Message (06/29/08)

Acts 1:6-8
Carried Beyond Our Limitations
(Click player to listen)

Introduction: We’re living in the world of limitation. Though we tried enough of extending the cords to minimize it, still we have limitation at least of another kind. However, beyond our limitations, God has a bigger, wider, and brighter picture for our life in Jesus Christ. Our passage indicates how their Jewish nationalism had confined the disciples in a small box (v. 6). In response, Jesus pointed out the limitations of their knowledge and experience to fully comprehend God’s plan in history (v. 7). However, in spite of their imperfect knowledge, Jesus dreamed of the better, bigger, wider, stronger, brighter future of the disciples, knowing the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit among them on His behalf (v. 8).

Power from Above: To go beyond our limitations, we do not have yet better reasons or advanced technologies. However, there’s a way by following God’s own way—that is by the Holy Spirit who indwells and empowers us. Holy Spirit is going to be the power-source in our lives (v. 8a). Power means strength or force in physical sense, ability or capability in terms of profession, and even authority and power in another sense. So, Jesus said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” It’s simple but enough for the disciples to go far beyond their limitations—the valley of their fear, their limited knowledge and strength, etc.

A New Way of Life: Then, what is the essence or value of to go beyond the limit (i.e., to show up, to claim seats, etc?)? The reason is that everyone might be the living witnesses of Jesus Christ (v. 8b). The choice word “be” in this sentence indicates that this is about our being not only doing. Our life [present existence] should always be a good witness to Jesus, bringing praise and glory to Him. This is the true nature of martyr-lifestyle. Therefore, this power should be exercised to live a new way of life that turns away from self-directed lifestyle to a life of Christ-centeredness. Yes, this beyond-natural power is promised so that we may live for Christ completely.

Unto the End of the Earth: Further to this spiritual experience, Jesus gave the disciples a broader future [and even bigger land to harvest], driving their thoughts and imaginations beyond the land of Judea unto the farthermost parts of the earth (v. 8c). The three-four geographical names in the passage indicate the gradual advancement of their future missions and progression to reach even beyond their natural limitations. Yes, this bigger picture of life is the inheritance of Spirit-transformed and empowered life. So, trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit, let us say “the world is my parish.”

We are living in the world of various limitations—i.e., time and space, rule and regulation, knowledge and experience, etc. While modern technologies and sciences are trying to push the line, there’re still various human limitations displaying on the screen. However, with God, the early handful poor Christians broke the line and pushed it beyond their limitations. This is by the power of the Holy Spirit, the unseen guest of their daily lives. By taking the words of Jesus and turning to live His way, let us also expect the fresh re-enforcement from God by the same Spirit to extend our business and all our careers, our vision and goal, and our lives and strength to a broader and wider sphere for His name’s sake!

Sunday Worship Service Guide

Date - June 29, 2008
Praise/Worship – Berakah Team
Presider – Pastor Jonathan Kim

• Meditation (ODB): 0000000


• Invocation: Ps. Jonathan Kim


• Praise & Worship: Berakah Team


• Special Prayer: Mr. Lee ST


• Message: Ps. Thang
  “Beyond Our Limitations” Acts 1:6-8


• Announcement: Coordinator


• Offering & Prayer: Presider


• Song/Special Presentation: (any)


• Benediction: Preacher

Fellowship will follow afterward!

Bible Reading & Quiz

Please, enjoy listening Acts 1 by playing the audio. The reading is from NIV. To help remember, a simple quiz is also provided below. Please, try.

Bible Quiz:

Chapter 1

1. Who is the addressee of this letter?


2. How many days did Jesus stay with the disciples after his resurrection to make sure that he is risen?


3. What is the command of Jesus in this chapter?


4. What is the term used in this chapter to refer to the receiving of the Holy Spirit and explain the experience?


5. What promise did the angels make to the disciples at the ascension?


6. How did the disciples respond immediately their present situation as Jesus ascended to heaven and how many are they?


7. Who was chosen in place of Judas Iscariot and how?

* You can find the answers (or at least precise Bible references for correct answers) somewhere in the Bulletin this coming Sunday. Wait!

