The Spread of Goodness

Ephesians 4:16

May God’s grace and peace be with us all as we gather this New Year’s morning praising the name of the Lord. The New Year has dawned. What events will be recorded in the calendar of this year given to us? We greet today with a curious and expectant heart.

Since God is with us, we welcome this new day with assurance that all things will work together for good.

When the New Year arrives, there is always a theme we think about: How can we live differently in this New Year compared to the past? As we start the New Year, it would be our duty to cut off what needs to be severed and to resolve to start anew in the areas that need a fresh start. This is not just a duty but a gift that the New Year presents to us.

Throughout the past year, we focused on the theme of “Fourfold Prayer,” reflecting on the benefits of prayer and encouraging one another in prayer. We formed a community of prayer through repentance, vows, intercession, and thanksgiving.

In this coming year, what should we encourage one another to do as saints of Somang Church? What should we think about as we walk together in our faith journey? I have come to feel strongly that our Somang congregation should work together to build a healthy church this year. This is something that the Lord has continually placed firmly in my heart.

Although we celebrate the New Year annually, 2026 holds a unique significance for our Somang community. It is because next year, 2027, will mark the 50th anniversary of Somang Church, a year of jubilee. In the Bible, 50 years does not simply signify the accumulation of time; it represents the release of all that is bound, the restoration of the original state, and the climax of grace where God’s sovereign rule is praised. Two thousand twenty-six will be the very year that we will sketch the vision of how Somang Church wishes to stand before the Lord in its 50th anniversary.

In this light, today we will deeply meditate on the word from Ephesians 4:16, asking God what our church ought to strive for at this critical juncture.

Today’s Scripture teaches us what the church is and the principles by which our church should grow. Through this passage, we will reflect together on the direction that Somang Church should take.

The title of today’s sermon is “The Spread of Goodness.” Although it may sound somewhat awkward at first, this expression encapsulates the direction we need to pursue as a church.

There are many things that “spread” in this world. In particular, the expression “spread” is often used in negative contexts. Germs spread, wildfires spread, unusual trends spread, and harmful practices spread. However, for us to be healthy and for the world to be filled with hope, it is essential for good things to spread.

Every time I pray for those battling cancer, I often pray that the spread of evil cells be stopped and that the life-giving cells may spread throughout their bodies. I pray that the power of life overcomes the evil cells and spreads further until they ultimately become healthy physically.

Just as life-giving cells must spread to overcome evil cells, I believe that our church must work diligently to spread goodness in order to combat the increasingly evil world around us. This is the identity of the church and the theme God gives us to aim for and strive toward this year. The world today needs the spread of goodness. The best way that our church can defend this world where evil continues to spread is to spread goodness.

The Apostle Paul frequently used the metaphor of the body of Christ to define the church. In his letter to the Ephesians, he emphasizes that the church is not merely an organization or a gathering, but an organism vibrant with life. What is the greatest characteristic of the body? It is the high density of interdependence.

There is an interesting principle in medical terminology known as “systemic absorption.” We swallow medication through our mouths to treat inflammation that occurs in our toes. The medicinal components that enter the digestive system travel through the bloodstream and finally reach the painful area far away in the toes. Even if the foot does not thank the mouth, the mouth willingly accepts the medication as if it were feeling the pain of the foot. This is how the body functions. When one part is sick, the entire body suffers, and when one part recovers, the whole body is revived.

This mystery is often observed in the natural world where we live. Although there has been some debate in academia, scholars studying forest ecology reveal the astonishing mystery that trees communicate with each other through vast underground networks. In particular, in a 1997 paper published in the journal Nature, forest ecologist Suzanne Simard claimed that trees in deep forests, which appear to exist independently, are actually connected like a vast neural network underground.

Simard refers to the oldest and largest trees in the forest as “Mother Trees,” explaining that when seedlings fail to receive enough sunlight and start to wither, they share resources through the underground network, and when pests threaten, danger signals spread to help other trees prepare. Therefore, the forest does not consist of isolated trees, but rather appears as a community where lives are transported and sustained together. Simard even likened this invisible connection to the “World Wide Web,” coining the term “Wood Wide Web.”

Dear Church, this is exactly how our Somang Church is. Although we may live in different neighborhoods, belong to different small groups, and serve different departments within the church, we are spiritually bound together by the immense spiritual bloodstream known as the “blood of Christ.” The tears of a brother or sister sitting next to you represent the pain of our community, and the testimony of grace of one member reflects the joy of us all. Remember that throughout the year 2026, you are never alone. We are the body of Christ connected by an unseen spiritual neural network.

