Sermon: Three Types of People

Today Pastor Choi talks about three types of spirituality: natural, carnal, and spiritual.  A ‘natural’ person doesn’t know Christ or have the Holy Spirit.  Her mind is blinded by the devil that she cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.  A ‘carnal’ person believes in Jesus as Savior and Lord and has the Holy Spirit in her.  However, she remains spiritual baby; she cannot handle the truth well.  She still walks according to own desires.  She demonstrates little fruits of the Holy Spirit.  A ‘spiritual’ believer is mature in faith and practice.  Her faith is grounded in God’s Word the truth, not in human words of wisdom.  Her first and foremost interest in life is to please God and doing God’s will.  Pastor Choi exhorts the congregation to keep growing mature in Christ by getting into the Word of God, pray daily, and walking in the Holy Spirit.

 

    Three Types of People

 

 

 

Following is a summary of the sermon:

 

 

Three Types of People                     1 Corinthians 2:13-3:4

1 Corinthians 2:13-3:4    New King James Version (NKJV)

13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Sectarianism Is Carnal

3 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?

Introduction

Background info on today’s text: Paul the missionary started the church in Corinth.  He didn’t stay there long and moved on to the next place.  A man named Apollos followed him.  He was a great Bible teacher.  A few years later, there was a division among the believers; a half of the congregation remembered Paul and still followed him as their leader, yet the other half followed Apollos.  So, in his letter to them, Paul lamented over the division four times saying, “You are carnal” (1 Corinthians 3: 1, 3, & 4).   He says; you are immature; you are still babies in Christ because of the division, envy, and strife among you.  You act like people who don’t know Christ at all.  Don’t follow me.  Don’t follow Apollos, either.  Follow Christ only.   

Once I met a lady who claimed that she was spiritual but not religious.  Nowadays, many people consider themselves spiritual but not religious meaning that they believe in God but not necessarily go to church or are associated with any “organized religion.”  I guess anyone can call themselves anyway they want.  However, we the believers in Christ must have the clear and right understanding of what the Bible says about those terms.  One thing is for sure: this lady’s claim ‘being spiritual’ is definitely NOT what the Word of God calls spiritual.  Being spiritual in the Bible never means just having faith in God (even the demons believe that there is one God—James 2:19).  Rather, it is reserved for those who are mature in Christ in their walk with God.

That’s what we are going to think about this morning: three types of people in terms of spirituality.   In today’s text we see three words that are related to spirituality (in the order of maturity): Natural, Carnal, and Spiritual.  God’s Word makes a clear distinction among them.  Let me explain to you one by one.

Contents

Natural (ψυχικος, 1 Corinthians 2:14) [literal translation: soulish]

How does the Bible define a person who is ‘natural’?  A person is natural when she doesn’t believe in Jesus as her Savior and Lord.  The natural person doesn’t have the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14), either.  Therefore, she cannot say that Jesus is the Lord.  This definition includes, but not limited to, atheists, agnostics, all the followers in other religions than Christianity (Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Shamanism, Shintoism, etc.).   Anyone who doesn’t confess Jesus as the Lord and Savior is natural.

The natural person is outside Jesus and cannot know or distinguish spiritual things of God.  These spiritual things of God are hidden from their eyes and rather appear to them foolishness.  E.g. Cross: foolishness to the Greek and a scandal to the Jews (1 Corinthians 1:23).

The wisdom of a natural person is not from above, but rather earthly, sensual, and demonic (James 3:15).

The natural people walk in the futility of mind, darkened in their understanding.  They are excluded from the life of God, not because God wants them that way, but because of the ignorance in them and because of the hardness of their heart; having become callous, they give themselves to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness (Ephesians 4:17-19).

They are perishing in God’s eyes, because the god of this world [that is, the devil] has blinded their minds that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).  The Gospel is veiled to them.  When they hear the word of the kingdom, they don’t understand it, because the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in their hearts (Matthew 13:19).

Don’t be arrogant that you are not natural.  In fact, before we knew Christ, we were all natural in God’s eyes.  We didn’t know Christ.  We didn’t have the Holy Spirit.  Our spirits were dead in sin.  We lived according to our fleshly desires.  We served and worshipped those who by nature are not gods (Galatians 4:8).  E.g. Bob Dylan’s song: “Gotta serve somebody.” — Either the devil or the Lord.   Thank God, because He has called us to be in His kingdom and we are no longer natural.

