열린새하늘교회

“What is the Kingdom of God in Our Lives?”

anonymous — Sat, 19 May 2012 15:44:12 -0500

Mark 2:1-12 “What is the Kingdom of God in Our Lives?” May 20, 2012

Repent for the kingdom of God is near. In other words, when we repent, the kingdom of God comes closer to us. What it means for an entity called the kingdom of God to come near us is the same as saying the kingdom of God is approaching us in our lives. I wonder what the kingdom of God in our lives really means to each person here? Church, a community where the saints of God gather together, should be a place where it can show stepping stones of hope and desire to the people in this world. God’s church is a place where we can show the resurrected Christ through holy fellowship and hope for the coming kingdom of God. In this church of God, we are living our lives through the community of faith. The way to differentiate the lives of believers from non-believers is to see what the entity of kingdom of God really means to us in our lives? Without bothering to go through the theological definition, I hope to share with you what the kingdom of God means to us in our lives.

In the scripture reading, the author of the Gospel book, Mark, shows us how the kingdom of God is coming to the place where Jesus is present. Scripture specifically shows how the kingdom of God with Jesus is the implementation of forgiveness and new life, rather than condemnation of sin.

First, let me give you a brief summary of the scripture verses. After preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God in Galilee, Jesus came back to Capernaum to rest at home. It is presumed to be Peter’s house. Then rumors of Jesus spread where many uninvited people gathered and it became hard to approach him. According to Jewish custom, even if you are uninvited, when an important person resides there, anyone can come over to listen to him. The situation in the bible seems to have been such situation.

At this time, four people carrying a paralytic lying on the bed, wanted to bring him to Jesus but couldn’t because of the crowd. So they climbed up to the roof and made a hole in it and lowered the paralytic and placed him in front of Jesus. At that time, the roof of the Palestinian houses was flat, so that you can easily access the roof from the outside stairs that led up to the roof. Instead of rebuking them for interrupting his teaching, Jesus surprisingly said to the paralytic,”Son, your sins are forgiven.” Among the crowd, especially the teachers of the Law, who saw this sudden behavior and unexpected response from Jesus, considered it a serious sin that deserved stoning to death what Jesus said about God’s power and contempt of authority.

Jesus knowing their evil thoughts, faced them directly with sharp opposing question. This is the question that Jesus asked them, “Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’?

The teachers of the Law expected physical healing of the paralytic, but instead Jesus proclaimed forgiveness of his sins. Because healing is something they can see with their own eyes and prove directly, they probably thought that it would be easier to proclaim forgiveness of sins rather than to cure the disease.

However, in the kingdom of God, the darkness of his life is more important than the actual paralysis, and that Jesus has the authority to liberate human beings from such a dark life. In the scripture, Jesus indicated this meaning by saying, “But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!

The scripture verse we should pay most attention to is Jesus saying,”Son, your sins are forgiven.” As I read this scripture in the past, I thought it to mean something like this. Which of the ten commandment did this paralytic go against for him to be struck with such a terrible disease. The basis for this thinking was because ever since my childhood days, I used to think that all the pain that humans endured came as a result of God’s punishment. During my childhood, I understood God to be carrying a big sack filled with catastrophies, and whoever disobeyed him, God will punish various disasters upon them. In fact, I’ve seen many believers in church who suffer pains of failure, disease, and disasters as coming from God and seen them complain to God to take it away.

But in actuality, this idea is far from biblical thinking. When Jesus proclaimed forgiveness of sins to the paralytic, it did not mean that Jesus was going to relieve him from God’s punishment because he went against the Law. Jesus saw the wrong kind of life the paralytic was living until then. He was pointing out that it is not irrelevant that the man was living a wrongful life and he had the paralysis. For this paralytic, behind the external exposure of the paralysis was a distorted life and distorted reality, i.e. he was living a wrongful life that was ignoring the order of God’s life. In that sense, the paralysis can be a symbol of wrongful life. Such secrets are not disclosed by the Law. Taking it one step further, it is not even revealed medically. Medically it can reveal the nature of the disease, its growth, its etiology, etc.

However, what was revealed to Jesus behind the disease of paralysis was a wrongful life. Jesus liberated him from such things. The forgiveness of sins gave freedom from the past life and also included a new life that comes from God. The Gospel books consistently emphasize this: repent for the kingdom of God is near; with this proclamation it also tells us that a new life is coming with this as well. In the kingdom of God, it not only reveals the causes of the paralysis, but the wrong life that is associated with it, not being responsible for problems, things in life that were formed without God, living life in violation of the order of life, neglecting the thing that God’s leading has revealed; it questions the human suffering that results from these.

In the past, while I was staying at a prayer retreat center, I encountered a young man who had rotten toes from a bacterial infection that was traveling upwards; eventually, he needed surgery to amputate his ankle. The cause of this man’s toes rotting was from smoking too many cigarettes. Some days he would smoke several packs of cigarettes a day. For this young man’s case, God was not punishing him because he smoked too many cigarettes. I have had few conversations with this young man and discovered that he had a lot of dark stories intertwined with many inner problems that gave him no choice but to smoke so many cigarettes. He started smoking so he can escape from these problems. For this man, instead of tobacco health warnings and threatening advice, he needed the healing and new life from God’s love and forgiveness.

In this young man’s case, the disease of his foot rotting was very closely related to his sin. But for him, sin and disease is not a relationship of retribution. He needed God’s forgiveness for his sins and the wrong life he was living; and the disease was a result of that life. For him, the disease pointed him to move forward to the cross of Jesus Christ.

Among the problems in our life, there are more problems that need God’s forgiveness rather than medical treatments, money, medicine, or power. In other words, there are a lot of problems that need to be resolved with God’s forgiveness. This is not necessarily limited to an individual’s disease. Among many painful problems we face in our society such as injustice of man, lies, vanity, negligence, complacency, selfishness, greed, etc. and because they are intertwined, we face so many problems in our society. These things cannot be accepted in the coming kingdom of God. The cross of Jesus Christ is also related to these problems. Many of these problems make people experience frustration, tragedy, suffering, and lose meaning in their life.

In 1912, there was a world’s largest marine accident that killed 513 passengers and crew. It was the England’s largest luxury cruise ship called Titanic. Before the ship hit the iceberg, it received five telegram warnings from land. When the last sixth message came through the wire, “Beware of the iceberg!” the radio receiver said in nuisance, “Be quiet! I am busy.” And exactly 35 minutes later, the ship that the captain boasted “even God cannot sink this ship” sank in the water, after it collided with the iceberg.

To the paralytic, Jesus made a proclamation of forgiveness, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” At that moment, God’s healing came to him. He took his first step into the new life that God has given to him. This is the scene that is shown in today’s reading where he gets up, pick up his mat, and walks away. People who witnessed this account saw the glory and the power of God, and they gave praise to God.

On the road of life, even though it is not our will, we are often hit with disease, misfortune, pain, and failure. Whenever we encounter these events, there are times when we blame the circumstances, or we blame others for the responsibility in hostility or resentment. And when these problems become too painful to endure, we try to escape through religious rituals, prayer, or by giving offering. Such efforts not only do nothing to relieve our problems, but it does not help our spiritual growth. In the midst of these negative life issues, it is connected to the problems we should take responsibilities for, our pride that did not follow God’s leading, our greed, and our vanity. It is not because of these things that God has punished us, but rather, the wrongful life and its suffering and unhappiness are closely related.

