CCIC-SJ Sermons: Recent Episodes
CCIC San Jose
Sermons and testimonies from Silicon Valley Asian-American Christians.
We are an inter-generational church that invites others to follow Jesus Christ, invests in one another’s discipleship journey, and integrates faith with life by the power of the Holy Spirit for God’s glory.
Guest speaker, Pastor Peter Wang takes us through the incredible account of Mary's encounter with an angel. How would a normal virgin respond if they were told that they would suddenly become pregnant? Not only that, the baby is the Son of God! Mary is truly blessed as she humbly accepts her role to bring mankind's greatest joy to the world!
Our sermon series in Judges left us in a very bleak place. When everybody did what he/she wanted, everything seemed to fall apart. As we enter into the Christmas season, we are reminded even more from Judges how much we need a Savior, how much we need Jesus. However, before we even get to the story of Jesus, Luke tells us the story about a family with a boy named John. What's so important about John? It is through John and his story, we see how we are to anticipate the coming of the Savior Jesus with a joy that changes our lives.
As we wrap up the book of Judges in chapters 19-21, we see the Israelites hit rock bottom. They are without a judge, without a king, and "everyone did what was right in his own eyes." Everything they do to try to solve their problems ends up digging them a deeper hole. However, in the midst of this chaos, violence, and depravity, there is hope of a future king who will deliver Israel and deliver all of us from our brokenness.
Samson, this week’s Judge is covered in four chapters, Judges 13 to 16. In these chapters, we see the cycle of rebellion, punishment and deliverance throughout the book repeated again. We also see the other important underlying theme of God’s covenant faithfulness and patience. In this message based on Judges 16:23-31 and drawing from passages in the chapters, learn how God uses imperfection illustrated by Samson and how this applies to our lives today.
In Judges 11, we look at Jephthah, another unlikely judge who was used by God. As Christians, all of us are capable of doing great things for God, but we are also prone to fall to sin. This was true in Jephthah's life as well. When talking about Jephthah, we often jump straight to his foolish vow, but he also led the people of Israel to great victory. So as we study his life, we can see both positive things that we can aim to emulate and also things that we want to avoid.
Despite the victory and blessing that the Lord bestowed on the people of Israel through Gideon, they soon turned back to idol worship. After Gideon's death, Abimelech murdered nearly 70 of his brothers to seize power. God's justice ultimately prevails. Abimelech is killed by a woman and the citizens of Shechem who supported him were also punished.
In the previous sermon, we saw how the Lord gave victory to Gideon and his small army of 300 men over a vastly superior Midianite enemy. The Lord showed his own glory through this, but in Judges 8 Gideon later made a golden ephod and led Israel into sin through corrupted worship. He had often had trouble overcoming his fears and having confidence in God's word, and his later failure showed that he was not the leader that Israel needed.
We live in a culture of self-promotion. But as believers, the whole of our lives should be an aim that God gets all the glory. Our hearts cry should align with the Psalmist’s “not to us, but to God be the glory (Ps. 115:1).” In this section of the book of Judges, we see another downward cycle of the spiral of idolatry and sin. Yet, we learn of another instance of God’s gracious and miraculous deliverance of Israel through Gideon. More specifically, we can learn from this text that God receives glory when we give credit to him alone, when we trust him to work out the “impossible” in our lives, and as he graciously works through our shortcomings. Ultimately, we give God glory for what he has done through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Guest speaker, Pastor Johnson Chiu continues our series from the book of Judges. As God's people continue the cycle of sinning against God, suffering the consequences, and begging for God's mercy, our Lord sends help through a cast of unlikely candidates. How did an unarmed, untrained band of villagers defeat an army with the latest technological weapons? And who was the unassuming woman who tricked and killed the top military commander of the enemy's forces? It is not about who He called or what He called them to do, but who responded in obedience and faith. Through these verses, we see God's infinite love and patience to draw His people back to Him.
The book of Judges is characterized by a repeating pattern of disobedience and deliverance between Israel and God. In today's message we see through this cycle how God relentlessly pursued Israel and is relentlessly pursuing us. This cycle in the book of Judges challenges us to break the pattern by moving from disobedience to obedience in God and reminds us of the ultimate, perfect judge that God has given us in Jesus Christ.
The book of Judges describes a long, dark period of Israel's history in which they were stuck in a cycle of idolatry, punishment, deliverance, and then idolatry again. Yet they did not turn to other gods immediately but through a more subtle downward slide. Their failure to drive out the Canaanites completely from the Promised Land was the first part of this downward slide. Although they were able to conquer the land with the Lord's help, they did not do so completely. Their experience is a reminder to us to beware of similar subtle slides in our own lives, families, and society.
Jesus' definition of true Christianity involves dedication, commitment, and sacrifice for His sake and the gospel's. Although salvation is a free gift from God, Christ demands that we deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and follow Him out of gratitude for what He has done for us. This message spells out exactly what Jesus meant by His call. Christianity is not merely about insurance against hell, but its essence is a single-minded focus on developing an intimate relationship with Christ and doing God's will, no matter what the cost. We must understand the Christian faith as Jesus defined it so that we will know what it is, be able to examine ourselves and see whether or not our lives reflect it, and then commit to living out real Christianity.
Wrapping up CCIC's mission conference, guest speaker, Dr. Rev. Eddie Byun challenges us to ask ourselves, "what will it take for us to finish the mission that Christ has given to us?" To succeed, we need to be committed to three key items - cultivating Intimacy with God, practicing constant Intercession / Prayer and focusing on Eternal Investments.
In preparation for the upcoming Missions and Compassion Conference, we will look at Matthew 5:14-16 and discover what Jesus says about the identity and purpose of a disciple. In the second half of the service, we have the opportunity to hear from a diverse group of congregation members on their experiences and thoughts on participating in God's Mission.
It is often said that a person's last words are their most memorable words because that is often the message that they want you to go forward with. When Paul wrote 2 Timothy because he anticipated being executed in the near future and he wanted to prepare Timothy as best as he could. This book is full of Paul's last words, and in today's study, we will look at 2 Timothy 2:1-2, where Paul admonished Timothy to Pass It On.
What is joy? We all want it but when it comes to describing what it is, the idea is a bit elusive to us. As we conclude our sermon series on the book of Philippians, Paul gives us himself as an example of one who has found joy and encourages the Philippian church and us to do the same.
In Phil. 4:2-9, Paul give a series of brief instructions to the Philippians. This message focuses on the first two of them: to pursue peace with one another in the church and to rejoice in the Lord always. Paul modeled joy in the Lord through his attitude toward his own suffering, including the possibility of his own death. Joy in the Lord is a powerful testimony to the worth of God himself and the preciousness of the gospel.
Relationships with Jesus are like marriages. They begin with promises made and much optimism. But if relationships are not tended to and invested in, then they tend to sour. You can yearn for the good old days, and you don’t feel as good about the present days.
Last week’s message, “The One Ambition of Our Lives” was kind of like that wedding day, or for many last week, like a renewal day. To make those vows meaningful, you need to keep building on it over the time going forward. Otherwise, you’ve only made some empty promises. The Apostle Paul called this “pressing on” and today’s message will focus on what that means.
With that in mind, let’s examine Philippians 3:12-4:1 and learn two reasons why Paul pressed on to follow Jesus, and six ways how he pressed on. Then from Paul, we too can learn how to apply these lessons to our own lives.
Why do you get up each morning? What are the ambitions of your life? In Philippians 3:1-11, the apostle Paul exhorts the believers in the church of Philippi and us to make knowing Christ as the one ambition for our lives. In this sermon, we'll explore what it means to know Christ by being found in him through faith, in the fellowship of his suffering, and through his resurrection power.
In Philippians, Paul often sets positive examples before the Philippians for them to learn from. He also provides negative examples for them to avoid. In Philippians 2:19-30, he commends Timothy and Epaphroditus as examples to not simply be admired but to be imitated. We should also imitate positive examples of Christian faithfulness around us and beyond.
What are some of the things we celebrate in life? We usually think about big events or achievements that we celebrate and while those are worth celebrating, the Apostle Paul calls us to celebrate ordinary obedience in Christ. Through Philippians 2:12-18, we can discover how keeping the goal of growing closer to Christ in mind can help us celebrate the ordinary things of life.
Just as unity is essential for healthy relationships, unity is essential for healthy churches. In today’s study on Philippians 1:27-2:11, we will learn how unity is not only a way of life but also a matter of heart, as exemplified by Jesus.
What matters most to you in life? Is it health? Is it wealth? Is it some other kind of success? We'll see from Philippians 1:12-26 what mattered most to Paul and what didn't matter quite as much to him. And even though his life and his trials were quite different from ours today, we can see how we can strive to be similarly focused on what matters most in our lives.
The Apostle Paul had plenty to stress about. He was persecuted, prosecuted, and chained to a Roman guard while awaiting trial in Rome's highest court: appearing before Caesar himself. He faced the likelihood of losing his case and being executed for his faith in Jesus. Amazingly, Paul did not worry or complain; instead, he wrote letters to build up some of the churches and people he loved so much. The church later called these letters the Prison Epistles. One of these letters was written to the Philippian church, and this letter exudes with joy. We are struck on how Paul had so much joy in the face of so much hardship and uncertainty. We will spend the next nine messages on this book, focusing on Paul's sources of joy and how he chose to live based on that joy. We will begin our study looking at Paul's joyful relationships with the Philippian church: what these relationships are based on, how they take commitment, how they are intentional and how they are mutually beneficial.
Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4:9, “We have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men.” We, followers of Christ, have also been made a theater to the world to demonstrate God’s power, love, and grace through the gospel. We are not acting but living our life. Our life is the theater. 1 Corinthians 4:1-13 helps us learn our role, what is required of us, and what message God intends us to convey to the world on the Stage of Life.
Bringing our series on Jonah to a close, guest Pastor Jacob Park expounds on Jonah's reaction to God's mercy for the Ninevites. He reminds us how easily we could all be guilty of expecting God's grace and mercy to be bestowed on those who we deem as deserving. Ultimately, God graciously teaches Jonah, and us, that His grace is for everyone. Today's passage is from Jonah 4:5-11.
God is a God of love and compassion. In Jonah 3:4-10, we learn about God’s desire for all people to repent, to be delivered from judgment and to come to have a relationship with Him.
After obeying God and preaching to the Ninevites, Jonah was upset at God for being God. In fact, upset may be too mild a term for how Jonah felt. Yet in this encounter between Jonah and God in Jonah 4:1-4, we can see how God is willing to work with Jonah in processing his anger and eventually helping him see the bigger picture. Let's explore together how we are like Jonah and begin to face the ways in which we might be unhappy with how God does things.
Jonah was far from the perfect prophet. In the book of Jonah, we find that God was exceedingly gracious to those who didn't deserve it. God gave Jonah a second chance and He chose to use Jonah for His purpose in spite of his imperfections. Surprisingly, we find that even within the prophetic message that Jonah gave, it seems that there was a glimmer of hope for the Ninevites. God, through Jesus Christ, has also offered humanity a second chance. And as believers, God works in and through our imperfections for his mission. Are we willing to trust and obey?
Two weeks ago, we left off in Jonah chapter 1 with Jonah being tossed overboard into the sea, to an almost certain death. But this week, we see how God miraculously sends a giant fish to swallow him up and spare his life. From inside the belly of the fish's belly, Jonah cries out to God, both lamenting the situation he was facing, yet confident in God's salvation. Though we may never face being in the belly of a fish, there are many lessons we can learn from Jonah's prayer that we can apply to our own lives when we face hardship.
In the midst of the affliction of childlessness, Hannah vowed to the Lord that if he gave her a son, she would give this son back to the Lord. The Lord remembered Hannah by answering her prayer, and Hannah followed through on her promise. In so doing, she shows us how to pray for our legitimate desires while also seeking first God's kingdom.
An informal congregational poll revealed that NO ONE in our congregation saw the prophet Jonah as a spiritual role model. Those who are familiar with the book that bears his name can see the wisdom in this finding. However, the book of Jonah is about more than just a man who struggled and failed to follow God. Jonah was also a man who mirrored our spiritual struggles. We too, flee from God, we too, choose to disobey Him. With that in mind, let's learn some lessons that God wanted Jonah to learn, because we need to learn them as well.
The prophet Jonah stands as a mirror for many of us. In looking at his life, we see that we are also often running from God because of various reasons. But as we look to Jesus’ life and example, we find a God who runs toward us in spite of the great costs.
Jesus’ resurrection is the victorious proof of God's redemptive plan. We can learn valuable lessons from how the first people responded to the risen Lord Jesus and reflect what the resurrection means to us in two aspects. First, does it compel us to praise and worship God with gratefulness and joy? Second, does it compel us to be bold and share this good news with others in obedience to the commission that comes with it?
This message goes into detail on how the prophecy of Jesus' crucifixion and its fulfillment affirm:
- God’s Word as His supernatural revelation,
- Jesus as the Messiah, and
- salvation as His accomplished mission.
As a result, we are motivated to respond in the following ways.
For Christians * Be thankful for Christ’s great sacrifice and salvation * Be respectful and studious of God’s Word and be obedient to it * Be trustful that God will never forsake you * Be bold in sharing the gospel.
For those who have not yet believed in Christ * Receive Christ for today is the day of salvation!
If the West Coast of US were invaded like Ukraine and all the women and children had to flee, what would you and your family do?
If you could cheat a little, knowing that you would not get caught, but you could get a substantial position or benefit, what would you do?
At what point do you pray about this?
As Jesus drew His Sermon on the Mount to a close, He first challenged them to enter through the narrow gate, and not the wide gate (last week’s message). This week, He continues by telling us that the gate you chose is but the beginning of your journey; what also matters is how you continue your journey.
In Matthew 7: 15-29, Jesus gives us three tragically wrong ways to follow Him and then the Biblical way to follow Him.
