Is this a same story from the garden of Eden? History repeats itself?
Which cross can we take? One saved the humanity but the other destroyed the humanity.
"For this is how God loved the world; He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16, NLT).
Where is it coming from? Can we blame our memory?
A half truth is a lie and we know it is not our memory problem. But what is it?
“Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm” (Ephesians 6:13, NLT).
Greetings to you all in the name of
our Lord, Jesus Christ,
One day, as I looked out the window
at the maple tree, I realized that it is already the fall season because the
colors began to change. However, where was summer? I felt like I lost the whole
year because of COVID 19. Because there were tons of things that we were not
able to do, it seemed like creating a huge void in the year 2020 in my life.
But it does not mean that nothing happened. We just were not able to do things
in the way we loved to as much as before.
Now, is it over yet, I mean the
pandemic? Not really! But it continues. On the top of it, there were more. My
friend Pastor Kerry described this current reality like this: racism has raised
its ugly head; the UMC is irreparably broken; and our nation is greatly
divided! God is certainly calling His church to prayer. So true!
We know there are tons of reasons
why we need to pray apart from those reasons because we always need God in the
midst of our life struggles because He is the ultimate answer for us. So how do
you deal with this reality at this time? Through prayers! We truly believe it
so because God will fully load us with his power as we pray. And it will fight
for us. However, the victory was already ours!
Several weeks ago, I heard a story of someone who had a deep depression but she has been able to overcome it as she has accepted the power of Jesus Christ in her life. However, when the COVID 19 came with some social restrictions, her depression came back. Negative images about herself began to surround her minds and weighed down on her whole being. She became full of unworthiness, despair, and loneliness. But one day, she had a dream of being in a basement full of ugly monkeys annoying her. But suddenly one scripture from the gospel of John came to her mind so she continually spoke it out loud in her dream. In the end, those monkeys gradually disappeared.
“You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44, NRSV).
From her dream, God showed her that
all those negative, fearful, heavy, depressed, and empty thoughts and feelings
were all lies from the power of darkness that tried to keep her in the reality
of sin and death. As she woke up, she began to reject all the lies that she had
heard from inside of her mind against her true self that God had created anew.
In other words, she was able to overcome it and became much stronger in God’s
presence.
Brothers and sisters in Christ,
where are you now as we begin our new month? Are you fully loaded and equipped
by the power of God dealing with those unseen enemies around us through
prayers? In the month of October, we will be equipped with the word of God
standing in front of two choices, the truth and the lies. And we will see how
God brought us victory!
Join us again!
Pastor
Kyochul
P.S. By the way, does anyone know what the four words of
Jesus used when he rejected devil in the wilderness?
“Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not
know about things to come.” (Jeremiah 33:3, NLT)
Morehouse College, “We Shall Overcome!”
Greetings to you all
in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ,
It has been quite the summer with news of hurricanes,
floods, and fires in many different places in our world, even in the world of
our politics, economy as well as in human relationships, fighting with unseen
enemies like COVID 19 outbreak or all isms. However, we know that human reality
is unavoidable and it is nothing new to us because of our sins from the
beginning in the Christian understanding. I am just wondering where I am and
what I am doing dealing with this reality now.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, how are you dealing with
the same reality in the same world?
First of all, we are the church, the body of Christ, that holds the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. However, what can we do as a church together who holds it?
“Whatever you bind on earth will be
bound in heaven, and whatever
you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19b, NRSV)
We remember that Jesus promised Peter, calling him the Rock
on which he builds his church. So now what? One thing comes to my mind. “Pray!”
So, do we pray? If so, how do we pray?
More than two thousand years ago, the people of Israel sang
a song in Babylonian exile.
“O Babylon, you will be destroyed.
Happy is the one who pays you back
for what you have done to us. Happy is the one who takes your babies
and smashes them against the rocks.” (Psalm 137:8-9, NLT)
After they lost their country and their families, they were
captured by their enemy and brought to those enemy’s land. They were not able
to worship in Jerusalem anymore but had to please those Babylonians who crushed
their temple and families as the war slaves. So what could they do? They prayed
for revenge.
I am just wondering if our righteous God listened to their
prayers and crushed them like that prayer at the moment. Would those Hebrew
slaves really be happy? And would it be the will of God done on earth as in
heaven for justice? Maybe temporarily; however, not eternally. Why? Because
they still have to deal with the reality of sin and death after their will be
done on earth. So, do we still want that? No! So what is the eternal solution
for those sinful mortals including us?
“Do not be overcome by evil, but
overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21, NRSV)
We know we are the ones who can be crushed like that by the
just and righteous God because of our reality of sin and death. It is also
because God listens to our prayers watching all the unjust and unrighteous
things that happen among us and by us against each other. He knows them all.
How can we be free from the wrath of our all-knowing God toward our unavoidable
sin?
Only through Christ and his grace!
Bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit is the sign of being
freed from the reality of sin and death by the grace of Jesus Christ!
