Rooftop Church: Recent Episodes
Rooftop Church
Joshua 12:7-24
What is your inheritance? Do you know what it is that God has prepared for you? The certainty of inheritance radically changes the way we live. The certainty of the future reward impacts how face today and tomorrow. Going through the Israelites’ journey of receiving their allotment of the promise land greatly encourages us to cling to God’s promises for us. We also learn that God allots different portions for different people. We’re to be content and trust in what God has provisioned for us.
Jonah 3:1-5
What are we thankful for? I’m thankful that our God is a God of second chances. In His abundant grace and mercy, you and I are called to live a life that is worthy of His redemptive love. On this Thanksgiving Sunday, we journey through the story of Jonah and learn what it means to properly respond to the God of second chances.
Joshua 10:6-13
Today, we want to talk about the importance of fighting from faith. We often see God move in response to bold faith to change impossible situations. Joshua acted upon God’s promises, and he prayed for God to do the unthinkable, the impossible. We are encouraged to have faith like Joshua and be bold.
It's Not About You (Matthew 22:36--40) Today we focus on “the Greatest Commandment” given by Jesus—loving God and loving others. It’s not about us, and it’s never been about us. The point of our worship, labor, and faithful living isn’t for ourselves. The greatest commandment must infiltrate deeply into who we are as Christians both individually and corporately. It’s NOT about us.
Importance of Your Heart
10/13/2024
Pastor Scott Oh
Joshua and the Israelites mess up big time. A man named Achan was found disobeying God’s orders puts the entire camp at danger. One man’s sin leads to the entire nation’s defeat. Today, we explore the idea of sin, or “messing up”, in relation to God’s work being done. Can our actions prevent us from walking into God’s promises? What is the importance of good character? We learn that the heart of the matter is the matter of the heart.
Joshua and the Israelites finally arrive at the front of the wall of Jericho. It is a wall that seems impossible to fall down. But God's promise was to hand Jericho to Joshua. Today, we are going to explore how God has been working and His masterplan to keep the promise that God made with Joshua.
In Joshua chapter4, Joshua and the Israelites have finally crossed the Jordan River. Now, God commands that 12 stones (representing the 12 tribes of Israel) to be picked up from the middle of the Jordan River and to make a memorial so they can remember what God has done for them; the story of their crossing shall be passed onto the future generations. Today, we learn the importance of remembering—what are we to do with the significant events of our lives? How does remembering impact our faith journey?
Rooftop Live Service 9/15/2024
The Anointing of God
Jesus was born of the Spirit at his incarnation and was anointed with the power of the Holy Spirit at his baptism. This same power for ministry is available for all believers
Dr. Micah Klausman
Today, we begin our journey through the book of Joshua. The Israelites are about to end the 4 decades of wandering in the wilderness and finally enter the promise land. Their great leader Moses has passed away, and God has called Joshua to emerge as the new leader. We see the importance of going where God is calling to go, and doing what God commands us to do.
1 Samuel 1:1-11
In honoring Mother’s Day, we lean into the story of Hannah where she displays incredible strength during her journey of motherhood. Not only mothers, but all of God’s people can glean from Hannah’s perseverance, faith, obedience and worship. For those that are weary of waiting or simply struggling to discern what God’s plans are for them can be encouraged and instructed to walk on the path of faith and favor.
Sermon 04-28-2024
As we continue on the theme of God’s grace and love, we take a closer look at how God loves. We want to be firm in the truth of His love for us. Zephaniah 3 speaks paints a picture of how uniquely personal and powerful God’s love is. We need to not only know in our heads, but to know and experience in our hearts as well.
Sermon 4/21/2024
We continue on the theme of love; last week, we spoke of love that bears, that waits, that forgives… this week, we will look into a love that sees beyond the visible, the current. God loves us for who we are in HIS sight not in our own sight; and His sight includes foresight.
Pastor Scott Oh
Romans 3:21-26
Of all characteristics of our God, is there any more powerful/meaningful than His grace? We are drawn mostly to His unfailing grace. When we are at our worst, he meets us with His absolute best. He waits for us; He scolds us not, He condemns us not. He reminds us that we are unworthy not worthless. As He shares His forbearing love with us, so we move toward others with the same love.
Matthew 21:1-11
On this Palm Sunday, we look in to the scene where Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem where brokenness and despair ruled. He signaled the new heavenly rule—not of earthly power or brute force but He came declaring peace riding on a donkey. People sang praises unto Him, and declared Him as their Lord. What will you do today? Will you declare Jesus Christ as your king?
Evangelism is motivated by love, and love grows out of thankfulness. How can we become more thankful for the Gospel over time?
Forgiveness & Reconciliation Part 2 (Ephesians 4:31-32)
Pastor Scott Oh
Forgiveness & Reconciliation Part 2 (Ephesians 4:31-32)
Summary:
Following up on our talk of Grief & Loss, we discern the path of forgiveness & reconciliation. What role does forgiveness play in our grief process? We want to understand how Christians are called to understand and practice forgiveness. We are called to intentionally release the feelings of anger, hatred, and bitterness towards those that have wronged us. A step further, Christian forgiveness aims for reconciliation and isn’t a merely a private emotional strategy.
Forgiveness & Reconciliation Part 1 (Ephesians 4:31-32)
Pastor Scott Oh Visit us at www.rooftopchurch.com
Forgiveness & Reconciliation
(Ephesians 4:31-32)
Today, we approach the difficult topic of grief and loss. We all experience heartache and anguish over losing someone that is dear to us. It is not just losses of lives but also cherished relationships that take us to places where we are left disoriented and despondent. While embracing that grieving may never end, we want to learn what it means to navigate through grief and loss with our faith in God.
The Prodigal Son is one of the most famous parables that Jesus shares in the Bible. A lot of us are familiar with the story of the younger son, who returned home from living a reckless life. But today, we are going to focus on the older brother, who lived under the love of his father, yet failed to experience that love in his life. We are going to compare ourselves with this older son and see what we can learn from his broken life.