In Matt. 7:13-20, Jesus begins to conclude the Sermon on the Mount by calling us to make an all-important decision between the broad, easy road that leads to destruction and the narrow, difficult road that leads to life. Will we choose to follow Jesus and enter the kingdom, or go to our own death? This passage also warns us against false prophets who would lead us astray by telling lies in the name of God. They are a real danger, but we may know who they are through their lives and actions, and whether their teaching agrees with Scripture and its meaning.
We often go through our Christian lives without considering whether we're actually living the life God wants us to live. As we continue in our series on the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus challenges us in Matthew 7:1-12 to examine how we might be wrongly judging others and how we are to approach God in prayer - by asking, seeking, and knocking.
Anxieties can confuse us, freeze us or even shut us down. They can lead to all sorts of problems: physical, mental, and relational, to name a few. Join us as we look at Matthew 6:25-34 and discover how Jesus helps us to face our anxieties.
In Matthew 5:31-37, Jesus continues the Sermon on the Mount by addressing the issues of divorce and the taking of oaths. In his brief teaching about divorce in Matt 5:31-32, he forbids divorce except in the case of sexual immorality. In a related passage in Matt 19:3-9, the Pharisees ask Jesus about divorce for any reason, and Jesus affirms God's original design for lifelong marriage between one man and one woman.
This message addresses the Lordship and stewardship of Christ in our lives. If God is your Master, you will store up treasures in heaven, and if money is your master, you will store up treasures on earth. If we cannot see rightly about money, then we will not be able to see spiritual things, but we will be spiritually blind. The kind of treasure we store up indicates who our master is. You can have only one master. You will serve either God or money, love one and hate the other, and be devoted to one and despise the other. Jesus issues an ultimatum to us to choose between God and money and as a result, either earthly treasures that have only temporal value or treasures in heaven that have eternal value for God.
So much can happen in a year. In January 2021, on Episode 39 of our "God is Faithful" podcast series, Dinah Chin shared a testimony on how privileged she was to participate in God's amazing plan to serve and care for others. This time, Dinah shares another powerful and inspiring testimony of trusting in the Lord as she went through a year of battling cancer. Dinah's faith, positive attitude, humbleness and sense of humor permeates her narrative as she gives credit to the Lord for providing for her spiritual, emotional, mental and physical needs. God is truly faithful!
Christians are known to be people who pray. We pray before meals, we pray before meetings, we pray at our worship services. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus teaches us how to pray through a well-known passage known to Christianas far and wide as "The Lord's Prayer." As we break down how as Christians we are supposed to pray we see that through this passage Jesus teaches us why we are supposed to pray, that is to grow deeper in our relationship with God.
Great acting makes great entertainment. Great artists can lead the viewers into their roles and into their realms. But in real life, great acting can be dangerous. Look at the many ways people try to scam us, gaining our trust only to steal from us, to use us, and sadly to abuse us. This world needs people to be open, transparent and honest. How we wish people would stop lying and deceiving. The ancient Greeks had an interesting word for "actors" = "hypocrites." In Matthew 6:-8, 16-18, Jesus warned against those who "play church" or "play spiritual" in order to gain praise or other benefits instead of being wholeheartedly devoted to God. He challenged us to look deeper than the actions, to look inside to our motives, why we do what we do. Let's take this time to look at the scripture and then look into the mirror.
Whether we're young or old, we all face situations where it's difficult to love people. Sometimes people seriously wrong us, annoy us, or just disagree with us and we find it easy to harbor anger and resentment towards them. We want to take revenge and right every wrong on our own. But Jesus teaches us a different way to respond in Matthew 5:38-48. He teaches us to turn the other cheek and to love our enemies. In this message, we learn three principles of why and how we can love others, even when it's difficult.
Lust is topic that is often very difficult to talk about and discuss. It's a sin that, while obvious, somehow sneaks into our lives. In this passage from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus demonstrates for us that the fundamental problem of lust lies with how we look at other people. He invites us to be transformed by his Gospel in order that we might begin to look at others in a way that does not lead us into the temptation of lust.
Anger is something that many people struggle with. You see it in the news. You see it on social media. Perhaps more so during the pandemic, we see it in our own lives. In this part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us that as citizens of his kingdom and his disciples, we must tame the problem of anger by the transforming power of the Gospel. In doing so, we begin to reshape the world around us as salt and light.
In Matthew 5:17-20, Jesus makes the bold claim of being the fulfillment of the Old Testament, which center on the coming of a perfect king who is also a teacher. The Scriptures will endure until all it says is accomplished, and we are to pay attention to all of it, including its smallest details. This does not mean that we should become like the scribes and Pharisees, but that we should seek from the Lord a greater, authentic righteousness that is rooted in a restored relationship with God the Father.
Two thousand years ago, Jesus spoke to people living under an oppressive foreign government, divided religious leaders, and weary of living as slaves or subjects to for the preceding 600 years. He wanted to show them freedom in a dimension many had forgotten: spiritual freedom from sin, which would help them live in whatever circumstances they were facing.
Regardless of whether we talk about people living two thousand years ago or today, understanding our identity is essential to understanding how we will live. In this message, we will look at our being salt and light are integral to being God's children. Knowing these identities will help us navigate the many stresses and changes we face.
People often mistake Jesus for some mild-mannered teacher who gave benign messages about being good to one another. That could not be further from the truth. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), Jesus challenged His listeners to follow Him with all their heart, soul, mind and strength, and He showed them how God expected them to go well beyond the religiosity of their day. This is the first of fourteen messages on the Sermon on the Mount, and we will begin with Jesus' opening remarks, often called The Beatitudes. These are a collection of 9 blessings that God develops in every believer, and we will cluster them under three overarching "attitudes:" Being emptied of yourself, Being filled with the Holy Spirit, and Being ready for hard work. Open your Bible and join in for the ride!
To be strong and courageous, Joshua needed to trust and obey God and lead the people by remembering God’s promises and acting together on His commands. In this sermon, we look at Joshua 1 and the lessons for us today.
Title: Jesus, the King of Peace Passage: Isaiah 11:1-10 Summary: Over the course of the pandemic, we have seen news of violence, outcries, and distress. Along with wanting the pandemic to be over, all of us are longing for peace on earth. The prophet Isaiah reminds us this Christmas that only in Jesus Christ can true and lasting peace be found. During this Christmas season, let us celebrate Christ’s coming in Bethlehem, anticipate his coming again in glory, and finally, open our hearts for his coming through the Spirit in our daily lives.
Every time we watch the news, we see another thing to worry about. Whether it's related to the pandemic, societal upheavals, fragile economics, health, weather, safety, or even personal matters, the list of things to be fearful of keeps getting bigger and bigger. We need some good news for this fearful world. Fear has been a part of life ever since man walked the face of this earth. Yet fear is part of being human. While the circumstances may change from time to time and person to person, the experience of fear itself is nothing new.
Christmas is God’s good news to mankind, past, present and future. Even in the time before Jesus was born, people were looking forward to this promised Messiah. This Advent season, we are studying some prophecies from Isaiah - to see how God was leading His people to look ahead, beyond their messed up situations. Today, we will look at God’s two promises to people who were in a very desperate situation.
Advent is a season of waiting and hoping, a time to prepare our hearts to celebrate the birth of Christ Jesus and also for us to get in touch with our own yearning for Christ, for healing, justice, peace, and salvation. From Isaiah 9:1-7, we want to learn how Christmas brings us a living hope even in challenging and dark times.
At long last, Paul sailed for Rome, in accordance with his own deep desire and the Lord's promise. Unlike his previous missionary journeys, this time he went as a prisoner. Along the way, the ship encountered a dangerous storm that threatened the ship and the lives of its 276 passengers. Nevertheless, the Lord spared the lives of all who were onboard in a way that gives a picture of the gospel itself. The Lord's blessing also spread to the island to Malta where the ship wrecked. He not only brought Paul to the promised destination of Rome but also was faithful on the journey such that blessings were shared with the ship's passengers and those living on Malta.
This week we continue in the book of Acts and take a look in chapters 24-26 at Paul's defense before the governors Felix and Festus and before King Agrippa. Despite facing difficult circumstances, Paul takes pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man. We see this in both the things that he does and the things that he doesn't do. We can learn from Paul's example and consider whether we are living life with a clear conscience. We are also encouraged to align our conscience with God's Word, so we are not led astray by a seared or insensitive conscience.
During these past 2 years, we have been living in a time of anxiety and fear. So, being courageous is easier said than done. Paul courageously faced many challenges and difficulties in Jerusalem. Let’s learn together how we can live courageously for Christ from Paul’s encounters in Jerusalem.
When we think of sharing our faith, we think about sharing the plan of salvation. But sharing our faith is much broader than that. It includes the manner in which we share our story and including our personal encounters with Jesus. Let's learn from Paul's example in Acts 21:15-22:29
This week we continue in our series in the book of Acts and cover Acts 20:1 - 21:15. In this passage, we see how Paul is driven by his purpose of living for Christ and making Him known to all people. He's willing to follow God's leading, speak God's truth, and even die to self for the sake of the gospel. Even though Paul sets a very high bar for us, we learn from his example and live a purpose driven life.
The Acts of the Apostles continue in Ephesus where we see examples of different people all having a common issue - a spiritual blind spot. As we explore this text together, let us also reflect upon how today's context might determine our own blind spots. May the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit help us to address our personal blind spots and thereby grow toward Christlikeness.
This message addresses the things that provoked Paul. Being provoked does not mean only to be offended, but also to be affected, motivated, and driven. Paul was provoked by:
- idolatry, false religion, and rejection of the gospel as all this compelled him to preach the good news of salvation in Christ
- the promise of God as it encouraged him to persist in teaching and evangelism
- his own vow to God as motivation to fulfill his commitment to the Lord.
The message challenges us to examine what provokes us and reflect on whether those things matter to God and provoke Him. If not, then we must change our hearts to care deeply about the things that provoke and matter to God.
Guest speaker, Pastor Fred Mok delivers an inspiring reminder from the book of Hebrews. As followers of Christ, we are not citizens of any earthly country but we have a Heavenly citizenship. God made us strangers, exiles and foreigners to be associated with Him as His people. We are designed to bear reproach, humiliation and suffering while extending hospitality to strangers, just as Jesus did for us.
Christians are guilty of discriminating and erecting barriers for people of other culture or ethnic groups to be accepted as equals in the family of Christ. As Asian American Christians, we should learn from the mistakes of early church leaders including Peter and Paul. Our special guest speaker is Rev. Dr. Tim Tseng, who is the Pacific Area Director for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship’s Graduate and Faculty Ministries (GFM). He shares personal testimonies and preaches from Galatians 5:1-6; 13-18.
We all have wishes and dreams. How do we align our thoughts, desires, and actions with what God wants? In this episode, guest speaker, Steve Kim, shares his experiences and challenges each of us to serve the Great Commission. He speaks from 1 Timothy 2.
Christians turned their world upside down in the 1st century. Their faith in Jesus Christ and their way of life disrupted everything around them. In this text, we see that the Gospel turned the world upside down by reaching the unlikely and unexpected people, breaking down false idols, and forming diverse people into God's family through Christ. As followers of Christ, by our faith, words, and life-in-Spirit, we continue to participate in the great redemptive movement of turning an "upside down" world “right side up".
Three area that we wrestle with throughout our lives are relationships, effectiveness, and direction. In Acts 15:36-16:10, Paul faced all three in rapid succession. Let’s learn how he Holy Spirit enabled Paul to discern what to do in each situation. The same Holy Spirit and those principles can still guide us today.
As the church grows and encounters new situations, it sometimes has to figure out how to address them and live faithfully in accordance with the Bible. This has happened over the past 1.5 years as churches have considered whether and how to gather in-person in relation to pandemic circumstances, local regulations, congregational preferences, logistical issues, and biblical teaching. Churches have discussed the theological and practical issues of “online communion” and why in-person gathering is important for churches. In Acts 15, the issue that the church is facing is the increase of Gentiles (non-Jews) becoming Christians. This has already been going on for some time, but in Acts 15, a theological controversy that has major cultural and missiological implications breaks out but is resolved by a special council in Jerusalem.
Why do we experience suffering and hardship? Where is God in the midst of our deepest despair and trials? Guest speaker, Jonas Chang, preaches from James 11:17-37 to remind us that God loves us and will never forsake us. The more pain we experience the more we need to seek "Jesus in Our Hardships."
As we look into Paul and Barnabas’ missionary journey to bring the light of the Gospel to the Gentiles, we notice the tremendous challenges that they faced. How did they respond “when the going got tough?” For many of us during these past 18 months, we wondered the same thing. “When the going gets tough…,” how should we respond? Instead of taking the options that the world offers, followers of Christ can respond to a tough road ahead differently. Listen in and find out how.
Why does God allow thorns to come into the lives of faithful Christians? Why does he not always remove them? How should we respond? Instead of asking "why," the question we should be asking is "what." Preaching from 2 Corinthians 12, Pastor Hans Wilhelm shares four reasons for the Ministry of Thorns.
Our church family has entered a season of leadership change. This naturally leads us to the question: what does God have in store for us in the future? Where will the new leaders come from? In this message on Acts 12:25-13:52, we will discover three ways that God shapes leaders.
The early church in Acts faced many trials and also experienced many triumphs. But through it all, they maintained their trust in God. In this message on Acts 12:1-19, we learn from the example of the early church to see how we can build our trust in God's character through the ups and downs of life.
In the midst of the adversity, persecuted followers of Christ continued to share the gospel in Antioch. Subsequently, the church grew dramatically spiritually and numerically to become the center in which the gospel was taught locally and from which it was spread globally. What are the lessons from the empowerment of the church of Antioch and how can we apply these in our church today? Elder Patric Chang shares a message from Acts 11:19-30.