 

Carnal (σαρκικοι—1 Corinthians 3:1, 3, 4) [literal translation: following the flesh]

Who is carnal?   A person who believes in Jesus as Savior and Lord; she has the Holy Spirit in her yet still lives according to the worldly pattern.

The carnal believers were born into God’s family, yet not growing and still remain babies in faith and practice.  Like babies can digest only milk not solid foods (1 Corinthians 3:1, Hebrews 5:11-14), they cannot digest the truth well.  E.g. Jesus says “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother (Matthew 18:15).  A carnal believer doesn’t handle well the admonition of truth from other believers.

The carnal believers base their faith on humans not on Christ; therefore, they tend to create factions.  Remember today’s text where some believers followed Paul while others followed Apollos?  The carnal Christians are not grounded in the Word of God that they are “tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4:14).  They are also led by various impulses, weighed down with sins, and constantly learning yet never able to come to the knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 3:6).

They still walk according to own desires like the days when they didn’t know Christ (1 Corinthians 3:3).  Their minds are still set on the things of the flesh that leads to death (because it is hostile to God and unable to be subject to God’s law) [Romans 8:5-6].

In their lives, little or no fruits of the Holy Spirit are demonstrated such as peace, joy, love, kindness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).  E.g. Sure signs of carnality are frequent rage, lack of self-control, addicted to gambling, games, pornography, and the love of money.   A vast majority of believers today belong to this category.  We don’t have to be that way, though; in fact, we should never be content with this state.  We ought to grow in maturity.  That leads us to the next point.

Spiritual (πνευματικοι—1 Corinthians 2:15, 3:1) [literal translation: following the Spirit]

A believer is spiritual when she believes in Jesus Christ as her Savior and Lord; she has the Spirit of God; and she is mature (1 Corinthians 2:5 & 13) in faith and practice.  She can digest solid food (meat) [Hebrews 5:14].  Her faith is grounded in God’s Word the truth, not in human words of wisdom.  She doesn’t follow Paul or Apollos.  She follows Christ alone.  She is trained to distinguish what is good from what is evil (Hebrews 5:14).  She accepts words of admonition from other believers with gratitude and humility.  Her first and foremost interest in life is to please God and doing God’s will.  E.g. Jesus’ food was doing God’s will (John 14:34).

She walks according to the Holy Spirit.  She sets her mind on the things of the Spirit and the things above (Colossians 3:2).  Her life demonstrates signs of love, peace, and righteousness (Romans 8:7).   She stands fully assured in every will of God (Colossians 4:12).

She also demonstrates spiritual wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:6).  E.g. John 8 (Jesus’ wisdom; ‘whoever sinless, first stone the adulterous woman’).  King Solomon (when he was fully devoted to the LORD) ordered to cut the baby in two to find the true mother (1 Kings 3:16-28).

Going on Perfection

Let me remind you one more time: we all once were natural not knowing God and outside the salvation.  We too were “foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures” (Titus 3:3).  We too lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.

However, by God’s grace, we were called to be the children of God in Christ and to be the coheirs of Heaven with Christ.  We were born into God’s family.  We were born anew in Christ.  He saved us from our sins.  Our spirits became alive in Christ.

Yet, many of us still remain spiritual babies.  We are still carnal believers.  In our daily lives, we still live like before we knew Christ.  There’s not much of difference in lifestyles between us and the people in the world.  For instance, many of us still struggle with our natural passions and desires.  Many of us are still under the bondage of sin and lusts, greed, passion, and money.  It is time for us to move upward and onward, free from such bondages of old self.   If we are not happy with where we are now spiritually, neither is God.

In fact, God wants us to grow in Christ like any parent expects her child to grow over time.  He has a plan to turn us from carnal Christians into mature ones in Christ.  His expectation for us is the highest one we can ever imagine; be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48).  Here, perfect means not without sin or shortcomings.  Rather, it means to be mature in Christ to the point where we demonstrate in our words and deeds every aspect of Christ’s character such as love and truth.

Until we become mature in the fullness of Christ, God will keep working on our inner beings (Ephesians 4:11-13).  We can count on His faithfulness, wisdom, and patience.  He will take time working on us.  He will never give up on us nor give up on His part “until Christ is formed in us” (Galatians 4:19).

