes visible only when we release our grip.
- The Life speaks of self-denial because true life is found only when we stop clutching our own.
Self-denial is not loss. It is a new beginning — together, in community.
The One Who Is the Way Walks With Us
I want to return to where I began this morning in prayer.
"I am the way and the truth and the life."
— John 14:6 (NIV)
This was spoken in confusion. This age is full of confusion. Content floods our hours. Direction slips away. I too am still becoming.
But there is a way. The One who is that Way has already started the work inside us. And he will complete it.
"He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
— Philippians 1:6 (NIV)
"God started it.
We are becoming — together."
"하나님이 시작하셨습니다. 우리는 함께 되어가는 중입니다."
You don't need to be ready. God already started the work in you. Step into it today — without waiting to be complete.
One practice. Morning and evening devotions, or whatever form it takes. Have something you return to — even when you drift.
Self-denial is not giving up what you love. It is releasing the you that wants to stop. In that moment — community begins again. So do you.
Lord, I will not wait until I am complete.
I lay down the part of me that wants to quit, and I start again — right here, right now. Let me be an example in the very process of becoming. Let the community around me see growth — and be moved to begin again themselves.
God started it. We are becoming — together. Amen.
Hello, World!