God's intent all along was for the gospel of salvation to go to the Gentiles. He commands and arranges for Peter to preach the gospel to Cornelius and his household. God overcomes the prejudices, tribalism, and elitist mentality of Jewish believers and uses the most unlikely messengers to preach the gospel to the most unthinkable hearers. For example, Cornelius was a Roman Centurion, and the Romans were despised as the oppressors and occupiers of Israel. From this passage, we learn that The Great Commission is for all of us who believe in Christ. There are no excuses that we are not adequate because we receive power from the Holy Spirit to be Christ's witnesses. The gospel is for us to share with all, even those who are outside of our usual comfortable zone.
In the days of the early church, God's power was shown through some great miracles. Can God still do such things today? If He can, why don't we see them, or are we not looking in the right places? In this message on Acts 9:32-43, let's see what God's Word says about this.
The book of Acts is chiefly about the spread of the Good News of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. But we must also notice another important point that the author Luke wanted us to notice. Bearing witness for Jesus is costly. It was for the early church, and it is still for us today. In Acts 9:1-31, we’ll look at the story of Saul from different angles to notice the cost and grace of bearing witness. What are the costs that God might be asking you to count and what are the graces you can experience as you follow Jesus Christ in your daily life?
This week we continue in our series on the book of Acts and see how the gospel spread beyond Jerusalem in Acts 8, as Jesus predicted in Acts 1:8. We hear about how God uses both circumstances and people to accomplish his work. We too are encouraged to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ in faith and in obedience, just as the early church did.
In Acts 5:17-42, persecution of the apostles intensifies, led again by the Sadducees. But with Almighty God leading the way and accomplishing his will (Acts 1:8), the church and their witness to Christ cannot be stopped. Whether working through his angel or a respected unbeliever, God is unstoppable, and when we are led by his Spirit, so are we.
Jesus says in the Gospel of John, "by this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." In Acts 4:32-5:16, we find this countercultural, powerful force of love begin to turn the world upside down. Filled by the Spirit, the disciples bore witness to Jesus by their love for one another and their oneness of one heart and mind. What specific characteristics can we find from such a community? What undermines this oneness of heart and mind? Listen in and find out.
In Acts 3, Peter and John healed a lame beggar at the temple, everyone was amazed, and Peter preached a message of salvation in Jesus Christ. However, we see in Acts 4 that not everyone was pleased and they faced opposition from the rulers and elders in Jerusalem. But instead of being afraid and backing down, they shared the gospel with boldness and did not back down, even under threats. In this sermon, we hear how we can be bold and bear witness for Jesus in the face of adversity, just as Peter and John did.
When Jesus ascended to heaven and left this earth, it would have been very easy for there to be a letdown and for the disciples themselves to feel let down. However, Jesus made clear to the disciples that this would not be the case. They were to wait in Jerusalem for a period of time, after which the Holy Spirit would come upon them and empower them to be Jesus’ witnesses (Acts 1:4, 8). When the Spirit came upon the believers on Pentecost in Acts 2, it was a signal that “it’s on,” even today. In Acts 3, Peter and John heal a lame beggar, bear witness to the gospel, and show that God's work and his kingdom are still advancing through the church.
In Acts Chapter 2, Jesus promised his followers that they would receive power to fulfill God's plan, regardless of their race, background or language they spoke. Through Christ, we are all united with one common mission in life. Listen as Pastor Bruce Wong elaborates how these "power ups" enable disciples to "talk the talk" and "walk the walk."
This message gives the historical background of the Book of Acts and sets up the series of messages on Acts, which is really not about the acts of the apostles. Rather, it is about the acts of God to establish the church and to empower the fulfilling of the Great Commission through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is about the continuing work of Christ after the completion of His redemptive work on the cross. Acts tells about how the Christian faith spread throughout the known world all the way to Rome, the capital of the Roman Empire. We see how the gospel of salvation was shared with gentiles and how the Holy Spirit is the one who powers ministry, evangelism, and church growth. We see that Jesus' resurrection, ascension, and return motivate Christians to live for Him and be a witness even unto death. We learn lessons from the lives of Judas Iscariot, Matthias, and Joseph (Barsabbas), and it all inspires us to truly live for God by His grace and by the power of the Holy Spirit.
What does the bible say about how to bring unity, and what does that unity mean? Doctor Hans Wilhelm explains how there can be unity within diversity. He speaks from the books of Acts, Galatians and Revelations.
Racial discrimination seems to be rising all around us. As Christians, what is our responsibility when we see racial injustice? Guest speaker, Dr. Frank Anderson, preaches on – "The Beauty of The Bride: Why We Must Respond to Her Temporal Racial Blemish." He speaks from the Book of Revelation 19
"The Blinders of Babel" is a timely message on the need for believers to have Unity in Christ. Pastor Linson Daniel presents a compelling case of why the construction of the Tower of Babel was based on uniformity, superiority and ethnocentricity, which went against God's plan for mankind. God intervened by creating multiple languages to encourage diversity in the human race. And yet, through the Holy Spirit, believers are united by God's one message of grace.
Many are taught to get the most out of life. Work hard and play hard since you only have one life which ends in death. This outlook usually ends with doubt, disappointment and even despair. On Easter Sunday, Jesus established the ultimate game changer — when he rose from the grave and gave believers the hope of life beyond death: “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The resurrection of Jesus gives us a new outlook and a living hope. Now we can live with a new outlook that gives us peace, contentment, and joy even as we face the challenges of life.
How do we respond to Jesus' love and sacrifice for us? * As we look forward to celebrating Easter, I want to share a story in the Bible that is often lost in the shadow of the main events of Jesus' betrayal, suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection. It is about a woman who anointed Jesus with a precious ointment and how the disciples reacted to her act. This woman is not named in the Gospel of Matthew and Mark, but in the Gospel of John, it says she is Mary, the sister of Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead. She came to Jesus with a jar of costly aromatic oil, made of pure nard, a special kind of perfumed oil, and she poured it on Jesus' head. This ointment was worth about an average worker's annual income. Because it was so expensive, this aromatic oil was put inside a sealed alabaster jar. This woman broke the jar and poured it ALL out on Jesus. * But when the disciples saw what she did, they became angry at her. They scolded her: "Why this waste? This ointment could have been sold for a lot of money and given to the poor." I believe they were angry at the woman not because she anointed Jesus but because she used such a costly ointment. Isn't an ordinary oil would do the same job? Why waste such an expensive pure nard perfume?
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I think most of us would have reacted the same way as the disciples. I know I would. Before I invest my time, money, and energy into anything, I calculate if it is worthwhile and ask, "what is in it for me?" Unfortunately, this utility kind of value system is often reflected in my relationship with others and God.
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But Jesus stopped His disciples from scolding the woman and said, "For she has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 You always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. 12 In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial." And then He said something that is mind-boggling, "Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her."
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The past few days, I have been thinking about this story. Why does Jesus say what this woman did was beautiful? What makes her different from the rest of the disciples and worth remembering for what she had done? What does this story teach me about my attitude in serving Jesus and others?
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I always thought of being practical, emphasizing utility and usefulness as good virtue. But this woman shows that act of love goes beyond utility. Jesus had talked about that he was soon to be crucified. The disciples didn't really get it. But this woman heard it and took it to heart. She took the opportunity to offer her most precious ointment to refresh Jesus before His death to express her love and gratitude for Him. She did not calculate how expensive the oil was as the disciples did, nor did she expect something in return from Jesus. No, she did it out of pure love.
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Isn't this the way Jesus showed His love for us? Christ Jesus, as the Son of God, not only gave away all His riches and glory to become a man, but He sacrificed His life to save us from sin and death. He knew that Judas would soon betray Him, Peter would deny Him three times, and the rest of the disciples were all about to flee when He was arrested.
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And we would be no better than the disciples. We are also calculating individuals like them. Although we doubt if it would be worthwhile to be all-in to love and serve Him, Jesus never thought it was a waste to spend His life for us. He was determined to die on the cross for sinners like you and me.
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This is the love of Christ that we need to meditate on this Passion Week. Maybe when we take into our hearts Jesus's unconditional love and His total devotion to us, which has no calculation of how unworthy we are, we'll see the beauty of Jesus' love, and our hearts will be changed. And then, our love for Jesus may be like this woman, worthy of being remembered.
Matthew 21:1-11 narrates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. While the general hope for the coming of the Messiah had always been there for the Jewish people, the sentiments rose to new heights during this Passover. Could Jesus be the long-awaited Messiah-king who would free Israel from its oppressor? As Jesus came into the city, the people ascribed to his authority and triumph. Yet, little did they know, the Messiah-King would be like nothing they have expected. This king did not come to free the people from the Romans and to restore the prominence of Israel. But this king came in humility to free the world from evil and to take away the sins of the world through his sacrificial death on the cross. He will come again in power and glory as of the King of Kings. How might Jesus' humility, servanthood, and sacrifice move you into actions on this Palm Sunday?
James concludes his epistle by addressing the topic of prayer. Prayer is crucial to the Christian life as it is the way that we can communicate with God. James encourages his readers to pray in all circumstances, to pray in faith, to pray in community, and to pray in righteousness. Hopefully, we can all be encouraged to make prayer more regular in each of our own lives.
Caregiving
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We have been caring for my sister-in-law for the last seven months since her multiple surgeries in January & February left her unable to live alone and care for herself. During these months, Bruce and I have learned and experienced a lot more about caregiving. We had taken care of my mother in her 80s & 90s during short visits so we had some prior knowledge and supplies for this area. However, given that Jan now lives with us, I’ve had more time to evaluate the changes, challenges and insights about what is involved in being a caregiver. There is still more to learn, but here are some of the lessons and insights we have gained.
Caregiving is love in action.
There are reasons a person might become a caregiver in their home. The obvious is that someone in your household becomes ill and needs help to recover. In our case, Jan was not a member of our household, but as Bruce’s beloved eldest sister, a member of our extended family. It is important that we take care of family when we are able to. The Bible speaks of taking care of widows and orphans. So we take care of those we love and those in our family in need.
Many of us have or will take care of an elderly parent or relative. It is the cycle of care; our parents raised us with love & sacrifices to give us the best start possible in life, we should return the gift as they decline in years. Being part of a family means you are connected by blood and lifelong shared experiences. Your family members know you more closely than others, they know your flaws and failures; they’ve seen and helped you grow and mature. Family is part of God’s design of support and love for mankind. And from our families, we learn how to receive and give care.
A mother with her baby is the prime example of a caregiver; she demonstrates love in action every day. A mother sacrifices her body and own desires from the minute she knows she is carrying a new life within. It’s a privilege and high calling to bring forth a baby. You realize you’re the recipient of a miracle when you think about how life forms in the womb. Knowledge gained in school and current views in society have caused us to think of conception as just biology or as an inconvenience to our independent life. We’ve lost the awe and wonderment of pregnancy and just how special it is. Motherhood is not as highly honored as in earlier generations and partly, because women have been told it’s not enough. If you want to achieve a high level of success, you need to be successful, independently of any man or child. Just being a wife and mother is seen as accepting yesteryear’s standard, today’s woman can do anything she wants and all by herself. She doesn’t need anyone or anything to define her. While this perspective may have some limited truth, it devalues the high calling of being a wife and mother and her role as a life and caregiver. This is what wives and mothers do. They care for their families. They make tremendous sacrifices of their careers, bodies, free time, dreams and even opinions. How many times have your mothers given you the last or best piece of dessert or food instead of taking it themselves? How often have your mothers stayed up late making you something you needed or taken you shopping for something special? What special foods or practices did she have for you when you were sick? Thrown birthday parties, planned family vacations, helped with homework, driven you to and from practices, cheered you on in your games, helped you find whatever you lost? The list could go on and on. Mothers give and give of themselves for their families because of the great love in their hearts for them.
We care for others because of our love for them. We also care for people because we are called to the task. Caregiving is a calling given by God. He can place compassion, kindness or a sense of duty in our hearts. He can place someone right in our path and move our lives towards caring for him or her. He can shine a spotlight on a particular person’s needs that only we can see. We answer His calling. We may care for an aging parent, relative or child. Perhaps we work as a professional caregiver such as a nurse or therapist in the medical or rehabilitation fields. We dedicate our lives to caring for others. Being a caregiver is a noble profession taken on by generous, selfless, dedicated and often times, very compassionate people; individuals that have been designed or shaped specifically to fulfill God’s purposes in helping the needy.
How do we handle this enormous responsibility? Ask God for patience, strength, joy and perseverance. God is the source of your strength and joy.
The Bible tells us to pray when we are sick, lost or anxious, when we are fighting battles, feel alone or brokenhearted. God is ready and willing to provide for us, to protect us, to help us overcome any obstacle and be victorious. Relying on our own strength will surely bring us to exhaustion. With God’s help, we can have wisdom to know when to ask for outside assistance and the humility to accept the help. With God’s help, we can get through another long day and night and sleep peacefully. With God’s help, we can see the blessings beyond the burdens. Our joy comes from the Lord, when He gives us a message of hope even in times of sadness; a word of encouragement when we’re ready to give up; a song of praise instead of complaints and criticism.
I remember how God would help us through tough times on long road trips. When we lived in Portland, Oregon, we would drive back and forth to the Bay Area to visit family. It’s about an 11-12 hour drive (w/a couple of rest stops included). Have you ever take a long road trip, been in the car for hours either with your family or by yourself? How do pass the time, mile after mile, until you reach your destination? Grumbling and constantly checking the distance until the next stop probably just made the trip even longer and more difficult. A car full of cranky or bored kids on a road trip is enough to decide to fly the next time or just stay home. On our trips to Portland, we would often bring along some cassette tapes to listen to on the drive. One of our favorites was Psalty, the Singing Songbook. We would hear how Psalty always had a song of praise or encouragement for his little friends when they got into trouble or were lost. Besides learning and singing fun songs together as a family, we learned through songs and verses that God is faithful and valuable in every situation. Life is like a long car ride, we’re carried along to destinations and sometimes, we get bored, tired or impatient. How do we handle the journey? Let God be our guide and constant companion who makes our experience fun and fulfilling. God can use our caregiving journey to do the same. We can learn, grow, be strengthened and make meaningful memories with others.