Tools for Perfection

To accomplish His purpose in us, and to sanctify us, God uses certain tools and venues.  For instance, He often uses our life circumstances and people to shape us.  But, we don’t have to wait until we get into those situations.  We can be proactive and prepare ourselves with the tools that God has already made available to us; the Scripture and prayer.

The Bible helps us to know who God is, and to understand who we are.  It also reminds us of the relationship between Him and us.  It sufficiently equips us for life’s journey; it reproves us, edifies us, comforts us, and grants wisdom and courage for our daily lives.

Prayer is for daily conversation with God.  Don’t neglect to use this great tool which was proven useful and beneficial by all the prophets of God, Jesus, and His disciples for the past thousands of years.

Finally, don’t forget the Holy Spirit our residential help from God 24/7; He teaches us, guides us, counsels us, and reminds us of Jesus’ teachings.   All we have to do is: Ask for His help every day.

When we do all these things I have mentioned, we will grow mature in Christ every day and surely become ‘spiritual.’

Amen.


Sermon: House of God

Today Pastor Choi talks about what Jesus did in the Temple: He chased out the merchants, He healed the blind and the lame, and He welcomed children.  So should we in today’s church make prayer as our priority in worship, experience God’s healing among us, and welcome children as Jesus did.

 

   House of God

 

 

Following is a summary of the sermon:

House of God

Matthew 21:12-17   New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Cleansing the Temple

12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. 13 And He *said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a robbers’ den.”

14 And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He had done, and the children who were shouting in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became indignant 16 and said to Him, “Do You hear what these children are saying?” And Jesus *said to them, “Yes; have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies You have prepared praise for Yourself’?” 17 And He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.

Introduction

Background: Begin with an explanation of the Herod’s Temple in Jerusalem in the 1st century at the time of Jesus.  The temple was standing on the Temple Mount facing east.  You climb up the stairs and finally arrive at the Temple area (160 by 250 yards—six football fields).  It consists of two parts: outer court and inner courts.  The Court of the Gentiles is the outer court.  As you continue walking westward, you enter the inner courts beginning with the Court of Women and the Court of the Israelites next (men only).  Then, as you get closer to the Temple, you see the Altar on the left and Slaughter House on the right.  Behind them, there is the Priest’s Court and the Temple.  Inside the Temple there are Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies.

Focus on the court of the Gentiles: this is where money changers and animal sellers set up their tables and chairs.  It was also the place where the Jews (both men and women) and the Gentiles were allowed.  So were the blind, the lame, and children.  In the porticoes, teachers of the Law would engage in theological discussions.  There were a row of posts that separated the Gentiles’ Court from the inner courts.  Made of stone, each post was about 5 foot-high and 2.5 foot-wide. “Along this balustrade at regular intervals were placed slabs with inscriptions in Greek and Latin forbidding Gentiles, on pain of death, to go further” (The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 772).   In fact, Jews didn’t mind slaying Gentiles who broke the boundaries (and the Roman authorities allowed them to kill even the Roman citizens), because they believed that the presence of uncircumcised Gentile in God’s sanctuary would profane God’s House (Ezekiel 44:7): ‘Thus says the Lord God, “No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the sons of Israel, shall enter My sanctuary (Ezekiel 44:9).  Jews took God’s House very seriously.   That was the place Jesus cleansed.

Contents

The House of God is where God’s heart is perpetually on (1 Kings 9:3).  God deeply cares about what’s happening in His house.  So does Jesus.  Three things did Jesus in the temple: He drove out the merchants, healed the sick, and welcomed the children.  Through His cleansing act, He gives us the following three lessons to remember and practice in the House of God.

