The Resurrected Lord Has Given Us the Eight Beatitudes

Thank God for giving us the “Kingdom Beatitudes” at the peak of the pandemic. We started preaching the first Beatitude on February 20 and unexpectedly the message on the last Beatitude – Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake – was released on Resurrection Day. It coincided exactly with Jesus Christ, who had been persecuted for His righteousness. Such a coincidence was not man’s doing, but God-ordained, confirming His presence among us!

These messages on Kingdom Beatitudes have brought us a fresh perspective. In the past, we interpreted and read the Beatitudes from man’s viewpoint. But it’s God’s desire for us to understand the Truth in greater depth in order to know what Jesus truly meant through His teaching. For instance, “Blessed are the pure in heart,” it’s not just being pure and simple, but also not fretting because of evildoers. Likewise, peacemakers are not peacekeepers, but those who reconcile men to God.

Being a disciple of God, I often reflect on my own life when preparing messages. As I prepared to preach “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’s sake”, I sensed that God was leading us, as Jesus is the resurrected Lord, Who had been persecuted for His righteousness. I studied chapters 4 and 5 of Matthew many times, realising that as a disciple of God, it takes us both attitude and action to follow Him.

Meanwhile, God inspired us to start the Togo Relief Action initiative. It was our first ever attempt and has been effective in both width and depth. Not only did it provide practical help to brothers and sisters, as well as their relatives and friends, but it was also an opportunity for us to be merciful. Moreover, people came to Christ and were reconciled with God, through our actions. This was all due to God’s leading in this season.

Also, I am grateful to God for giving us a wonderful co-workers’ drama team. The preaching of the Beatitudes also took dramatic elements into consideration. Dramas became the bridge connecting daily life with the Beatitudes, modeling how they can be lived out. So, when we were discussing what and how to preach, we also had discussions about the scripts. All eight dramas were performed by co-workers, and they had to have online rehearsals, whilst the pandemic was at its worst. Despite all the obstacles, God’s will was unhindered. He inspired the message on Resurrection Day, which matched Part 1 of our new drama about Noah. While Part 2 will be presented on our church’s anniversary, I believe that God desires us to see the Eight Beatitudes from His perspective, and inspires us to live out a new life.

Dear brothers and sisters, the message of the Eight Beatitudes has led us to become true Kingdom disciples. May we all live out the life of a Kingdom disciple with a renewed mindset, and walk out the truth! [2022.05.01]