Have a big picture view.
A caregiver needs a “big picture” view; to look at long term goals and overall benefits. Caregiving is not a quick task or project. It may not get done in week or month, but can last for a long period or maybe years. The body and mind may recuperate slowly or more frailties may arise. You can do your best and see only minimal results or even setbacks. The daily routine can put you in a “Groundhog’s Day” state of mind, the movie in which every day is repeated. You feel like you are living the same day over and over. This can be tiring, discouraging and draining. We are trained to be productive and to see results for our labor. You work hard at your job and get compensated for that work, usually with a paycheck, something concrete. Caregiving is often tiring and difficult as you adjust to changes in your own routines, freedoms, finances and rest and you may not get anything concrete in return.
We thrive on having new adventures, experiences and surprises. We like it when we get unexpected good news, a bonus check, little or big gifts for no reason, plan for a vacation or special outing. When those perks seem a far distance away or a fading memory, it’s hard to continue our caregiving with joy and a positive attitude. Having a big picture perspective will help us stay focused on our long term goals. A runner focuses on finishing the race, not counting and bemoaning each individual step he/she must run. We keep our eyes on the prize. A parent gets up nightly to feed a newborn and knows that someday those nightly feedings will cease and that child will learn to feed himself. With caregiving, sometimes our loved one needs help on an increasing basis instead of a diminishing basis. Are we able to give even more to help them recover, thrive or just to survive? How do we respond to discouragement or weariness?
Celebrate the small victories & improvements.
Be aware of the little improvements and successes. As an old favorite hymn says, “count your blessings, name them one by one.” Look for the positives instead of focusing on the negatives. Because my sister-in-law lost over 50 lbs in one year, it is a high priority to help her to regain some of her weight for strength and good health. We’ve analyzed her food intake and gotten expert advice on what to feed her. We’ve bought protein shakes, cream soups & cheese for pasta dishes and even her favorite dishes (chow fun, dim sum, cheesecake, burgers, etc) to supplement her otherwise healthy diet. We rejoice when she gains even ½ a pound.
Through daily perseverance in simple exercises, she’s been able to strengthen muscles and her endurance. Small changes in her diet have also helped with her mood and electrolyte levels. Providing and encouraging various social connections, Bible Study through Zoom meetings and listening to her favorite music have also fed her emotionally and spiritually. When it’s a warm day outside, a walk in the park or around the neighborhood is good for everyone. Once in a while, treat yourselves to goodies from a favorite restaurant to change your meal plan.
Let others help.
Sometimes we carry too much of the responsibility to care for our loved one. We’re not taking much needed breaks because, of course, no one else can care for him or her the way we can; we don’t want to “burden” or impose on other people; our loved one is used to us and may not like/trust/accept someone else or a change in the routine. Just as it’s good for us to have a change of scenery or different activity, it may also be good for your loved one to have a different caregiver for short periods. A different person will bring a new outlook, perspective and also a new friendly face to greet and converse with. We have a home health aide that comes 3 times a week (4 hours at a time) to help with Jan. She does Jan’s laundry, cleans her bathroom and bedroom, helps her with bathing. She is a young woman with a wonderful, big laugh and we often hear the two of them laughing and enjoying their interactions. Since Jan cannot get out as much, it really helps to bring in someone from the outside to liven up her days. Her sister will also come over every other week for a few hours. They have a nice visit and Bruce and I can run errands together. Caregivers need to go out and get some fresh air or take a walk by themselves, too. Give yourself permission to do so. It will reduce your stress and improve your attitude in caregiving.
It’s not for “forever.”
Sometimes a difficult task will seem like it will go on forever. When I was a student, I thought my Algebra and Chemistry classes were like that. Time moved so slowly and I dreaded those classes. We can develop the same attitude in our caregiving, thinking that it will never end. We must remember that caregiving is for a season; it may be a long season or a short one, but it will end someday. Know when you need to let go; when someone else needs to take over. It could be because your loved one needs more than you can provide, whether it be medically, physically, emotionally, mentally or financially. God also has a plan for your life. He knows what you can handle and His timing is always perfect. Talk to Him and pray for strength to continue to care for your loved one as long as the Lord calls you to this divine assignment.
Pray for me and I’ll pray for you.
Talk to God often and talk to some close friends, too. Get the support you need on a regular basis. Keep a good balance between giving care to someone, receiving the support you need and making some space for you to still be “you.” Take a little time to do the things you enjoy or find fulfilling. You will be a more refreshed and devoted caregiver when you do.
May God bless you in your care of others.
Christian patience includes not only patience with the day to day things that test our patience but also our whole lives as we faithfully wait upon the second coming of Jesus Christ. We can be assured that his return is sure because his Word is sure and many of its promises have already come true. Let us take heart because that we will have a great eternal reward.
Airline pilots use radar to manage their flight path according to the weather and air traffic. In a similar way, we use a spiritual radar to help guide our walks with Jesus. As we look at James 4:13-5:6, let’s see what’s on our screens as we “check our radar.”
Hello CCIC! I’m Ethan.
Change. I’m sure we’re all too accustomed to this word. In the past year, it seems like everything we thought we knew has been flipped on its head. The universal reach of the pandemic, tumultuous political landscape, and increasingly severe natural disasters have dominated the way we live our lives. It’s impossible to turn on the news and not hear about at least one of these three things, and the way things used to be before feels like a distant memory, to me at least. But you don’t need me to tell you that. We’ve all had to adapt in our own ways to this crazy future. But here is my story.
I’m a high school junior, and with college right around the corner, I know I’m going to need to be ready for even more change, on top of all the crazy things that are going on now. In less than two years, I’m going to have to make the transition from being dependent on my parents to making decisions on my own - I need to become an independent young adult. And as exciting as college sounds, that scares me. I’ve learned to depend on them, or at least I feel like I do. I’m very used to having them there for help, and that makes the idea of living without them all the more uncomfortable. Whether I like it or not, there will come a time where I have to live without them. The very same freedom that gives college its appeal is also one of the very things that bothers me the most.
It’s a transition everyone has to make, but it hits particularly close to home for me. Personally, I like to over prepare for things, so I can feel ready. But when it comes to my future, well, it is one of the few areas where I feel like I don’t entirely know what I’m doing, and that makes the impending decisions I am going to have to make even scarier.
This is where God comes in. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that God has a plan for us, plans to prosper us and not to hurt us. I’m sure we’ve all heard this a million times, but it never fails to have the same effect on me. When I don’t know what to do, I can rest assured that God already knows my future, and everything that happens is all part of His plan.
I’ve seen this happen before. 2017-2018 was a time of big change in my family, where both of my grandmothers got sick and passed away within the span of a year. It wasn’t sudden; we’d all seen it coming, but that didn’t make it any easier. Every day, we’d pray for their safety, fearful of what the next day held. Would they make it? I know I was stressed. But why?
Besides the obvious fear of losing a loved one, I was also scared of things changing. I wanted things to stay the same, wanted our family to be how it had always been. I didn’t want to be reminded of our mortality and that I would have to eventually experience the same thing happening to my parents.
In hindsight, though, I can see God’s hand throughout the entire journey, especially on my mom’s side. My maternal grandparents weren’t always the religious kind, and my mom told me that when she was young, they were extremely strict. But when my maternal grandmother was diagnosed with leukemia, well, everything changed. When we went to visit her in the hospital, it felt like there was another dimension added to her, as if she had realized she wanted to make the last few months of her life the most meaningful ones. And not too long after, my maternal grandmother accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. If it weren’t for being faced with the prospect of her own mortality, she very well may never have come to Christ.
What I had previously thought as a change for the worse was actually a shift for the better! I was so scared of things changing that I forgot to think about how God can use all situations for good. And as odd as it feels, I can be thankful for God’s hand in orchestrating this, because I know that I will be able to see her again in heaven.
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fearlessly accept change, but I can trust that God will always be around to see me through it. Going to college will still remain uncertain, I know that much. After all, just because God is with us doesn’t mean that we should get lazy - I still have to prepare and do my best. But now I can rest assured that behind the scenes, God is working, planning things that will prosper me and not hurt me, planning things to give me hope and a future.
To sum it all up: the world has been changing a lot. Everyone is fighting their battles, trying to find their place in an unforgiving world. And I just want to remind everyone who needs to hear it, “God is watching out for you. Things are changing - they always will. Not every change will have a happy ending, but you can bet that God will be there to see you through it. It’s ok to doubt, to worry, to cry, I’ve done all three - and God has shown me he was there through it all. I can’t pretend to know what any of you are going through, but God doesn’t have to pretend. If you hear nothing else, I just want you to remember: Even though it may not always seem like it, Joshua 1:9 assures us that God will stick with us through thick and thin, and no change is too large for Him to lead us through.
Throughout his letter, James is concerned with addressing the issues that bring about divisions in the church. In 4:1-12, the concern is how believers were giving into worldliness. Like a skilled physician, James surveys the symptoms, diagnoses the source, gives a report of what the illness would do if untreated, and finally provides a remedy. As believers, in order to “live in the world, but not of the world,” it would benefit us much to heed to James’ pastoral advice.
It has come to my attention recently, while studying through the book of 1 Peter that I have a personal issue with pain and suffering. It is not a theological issue, but a practical one --- I don’t like pain and would do much in my power to avoid it.
For example, at home, I notice that sometimes, I would feel a sense of dreariness when I need to do house chores after a long day at work, especially if I need to do more than my usual share when my wife is not available. I realize that it is the perceived pain of hard labor that I fear. Or more truthfully, it is not just the pain in and of itself, but also the feeling that I am also being deprived of rightly deserve pleasure, for example sitting down comfortably and drinking a hot cup of tea, reading the news.
As another example, at work, I notice that the times when I often feel quite miserable, is when I am asked to do something that induces the feeling of pain. For example because the task interrupts what I was doing, or forces me to give up doing something I want to finish, or just that I have no idea how to do the task and would need to figure it out under time pressure.
Either consciously or unconsciously, I thought while growing up that a happy and successful life is one that is defined by the absence of pain. Thus any presence of pain and suffering would invoke in me the feeling of fear and anguish.
Apostle Peter, on the other hand, sees things very differently.
Firstly, Peter says that the presence of pain does not necessarily equate to feelings of fear, anguish or despair. The truth is that the believer has a choice of how to respond to it. In fact, Peter says when we face pain and choose to respond with faith --- we will experience something most remarkable: we experience a much deeper sense of peace, freedom, and joy. Peter says it is a “joy that is inexpressible and full of glory”. This deeper sense of joy may not be readily evident, especially when we are in the very midst of pain. Nevertheless, Peter says the believer can sense it because we know deep inside that it is truly who we are, having been born again through Christ. We have a choice of how we respond to pain, and when we respond with faith, we can experience this inexpressible sense of peace and joy because we are being true to our self. It is a sense of peace which is from God and in which no pleasure or reward in this world can ever give us.
Secondly, Peter tells us that pain and suffering is not to be feared by the Christian because it is not a sign of a wasted or unfortunate life. When we go through pain or suffering, one aspect of the experience that makes it particularly difficult to bear, is the feeling that somehow God has forsaken us or worse has turned against us. But Peter tells us that the truth is quite on the contrary: He has not forsaken you. For example, in the story of Job, a series of sudden and painful losses fell upon Job. And it was not at all because Job’s life was met with random misfortune or having been punished by God. The truth was that God allowed these to happen because he was proud of Job and boasted in him, saying “there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil”. It is the same for the Christian, Peter reminds us. In Christ, we have been born again, with a salvation and inheritance that is imperishable, and kept in heaven for us. Through Christ, God is for us in all circumstances, and so any suffering that we face can only be a part of our Father’s good and saving plan for the Christian. That is why Peter says, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, ...” Peter says at the very least, we are not to be surprised at the suffering because through them we share in our Lord’s own experiences when he walked on earth, and so we gain a greater sense and personal experience of the truth of our unity with him.
Thus I pray, for myself and others, that in trying times let us not be afraid of pain and suffering, but respond to it by faith, out of who we truly are in Christ.
What is wisdom? This is a question that many people in the world seek after and try to answer. But the wisdom from God is different from what the world might tell us about wisdom. This week, we take a look at James 3:13-18 to see the source, characteristics, and fruits of wisdom from above, contrasted against the wisdom of the world.
Many years ago, I saw a cement company’s slogan on the sides of their trucks: “Find a Need and Fill it.” They wanted to fill the voids in people’s concrete sidewalks and foundations. You know, that is an excellent motto for us Christians to live by as well, not for filling voids in people’s concrete but to fill voids and repair cracks in their lives. Everybody has always had needs, but the level of needs has been exacerbated because of this unprecedented pandemic with all of its fears and restrictions. In 2019, how often did we talk about buying toilet paper? Here is 2021, how much do we miss seeing each other, not just online, but face to face? When’s the last time you hugged a friend, or patted someone on the back? Perhaps the introverts among us are managing okay, but many of the extroverts are probably struggling. There are definitely needs out there, but we are not aware of them. Even at church, we created a form for those who have physical or spiritual needs and we will try to help meet them. Yet very few people have really taken advantage of it.
My fear is that people are suffering in silence. They have lost income, or a loved one and have no one to walk alongside them. Perhaps they are isolated, whether by themselves or being stuck in the same space with the same people. Maybe they lack the technological savvy to connect with others. How they long to have someone with a listening ear, a shoulder they could lean on, some wisdom to guide them, or some encouragement to know that they matter somehow, somewhere, and to someone. We need to find a need and fill it.
From another perspective, maybe you feel that way, and you yearn for someone to reach out to you. Since you are personally aware of the struggle of being alone, I encourage you to reach out to someone as well, and perhaps each of you can be filled as you meet each other’s needs. You would know the questions to ask, the kind of hints that people make because you have to same feelings within yourself, so you can listen more astutely as you talk with others.