  1. The No.1 priority in God’s House is prayer (v. 13).  All other rituals and activities are secondary.  In today’s text, the temple court was hustling and bustling with lots of activities; priests offer sacrifices on the altar, smoke from burnt offerings and incense arise into heaven, students listen to teachers, worshippers buy sacrificial animals and exchange money, even food (Wikipedia—Second Temple).  I am sure some people prayed, too (Luke 1:10).  However, when the main purpose and focus of God’s House, prayer and worship, is overshadowed by other activities, it is time to clean up the temple.  That’s exactly what Jesus did.  I believe He would do the same thing with today’s church when we lose our focus on prayer in God’s House.I believe it is time to restore prayers in today’s church and in church worship services.  We ought to fill our sanctuary with prayers.  E.g. Yeo-ui-do Full Gospel Church in Seoul, Korea.  Nowadays, its membership is close to a million, it is the largest congregation in the world and in the history of the Church.  Every time they gather for worship, they always start with prayers.  All the members pray aloud for the pastor and for the ministries of the church.  Here’s the number:  one million prayers are offered in God’s House every Sunday.  It would jam the heavenly prayer lines. The result is astonishing.   Miracles and wonders take place in the name of Jesus.  The presence of the Holy Spirit and God’s power is palpable.  Here’s the thing: the congregation literally fills up the sanctuary with prayers.  We serve the same God.  Therefore, we ought to experience the same thing here in Manahawkin when we turn to the Lord with all our hearts and minds and pray.  He will listen to our prayers as He did to that of Solomon’s (1 Kings 9:3).  He will listen to ours as He does with the Full Gospel Church in Korea.  Wouldn’t you join me transforming our church, the House of God, into a praying church, too?
  2. Healing is a part of God’s House (v. 14): both physical and emotional. During His public ministry, Jesus healed the sick anywhere He went; on the streets, in the house, in the wilderness, in the synagogue.   He spent one third of His entire time for healing ministry.  He also healed the blind and the lame in the temple in today’s text.  The tragedy in God’s Church today is that we seldom experience God’s healing of the sick among us.  Even the majority of believers in Christ first look up to doctors and medical technology for healing.   Don’t get me wrong.  I believe in medicine.  I am not denying the importance of medical contributions to our physical healing.  God still uses doctors and medicine for healing.  However, when we only rely on them to the point where we totally deny or do not expect the divine healing among us, it becomes a problem.   As far as I am concerned, God is still the Healer.  He is the God of Healing.  Therefore, both physical and emotional healing should naturally be demonstrated and witnessed in God’s House today including our own congregation.  E.g. Once I was in a Prayer House in Korea.  Hundreds of people were fasting and praying for their own problems: cancer patients, broken hearted people, depression, financial troubles, and so forth.  I was one of them.  One night a lady with liver cancer stood before us.  With tears she begged us to pray for her healing.  We did.  Two days later, I saw her testifying in front of the people that God healed her entirely.  Praise the Lord!  In God’s House, Jesus still heals the people.
  3. Children are welcome in God’s House (v. 15).  About a month ago, I spoke about Jesus’ welcoming and blessing of the children.  Let us not forget.  Jesus accepted children with open arms.  So should we.  I believe children shouldn’t be hushed in God’s House.  Even infants and nursing babies are welcome in our Sunday morning services.  Look at verse 16—God opens up the mouth of even infants and nursing babes—and He accepts their praises!  I don’t mean to give any trouble to those parents of infants who want to worship God in peace and quiet without hassles with their infants.Rather, I am talking about our general attitude toward children during worship.  Next time, when you hear a baby crying in the middle of the service, please do not frown at the child or the parent.  In today’s text, however, that’s what the priests did.  They got really upset with the children who said, “Hosanna (Save us Now!) to the son of David” (v. 16).   Think about it.  Why were they particularly angry with the children?  For two possible reasons.  First, they might have gotten upset with the content of the praises the children sang—Hosanna to the son of David.  In other words, they didn’t want the children or anyone to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah.   The other possible reason is that the priests got angry with the way the children praised Jesus.  Look at verse 15.  The children cried out(Greek: krazo).  It literally means to shout out on top of the voice.  A similar example is found in Mark 10:47 where Bartimaeus the blind beggar cried out to Jesus to get His attention (he didn’t want to lose this once in a life time chance to regain his sight).  So, when the children shouted and cried out their words saying, “Hosanna to the son of David!” the priests got indignant with the children.Now, how many of us would react like the priests, frowning at the kids, when we hear them making a joyful noise unto the Lord in our midst?  How long would we insist and impose our own ways of worship and praising God unto them?  Or, how many of us would accept the kids and encourage them to worship and praise God in their ways?  E.g. I know some grown-up children who completely gave up on worshipping the Lord in church on Sunday morning, mainly because their parents were too strict with them when they were growing up.  They, in fact, lost their interest in church all together.  They felt that the Christian religion was shoved down their throats by their parents.  They were often scolded harshly for minor misbehaviors during the worship.  Many of them ended up having no fond memories of growing up in God’s Church.  They never felt that they were welcome at God’s House.I humbly urge all of us especially parents who bring up their children in the Church, which is a necessary and an honorable thing to do.  When you do so, please instill pleasant memories in their hearts and minds by treating them as a person, rather than a robot who sits quiet for an hour without making any noise.   I encourage you to educate your child at home to show respect in the church; however, when you are at church with your child, and when the child makes an innocent noise, I wouldn’t chastise the child.  Try to put yourself in the child’s shoes and try to look at everything from the kid’s perspective (songs, sermon, rituals, sit up quiet and so forth,…).  Let’s treat them as Jesus did.