I knew a person that was suddenly stricken with illness and had to be hospitalized. After a comprehensive examination at the hospital, he was admitted for 20 days. As he was being treated with doctor’s orders, he also had time to reflect back on those days that God was leading him. From this, he discovered a very valuable truth. As he was looking back at the way he was living until then, he realized that there were a lot of wrongful things in his life that led him to be hospitalized; thus, he seeked God’s forgiveness and stepped forward into a new life. He ended up being discharged from the hospital much earlier than the 20 days. When I met him after he was discharged from the hospital he said the following: The time that he was hospitalized was a very important time for him to reflect back on his life and modify the wrong direction on his life. When I look at him before and after he was discharged from the hospital, he was very different. After the discharge, there was love, freedom, and generosity in his life; and he learned to appreciate the grace of God.

Dear brothers and sisters, God’s kingdom cannot be bought with money. Also, it cannot be entered by formal religious ceremony. It cannot be accepted with perfect morality. In the coming kingdom of God, it only requires true repentance and God’s forgiveness. In that place, we can find what we’ve been hungry for, knocking and seeking for – our future. Dear brothers and sisters, no matter what secrets or painful problems we have, bring them to the throne of God – he waits for us with an open door so we can communicate with him. This is what author of Hebrews said in regards to this: “¹⁵For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are —yet he did not sin. ¹⁶Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15-16) Amen.

희망의 공동체

anonymous — Sun, 13 May 2012 22:16:54 -0500

사도행전 2장 37 ~ 47절

Community that Resides in the Hope of God

anonymous — Sun, 13 May 2012 10:09:22 -0500

Acts 2: 37-47 Community that Resides in the Hope of God May 13, 2012

There was a beautiful woman who worked as a secretary in the international welfare organization in Geneva, Switzerland. Each day as she finished her day, she would hear the broadcast announcer greet her farewell before she would go to bed. The announcer’s greeting was nothing particular but a short general statement saying,“Have a good evening everyone.” However, to this secretary, it was one of the most important things to hear before she ended her day.

There is a special reason why the secretary became this way. Although she has worked in this department for a very long time, no one has approached her to strike a personal conversation with her, including her boss. Even though she encounters many people at her job, all the conversation is business. When she returns to her apartment at the end of the day, there is only work-related conversations she can think of and nothing personal. The only way she can hear a personal greeting was through the announcer’s farewell greeting at the end of the day.

This story is an excerpt from Dr. Paul Tournier’s book, “Escape from Loneliness.” Dr. Tournier diagnosed this condition as heartache in our modern society resulting from a lack of true fellowship.

In this book, Dr. Tournier lists the cause of illness resulting from the wrong mentality that people have:

First, it is the mentality of a Congress.

In this context, it is not referring to a healthy democratic parliamentary, but it is referring to politicians who use the opponent’s weakness to backstab each other.

Second, it is the mentality of independence.

This refers to strict individualism. It’s not so much that individualism is bad in itself, but it means that a relationship apart from God, where we are full of ourselves in our sinful nature, drives the individualism in a wrong direction.

Third, it is the mentality of ownership.

This is covetousness, greed, vanity, dominating desire, and impatience.

Fourth,it is the mentality of demand.

This refers to voicing only your opinion and not listening to others.

Dr. Tournier said the only way to heal these illnesses is through true fellowship. We can arrive at various definitions of a church. One of the ways to define a church in our lives is through true fellowship. As I have been emphasizing in the past, as church members use their gifts and take on each of their responsibilities, this is a way of establishing true relationships. This illustration is what Dr. Tournier referred to as true fellowship. …

In today’s scripture reading, we can see a new type of community life that can overcome and heal the sicknesses mentioned above. This form of a community is a new life started by people who are born again by the Holy Spirit, who resides in God’s hope.

The motivation to form this community came after the resurrection of Jesus; and as promised, the Holy Spirit came and through its activities, the community emerged. This form of community life is associated with the coming kingdom of God, and the Holy Spirit has specifically shown this through the realities of human history. This is incomplete and it is just a sketch of the coming kingdom of God.

A close observation of the inside of this community is different than a typical community in the world. First of all, the motivation to form this community is different. In the world community, the motivation to form a community is driven by political and economical reasons. However, this community is established by the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. Moreover, in a secular community, a certain ideology or a person’s teaching becomes the foundation of the community; however, different from this, in this place the teachings of the apostles sent by Jesus are the foundation.

Next, the way we live our lives is different from the world. In the world, the way to live your life is to possess a lot of things throughout your life; however, in this place, the way to live your life is to share a lot of things with other people. The way of life in this world is for the purpose of owning things for each individual; but in this place, the purpose of individual is for fellowship. What enables this fellowship is not through the strength of money or power, but it is the relationship formed between brothers and sisters in Christ. This is what today’s scripture was referring to as sharing of bread.

Next, in the world community, it is customary to seek blessings from idols for individual happiness or for the peace of the family; however, in this place, we are awaken from this misrepresentation, and instead, our lives are established by carrying a conversation with God. …

In today’s scripture, even though the Christian community shown here started in the past in history; it is showing us the coming kingdom of God. Although modern churches do not have the form of complex organization, but today’s churches have spiritual vitality, hope, and love that are difficult to experience.

This community is a model of body of Christ that should appear to this world at all times. Through the appearance of the early churches in Acts, we can approach the future and the coming kingdom of God with hope and aspirations. The community that we have to build with hope; establishing fellowship between God and Christians through the gospel; not being ashamed of the gospel, is a church consisting of true fellowship through the proclamation of the word and offering of communion between Christians and the resurrected Christ. So now at this time as the world approaches the end, a church with thanksgiving and praise proclaiming that day is a church and a community that resides and exists in the hope of God.

자기부인

anonymous — Sun, 06 May 2012 19:18:08 -0500

마가복음 8장 34 - 38절

34    무리와 제자들을 불러 이르시되 누구든지 나를 따라오려거든 자기를 부인하고 자기 십자가를 지고 나를 따를 것이니라
35    누구든지 자기 목숨을 구원하고자 하면 잃을 것이요 누구든지 나와 복음을 위하여 자기 목숨을 잃으면 구원하리라
36    사람이 만일 온 천하를 얻고도 자기 목숨을 잃으면 무엇이 유익하리요
37    사람이 무엇을 주고 자기 목숨과 바꾸겠느냐
38    누구든지 이 음란하고 죄 많은 세대에서 나와 내 말을 부끄러워하면 인자도 아버지의 영광으로 거룩한 천사들과 함께 올 때에 그 사람을 부끄러워하리라

Life That Denies Yourself

anonymous — Sat, 05 May 2012 20:25:46 -0500

Mark 8: 34-38 Life That Denies Yourself May 6, 2012

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Mark 8:34)

This scripture is Jesus’ teaching about the meaning of discipleship. Jesus gives the crowd and disciples two conditions for following him. First, the negative condition is to deny yourself; second, the positive condition is to take up your cross. The biggest identity problems in modern churches are the class distinctions of pastors as priests and regular church members as deacons – the problem that arises from these distinctions and relationships within the church are most serious. Without deep reflection on this issue, it is not easy for us to be the church that God wants us to be and maintain the identity of being a salt and light of the world. The existence of church itself is a righteous church that prevents the corruption of the world and at the same time the church must take on the role of a light where it gives hope and strength to those who are trapped in the darkness of the world. Only then it is the church of God. When we refer to this role of light and salt, it does not pertain to the worldly church where the number of attendees is emphasized or care about the amount of money that is available on a yearly budget. In another words, it is another way of asking each person, what do you seek from this church that you are attending? Out of all the churches, why do you attend this church? As you attend the church service, what do you desire, what do you seek, and what do you want to see as you give your offerings to church.

