"The Game with Minutes" (July 13, 2014)

"The Game with Minutes" (John 10:27)

"Are You a Sheep?"

What it comes to mind when you think "sheep"? Normally, sheep represent innocence and purity. But in reality, sheep are more than that. Kevin Leman wrote the book, titled “The way of the Shepherd.” In his book he describes ten characteristics of sheep. First, Sheep have bad sight. So the shepherd bells the leading group of the sheep for the entire herd. Second, sheep are foolish. They seem to only know how to do one thing well – eat grass. Third, sheep easily fall. Fourth, sheep are easily “cast” – flipped over on their back. Fifth, Sheep are unable to right themselves. They will die of starvation if not turned over by shepherd. Sixth, sheep are selfish and stubborn. Seventh, sheep have no sense of direction. Eighth, sheep go back the way they had come. Ninth, sheep are defenseless and vulnerable. They can only run. Tenth, sheep become silent in the face of death. Based on these ten characteristics, we can conclude that sheep cannot live a day without shepherd. Today Jesus says to us, "I am the Shepherd, and you are my sheep." Yes, Jesus is our Shepherd, and we are his sheep. Today's Scripture clearly tells us that Jesus' sheep have two prominent characteristics.

"My Sheep Hear My Voice" (10:27a)

First of all, Jesus' sheep hear his voice. One day one of my colleges shared his story of a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. During the trip a heavy rain began to fall while he was in the wilderness with his guide. They found a cave and sheltered themselves there, and several other local Bedouin shepherds also came to take refuge in the cave. So now different flocks were all mixed up together. The pastor was curious and even concerned how each shepherd would separate his own sheep from others. However, their shepherds didn't seem to worry about the mix-up at all. After the rain had stopped, suddenly one shepherd got up, went out, and started to sing a song, and amazingly, that shepherd's sheep withdrew from the crowd to follow their shepherd home. Sheep hear their shepherd’s voice. Jesus’ sheep hear his voice. To hear a shepherd’s voice is not a special gift for the chosen group of people. Every single sheep listens to a shepherd’s voice. We hear the voice of our Good Shepherd through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church. Basically, we are able to hear his voice in every way. In most cases God's voice and his will are very loud and clear.

"My Sheep Follow Me" (10:27b)

However, there is one condition in order to hear the shepherd's voice clearly. It is to have an obedient heart. Today Jesus says, "My sheep hear my voice… and they follow me." So, the second characteristic of Jesus' sheep is to follow the shepherd wherever he goes. Some people say that “To hear Jesus’ voice is very difficult.” But actually, "to obey Jesus" is much more difficult than "to hear his voice.” In many cases the reason why it is difficult to hear Jesus' voice is because we are not ready to surrender to him. While Jesus lived among us on earth, he revealed himself and spoke plainly that he is the Christ, the Messiah. But the Jews kept asking him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly!" And Jesus said to them, "If you choose to do God's will, you will find out who I am and whether my teaching comes form God or whether I speak on my own" (cf. John 7:17). Jesus speaks all the time, but he does not reveal himself to those who have the following attitude: “Lord, let me know your will first, and I will decide to obey or not.” Jesus speaks to those who have a humble and obedient heart: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." “Obedience” is the key to hear Jesus’ voice.

Jesus said, “I have come that my sheep may have life, and have it to the full” (10:10). But many Christians do not have a rich and satisfying life although they believe in Jesus. Why? It is closely related with obedience. We tend to think that man of God, such as D.L. Moody, would be a spiritual giant from the beginning. No! Actually, Moody was very discouraged and almost lost heart in the early days of his faith journey. He did not have a satisfying life although he tried in many ways: he attended revival tent meetings and prayer meetings, but his heart became too easily cold and dry. He said to himself, “Probably, my heart is like the path. That’s why the seed of the word cannot grow!” But one day he read Romans 10:17. It says, “So faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” From that day he made a resolution to meditate on the word of God before starting the day. Not only did he meditate on the word, but also he started to obey what he heard. He began to experience transformation of life. Moody's Bible still provides inspiration for many Christians. His Bible is filled with underlines and T/P signs. Some people asked, "What does T/P mean?" “T” stands for “Tested,” and “P” stands for “proved.” Every single day Moody did “test” what he heard, and it was “proved” as the truth by putting it into practice. Jesus' sheep hear the shepherd's voice and follow him.