Conclusion

God doesn’t mind closing the churches.  Europe is a good example.  Many church buildings once filled with worshippers for centuries are closed now and being used as dance halls and storage rooms.  Only the churches that fulfill God’s purpose will thrive and last long.  I humbly remind all of us today to fill our church with fervent prayers, to experience the divine healing in the name of Jesus our Lord, and to welcome children as Jesus did.  Let us pray.

Sermon: Cast Your Net!

Today Rev. Dr. Regina Hendrickson, guest speaker, speaks about “Cast Your Net!”  Pointing out that 64% of all households in Monmouth and Ocean Counties in NJ have no religious affiliation, she exhorts the congregation to go out and cast their nets right where they are—in the neighborhoods of Manahawkin!

    Cast Your Net

 

Following is a summary of the sermon.

October 11, 2015                             CAST YOUR NET                             Manahawkin UMC

    

John 21:1-6

 

Peace & grace my brothers and sisters in Christ! 

What a joy & privilege it is to be with you again, & I want to thank your pastor for the invitation to preach!

I miss it!  Serving as a District Superintendent keeps me out of the pulpit and I miss the chance to share a Word in the midst of God’s people as we worship our living God together.  

So thanks again Pastor Kyewoon!

When I served the local church, I loved doing preaching series. 

I found they were opportunities to engage in Scripture & relevant themes

    that engaged the prophetic Word over a longer time frame

that was exciting for me as preacher as well as for the congregation. 

It led to creative components within the worship experience,

as well as small group and mission opportunities

 that extended its’ impact beyond any individual Sunday. 

Each year, I created a sermon series based on the theme of Annual Conference—

    this would help us remember the connectional nature of our life together

as United Methodists and how we were called to live out

      the Bishop’s challenge and vision in the local church & communities

in which we live and serve. 

Again, that’s another thing I miss as a superintendent

who no longer serves in the local church,

so I’ve decided to share my reflections on this throughout the fall season

when I preach, in my monthly newsletter message

and it will also be integrated within church conferences.

 

This morning I’d like us to spend some time on this year’s theme from our Annual Conference Session last May:  “FISH.”  

The key verse came from John 21:6—a resurrection appearance—

where Jesus was giving some words of direction

to his frustrated fishermen disciples he said:

“Throw your net on the other side of the boat and you will find some.”  

I love the provocative image of what it means to cast your net…

as a disciple of Jesus Christ. 

The scope and power of the image,

as well as the beauty and work of such a calling pulls at my heart.

And this morning, I want to lift up 3 key points I think Christ has for us to consider as we begin a new season of “Casting Our Nets” for Christ. 

 

The First Point is that All Are Called.

Each of us is called to cast our net into the world

to reach others in the name of Christ. 

And how we do that, & where we do that is as varied

as each of us sitting here this morning

or as unique as the 65 churches that make up the Northern Shore. 

Each of us lives, works and plays within a different context—

there are countless ponds, lakes, rivers or oceans to fish. 

We all have God-given gifts, skills and opportunities

to cast our net into a hurting and needy world. 

But we have the power of the Holy Spirit that enables us to cast our nets wide,

over and over again; to keep fishing for those who need

the love, hope and joy that comes in and through Jesus Christ. 

All of us are called to lean out over the edge of whatever boat

     that is holding us safe and secure (the church, home, job or school)—

           and WORK the calling that God has given us to FISH…

for men and women, young and old, rich and poor,

neighbor and co-worker, family and strangers.  Cast your Net! 

 

The Second Point for us to consider today is to “Know What You Need.”

I have always had a special joy with fishing,

because my grandfather was a fisherman. 

One of the greatest memories I have of my Poppa Jack

was watching him work a line off the Ocean Grove fishing pier. 

But it wouldn’t just be off the pier, he also fished off a jetty, along the beach

& occasionally on a “party boat” from the Belmar Marina. 

Every location required different equipment, an assortment of bait

& unique skills;    and boy was he good at it.

