Fall in 2009

This is our staff and students for the school of Biblical Studies in 2009-10. It is so awesome to see that they are so hooked to studying the words of God!

After coming back from Korea, I worked only half time with the school since I needed to take some break after my surgery.
I have taught the book of Acts in the school and done some coaching and grading during this fall term, as well as helping with the preparation for the 2nd and 3rd term of SBS. Other than that, I have tried to take good care of myself to get better soon. But I have realized that something just takes some time.

Sarah(one of SBS staff; she is on the picture below)'s grand parents offered me to rejuvenate myself at their Villa Apertin for a couple of weeks. It was a great blessing time!
















Eunkyung and myself had a birthday dinner served together by wonderful friends since our birthday was just one day apart from each other.

I was so blessed by many people who remembered my birthday and have blessed me in many different ways while I wasn't really remembering the exact day.

The biggest birthday gift for this year is from God, taking an IBC in Kona, which I explained a bit more about it in detail on my previous blog.

Wondeful gift!!!

All I can say is “Thank You Lord”.

He has given me a wonderful gift to me, which I couldn’t even take it with a great joy at first because it was just beyond my ability to comprehend or handle. So I have struggled for about 2months to take it for myself.

About a bit more than 2months ago, It seemed that He was pointing me to do an IBC (Introduction of Biblical Counseling) in Hawaii as saying that it is a time ‘to wash my feet’. He told me to wash others’ feet about 6-7years ago, which means serving others as Jesus’ example.

When I didn’t know how much it would cost for doing an IBC in Hawaii for 3months, I was delighted in this idea. However, I started doubting and struggling in this idea as soon as I knew how much it would cost. I guess that it isn't too expensive for some people in the world, but it is definitely too much for a missionary like me. I have tried to run away from this idea and even dropped the idea to go until a week ago, even if He has given me so many confirmations and help to be able to go to Hawaii.

It was the day after my birthday last week that I knew that I had to pick it up again because my application to do the school got through and got accepted by the school, even if I haven’t finished completing the application, which I told Him that I would go if it happens like that.

I still don’t feel like shouting in a great joy because I am going to Hawaii to do the school in spite of How God has been showing me that He has been taking care of me in this. Maybe it is a too big present for me to get what it is, so it might be taking some time for me to get it as a gift from God.

Nonetheless, I know that it is definitely a gift from Him who desires to pour out His love on me. So I know that I should act on receiving this gift. I can finally say that I am going to Hawaii to do this IBC in January 2010.

This is a just perfect timing to see and meditate on that The Gift of GOD and from God, JESUS, is something like that it is really difficult to receive as a free gift to us because it is just too big to get what it means or is to us. YES! Jesus is The greatest gift in the world to everyone who receives!! So, all I can say now is “Thank you God for all your generosity and wonderful loving acts”.

I would like to ask you to join me in this prayer;

Oh Lord, I pray that everyone on the earth would recognize more of Your Name, JESUS, on your Birthday, this Christmas, than the name of Santa clause or something else. I pray that people would meditate on the meaning of true gift on the Christmas day as they share presents and blessings to their family and friends.

And I would also like to pray for those who don’t have a warm family, friends, and money to celebrate this day. Let them find YOU and receive YOU as the greatest gift in their life.

Wondering about spiritual warfare?

3 Crucial questions about Spiritual Warfare by Clinton E. Arnold.

I have just finished reading this book and felt that this book should be read by many other Christians since it has helped me greatly in getting better understanding about spiritual warfare area and it seems very sounded and balanced in his argument.
The writer of this book is trying to answer to 3 questions based on thorough biblical search and early church history.

The questions dealt on this book are below:
1. What is spiritual warfare?
2. Can a Christian be demon-possessed?
3. Are we called to engage territorial spirits?

One thing that I especially like about the way he approaches in his book is that he strives for unity in a body of Christ.
I would like to quote a part of his book here:
"My prayer is that mission boards and churches will keep this issue in proper perspective and not sever relationships over this issue. My hope would also be that the overzealous would recognize that there is little biblical, theological, or historical support for direct engagement with the so-called territorial spirits and that they would modify their practices accordingly. I would also hope that skeptical and complacent believers would recognize that the Christian life is a supernatural struggle that can only be lived by the power of the Spirit of God. This is particularly true when we endeavor to obey Christ by reaching out to the lost."

The Lord's supper in 1Corinthians 11

ESV;
1Co 11:20 When you come together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat.
1Co 11:21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk.
1Co 11:22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.
1Co 11:23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread,
1Co 11:24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me."
1Co 11:25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."
1Co 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
1Co 11:27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.
1Co 11:28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
1Co 11:29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.

This passage is often used for communion ceremony in the churches, which I have been told that I had to not take this if my heart is unworthy, but I didn't know what the meaning of unworthy is exactly. I always had to check my heart if I had a doubt or unbelief in my heart about Jesus or if I have ever sinned unconsciously.

Joel Roth from Switzerland has just taught today about this passage in our class. As he looked through the context of it, I could see what Paul is really saying when he mentioned about an unworthy manner. 1Co 11:21-22 shows that there was some problem when they got together in their eating and drinking manner, which some of them got much while some of them got hungry. Paul's expression toward this manner was somewhat emotional to me when I look at the verse 22. Maybe his emotion expression almost came out of godly anger?
In this context, the body in verse 29 seems the body of Christ, church to me. So it seems that Paul strongly warns the church to look after each other. It is not too strange if I think about their culture at that time, since many people in the 1st century were influenced by the philosophical thought that the poor and rich were destined to be like that.
One of main themes of 1Corinthians is doing everything in love.

I thought that it was so refreshing to look at the Lord's supper in the right context.
Maybe I should start checking the body of Christ, members of the church if they are doing well a bit more than checking my heart too much.