Our focus for this year is being Gospel-Centered. The goal is twofold: (1) experience the Gospel for ourselves. (2) Be involved in others experiencing God in the same way. In Luke 6, we see a man who lived with pain and shame all of his life being completely restored by the power of Jesus. We seek for the impact of Jesus Christ to empower us and release us to ministering with Him.
Paul had a singular passion in his life—as the good news of Jesus Christ transformed him, he dedicated his life to share that same news with as many people as possible. His unceasing passion to preach and share Christ is what we have been called for as well. In 2024, we commit to encounter and proclaim Jesus Christ.
Ruth 4:13-22
The book of Ruth opens up with a woman who has lost everything—her husband and her two sons. She was dirt poor and had no hope of any significance for the rest of her life. However, her tumultuous journey was but a backdrop for God’s amazing plan—her futility was merely an impetus to her glory. For our final time in the book of Ruth, we learn that pain is never the final word for God’s people; and God will do far greater things through us than we could ever imagine.
Text: Ruth 4:1-6
Summary:
Boaz’s demonstration of his love for Ruth is at its peak as he is seen redeeming the land, belong to Ruth’s family, that was about to disappear. Boaz, not only pays the price for the land, but he’s seen assuming the responsibility of caring for Ruth. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ—He rescues us from our debt, He restores us onto the Father’s inheritance, He gives us a new identity that is no longer of shame and pity but of honor and power. Today, we see the redeeming power of Jesus through the story of Boaz & Ruth.
Just how crucial is thanksgiving? What happens if we do not give thanks to God? What does ingratitude look like? How does ingratitude manifest itself in our life with God? Today, we lean in to Paul's letter to the church in Rome as we caution ourselves that we should give thanks as often as we can.
Pastor Scott Oh
Text: Ruth 2:22-3:5
Summary:
No one can succeed by journeying alone. We all need sages who are committed to guiding us in making decisions that ultimately lead us onto the path of pursuing God. Receiving guidance and direction require us to be humble and fully trusting in God as He sends us some people to speak on His behalf. Today, we lean closely in to the relationship between Ruth and Naomi and see how they rely on each other in their journey of faith.
Ruth 2
God is free and able to do all that he wills. Yet, what does this mean for us? How are we to respond to God’s sovereignty? How does God’s sovereignty propel our faith and actions in everyday life?
Ruth 1:1-6
Today, we embark on a new study in the book of Ruth. As we join in on the powerful journey of Ruth, we pray to see and experience God’s providence among the calamities and the sorrows of life. For our first talk, we confront our hunger by bravely leaving the place of familiarity to journey together with God. Also, we declare Rooftop to be the house of God’s presence.
Isaiah 40:29-31
Many Christians go through seasons of pain and suffering. In those moments of despair, it is so easy to give up and walk away from our faith. Today, we learn the importance of waiting (or enduring) as it leads us to strengthening of our faith. We also explore the meaning of "goodness" as what we perceive as good may not be perceived the same by God
Too often in life, we don’t take sin seriously. We know we shouldn’t do it, but we wouldn’t take the stance that Jesus took. Sin is more that something we do; it affects and shapes our families, communities, and nation. Therefore, Jesus, seeing the potential impact, confronts and properly corrects how we should view sin.
Today, we will look into the virtue of humility. Humility (meekness) is such an attractive quality in dealing with others. There is something profoundly powerful about it as it captures our hearts and we gravitate towards those who are humble. Being meek is not weak; meekness isn't passivity; meekness is trusting in the Lord's provision where He preserves His justice and righteousness.
Pastor Scott Oh
Many today do not want to be totally committed to Jesus because it demands too much of them. Following Him wholeheartedly causes much inconvenience to us. As human beings, we are magnetized to comfort and ease. What has God called us to do? How does God work in/through our lives? Inconvenience is what God demands of us, if we do not embrace it, it will be a spiritual peril to us.
Matthew 14:22-36
“Walking on water” is kind of the picture of doing something I cannot do on my own unless God gives me the power to do it. This means that, in following Jesus, there is always going to be a choice between the comfort and the safety of the boat and the risk of getting out. Today, we want to be propelled to live according to faith. We want to address our fears as well as comfort in our own lives making sure that we get to experience “walking on the water”.
There is a gap between where we are now and where God has said we should/will be. We mustn’t forget His promises as we patiently wait for its fulfillment. Whatever obstacles lie ahead, we are called to look beyond them and courageously charge through. What do you see in your own life? Where is your Promise land? Are you there yet? What do you see now, and what are you willing to do to enter the promised land?
On this Father's Day, we reflect on the Father heart of God. As the most loving person and father we know of, He did not spare even His own son for us. In Paul's alluding of Abraham and Isaac, we wonder if we could love God above all else. It is a challenging, even a frightening thought to do what God demonstrated for us. We seek to answer some difficult questions as we have a clearer understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
John 15:12-17
On this Installation Sunday, we are reminded of God’s call for us to be an intimate community. Jesus’ relationship with his disciples revealed that he was much more than just a teacher to them. There was an invitation to a very intimate relationship as Jesus called them friends. Today, we reflect a bit about what it means to intimately care for those in our church community.
Following last week’s sermon on Faith & Money, we discuss more in details of Biblical giving. What does the Bible teach God’s people about giving towards God? In today’s sermon, we learn about tithes and offering—what it is, how and where we should give. Our unreserved giving will result in the unrestrained blessing from God.
Title: Faith & Money
Text: Matthew 6:19-24
Summary:
Money and our faith in God have long been intertwined as our attachment to money reveals a lot about our perspective and value of living life. Jesus’ teaching conveyed that our assurance (trust) should lie in Him and that we are motivated by things eternal than the things temporal. Also, we want to reflect our faith in the way we allocate our resources which we begin by being faithful in giving tithes and offering.
On this Mother’s Day, we see God as the Mother to the motherless. We all have experienced the feeling of loneliness, being misunderstood, and completely powerless to trek through life. The Bible describes God as someone who is stubbornly by our side and irrationally loving towards us. We want to make sure that we do not live outside of such love and care. Today, we caution ourselves against the orphan-spirit and be rooted in the transformative power of our Father.