My grandfather would take each of us 7 grandkids along with him on occasion,

and we learned many life lessons. 

It was a gift of presence that revealed the love of a grandfather and the power of patience.  I think that was 1 of the greatest lessons he taught me, patience.

My grandfather cast his net in so many ways throughout his life. 

He caught fish that was the meal for his family

He reeled in his grandkids through the sport and fun of surf fishing—

and wound up giving us far more than a fish fry on Saturday night.

He cast his net of love & wisdom,

catching each of us in special ways that changed us forever. 

No one knew my Grandpa shared his fish w/many people around the Grove,

Folk who he knew were experiencing difficult times. 

He’d stop by with fresh flounder and the occasional snapper,

have a chat over a cup of coffee and leave enough fish for a few meals. 

My Poppa Jack was a fisher for Christ in ways I know made a difference

over his 100 years of life. 

Friends, as we cast our net for Christ, we will have countless opportunities…

and contexts in which we can make a difference. 

What fishing equipment do we need to get the job done? 

Where will we cast our net or drop a line? 

For every place we hope to fish,

  every context in which we seek to serve as Disciples—

        different equipment, an assortment of bait & unique skills will be needed.

Who are the ones who can teach us how to fish?

Who can we take out on an adventure,

sharing the gift of presence, love and patience

as we teach them how to be fishers of men & women?

God calls us to cast our net—and part of our job is to acquire the skills,

        equipment and knowledge of how to become awesome fishers for Christ.  

This is why we worship each Sunday, attend Bible studies & Sunday School,

This is why 10 of you did the Appalachian Service Project.

This is why you have youth group, UMM and the UMW. 

Why you have baptism classes and VBS.

This is why we have church conference each fall…

…yes even Church Conferences!!…

to vision for the ministries of our churches, to set goals,

to elect leaders and approve ministries.

This is why the GNJAC has launched coaching, PaCE/cohort Groups, Team Vital and Communities of Hope—

 

All to FISH for Christ & to cast our nets into a hurting and needy world.

My Grandfather’s last fishing trip was when he was 99,

   along with 3 of us grandkids on a small charted boat in the Shark River Inlet. 

Poppa Jack caught the largest fish of the day,

still schooling us on how to fish, maintain our equipment and…

treasure the small gifts of life—

love of family & patience for the work we are called to do.

Friends, cast your net!  Drop a line!

Keep up with the tools, experience and knowledge you need

to be fishers for Christ.  And invite someone to fish with you! 

 

The Third and final lesson from Christ as we are casting our nets,

is to ask ourselves,  “Who are We Hoping to Catch?”

We have a wonderful opportunity presented to us as United Methodists—

64% of all households in our district have NO religious affiliation! 

That means for every 10 houses in a 2-3 block radius of this church or where you live—

  • Six households have no church to call home.
  • Six out of ten of your neighbors

have no place to feel the love, grace, peace and hope of Christ. 

  • Six out of ten families are figuring out how to live their liveswithout the support and encouragement of a faith community.
  • Six out of ten of your coworkers have no place to grow in ways

    that will transform their lives forever

by being part of something bigger than they can imagine. 

This is why we CAST OUR NETS! 

The mission field is right on the same street that you live

and this neighborhood right here in Manahawkin.  CAST YOUR NET!

Just yesterday at our first Super Saturday Church Conference event,

      we offered a workshop entitled, “Evangelism in Context”—

  unpacking what it means to invite others into a relationship with Christ,

either for the very first time or as an ever-deepening love.

  • This happens through:  WITNESS—individually and corporately,

  But it also happens through:

  • Creative and inspiring WORSHIP opportunities   &
  • Through SERVICE and OUTREACH where we tangibly bring

the love of Christ into the community.

Where is God calling you to fish? 

Who are you planning to catch? 

What will you do when you bring in the haul? 

We have to ask ourselves these questions! 

Have you looked at the demographics of your towns & neighborhoods

               through the conference resource of Mission Insight?

Have you explored what it means to rethink mission

as not only those who live across the oceans,

but to those who live across the street?

As the provocative cover on this morning’s bulletin indicates

and as Jesus taught so powerfully,

there are more fish to catch than we can imagine!

But isn’t it a joy-filled gift to just IMAGINE what we could do

with all those who we “net,” as we work together

growing in the love and grace of God?

 Cast your Net! 

Households right here in Manahawkin and where you live,

need exactly what you have to offer—the light, love and joy of Christ!

