When he has tested me, I will come forth as gold!

 

“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? 

How long will you hide your face from me?” (Psalm 13:1, NIV).

 

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

 

Time really flies. It feels like yesterday when I prepared the New Year’s Eve Covenant Service for the families last year. And now it is already February! However, has anything changed in your life so far? 

 

Not really! As we look around the world, we are still dealing with COVID 19. However, that is not all. The political and ideological divisions over the ever changing half-truths in our nation threw us into the pit of sharp pain in the darkness of uncertainty and fear. I mean, our burdens by the unseen enemies are getting heavier and we are mourning deeply everyday being isolated from each other.

 

In the midst of all those spiritual calamities, does anyone see hope?

 

I looked into the story of the Bible, the book of Hope, and found the most unfortunate person. His name is Job, a man of integrity. However, he suddenly lost everything-his family, his wealth, and his health without any reasons. When he grieved over his misfortune, his best friends, three of them, came over and challenged him with their bitter spiritual judgments. It was like hitting the open wounds before healing. He cried out to them, 

 

“But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, 

I will come forth as gold” (Job 23:10, NIV). 

 

“I will come forth as gold!” Did it really happen to him? Sure enough, it happened! He came out as pure as gold later on! Everything was restored-his family, wealth, and health, even his relationship with his friends. However, he had to go through the door of much pain to see his human reality before it happened.

 

“My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you!” (Job 42:5, NIV).

 

Why was it so painful? Because he had to admit the fact that he had held the half-truths firmly before he began his real relationship with God in person as he was able to see him clearly. Then what did he do? He repented, of course! 

 

“Therefore, I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:5, NIV).

 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, where are you now as we enter into the month of February? Are you surrendering yourself to God and repenting in dust and ashes because you saw your reality of sin and death as you go through this pandemic?; or are you able to see God with your own eyes and begin your personal relationship with the Lord as you go through this pandemic?; or are you still holding onto the half-truths at such a time as this? 

 

If we surrender ourselves and repent in dust and ashes, the time is not far from us, the time when we come out as pure as gold like Job! Do we see that hope? 

 

Join me in this amazing divine comedy with the hope that God has showed us!

 

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Kyochul

 

Don't Cover Up the Truth!

“Don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying” (James 3:14b, NLT) 

 

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

 

How’s your first step into the New Year 2021 going? 

 

As we take this step, we are still celebrating the season of Christmas! And we will begin another season, Epiphany, in a few days with Wiseman who came from afar to give homage to the baby Jesus, a new born king of Israel, following the star. 

 

Those two seasons, Christmas and Epiphany, have one thing in common: The gift of God is for everyone but it was revealed by the few who were chosen or who were looking for something special, even from afar, when most of the people that were near did not care about it. The Bible calls them “the wise”. So now, as you enter into the New Year 2021, are you looking for something good, better, or special?

 

Like the time when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a little over two thousand years ago, we went through quite some gloomy days dealing with COVID 19, the election and post-election turmoil, kidnapped by the law of the world, the power of social media, and abusive mass media. “Yes” became “no” and “no” became “yes”; “truth” became “lies” and “lies” became “truth”; “good” became “evil” and “evil” became “good”. In other words, we are not able to see the fact as it is now-the era of confusion and mistrust!

 

So, I might say we are looking for the truth or the era where we can see truth as truth and lies as lies. If the world becomes like that, the good ones, like the Wiseman, will love it; however, the evil ones, like the king Herod, will fear of it. 

 

“The star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them 

and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were 

filled with joy!” (Matthew 2:9-10, NLT).

 

We Tree Kings of Orient Are, Kings College Choir

Are we the wise ones or the unwise ones? I am pretty sure that if we follow the star and if we are filled with joy when we find the truth, we are the wise and good ones!

 

However, James urges us today, “prove it!” But how? “By living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom!” Then he continues, “The wisdom from above is first of all pure. it is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness” (James 3:17-18, NLT). But with warning, “Don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying” (3:14b, NLT). Sounds like that is how we follow the star in the time of confusion and mistrust!

 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, if we consider ourselves wise because we follow this star, is that a huge dream for us to dream for this year? Is that a problem with having a God sized dream? No! Not at all! So, for this New Year, we will continue to follow the star like the Wiseman from afar each day until we see the truth.

 

Join us! 