Through the existence of church on this earth, we have to show the love of God. We are able to see the image of God by his way of loving us. Even though we can see various illustrations of Christ, there are no paintings or pictures of God. We can only see this God through his act of love that sacrificed his only son for our salvation. The church is God’s church only when it is able to show this God’s love and witness this to the world. This story clearly shows you the reason and the purpose of attending church and giving worship. Of course, the church can meet the needs you have in this world, but that is secondary. Church is a place where it shows God and witness Him. Worship is an act that witness God to people. That is why you should know the love of God through this church and witness Him.

As I have told you before, among immigrant churches, there are 10 common reasons for attending church among non-believers; however, if you cannot find another reason to attend church beyond this list, then even if you go to church for the rest of your life, you will not be able to live a life of a person who have received salvation.

Personally, I believe that just by the presence of church on this earth should be reason enough to give hope and joy. However, in reality this is not true. Rather than church being concerned over the matters of the world, but in reality, it is the world that worries about the condition of the church. How did this happen? There are several reasons for this, but when we look at today’s scripture verses, we are able to see the appearance of wrong relationships that are formed in the church. The identity of the church, which is supposed to be the salt and light of the world, is unable to carry the proper relationships between right pastors, right elders, and right deacons; instead the church is fallen to the worship of idols and trying to show who God is with worldly matters. The first reason why we are not able to show proper appearance of our duties and not as ranks is because we are unable to properly see ourselves.

In order to see ourselves properly, we have to take the first step of denying ourselves. What Jesus referred to as denying yourself was not to deny your personality, or to die as a martyr, or to deny everything like the skeptics. What Jesus spoke about was to take off our self-centeredness and leave behind the human nature of self-seeking tendencies from our lives.

However, denying yourself cannot be the end in itself. When that happens, it would become meaningless. The self denial the scripture is referring to is the rebellion and refusal of your personal goals; it is specific actions in relation to the obedience of authority. In reference to this, Jesus says, “take up your cross and follow me.” The self-denial is in order to carry your cross. In other words, the self-denial is in order to obey God. The self-denial is in order to achieve some purpose. Only the people who know that they are God’s creation and profess this can deny themselves. Therefore, you cannot deny yourself by having self-denial as a purpose. It is not done by simply denying yourself. The first step to denying yourself in a “me-centered” world is to find what God’s mission for my life is, the reason why I am living, and why I am living on this earth. …

People who want to follow Jesus has to bear his cross, not the cross of Jesus, no matter what the requirement may be in accordance to God’s will. This means that you have to respond to the will of God. This does not mean that you have to suffer the persecution like Jesus did or be hung on a cross. It means that only the people who know the reason why they are here on this earth can carry their cross. Carrying your cross means unconditionally obeying what God requires of you for His kingdom and his righteousness. In that sense, to carry your cross is to live a life of the cross. Life of the cross is a unique form of life for people who follow Jesus.

Jesus says to carry your cross and to live a life of the cross is a way to earn eternal life; but on the other hand, to live a self-centered life where you serve yourself is a way to ultimately lose your life and leads to eternal destruction. Here’s what Jesus says about this matter,“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it” (Mark 8:35).

Next, Jesus talks about the value of life that obtains eternal life. It is a most precious thing where you cannot exchange its value with the entire world. “³⁶What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? ³⁷Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Mark 8:36-37). …

According to William Barclay, here are 3 definitions of a saint: 1. First, a saint is a person who has Christ living within him.

2. Second, a saint is a person who makes it easy for others to believe in God. 3. Third, a saint is a person that shines God’s light through himself.

In conclusion, let me summarize the key points about self-denial: 1. Self denial is turning the focus of your life from yourself to God. 2. Self denial is asking for God’s direction in the smallest details of your life and obeying it. 3. Self denial is where the identity of our will is revealed more clearly. 4. Self denial is not giving up by force but rather it is voluntary abandonment. 5. Self denial is where you feel responsible towards your neighbors and the world. 6. Self denial is way of an adventure for the faith. 7. Self denial is loving ourselves as well as loving our neighbor. 8. Self denial is desiring to live a life of the cross. It is to obey God.

하나님은 어디에?

anonymous — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 21:20:41 -0500

요한일서 4장 7 ~ 12절

7    사랑하는 자들아 우리가 서로 사랑하자 사랑은 하나님께 속한 것이니 사랑하는 자마다 하나님으로부터 나서 하나님을 알고
8    사랑하지 아니하는 자는 하나님을 알지 못하나니 이는 하나님은 사랑이심이라
9    하나님의 사랑이 우리에게 이렇게 나타난 바 되었으니 하나님이 자기의 독생자를 세상에 보내심은 그로 말미암아 우리를 살리려 하심이라
10    사랑은 여기 있으니 우리가 하나님을 사랑한 것이 아니요 하나님이 우리를 사랑하사 우리 죄를 속하기 위하여 화목제물로 그 아들을 보내셨음이라
11    사랑하는 자들아 하나님이 이같이 우리를 사랑하셨은즉 우리도 서로 사랑하는 것이 마땅하도다
12    어느 때나 하나님을 본 사람이 없으되 만일 우리가 서로 사랑하면 하나님이 우리 안에 거하시고 그의 사랑이 우리 안에 온전히 이루어지느니라

승리의 관점

anonymous — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 19:22:09 -0500

에베소서 3장 1 ~ 11절

1    이러므로 그리스도 예수의 일로 너희 이방인을 위하여 갇힌 자 된 나 바울이 말하거니와
2    너희를 위하여 내게 주신 하나님의 그 은혜의 경륜을 너희가 들었을 터이라
3    곧 계시로 내게 비밀을 알게 하신 것은 내가 먼저 간단히 기록함과 같으니
4    그것을 읽으면 내가 그리스도의 비밀을 깨달은 것을 너희가 알 수 있으리라
5    이제 그의 거룩한 사도들과 선지자들에게 성령으로 나타내신 것 같이 다른 세대에서는 사람의 아들들에게 알리지 아니하셨으니
6    이는 이방인들이 복음으로 말미암아 그리스도 예수 안에서 함께 상속자가 되고 함께 지체가 되고 함께 약속에 참여하는 자가 됨이라
7    이 복음을 위하여 그의 능력이 역사하시는 대로 내게 주신 하나님의 은혜의 선물을 따라 내가 일꾼이 되었노라
8    모든 성도 중에 지극히 작은 자보다 더 작은 나에게 이 은혜를 주신 것은 측량할 수 없는 그리스도의 풍성함을 이방인에게 전하게 하시고
9    영원부터 만물을 창조하신 하나님 속에 감추어졌던 비밀의 경륜이 어떠한 것을 드러내게 하려 하심이라