Throughout the upcoming year, may we continue to discover the power

and impact of Jesus’ challenge to Cast Our Net—

We are fishers for Christ…

  • Called to make disciples
  • To use our skills AND learn new ones
  • And to throw our nets sometimes on the other side of the boat.

The fish are biting…

               And God is hopeful for the catch!

Amen and Amen!

 

 

 

 

 

Sermon: How to Know God’s Will. Part 3 of 3

Today Pastor Choi concludes his series on “How to Know God’s Will.”  There are five ways of knowing God’s will.  1. Circumstances (Open/Closed Doors).  2. Family/Friends/Pastors.  3. Peace in Heart.  4. Dreams/Visions/Signs.  5. Word of God.  He points out that the Word of God trumps all other ways of knowing God’s will.  He ends his message with a personalized declaration of Romans 12:2.

 

   How to Know God’s Will. Part 3 of 3

 

 

Following is a summary of the sermon:


How to know God’s will?   Part 3 of 3                        Romans 12:2

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Introduction

Begin the sermon with a scenario as follows: you received a check in the mail with $10,000 payable to you with a letter saying that a Mr. Generous in Africa who recently made a huge fortune in diamond mine wants to share it with you; just go to the bank, cash it out, and send back 10% to him in appreciation of his generosity and keep the rest to yourself.

What would you do with it?  How would you discern God’s will in here for you?

Recap: Last week, we learned about a prerequisite for knowing God’s will: to get our hearts ready to do His will comes before we expect to know God’s will.  In particular, we talked about three obstacles in the path of knowing God’s will: the unwillingness to come out of comfort zones, the failed acknowledgement of Jesus as the Lord, and the heart that seeks self-glory rather than God’s glory.  When these obstacles are removed, then, we are 80% ready to know God’s will.  The other 20% is how-to’s.

Let’s take a look at today’s verse one more time.  Please turn to your bulletin to follow along as I read it to you, this time, with my commentaries.

And do not be conformed to this world [Stop being conformed to this world; stop bench-marking the world; stop imitating the world; stop being shaped by the worldly principles and stop living after them such as cravings/desires/lusts of the eyes/pride—1 John 2:16], but be transformed [keep being meta-morphow-ed (metamorphosis): constant and daily transformation] by the renewing of your mind [ana-kaino-sis: thorough renewing of your mind], so that [the end result] you may prove [do-ki-ma-zo: test and prove—potter testing clay vessels that he made against the light] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [acknowledge that every will of God is good, acceptable, and perfect for you].  

Apostle Paul warns us here that bench-marking the world and living after its values and principles is dangerous and harmful for believers, because it will surely cloud our minds to discern God’s will (E.g. cataracts in the eye cloud vision).  We ought to wash away the worldly influences from our minds and hearts with God’s Word and prayer.  Paul also reminds us that it is our job to test and prove what God’s will is for us.  No one will do it for us.  We have to do it ourselves.  Of course, God provides the tools to do the job, but still we need to do it.  That’s what today’s sermon is all about: how to know God’s will.

Contents

Two kinds of God’s will: When it comes down to God’s will, there are two kinds: general and specific.

General will of God: is revealed in the written Word of God commonly called the Bible (Ephesians 1:9: He [God] made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him).

“General” means that it applies to all.  E.g. Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 such as You shall have no other gods before Me, You shall not murder, You shall not steal,..).  Also, be holy as God is holy (Leviticus 11:44).  Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and be thankful in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Specific will of God: “Specific” means that it only applies to certain individuals in their unique situations.  E.g. Jesus’ death on the cross, …, Should I marry “John Doe” or “Jane Smith?”  Should I take this new opportunity or not?

We can know God’s general will in the Scriptures.  We also are most interested in knowing God’s specific will for us.  Here’s a thing to remember between the two: the more familiar we are with God’s general will, the easier for us to know God’s specific will.  The more we are trained in God’s Word, the easier to discern God’s specific will for us.  Derek Prince once said, “A Christian who ignores his Bible has no right to hear from God.” In other words, unless we are willing to do God’s general will first, God wouldn’t bother revealing His specific will for us.

So, let’s proceed with that understanding.

How do we tell God’s will in specific situations?

There are five ways.  God approves them all; He uses them all to reveal His will for us.  All of them are attested in the Bible, too.  Each way is practical; each one works and deserves our attention.  We need to practice all five and familiarize ourselves with them so that we may understand God’s specific will for us.