"Practicing the Presence of God"

However, to hear and follow the shepherd does not happen automatically. We need to practice to discern the shepherd’s voice and follow him. In the spring of the year 2009 I had received intensive training. When I was preparing for studying abroad in 2006, two of my mentors recommended me to go to Gordon-Conwell Seminary. I had never heard that school before, but I did trust them. I applied for that school and was accepted. In my third year at seminary, spring 2009, I discovered this school is no longer affiliated with either the Korean Methodists or the United Methodists. If I chose the school, I had to give up the denomination. If I chose the denomination, that means I had to give up my school and transfer to Boston Divinity School. I had to choose either school or denomination. I was in a dilemma. Every person gave me a different advice. I was so confused. Every evening my wife and I had a devotional time together. One evening the Holy Spirit said to both of us the same message while we were meditating on 1 Corinthians 3. He said, “You are my fellow workers. I will take care of you. Don’t be swayed by school or denomination. Just keep going.” So I stopped all transfer procedure and continued to go to the old school. For few weeks nothing happened, and I became more and more anxious. One day while I was praying in the closet, the Holy Spirit said to me, “Go and tell the UMC ordination committee that you went to Korean Methodist Seminary for one semester.” I didn’t quite understand why I had to share that. Anyhow I contacted the chairperson of the committee. Few days later I got an email from the person in charge. He said, “As you know, in principle you are not eligible to pursue the UMC ordination process further because of your school. But in your case the decision was made that all your credits would be approved and the only thing that you need to do is to take some UMC courses at BU.” As a result, I was able to complete my study at Gordon-Conwell, and at the same time, I could continue to pursue my ordination process in the UMC.

“The Game with Minutes”

Our Good Shepherd Jesus Christ speaks to all of us in this room all the time, but we need to practice to discern his voice from others and follow him alone. In this regard, missionary Frank Laubach can be a good example to follow. He went to the Philippines as a missionary. But after 15 years, he became very dissatisfied with his spiritual life. He realized that he had not lived the entire day of every day in minute-by-minute effort to follow the will of God. Then, he resolved to bring God to mind at least once each minute, at least one second out of every sixty. He called this experiment “the Game with Minutes.” He began to talk and listen to Jesus, work and rest with Jesus, eat and sleep with Jesus, twenty-four hours a day. Moment-by-moment he asked the two following questions: “What, Father, do you desire said?” and “What, Father, do you desire done this minute?” The first few weeks nothing seemed to change. But later, he confessed, “The results of this practice grew rich after six months, and glorious after ten years.” In his journal and letters we can find how much he enjoyed intimate fellowship with Jesus. He provides practical suggestions how we may practice hearing and following Jesus in everyday life. You may find the insert sheet, “Practicing the presence of God” in your bulletin. I commend you to read it carefully and put it into practice.

“Is The Lord Your Shepherd?”

In Psalm 23 David says, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.” He lived a life of extreme ups and downs. He was driven into the wilderness for many years. While David was in the wilderness, nearly six hundred people came and live with him. They were not sophisticated or well-equipped people. Rather, some of them were in distress or in debt, and others were evil troublemakers (cf. 1 Sam 22:2; 30:22). But the amazing thing is that although David lived with them for a long time, he did not become like them. Instead, they became like David. Later on, they became men of God and best contributors to build up a nation. How can this happen? It is because David spent more time with God than his six hundred men. It is because he was led and shaped by God rather than by men or circumstances.

If you are in a dry valley right now, I pray that you will remember Jesus as your Good Shepherd. He will protect you, take care of you, and guide you. If you are willing to hear his voice and walk with Him through the valley, you will experience transformation of life and enjoy intimate loving fellowship with Jesus. Let us ask ourselves every minute: “What, Father, do you desire said?” “What, Father, do you desire done this minute?” Amen.