Thursday, February 28, 2019

God and God Alone..

God and God alone! 

What does that mean?

After Jesus talked with a man who was very rich but interested in inheriting eternal life, people made a quick conclusion that it is impossible for them to get eternal life. So they asked Jesus, “Then who in the world can be saved?” Jesus answered, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God!” (Mark 10:27)

Another words, it is through God and God alone! 

Those singers are powerfully witnessing this divine reality of saving the souls, renewing the lives and transforming the world!


God and God Alone written by Phil McHugh

Are we letting God do His job so that God's will be done on earth? Or are we taking God's job so that my will be done on earth?

Another words, did the Word become flesh or the flesh become the Word?

Our answer will take us into a totally different place at the end.

So how can we let God do His job?

Let the Word examine us first..

and repent, look up and go with the hearts of Jesus Christ!

Jesus and Jesus alone!


Tuesday, February 26, 2019

My Good Lord and a Beautiful People!

"My Good Shepherd" painted by Darrell Cotterrill

One day, when I was enjoying my sabbath time listening to my favorite kinds of music at home through web searching, my wife came hurriedly but talked to me softly, "They are so beautiful!". Then she stayed there for a while and watched them like a mother watches their children listening to their song. For that moment, she seemed like falling in love with that song and also with that group. I noticed it right away. 

She was somewhat deeply touched by the whole scene not just for their singing itself but also their continence because she does not quite often comment on someone's singing. If she makes any comments when I am listening to music, it is usually "Would you turn it down little bit? Please...."

Actually, she came from the other side of the house as she heard the song, "You're Good Lord!" by four of those from the morning prayer group who were studying at Mannes School of Music in Manhattan. They know the Lord and that song should be their own story too. 

Anyway, she looked very happy as she watched them; however, those four who sang inside of the screen also looked very happy too! "Why?", I wondered. Maybe because those singers are falling in love with Someone. Who is that? As they sang, it is pretty obvious. And it  is our good Lord! And maybe because my wife instantly noticed it as she heard their song from a distance, also she fell in love with their stories, I mean their song, I pondered.

So how could I look like right next to her who looked very very happy? I must be looking like very very happy too because I fell in love with what I was watching and listening at the moment as a whole in awe - those singers, their song as well as my wife. I learned that happy people look good and beautiful and a happy song sounds good and beautiful too!

It is truly truly true that if someone fell in love with someone, that person is the happiest person in the world. Another words, if we have someone whom we can love, we are the happiest people in the world or if we have even something we love to do, we must be a happy people. Another words, we are a beautiful people!

The word of God clearly reminds us in the beginning after He created us, 

"It is so good!" (Genesis 1:31)

God fell in love with what He created and called them good. Really? No! But God even went further calling them very good! How can we not call our Lord God, GOOD, who provides all those around us abundantly, even with the love that we cannot imagine in our head? 

Are you a happy person? So are you a beautiful person? 

Why?


Vocal Quartet by M2PS Praise Ensemble 


You're Good Lord
written by KY Kim

The very good Lord, my precious Master;
because You are always with me, I have no fear.
When my soul is tired and my heart is troubled,
“Come and rest in me”, You speak to me.  

In the life through wilderness, trusting only in You,
You make me strong in Your guiding,
let me stay in Your love, O Lord,
then, I will trust only in You now and forever!

From the place where we gather in Jesus’ name, 
as we depart, You are always with us,
following your words in our life on earth,
let us live with Your victory now and forever.

In the life through wilderness, trusting only in You,
You make me strong in Your guiding,
let me stay in Your love, O Lord,
then, I will trust only in You now and forever!

Friday, February 15, 2019

A Family of God

A Family by Uok Jin Jang (1917-1990)


A few days ago, one of my friends in Korea sent me an email message. In it, I found a little picture of an oil painting called  A Family by UJ Jang. This art work intrigued me because of its simplicity. So I was able to spend little time to read about him. And I learned that UJ was a Korean modern artist, a 20th century minimalist. No wonder why it looks so simple..

However, this simple painting tells me a lot about family or maybe about the most critical core value of it - the people who are in the same boat traveling together through the sunny days or stormy days. Even though their eyes were temporarily fixed toward different directions from that little boat around them, they will arrive at their final destination all together. That is the family!

I saw a cow standing on the one side of the boat. And also I saw a man carrying a small backpack right next to it; a girl carrying a little hen in her arms right next to him; a lady carrying a big luggage on her head right next to her; and a little boy carrying his bicycle with him right next to her. And of course, there was a boatman who was taking them to their destination safely. I like what he holds. The key!

