Going Against the Grain

Jesus can save people with uncertain future but not unbelieving people. Do not let your uncertainty...

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 01:22:55 -0700

Jesus can save people with uncertain future but not unbelieving people.

Do not let your uncertainty become unbelief.

우리가 싸우는 이유는 세상을 바꾸려는 것이 아니라, 세상이 우리를 바꾸지 못하게 하려는 것이다.The reason we fight is not to change the world...

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 11:54:48 -0800

우리가 싸우는 이유는 세상을 바꾸려는 것이 아니라, 세상이 우리를 바꾸지 못하게 하려는 것이다.
The reason we fight is not to change the world but we fight not to be changed by it.

Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

God Is God

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 15:41:00 -0800

God is God even when He doesn’t make sense to us.

Most of the time we are reaping the harvest of sins we have sown since the beginning of history. We cannot blame God for the consequence of our own evil.

Can you trust God when you are afflicted with great pain and sorrow? When life’s tragedy hits, when you’re betrayed and rejected, when you cannot find a reason? Can you trust God even when standing next to God seems so unpopular to the world? YES, YES, YES! God is absolutely trustworthy and true.

Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him. (psalms 32:10)

The truth of God’s word is not dependent upon our experience.

Truths we must believe:

1. God is completely sovereign.

2. God is infinite in wisdom.

3. God is perfect in love.

God is God and we are not. Let Him be God.

Will you be ready when persecution comes in America? Many will...

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 15:46:00 -0800

Will you be ready when persecution comes in America? Many will abandon their faith then. Only the persecution of the church will sort out the real ones from the fake ones.

²⁹“‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’” (Matthew 13)

Who is leading you?

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 12:44:40 -0700

Some people say that it’s not about speed but direction, meaning it’s not important how fast you’re going but where you’re headed. We are all anxious to find the right college major, the right person to marry, the right job to land on. When we do not know the destination it causes us stress and anxiety in our soul.

But Bible teaches us otherwise. The scripture says, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

It’s not about direction but who is leading you. You cannot make direction your idol. You don’t really need to know the direction as long as you know the one who is directing you. As long as you know that the Lord is your shepherd leading you, you can rest assured that you will arrive at green pastures and quiet waters.

¹The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
² He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
³ he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
⁴Even though I walkthrough the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Psalm 23

Colorado Theater Massacre (The Dark Knight Rises)

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 10:13:00 -0700

Colorado theater massacre

(CNN) — A heavily armed gunman attacked an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater early Friday, tossing tear gas before opening fire on the terrified audience and killing 12 and wounding 38, authorities said. The theater was showing the new Batman movie, “The Dark Knight Rises.”

I wake up to this chilling news this morning and I send a quick prayer for those who are directly affected by this tragedy last night. Whenever these senseless acts of evil are witnessed we begin to wonder if evil has triumphed over this world. But we have to turn to the words Jesus spoke when disciples asked, ““when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

¹²Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, ¹³but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. ¹⁴And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24)

Jesus told us that there will be an increase of wickedness in the world as the end draws near. But He encourages us to stand firm in God’s word to the end. As we see more and more acts of evil and violence our job is to continue to preach the hope of the gospel to all people and nations. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus Christ who has already overcome this world.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Loving God of the Bible

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 11:18:00 -0700

Most people say that they believe in God. (Atheists only represent about 3 to 5 percent of the population) And some of them even say that they ‘love’ God.

But they don’t really love God, they just love their own ideas about God. People love the God outside of the Bible or God of selected parts of the Bible. People have made up their crooked ideas of God whom they have created for their convenience.

God created us. We do not create God. How can a god you’ve created save you?

IF you don’t love the God of the Bible, then you don’t love God at all. Jesus clearly said, “If you love me, keep my commands.” (John 14:15) “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.” (John 14:23)

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

2 Timothy 4:3

Photo

Thu, 24 May 2012 01:05:38 -0700

I call this the tragedy of American dream. This is so sad. and...

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 12:02:18 -0700

I call this the tragedy of American dream.

This is so sad. and if you’re reading the article and wishing you could be like him, I feel sad for you, too. I just read this article on Most popular stories right now on CNN this morning and I just had to share it.

http://money.cnn.com/2012/04/20/pf/expert/saving-vs-spending.moneymag/

This person worked hard his 39 years so he can finally ‘live it up’ for pleasure and comfort. He needs Gospel. He needs to read the Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:13-21)

[16] And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. [17] He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

[18] “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. [19] And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ‘

[20] “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

[21] “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”

Oh Lord, save us from pursuing American dream!

Battling Against Thoughts of Lust and Temptation

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 11:06:17 -0700

I heard someone once said, “You cannot stop the birds from flying over you but you can stop them from nesting over your head.” Thoughts of temptation will always come but we don’t have to dwell on those thoughts which leads to sin.

“I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.” (1 Peter 2:11)

“Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” (1 Peter 2:22)

What Does Paul Mean: “Christ Will Reconcile to Himself All Things”?

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 09:20:59 -0700

What Does Paul Mean: “Christ Will Reconcile to Himself All Things”?

Beware of False Prophets and Teachers Four Fruits of False...

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 18:18:26 -0700

Beware of False Prophets and Teachers

Four Fruits of False Prophets:

Immorality
Greed & Glamor
Support other evil-doers
A cozy, judgment-free gospel

"Isaiah 51:6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish..."