Where is your crown? Who is your prize? Where is your joy that will allow you to pick up your cross? This is not a new message! Remember, that was what Jesus asked in his sermon! Put them up there where death and desire and time and rot cannot touch.
Speaker: David Kim
Jesus uses the most important social institution of the time to explain how his followers should see each other: as a family. In the first century Jewish culture, kinship ties were of utmost importance and loyalty, where people's identities revolved around their family. For us as Christians, the church is a family, which can be quite messy, but where we grow spiritually, find accountability, and offer authentic loyalty.
The resurrection of Christ highlights God’s power that reigns over all things including death. Death has a grip on us in such way that exposes our inability to combat or cope with it. The resurrection empowers us to no longer fear what is considered the end for man. It is imperative to understand while the cross signifies the atonement of our sins, it is the empty tomb that give us the ultimate victory over death and sin.
What we believe about sex is what we believe about God. In a chapter where Paul addresses sexual immorality of the Corinthians, he describes at length our need for understanding God’s intent of sex, and the dangers of having sex outside of marriage. Today, we explore this difficult, yet necessary, topic as we desire to pursue holiness.
Text: 1 Corinthians 7:32-35
In lieu of our miniseries on marriage, we want to focus on those who are single. We will learn that being single is not burdensome; it’s not a mere “sitting room” where you passively wait for marriage to happen. You have the greatest blessing and the call of “getting more” of Jesus. This call to be undividedly devoted to Jesus also applies for those that are married as we continue to celebrate and exemplify in marriage.
Gospel people are grateful people. Our gratitude is connected to our understanding of the Gospel. The more we see the riches and the depths of the Gospel, the more the practice of gratitude grows despite life's difficult circumstances. How does the Gospel make gratitude possible in all seasons of life: past, present, and future?
Proverbs 22:6
Today, we are launching a new ministry called Arches Ministry. During our talk, Pastor Scott and I will highlight the importance of family and how we want to support and grow with one another together. This is not exclusive to parents but should include married couples and even singles who someday hope to start a family of their own.
Our culture is addicted to excitement, passion, and risk, and this culture has crept into the spirituality of many Christians and churches. We long for ecstatic experiences with God and for the extraordinary. However, what the Lord desires for His church is to become a powerful presence through being faithful in the seemingly ordinary.
Title: Radiant Face
Text: Exodus 34:29-35
Summary:
We learned last week that we must first imitate Him if we are to make an impact worthy of our faith that truly reflects His love and grace. As we understand the importance of us first being impacted by God, we lean into the story of Moses when He encountered God’s glory. Our own encounters with God are evidenced in our radiant faces. Are we willing to climb the mountain? Are we willing to consecrate ourselves?
Philippians 3:13-14
We want to properly usher in the year 2023. Today, we commit to release the past, ready the present, and reach for what is ahead of us. At the same time, we remind ourselves that we live for eternity.
Luke 2:8-14
On this Christmas Sunday, we worship together with our children. As Jesus is the ultimate gift to us—God made a special provision that we did not deserve but we absolutely needed. So what do you do with such an amazing gift? Today, we learn the proper response to God’s amazing gift to us.
What is the greatest enemy of spiritual life in our day? It isn’t immorality, corruption, or debauchery, rather, we are habitually too preoccupied to be still before God—to commune with Him and be continuously transformed by Him. Sadly, “we are distracting ourselves to spiritual oblivion.” Today, we explore the importance of the discipline (practice) of silence.
Title: Thanksgiving to Serving Gratitude not only leads to giving thanks but it also leads to serving. Today, we look into the story of Simon’s mother-in-law and what her response was when Jesus healed of her illness. Her gratitude led to serving. What can we do in the areas which we are thankful for? How can we further express our gratitude toward different relationships and circles which we belong to? Today, we go from thanksgiving to serving!
One of the characteristics of being a Christian is living a life of humility. The scripture promises that God shows His favor to those who live a humble life.
Today, we learn how to be humble and pray to God in humility through the experience that Solomon had in his early age as a king.
We continue to explore what it means to be an interdependent community. We learned last week that we are called to commune together as evident in Acts 2. Today, we study the importance of authentically close relationship that is Christ-centered. We ought to fight against superficiality and seek to go deeper. Today, we explore through 5 marks of intimacy that we should look and strive for at home and at church.
What defines a community? What does a God-centered, healthy community of faith look like? Today, we explore the meaning of interdependence—symbiotic relationship where the health of parties engaged are reliant on the participation (cooperation) of the others. Acts 2 church is a great model for us as we pray to be a community that is filled with the sense of awe as the Holy Spirit ministers to and through us.
We continue our talk on abide, life with God. Apostle John is quite descriptive in admonishing us that there is no life apart from Jesus. No grand affairs of our own will amount to anything significant if we aren’t found firmly rooted in Christ. Today, we explore the importance of spiritual rhythms that lead to vivacious faith life. It is time for us to reclaim intimacy with God that may have been lost during this Covid season.
The most faithful thing you can do for God and the most loving thing for others is to bring them to Jesus. Even greater than His desire to heal their problem, is to forgive their sin.
Today we conclude our Back to Basic series with the topic of worship. We'll be looking at a character in the Old Testament whose worship was not hindered despite the circumstances and attacks from Satan.
Today we continue in our Back to Basics series. We'll be focusing on the topic of prayer and gleaning from Jesus when He prayed in Gethsemane.
You can trust the Scripture because of how it was written, by whom, and why so read it and do what it says
Today, we install new members to our tribe. We are reminded of the vision and the mission that God has given to us. What is our goal as a church community? What are some marks which we should bear as members. We are more than just a place of gathering; we are committed to being impacted by God, simultaneously, we seek to make an impact (a difference) in the lives of others. We are no longer strangers, acquaintances, but we are now family. We shall now commit to grow this church together.
Jesus says that at His second coming, He’s going to sit on His glorious throne and gather all people before Him, and will separate them from one another. In other words, everyone will have to face Jesus on judgment day and give an account.
