“Christmas Gospel” (Romans 1:3-4, John 1:1-18; Luke 2:8-20)

Damien’s Story

Incarnation. It is the core doctrine of the Christian faith. The incarnation literally means embodied in flesh or taking on flesh. John 1:14 says “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” The incarnation is the mystery of the Word made flesh. For our better understanding, we have just heard the story of the man and the birds. And here is another story. In 1863 Father Damien sailed as a missionary to Hawaii. He was horrified by the difficulty of the leprosy victims, who had been permanently banished to the island of Molokai. At that time the Hawaiian government didn’t provide proper housing or food for them. Nobody cared. Abandoned lepers perished from illness, hunger and cold. Father Damien volunteered to go there. He buried their dead. He brought them hygiene. He built churches and chapels, cleaned their water supply, improved their homes and their hospital, constructed an orphanage, and trained a choir. Not only did he help and teach them, but also Damien lived among them as their friend and companion. He touched his lepers, he embraced them, he dined with them, he cleaned and bandaged their wounds and sores. This selfless incarnational ministry continued for sixteen years, until one Sunday morning in 1885 during church worship the congregation was stunned when he began his sermon with the words ‘We lepers....” He had contracted the disease himself. He died on Molokai in 1889. In later stages of his own illness, Damien remarked, "The Lord decorated me with his own particular cross—leprosy."

God’s Story

The history of humankind is the history of redemption. God created humanity in God’s own image. It was good. It was very good. But Adam and Eve chose to rebel against the Creator because they themselves wanted to be a god. As soon as Adam sinned, the relationship with God was broken, and death came. But by His grace God continued to provide a way of salvation for His people. God made a covenant with them. God sent the Law to show the way they should live and make them holy. But they took it lightly and had turned to their own way. God sent the judges and kings. But they didn’t follow the guidelines; instead, they did what was right in their own eyes. God sent his prophets, but again they didn’t listen to them. They mocked them, persecuted them, and killed them. And finally, when the time had fully come, God sent His one and only Son to save His people, to save us from our sin and death. This is the day that God became human.

We call this the gospel. The gospel is good news, not good advice. Advice is counsel about what we must do. News is a report about what has already been done. Advice urges us to make something happen. News urges us to recognize something that has already happened and to respond to it. Suppose there is an invading army coming toward a town. What that town needs is military advisers; it needs advice – when, where and how to fight. But, if a great king has intercepted and defeated the invading army already, what does the town need then? It doesn’t need military advisers; it needs messengers, and the Greek word for messengers is angelos, angels.[1] That is why in today’s scripture the angel said to shepherds, “I bring you good news of great joy! Something has been done for you to be saved!” (cf. Luke 2:10).

Jesus, True Man

The gospel, the good news is about the person Jesus Christ. In Romans 1:3-4 Paul proclaims the gospel in this way: “The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David's family line, and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord” (NLT). First of all, he is “Jesus,” who is fully human. The name Jesus literally means “God saves.” This name was very common at that time. In Hebrew it is “Joshua.” There were many people who had the name, ‘Joshua’ or ‘Jesus.’ The name, “Jesus” refers to the fact that he is fully human. He was born as a helpless human baby. He was real, not a metaphor. He needed to be fed and changed. He felt hungry and tired. He has been tempted in every way, just as we are, yet without sin (Heb 4:15). Why is it so important that Jesus is fully human? It is because it is necessary for the Savior to shed His blood for the forgiveness of sins. Hebrews 9:22 says, “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” Only human who has a body of flesh and blood can be crucified and shed blood. Jesus has come to us in the flesh to die on the cross and shed his blood for the forgiveness of our sins. So the first gospel message that we need to believe is that Jesus has come to me as a true human and died to cleanse me from all my sins.

Christ, True God

Secondly, he is “Christ,” who is fully God. In Hebrew, “Christ” is “Messiah,” which means, “the anointed one.” In the time of Jesus all the Israelites knew that “Messiah” is the son of God. Christ is the true God. Romans 1:4 says, “He was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Then why is it so important that he is truly divine? It is because only God can be raised from the dead. In human history there is no one resurrected. Only Christ, the Son of God, the very nature of God, was raised from the dead. The resurrection is the essence of the Christian faith. 1 Cor 15:14 says, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” And he continues, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (17). Our last stop is still “death.” Our destiny is the same. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep! (20). Amen! By the resurrection of Christ God demonstrated that Christ is righteous, and considers anyone who believes in his name also righteous. Romans 4:25 says, “Christ was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” Justification means “to declare righteous.” No matter what we have done, no matter who we are, because of what Christ has done on our behalf, we are declared righteous. Now we have peace with God. So the second gospel message is that Christ is the Son of God and by his resurrection he has restored our relationship with God.

Our Lord!

Jesus Christ is true God and true man. But it is not enough to just intellectually agree that he is fully divine and fully human. We must receive Him as our Lord. The Bible says, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). I want to end with a story of a sculptor. You might have heard before, but I think it is worth repeating: There was a sculptor once who sculpted a statue of our Lord. And people came from great distances to see it – Christ in all his strength and tenderness. They would walk all round the statue, trying to grasp its splendour, looking at it now from this angle, now from that. Yet still its grandeur eluded them. So they finally consulted the sculptor himself. He replied, “There’s only one angle from which this statue can be truly seen. You must kneel.”[2]

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[1] Timothy Keller, Hidden Christmas: The Surprising Truth Behind the Birth of Christ (Viking: New York, 2016),  21-22.