10 이는 이제 교회로 말미암아 하늘에 있는 통치자들과 권세들에게 하나님의 각종 지혜를 알게 하려 하심이니
11 곧 영원부터 우리 주 그리스도 예수 안에서 예정하신 뜻대로 하신 것이라

Terms for Victory

anonymous — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 11:12:38 -0500

Ephesians 3:1-13 Terms for Victory April 22, 2012

Ephesians is known to be letters from prison. That is because Apostle Paul wrote Ephesians when he was in Roman prison. When we look at today’s scripture reading, Paul does not consider himself a prisoner of the Roman Emperor Caesar. In verse 1, Paul states, “For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles —“ Paul calls himself a prisoner of Christ Jesus, not a prisoner of Roman Emperor Caesar. Before Paul’s conversion, he was an enthusiastic young Jewish Pharisee who persecuted Christians; on the road to Damascus, he met the resurrected Jesus Christ and believed Christ died on the cross and was the Messiah who came to save the people. After receiving and accepting the ministry as an Apostle to spread the Gospel to the Gentiles by the risen Christ, Paul became a man of God, taken captive to Christ. No matter what Paul did, he did it to glorify God; he became an apostle to witness only the Gospel of Christ. That is why Paul did not see himself as wrongfully brought as a prisoner of Rome or viewed it as bad luck. Paul believed he was brought to Rome as a prisoner to witness the Gospel of Christ even in prison.

It is very important to see with what perspective we look at things. The way we see and approach circumstances and conditions is more important than the actual circumstance itself. If we look at only what we are facing, then we will be overwhelmed by the situation. We think we are happy when the circumstance is good, and we are unhappy when things go bad. If Paul only looked at circumstances, he would have quickly given up on his ministry. Paul faced many hardships during his missionary work. Every where he went there were tortures and persecutions. He was hit with rocks, assaulted and flogged, and imprisoned. He did not eat well nor did he sleep in a comfortable place; and it was always dangerous. If Paul only looked at his poor situation, he would have been disappointed and he would have stopped in the middle of his ministry. However, he did not look at just the situation and circumstances. Paul looked at the Lord who works all things for the good and who is the director and the judge of history. Paul had the spiritual wisdom and insight to look at all things in his life from God’s perspective. Even though we do not know what may happen today or tomorrow, he believed his life was in the hand of the loving God. Because Paul fully trusted in the God who worked everything for the good, he was always able to handle his minstry with joy and hope in the midst of troubles and difficulties. It is not so much about what happens to us in our lives, but it is important to see how we look at it.

Example of W. Mitchell: Undefeated by a blazing motorcycle accident and a paralyzing plane crash four years later, he learned to take responsibility for the countless changes in his life. Whether coping with devastating burns over 65% of his body or being sentenced to life in a wheelchair, this once robust Marine firmly held on to his feisty nature and quick wit. It was "his" uphill journey and he was determined to maintain control, cope with the changes, and prosper. His life clearly illustrates his philosophy -- that most limitations are self-imposed. Step by step, Mitchell moved forward with his life. He became an internationally acclaimed mayor "who saved a mountain", a successful businessman who put thousands of people to work, a congressional nominee from Colorado, and a respected environmentalist and conservationist who repeatedly testified before Congress. Today, as an international keynote speaker, Mitchell captivates and stuns audiences with his story and then calmly empowers them to accept challenges, embrace change and take action – not only at work but in everyday life. His tenacity and credibility are indisputable as he so obviously lives his message. No one goes away unaffected as Mitchell proves that unexpected changes can become exciting new starting points. "Before I was paralyzed there were 10,000 things I could do. Now there are 9,000. I can either dwell on the 1,000 I’ve lost or focus on the 9,000 I have left."

In the book of James it says “ ² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4). Paul did not see himself as wrongfully brought up to Rome as a prisoner or see the situation as bad luck. He believed he came to Roman prison by the special counsel and providence of God to testify and minister the gospel of Christ. Paul was not a prisoner of Roman Emperor Caesar, but he saw himself as a captive to Jesus Christ. He believed he was brought up to Roman prison to fulfill the holy will of God. Today we also have to have this same sense of mission – we are living our lives in order to fulfill the will of God. If your family is unhappy, don’t just look at the unfortunate situation. If you are unsatisfied with your job, don’t focus only on the dissatisfaction at work. Even in the midst of an unhappy family or an unsatisfying job, look at your life with the purpose that God has sent you to this world to fulfill his holy will. Only then will you be able to live a victorious life. If you focus on only circumstances or situations, you will feel like you are a victim. However, if you look at your life as a mission, you will be victorious.

Instead of looking at the mission to witness the Gospel as a duty and a responsibility, Paul saw it as a privilege and a honor that cannot be expressed in words. Paul used to be a person who persecuted Christian churches. Just the fact of him being redeemed is amazing enough, let alone being called to witness the gospel of Christ was a privilege and a honor that Paul could not simply express in words. In verse 2 it states, “Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you.” The term “administration of God’s grace that was given to me” also refers to management, supervision, or stewardship. Thus, it means that he is assuming the role to manage and administer God’s grace that was given to him. God’s salvation plan to redeem the Jews and the Gentiles through the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ was a hidden secret. But now as believer of Christ, God redeemed both the Jews and the Gentiles together and made them heirs to his kingdom; adopted them to become members of the church, which is the body of Christ; and through the work of the Holy Spirit, Paul and many other apostles revealed that we are recipients of God’s promise and blessing that is in Christ Jesus. In verse 8 Paul states, “Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ.” By this statement, Paul was saying that it is an honor and a privilege.

Pete Gerald was a millionaire British aristocrat Baron who only had one son. Tragically, his wife passed away when his son was only 10 years old and unfortunately, he lost his son as well to illness, before he turned 20 years old. Eventually, when Pete Gerald died, he left behind a massive fortune, including many priceless collections of art. In his will, he gave specific instructions for how his collections of art were to be auctioned. The first auction item was a portrait painting of Gerald’s only son by an unknown artist. There were no bids for this first item…. Until finally an old man made the bid – he was a formal butler that looked after the boy (Pete Gerald’s son) when he was still alive. The painting was sold for less than a pound. After the painting was sold, the lawyer continued to read the will again to the crowd at the auction. The will stated, “whoever buys the first painting of my son will also inherit all of the collections of art as well as my entire fortune.” That ended the auction.

