Christmas Carol Sing Along, 2009

2009-12-27T12:35:33-05:00

Christmas Carol Sing Along, 2009

2009-12-27T12:35:03-05:00

Christmas Carol Sing Along, 2009

2009-12-27T12:34:34-05:00

Christmas Carol Sing Along, 2009

2009-12-27T12:33:57-05:00

Rethink Church Leadership Seminar 2009

2009-10-21T17:11:14-04:00

Rethink Church Leadership Seminar 2009

2009-10-21T17:10:38-04:00

Rethink Church Leadership Seminar 2009

2009-10-21T17:09:21-04:00

White Sunday 2009

2009-10-16T17:37:00-04:00

White Sunday 2009

2009-10-16T17:36:34-04:00

White Sunday 2009

2009-10-16T17:36:11-04:00

White Sunday 2009

2009-10-16T17:35:40-04:00

White Sunday 2009

2009-10-16T17:35:14-04:00

White Sunday 2009

2009-10-16T17:34:48-04:00

White Sunday 2009

2009-10-16T17:34:19-04:00

Rethink Church (6): From Inside to Outside

2009-10-11T13:36:00-04:00

Rethink Church (6): From Inside to Outside
Mark 10:17-31 (October 11, 2009)

As Jesus was walking down a road, a man ran up to him. He knelt down, and asked, “Good teacher, what can I do to have eternal life?” Jesus replied, “Why do you call me good? Only God is good. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder. Be faithful in marriage. Do not steal. Do not tell lies about others. Do not cheat. Respect your father and mother.’” The man gladly answered, “Teacher, I have obeyed all these commandments since I was a young man.” Jesus looked closely at the man. He liked him and said, “Is that so? Then, there’s one thing you still need to do. Go sell everything you own. Give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come with me.” When the man heard Jesus say this, he was greatly disappointed and went away gloomy and sad. He went away from Jesus because he couldn’t give up his wealth.

When Jesus saw the rich man going away, he looked around and said to his disciples, “It’s hard for rich people to get into God’s kingdom!” The disciples were shocked to hear this. But Jesus continued surprising them by saying, “It’s terribly hard to get into God’s kingdom! In fact, it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into God’s kingdom.” The disciples were even more amazed and asked each other, “How can anyone ever be saved?” Jesus found them in trouble and said, “There are some things that people cannot do, but God can do anything.”

At that time Peter replied, “Sir, remember, we left everything to be your followers! Then how about us?” Jesus answered him: “You can be sure that anyone who gives up home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or land for me and for the good news will be rewarded. In this world they will be given a hundred times as many houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and pieces of land, though they will also be mistreated. And in the world to come, they will have eternal life. But many who are now first will be last, and many who are now last will be first.”

Last week I meditated on today’s story, especially on verses 28-31, and I learned what kind of attitude I should have to build church.

When we call church, we call it “my church” or “our church,” but in fact we are supposed to call it “the Lord’s church” or “God’s kingdom.” The church belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ and his kingdom is expanding on earth. In the same manner, therefore, when we call the church members, we are supposed to call them “the Lord’s People” or “the people of God’s kingdom.”

When we think church, first of all, we should have the correct understanding of church. When we develop its concept in the correct way, we can truly participate in building a church in the right manner. When we properly redefine its concept, we can no longer be boxed up in a local church but extend our service to other churches and other faith communities. When we correctly understand the basic concept of church, we can bring our heart and service from inside to outside.

There are so many Christians who are locked up inside of a local church. They put all their hearts into a local church where their membership is. They love their local church more than anything else, so they give all their hearts into it. Of course, all Christians are supposed to be concerned with the local church where they attend and care for the matters of the church. They are supposed to be interested and care for the members of the local church as they are and do for their own family.

However, there is one thing we should worry about. When we are great on and care for our local church, there is a great danger waiting for us. That danger is to keep us inside. Of course, it is very natural that when we are concerned and care for a person or a thing, we are automatically attached to the person or the thing. But the problem beyond is that if we are attached to a local church, we tend to become blind to the happenings and the people in the community and in the world.

This kind of tendency could easily happen to those who dedicate themselves to a local church. They tend to miss the church association events because of the busy schedule of a local church. They hardly pay attention to the happenings in the local community and in the globe. Of course, personally I admire their great concern and passion for the local church. But what they are forgetting is that their local community and the world need their concern, sacrifice and love as much as the local church does.

In the majority of cases, those who are concerned and dedicated to the church are willing to participate in the church meeting. And most agendas they discuss in a meeting are about the inside matters of a local church such as church yard maintenance, roof repair and so on. Much more important matters in the local community or the world are hardly discussed in their church meeting. Even though outside matters are brought into the meeting, they are scheduled to be discussed at the end. Then how would such a church understand and fulfill the great commission of Jesus: “[Y]ou will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”?

So many faithful Christians are kept indoors. So many dedicated believers tend to ignore the local community and the world because of their unstoppable hearts for their church. When I meet those Christians, on one hand I admire them, and on the other hand I feel so sorry for them. So I want to challenge those ones to think about the following statement of Jesus: “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matt. 15:14-16. NIV)

We have to rethink church! If we are like those people who are greatly concerned and dedicated to the local church, we need to take time to rethink doing church. We should rethink church as “the Lord’s church,” “God’s church” and “the kingdom of God” instead of as “my church” or “our church.” When we think on the members, we better consider them as “the Lord’s people,” “God’s people” or “the people of God’s kingdom” instead of “my church members.” When we do so, we will prevent ourselves from being locked up inside.