[2] John Stott, The Incomparable Christ (InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, 2001), Kindle Locations 4037-4041 of 4607. 

“DREAM” (Matthew 1:18-25)

“I Have a Dream Today!”

Have you ever had a dream that caused you to do something different, make a change, or go in a different direction? Today’s theme word is “DREAM.” I don’t know about you, but for me what first comes to mind when I think of the word “dream” is Dr. King and his “I Have a Dream” speech. Many of us think that probably Dr. King was very actively involved in the civil rights movement from the beginning. But actually he was not. At first, his dream was to become a good pastor like his dad and to make a happy family just like others. But then, the Montgomery Bus Boycott had begun in his community. The organizers of the boycott sought the support of the black ministers in town. At that time, King was just 26 years old and reluctant to get involved. But the organizers already decided to hold the gathering at King’s church, and at the meeting King was elected the president of the boycott committee. From that day he became the target of attacks. Almost everyday he got hate mail, obscene and threatening call. He was sacred to death. He was paralyzed by fear. One night he confessed his fear to God. Then he heard the voice of Jesus, “Stand up for truth. And lo, I will be with you until the end of the world.”[1] And God showed King His dream for His people. He allowed him to go up to the mountain and see the Promised Land. Since then, Dr. King began to speak God’s dream into the world through a speech without fear. He said, “I have a dream today… we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together…” He continued to speak and live God’s dream until his last day on earth.

Man’s Dream vs. God’s Dream

In today’s passage Joseph had a dream that changed his life forever. Even before he had a dream, the Bible says Joseph was a righteous man. He was a good man. Perhaps his dream might open his own carpentry shop in his hometown, Nazareth, and get married to a beautiful, godly woman, Mary, and make a happy family. But one day he found out that his fiancée was pregnant. Of course, he was shocked. He could have asked that Mary be stoned to death or punished in some publicly humiliating way. But Joseph didn’t do that. Because he was a good man, he tried his best to be compassionate as much as possible for the woman as well as to maintain his personal integrity. So Joseph resolved to divorce her quietly. That was his best in that particular situation. That is man’s best. It is to maintain our personal righteousness and at the same time minimize other’s disgrace. But God’s best is much, much better than that. God’s dream for us is beyond all understanding.

The dream that God showed to Joseph was not a mere dream. It was a divine revelation. This revelation especially tells us three things about who Jesus is. The first message was that Jesus is the Son of God. An angel of the Lord said to Joseph, “Don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit” (Matt 1:20). The point of the virgin birth is not about Mary is a virgin, but about Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus had to be conceived from the Holy Spirit and born by his virgin mother, so that he might be the Son of God. Who is Jesus? He is the Son of God. The second message was that Jesus is a Savior. The angel said, “She (Mary) will give birth a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (21). Jesus had many roles while he was here on earth. But the most important mission and ministry of Jesus was to save his people from their sins. So when John the Baptist introduced Jesus to the world for the first time, he did in this way: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Yes, we need a friend and teacher. But most of all, we need a savior who will deliver us from our sin and death. Who is Jesus? He is a Savior. The third message was that Jesus is Immanuel. The Bible says, “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God with us’” (Matt 1:23). In Jesus, God is now with his people personally as their Savior. In Jesus, now we can have a personal relationship with God. Who is Jesus? He is God-with-us.

Knowing God

That is God’s dream that was revealed to Joseph. The divine revelation was given to him: Jesus is the Son of Man. He is a Savior. And he is Immanuel. What was Joseph’s response? Immediate obedience. Matthew 1:24 says, “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.” We can learn from Joseph a very important spiritual principle: “Revelation + Obedience = Knowing God.” We never know God unless first he reveals himself to us. Our speculation about God is meaningless. That is way the Gspel is a divine revelation from God to his people, not speculation. But revelation itself is not enough to know God. When we obey as our response to God’s revelation, only then we are able to know God experientially. In the Old Testament God has many names. The Israelites learned different God’s names one by one every time they obeyed. God revealed himself and asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as a burnt offering. Abraham obeyed. And he knew God as Yahweh-yireh, which means “The Lord will provide” (Gen 22:14). God revealed himself, delivered his people with his mighty hands from Egypt, and let them cross the Red Sea. But on the third they began to grumble because the water was bitter. God gave Moses instructions. He obeyed. And he knew God as Yahweh-rapha, which means, “The Lord who heals” (Exo 15:26). And again the Israelites had a war against the Amalekites. Moses and his people obeyed God’s will. And they defeated the Amalekite army and knew God as Yahweh-nissi which means “The Lord is my Banner” (17:15). There is a big difference between knowing about God and knowing God. When we obey, we know God.