Whoever has his son, has everything. Whoever accepts God’s only son, Jesus Christ, has everything! Even though this is a simple statement, it is indeed a very important one. If we do not believe and accept God’s only son, Jesus Christ, we will truly never obtain anything forever. However, if we believe and accept Jesus Christ, we will receive everything that God has prepared for us. Anyone who believes in Jesus Christ as Lord will not lack in anything, but will receive everything on earth as well as in heaven as promised. There is no more fear. There would be no more problems. Dying or having cancer is no longer a concern. It is because we have received the promise of eternal life in heaven. Difficult problems that I may face in my life is no longer a problem, it is one of the privileges. It is because with my life in Christ, I can overcome the difficult problems with the help of the Holy Spirit, and through this difficulty, it gives me an opportunity to grow in faith. To those who believe in Christ and received salvation, everything on earth and heaven have been promised to us; any persecution or difficulty we may face in our Christian walk is an honor and a privilege because it gives us an opportunity to fill our bodies with the suffering of the Lord. Paul considered it an endless honor and privilege to preach the gospel of salvation. That is why he says in verses7-9, “⁷ I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. ⁸ Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, ⁹ and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.” Today, we are also given the same ministry as Paul to preach the gospel of salvation; instead of looking at it as a duty and a responsibility, but rather we should consider it as honor and privilege. No matter what ministry we are involved in, there is no joy if we consider it a duty and a responsibility. However, if we look at the work as privilege and honor given to us, then we will be overflowing with energy. Our attitudes will be different. Nowadays we are living through difficult times. For some people, they think they live because they have to. For some people, they think that they have no choice but to go to work, so that they can feed their family. Although our jobs may be difficult and our family may be unhappy, we have to consider it a privilege to live out Christ’ love and forgiveness; and to live thinking that it is a honor to be given the opportunity to share God’s grace. If we look at our lives only from the perspective of being a duty and a responsibility, then our lives will have no joy. But when we think that living our lives is God’s gift to us, a privilege and honor; then we will live a life of victory.

Third, Paul was able to obtain a big vision to spread the Gospel to the world because he looked to the Holy Spirit for empowerment. Paul believed that the Holy Spirit will strongly work through his ministry. If Paul only relied on his own strength and power to do the ministry, then he would have stopped his work due to burn-out or stress. In the latter part of verse 7, it says, “by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power.” By receiving the help of the Holy Spirit, Paul worked with the overflowing power of the Holy Spirit. However, the reason why Paul was able to receive the power of the Holy Spirit was because he came before God, our priest and our intercessor, in prayer every single day. In verse 12 Paul states, “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” By praying and coming before God daily, Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit; and despite his physical discomfort, he was able to live a powerful life and mightily expand the kingdom of God. The Roman guards who watched Paul in prison were handcuffed to him. The guards rotated and changed every 4 hours. However, Paul did not look at himself as being tied to the guards, but instead looked at the situation as the guards being tied to him. During the 2 years Paul was imprisoned, he wrote the following books: Philippians, Timothy, and Ephesians; and he witnessed Christ to the soldiers who were tied to watch him. In Philippians 1:12-13 it says, “¹² Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters,that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. ¹³ As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guardand to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.” Some biblical scholars estimate that there would have been about 4,380 soldiers with the 4-hour shifts that have been tied to Paul during his imprisonment. Even though Paul did not have freedom, he was still able to preach the gospel to those 4,380 soldiers, who were the most elite Roman soldiers picked to guard the Roman Emperor. Therefore, these elite soldiers also preached the gospel to their families and relatives and there were many Christians within the Roman upper class as well as inside the Emperor’s court. Due to Paul being tied with Roman guards, this resulted in even faster spread of the gospel within the upper class and the Roman courts and Roman elites. Paul did not look at himself as a victim and get frustrated and disappointed with being in chains, but instead view it as a new road to spreading the gospel where the Holy Spirit was working strongly through him and his ministry.

Even though Paul was bound by chains with the Roman guards and he was restricted, through the strong working of the Holy Spirit in his life, he was able to maintain the vision and the dream of spreading gospel throughout the world.

Today we are not like Paul, who was bound together by chains with a guard that watched over him. Although we are not bound by visible chains, we are connected to each other in love with our parents, spouses, children, brothers and sisters. We are connected in many various relationships with friends from school, co-workers, and other close acquaintances. Just like Paul, we have to pray to God that we are given the power to witness the Gospel through our lives. We have to be able to pray every day so that we can influence them with the love of the Holy Spirit. Despite his restrictions while he was bound in chains, Paul was still able to witness the Gospel to thousands of Roman guards through his life. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ that this congregation will have the vision to be empowered with the Holy Spirit and be filled with his love to influence the people that we are connected to with the Gospel.

너는 나를 따르라

anonymous — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:56:31 -0500

요한복음 21장 18 ~ 24절

18    내가 진실로 진실로 네게 이르노니 네가 젊어서는 스스로 띠 띠고 원하는 곳으로 다녔거니와 늙어서는 네 팔을 벌리리니 남이 네게 띠 띠우고 원하지 아니하는 곳으로 데려가리라
19    이 말씀을 하심은 베드로가 어떠한 죽음으로 하나님께 영광을 돌릴 것을 가리키심이러라 이 말씀을 하시고 베드로에게 이르시되 나를 따르라 하시니
20    베드로가 돌이켜 예수께서 사랑하시는 그 제자가 따르는 것을 보니 그는 만찬석에서 예수의 품에 의지하여 주님 주님을 파는 자가 누구오니이까 묻던 자더라
21    이에 베드로가 그를 보고 예수께 여짜오되 주님 이 사람은 어떻게 되겠사옵나이까
22    예수께서 이르시되 내가 올 때까지 그를 머물게 하고자 할지라도 네게 무슨 상관이냐 너는 나를 따르라 하시더라
23    이 말씀이 형제들에게 나가서 그 제자는 죽지 아니하겠다 하였으나 예수의 말씀은 그가 죽지 않겠다 하신 것이 아니라 내가 올 때까지 그를 머물게 하고자 할지라도 네게 무슨 상관이냐 하신 것이러라
24    이 일들을 증언하고 이 일들을 기록한 제자가 이 사람이라 우리는 그의 증언이 참된 줄 아노라
25    예수께서 행하신 일이 이 외에도 많으니 만일 낱낱이 기록된다면 이 세상이라도 이 기록된 책을 두기에 부족할 줄 아노라

세 례 - 부활의 시작

anonymous — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 19:44:32 -0500

마가복음 1장 1 - 11절

1 하나님의 아들 예수 그리스도의 복음의 시작이라

2 선지자 이사야의 글에 보라 내가 내 사자를 네 앞에 보내노니 그가 네 길을 준비하리라

3 광야에 외치는 자의 소리가 있어 이르되 너희는 주의 길을 준비하라 그의 오실 길을 곧게 하라 기록된 것과 같이

4 세례 요한이 광야에 이르러 죄 사함을 받게 하는 회개의 세례를 전파하니

5 온 유대 지방과 예루살렘 사람이 다 나아가 자기 죄를 자복하고 요단 강에서 그에게 세례를 받더라

6    요한은 낙타털 옷을 입고 허리에 가죽 띠를 띠고 메뚜기와 석청을 먹더라
7    그가 전파하여 이르되 나보다 능력 많으신 이가 내 뒤에 오시나니 나는 굽혀 그의 신발끈을 풀기도 감당하지 못하겠노라
8    나는 너희에게 물로 세례를 베풀었거니와 그는 너희에게 성령으로 세례를 베푸시리라

9 그 때에 예수께서 갈릴리 나사렛으로부터 와서 요단 강에서 요한에게 세례를 받으시고

10 곧 물에서 올라오실새 하늘이 갈라짐과 성령이 비둘기 같이 자기에게 내려오심을 보시더니
11 하늘로부터 소리가 나기를 너는 내 사랑하는 아들이라 내가 너를 기뻐하노라 하시니라