Last week, we talked about the importance of obedience in our relationship with God. Jesus often shared the same message to his followers—those who belong to Him, those who love Him, should obey His commandments. Jesus happened to release this call right before He proceeded to display the greatest act of love. Today, we learn that loving Jesus is not the same as keeping his commandments. Loving Him precedes and inspires us to keeping His commandments—we will not obey Him unless we believe Him. We cannot trust Him unless we love Him.
We start a new mini-series today on radical obedience. As one of the core values of Rooftop church, we see the importance (necessity) of not only understanding but living our relationship with God that is premised on obedience unto Him. Our tendency to disregard and not prioritize God’s commands for us was evident from the very beginning of humanity, and it is often the reason for our lostness even today. Today, we desire to move towards the life of greater trust in God and discover the joy of living a life of radical obedience unto Him.
All throughout the Bible, powerful (breakthrough) encounters with God have come when people were in helpless situations. They were often out of options, and they had to depend on God with everything. In those moments, they experience and come to know Him in ways that they would have never if not for the incredible need of Him. Unfortunately, many Christians have become so dependent and self-sufficient over time that God is no longer a necessity in our lives. Today, we talk about how we can combat the spirit of independence and learn to experience Him in a deeper, more intimate way.
We lean into the powerful story of Jesus restoring one of the most prominent figures in all of the Bible. Peter, as devoted as he was in following Jesus, his failure and fall were greater than the most of us. As Peter was distraught in guilt and shame, Jesus restores him in a powerful way. Why do we betray Him? And just how deep does His mercy run? What iniquity is there that His mercy and grace cannot cover? We long to be immersed in His restoring power today.
As we continue our series, “Renovation of the Heart”, we learn what it means to hunger after God. Through the story of a poor widow who gave all that she had in ministering to the Lord’s servant, she demonstrates incredible faith in believing that God can and will fill her. What is your response to God when He asks, “what shall I do for you?” We should consume more of God and hunger even more after Him.
We can all desire for something good. We can desire God to renovate our hearts. We can desire to God to move mightily in our lives. But desire will only get us so far, unless our desire leads us to be desperate enough to take action in encountering Jesus.
As we continue in the “Renovation of the Heart” series, we take a look in to Jesus’ indictment of the church in Ephesus. While the church exceled in many things, they failed to love God in the manner they first did. Through today’s sermon, we understand what loving God means, and we also repent of our selfish ways and return to doing what we used to do in our love for Christ.
We explore the similarities between money and God. As we strive to work hard and be financially stable (well-off), we can easily go wayward making money the center of our lives. Spiritual currency of trusting God rather than in financial wealth is what matters most to God (who provides everything for us / who is the giver of life).
“What does God desire from us?”—is it piety? Is it selfless devotion to mercy and justice? While there are different ways we can answer that question, today, we delve into the core of Jesus’ passion to live out His Father’s desires. He exclaimed that whatever He sees the Father do He does. We must be eager to know what the Father is doing, and commit to do all that He stirs us to do.
Are you tired? Are you weary? Feeling burnt out? Is your soul restless? We find in our passage today an invitation that Jesus gives to all those feeling this way to find rest for their weary souls.
Today is Membership Sunday. It’s a day where we welcome and install new members to our tribe. We also have the privilege of installing a new board member as well. I am reminded of how much I love my church. On this important day, we learn how God has called each one of us to belong to this community and He continues to encourage us to build this church together.
Peter shares a picture of what’s to come in the end. Here, Peter urges his audience to live with that in mind. Urgency, not apathy, is the way to approach our faith life living in this day and age. We are to be diligent to be found by Him in peace (shalom—wholeness), spotless and blameless. We live, looking forward to Christ’s return rather resisting and being found in great anxiety and fear
Peter delves into communicating the importance of God’s Word particularly in the era where there are so many false teachers leading God’s people astray. Peter encourages them in a hostile culture toward the truth of God’s Word. This is quite relevant for us in an age where there are so many voices that occupy and influence our minds. Christians should faithfully adhere to the task of reading and seeking the meaning of God’s Word.
With his death being imminent and the danger of false teachers looming, the Apostle Peter writes his second and final letter to fellow believers in Asia Minor. Today we look at the what and the why of this letter. Why did the Apostle Peter feel the need to write this letter? And what was it that he felt he needed to share with them before his death? What Peter had to share with the recipients of this letter then is still relevant and significant to believers reading this letter today.
Peter is just months away from his impending execution under the emperor Nero. In his second letter, he writes to encourage the believers concerning the faith Christ has provided them to continue long after he is gone. How? Peter reveals in this letter all that we need to live out our faith in Jesus Christ.
Today we are in the final chapter of 1 Peter. And in this final chapter, Apostle Peter shares some final exhortations to three groups of people: the spiritual leaders of the church, the members of the church and everyone in the church. These exhortations will give all of us in the church an opportunity to reflect upon and assess how we've been doing as spiritual leaders and members of the church. My prayer is that as we reflect upon today's word that we would be both challenged and encouraged.
Christian suffering is not an exception, but it is an expectation. That reality was difficult to accept even for 1st century Christians. Yet in the face of those fears and hesitations, Peter reminds his readers that persecution for following Jesus is expected and accepted.
Today we continue our current sermon series tiled, "Kingdom Driven Life". The last time we left off we focused on verses 11 and 12. And just to summarize the main point in those two verses, I stated that as the beloved children of God and those who belong to the Kingdom of God, Jesus is calling us to, Resist Evil and Do Good for the Sake of the Lost and the Glory of God. In the following verses Apostle Peter now tells us how we are to resist evil and do good for the sake of the lost and the glory of God in two specific contexts: Civil Life and V
On this Easter Sunday, we reflect on the hope of heaven. Jesus Christ’s resurrection propels us to live with the anticipation of another age to come. For Christians, our hope is in the newly established Kingdom of God where God’s dwelling will be forever among His people. And when that time comes, God declares that there will be no more pain, death or mourning as the old order of things will have passed away. We hold onto the promise of God “making all things new” in the age to come.