Cloud of Witnesses

We are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses who had God’s dream and obeyed his leading. Missionary Horace Underwood was one of them. From an early age God showed Underwood His dream for all nations. Underwood sensed that he was called to be a missionary. He believed he had been called to India. So I had made certain special preparations for that field. But then he heard a voice – an inner voice, saying, “No one for Korea.”[2] He knew that was the voice of Jesus. At that time, no church seemed ready to enter Korea. Even among missionaries no one wanted to go there. They thought it was too early and too dangerous. But Underwood obeyed. So he became a pioneer missionary to Korea. He arrived on Easter Sunday, April 5, 1885. In the early years of his ministry in Korea, he wrote this prayer:

Lord, nothing is visible at this moment.

Lord, you have planted us on this barren and poor land,

where not even a single tree can grow tall enough.

It is such a miracle that we could come to this land across the wide wide Pacific Ocean.

Nothing is visible, though, in this land

on which we seem to have been dropped off by your hand.

Only stubbornly stained darkness can be seen.

Only Korean people chained with poverty and superstition can be seen.

They don't even know why they are chained, what suffering is.

They just distrust us and express anger to us as we tell them how to take away their suffering, which is not suffering to them.

The thoughts of Korean men are not visible.

The mind of this government is not visible.

We are afraid that we may not have any more opportunity to see the women

commuting on Kamas (-a cart carried by men).

And we do not see what to do.

Yet, Lord! We will obey.

We believe that you begin your work as we humbly obey,

And that the day will come when our spiritual eyes will see your work,

According to your Words,

"Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see..."

We believe that we will see the future of the faith of Korea.

Although we are as if standing on a desert with bare hands,

Although we are condemned to be Western devils,

We believe that the day will come when they will rejoice with tears

realizing that they are one with our spirit in Christ,

and that we all have one Kingdom and one Father in Heaven.

Although there is no church to worship you, no school to study,

Although this land is filled with doubt of suspicion, contempt, and disdain,

We believe that in the near future this land will become a land of blessing.

I am one the great numbers of beneficiaries. In fact, both Joyce and I gradated from the college that Underwood found. Now South Korea has become one of the world’s top missionary-sending countries. We may not have God’s dream or revelation in dramatic ways as Underwood or Joseph had. But all of us in this room have the same revelation of God, the same gospel: Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus is a Savior. Jesus is Immanuel. Christmas is around the corner. Once again we celebrate the birth of Jesus. If Jesus is the Son of God, if Jesus is a Savior, and if Jesus is God-with-us, what would be our proper response? In what areas of life do we need to give up, take a risk, or make a change today in order to follow God’s dream for us?

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[1] Skye Jethani, With: Reimagining the Way You Relate to God (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2011), 129.

[2] Lillias H. Underwood, Underwood of Korea (Fleming H. Revell Company, 1918), Kindle Location 334 of 4578.

“Turn” (Matt 3:1-12; Numbers 14:39-45)

The First Word of the Gospel

Today we celebrate the second Sunday of Advent. Now we follow the lectionary schedule. Last week the theme word was “watch,” and this week’s theme word is “turn.” Have you ever thought what the first word of the gospel is? The first word of the gospel is not "love." It is not even "grace." The first word of the gospel is "repent." The first word of John the Baptist in his ministry was “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matt 3:2). And the first word of Jesus’ ministry was exactly the same: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (4:17). Repentance literally means to turn. It is to turn from our sin and turn to God. In today’s gospel lesson John the Baptist made it clear that repentance makes the path straight between the Lord and the repenting person. Repentance is like clearing a highway of holiness to and from God. It is safe to say that repentance is the first step to be right with God.

Marks of Repentance

Then, what are the essential marks of true repentance? Today’s Old Testament lesson tells us what false repentance is. Let me briefly explain the background of today’s passage. At that time the Israelites were about to enter the Promised Land. The twelve spies just came back and reported what they had seen. And ten of them spread a bad report. After hearing the report, all night the Israelites cried and wept aloud. And they grumbled against God and Moses, and said, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! We will fall by the sword. And our wives and children will be taken as plunder!” They committed a great sin of unbelief. Then, God said to them, “I will do to you the very things I heard you say.” And he continued, “Tomorrow, turn back and set out to the desert in the direction of the Red Sea again.” 

Mourning over Sin

After this, in today’s scripture the people of Israel repent their sin. But it is false repentance. We find at least three marks of true repentance in today’s stories. The first mark of true repentance is to mourn over sin. In Numbers 14:39 the Israelites mourned bitterly, not because of their sins, but because of the bad news that they must turn back to the desert again! So, they came to Moses and said, “We have sinned.” They said this to avoid a crisis and to flee from God’s coming wrath. In this case true repentance is to turn back and set out to the wildness as God commanded. In the Gospel lesson John the Baptist was called to proclaim a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Matt 3:11; Mark 1:4). At that time there were two groups of people who came out to him. The first group of people came out to confess their sins and to change their minds and actions. The second group of people, the Pharisees and Sadducees, came out to flee from the wrath to come, without any contrite heart. So John the Baptist said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?” True repentance is to mourn over our sins and to come out to God to obey his will and even accept His punishment.