Baptism – The Start of Resurrection

anonymous — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 02:45:41 -0500

Mark 1:1-11 Baptism – The Start of Resurrection April 8, 2012

Looking at a Christian season of Easter, it always makes me wonder how many Christians living today truly believe in the resurrection. We probably think of Easter as an important Christian event as we associate it with egg hunts, lilies, or wearing white clothes. What does it mean to you to be born again – resurrection? Do you remember last Easter’s sermon? – “Resurrection is Completion of Life.” Resurrection is approaching the completion of coming kingdom of God in our future lives. For the completion of resurrection, we offer our lives as living sacrifices to God in worship every Sunday. Baptism is the beginning of resurrection - the completion of life. Baptist church, one of the reformed denominations, does not accept infant baptism as true baptism. The reason is because the confession of faith is not based on the individual’s own will and determination. Moreover, Presbyterian and Methodist Churches have accepted and performed the order of Catholic ritual, infant baptism, without any criticism. Of course, it is obvious that a young infant cannot profess their own faith. Then why do the Presbyterian churches perform infant baptism? That is because it is the role of the parents to pass on the tradition of faith. To prepare for this time, parents of the infants are taught about baptism. The results from this story reflect the prayer request for Thomas from his parents. To raise him as God’s son, whom He loves so much; and to make every effort as parents to raise him this way; thus, it is an expression of commitment and hope to show God we believe in, passing on the faith to our son whom we love so much, Thomas -God’s son and our son. One of the most important types of evangelism is the evangelism between generation to the next generation. The foundation of evangelism is the faith that is passed on from the parent’s generation to their children’s generation. Infant baptism is a promise made before God and its people that the parents will bear this responsibility. Therefore, it is the hope and prayer for all church members that during the process of this little boy growing up as God’s son, it will further extend and grow God’s kingdom. This is the foundation of infant baptism. It is the desire to live with the right faith and hope. As we celebrate Easter Sunday at this time, I hope it is a time of reflection on the hope of resurrection - the completion of our lives with the starting point of baptism. Baptism is a ceremony, where a person who did not know God returns to God and becomes a child of God. In today’s scripture reading, we see that when John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea to preach the word of God, those who heard him came before John the Baptist, confessing their sins and received baptism.

1. Baptism is coming out from false Christian life. Therefore, it is a ceremony to break away from our past. What is a false Christian life? It is what the Lord was referring to as a show-off and a formal Christian life. There were a lot of people at the time in Israel that led this lifestyle. They were the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Who are these people? First, let’s look at the Pharisees. After the Israelites return from Babylon, the foreign oppression continues and they fail to become an independent country. It was 175 BC, after the death of Alexander the Great of the Greeks, when Israel was under the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes of Syria. He introduced Greek religions and customs in order to exterminate the Jewish religion. And he forced it on the people of Israel. … The people who opposed this became known as the Pharisees.

They rejected the King’s decrees. And they were determined to preserve Jewish religion by keeping all the rules and statues made by the scribes. They deliberately offered the most elaborate, conscientious, legalistic offering to God in front of their enemies. They were people who devoted their lives to these things. …In Jesus’ day, while focused on the synagogue, they taught the law and followed it literally, and worked zealously to keep the law.

However, the problem is that after many years, it became a formality. That is why the Lord said that they were clean on the outside but inside, it was like a tomb filled with all kinds of filthy things. They were caught up in hypocrisy, self-righteousness, and pride, and with the Law they liked to condemn others; they tried to look good in front of people rather than God. To simply put it, they were like people wearing masks. That is why Jesus rebuked them and called them hypocrites.

Next, let’s look at the Sadducees. They were from a family line of priests, a wealthy group of aristocrats. They tried to ensure their power, peace, and self-interests by playing politics. Instead of focusing on the eternal world, they focused on the present and they set the temple as a business stage and they were pushing religion to fill their own desires. Jesus came into the temple and made a whip out of cords, overturning the table of those who were selling doves and changing money and threw them out of the temple saying, “Do not make my Father’s house a den of robbers.” These were the Sadducees who fell into secularism and forgot about living for God. Therefore, you can see how rotten and corrupt the Jewish religion was at that time. It was at this time John the Baptist appeared and he shouted at the Israelites to come out from their formality and showing-off. It is because if they do not come out, they would not be able to live.

So the people of Judea and Jerusalem cut ties with Judaism, and came before John the Baptist repenting and receiving baptism. They no longer wanted to follow the Pharisees or the Sadducees and abandoned the false living. Those who received baptism had come away from showing-off and formal living. If we believe in God, we have to believe correctly. We have to put away the lies and false show-offs that surround us, and move towards the resurrection life that makes us complete – this is the meaning of baptism.

(Illustration of snails are given)

Here are the words from 1 Peter 1: 16-17. “for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’ ¹⁷ Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. God does not look at the outside, but what is in our hearts and our actions. Therefore, just as the Jews who came before John the Baptist, throwing away their hypocrisy and became a new believer, we also have to throw away our false beliefs and head toward the resurrection life, the completion of our lives – this is baptism.

2. Baptism is a ceremony where you come out from false Christian life and enter God’s kingdom. What are the people of Israel to do with a rotting fallen religion? Believe in Jesus; thus, receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and living their lives for Him. And be a part of establishing God’s kingdom with Jesus and dedicate their lives for this work. The lives of the Jews who received baptism from John the Baptist have changed. Before, their lives were focused on the synagogue and the temple, but now their lives are focused on living for Jesus Christ. Before, they followed the Pharisees and Sadducees, but now they only follow Jesus. In order to live this life, they had to give up all the benefits they had in their lives. In Judaism, they were exiled and their lives were threatened. They were no longer received by the Jewish community, and with suffering and pain, they were abandoned by their own families. They lost their place in life. Despite all of this, they gave up everything to get a new life because God was there. Therefore, baptism is where we break our ties with the past and leave toward the world where God is.

I no longer have the status of this world I enjoyed, and the reputation or the authority is not for me. The only thing I need is Jesus. Those who live by this faith are those who believe in God. The kingdom of God does not consist of enmity, jealousy, struggle, and war; but it is a kingdom full of love, peace, truth, and righteousness. Kingdom of God is a place ruled by our Lord and it is a kingdom where everyone shares happiness together. Jesus called us so he can give us this kind of kingdom. He desires to establish this kingdom in this place. Church is a medium that establishes God’s will on this earth. You and me, it is this church community, who God uses to establish His will on this earth.

Dear brothers and sisters, the people of Israel are those who claim to be Abraham’s descendants. However, when they lost their true faith and followed the formality and showed-off, John the Baptist warned them and said, “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.“ Today’s Christianity is in the same situation. Today’s Christianity preaches on loving one another, and yet they like to fight; it says to be truthful and yet they lie…We can no longer see the love and passion towards Christ and it has faded away. Do you have passionate love and a pure heart towards God today? Can you find the truth in your Christian walk? If not, your faith is rotten. Although the church is in the world, it is different from the world. However, the difference between the church and the world cannot be found. Aside from coming to church on every Sunday, it is hard to find any difference between Christians and non-Christians. Now, it is time for us again to leave behind the false religious life. Thus, we need to find the purity of faith. If we do not come out, we will die and rot like the water that is clogged. In order to be renewed, we need to come out and be reformed and make a new beginning. The moment that the reformed church refuses to be renewed, the church will begin to decay. People like to live in the past because their bodies get used to the lifestyle, however, if they do not constantly rule over their bodies and move forward with self-control, then they will fall backwards and eventually will rot and die. A living person has to move constantly and they need to reflect on themselves daily, finding the outer shell in their lives and throw it away. Otherwise, they become lazy and indolent, worthless human being.