What does it mean to be God’s own people? There is a way which we are called to live—to a higher standard and a different way than the rest of the world. We ought to reflect the love of God as we walk through the mess of life. We are absolutely called to be distinct, holy, set apart because of what Christ has done. He called us to be a people for His own possession so we may proclaim Him more clearly to the world
In a season where the world we live in is constantly changing, we often wonder where to place our trust and hope. The Bible reminds us the temporal nature of this world, and it repeatedly points us to that will lasts forever. Today we learn about the reality of God’s Word: (i) God’s Word is the reality (ii) God’s Word helps us to perceive the world right way (iii) God’s Word gives us comfort.
For the early Christians, persecution and suffering were an expectation not an exception. Jesus’ followers aren’t promised comfort in this world, rather, we are encouraged to set our sight upon heaven and the glory of being sanctified in the likeness of Christ. Today, we learn about the hope in our suffering.
We begin our series in 1 & 2 Peter today. We recall just how unique & insanely passionate Apostle Peter was in his faith in Jesus. We are excited to read through the first few lines of his letter where he urges the Christians to be firm in their faith who were facing many hardships in life. We get a glimpse of Peter’s theology and eschatology as he comes out of the gate urging all believers that we fix our eyes heavenward.
The last recorded words of Jesus to His disciples and the church are found in the first chapter of Acts. And in them Jesus commands His disciples to not leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised- the Holy Spirit. The reason for this command is found in verse 8; the Holy Spirit will empower them to be His witnesses. Recently we've been talking a lot about living a missional life and a life that is Kingdom-driven for the purpose of making an impact. But, in order for us to live in such a way and make an impact we need the third person of the Trinity- the Holy Spirit. In other words, we need God to do the work of God.
To help celebrate Rooftop Church's 6th anniversary, Pastor Sam Song from Solomon's Porch gives a message about Jesus' power over the 3 horrible D's - Demon, Disease, and Death
As the challenges of adjusting to the different normal brought by the current Pandemic continues, we seek to know how we can continue being faithful in adhering the missional call in our lives. Not only as individuals but we seek how we can still be effective in shining the light of Christ to this world. Today, we here from one of our own whose ministry is to share the Gospel to the high school students and equipping them to do the same in their respective schools. We pray to be inspired and challenged to still make an impact, bringing the good news of Christ to those who need it now.
Worship is not just singing praises to God. Worship embodies the way we conduct ourselves in life and that we are to continue to exemplify Jesus’ worth in our lives. He deserves excellence from us. If Jesus really is the most precious thing to us, then we shall be delighted to give our absolute best to Him. To worship God is to fight the tendency for self-preservation and honoring Him with our everything. Much like Mary in today’s story, we pray to release the sweet aroma of worship unto God.
We are approaching the one-year mark of living in this pandemic. We’ve lived quite differently in 2020 doing our best to stay cautious and safe as we were learning about how this would affect all of our lives—survival has been our main goal. But in the year 2021, God is calling us to do more than just survive. Today, we lean into the story of King David’s fall to make sure that we are well suited to thrive in a season marked with so much trouble.
2020 being a year full of uncertainties, despair, pain and loss, we can find hope and certainty in the account of Jesus' conception and birth found in our passage today. And this hope is found all in the name, Jesus. So, today we look into this all familiar Christmas narrative to find hope and the reason why we can rejoice and celebrate in this season in the midst of all that has been taking place and all that may continue to take place.
Finishing the series on "Follow Jesus", we are reminded of the call to go and make disciples of all nations. What does making an impact look like in the world that God has called us to? What does it mean to live our lives with the definite sense of calling to be Christ's disciples in this world? We are all ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we live to see the nations reached one life at a time.
As we continue in our series of "Follow Jesus", learning to be more like Him as His disciples, we'll see from today's passage and be reminded of the "Terms and Conditions" that Christ has set before all those who would identify with Him and as His followers. And unlike the lists or pages of Terms and Conditions we may be used to, Jesus states His in one verse.
Continuing with our “Follow Jesus” series, we look into many instances where Jesus prayed. In key moments of Jesus’ life and ministry, he often resorted to prayer. Jesus not only prayed just to be intimate and commune with God, He also prayed in moments where He needed God’s power as well as comfort and consolation. The greatest truth and theology of prayer is that Jesus prayed. How much more, then, as His followers, should we pray?
If we want to make an impact in this world, we must be like Jesus. In emulating Jesus, we focus on Jesus’ hallmark characteristic that was the engine to His ministry. Today, we learn about the importance of compassion and how it is to be lived out in a disciple’s life. Compassion is more than just a feeling we have towards the unfortunate, but it is the action of situating ourselves right in it and committing to alleviate suffering.
The new series, Follow Jesus, is designed to highlight the importance of, first, becoming a disciple of Jesus before adhering to the Great Commission of going out making an impact and making disciples in the world. We want to follow and be fully present in all of the places where Jesus imparts powerful and necessary lessons for us. Today, we begin with the Great Commission, and we commit to hearing, trusting, and obeying the Word of Christ.
Wrapping up the Porch Talk Series, we seek to establish our foundation on Jesus, the Rock of our salvation. As we are in a season full of different storms of life, we commit to place our trust and care upon Jesus. We pause to think whether our lives are6+ being built on Christ or on the things which we have placed greater value and security in. Today, we declare to build our lives on the unshakeable, unchangeable foundation of the Truth of Jesus Christ.
“What should I do to get in shape?” is often the question I get from friends and church members. It’s necessary that we are not only mindful but intentional about our health. Neither of physical or spiritual fitness can happen without requisite effort. In today’s Porch Talk, we learn about the importance of discipline in living the life we want to live and achieving the goals we want to achieve.
Job 42:16
“Why, God?” or “Why me, God?” is often the question we ask when tragedy strikes. Whether it happens after getting a flat tire, getting a cold, or getting stuck in a financial rut, the question arises because, somewhere along the way, we have become convinced that life should be all good, all the time. For the 3rd of our Porch Talk series, we discuss the meaning as well as the takeaways from the various trials and hardship we encounter in the course of our faith life.
Today, we talk about spiritual housecleaning. A home that is clean and orderly makes a better environment for nurture and growth. In the same way, we want to make sure that our lives are in order and devoid of any bad habits and sins that can ruin our lives. We glean from the story of Jesus cleaning the temple claiming that it shall be called a house of prayer—we pray to be the dwelling place (a house) for God.