Whether you feel okay or you feed needy, I encourage you to meditate on 1 John 3:16-18:
[16] By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. [17] But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? [18] Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
Four quick observations about filling needs in people’s lives:
- Jesus exemplified what it means to give of ourselves for others (16) “he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.” Jesus took the initiative; He came down to earth even though He was not invited.
He gave, even though people misunderstood and misinterpreted His actions and motives.
He sacrificed even at the cost of His own life.
He gave and served as the needs arose. We often read that while Jesus was on His way to heal somebody, He would heal others along the way. He met the needs as they were presented to Him.
- Helping is a heart issue (17) “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?”
“closes his heart” - it’s not that he was unaware of the need; he was aware and yet he closed his heart. We are not to be unsympathetic and uncaring; rather, we are to be aware and open.
Just as Jesus’ heart was moved toward those He helped, we need to be moved toward those around us as well.
Helping others is not an issue of checking off boxes that we did this good deed. Helping others is honoring the image of God in each person, recognizing the struggles that they are going through and doing something because they are valuable people.
- We can do something to help others (17) “But if anyone has the world’s goods…”
Now we may complain about the high cost of living in San Jose. And many of us feel that we are just getting by, but by comparison to others, we are still doing really well. We can still find ways to share God’s blessings with others, even while we are struggling ourselves. It may be as simple as treating someone to a meal, helping them with a little gift, finding some clothing that we no longer need that someone else can use, or passing on something that has been laying around in our house that just gets in our way. We can find things that we can give to others.
- Let your love be visible (18) “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”
You may have heard the phrase “talk is cheap.” We can all talk and talk and get nothing done. I used to joke about the weather in Sacramento, blaming the heat on the politicians who talk and talk and get nothing done. But the same can be said about us in the churches, if all we do is talk and talk and nothing gets done, then we are no better.
In James 2:26 we are reminded that “faith without works is dead.”
Let’s put our faith into action.
I challenge you to take some time, open up your phone book and call somebody, or even write them an email. Just reach out to them, see how they are doing. See if there is a need. And if you find a need, then fill it.
Although our tongue is one of the smaller parts of our bodies, it is actually the most powerful part of our body. The words that come out of us can affect the world around us far more than the rest of our bodies could ever do. Our tongues can help and heal, or they can tear down and destroy. In today's message, we will learn three reasons why God calls us to tame our tongues so we can use them properly.
A common issue for Christians is the disconnect between faith and works. We might be so focused on the doctrine of justification by faith alone, but forget that the faith that saves never remains alone. James wants us to understand the inseparable relationship between faith and deeds that true faith always brings life changes and produces good works. He challenges us to examine our faith to see whether our faith is living or dead.
Hi, I'm Stan Lim. Some of you may know that I am the producer of this "God is Faithful" podcast series.
Over the last 10 months since we started the God is Faithful podcast, we have heard touching reminders of our Lord's love and faithfulness during these challenging times. I was also especially surprised, but appreciative of the humility of many of our contributors who opened up to share their personal struggles with feelings of hopelessness, depression, loneliness, stress and anxiety. Many of these testimonies came from people whom I looked-up to and respected as mature Christians. These honest and humble confessions encouraged me as I also went through periods of negativity and doubt.
Recent events have given me reason to share a short podcast myself.
A few weeks ago, my entire household tested positive for COVID-19. Ironically, just a few days before that diagnosis, I had just completed my annual physical exam, where I had the best health and medical test scores in the last decade. For the past year, I had been exercising more, eating healthier and losing excess weight. I was feeling great! But a few days later, I had severe flu symptoms and tested positive for COVID-19. My wife who had tested negative just a week earlier now tested positive. Subsequently, when my mother and daughter got tested, they were also positive.
Today, I want to share three key points with you. The first is that God is GOOD. I want to thank our Lord and to acknowledge his mercy, grace and compassion to me and my family. My mother, wife and daughter all had mild symptoms that lasted only a few days. I had more severe symptoms that made me very tired and sleepy for three weeks. Given how deadly this virus could be, I am thankful that God spared us from more severe consequences. By taking us through this experience, I hope that my family now has antibodies that will protect us from future infections.
The second point I want to share is the gift and privilege of prayers.
As soon as we found out about our condition, many of you including our church leaders, Elders, Ministers, Deacons, home group, men's group, women's group and other church family started praying for us. Even though I was alone in quarantine for a week, knowing that you were praying for me was a source of encouragement during my physical isolation. Thank you all for your prayers for me and my family.
Many times during my recovery, the Lord reminded me of His Sovereignty and Absolute Control. I was impatient to be get better, and felt frustrated that for 2 weeks, all I wanted to do was sleep. On some days, it felt that I only woke up to eat and drink a little, and then go back to sleep. I wasn't even interested to watch tv. I surprised myself at how absolutely unmotivated I was to do anything.
After a few days of this, Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God" started repeating in my head. I told God that I trusted Him, didn't I? So why not trust him to heal me in his time? Just as Pastor Hans preached last Sunday, God often uses challenges, difficulties and even silence to help us grow in our faith.
I got to a stage where I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I started to pray because that was all I could manage to do. I would wake up in the middle of the night or day, and was too tired and lazy to do anything. So I just thanked the Lord that I was still breathing, and go back to sleep.
Initially, my prayers were mainly for myself and my family - that we could all recover and be healed. As I got better, I started praying for others in our church, some who have much more serious and life threatening conditions than myself. Just as others in our church had prayed for me, I felt more and more empowered to pray for others as well.
A childhood friend send me encouragement from Philippians 4:6-7 NIV
"Do not be anxious about anything but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
These verses are absolutely true. Looking back, I did not feel fear or anxiety even as one by one, my family got diagnosed with COVID-19. Through constant prayer, and with prayers from others, the Holy Spirit comforted me and my family.
The third and final item I want to share is to thank you, my church family. You were there for my family when we needed your support. We appreciate the phone calls, emails, text messages, cards and food deliveries. I also want to encourage anyone of you to reach out if you need help, support, prayers or just someone to talk to. Having our church family is such a tremendous blessing of belonging to the Lord's Kingdom. It is a privilege to love and care for one another.
So, I have COVID. I am still recovering. Now what? Pray. I am not helpless. The simple fact that I can still pray attests to God's mercy and healing. Let's continue to uphold one another in our prayers. Now, more than ever, the world needs to experience our Lord's saving grace, mercy and love. The more we hurt, the more we need Jesus. Our Lord is the one and only true source of hope and light.
Amen.
Dr. Hans Wilhelm shares a message on how to build and grow our faith during these challenging times. Drawing from the book of Habbakuk and from his vast personal experiences, Dr. Wilhelm teaches us why challenges, trials, persecution, pressure and even silence are necessary tools that the Lord uses to help us develop and mature as Christians.
As I look around me, surveying the world during the coronavirus pandemic, already past 9 months of restrictions, there is a lot to be anxious and panic about if we let the physical world tell us how we feel. I've learned to let any suffering, in any circumstance, good or bad, to be a blessing in disguise.
One of my favorite verses that I look to when I experience trials is Romans 5:3-4, which says, "Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." Now I wouldn't be able to give you precise definitions to these three words, but I trust them to be what God values. Whenever suffering comes my way, the image of gold and silver comes to mind. To purify these precious metals, extreme heat is what's needed to purify them. They are made more precious when they are purified through heat. Likewise, we are made more perfect and mature and refined for His purpose through our trials.
There have been many sufferings in my life where I was being purified, but two major moments stood out the most. The first one was in my teenage years. I had developed migraine headaches that randomly pop up during any day of the week. A migraine headache feels like a brain freeze from drinking something cold very fast, but instead of a temporary headache, migraines last a long time. It usually is preceded by sensitivity to light and blind spots to warn me of incoming pain. I wonder if that is how the Chinese fictional character Monkey King, or Sun Wukong, suffers when his monk chants to tighten the band around his head. These headaches cause me to go to a dark place and stay there, still, and wait out the pain. During these times, I would call out to God to get rid of my headaches. I had the migraine headaches for many years, until I finally let God take my burdens and since then haven't had an episode for a long time.
The second moment of suffering was when I had retinal detachment on my left eye from a soccer ball injury. The two surgeries themselves to repair it were not a problem. Staying awake to watch the drilling into my eye was the entertaining part. The problem was what followed after the surgeries, which were incapacitating and painful. No one told me what to do to make my physical pain easier at that time. I had to suffer through it for what seemed to be an eternity. No one really understood what I was going through. Not my wife, not my family, not my friends. It was only mine to bear. It was not just the physical pain, but the uncertainty and confinement of not being able to move freely. Throughout that time, I had to put my faith in God to pull me through this dark chapter of my life. He did not disappoint. I survived and came out stronger.
Moments like these have only strengthened my faith in God. I can wholeheartedly say that they have built up my perseverance, character, and hope. When I encounter hardships in life, I can face them directly instead of running away, because I have a God who has been with me every step of the way. He doesn't leave or forsake me. Even when I am alone, I don't feel lonely. You might say that I now thrive in changing and uncertain times from my experiences. Maybe it's the anticipation of seeing what God is going to do next. I know he is in control and he is sovereign. There are only so many things that I can do, even with my best effort, but ultimately, I'm waiting on God to shine His light in the darkness.
The world around us often gives into favoritism. The wealthy are given special access to important places. The well dressed and “good looking” get “likes” and are given special attention. The powerful in society are honored with prestige and receive preferential treatment. But as believers of Christ, James tells us that there’s no room for favoritism. So how do we live counter culturally and to overcome favoritism? Listen in on what James has to say.
Podcast: Don’t miss out on what God can do through you. By Dinah Chin
Have you ever had an idea that you put into action and it just grew into something that amazed you? I feel that often God lets us in on what He wants to do but we aren’t always ready to follow through and as a result, we miss out on seeing His work unfold. What if we acted on some of these thoughts?
I’d like to share with you a time that I did.
I have been a room parent almost every year for my youngest son’s elementary school life This is a job that I truly enjoy and appreciate. Early this year, in February, as I was planning for a Valentine’s Day celebration for the class, I had this idea to get all the 5th graders to make hearts for every student and staff of the school as a Valentine’s day gift of love to all, it being their final year. I talked to other parents who loved the idea and worked with me for a couple of weeks on this. We got kids to make hearts and we wrote the names of everyone in the school in them. We gathered all the hearts together to form a big mural that said “You are Loved” and mounted it in the front of the school to greet everyone as they came to school on the morning of Valentine’s Day.
The effect was more that I could have imagined. Grown men and women were brought to tears at the simple message that greeted them in the morning. Kids were brought on tours during their class time to look for their names on the mural and to take class photos. People drove by to stare at the words and soak in the message. People were genuinely moved by the message that they were loved. It was powerful. I realized in that moment it was God who wanted to send out his message of love to the people. I had no idea at the beginning of the project what the outcome would be, but I was in wonder of how I played an important part in sending out God’s message of love to our beloved community. In the weeks that followed, the pandemic abruptly ended school and there was much grief in closing the school year without getting back together. The message of love that was sent out that Valentine’s day continued to make its impact in photos sent out by the school to uplift people.
This has been a special memory for me as it helped me understand how God would give us the privilege of being involved in his plans if we were ready to act on what He lays on our hearts. Are you ready to respond to what God has laid on your heart? Don’t miss out on what He can do through you!
Many Christians have been going to church for years and have a wealth of biblical knowledge. However, knowing how to put that knowledge into practice is much more difficult. In this sermon, we take a look at James 1:19-27 and see what James has to say about being a doer of the Word and not only a hearer.
Something I feel that God has been trying to tell me lately is to follow his will, not my own, even if I don’t know what his will is yet. I often tend to think of things far, far into the future, such as what career I will get, what kind of house I will live in, or how much money I will make. These dreams will become goals that I will work towards. That way I have a set direction or idea of where I want to be within the next few years or so. But I often will find myself so fixed on this direction or goal that I will close my mind to other options or opportunities, Or be disappointed when God says no to some things.
I read somewhere that we often try to follow God’s will, but when we have a glimpse of what the end result could be, we will try and chase that down, or take the shortest route possible to get there. Because of this we miss out on the blessings that God has for us on the way there. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “trust in the lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your path straight.” I think it is important to keep in mind to trust that the Lord will guide us on the right path and not what our own understanding of that right path may be, to not be so focused on where we think God is leading us and just trust that he will lead us, wherever that might be.
Something that helped me realize this was how the pandemic changed my school year and the time that I've had to reflect on what God was doing in my life as well as my plans for the future, especially since 2021 is coming soon and I have to start thinking about applying to colleges.
I have a lot of options and paths that are open to me, and I have to keep my mind open to when God closes the doors to some opportunities that I might have really wanted to try. I have to trust that wherever that happens that God is in control and is leading me in a path that is good.
I think of it kind of like a train. A train doesn’t have a steering wheel to decide which direction it will go. It just turns its wheels and lets the track guide where it goes. I don’t have to worry to much about steering in a certain direction, God will take care of that, I just need to keep working hard and being responsible with the talents and gifts that God has already given me, and as long as I provide the effort, God will one day use those gifts and talents to benefit his kingdom.
Temptations are universal and inevitable. But just because we will constantly face them, we don't have to give in to them. Let's look at how temptations work and how we can win over the battle over temptations.
New Year Message
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Introduction:
- Today is the New Year Day. Aren't you glad that we are in 2021 now and the Year 2020 is behind us?
- 2020 was awful. If all we had to deal with were the Covid-19 pandemic, that would be tough enough. But on top of the pandemic, we had a divisive election, economic hardship, devastating wildfires, racial tensions, isolation, and other difficulties.
- Time magazine declares 2020 the worst year ever. I don't know it is the worst ever or not, but I certainly hope that the Year 2021 will be better. I'm sure you do too.