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 21:05:31 -0700

“Isaiah 51:6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail.”

True Repentance

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 17:02:57 -0700

True repentance is not just confessing your sins but what you do afterwards.

A changed heart always leads to a changed behavior. Both are done by grace in transforming power of Holy Spirit. We must go all out repenting just as we go all out confessing our sins.

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James 2:17)

Difference Between a Son and an Orphan

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 12:09:11 -0800

Difference Between a Son and an Orphan

We are in this culture war in the States and Christians are...

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 09:41:44 -0800

We are in this culture war in the States and Christians are losing.

It will be just a matter of time when we can no longer preach against a sin, such as homosexuality, on a pulpit without getting fined or arrested by the government.

Pretty soon the teachers in public schools will be forced to teach homosexuality to our children as a normal behavior. In some states it’s already happening.

Gives and Takes Away

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:57:14 -0800

When we think of God giving and taking it away, we often think of God giving us His blessing and taking it away as He did with Abraham’s son Isaac. We read Job 1:21 and we sing it in the song “Blessed Be Your Name” by Matt Redman.

But I’m reading Genesis 8 today and it occurred to me that God also gives and takes away our punishment.

Genesis 8 ¹ But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded. ² Now the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens had been closed, and the rain had stopped falling from the sky. ³ The water receded steadily from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down.

God punished the men with flood for their wickedness. It rained and rained for 40 days to destroy all living things on this earth. But God later removed the water from ground and made it dry as God pushed the water back so Moses and Israelites can walk on the dry ground.

I praise God for not only God exercises His sovereignty by sometimes taking away good things in our lives but also pains and suffering as well. Ultimately Christ came to give us His righteousness and take away our punishment for sins.

Is It Christmas Day or NBA Day?

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 00:14:00 -0800

I myself, honestly, am excited to watch Kobe and D.Rose play basketball on TV this Christmas day. But I must wonder “Is that what Christmas has come down to now?”

As we forget about what Christmas day is all about we’ll be looking for anything to capture our bored minds. On Christmas day we’re bored from the scene of family gathering(if not family drama), playing video games, or playing with a newly purchased gadget.

We must remember why Christ came down to earth on Christmas day. Or at least think about that reason on this Christmas day before we grab a TV remote.

What has five heads, wears short pants and is a danger to your family? If you answered AC/DC, you would have been right, in 1980. But in 2011, the correct answer appears to be the NBA’s Christmas Day quintuple-header, five games from noon through midnight that few parents will relish playing in or coaching in or broadcasting.

Last year, Magic coach Stan Van Gundy memorably said: “I think the NBA is so important to Christmas that we really need to increase from five games to 10, and we need to start them at midnight on Christmas Eve and play them all through the day so there’s not a minute of Christmas Day when there’s not an NBA game on TV. Because it’s great. The NBA is Christmas … It’s what it’s all about.”

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/steve_rushin/12/20/nba.christmas/index.html#ixzz1hR6RlSD0

Why We Evangelize

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 13:13:03 -0800

We are like the medieval people who thought the earth was the center of the universe. They were wrong, and so are we. We think we are the center of the universe, and God and Jesus Christ and the angels all revolve around us. Heaven is for us; everything is for our benefit.

We are wrong. God is the center. We must change our center of gravity. He is the sun, and we revolve around Him.

But it is very hard to change. Even our motivation for evangelism is man-centered. I remember hearing many times in Bible school, “Oh, students, look at the lost souls. They are perishing. The poor people are going to hell. Each time the clock strikes, another 5,822.5 persons go to hell. Are you not sorry for them?” And we wept. We said, “Poor people! Let’s go and save them.” You see, we went not for Jesus’ sake, but for lost souls’ sake.

That may look nice, but it’s wrong, because everything must be Christ-motivated. We do not preach to lost souls because they are lost. We go to extend the Kingdom of God because God says so, and He is the Lord.

(Juan Carlos Ortiz)

Blind Faith and Matter of Doubts

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:52:27 -0700

There is no such thing as blind faith. Blind faith is not same as leap of faith. Leap of faith requires ‘seeing’.
Bible says
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1 KJV)

The Greek word for substance is hupostasis: underlying (hupo) state (stasis)of a thing. The English word “substance” can be broken down to: sub (under) and stance (stand ). Substance is that which stands under a thing. Faith is the understanding of things hoped for. Faith is seeing of things not seen.

Now you cannot see of things not seen by just blind-folding yourself and ignoring all doubts aside. If you have never struggled and wrestled with your belief but just blindly accepted it for whatever reason, that belief cannot withstand real storms in life. We have to keep asking questions about our understanding of God and his ways. Doubts are not always bad as long as you doubt to believe. Doubt has a purpose if done right. Some people will doubt only to not believe and they become skeptics. But when you doubt in order to believe, your faith will be solidified when you do believe.

“Only if you struggle long and hard with objections to your faith will you be able to provide grounds for your beliefs to skeptics, including yourself.” (The Reason for God, Tim Keller)

Faith is acknowledging my doubts and inability to comprehend and also acknowledging that what God says in scriptures is true. Faith is saying, “I am not but God, you’re able.” It is the faith that comes by hearing the Word of God, the faith that believes the promises of God. Faith is not our wishes floating in the air but true faith must have a ground to stand on. As Christians we must place our faith on the solid ground of fact that Jesus loves us and He died and resurrected.