Message (06/22/08)

John 21:15-17
The Only Strong Man: In His Footstep!
(Please, click the player to listen)

Introduction: We define “power or powerful” and “strength or strong” in different ways. For instance, in this competitive open-market-society, “information” becomes like power and strength to take one step ahead of others. However, the inner moral strength of each individual—i.e., integrity, truth, love, justice [that man is apparently lacking]—will still remain as the basic need of human society for genuine peace, prosperity and success. Fully equipped with this inner spiritual quality, Jesus Christ is our strong man, who willingly chose the cross for the cause of God’s truth and love. In fact, this is the final call of John’s Gospel to start walking in His footstep to be spiritually strong for God’s Kingdom service.

Recharging of Faith (20:1-31): In spite of their slowness to comprehend the resurrection, their love for [and faith in] Jesus, though apparently weak, never changed. This is the reason why the disciples received several visitations of resurrected Christ that had finally cleared away their doubts and unbelief. At the beginning, Ch. 20 mentions about the empty tomb and doubting disciples as the evidence of the resurrection (vv. 1-9). Then, the several appearances of Jesus occupied the whole chapter. In each appearance, how Jesus cleared away their blindness [doubt] is clearly pinpointed [i.e., calling personal name, v. 16; showing his wounds, v. 20; and letting touch his wounded body, v. 27]. As spiritually dull and dump, we also need this visitation from the Lord in our lives! Yes, this visitation is promised to those who sincerely love the Lord (cf., 14:21, 23), and is fulfilled by the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, receive the Holy Spirit! (V. 22).

Ready for Kingdom Business (21:1-25): In a harmonious response to the inner strengthening work of the Holy Spirit, there’s a step we have to keep up. That is the greater love for Jesus Christ, the only requirement for God’s Kingdom business (“much more love,” v. 15). This is the only single topic of the all three times of question that indicates the serious need of this greater love. Being the only requirement for the following assignment, this greater love for God only can make us spiritually strong enough to fulfill this business. Further, this greater love question has twofold dimension—love for God and feed [and take care of] to the lambs. While a greater love is solely due to Jesus Christ, better service to the lambs is its reflection (don’t switch the button between God and men!). This “greater love for God and better service to others” is the way of [and to] the resurrected life.

Jesus Christ is truly the package of God’s grace and love since “this greater love for the Father and better service to others” is always his unwavering commitment. Because of this strong commitment, he dares to take even a death-road to the cross. This way, He witnessed himself to be the only strong man who stands until the end for God’s truth and for our salvation, and so, He is the one we can always trust. However, after all this faithfulness and self-sacrifice, there’s the intervention of God in bringing back Jesus to life from the grave. Therefore, He became not only our Savior by His atoning death but also became Lord [and role model] of our daily life. In fact, running after His footstep, we are called to step into the same path of greater love for God and better service to our fellows. Therefore, in His footstep!

Sunday Worship Service Guide

Date - June 22, 2008
Praise/Worship – Berakah Team
Presider – Pastor Jonathan Kim

• Meditation (ODB): 0000000


• Invocation: Ps. Jonathan Kim


• Praise & Worship: Berakah Team


• Special Prayer: Ms. Kim YH


• Message: Ps. Thang
  “The Only Strong Man II” John 21:15-17


• Announcement: Coordinator


• Offering & Prayer: Presider


• Song/Special Presentation: (any)


• Benediction: Preacher

Fellowship will follow afterward!

Bible Reading & Quiz

Please, enjoy listening John 18-21 by playing the audio. The reading is from NIV. To help remember, a simple quiz (John 20-21) is also provided below. Please, try.

Bible Quiz:

Chapter 20

1. How many men and women from the group of the disciples reached the tomb in the resurrection morning? Who are they?


2. There are four important words Jesus said to the gathering of the disciples. Can you state?


3. State the confession of Thomas?

Chapter 21

4. How many were the disciples who were fishing? Who are they?


5. What do you think that what is the major interest of the all three questions of Jesus?


6. What is the difference between the prediction of Jesus and the rumor concerning it that spreaded in the early church?

* You can find the answers (or at least precise Bible references for correct answers) somewhere in the Bulletin this coming Sunday. Wait!