According to Acts 8, the Jerusalem Church was rapidly growing but the Spirit of the Lord scattered the members all over by using great persecutions. All of the Lord’s followers, except the apostles, were scattered everywhere in Judea and Samaria. Then why did the Spirit of God scatter the members of a healthy church all over? Verse 4 reveals the answer: “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.” Yes. That’s the way the Lord sent them to preach not only to Jerusalem but also all over the world. If a church doesn’t go out but stays inside, the Spirit of God forces the church to be scattered to be witness in the world.

According to Acts 11, now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, preaching the message (vs 19). The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord after they had heard from the Christian witnesses. This surprising news reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and the apostles sent Barnabas to Antioch to help the new thriving church. On the other hand, Barnabas arrived and encouraged the members at Antioch to grow in faith and as a result the church grew more than ever. However, when Barnabas realized the limit of his ability to take care of God’s church alone, he went to Tarsus and brought Saul to Antioch. Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The church grew not only in number but also in faith and character. The members of the church were called “Christians” (which means “People who are Christlike”) by the people outside (Acts 11:26).

Because of the two great leaders, the church at Antioch continued growing. Meanwhile, the Spirit of the Lord gave a special order to the church who were worshipping the Lord and fasting: “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” (Acts 13:2) What did he mean by that? The Spirit asked the church at Antioch to separate Barnabas and Saul, the great leaders of the church, and send them out to spread the Good News in the gentile world. After having heard this order, the church at Antioch had fasted and prayed hard and they placed their hands on the great leaders and sent them off.

Barnabas, Saul and other leaders devoted themselves to the church at Antioch, but at the same time, they’d never misunderstood what the church was. The church was not their church but the Lord’s. So when they were ordered by the Spirit, they prayed in fasting and gladly obeyed the Spirit of the Lord.

John Wesley loved church and sacrificed himself for church more than any others. However, he’d never thought the church to be his own church. “The world is my parish.” This statement clearly tells what understanding of church he had in mind. We are the descendents of John Wesley in faith. Therefore, when we are concerned and do our best to meet the need of our local church, at the same time we should not forget the Wesleyan understanding of church. Olive UMC is not only our parish but the local community and the world to take care of as well.

Then how can we avoid ourselves from being locked up inside while we are concerned and do our best to serve a local church? I believe the secret is found in verses 29 and 30 of today’s text: “I tell you the truth. No one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields--and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.”

The purpose of our concern and care for the local church is “for the Lord and the Gospel.” Our heart is for spreading the Lord and his Gospel to the community and to the world through the local church. We don’t make an effort to build up our own church. All we work for is bringing Jesus and his Gospel to more people. Here we better pay attention to what Jesus promised the disciples: “No one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields--and with them, persecutions).” How do you understand his saying of “a hundred times as much (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields)”? I understand it this way: They indicate the church or the kingdom of God that is established on earth. The Lord promised to entrust his church to those who are willing to give up themselves and all their possession for the sake of the Lord and the Gospel.

By the way, what is your understanding of the following words of Jesus: “But many who are first will be last, and the last first”? I understand it as follows: If we lose the original intention, if we lose the first love, and if we lose the first goal, we will be last even if we’d believed first and even if we’d sacrificed ourselves to the church. Regretfully there are so many who are doing church diligently but forgetting the great commission: to deliver the Lord and the Gospel to the people in the community and in the world. After they were converted to Jesus Christ, they were full of passion for the Lord and the Gospel and started to serve in a local church. However, as time passed, they were attached to a local church and gradually lost their heart to be witness in the community and in the world. As a result, they are boxed up inside. They were first but became last.

We have to rethink church! The church exists for the Lord and the Gospel. The church works to witness Jesus Christ to the community and to the world. We as a church are gathering together to bring the people in our community the Lord and the Gospel. We are not here to increase our church membership. We are not here to beautify our church building. Therefore, our prayers, services and meetings must be made not only for the business of a local church but for the matters of the people in the community and in the world as well.

Rethink Church! This campaign challenges us to come out of a local church and to be able to serve in the local and global communities. The local church is not the final destination for us to invest all our heart and energy. It is like a training camp that educates and recharges us and sends us out to serve the community outside. The place where our heart and service are in need the most is not a local church but the community outside. The world is our parish. We are called to be the salt and the light of the world, so that we can let our light shine before all men and women and that they may see our good deeds and praise our Father in heaven.

Olive United Methodist Church

Christmas Carol Sing Along, 2009

Christmas Carol Sing Along, 2009

Christmas Carol Sing Along, 2009

Christmas Carol Sing Along, 2009

Rethink Church Leadership Seminar 2009

Rethink Church Leadership Seminar 2009

Rethink Church Leadership Seminar 2009

White Sunday 2009

White Sunday 2009

White Sunday 2009

White Sunday 2009

White Sunday 2009

White Sunday 2009

White Sunday 2009

Rethink Church (6): From Inside to Outside