- But will 2021 be a better year? Honestly, I don't know. We all know that things don't just change because we flip the calendar from 2020 to 2021. What can we be hopeful of, then? What can we be excited about in 2021?
- Is it because we hope things will be back to old normal after vaccines are readily available for all? I believe our hearts long for more than going back to old normal. We want renewal in mind, heart, body, and spirit. We want to leave behind our sin, guilt, and shame.
- Then, is our hope set on a new New Year's resolutions, promising to do better in the days ahead? The marking of a new year feels like a natural time for us to set goals for the coming year. I made my list of New Year resolutions, too. The list includes exercising more, daily devotions, less connected to social media, going to bed earlier, practicing gratitude, etc. But these goals are not what I set my hope on because, most likely, I'll break all of them sooner or later.
- So what is our hope? What is the foundation of our hope while the difficulties we faced in 2020 are still here in 2021? Let me share a couple of thoughts with you on this New Year Day.
- Today is the New Year Day. Aren't you glad that we are in 2021 now and the Year 2020 is behind us?
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Hope based on the steadfast love of the Lord
- First, as I begin the new year, I'm reminded of Lamentations Ch. 3, verses 21-23, which says: 21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope. 22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
- Let's not forget that Lamentations' original setting was great sorrow and suffering that the prophet Jeremiah and the people of Israel were going through. Yet he said, "But this I call to mind - God's love, mercies, and faithfulness, and therefore I have hope."
- We can have hope no matter what we'll be going through, no matter how discouraged, or alone we feel. Our hope lies not in an expectation of life getting better, not in our situation, not in the things we think we can control, but in the character of God. His love for us never ceases. His mercies in our lives will not come to an end but will be new every morning. He is faithful even when we are not.
- When I woke up this morning, I rejoiced and prayed: Dear God, I thank you for the new day and the new year. Thank you for the new opportunity to experience Your unceasing love, unending mercies, and great faithfulness. Fill me with new confidence, new trust, new love to live my day and serve you.
- I want this prayer to be my prayer every morning when I wake up. I include it as part of my new year resolutions.
- First, as I begin the new year, I'm reminded of Lamentations Ch. 3, verses 21-23, which says: 21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope. 22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
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Hope based on God that He is in control
- Second, as I begin the new year, I'm reminded of what I learned in 2020 that, as much as we want to be in control of our life, we really are not. Our days are in God's hands. James Ch. 4, verses 13-15 says, "13 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that."
- I can't count how many plans I had for 2020 vaporized. It taught me to hold my plans loosely but put them in God's hands. It doesn't mean that I don't plan anymore for the new year or being haphazard or disorganized. It means that we plan our lives with the Lord in mind. What we are given - life itself and what we have is a blessing and a gift. On the one hand, we need to guard against pride and being presumptuous. On the other hand, we can have peace of mind knowing that God is in control when facing unexpected challenges and disappointments in the new year.
- Second, as I begin the new year, I'm reminded of what I learned in 2020 that, as much as we want to be in control of our life, we really are not. Our days are in God's hands. James Ch. 4, verses 13-15 says, "13 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that."
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Conclusion
- As we begin the new year, I pray that we keep these perspectives in mind and put our hope in the Lord. May the Lord bless you as you live humbly before Him in 2021!
Written by a brother of Jesus to Jewish Christians, the Epistle of James is known for its practical teaching on Christian living. James 1:1-12 introduces three key topics in this epistle: endurance, wisdom, and the rich and the poor. Through James, the Lord calls us to endure unto maturity (vv. 2-4), seek wisdom from God in faith (vv. 5-8), and seek an eternal crown rather than putting our hope in fleeting riches (vv. 9-12).
This has been a very difficult year, and Elder David Yu shares this message to provide some encouragement and perspective from God's Word.
Many of us set goals for the New Year. Some people might want to lose weight, others want to run a marathon, and some students might have the goal of getting straight As. However, all of those goals only have value for this life. This year, considering making godliness one of your goals, as godliness has value for this life and also for the life to come. However, goals aren't easy to accomplish and often require training. In this message, we'll take a look at 1 Timothy 4:6-10 to see how we can train for godliness.
2020 has been a year of change and disruption, even for our favorite holidays. Instead of "dreaming of a White Christmas", people are asking "What Christmas?" Let's learn about what the Bible says that Christmas is all about. Then we can say, "What a Christmas, indeed!"
It seems that a lot of people couldn't wait for Christmas this year. Certainly, the lights, the food, and the gifts bring much needed happiness for a challenging year. But if we let Christmas be only about these cheers, we would have missed the best gift that Christmas offers. Christmas is about a Savior coming into our world. We can more fully appreciate Jesus' coming when we understand the cost of his coming into the world, the effect of him being in the world, and the decision he is asking to the world.
As we celebrate the holidays and reflect on all the things that we’re thankful for, it also brings to mind the fact that there are so many people around us and around the world, who are not as fortunate. In this episode, we'll hear about an example of Jesus' compassion from Matthew 14 and be encouraged to show compassion to those around us.
The real story of Christmas is that the True Light has come into the world, enlightening every man. Yet the world did not know Him. Even though He came to His own, they did not receive Him, but as many as received Him, He gave the right to become children of God. Only through Christ, the True Light, can a person be forgiven of sins, be born again of the Spirit of God, come into a relationship with God, and receive the free gift of eternal life. For those who have not yet received Christ as Savior and Lord, now is the time to do so, now is the day of salvation. For Christians, we must walk in the light as children of Light and not hide from God, not hide our sins from Him, but rather confess them and find victory over darkness in Him.
Hi everyone, this is Jason.
In July, at the height of a raging summer surge in the pandemic, I received multiple questions about Operation Christmas Child for this year. “How do we do OCC safely?” “Are we going to reduce the number of shoeboxes?” And even “Are we going to do OCC at all?” I sat down at my kitchen table contemplating. We had just cancelled all our family vacations for this year, postponed our missions trip, and pulled our kids out of many of their activities and summer camps. Why should Operation Christmas Child be any different? We left the house maybe once every 2 weeks just to get groceries. We didn’t see anyone in person for months. And we were all getting sick of Zoom. How can we run Operation Christmas Child which requires coordination among multiple congregations, person-to-person donation collection, promotional activities, and in-person packing events? It seemed absurd to even contemplate it. But I sat there weighing the pros and cons like any managerial decision.
On one side of the scale were all the reasons not to do OCC. In addition to all the reasons related to the pandemic, there were the issues of time, effort, and chance of success. In a normal year without the pandemic and being sheltered in place, we barely collect enough donations to meet our goal, and that is with a lot of promotional activities and the ability to have a presence at church. What’s the chance of meeting our goal now when we can’t speak to donors, can’t put up any flyers, and have no way of accepting cash donations, which is usually the bulk of the donations. There was also the issue of time. With my kids at home full time and my job demanding more of me to fill some vacated responsibilities, I found myself with very little spare time. I asked myself, “Do I really want to commit to something that requires so much time commitment?” I also knew that this year, Operation Christmas Child would require a whole other level of work and effort. Almost everything we use to do for the ministry, we would have to rethink with all the Covid limitations. How do we collect donations and keep accounting? How do we buy bulk supplies safely? And how do we pack all the shoeboxes? Just thinking about it made my brain hurt. With so many overwhelming reasons for not doing OCC, every part of me said “Cancel it!”
But are there any reasons on the other side of the scale? The Holy Spirit asked me a question – “Do you think the poor children will need these shoeboxes this year?” “Do you think they will need these essential items and the hope of the Gospel more or less this year?” I knew the answer. Even though we are all going through difficult times together this year, it is so much harder for the poor who do not have access to good medical care, who have to work and can’t stay home, and who have to struggle with even less resources. The Lord revealed to me where His heart was. On this side of the scale for doing OCC were the children and their families.
I struggled with this decision for a long time. What if we don’t collect enough donations and I can’t reimburse the people who buy all the supplies? What if we can’t set up a safe packing event? What if no one volunteers and I’m stuck doing it all by myself. So many what if’s. So many reasons not to do it. There seemed to be no way. But the Lord reminded me of the words of a song taken from Isaiah 43: “God will make a way where there seems to be no way. He works in ways we cannot see, He will make a way for me.” In the end, that one reason to move forward outweighed all the reasons not to do OCC.
Operation Christmas Child launched in the middle of September with announcements in the bulletin and a testimonial video from a former OCC recipient. Normally, we received the bulk of our donations on the first few days after our launch. However, this year I received no donations of any size after the announcement. Days passed. Then a week passed. Then 2 weeks passed and still zero donations. I started to question God, “Lord, you told me to do this. Where are the donations? Why are my worst fears coming true?” But the Lord wanted to teach me that He is faithful and He will do things in His time even if I don’t understand it. A few days later, I received the first donation. Then slowly but surely, the donations started coming in. Even though we couldn’t take cash, the donations came through every other way - checks in the mail, Paypal, Venmo, Apple Pay, and some folks dropping off checks at my doorstep. Every week, we climbed a little closer to our target. Eventually, we hit our target and more donations still came in. Susan and Frank who did most of the purchases for the supplies found some amazing deals and were able to do most of the shopping safely online. And lastly, when the packing event came, we had more than enough volunteers helping out that we completed all the work in about half the time. It all came together. In a year which most people would consider the worst in their lifetime, when so many of us have struggled, our church congregation packed more shoeboxes than we have ever done before. Not just a few more, 15 – 20% more. There were so many reasons not to do this and so many reasons why it could fail, but the Lord made a way. And since none of us did any salesmanship or promotions to get donations and volunteers, none of us can boast that it was anything other than the work of the Lord. So is there something that the Lord has laid on your heart to do and you’ve been reluctant to answer because there are so many excuses not to do it? It may seem illogical or even impossible but that is when God shows us what our faith can do. God will make a way.
This pandemic has forced us to redefine so much of our lives, from things like graduation, weddings and vacations in the middle of the year and now, Christmas. This begs the question, what is Christmas all about? Contrary to how the world answers it, Christmas is about Jesus. Let’s open our Bibles to John 1:1-8 and see who Jesus is, what His mission was and because of that, what is our mission.
Hi everyone, this is Sally...
It’s crazy how it’s already been eight months since shelter in place. Back in early March, Abound threw a party to celebrate Sarah and Steven’s engagement. I think that was the last time we were all together since SIP started pretty soon afterwards.
2020 has definitely been a strange year. There’s been stressful news on the COVID pandemic, wildfires, protests, and a turbulent presidential election. It’s another reminder of how broken the world is; a reminder of how sin has affected everything - health, relationships, nature... Through this season, may we continue to draw strength, hope, and peace from who God is and who we are. God is sovereign and He is in control. He is a merciful, loving God. And we are His beloved children, fearfully and wonderfully made in His image. It is in Christ that we are forgiven, redeemed, and reconciled with our Heavenly Father.
I’ve still been going into the office every week so not much has changed there. Our team has been understaffed for over half a year now so there’s been the increasing workload and multiple deadlines throughout the week. After work, I usually transform into a hermit. I don’t have the energy to interact with people because I’m so exhausted and drained from the long day. I usually sit in a quiet room by myself and listen to music, catch up on shows, or journal in order to unwind. I remember how there’d be a couple nights each week when I would stay up through the night, unable to break away from the overwhelming worries and fearful thoughts racing through my mind. There have been a couple of times when I thought about giving up, quitting my job, and moving out of the city and going to a quieter place away from the noisiness of life.
These past months have been quite difficult, but I feel like God has given me strength through community. I am grateful for my brothers and sisters, especially during this season.
There’s been a lot of changes recently. Some of my old friends have moved away or returned to the area. I’ve also met some new faces and we're slowly getting to know one another. Ever since SIP, I’ve been getting used to meeting up with friends virtually rather than in person. It was (and still is) a struggle to adjust to this new normal of interacting with everyone. Personally, I thrive the most when I meet with folks 1:1 in person. I feel like that’s where I’m more open and comfortable to share, and this style of interaction seems more easier and natural to form deep connections with others.
There were a lot of times when I was having a hard time with feelings of loneliness. However, I would always feel comforted by God’s love when someone reached out and texted me to see how I’ve been, or when someone was down for a quick chat to catch up. We recently transitioned to our Abound community groups and it’s been a blessing to meet up every week with my group online. We’ve also had the opportunity to meet in person sometimes, usually for Bible study or meetups. I hope we continue to encourage each other, keep one another accountable, and grow together in our walk with God. There’s also been the weekly coffee hour/fellowship time every Sunday. It’s been great seeing and spending time with the rest of our English congregation. I am continuously reminded of God’s grace, love, and mercy during our interactions together.. whether it’s through sharing about how our weeks have been, laughing together, or praying with one another.
During this time when we’re not physically together and when we’re seeing each other less frequently, it’s even more important to stay in fellowship with one another, as well as being intentional in our relationships. Our community isn’t just found in church though; community is also in our neighborhood, workplace, and family.
Let’s continue to care for one another, building each other up and reminding one another of the hope we have in Jesus.
I’d like to close with Ephesians 4:2-6:
With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Guest speaker Victoria Mejia shares a timely message from Acts 10 where God uses Peter to begin the process of breaking down walls between Jews and Gentiles. Today, more than ever, we need to rely on the Holy Spirit to show us which barriers to demolish, whether they are cultural, ethnic or racial.
Despite the challenges we have faced so far in 2020, we have so much to be thankful for. Come listen to the young and old members of CCIC share what we are thankful for this year.
Ephesians 5:20
"... always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Gratitude is an antidote to frustration, depression, and anxiety. Cultivation gratitude can change our lives. It can help us feel better and make us healthier. It can make us more generous and help us treat others better. It can change our mindset to be the mindset of Christ and bring us closer to God. In this sermon, we'll learn how to cultivate a heart of gratitude from the story of 10 lepers in Luke 17:11-19.
A “friend“ becomes an enemy. How dealing with that helps someone discover God’s help is ever present.