Message (06/15/08)

John 19:23-37
The Only Strong Man: the One We Can Always Trust!
(Click the player to listen)

Introduction: The first secular movie that I had ever watched, I think, is about Bruce Lee as a teenager. Being so much crazy with the movie, I thought that, if I can play Kungfu like Bruce Lee, life must be safe. Then later, I changed my mind and said that life must be safer if I were a billionaire like Rockefeller. However, after I was born again in my late fourteen, I could then clearly see that Jesus Christ is the only strong man that I can always trust! He is ever our strong Man! John 18-21 reflects this truth against the failures of ALL.

All Had Failed and Fallen (18:1-19:22): In the range of this section, four major characters are mentioned on how they had failed, representing each of their own groups [and the accounts on Peter, the representative of the disciples, and Pilate, the representative of the judicial authority of the time, were stressed the most].
FIRST, Judas Iscariot, the long thorn-in-the-side of Jesus, had failed his Lord by handing him to the authorities for thirty pieces of silver and with a kiss (8:1-9).
SECOND, Peter, the spokesman of the band, had failed his Lord by contradicting himself from the greater love of Jesus (8:10-14) and by three times of public denial (8:15-18, 25-27).
THIRD, Ana [and the priests], the custodian of Jewish faith, had failed his own God by handing the Messiah to the hands of the Gentiles (8:19-24, 28-32; 19:15).
FOURTH, Pilate, the representative of the powerful Roman authority of the time, had failed to provide justice by handing his helpless client to the will of aggressive crowd (8:33-19:22).
Yes, even the said spiritual leaders like Peter, religious faithful like Ana, and judicial courts like that of Pilate, we cannot trust all the times! Everyone has a tendency to behave differently in order to avoid our own risk. Who would then be strong to take the risk?

Strong Man in the Midst (19:23-42): When we all had failed, there was a strong man still standing in the midst to fulfill humble obedience to the Father and sacrificial love for his owns until the last hour (cf., 18:4-9). Throughout the whole judicial process, Jesus never changed his words nor contradicted himself, rather witnessed the ever lacking truth before Ana and Pilate (18:23, 37), showed the ever lacking self-sacrificial love and care for his owns (18:8; 19:25-27), and completed the ever lacking submission and obedience to God’s will. Therefore, all things ever written in the scripture was made fulfilled through/in his life (19:31-42). His pain and agony had fulfilled whatever demanded and prophesied in the scripture, to bring the truth of human salvation (cf., 3:16). So, here is the call of John, while being gravely felt sorry for his own failure at the time, to believe in Him and believe in the more (19:35). For He alone is ever strong to be worthy of our trust!

There may be times in our lives that everyone has failed to stand with us. However, Jesus said that he is not alone when everyone failed him. Taking a higher standing-position, he said, he is with the Father (16:32). That Jesus, the strong man on the higher ground, is always standing [with us, for us, on our behalf] to fulfill God’s justice by his own pain and agony so that we all might be saved. By making Him Lord in our daily life, we also can stand with that strong man on the higher ground, on which He is standing with the Father.

Sunday Worship Service Guide

Date - June 15, 2008
Praise/Worship – Berakah Team
Presider – Pastor Jonathan Kim

• Meditation (ODB): 0000000


• Invocation: Ps. Jonathan Kim


• Praise & Worship: Berakah Team


• Special Prayer: Ms. H Lee


• Message: Ps. Thang
  “The Only Strong Man” John 19:23-37


• Announcement: Coordinator


• Offering & Prayer: Presider


• Song/Special Presentation: (any)


• Benediction: Preacher

Fellowship will follow afterward!

Bible Reading & Quiz

Please, enjoy listening John 18-21 (NIV) and try following quiz. The provided quiz will help you remember the general content of each chapters. Now, try the player below!