  

Death to Self 

The second mark of true repentance is self-denial. In Numbers 14 the Israelites say, “We have sinned.” They get up early the next morning, heavily armed, and say, “We will go up to the place the Lord promised.” But Moses says to them, “Why are you disobeying the Lord’s command? Do not go up!” But verse 44 says, “Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the high hill country…” This is a typical example of false repentance, repentance without dying to self. There are many ways to experience of “dying to self.” In today’s story giving in and turning back to the desert is an experience of dying to self. In some cases we need to go to a particular person and ask for forgiveness. In some cases we need to make monetary compensation to make it right. And in many cases, God helps us to experience of dying to self by confessing our sins, especially in front of people. James 5:16 says, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another.” 

Let me ask this question, “Which is easier for you to confess your sin to God or to people?” For me, personally, confessing to God was much easier because God is always loving and forgiving and keeps the secret. But the thing is that I just kept sinning although I repented over and over. I got frustrated. Later I realized actually I didn’t confess my sins to God, but to myself and forgave myself. That is why God commands us to confess our sins to another person, image of God. True repentance must go through the experience of dying to self. During my seminary years what I learned most was how to repent. When I came to the US in 2006, I had my own plan. It was to earn a doctoral degree as soon as I can and become a pastor of a large church. Therefore, it was very important for me to get good grades. I did my best for excellent grades and was able to earn them. One day the Holy Spirit convicted me. He reminded me that I submitted the reading reports of some of the classes not in good conscience. I had just skimmed through part of the required readings but checked them off as 100% completion. I had good grades. But the Holy Spirit exposed my ambition deep in my heart. Eventually, I officially confessed my wrongdoing to my professors, some of my friends and students, and church family members. As a result, the grades of the four classes were reduced. And it became very difficult for me to pursue further study. It was painful experience, but I learned a valuable lesson. I learned that true repentance must go through the experience of dying to self. My ambition has been crucified to me.  

Bearing Fruit Worthy of Repentance 

The third mark of true repentance is to bear fruit worthy of repentance. The people of Israel said to Moses, “We have sinned.” But they didn’t obey God’s will but they insisted on their own way. They went up to the hill to fight. And the result, the fruit was verse 45. It says, “Then the Amelekites and Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah.” Hormah means destruction. The fruit of their repentance was destruction, death. Why? It is because they repented on their terms, not on God’s terms. Romans 8:6 says, “The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.” When we repent led by the Spirit, inwardly we have the fruit of life and peace. And outwardly, we experience a change of action. True repentance is from the inside out. And it bears fruits worthy of repentance. According to John the Baptist, it is to share our possessions with the poor. It is to always keep our conscience and live before God. It is not to misuse power and privilege for our own good. Most importantly, true repentance bears the fruit of the Holy Spirit. So we are called to look at our lives and ask, “Am I more loving than I was one year ago?” “Am I more joyful than I was five years ago?” “Am I more peaceful than I was ten years ago?” And so on.  And further, “Am I seeing a transformation from selfishness and inward focus to loving God and loving neighbor?”

“I Am Repentant!”

On this second Sunday of Advent, God invites us to repent. Why do we need to repent? Because true repentance makes the path straight between God and us and draws us closer to our holy God. In 2 Corinthians 7:10 Paul says, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” So I invite all of us in this room to ask the following three questions and answer to them as we prepare the way for the Lord during Advent:

What am I fearing and mourning over? My sins? Or the consequences?

How do I repent? On my terms? Or on God’s terms?

How am I bearing fruit worthy of repentance in my life?

True repentance is not a single act but an ongoing and continual attitude. Those who truly repent don’t describe repentance as a past accomplishment, saying things like, “I repented twelve years ago.” Instead, they say, “I am repentant. I live as a repentant person. I live in the spirit and attitude of repentance.” My prayer is that as we meditate on today’s scriptures and message, the Holy Spirit will convict us and lead us to true repentance, so that we may turn to God and bear fruit worthy of repentance and have life and peace that God promised us through Jesus Christ here and now. Amen. 

     Quintday

 Quintr. :00 a.m.  Wednesday, Dec 14, at                        Pastor Victor                                  

“Watch” (Matt 24:36-44; Romans 13:11-14; Psalm 122; Isaiah 2:1-5)

Advent: Beginning with the End in Mind 
Today we celebrate the first day of Advent. The word “Advent” is from the Latin “Adventus,” which means “coming.” Advent is the beginning of a new liturgical year. It is the time of the year when we remember promises about the first coming of Jesus. We celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus in the manger at Christmas. But much more importantly, Advent is the season about how we get ready for the second coming of Jesus. It is the time for us to ask ourselves, “Am I ready?” “Am I on the right track?” This week’s lectionary passages tell us how we should be ready to meet Jesus individually and as a church.

Put on Christ
The Epistle reading from Romans 13 begins in this way: “… The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed… Therefore, put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (vv. 11-14). Then, what does it mean by putting on Christ? It means that Christ should be a suit of clothes that we wear all the time. It means that let Christ direct all our thinking and conduct all the time. Putting on Christ is not “once-for-all” action like baptism, but it is something we must choose to do each and every day.