This is also the reason we can offer intercessory prayers to God. Some people often point out the issues with intercessory prayer, questioning how we can intercede for others. How can we intercede for others when only Christ can intercede for us? This is their argument as they oppose intercessory prayer. However, technically, praying for a member of the body of Christ is not praying for another person. Since, as one body, another’s pain is our pain, that prayer becomes our prayer. From this perspective, we can pray for one another.

So what purpose does this connected body exist for? Ephesians 2:10 declares that we are “created […] to do good works.”

“We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10 NIV)

Goodness is not an option of the church but its raison d’être.

The goodness spoken of in the Bible does not merely refer to secular morality or splendid charity. Goodness is the character that God has implanted within us; it is all the ways in which that character is expressed in everyday life, revealing who God is. In short, goodness refers to the character of Christ.

As we explored in last week’s sermon, the meaning of “good” in “all things work together for good” is to be conformed to the image of Christ.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.” (Romans 8:28-29a NIV)

The church, as the body of Christ whose parts are connected, must become a church that reveals the character of Christ.

However, through today’s passage, the Lord tells us that the body of Christ, the church that reveals goodness, grows and builds itself up. This means our church must grow and build itself up.

Then how does the body of Christ grow? What does church growth mean? What does church growth entail? It is not merely about having more attendance until all the seats are filled. Church growth is about manifesting God’s goodness to the world through the church. The character of Christ is expressed through the church. The more His character is displayed, the more the church grows and builds itself up.

How can we allow the character of Christ to be more effectively manifested? What are the ways for the church to become truly church-like?

Verse 16 of today’s passage describes how this goodness transforms the community beyond individual piety:

“From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” (Ephesians 4:16 NIV)

In the New Living Translation, this verse is rendered as:

“He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” (Ephesians 4:16 NLT)

Here, we should pay attention to the expressions “joined and held together by every supporting ligament” and “as each part does its work.” Goodness does not exist in isolation. Goodness flows like blood and spreads like fragrance. The genuine practice of love by one person does not end as a mere event at a single point; it becomes a flow of grace that flows between the members, filling the whole body with life.

In Acts 9, we find the story of a female disciple named Tabitha (Dorcas). Her life was not glamorous. Tabitha lived her life by doing what she could, using her talent for sewing to make clothes for widows in need. Yet, each quiet stitch she made was an expression of love that kept the lonely warm. When she died, the whole town showcased the garments she had made and wept, for Tabitha’s small acts of goodness had become a powerful binding force that connected their community in love.

Such spread of goodness transcends the individual and changes history. Let us think of William Wilberforce in 18th century England, who accomplished what seemed like an impossible task: the abolition of slavery. It was not just the heroic actions of Wilberforce alone that made this possible. The members of the Clapham Sect gathered to pray and fervently contemplated how to spread goodness in their respective spheres. When one member of Parliament prepared a bill, a banker provided funding, and a writer penned articles to awaken the public conscience. When one person’s goodness spread to the hearts of others and flowed into the veins of society, England finally achieved a historic advancement in the abolition of slavery.

Therefore, dear beloved congregation, when goodness is practiced within the church, it is not simply a matter of “adding one good deed.” It spiritually rearranges the structure of the whole body and creates a warm flow within an interdependent network of relationships. When someone joyfully gives their share, or when someone takes time to serve willingly, that movement changes the atmosphere of the community and renews people’s perceptions. This is what we call the “upward leveling of goodness.” When this flow gathers into a torrent, the church becomes infused with the vitality to “build itself up in love” without any external pressure or programs.

Beloved members of Somang Church, may we embrace this mysterious principle as we live each day of 2026. As our church moves toward greater maturity, what does God desire from us? God wants this body of Christ, Somang Church, to increase in the density of goodness.

A body cannot grow without nourishment, nor can it stand without movement. Similarly, our church, the body of Christ, grows by feeding on grace, and it only stands firmly when we act in accordance with goodness. This is why the spread of goodness is necessary for us.

Dear friends, throughout this year, I hope we can experience the mystery of Ephesians 4:16. May the whole body be connected through each supporting ligament, and may small acts of dedication and service, commitment, and participation continue to build our church. May we all witness this spread of goodness throughout the year. Let us advance boldly into the New Year, holding this holy vision in our hearts.

When someone’s tears are wiped away through your service, and when someone’s needs are met through your sharing, Somang Church will be filled with peace and vitality that the world cannot give.