Quiz:

Chapter 18:

1. Can you locate the same story about the betrayal of Judas Iscariot in other Gospels?


2. What is the name of the servant of the High Priest whose ear Peter struck?


3. There were several questions and some demand that Pilate made to Jesus. What is his last question to Jesus?

Chapter 19:

4. To whom the true authority belongs, do you think (cf., vv.10-11)?


5. What was the entitled sentence of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ?


6. How many times can we find the word “scripture/fulfilled” in this chapter?

Message (06/08/08)

John 16:31-33
A Life Viewed from Above II: Soaring on His Wing!
(No audio-record)

Introduction: According to a psychological experiment, we see things in two different ways. To prove it, a teacher hands glasses, filling water half of each, to all students. When some said, “Only half is full,” seeing the half empty part, another said, “Even upto half is full,” knowing how it’s difficult to get even this much full in such a dry season. Besides, there’s still another perspective that see life from above. By trusting in God and obeying His will/plan, we have that privilege—soaring up high above to the sky and looking at life down from a higher ground. Furthermore, we are even expected to live up that perspective daily.

We Are Expected to Live It (15:1-27): Ch. 15 is introduced with the parable of vine and braches. Important concepts of the parable are such as to bear fruit, to prune, to cleanse. However, to maintain a loving relationship with God is the most evident call (cf., vv. 4, 10, 18), for this is the key to fruitfulness (v. 5). The expected fruit, then, is growing into ‘greater love’ (vv. 12-13). However, to naturally ignite that greater love in life, nothing except to remain our loving relationship with God can help (v. 9). Further, this is the only way to soar over troubles in life [cf., vv. 19, 20] and testify fearlessly about Jesus and His greater love by the power of the Holy Spirit (v. 27; 13:35). So, stay in love with God and live this life!

We Are Inwardly Driven to Live It (16:1-33): Further, Ch. 16 expounds that we are deeply inspired to live this higher life-style by the Holy Spirit, energizing us from within. However, to receive this inner spiritual force, there must be a vacuum in our lives (v. 7). In fact, in physical sense, there would be a time of lonesomeness and of alienation (vv. 2, 20). However, the better inner spiritual presence of the resurrected Christ will occupy that empty space to remain forever by the Holy Spirit (vv. 19, 22). That inner force will drive us all the way to live this higher life, by warming up the greater love of Jesus, refreshing our relationship with God, and assuring us the victory of Jesus Christ even over the gates of hell deep down in our hearts (v. 33; 14:27). So, stay in love with God for spiritual empowerment!

Jesus Reflected It in His Prayer (17:1-26): A life, viewed from higher ground, was more reflected in the prayer of Jesus in Ch. 17. Indeed, the major tone of the prayer sounds more about relationship—i.e., of Jesus to the Father as the exalted Son (v. 4) that modeled for how the disciples should related to God (v. 6) in the midst of difficulties (v. 14) and to each others, and that will end into eternal relationship of all with God (vv. 20-21). Basically, this relationship is first conditioned and then modeled by Jesus’ self-understanding of his higher stand as the exalted Son of God. So, it’s a life flowing down from that higher ground.

Only after we realize our higher role in God’s presence [in union with Christ], we will then be able to start looking at life from a higher ground, and all those in life [tears & sorrows, problems & hardships, fear & doubt, pain & suffering, etc.] will turn into a minor case, a temporary short-time experience of life. Our journey will then be easier. For, this is a journey soaring high above storms and winds with the Holy Spirit, who always reminds us about God’s embracing love, forgiving grace, and living truth that we have found in Jesus Christ!

Sunday Worship Service Guide

Date - June 8, 2008
Praise/Worship – Berakah Team
Presider – Pastor Jonathan Kim

• Meditation (ODB): 0000000


• Invocation: Ps. Jonathan Kim


• Praise & Worship: Berakah Team


• Special Prayer: Mr. Jeon JB


• Message: Ps. Thang
  “View from Above II” John 16:31-33


• Announcement: Coordinator


• Offering & Prayer: Presider


• Hymn/Special Song: (any)


• Benediction: Preacher

Fellowship will follow afterward!