The Gospel reading from Matthew 24 is part of Jesus’ teaching about the end of the age on the Mount of Olives. In the Olivet Discourse Jesus tells us how we may put on Him in our daily lives. In verse 44 Jesus says, “So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” Then, he tells us a parable, the parable of the ten virgins – five of them were foolish and five were wise. The Bible says when the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. Then, what makes the five foolish and the other five wise? The foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took along extra oil with them. Then, what does the “oil” stand for? It stands for a true relationship with Jesus. When the five foolish virgins cry out to the bridegroom, he calls out to them, “I tell you the truth, I don’t know you” (25:12). The oil must be prepared in our everyday life. It will be too late to get ready at the end of life or at the return of Jesus. We are ready when our relationship with Jesus is true and intimate. We are ready when we put on Jesus Christ every morning. We are ready when Christ rules in our hearts and minds.

The best way to put on Christ is to mediate on God’s word day and night, because Jesus is the Word (John 1:14). Recently, I faced Giant Despair. I almost lost my footing. It was close. But it was God’s word that sustained me and delivered me out of the dungeon of Giant Despair. Every morning I meditate on Psalms. Particularly, this week God gave me the same message every morning: “Take refuge in Him. Cry out to Him. And give thanks to Him.” Giant Despair was persistent. He didn’t just let me go. He kept coming back. But every time he came, I practiced these three things. I did run to God, cry out to him, and praise his holy name and give thanks for what he had done. “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music! Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn!” (Ps 57:7-8) That’s exactly what I did. And God sustained me and restored my soul. We put on Christ when we hear the word and do the word.

Put on Christ “Together”
This week’s Old Testament lectionary readings – Psalm 122 and Isaiah 2 – describe the glorious day of the Lord when God’s people are ready and go up to meet their bridegroom Jesus together! Psalm 122:1 says, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” Isaiah 2:3 says, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob.” God gave us the church, so that we may be able to remain faithful, encourage one another, and be ready as pure bride of Christ together. In the early church when believers gathered or parted, they didn't say "Hello" or "Goodbye." Instead, they said "Maranatha” which means “Our Lord comes!” They encouraged one another and reminded one another of the imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Heb 10:25). We are the church. We are here to encourage one another. We are here to help one another to stay focused on Jesus Christ.

One of my favorite books is John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. Recently, I had a chance to watch a movie version of it. This time I noticed that the main character Christian always had a traveling companion. In the first half of the journey God sent him “Faithful” as his companion. When they were tempted, they watched each other in love. When they were ridiculed and persecuted, they encouraged each other. But then, in the town of Vanity, Faithful so boldly proclaimed the gospel and eventually he died a martyr. After this, God sent Christian another traveling companion, “Hopeful.” One time Christian and Hopeful had to go through the land, called the Enchanted Ground, whose air naturally made one drowsy and die. And here Hopeful began to be very dull and heavy of sleep. So he said to Christian, “Let us lie down and take a nap for an hour.” But Christian said, “By no means! If we take a nap here, we will die.” To prevent drowsiness, they began to share their testimonies to each other: When they felt the love of Christ personally for the first time, how God saved them, how God transformed them, how they began to love a holy life, and so on. While they were telling their love stories with Jesus, before they knew they just passed the Enchanted Ground. Let us pray that we may also meet our traveling companions right here in this place to encourage one another, comfort one another, and correct one another to stay focused on Christ.

Maranatha! 
As I close, I want to share the story of Ernest Shackleton. While on a South Pole expedition, Shackleton left a few men on Elephant Island, and he promised that he would return. Later, when he tried to go back, huge icebergs blocked the way. But suddenly, as if by a miracle, an avenue opened in the ice and Shackleton was able to get through. His men on Elephant Island were ready and waiting, and they quickly scrambled aboard. As soon as the ship had cleared the island, the ice crashed together behind them. As Shackleton contemplated their narrow escape, he said to his men, "It was fortunate you were all packed and ready to go!" They replied, "We never gave up hope. Whenever the sea was clear of ice, we rolled up our sleeping bags and reminded each other, the boss may come today." The promise of the second coming of Jesus occurs 1,845 times in the Old Testament, and 318 times in the New Testament. In other words, about every 30 verses of the Bible tells us about the second coming of Jesus. The Bible keeps telling us, “The day of the Lord will come like a thief” (2 Pt 3:10). As we begin Advent, let us be ready. Let us be “packed and ready to go” at every moment! As we leave this room today, let us not say “Goodbye,” but say "Maranatha!" Yes, Come, Lord Jesus, Come! Amen.

“A Life of Generosity” (Matt 6:19-21; 13:44) - Holistic Stewardship III -

The Redemption of Scrooge

Probably many of you have heard this famous story especially in this time of the year as we move towards Thanksgiving and Christmas: Charles Dickens’ classic story A Christmas Carol. It tells the story of a bitter old miser named Ebenezer Scrooge and his transformation. At first, he was described as a wealthy and miserable man. He was caustic, complaining, and horrendously greedy. But then through supernatural intervention, Scrooge was allowed to see his past, present, and still-changeable future by the visitations of the ghost of his former friend Jacob Marley and the other ghosts. After encounters with those three spirits on Christmas Day, he was given a second chance at life. Dickens describes the transformation of Scrooge in this way: “Some people laughed to see the alteration in him, but he let them laugh, and little heeded them.… His own heart laughed, and that was quite enough for him. And it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge.”[1] So what was the source of Scrooge’s transformation? The answer is “gaining an eternal perspective.” By God’s grace Scrooge was allowed to see his past, present, and future through the eyes of eternity.