“Seeing God” arguably is the epitome of every faith journey—to be able to perceive and comprehend His ways. And as Christians, we absolutely desire to encounter God intimately and personally. The Bible suggests that those with pure hearts can see God. Today, we explore the importance of “seeing God” and the meaning of “being pure in heart”.
Continuing to reflect on the unique challenges of this season, we lean in to what God’s Word conveys about the evil that we will begin to see in the end times. The generation of the last days will be marked as “lovers of self, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, lack of self-control, haters of good, reckless, etc…” As Christians, we not only interpret the world events in light of God’s Word, but we must also live adhering to Godly convictions and bear testimony of Jesus Christ as our living hope.
In a season where the world we live in is constantly changing, we often wonder where to place our trust and hope. The Bible reminds us the temporal nature of this world, and it repeatedly points us to that will lasts forever. Today, we cling to God’s Word which is unalterable and infallible as it promises to not lead us astray especially in a season such as now.
As our journey in 1 Corinthians comes to an end, we heed the last bit of instructions from Apostle Paul. In the final chapter of this letter, Paul gives us practical advice of how to manage our lives well; he teaches us three key areas of stewardship—money, opportunities, and people. We seek to assess our own lives and align ourselves to God’s desires and will.
Today, we remind ourselves of the call to build our church together. As God gave the task of restoring Jerusalem, Nehemiah rallied his fellow countrymen to roll up their sleeves and participate in rebuilding, we also commit to putting our hands for that task. We will use our unique gifts, and we will faithfully do so seeing that our work leads to strengthening of the church and further growth.
Today, we want to understand the importance of resurrection in the Christian faith. One of the main struggles for the Christians in Corinth was that they did not believe in or live for the return of Jesus. They had a false notion of resurrection which confounded their view of life—life ended when they died or that they were living in the era Christ’s returned rule—leading them to the frivolity of life. Furthermore, we explore how our resurrection with Christ would lead us to live today.
How do we weigh into current affairs that portray so much brokenness and the frailty of humanity? The injustices we see and the overwhelming pain leave us searching for consolation and any chance at ridding such ugliness in our world. We pause, as it is necessary, from whatever it is that we are occupied with, to acknowledge and pray unto our God. We need, more than ever, His mercy and grace.
Spiritual gifts are God’s gift to the body of Christ—God bestowed upon the Church so that we may benefit from their unique functions. The mistreatment and abuse of by some should not reduce the beauty or the function of the spiritual gifts. Today, we finish our talk on spiritual gifts by heeding Paul’s strong affirmation that we are to eagerly desire them and continue to utilize them in our service onto God.
Pauls’ abrupt insertion of importance of love while discussing spiritual gifts deserves our attention. For a church culture that was so obsessed with comparing and flaunting their gifts, Paul had to remind them that without love, none of what they were doing amounted to anything. Through today’s sermon, we want to understand the preeminence of love in ministering to others.
For Mother’s Day, we look into the life of someone which the Bible threatened his life from the get-go. She was fearless, full of faith, and even stood in the presence of her enemies to love and care for her child. The story of Jochebed’s great faith sets the foundation for the inspiring life testimony of Moses. We remind ourselves of the power and glory of mothers on this very special day.
The resurrection of Christ gives us the power to rejoice in all circumstances. Jesus’ promise to turn our sorrow into joy is made possible in the power of His resurrection—He exhorts that our pain and suffering in this life is but momentary as He has overcome the world. Today, we participate in His resurrection, and we commit to the life of rejoicing no matter how difficult life can be.
When Jesus returned to the ‘city of God’, a city that represented God’s peace, people that had witnessed Him and followed Him during his ministry extoled Him as their King—there was celebration, rejoicing, and gladness. In sharp contrast, when Jesus approached Jerusalem and the crowd, he wept. On this Palm Sunday, we turn our attention to the reasons why Jesus cried so bitterly that day and use that as our primer for entering Passion Week.
As we are now in a state of nationwide emergency, we want to know what it means to have faith in crisis. We look to God, we prioritize others and we are prayerful.
- Persevere thru physical trial out of the love for the gospel.
- Persevere by being devoted to the local church.
- Persevere with those you love.
Why Communion? In chapter 11, Paul unpacks the meaning and the importance of including Communion in Christian worship. As Christians in Corinth were abusing this sacred command of Jesus, the very thing meant to unite the body was causing them all sorts of divisions. Christ is to be remembered in the way we worship and fellowship as that is the very thing that brings unity among us.
We’ve talked about the use of our freedom in the past few weeks—we should edify, not stumble others, and we should focus on doing what is beneficial for our spiritual lives. As Paul shares his approach to life as competing in a race, we hope to gain insight on how we can live for eternity as we fight off all that entangle us in our running.
We, as Christians, often find ourselves assessing what we do is ‘good’ or ‘bad’, or ‘acceptable’ or ‘not acceptable’ in God’s view. It isn’t particularly easy to discern the “not-so-clear” lines of boundaries for each individual act we partake in. In lieu of our previous talks of stumbling others, we hope to live engaging in the things that are “profitable” for our walk with God. Our mission, then, is “whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, do all to the glory of God.”
Paul cautioned the Corinthian church regarding their use of freedom—he conveys that we should be mindful in our actions and behaviors possibly hindering other believers. Today, we look into Paul’s use of his freedom in defending his apostleship and in reaching all audiences, both Jews and Gentiles.
What matters is not what or how much we know. What matters is what we do with what we know. With our knowledge we can act arrogantly and selfishly or we can act in love by helping and building others up. There were “elitist” in the church of Corinth who had certain knowledge which allowed them to eat meat sacrificed to idols, while some “others” in the church struggled with eating the meat because they saw it as the same as idol worship. This is precisely what Apostle Paul addresses in today’s passage.
We are back in 1 Corinthians. Following up on Paul’s teaching on sexual immorality in chapter 6, here, he teaches what it means to honor God first and foremost in different stages of life(married, divorced ,and single). Many Christians in Corinth did not know how to honor God while wrestling with their ungodly sexual practices of their former lives. Here, Paul’s instructions for the Corinthians should serve valuable for all Christians today.