Injustice is nothing new. Since the beginning of human society, human beings have used their physical strength, economic prowess, and positional authority to take advantage of one another. But how should Christians respond to injustice? To understand God's desire for justice and righteousness, we listen to the piercing words from the prophet Amos. In our text, we see that worship is rejected when justice is ignored. In the whole course of Scripture, we get a picture of the God who cares deeply about the interconnectedness of worship and ethics.
Dr. Kevin Chen shares a timely message during this season of unprecedented turmoil, tension and division around the world.
Matthew 5:9 says
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God."
This is reminder to those of us blessed with knowing Jesus, to find ways to promote peace, build bridges and ultimately point the way to Christ, the one true source of peace.
Sometimes people see the poor as people to be ignored: overlooked, stepped over, avoided, lazy, unmotivated, etc. In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus explained how a person can be poor for more reasons than just financial. More importantly, Jesus showed how He identified with the plight of the poor and how He expects the members of His Body (the church) to minister to the needy around them. Come and join us as we look at God's heart for the poor.
This is B.H. Teh. Today I like to share with you about God’s faithfulness and His Sovereignty. Our God is a good God and He cares for us. He knows what is best for us in all circumstances. At times we do not comprehend why “bad things” happened to us. At that moment, we might be angry with God. However, when you look back in time and connect the dots, you’ll see the hands of God is all over our lives, and you will be amazed that God allowed these events to happen at His timing for a better reason.
Prior to COVID, every quarter I have a business trip to our Taiwan Operations in Hsinchu. My last visit was in December 2019. I came back from Taiwan on Dec 18, 2019. I was excited to be back because Mary & I were hosting the CCIC Christmas caroling party on the Sunday of Dec 22, 2019. That was the second Christmas caroling organized by Lisa Wong for our church.
On Friday evening, Dec 20, 2019, I spoke to my dad over the phone who lived in Malaysia. He sounded weak that day because He was diagnosed with Vitamin B12 deficiency which is common for elderly people. On the following day, Dec 21, 2019 around 4pm PST, I received a text message from my nephew that my dad passed away in his sleep. He was 84 years young! I was so shocked and disbelief. I couldn’t imagine how could my dad passed away so unexpectedly as I just spoke to him in less than 24 hours ago!
My younger brother and I managed to catch the midnight flight to Penang, Malaysia. The spouses and children managed to get their air tickets on the following week. Thank God that everyone was able to make it safely to Penang for my dad’s funeral.
It was a stressful and hectic 2 weeks for me; making funeral arrangements remotely before my flight, the 5-day wake at the funeral home, the funeral day itself, and after the funeral, we had to move my dad’s stuff out of the house before we head back to San Jose. We got to clean up his house because the house doesn’t belong to him. It was belonged to his family business. Imagine the items my dad had accumulated over the years. We had to hire 2 big dumpsters to haul away the things we can’t bring back with us.
As I looked back, I was grateful to God that He allowed the passing of my dad prior to the COVID-19 pandemic & the lockdown. We had a relative passed away during the COVID pandemic lockdown. All non-family members were not allowed to attend the wake and the funeral.
I believe God was gracious to us and everything happened with His permission. He allowed our family members travelled safely to Penang for the funeral; He allowed many friends and extended family members to attend the funeral and show their last respect to my dad. He allowed me to catch up with many old friends and previous coworkers in Penang.
God timed it so well that both Matthew and Sara were on their Christmas break from college, so they get to attend the funeral in person. Majority of the immediate family members were around to help clean up my dad’s house. Otherwise, there is no way for me and my other three siblings cleaning up the house in less than a week.
In stressful time like this, God provides help. I am very thankful for a very good friend, Collin, who helped me a lot with the funeral arrangements. I was grateful that I have a kind and understanding manager. Despite we were busy at work during the quarter end, they respected my time with the family during the bereavement.
I’m thankful to both my sisters, they had been taking good care of my dad in Malaysia while both my younger brother and I are in San Jose.
Our God indeed is a good God as stated in Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
We had a Christian funeral service for my dad as he had confessed and said his sinner’s prayer led by Jimmy Lee and Uncle Max when my dad visited San Jose back in 2012, that was after my 2nd sister passed away from cancer. I hope the Christian funeral service and the sermon from my home church pastor had planted seeds in the hearts of my extended family members and friends who attended the funeral.
God is good and He is in control. Glory to God!
Christians as Members of the Global Church and of the World that God Loves (Eph. 2:11-18; John 3:16) The good news of Jesus Christ centers on the restoration of our (vertical) relationship with God through Jesus' death on the cross. At the same, our salvation has major implications for our (horizontal) relationships with one another. Just as Paul taught the Ephesian church that Jewish and Gentile believers are one in Christ, so believers today from every tribe, nation, and race are one in Christ. In our increasingly divided and polarized society, our witness includes the way in which we promote and live out multiethnic and racial unity among Christians and beyond. This can still be done while still maintaining a healthy sense of our own Asian and/or Chinese identity (for those of us who have that background).
Hi, this is James. Today, I’d like to share with you how the love of God and my hope in Christ have helped me in coping with the challenging times of 2020. For me, the year 2020 has proven to be one of the strangest and most trying years in recent memory.
On top of the threat of the Covid-19 pandemic and it’s impact on every aspect of our “normal” lives, we’ve witnessed social unrest and riots as a result of racial tension and the call for justice; we’ve watched the political leaders of our country argue and bicker like children on the debate stages; we’ve seen scorching blaze of the wild fire devastating communities and destroying century old wineries; We’ve breathed air worse than that of the most polluted parts of the world. All of these things happened in 2020, and the year is not over. Needless to say, we are living in dark and trying times.
I personally felt the threat of this darkness on the morning of Wednesday, September 9. Many of you know which day it is I’m referring to. I do not recall another day such as this during the 30 years I’ve lived in the Bay Area. It was as though I woke up on a different planet. That morning, As I drove from home to a project site, all familiar streets, buildings and their surroundings are shrouded in orange tinted darkness. Cars had their headlights on even though its 9am in the morning. As I cruised down a familiar local street, I still recall vividly feeling the weight of despair and doom on my chest that I almost couldn’t breath. It’s not just the fact that I couldn’t see very well out of my windshield. It’s not just the particles in the air that made my lung ache a little every time I drew breath. It’s a real sense of this layered darkness, building up all around us throughout the year. One that’s only described in the Bible that I’ve always read about and understood as a distant reality. Right then and there, I felt it. The darkness of this fallen world under the curse of sin; The rebellion of men against God; and the hopelessness of many who do not yet know God. There I was, trapped, and feeling closed in from all directions by this darkness.
The strange thing was that, almost simultaneously, I could sense that there was light. A light of hope from within. As I looked up toward the sky through my windshield, it felt as though I could see through the darkness. The thick layer of ash from the wild fire blocked the light of the sun from shining through, but I knew the sun was there. High above all that engulfed me and blurred my vision, the sun and the blue sky were there. You see, God had just reminded me that His light would never stop shinning even in the mist of ever present darkness.
Colossians 1:13, “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
John 8:12, Jesus says “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”.
I praise God for the hope of salvation we have in Christ Jesus. He has conquered the grave and triumphed over darkness. We can be discouraged and disappointed. We may feel saddened and helpless at times. But one thing we can hold onto is this hope we have in our Lord Jesus Christ.
I want to conclude today’s podcast with this scripture from Lamentations 3:21-23. May it be an encouragement and a blessing to us all.
And therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness! God bless!
In this season of highly polarized political views and national division, we need to have civil conversations about challenging topics such as social issues, racial prejudice and injustice, politics, government, elections, voting, and civic responsibility. As Christians, we need to take a step back and approach civic responsibility with a biblical framework, a Kingdom perspective. Jesus said that His kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36), and indeed our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20-21). However, we are still to be connected to this world. In following Jesus' example, we render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's (Matthew 22:17-22). The things that are God's are His standards of righteousness and His mandate to preach the gospel. These are non-negotiable things that we will not compromise even if there is governmental pressure to do so. God's kingdom principles address breaking down walls of prejudice and taking care of the poor, sick, and hungry, just as Jesus our King did. Furthermore, also in following His example, we are to be focused on the salvation of people, which is their ultimate need, and not just address felt and physical needs. We are to hold people accountable to work for their sustenance while compassionately providing for those who cannot help themselves. We are to be subject to the authorities that God put in place and to pray for them. Finally, our hope is in God and in His coming kingdom and not in earthy government administrations. At the same time, we can exercise civic responsibility through self-examination with God's Word (whether we are guilty of prejudice, etc.), volunteer for and donate to charities with worthy causes and missions and evangelism organizations, do our due diligence in educating ourselves on the issues and candidates as we vote, and pray for our nation and our leaders. Ultimately, we put our hope in God, in His sovereignty, and His control of human destiny.
Our culture has lost the art of conversation and debate and has instead gone to attack and demean. Scripture calls us to use civil conversations, even in this sharply polarized world. Let's listen to today's message on 2 Timothy 2:23-26.
During this season of shelter-in-place, more people are spending time on news, social media and instant messaging. Listen as Elder Jimmy Lee shares his experience and how we can easily get distracted from our true focus - our relationship with the Lord.
Using the book of Philemon, Dr. Hans Wilhelm teaches us why forgiveness is so central to our Christian walk. Just as God forgives us, we are to forgive others. We are also reminded that if we do not forgive those who have wronged us, there are consequences that impact our relationship with others, and more importantly, with God.
Listen as Betty Chan talks passionately about her job as a math teacher and how blessed she feels to be hosting a new cohort of "strangers" each year. Sharing one of her favorite verses from the book of Hebrews, Betty wonders if she has unwittingly showed "hospitality to angels" in her classroom. In true teacher-form, she enlists all her children, Bethany, Isabel, Lauren and Elijah, to participate in our first interview-style podcast.
Talents from God
Hi my name is Laynar, and I don't want to further elaborate who I am, just that I am a child of God, and I wish to share with you a little of what God has been doing in my life lately.
In these uncertain times, with COVID19 & the California fires, I am thankful knowing that I am His child. It really depresses me to see polluted skies, trees being burned to the ground, animals killed and their homes destroyed, people losing everything, people fighting people, people suffering, and people dying.
Without God, I am nothing really and I have nothing to offer, as what I have deep inside of me is pain. I have never stopped hurting and I have never stopped grieving my loss. The way I take control and live my life is to surrender all to Him. Whatever I can't handle and is beyond my control, I will throw it back to God, and let Him deal with it. Whatever God has given me to deal with, whenever possible, I deal using His Love, His Grace, His Peace and all of His Goodness. But I have to admit, I am very human, and I fail and make lots of mistakes.
In my daily walk with God, the Holy Spirit has taught and encouraged me every step of the way. It amazes me to see and know first hand that I'm being used by the Holy Spirit to be part of God's mission to reach out to the lost. I love it when God takes control of my life, especially what comes out from what I write. I know those words are not from me, but from Him. I have been led by the Holy Spirit to specific people, to speak and minister to them ... to show them who God is. The people never see my face, they only see the words I write. In the past pandemic months, three have come forward and acknowledged Christ as their Savior, and I thank and praise God for that. I know there are more and I patiently wait for God's timing to reach out to them.
I like to share something I wrote to a person who is suffering from depression. In this forum, he never mentioned his name, just some random letters put together. This is what I wrote.
I'm sorry that you are suffering so much pain. Praying for you and hope you feel better soon. I don't know what to do about migraines and back problems, as I am no doctor, but I do know what depression means.
Depression means de - press - ion .. "de-press" means 'not to press', 'letting go', like letting go of those helium balloons, letting them float and fly up towards the sky ... you just have to let go of the strings ... and there's a reason why depression ends with 'ion' ... well, 'ion' stands for 'I Ouch Not', meaning you are no longer in pain. Great definition, eh?
I wrote more than this, but what I am trying to say is that I was amazed I wrote those words, for I know they are not from me, and I also know I needed these words in my life myself too.
Through the hard times, I have to say that His love, grace, mercy and provision have manifested in so many ways ... in every person I meet, in everything I see, and everywhere I go. Most important of all, His Words have brought me peace, strength, hope and encouragement.
One of my favorite God's Word is the Parable of the Talents found in Matthew 25:14-30. In the Parable of the Talents, the word 'talent' literally means the unit weight of silver or gold in Jesus' times. In this parable, the master gave his servants different amounts of talents, and each of them used what was given differently. To me, the use of the word 'talent' is more than 'gifts' or some say 'skills' given to us from our Master.
At first I took these talents as things or gifts that God has given me, like my hubby, my son, my indoor plants, which have been working super hard these days to help purify the air, my music, the money I have ... BUT these are NOT the gifts I think these talents mean.
Then I realized God wanted me to look at what can't be seen with our eyes, but what can be seen from our hearts: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control ... and so much more. Now, a gift only becomes a gift when you start giving it away. How much time I put into giving these gifts to the people around me will determine how my 'talents' will multiply. When I start giving time to develop patience by listening to others, start giving away love, kindness and goodness, helping others in need, committing my time to staying faithful in my marriage, to spread love, joy and peace to the people around me, and most important of all, to always spend time with Jesus, to walk with Him, talk with Him, and play with Him ... as His child. It is only in the recent years I have learned to do that.
The day will come when I have to be accountable to God, with what I have done with these 'talents' that He has given me.
Now, I love to share His blessings (talents) with you too ... the only way I know how to ... play and sing for Him and for you ... May The Lord Bless You ...
May the Lord bless you and keep you make His face shine upon you, the Lord be gracious to you.
May His love and His grace and His perfect peace guard your heart and your mind and your life.
Quite often we do things out of habit. When that happens, we tend to lose the meaning of why we do what we do in the first place. This also applies to worship - why do we worship in the first place? Come and join us in today’s study on Psalm 34 and discover four reasons why we should worship God.