Eyes on Eternity

In today’s passage Jesus invites us to clearly see treasures in heaven. There are two kinds of treasures – treasures on earth and treasures in heaven. What is the difference between the two? One is temporary, and the other is eternal. Jesus says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth” (Matt 6:19) not because they are bad, but because they won’t last. Sooner of later they will disappear. We know King Solomon’s famous statement in Ecclesiastes 1:2: “Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless!” On the surface what Solomon says sounds quite pessimistic. But the word lb,h (hebel) can be translated as finitude as well as vanity. Here Solomon is saying, “Temporary! Temporary! Utterly temporary! Everything on earth is temporary!” The beginning of wisdom is to know that everything under the sun is temporary. Moses, man of God, prayed this prayer in Psalm 90:11, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” We all need this prayer, “Lord, open our eyes to see what we have today will quickly disappear.” We need God’s grace to truly know this.

But at the same time, the Bible also says that we need to do our part in order to gain an eternal perspective. Jesus says, “Treasure things above, and your heart will follow” (cf. Matt 6:21). When I was taking a business law class in college, many of the students including myself found it very difficult. One day a professor suggested that we might save some money and buy stocks. Some of us bought shares of electric company such as Samsung. It worked. Samsung became our treasure. We suddenly developed interest in Samsung. We checked the financial pages. We saw a magazine article about Samsung and read every word. Treasure leads; hearts follow. Few years ago God gave Joyce and me a burden for North Korea. So we have been helping two mission organizations for North Korea. When we see an article on North Korea, we’re hooked. When we hear the news of famine and starvation in North Korea, we pray. Treasure leads; hearts follow. Many Christians say, “I want more of a heart for missions.” Jesus tells us exactly how to get it. He says, “Put your money in missions and your heart will follow” (cf. 6:20-21). What is your treasure? Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

All-in

By God’s grace now we know what treasure is temporary and what treasure is eternal. And the Bible clearly says that our eternal and ultimate treasure is Jesus Christ himself (ex. Phil 3:8). When we find the ultimate treasure, Jesus Christ, what is the next step? The next step is to sell all we have and have Jesus instead. It is about all or nothing. There is no in-between. When we encounter Jesus, we cannot be the same. Either we need to be all-in for Jesus or walk away sad. There is no way around it. The word “all-in” is the terminology used during a poker game when a player is so convinced and has moved all of their chips into the pot. Then, what does it look like to be all-in for Jesus? How do we know we are truly “all-in”? One of the most accurate ways to know is to see how we handle money. Why does money matter? Martin Luther said, “There are three conversions a person needs to experience: The conversion of the head, the conversion of the heart, and the conversion of the pocketbook.” It is worth noting that money is the main subject of nearly half of the parables Jesus told in the Bible. 15 percent of everything Jesus ever taught was on the topic of money and possessions — more than His teachings on heaven and hell combined.[2] The Bible offers 500 verses on prayer, fewer than 500 verses on faith, and more than 2,000 verses on money.

Why does money matter? It is because there is a fundamental connection between our spiritual lives and our finances. They are inseparable. In Luke 3 different groups ask John the Baptist what they should do to bear the fruit of repentance. “What should we do?” they ask. John gives three answers. All of them relate to money and possessions. In Luke 19 Zacchaeus met Jesus and was transformed. The first thing he said after his heart had been transformed is this: “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount” (v. 8). Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this house!” (v. 9). Our approach to money and possessions is so central to our spiritual lives.

“In His Joy”

In particular, giving is an indispensable part of Christian discipleship. We define our priorities, values, and what we love through our giving. We say, “I love you Lord” through our giving. We say, “Thank you Lord” through our giving. For me personally, there are many things I am thankful for to my parents. The one thing I’m most thankful for is that they taught me the joy of giving. When I was five, my parents planted a new church. At that time there was no parsonage. My family and I had to live in the church building for the time being. We lived below the subsistence level. But my parents always set aside the firstfruits of all they receive, starting with at least 10 percent. They made generous mission offerings and special offerings even beyond their ability on New Year, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, family birthdays, anniversaries, and so on. They didn’t do it out of guilt or a sense of duty, but out of joy. Not just that, they trained my sister and me to be regular, joyful, and generous givers. Because of that, I was and am now able to experience the joy of giving. I am thankful for that to my parents. In today’s passage when Jesus tells us about how to get hidden treasure, he doesn’t push us to give up what we have out of guilt. The Bible says, “When a man found hidden treasure, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” Please don’t miss these three words: IN HIS JOY. Our giving is not about paying membership dues. The purpose of our giving is not to keep the church going. God does not need our help (Ps 50:10-12). The purpose of our giving is for us to share the joy of our master (cf. Matt 25:21).