Here is a story about an interesting experiment in a laboratory. When you place a frog in a hot water, the frog immediately jumps out. However, when you place the frog in cold water and slowly raise the temperature, the frog continues to stay in the water, not realizing he is slowly boiling to death. It dies without knowing how it died. This is what secularism is. Today, we no longer have to worry about something to eat. We do not get frost bites or freeze to death because we do not have something to wear. We do not get arrested by the police or suffer persecution because of our faith in Jesus. However, our society is becoming sicker and we are getting rusty. Just as a cancer cell can submerge our bodies without us knowing about it, the secular waves surrounding us can erode and enter our mind and spirit. If we have our mind set, we can jump out of the boiling water at any time.

However, we have already lost a sense of crisis toward the way we watch the world. We are living a life without feeling. Just like the frog that died without knowing he was dying, our body and spirit are dying together. The only way we can live is to jump out of the water that is slowly boiling. So we have to flee from the wave of secularization that is surrounding us. This is the way we can live.

Likewise, baptism is coming out of the rotten, diseased, secular religion. And it is going towards a new world where God is presented through the gospel. A person cannot live without change. As we stand before God every day and reflect back on ourselves, we have to strive to be renewed every day. So that when our Lord comes, we should have a living faith that can welcome our Lord. I hope you do not meet the Lord in a pitiful state like the dead frog; where your lives are showing off and buried in formality when the Lord comes. To avoid this, please take off the outer shell that surrounds you. And with renewed spirit, go forth into the new eternal world; I hope you will be able to fulfill the true meaning of resurrection in your life.

고통, 죽음, 그리고 영광

anonymous — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 17:17:11 -0500

요한복음 21장 18 - 24절

Glory through Death

anonymous — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 17:53:25 -0500

John 21:18-24 Glory through Death April 1, 2012

When Samsung president Byung Chul Lee was diagnosed with lung cancer, he questioned why God gives suffering and death even though God claims that he loves us. I give this same question to you as believers in God. How do you look at life’s suffering and death? If we as Christians, who profess to believe in God, do no know why God gives us suffering and death instead of comfort; then, it shows us that we do not really know the God that is described in the bible. It is start of the Passion week. During the Passion week, we try to fast when we routinely do not fast; we worry over how we can participate in the Lord’s suffering. If we think about it, it’s not too bad pretending to participate in the Lord’s suffering for 1 week and living in comfort for the rest of the 51 remaining weeks in a year; it’s not a problem to fast for one week and refrain from recreational activities. There is probably no one here that agrees that this is a right way to approach the Passion week. I find that by looking at American landscape of cemeteries, we can see a feature of Christian community. In Eastern philosophy, death is a completely different world that cannot exist in the same place as living people. However, in Christianity, life and death exist in the same place. Schools are next to cemeteries, it is not strange if hospitals are next to it, and we pass by these landscapes everyday; have we ever thought about the death that is symbolized through cemeteries?

It is probably difficult for us to understand the underground Roman cemetery of Catacombe. In the old Roman empire, because it was against the law for a burial to exist in the city, people built a huge underground cemetery in the outskirts of Rome. The depth was 4 floors underground and 1 meter wide, and in between the sheets of the walls to the left and right, they placed the ashes of the dead and sealed it with brick and marble plates. This form of underground tomb covered a whopping total of over 20 kilometers in length in the suburbs of Roman’s Catacombe. Actually entering into the Roman Catacombe and walking through the underground floors where the ancient dead were placed in between the wall sheets, I could not understand the Romans who built a huge Catacombe. I found this out later, but the Catacombe of Rome was possible because they had a very different type of soil. …

In the days of the early church, it is a known fact that this Catacombe of Rome was the place of worship for Christians. After the spread of gospel in Rome, the Christian persecution by the tyranny of Emperor Nero forced Christians to avoid public worship places. At that time, the secret meeting place of the Christians was the Catacombe. Because Catacombe was underground, it was easy to avoid people’s gazes, and if they were discovered, it was a great place to escape because it was like a maze underground. The fact that the Roman Christians started in the Catacombe, is in itself a great message.

Catacombe is an underground cemetery. In fact, it is more accurate to call it an underground cemetery world. There is nothing but dead bodies left to right, top to bottom, and front to back. The entire ground is a massive death. In the midst of this death, the Christians gave worship. Roman’s early Christianity started in the midst of this death. What does this mean? You cannot be true Christians without knowing death, without facing death, and if you ignore death. The person that can face death in the eye and knows that it is us and it is reality, can personally meet the Lord that gives eternal life. What does the dead bodies in Catcombe have in common? They had to leave everything in the world behind. Whether you were extremely wealthy or poor, there was not a single corpse that could take it with them. Then what is death? Death is leaving everything behind. Death is leaving behind everything that you were holding onto and emptying your hands. Catacombe was a place that proves that this is death, the evidence was Catacombe’s corpses. It was at this place, the Christians worshipped. What is the meaning of this? It means that the person that knows that there is nothing in this world that they can carry eternally, can reach out and hold onto them forever.

What does it mean that the early Roman Christians worshipped in the Catacombe? On the outside, it looks as if they were trying to escape the persecution of the tyrant emperor Nero and worshipped in the Catacombe, but in actuality it means that the holy spirit used the persecution of Nero to lead them to the Catacombe. Then who is the person that is full of the holy spirit? Facing his own death because he is not an exception to death, a person that realizes that the meaning of death is leaving everything behind – this person is a person who is filled with the holy spirit. Only this type of person can overcome death and the huge Catacombe of this world; it is because he follows the holy spirit and lives properly according to the truth.

At dawn in the sea of Galilea – breaking the silence of dawn, the Lord says to Peter and reminds him that his love of the Lord means to feed his sheep and apply it specifically in his life. And the Lord’s word continues in today’s verse 18, “Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Verse 19 further explains Jesus meaning of this passage.

¹⁹ “Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God.”

From this verse of what Jesus says of Peter, we understand that it predicts the martyrdom of Peter. …

Peter at this verse was not at a point where he was finishing his life. He was a young man in his 20’s with his life in front of him. He has been with the Lord just barely for a period of 3 years. After this time, he was at the threshold of starting a new life and a new era in Acts. If the past 3 years were a trial period to becoming an apostle, from this point on it was several decades of specifically living out the life as an apostle. When we look at Peter’s lifetime, he was at an important crossroad in His life. Whether Peter can live a life as a true apostle or not; facing the Lord at this final moment will determine this. At this crucial moment, if the Lord revealed to Peter ‘what kind of death will glorify God,’ we can discern that this does not refer only to the martyrdom that Peter will face decades later.

In today’s scripture, the Lord is telling Peter what the essence of life is. In another words, he is telling Peter that no person is exempt from death - we will come across death suddenly at a time and place where we do not want, in a way we do not expect. Jesus is engraving the meaning of death. Peter, even though you are a young person now, you must also lie in the grave as a dead person; at that time, you must leave everything behind in this world… surrendering everything to God and only by living a life following God’s leading can overcome death and be a life giving glory to God; this is what Jesus is revealing to Peter.