Join us again!
Pastor Kyochul
"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." (Jeremiah 33:3)
“People
Need the Lord” Steve Green
Hi
Family!!!
It has
been five months already since we have fought with COVID 19 and summer is now moving
toward its end and the school will begin in a couple of weeks; however, the
COVID 19 has not been under control yet. Our concerns might be growing in us and
we are getting tired of what we have kept for protecting each other. Then, I
look back to those stories in the bible telling us how the Israelite had endured
in the Land of Egypt as slaves for hundreds of years and also in Babylonian
exile for over 60 years. Waiting is not easy; however, we know the day will come,
the day when we are able to worship freely in gathering!
So, we
will continually worship in spirit and truth wherever we are and take steps to
God looking for the hidden treasures from heaven during those challenging times.
We will build a much stronger faith foundation in Christ during those days.
Through this faith, God will bring healing in our home, our community, our
church, our nation and the whole world. So here they are…
1. Take a little moment of meditation on Romans 11:29, “Calling of God” each day this week.
4. Pray with Matthew 15:27 each day
this week.
5. Ask God to open my eyes to see His Kingdom from today.
6. Pray for Paul family this week.
7. Pray for the healing of our nation each day this week.
Now we
have this week’s prayer list. Let us continue to call upon the name of the Lord
as we take next steps together as one body!
Be
clean and keep your safe distance from EVERY unseen enemy around us!!
Grace
and Peace,
pk
"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and
unsearchable things you do not know." (Jeremiah 33:3)
Hi
Family!!!
It is such a nice and cool summer day today! Hope you find some time to go out and enjoy this gift of summer season! Even though we are dealing with COVID 19, there are still lots to count as blessings. Also we know this battle with COVID 19 will end someday.
Anyway, have we found any treasure from heaven or bear some fruit of the spirit this week? So far, those fruits are “a Love that breaks the wall; a Joy of the Lord, our strength; a Hope filled patience; a Peace like a river; and a miracle making Kindness! However, those are not all in this season of growing and we will continue to journey with Christ Jesus taking steps each day for bearing more fruits. So here they are! I will…
1. Take a little moment of meditation on Matthew 14:18, “Bring them here to me” each day this week.
2. Memorize Ephesians 4:32 today.
3. Sing with Psalm 17:1-7 each day this week.
4. Pray for the tender heart from today.
5. Show kindness to two people each day this week.
6. Witness the miracle
making kindness of Jesus from today.
7. Pray for our
Trustees this week.
Now we have this week’s prayer list. Let us continue to call upon the name of the Lord as we take next steps together as one body!
Especially, we want to keep Lebanon in our prayer this week.
Also we feel bad for all those who are not able to join our in-person Sunday worship due to their difficulties wearing masks but we encourage you to worship online continually if you are not able to come.
Be clean and keep your safe distance from EVERY unseen enemy around us!!
Grace
and Peace,
pk
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (Proverbs 3:5-6, NLT)
Greetings to you all in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ,
As the weather gets hotter, the conversations among people are also getting hotter in such a time as this. However, it is kind of surprising for me to see that one of the hottest subjects among us is about a simple practice of wearing masks dealing with COVID 19 whether it is medical issue, political issue, emotional issue or psychological issue.
Then, it has been developed into the issue of human rights, the freedom of choice. Interestingly, its starting point was to find how to keep each other safe from this unseen enemy, COVID 19, until we find the better solution. It was recommended by the medical experts who can guide common people like us with their knowledge and wisdom from their experiences.
However, not everyone accepts these experts recommendation because of the mistrust in the flood of information. Even now we read some people’s response: “I’d rather die with COVID 19 instead of wearing mask giving up my freedom. Nothing will change me!” Actually, the direction of the conversation changes from the battle with COVID 19 to the battle with human rights. Then we are jumping into the realm of politics of the world. So where do we go as followers of Jesus Christ at such a time as this? As politicians for the Kingdom of God, we can say, “We need politics of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom!”
One day, when I started my car and saw the direction for the compass, NE, I wondered, what if this direction is wrong; what if the sign of NE is not really NE but SE because the compass in my car is malfunctioning. However, we know it won’t happen because the compass always points North and South. Why? Because it is what it is! So we call it a compass like water is water, trees are trees and God is God, Jesus Christ is Jesus Christ, and Christians are Christians.
As we feel lost together, do we have a compass we can rely on? And what kind of compass do we have? Many people long before us prayed fervently in such a time as this...
“Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me
to your holy mountain, to the place where you live” (Psalm 43:3, NLT)
So now, brothers and sisters in Christ, what does God send us now as our light and our truth at a time like this?
“Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith (Hebrews 12:2, NIV).”
We will truly do this through fixing our eyes on Jesus! However, how can we do that? In the month of August, we will continue to practice it with the stories of fruit bearing life. Come and join us... and find what to do growing with the Holy Spirit!
Seeking His Kingdom first,
Pastor Kyochul