How can we share the joy of the Lord? Where do we start? A good place to start is “tithing.” Both the Old and New Testaments, early church fathers, and church history tell us that tithing is the minimum giving requirement for Christians. It’s not the finish line of giving; it’s just the training wheels to launch us into habits of more generous grace giving. We may start tithing with a sense of duty, but more and more we get to know the joy of giving as we taste and see God’s goodness in our lives. When it comes to our giving, the real issue is not whether we will give 10%, but what we will do with the entire 100%. So the question we need to ask ourselves is not, “How much should I give?” but rather, “How much dare I keep?” We own nothing; Jesus owns everything.

5 Minutes After…

Missionary Jim Elliot said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Jim and four other missionaries attempted to evangelize Waodani people in Ecuador in 1956. But all five of them were speared by a group of the Waodani tribe. At that time, they had guns but they didn’t use them. After this, even more amazing thing happened. The wives and children of the missionaries decided to go and live with the Waodani people. And the tribe people asked them, “Why didn’t your husbands use guns?” The wives answered, “Because they wanted to tell you the story of Jesus. He was abused, but he did not retaliate. He suffered, but he did not threaten, because he wanted to show you that there is a new way of life.” Jesus gave his life to give us life. Jesus gave it all. How does our giving reflect His grace? Missionary C.T. Studd said, “Only one life, ‘twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.” Five minutes after we die, we’ll know exactly how we should have lived. So let us ask ourselves, “Five minutes after I die, what will I wish I would have given away while I still had the chance?” Like Scrooge, today we are given a second chance at life by God’s grace. Let us not store up for ourselves temporary treasures. Instead, let us store up for ourselves eternal, heavenly treasures. Let us give humbly, generously, and joyfully to God’s work. When you give, you will experience the joy of giving. Amen.

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[1] Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol (Philadelphia, Penn.: The John C. Winston Company, 1939), 131.

[2] Randy Alcorn, Treasure Principle: Discovering the Secret of Joyful Giving (New York, The Crown Publishing Group, 2001), Kindle Location 95 of 1363. 

“A Life of Fellowship” (1 Corinthians 12:12-18) - Holistic Stewardship II –

Leaving Church

Episcopal priest Barbara Brown Taylor was one of America’s most effective and beloved preachers. But after much reflection, she decided to end her 20-year career and leave the church. While she was in ministry, she always felt she hadn’t done enough. If she spent enough time at the nursing home then she neglected to return telephone calls, and if she put enough thought into the church meetings then she was less likely to catch mistakes in the Sunday bulletin. Taylor said, “My tiredness was so deep that it had seeped into my bones.”[1] To make things worse, she was conflicted, internally and with the church, because of church dividing issues, including human sexuality. She lamented over the church. She said, “I had been wearing my collar for about six months by then, and I wore it like a string of thousand-dollar pearls. Fifteen years later, I was ready to hang it up.”[2] Now Taylor teaches at a college in Georgia. And she says that teaching school is saving her life now.[3] Taylor is just one of many who want Jesus but not His body, the Church. Researcher George Barna describes this trend in our society as follows: “We found that while some people leave the local church and fall away from God altogether, there is a much larger segment of Americans who are currently leaving churches precisely because they want more of God in their life but cannot get what they need from a local church.”[4] Even today many people are leaving the church out of frustration rather than rebellion.

The Birth of the Church

Then, who started the Church? It was God who gave birth to His Church through Jesus Christ – his suffering, his death, and his resurrection. In Matthew 16:18 Jesus said to Peter and his disciples, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (ESV) The Church is God’s idea for us to experience the fullness of God’s kingdom here on earth. From the perspective of stewardship, we were created for relationship with our neighbor, especially Christian sisters and brothers, as well as with God. Both vertical and horizontal relationships are essential to our faith journey. St. Cyprian rightly said, “One cannot have God as his Father who does not have the church his mother.” The local church is not optional to our faith experience.

My Story

I am a third generation Methodist pastor. So when I was young, I went to either my grandfather’s church or my father’s one. Those two were my home churches for 27 years. When I came to the US, for the first time I had a chance to choose my home church. After much thoughts and prayer, I began to serve one particular local church as youth pastor. Guess what? After my first year of ministry I was burnt out. I was ready to leave the church. I got tired of the chronically difficult people and the problems in the church. I wanted to stay away from the “institutionalized religion.” So I did. For a while, I felt freedom, particularly Sunday mornings. Some Sundays I attended different churches that I wanted to explore. Other Sundays I just stayed in my seminary dorm, listened to music that I liked, and downloaded sermons from the Internet by my favorite preachers. I did my charitable giving to causes that I believed in. And I also had an informal community of like-minded believers in seminary. But about half a year later, I began to sense that for some reason my heart became dry and barren. One Sunday afternoon I was talking a walk on the campus. I asked God why there was a feeling of restlessness deep in my soul. Then I heard the inner voice of the Holy Spirit. The answer was because I did not stay connected with God’s household. In other words, my vertical relationship with God was ok, but my horizontal relationship with other believers who were assigned to me by God was missing. After this, I came back to church.

Back to the Early Church?