Pastor Kyochul

 

Do We Have Room for a Baby Jesus?

“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” The Piano Guys

“And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and 

laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7, KJV) 

 

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

 

It has been almost ten months since we have been dealing with the unseen enemy named COVID 19. Since March, we were forced to learn to adjust our life style to fight with this enemy. So when we meet other people in public, we keep social distance; we wear masks; and we wash our hands to protect our loved ones from this enemy. However, this fight is not over yet.

 

Now as time goes, we realize that there are more unseen enemies. But what are they? They are the flood of information, busy-ness, and our pride which can lead us into the realm of mistrust, isolation, fear, hatred, anger, doubt, hopelessness, and a deep spiritual amnesia unless we hold the Truth.

 

Those unseen enemies want us to be their victim. However, God wants us to be a victor of this battle, so called a spiritual warfare.

 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, how do we deal with the flood of information and other unseen enemies as we take a first step in the new Christian year through Advent? We might ignore everything that comes to us with indifference; we might pick and choose what we like; we might be in confusion; we might be judgmental; or we might be asking God to guide us in His Way, His Truth, and His Life in humility.  

 

Two thousand years ago, Mary and Joseph had to walk 90 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem to take a census. Mary was pregnant though. However, they were not able to find a room there when they arrived because the city was too full and too busy. The only place they found was a stable. 

 

If we were them, we might be really angry at those people who did not treat us generously and rejected us since we were in great need. However, it was not their choice because they held something bigger than that. It was God’s promise of the Christmas miracle! In the midst of all troubles, they were able to see something amazing. It was the birth of baby Jesus who will change the whole world. 

 

Even though the world was not able to find room for the promise of God, Mary and Joseph found room for Him in the midst of life crises. They were able to enjoy the blessings of God’s promise through the Son, Jesus Christ. They even heard angels singing for them.

 

“Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased!”

(Luke 2:14, NLT)

 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, can we find room for Jesus in this season even in the midst of our life challenges dealing with unseen enemies? Then, we will truly experience God’s blessings in this season. Join me!

 

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Kyochul

Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus...

 

Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus, by the Chrystal Cathedral Choir

“Rejoice always pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; 

For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NRSV)

 

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

    

It is already November and we have only two pages left in this year’s calendar. “Wow! Time flies! But where did it go? Can we find it?” Actually, no one will find the lost time because we ate them all, I mean, we consumed all of it. Every second, we eat time and leave nothing! Even now, we are eating it without ceasing if we think we are breathing. In other words, we are getting older. However, it means we are growing! Is that true for us?

 

Since last Advent, we walked with Jesus. And now, we are waiting for the last day of our liturgical calendar year to celebrate Christ’s coming back and reigning over us as a king. It made me ponder about my own spiritual growing with Jesus, “Am I growing well with him?” How can we measure our spiritual growing? It is through our life attitude!

 

Two thousand years ago, Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the the church in Thessaloniki to encourage those struggling believers to grow continually whatever the situation brought them through “just doing the will of God!” Obviously, in that letter, the will of God is rejoicing and giving thanks to God always! It is a Christian’s life attitude!

 

Have we done the will of God fighting with COVID 19 this year keeping our life attitude? And are we filled with joy and thanksgiving as we prepare to celebrate Christ the King in a few weeks? If so, we are eating our time well; however, if we are not satisfied with our level of joy and thanksgiving in our life now, our Christian attitude, we still have time to prepare for Christ’s coming back to us. But how can we prepare?   

 

“When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, when you are discouraged,

thinking all is lost, count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will

surprised you  what the Lord hath done. Count your blessings, name them one by one; 

count your blessings, see what God hath done..”

 

This is one of my favorite hymns that changes my life attitude instantly when I sing! Edwin Excell wrote the melody line, and a Methodist Lay Preacher, Johnson Oatman Jr. wrote the poem. They put those together making wonderful song for us. So, from time to time I intentionally move my mouth and sing this song because the melody and its words energize me so much and change my whole attitude about the world and life right away. This song reminds me, “Christian gratitude is our life attitude and it is the will of God!”

 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, in November, a month of thanksgiving, we will take a few more steps to the kingdom of God eternal together, especially, for the Christian attitude of spiritual growing. We are not far from it! 

 

Join me,

 

Grace and Peace, 

Pastor Kyochul