Mark 9:2-8
2 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them,
3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them.
4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.
5 And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.
6 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified.
7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.”
8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.
What sits at the center of God's heart? What work is He most consumed with? In our passage today, Jesus reveals the essence of His mission on earth--"that we may believe in Him whom He has sent." As followers of Jesus, we must realign our mission with that of our Lord doing all that we can to participate in the work of God. Church is more than a hospital, it should be an army fully committed to advancing the Kingdom of God with urgency and diligence.
Synergy is the word for you in the year 2020. Defined as “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”, the word refers to the amazing effect that cooperation brings. At the heart of burning out, being tired, and losing joy is the lack of togetherness. King Solomon’s wisdom translates well to our personal lives as well as church ministry. I pray that we experience the joy of reaching new heights as we commit to this “together life” with God and with others.
Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane at one of the lowest moments of His life here on earth. He’s about to be betrayed and crucified. But, He’s also about to become sin for us and experience the wrath of God, separation from the Father, so that in Christ we can be forgiven and be redeemed. Separation from the Father was something Jesus did not want to experience. So, in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus is in distress and trouble, and in agony calls out to the Father to see if there’s another way to accomplish the will of Father. Knowing that this is the only way for salvation and this is the Father’s will, Jesus prays “Yet not my will, but Yours Be Done.” Are we willing to say the same thing to our Heavenly Father when His will in our lives seems challenging, difficult and even painful like it was for Jesus?
On the last Sunday of the Advent, we worship together with our children. We will explore through the story of the wise men who made a long journey to see the birth of the Messiah. They brought gifts and bowed down and worshiped the newborn King. We want to glean from the magi’s response to the birth of our Savior—to come to Him, honor Him, and worship Him. May we worship Jesus during this Christmas season.
What we believe about sex is what we believe about God. In a chapter where Paul addresses sexual immorality of the Corinthians, he describes at length our need for understanding God’s intent of sex, and the dangers of having sex outside of marriage. Today, we explore this difficult, yet necessary, topic as we desire to pursue holiness.
Local churches have a responsibility to address sin in their congregations. As we understand that there are clear boundaries which God has set for mankind, what is moral and immoral, the Church must protect its body and promote repentance and holy-living. If there is known sin in our midst, we must address it and even discipline those that are in need of it.
Ephesians 4:1-3 + 5:1-2
1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
+
1Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
As Thanksgiving Day approaches, we want to make sure that we are thankful people. As people of God, giving thanks is never limited to what God has done for us—victories, healing, redemption...but we ought to give thanks and praise God even in less fortunate and difficult circumstances. We ought to praise Him and give thanks even before the breakthrough as thanksgiving is a declaration of our trust in God.
The Bible clearly states that we are a temple of God—God’s spirit lives in us. Not only is this true for us individually, but the church (body of Christ) is a dwelling place for God. Who we live with us affects how we live. Today, we explore what it means to be God’s dwelling place as a church. We strive to understand and accept that we are called to live set part, resembling and portraying the holiness of God.
Paul addresses one of the main issues of the Corinthian Church as a pastor would. As discussed in chapter 1, disunity and infighting was a serious concern for the Christians in that church. In this sermon, we will explore the roots issues of fighting in church: jealousy and strife. Especially for a young church like ours, we want to make sure to rid such barriers to growth and maturity.
Paul reiterates that salvation is only by God's provision and there is no room for anyone to boast. God's use of the cross, a symbol associated with degradation and rejection, was to ensure that our faith is not to be relied on human intellect or ability. Paul joyfully contends that his preaching were not in his wisdom but in demonstration of God's Spirit and power. What do you place your confidence in? How much room do you create in your life for God to demonstrate His Spirit and power?
Paul is appealing to the Corinthians’ struggles with engaging the intellectuals of their region. The Cross, God’s method of salvation and communicating the Divine truth did not make much sense to most people. In this passage, Paul logically conveys and supports the notion of God’s unique method of choosing something so despicable to communicate the most profound truth ever. What does the Cross mean to you?
Apostle Paul wrote this letter of 1 Corinthians in response to reports he received in regards to the Church in Corinth. In the report contained questions regarding certain topics such as: Marriage, Meat, Sacrificed to Idols, and Spiritual Gifts. So, Apostle Paul addresses these matters in the letter. But, the CONDITION of the church was also reported to Paul. And according to the report, the church was NOT doing so well.
Paul, who planted this church, is writing to settle disputes and bring proper order to a church that is in a disarrayed state. He reminds them of the power of grace and mercy which compelled them to begin their journey of faith. Today, we focus on the two major problems of the Corinthian church and learn to align ourselves to the work and words of our Lord Jesus Christ.
“Walking on the water” is kind of picture of doing something together as God gives me the power to do it that I cannot do on my own. This means that, in following Jesus, there is always going to be a choice between the comfort and the safety of the boat and the risk of getting out. Today, we simply want to be propelled to live according to faith. We want to address our fears as well as comfort in our own lives making sure that we get to experience “walking on the water”.
What does God want from me? What does God desire from me? What does God REQUIRE OF ME? Such is the question that we ponder when we get serious with God…… when we are really intentional about leading a Godly life. It begins, as it should, with asking this important question.
Money and our faith in God have long been intertwined as our attachment to money reveals a lot about our perspective and value of living life. Jesus’ teaching conveyed that our assurance (trust) should lie in Him and that we are motivated by things eternal than the things temporal. Also, we want to reflect our faith in the way we allocate our resources which we begin by being faithful in giving tithes and offering.
Good habits are not limited to what we should do but also what we should not do. They are equally important in the realm of spiritual growth. Today, we talk about the importance of running from temptations that may lead us down the path of destruction.
Bible reading is one of the most important yet often the most neglected habits in a Christian’s life. Spiritual maturity is not attainable without the consistent practice of reading the Bible. Today, we learn about the importance and the practice of having God’s Word in the life of Jesus Christ.