“Why Wait?” by Pastor Ron Chan
Our modern culture is averse to waiting. We have quick drive through meals for food. Same day shipping for our packages. Instacart for our groceries. On demand movies at the finger tips. All of this has conditioned us as a people that do not know how to wait. Just look at how sometimes you become frustrated when you wishes are not immediate granted. When “your wish is my command” is not the answer?
But the theme of waiting is an important one in the bible. Abraham waited for God’s promise of God’s blessings to fulfill. The Israelites waited for 400 years for salvation in Egypt. They then had to wait 40 more years to go into the promised land. The Jewish people waited for the Messiah. Joseph and Mary waited for the birth of a special child. Our Lord Jesus waited 30 years to begin his ministry and waited the for the cross. The disciples waited after Jesus died to experience the resurrection. They then waiting for the Spirit to come at the Pentecost. We, as believers now, living in what theologians says the time of “already, but not yet”, we have experienced salvation, but complete salvation is yet to happened. We are waiting for the second coming of our Lord. So the bible is full of waiting.
And biblical waiting teaches us some important lessons. But perhaps one of the most important lesson is that waiting teaches us that we are not in control. We are finite creatures and God is indeed the creator. Psalms 130:6 “my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning.” The watchmen recognize his smallness in the dark of night. He, not matter how brave or powerful, cannot make morning come. So he waits in silence, trusting that the God of creation will bring light to dispel the dark of night. What are you waiting for right now? Waiting for new employment? Waiting for a vaccine? Waiting for things to get back to normal? Don’t be impatient, let the waiting form you so that you relinquish the desire for immediate gratification and for control. Instead let waiting form your character, so that you will have a deeper trust in God’s ultimate control.
One of the greatest joys of a parent or grand-parent is adoring a new baby. Similarly, as God's children, He delights in each one of us because he sees us as who he created us to be, before we were stained by sin. Just as we love babies even though they are helpless and dependent on us, God loves us unconditionally in spite of our flaws and weaknesses. He loves us all the time, even when we feel that He is absent.
There are many Psalms of lament. The psalmists talk about their suffering and grief, how they are in trouble and danger, and they ask God for help, for rescue and deliverance. Almost all the lament psalms have some positive elements of expression of confidence in God and praises of Him. And they often end in a positive note of renewed hope or rejoicing for what God has done. But not Psalm 88. Psalm 88 stands out among the lament psalms for its lack of hope, a seeming lack of God’s presence, and for the psalmist’s complaints that God is the source of his misery. In this sermon, we’ll explore how we can be honest with God about our emotional darkness, keep our connection and commitment to God when in suffering, and face and emerge from darkness.
Presenter: Michael Wong
During shelter in place, I have been able to pick up a few books which I previously did not have the time for. The one that I am reading right now is The Mortification of Sin by John Owen. Shoutout to Owen Yau! John Owen was one of the greatest Puritan theologians and like other Puritans, he taught passionately about the nature of sin and the destructiveness of sin. There’s even a story that John Owen was so convicted of his sin that he could barely talk for 3 months.
Owen’s passion against sin is apparent in this book. In it he clearly lays out the human condition with the words “Be killing sin, or it will be killing you”. These words come with a sense of urgency as Owen pleads with us to be an active participant in our sanctification. To not fight against the indwelling sin that even we as Christians have is to admit defeat and to surrender the battle, leading only to the death of our souls. Even if we don’t realize it, sin is never stagnant, it always seeks to grow more and more. It is our responsibility and duty as faithful followers of Christ to wage war against the sin that resides within us, the sin that our Father despises.
Abound has been growing through Romans and it is clear from the words of Paul that the rejection of sin is a key part to the new life that we have. In Romans 6, it say “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.” We as people who were once children of wrath, have been adopted into the family of God and have been set free from that terrible thing called sin. However, we know that until the Day of the Lord, we still have sin within us, trapped in a battle against our desires that never seems to end. I have found that there are two harmful mindsets that one can fall into when they become tired of this battle.
One, is the complete forgetfulness of the battle itself. We forget that we are even waging war against sin and start to become more and more oblivious to it. We either become so distracted by the things that surround us or our conscience become so seared that we lose the very ability to distinguish good from bad, especially when it comes to our own actions and thoughts. This is a guaranteed sign of defeat in this fight against sin because how can someone win a war when they can’t see the enemy or refuse to pick up a weapon?
The second mindset is hopelessness. We realize that we can never defeat this enemy that this enemy is always going to be with us until we die. Therefore, we begin to view sin not as an enemy but as a roommate. Sure, we may fight against our roommate sometimes but in the end, we always give it room. This is directly contrary to the words in Galatians 13:14 says “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires”. Although we know that we can never fully destroy sin in ourselves, we must never stop fighting it. We must strive and contend for the faith, running the race with endurance. We must seek to destroy sin completely and at all times. Although the battle is long, it has assured victory because of the finished work of Jesus Christ.
I believe that professing Christians in America need to hear these words. In this country we take it for granted that we can freely practice our religion and that there will be no backlash to public declarations of faith. Sure there might be some judgmental statements or questions of how could we actually believe in God, but our lives are not in danger because we proclaim to be Christian. And I think that these conditions have made us lazy. Our faith is not tested by persecution and we do not act contrary to culture. We end up looking like the world and the world accepts us. We can profess Christianity and live with the many comforts that America promises us.
I definitely have felt this laziness. With so many distractions and with little emphasis on God’s holiness in our culture, it is easy to live my life with little regard for eternity. It is easy to let each day pass me by while rarely thinking about the state of my soul. In the past few months, shelter in place has only increased this laziness. By God’s grace I can work from home but what that really means is that I can work from my bed. I can wake up 5 minutes before my meeting, keep the camera off and attend these meetings all without putting on pants. After my meeting I can then take a nap because, after all, I earned it after all my hard work from the morning. Most days I don’t even get out of bed to eat until after noon.
After work it’s not much better. I do get out of bed! However the extent of my travels consist of moving to my desk so I can watch Netflix. This lifestyle of having everything I may need within a 5 foot radius means I truly am never in want. And when I have everything I need, my reliance on God is forgotten.
However, that is a false sense of security. I may have every thing I need from a human point of view but sin is slowly overtaking me, getting a foothold in my heart. When my love for the world grows, my love for God grows more cold. These comforts are a blessing from God but serve as the devil’s tools when I forget the one who blessed me. They only serve to distract me from the very present war that is within me. As Owen has reminded me, we are at war with the flesh and when we forget that, sin only grows stronger. Sin never rests and seeks the complete destruction of our soul. But we in turn are called to not just fight it but to kill sin. And we fight not by our own power but by the Spirit.
And because we fight through the Spirit, we can win. Jesus has conquered the grave and freed us from both the power and dominion of sin. I pray that in this time of isolation and comfort that we do not grow lazy or forget about the great battle that is raging inside of us. Instead let us strive to kill our sin, knowing with confidence that Jesus has promised final victory. Let’s care about holiness and righteousness as people redeemed by Jesus. And let us care about the state of our souls, to the praise and glory of God. To repeat the words of John Owen, “Be killing sin, or it will be killing you.”
A novel way to celebrate God's victories and create a storehouse on which to draw in times of low faith and discouragement. By Linda Cheng.
Dr. Hans Wilhelm preaches from Matthews 24 and 1 Timothy 4 to help us understand how current events relate to prophecies by Jesus regarding the end of times. Besides understanding what events must happen before the return of our Lord, we must also be cautious not to be misled by false teachers.
Menial Tasks from Jason Liang
A few weeks ago, while sheltered-in-place at home, I found myself sitting in the living room floor with my little daughter, Lexi, making girly charm bracelets together. She had pleaded with me to help her. As I sat there picking out pendants and trying to put one little metal ring into another, I thought to myself “man, what a waste of my time.” I could be watching my shows on Netflix, playing video games on my Xbox, checking out Facebook, or even writing emails and talking to clients at work.” It was taking time away from the things I want to do. “What’s the point of these bracelets anyway?” I asked myself. “She’s probably going to misplace it or break it in less than a day. And it is such a boring, menial job that I could probably just get my older daughter to help her with it. I don’t need to do this. It is so beneath me.” As I sat there impatient and disgruntled, the Lord reminded me of something. Jesus did not shy away from tasks that were beneath Him. From washing the feet of His disciples to taking care of little children, Jesus showed us that there is no job that we are too big for. Can you imagine the Lord of the universe kneeling before His disciples washing and cleaning their dirty, smelly feet? If you haven’t heard of this, read John 13, verses 4-17.
In addition, the Lord reminded me of the things my parents had done for me despite their reluctance at the time. When I was a preschooler, I bugged my dad every evening to play chess with me. Despite being tired and uninterested because I was not a very good player, he still played with me. I took forever making my moves and often made bad decisions so it was not much fun for him and definitely tested his patience. My mom also spent time with me by teaching me how to cook while she was in the kitchen. Because I was not very helpful and often got in the way, I could tell she didn’t really want to do it. If I had to cut some meat, she would sometimes have to recut it because I cut the pieces too big. Or if I had to wash some vegetables, she would have to rewash it because there would still be sand. I can still hear her sighing in my head “Argh…”. She probably thought it was a waste of her time. But these activities with my parents paid dividends. Eventually, I became the captain of my high-school chess team. And the skills I learned in my mom’s kitchen, I still use today to cook for my family. But what’s more important is that these things that I did with my parents became lasting memories. The experiences never left me. The relationship and bond that formed is something I still cherish today. Had my dad not played chess with me but instead, went to watch TV, not only might I not have followed my passion for chess, but I might not have this connection with him. For many years afterwards, I still talked to him about chess moves and strategies. And had my mom not spent time with me in the kitchen, not only might I be useless in the kitchen today, but I might have also missed out on the relationship we built together through that experience. Even today, I call my mom to ask for recipes and exchange cooking tips.
So as I was sitting there making charm bracelets with my daughter, I realized what an important moment that was for me, and for my daughter. After we finished the bracelet, my daughter wore it proudly showing it off to everyone and telling them “Daddy made it with me.” When I heard that and saw her face beaming with joy, it melted my heart. I think the Lord was showing me what I could have missed out on had I chosen to go watch TV or do something else. The question I was asking about what else could I be doing instead of making a charm bracelet with my daughter, I should be asking when I’m watching TV, playing games, or checking my phone: “What could I be doing with my daughter instead of doing this?” What am I missing out on?
There are 2 challenges I have for you today. The first is to look deep inside yourself to see if there are chores or work that you won’t do or don’t want to do because you think they are beneath you. Maybe it is scrubbing the toilets, helping your child with an art project, or helping out in the nursery, and realize that the Lord stooped much lower to serve others. What kind of servants would tell their master, I’m willing to this, but not that, or that, or that. And once you have that list, look around at who could use your help in doing those things. Turn off your phone, close the laptop, and try joining them. Maybe join your spouse in washing dishes, help your kids with their hobby, or share your testimonies in podcasts. You may be amazed by the experiences and relationships that come out from them. Make lasting memories. Don’t let all the technological distractions of today take them away from you. Let’s pray:
Lord, I pray for whoever is listening. I pray that you will reveal to them things in their lives that they have been reluctant to do because pride gets in the way. Help us to look to you as an example. Change our hearts so that we serve You and others first. Lead us to opportunities, even menial tasks, that will allow us to show our love to others, and thereby, build lasting relationships and memories. We pray all of these things in the name of your Son, Jesus. Amen.
Presented by Elder David Yu God Our Creator, Psalm 139 In this message, we learn: 1. God Knows and Understands Us (vv1-6, 17-18) 2. God Is Always with Us (vv7-12) 3. God’s Created Us Wonderfully and Uniquely; the Biblical Basis for the Sanctity of Life (vv13-16) 4. God Upholds Justice (vv19-24)
Knowing our Creator Changes the Way We Think and Live 1. God Gives Us Peace and Comfort 2. God Gives Us Security and Confidence 3. We Can Accept Ourselves and Celebrate Others 4. We Seek God’s Approval, Not That of Others
Today I would like to share a Hebrew word with you. It’s the word “HESED”. This word appears 248 times in the OT, and it describes God’s steadfast, loving kindness to us based on the covenant through His Son Jesus Christ. It is a never-changing, fully committed love and kindness from God to an ever-changing, often forgetting and rebellious human race. God’s Hesed depends solely on His characters not ours. Can you imagine if God’s love for us depends on our characters? That means the Bible would only be three chapters long, because in Genesis chap 3, Adam&Eve disobeyed God and God would have judged them and rejected them right there and then. Or chap 4, when Cain murdered Abel, or chap 6, when God found the thoughts of human heart to be evil all the time. But throughout the whole Bible, God continues to love and deliver His people out of trouble, even when their characters fall so short of His standard. Didn’t God deliver Abraham when he lied to the Pharoah? Didn’t God provide food and bring the Israelites to the Promised Land even when they grumbled all the time? God ultimately proved His loving kindness to us by sacrificing what is the most precious to Him, His one and only Son Jesus. Jesus is God’s fullest expression of Hesed. When we have Jesus, we can be assured that God will never abandon us. Afterall, if God has already given us Jesus, why would He withhold lesser good things from us? Do you and I have that assurance of God’s Hesed in our life, no matter what circumstances we are in? No matter how messed up we are?
We are experiencing trials of many kinds right now. A worldwide pandemic, a nationwide unrest, and personal challenges. We may be feeling angry, fearful, hurt, unforgiving, isolated. But we must remember God’s Hesed to us. Just as God carried the Israelites through their trials, He will carry us through our trials, because of His never-changing, fully committed love and kindness. Hebrews 13:8 says Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. That is who He is. All else may fail, but not God. We can count on Him. One commentary reads – Hesed means God includes our most painful losses in His unshakable promise to bring us lasting joy.
Where in our life do we need to empty out our own emotions and allow His loving kindness to fill us and carry us? When we do that, God’s Hesed turns the most horrible event into a redeeming hope. That is the power of the Cross. That is Hesed.