After Jesus says this, in the latter part of verse 19 he says to Peter, “follow me.” This means that the person who can face death and correctly knows the meaning of death can follow the way, the truth, and the life of the Lord. Peter, who understood this meaning correctly, became the leader who initiated the book of Acts; and it is not a bit unusual that his life would be consistent with the life of a true apostle where he was even crucified and martyred upside down on the cross. In another words, in the last paragraph of John 21 which ends the 4 books of the gospel, it is only natural that the Lord shows through Peter what the meaning of death is and to face it. This was the proof of love that Jesus truly loved Peter. There is no greater love than to teach what death is. Only the person who knows death can have life; and only the person who possesses true life can bring glory to God. If we realize all of this correctly, as we live in this world, we can clearly see what a gift it is to lose something. In an entire lifetime, there is a possibility of losing our possessions. There is a possibility of losing your health. Sometimes, you can lose your loved ones. In each of these times, as precious they are, we undergo intense pain. We struggle before God as we try to find what we have lost. However, consider this: How much does God love us? Even though we are filthy sinners, doesn’t he love us to the point where he redeemed us from death by crucifying his only son? God so loved us so much that if he allowed us to lose something that is precious to us, how can there be any more deep meaning of love than this?

All of us can not avoid death. Therefore, death is no one else’s except our own. What did I say the meaning of death is? Death is leaving everything behind. It is shaking off everything we are holding onto and going with empty hands. If so, losing something in this world while we are alive, is to practice death. It is training us to throw away. It is studying to empty our hands. Without this training in our lifetime, how can we accept death that abruptly makes us abandon everything in our lives? How can a person that cannot accept death, follow Jesus and live a righteous life until death? If we cannot follow Jesus and live a righteous life in our lifetime while we are alive, at the moment when our physical body becomes a corpse, how can we overcome death and stand before God? God truly loves us. So at the time when our souls stand before God and in order for us to shamelessly face Him, God allows us to lose something while we live in this world. Allowing us to realize the meaning of death where we have to leave everything behind, and allowing us to practice death where we shake everything off. Therefore, there is no greater gift and love from God, to those who believe in Him to lose something in this world. Without losing something, we cannot properly accept life and death; and from this expected outcome, God knows that we cannot stand forever before an eternal God.

The culprit who massacred over 25% of civilians, over 2 million people, causing bloodshed in the killing field in Cambodia, Pol Pot, has died. And the photo of his corpse has been released through the media. …if he knew this truth from the beginning, that he could not avoid dying and he could not take anything from this world, then during his reign of 3 years and 8 months, the massacre of over 2 million people would not have taken place. Indeed, this is a good example demonstrating how violent a person’s life can be who does not know death and does not face the meaning of death.

… (more examples from the book by an Indian journalist and philosopher M.V. Kamath). American civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, said this just before he died after his was shot by an assassin,” I am free at last, obtained freedom at last. Finally, I have freedom.” He was not only one of the greatest black leaders that were born in the United States, but he won the Nobel Peace Prize at age 35; at the young age of 39, what a lament it is to lose him over an assassin? Is it not right for him to struggle desperately not to die? Despite this, how can he have this much freedom facing death? It is because he was a person who faced death and the meaning of death on a regular basis. Even though death abruptly occurred at a time, at a place, in a way that he did not want; he was able to stand before God as a Christian who had freedom and was not tied to the world.

Today is the Lord’s day. Who is really a person filled with holy spirit? Look. Do you actually see this world as a huge Catacombe? Do you see yourself lying inside as a corpse? Do you see your body lying there empty-handed unable to take anything in this world? This is person who is filled with the holy spirit. A person who is able to face death and knows its meaning cannot live unless he follows God everyday. Therefore, the life of a person who knows death can only bring glory to God. Church must be a community of God that allows us to live every day with thanksgiving and joy despite facing death. Church does not bear witness to God by disappearing from the world. Even though the church may boast about having nothing, it is not poor; even though the church is thankful for not having authority in this world, it is not subservient; even though the church has nothing in this world to be proud of, being able to share God’s joy and thankfulness in this world is the appearance of the church that God has planted. Just as everyone cannot avoid death, as the church and the Christians who make up the church face bodily death for themselves in their future; to know the meaning of death, we live today with the thankfulness and joy that God has given us and we must show the beauty of that life with the people around us. Look at the future of your life with the overflowing grace of the holy spirit. And beyond death, beyond the grave, please live your lives towards the coming kingdom of God.

The beauty of this life is that only through faith, it allows us to see things that cannot be seen, it is God’s grace and gift; that is what makes our lives pleasing to God and this is the spiritual power that God has given us. That is why we offer our lives to God in worship. Beyond death and into glory, we offer our lives to God in worship. In order to know our final days and the value of the Christian community in this land through forgiveness, reconciliation, and unity; it is this place, we pray and praise that this will be done through this church. Look at the coming kingdom of God. God’s kingdom that is approaching will break down the walls that are hindering us, and beyond our prejudice, bigotry, arrogance, and intolerance, we will be able to forgive and accept everything as brothers and sisters in Christ and become a community in God.

기쁨의 삶을 사는 방법

anonymous — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 22:12:51 -0500

빌립보서 4장 4 - 7절

4    주 안에서 항상 기뻐하라 내가 다시 말하노니 기뻐하라
5    너희 관용을 모든 사람에게 알게 하라 주께서 가까우시니라
6    아무 것도 염려하지 말고 다만 모든 일에 기도와 간구로, 너희 구할 것을 감사함으로 하나님께 아뢰라
7    그리하면 모든 지각에 뛰어난 하나님의 평강이 그리스도 예수 안에서 너희 마음과 생각을 지키시리라

교회는 세상의 무지개다

anonymous — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 18:24:28 -0500

창세기 9장 8 - 17절

8    하나님이 노아와 그와 함께 한 아들들에게 말씀하여 이르시되
9    내가 내 언약을 너희와 너희 후손과
10    너희와 함께 한 모든 생물 곧 너희와 함께 한 새와 가축과 땅의 모든 생물에게 세우리니 방주에서 나온 모든 것 곧 땅의 모든 짐승에게니라
11    내가 너희와 언약을 세우리니 다시는 모든 생물을 홍수로 멸하지 아니할 것이라 땅을 멸할 홍수가 다시 있지 아니하리라
12    하나님이 이르시되 내가 나와 너희와 및 너희와 함께 하는 모든 생물 사이에 대대로 영원히 세우는 언약의 증거는 이것이니라
13    내가 내 무지개를 구름 속에 두었나니 이것이 나와 세상 사이의 언약의 증거니라
14    내가 구름으로 땅을 덮을 때에 무지개가 구름 속에 나타나면
15    내가 나와 너희와 및 육체를 가진 모든 생물 사이의 내 언약을 기억하리니 다시는 물이 모든 육체를 멸하는 홍수가 되지 아니할지라
16    무지개가 구름 사이에 있으리니 내가 보고 나 하나님과 모든 육체를 가진 땅의 모든 생물 사이의 영원한 언약을 기억하리라
17    하나님이 노아에게 또 이르시되 내가 나와 땅에 있는 모든 생물 사이에 세운 언약의 증거가 이것이라 하셨더라