Bible Reading & Quiz

Please, enjoy listening John 15-18 (NIV) and try following quiz. The provided quiz will help you remember the general content of each chapters. Try the player below!

Bible Quiz:

Chapter 15

1. What parable of Jesus did John record in this chapter?


2. For what purposes did Jesus say that we were chosen?


3. What is all about that the Holy Spirit and the disciples are going to testify?

Chapter 16

4. Why are the disciples filled with grief?


5. Why did Jesus say that it is good for the disciples that he is going away?


6. In this chapter, Jesus mentioned a certain day. How much would that day be so meaningful to the disciples that Jesus exlained?

Chapter 17

7. Can you group all major concerns of Jesus’ prayer into two/three or more categories?


8. What is the exalted status of Jesus Christ in God’s presence, as reflected in the prayer?


9. Find two key words [your own word] that might best describe the ‘pledge’ of Jesus Christ (vv. 12, 15) and his ‘anticipation’ (vv. 20-21) concerning all disciples

* You can find the answers (or at least precise Bible references for correct answers) somewhere in the Bulletin this coming Sunday. Wait!

Message (06/01/08)

John 14:1-2
View from Above!
(to listen, please, try the player)

Introduction: There’re at least three different views of life—a view that looks up to life [and its problems] from the bottom-line, a view that looks straight to life face-to-face, and a view that looks life down from above (a bird-eye view). There’re different outcomes and reactions that each is worth to receive. For instance, for a young boy, who looks up everything from the bottom, life is just to cry and give up. And for a teenager, who sees everyone in class as his compatriots, life is a competition to strive for and a battle to fight with. However, for a grown-up, who has to look after all the down-to-earth needs of family, life is to love, forgive, and even to be patient with for all wrong doings of dear children. Basing on John’s Gospel (Ch. 13-17), we can learn about spiritual bird-eye view through the life-story of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Expressed It by His Example (13:1-38): Has someone ever thought that why our Christian life seems so difficult to live sometime, i.e., to forgive, love, be humble and patient with, and to grace and bless others? If we look at how Jesus lived his life, we get all answer right there. Especially, in Ch. 13, John clearly mentioned how Jesus showed a life of humility (vv. 1-20), patience/forgiveness (vv. 21-30, 36-38), and love (vv. 31-35) before his rivaling disciples. All this was because, as John clearly noted, of that Jesus viewed life from a higher ground—a heavenly outlook (vv. 3-5). As he noticed himself exalted high above all to be their Lord/Master (v. 13) and even their single parent (v. 33), so is not difficult for him to sit down and wash all those dirty feet of his dear children/pupils. A view from higher ground!

We Are Called to Live It (14:1-31): Being born of God’s love and grace [truth from above], we are supernaturally tuned in to live this life by the help of the Holy Spirit. Accordingly, by quoting the words of Jesus Christ, John is giving us four major reasons of this life to live in Ch. 14. Firstly, we are no longer of this world below but citizen of heaven above to view life from a higher ground (vv. 1-7). Secondly, we are in higher position than the world that fight for fame and glory, to ask [even demand] directly to God and instantly receive it in Jesus’ name (vv. 8-14). Thirdly, we have the abiding presence of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit, warm and fresh deep down in our hearts, that teaches us from inside (vv. 15-26). Fourthly, we have the peace of Jesus that is not the kind that the world can give (vv. 27-31). It’s even a heavenly peace! Therefore, we have perfect potential nature to view life from a higher ground and live it in the midst of turmoil and chaos, difficulty and hardship of present life.

The advantage of eagle in the middle of the storm is his enormous strength to soar over it. Therefore, those disastrous storms and winds are the best opportunity for him to soar high above to the sky and have a perfect view from above to search for helpless preys running on the ground. Looking at life from “high above” will give us another chance to understand life from a different perspective and open up again new opportunities in life though encircled around by difficulties and hardships if to view side-by-side or to view up from below. As believers in Jesus Christ, we have that privilege—to view life down from above!