Some things are just passing through their life as their temporary interests around them; however, some things are what God has given each of them for their own life on earth. Christians call it gifts or talents or charisma. 

Where are they looking at? What do they carry? And where are they going?

"how God proves to people that they are like animals. 
For people and animals share the same fate. 
Both breathe and both must die." (Ecclesiastes 3)

Some years ago, a King Solomon shared his wisdom with us through his writing, the wisdom that God wants us to have. It sounds very simple but quite strange because it says we need to realize that we are not much different from animals whatever we do or whoever we are! Why? Because we will all die someday like those animals. In that sense, we are all one family in front of this human reality and we are all in the same boat.

Now I am pondering “where I am looking at” and “where I am going”. My answer is not very hard. "Like animals....".

However, as I begin to fix my eyes on the cross where the way, the truth and the life was, I realize that our destination is the Kingdom of God eternal and Jesus is standing right next us steering the boat. 

Amazing Grace! But without it, I might not be able to find the cross. 
Amazing Grace! But without it, I might not be able to fix my eyes on it. 
Amazing Grace! But without it, I might not be able to go beyond the human reality. 
Amazing Grace! But without it, we might not be able to be called as a family of God!

Can we just want to give thanks to God with joy forever? Can we just want to kneel down before God bowing our heads surrendering all? Can we just want to raise our voices and sing praises to God lifting our arms opening high?

Snow was coming and softly covering the outside through the night again. And I begin my new day singing “Whiter than snow....”

A Family sung by LA Men's Mission Choir with their wives one year




Friday, February 1, 2019

One Simple Rule... seek only God and His presence then go as the Holy Spirit moves!!

"Through his honor and glory he has given us this precious and wonderful promises, 
that you may share the divine nature and escape from the world’s immorality 
that sinful craving produces." (2 Peter 1:4, ESV)


Greetings to you all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Early this morning, I began to hear very loud bursting praise, “Thank you God!”, from my kids’ rooms countlessly. Sounded like it was coming from the bottom of their hearts. What happened? Because there is no school today due to the snow - two days in a row. Their “Thank you God!” is a true form of worship in that sense. I asked them, “How hard did you pray?” 

By the way, we give thanks to God always because of the new life eternal that we have received from Christ Jesus through his suffering, death and resurrection. So now, how’s your worshipful journey for Jesus, filled with joy and thanksgiving going so far and are you getting out of a manger? And are you continually sharing his divine nature escaping from the world’s immorality through your journey as Peter mentioned in his letter?     

As most of you are aware of it already, February 2019 is an important month for the United Methodist Church because there will be a special session of General Conference in St. Louis, MO (2/23 -2/26). The Commission on A Way Forward, appointed by the council of Bishops in 2016, will bring their reports as they examined some paragraphs in the Book of Discipline concerning human sexuality. Also they will explore some options for strengthening the unity of the United Methodist Church. 

It makes me ponder what this special session will bring to this Body of Christ as well as to each members of the Body as the United Methodist Church. Our growing concern is “what if we miss the voice of God because of our preset hardened mind without willing to be changed by the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit?”. 

Sadly, some groups of people in the Untied Methodist Church have prepared the exit plan depending on the result of the session of the General Conference showing their frustration. It is true that many people in our UM connection feel that we already have had enough of it for last fifty years and we don't have to go through this together. However, we know Israel had waited for the Messiah several hundred years before Christ. There is always God’s time as we waited for it patiently.

Throughout the church history, we did not always choose what God wants us to choose when we were far from God’s will but much closer to our human will because of our sinfulness. However, we know our God who is patient and works all things together for good for the ones who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). 

I truly believe whatever happens during the special session of GC at St. Louis in February, the mission of God and His people will never be changed as long as we hold His Words in us wherever we are.

"Go in through the narrow gate. The gate that leads to destruction is broad and 
the road wide, so many people enter through it. But the gate that leads to life is 
narrow and the road difficult, so few people find it. (Matthew 7:13-14, ESV) 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, now we are in front of two gates, one that leads to life which is narrow and the other that leads to destruction which is broad. What is going to be our choice for this month? Of course, we want to choose the narrow gate to life. But what does this narrow gate in February look like for us? For me, prayer fervently seeking God’s will and His presence only as we go through this snow storms together.  



By the way, during this February month, we will gather at the Common Ground at Markesan UMC and pray together every Thursday evening from 7:00 p.m. for an hour, especially for the renewal of the United Methodist Church and the Special Session of the General Conference -  for the 1st and 3rd Thursdays, other UM churches around us will be with us. Join me!

Grace and Peace,
Pastor Kyochul