One of the hallmarks of Jesus and his life is caring. His ministry reflected his profound love for people. He was the protector of the weak, a fierce advocate for the underprivileged, and a relentless laborer who met the practical needs of people. Today, we explore the image of Christ as the Good Shepherd as we pray to demonstrate the same love and care in our lives.
We will be in a series called Good Habits. During this series, we aim to have valuable and necessary spiritual discipline to become a part of our lives. We look to no other example than that of Jesus, and how he had made certain habits an important part of his life. Today, we will learn 3 things about prayer: priority, practice, and power.
Following last week’s sermon on lukewarmness, today, we explore the importance of retaining the fervor of our faith. Ultimately and decisively, God is our only hope for persevering in the faith, yet Christian perseverance is not passive. God commands us, in reliance upon him, to participate in the process of our perseverance in the faith. We initiate the talk on the importance good habits that lead us to spiritual maturity and retaining our fervor.
Have we become so busy in our pursuit for wealth, security, and comfort? Are we complacent with the bare minimum of Christianity? Have we become indifferent towards our spiritual state while focusing solely on our physical stature? If this describes us, we may be a lukewarm Christian. And if this is the case, Jesus says He wants to spit us out. We will be looking at the Laodicea Church's condition of "lukewarmness" and see how similar it is to so many of us in the church. We will also see what the main issue was that led to their lukewarmness. My prayer is that the Holy Spirit will convict us to repent and become zealous for Jesus Christ and His will.
God raises up a young prophet by the name of Jeremiah to call the people of Juda to repent from their rebellion and wicked ways and to turn back to God. As the Potter molds the clay according to his purpose and pleasure, God wants to mold His people in accordance to His purpose and pleasure. We have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ and now our lives are not our own. We are to allow God to be the Potter who molds and shapes us to be the people He wants us to be for His purpose and pleasure. Are we living for God or like the people of Judah are we living for ourselves and therefore, in need of repentance?
God loves employing unorthodox ways to accomplish His will. He chooses the unlikeliest candidates to represent Him as they always, without fail, succeed when they obey the Lord’s commands. What does it mean to be confident and not arrogant? And humble not weak?? We will go through the life of Gideon and learn to turn our insecurity into victory!
James being a man of prayer opens up his letter calling all believers to pray and he also closes the letter for all believers to again, pray. But, at the end of James, there’s a special call for believers to Pray for One Another. We are called to be a community of believers that pray for those who are sick. And we are to be a community of believers that mutually confess to one another and pray for one another because of the affects sin can have in our lives. This message is to remind us the importance of being part of a community that shares and prays for one another.
In a world full of confusion and compromise, it is important that the Word of God remains central in the lives of all believers. Awaiting his execution in a Roman prison, Apostle Paul writes a final letter to his disciple, Timothy. He lets him know that in the “last days” people will be lovers of themselves rather than lovers of God. And so, Paul exhorts Timothy to be different, to be set apart for Christ. The way that Timothy becomes different and remains faithful to Christ is to continue in the Word of God. In the same way, I believe God is also exhorting us to be different and remain faithful to Him in these last days of confusion and compromise.
In many seasons of life, we go through a stretch where we stray away from God. It can be for different reasons, but we long for a revival in such times; we seek God to restore us, revitalize and reinstall us with His intimate love. We explore through Isaiah chapter 1 in our desire to be revived--to go back to loving God intimately.
On this Father’s Day, we turn our attention to the topic of forgiveness. Jesus teaches the importance of being reconciled, not harboring any ill-will towards anybody prior to our worship of Him. Whether it is family, friends, or coworkers, etc. we commit to walk in God’s grace and forgive. We pray that God grants us such courage to heed His Word.
Where we turn for comfort and strength in times of great trouble reveals the condition of our hearts. There are different ways that we soothe ourselves while we're in a state of confusion and defeat (food, pornography, alcohol, games, etc...) We may be powerless, and even hopeless, but today, we desperately long to fix are gaze on God.
To be reminded of the call for Rooftop Church. On a day where we install 14 new members, we want to remember the call of being ministers of the Gospel--to the lost, the broken, and the lonely. Today, we remember that God has brought all of us, ministered to us through this community. We move with the heart of a Shepherd and the 99 left behind: full of compassion and commitment for the one lost soul as well as the patience and grace to welcome him home.
There are times in life where we feel all alone—abandoned, forgotten, or for whatever other reasons, we seem to be unheard and uncared for. How are we to respond in such a time for the people of the faith? We learn today that it’s okay to not to be okay. There is an important lesson from the life of Job that we steadfastly remain in God in the midst of our trials and pain.
In lieu of mother’s day, we want to probe through the Biblical description of how we ought to love. Ultimately, love is giving selflessly and endlessly. God loves us this way, and as Christ followers, we are encouraged and empowered love in the same way.
Life is hard. Life is too hard to do alone. We need God. We need other people. We are called to a “life with” God and others. Today, we learn the important concept of presence—God’s presence and others’ presence in our lives.
Today, we contemplate life from the 4 th day on. Scriptures tell us that being raised up with Christ, we ought to seek the things above highlighting that we are dead to ourselves and hidden with Christ in God. We will focus on the ways of the communal life which we are called into—we ought to be kind, compassionate, gentle, forgiving. Paul says love that harnesses these traits is the true mark of unity.
On this Easter Sunday, we explore through the words of Paul regarding our union with Christ. It is necessary for Christians to understand our participation in death and resurrection with Christ. Resurrection is meaningful for those that have been declared dead. Our celebration of Christ’s resurrection today must begin with a reflection of how hopeless and miserable we are in our spiritual death. Today, we rise. Today, we declare our freedom from sin as Christ has defeated the power of sin.
Passage: Matthew 21:1-10
Synopsis:
This week is the Passion Week, and today is the first day of the Passion Week, known as "Palm Sunday". Growing up in the church I understood that Palm Sunday consisted of palm leaves and Jesus riding to Jerusalem on a donkey. Although, I understood that these elements in the scene were significant, I really didn't understand why they were. Today, I'll be sharing the symbolism and significance behind the different elements found in the scene of Palm Sunday as well as in regards to who Jesus is claiming Himself to be in this passage.