So problem solved? No! After coming back to church, the problems were still there. The difficult people in the church were still there. But this time I seriously asked myself the following question: “What is the church?” And I began to study the church history, particularly the early church. In the book of Acts the early church was described as ideal for us to follow. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They shared their possessions and goods with those in need. Every day they got together both at the church and at home. And they enjoyed the favor of all the people (Acts 2:44-47). But then, as I continued to study it, I found something very interesting. The truth was the early church was messy as much as the church of today. This morning we read the part of Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth. In fact, at that time the Corinthian church was filled with problems. There were major strife and divisions among the church members (1 Cor 1:11; 3:3). There was sexual immorality among themselves (5:1). They sued each other (ch 6). They divorced without biblical grounds (ch 7). They abused their Christian liberty and caused new believers to fall (ch 8). They accused the Apostle Paul of being a false apostle and gave him a hard time (ch 9). And the list goes on. The Corinthian church was not loving or attractive. But Paul didn’t throw in the towel on the Corinthian church and all other churches in the New Testament. Why? Because he knew that church is family.

Church Is Family

Yes, the church is God’s household. God is our Father, and Jesus is our Husband. And we are brothers and sisters. Let us think about the nature of family. We don’t get to choose our family. We don’t choose who will be our parents or siblings or uncles. Our family is chosen for us by God. In the same way, we don’t choose our church family. We don’t choose one another. Instead, we are given to one another by our heavenly Father. Justin McRoberts says, “Being a Christian can sometimes feel like being in a family with a thousand drunk uncles.”[5] But we need to remember this: Like it or not, uncles are still our family. We don’t throw in the towel on the family. As members of God’s family, we are called to stick together through thick and thin. There is a significant difference between the church and a club. The club consists of the “like-minded” people who have something in common – school, hometown, interest, age, politics, or jobs. The club members are kind of “natural friends.” So those who have different perspectives, cultures, and experiences find it difficult to be part of it. But the church is different. By design, God created the church to be made up of “natural enemies” those we don’t naturally enjoy. D.A. Carson says, “Ideally… the church itself is not made up of natural friends. It is made up of natural enemies… Christians come together… because… they have all been loved by Jesus himself… They are a band of natural enemies who love one another for Jesus’ sake.”[6] If we are united because we are natural friends, we are not necessarily called “church.” But if we are united because we are family washed by the blood of Jesus Christ no matter what the differences, we are the church.

Living in God’s Household

As Pastor Rick Warren said, the local church is the classroom for learning how to get along in God’s family. It is a lab for practicing unselfish, sacrificial love.[7] Then, how can we learn Christ-centered real fellowship and practice Christ-like love in the church? This morning I have three practical suggestions for all of us. First, I exhort you to start attending one of our small group settings where you could actually learn how to watch over one another in love with natural enemies as well as natural friends (1 Cor 12:25). Only in regular contact with other imperfect Christian brothers and sisters, can we learn real fellowship. Probably today you have got a bulletin insert regarding the small group ministry. During the Minute for Mission time, we will take a moment to go over this survey together. Secondly, I exhort us as a church to practice accountable mentoring relationships. Particularly, I exhort us to practice a three-year term leadership in our committees. Here is how it works: If you become a chairperson of the committee, you would find another younger or newer guy and have him or her under you. For three years you teach that person, work with that person and prepare that person to be equipped as a next leader. This is exactly what Jesus did. Jesus did many different things for his three years of public ministry. But above all else, Jesus spent much time on his twelve disciples. For three years he did teach them, train them, empower them, and prepare them. And after three years, he said to them, “Go out and make disciples! And now you teach them to do the same thing” (Matt 28:19-20). As we practice mentoring relationships in our church, we will move from mere tolerance to love and unity. Thirdly, I exhort us to express our genuine gratitude toward one another. 1 Corinthians 12:26 says, “If one part of the body suffers, all the other parts suffer with it. Or if one part of our body is honored, all the other parts share its honor” (NCV). We are all connected as the body of Christ. We suffer together. We rejoice together. So this week write a thank-you note to at least one person whom you are grateful for but didn’t have a chance to express your gratitude. Let that person know that you truly appreciate it. This is an act of affirmation that we are connected one another.

The church is a community of shared destiny through and in Jesus Christ. When we look on the person next to us, let us remember this: We will be eternally united with that person in Jesus Christ.[8] The church can be sometimes messy, but we always have hope because Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end of the church. So let us be encouraged by Paul’s words: “And so I am sure that God, who began this good work in you (the church!), will carry it on until it is finished on the Day of Christ Jesus” (Php 1:6). Amen.

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[1] Barbara Brown Taylor, Leaving Church (HarperCollins, 2012), 108.

[2] Ibid., 114.

[3] Ibid., 227.

[4] Scott Sauls, Jesus Outside the Lines: A Way Forward for Those Who Are Tired of Taking Sides (Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2015), 42.

[5] Ibid., 50.

[6] Ibid. 54.

[7] Rick Warren, “Can You Learn to Love like Jesus?” (July 4, 2015), Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope, http://pastorrick.com/devotional/english/can-you-learn-to-love-like-jesus

[8] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2015), Kindle Location 309 of 1827.