  1. Circumstances (2 Corinthians 2:12— Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for me in the Lord): This approach is called, “open door/ closed door.”  In fact, we are most familiar with this approach and often use it.  Open door means God’s leading us to that direction.  Closed door means He is not.  This approach, however, is not always reliable.  In other words, not every open door is God’s will and vice versa.  We can be confused with this approach, because our enemy can entice us with open doors and discourage us with closed doors (he can disguise himself and approach us as an angel of light –2 Corinthians 11:14).  There are times that we need to persist even when the door is closed.  E.g.  A certain believer’s visa application to the U.S. was rejected 24 times, yet he persisted and got it on the next try.  There are also times that we need to reject “the wide open door.”  E.g.  Jesus had an opportunity to avoid the crucifixion (Matthew 26:53—twelve legions of angels), yet he persisted on it, because it was God’s will for Him to die on the cross in humanity’s behalf.
  2.  Family/Friends/Pastors (1 Samuel 28:6When Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by prophets.): We use this approach a lot.  God used prophets such as Moses and Samuel to give His will to His people.  God can also use our loved ones (family, friends, church members, pastors) to guide us into the right path.   When you go to them for counseling, though, make sure that they are in sync with God’s will: otherwise they can mislead you.  E.g.  My brother asks me of God’s will for him.
  3. Peace in heart (Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.): We often say to each other, “Pray about it!”  So, we do pray for God’s directions.  As we pray about certain things, and when we have peace in our hearts, we take it as God’s will.  E.g.  My college entrance exam.
  4. Visions/Dreams/Signs (Matthew 2:13—an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt”): Sometimes God uses visions and dreams to guide us into His will.  E.g. Paul’s ministry team was redirected to Macedonia from Asia (Acts 16:9-10).  E.g.2. Joseph, son of Jacob, who was directed by dreams (Genesis 42:9).
  5. Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17: 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work):  We seldom use this approach.  We rarely read the Bible to know God’s will, both general and specific. Therefore, this is the least familiar way to us among the five.  Out of the five ways, though, this is the most reliable means.  Even though it takes time to wait on God’s Word, this is the surest/safest way to confirm God’s will.  Even though I get a confirmation or two from the Lord through other means, I would make sure that I get a specific one from God’s Word.

How do we discern God’s specific will using the Bible?  We do so through daily reading, not by random pick of the passage.  E.g.  A poor way of doing it is the ‘finger approach’: put your finger on a verse.  One man just did that and his finger landed on a verse, “He went away and hanged himself” (Matthew 27:5).  “Not a very good verse,” he thought, and he did it again.  This time he put his finger on the verse that said, “Go and do the same” (Luke 10:37).  The third time is a charm, right?  The third verse he found said, “What you do, do quickly” (John 13:27) (Leslie and Bernie Flynn, God’s Will: You Can Know It).  E.g. 2. Going into an English speaking congregation, the Lord spoke to me through Moses’ encounter with God (Exodus 4:10-12).

All five ways work.  However, God’s Word outweighs all others. In other words, when any of them are in conflict with God’s Word, God’s Word trumps everything else.  All other means should align and match with God’s Word.  If you don’t have affirmation of God’s Word, wait until you have one.

Let’s revisit our scenario of receiving the $10,000 check in the mail (by the way, a similar thing happened to me before; only the invitation came by email).   E.g.  You receive a check in the mail with $10,000 payable to you with a letter saying that a man in Africa made a fortune in diamond mine and he wants to share it with you; just go to the bank, cash it out, and send 10% to the sender and keep the rest to yourself.  You might say, “Praise God!”  But, wait!  Before you drive to the bank, let’s go down the checklist here.  Check #1: is this an open door?  Sure, it is.   You may even think God blesses you with this check.  Check #2:  Speak to your spouse about it.  What would s/he say?  Check #3: do you have God’s peace in you by doing that?  Well, you kind of have a suspicion, but you still justify that you can use the money for good.   Check #4: No dreams/ visions/ signs here, but you might remember the Chinese fortune cookie message the other day saying, “Something good is on your way.”  Check #5:  What does the Bible say?  You might not have one in mind, but here’s one for you: Test every spirit (Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world—1 John 4:1).  After this, you realize that this is a scam and you throw it into the trash can.   

Conclusion

God wants us to know/ do His will every day and glorify Him.  He is eager and ready to reveal His will to us.  To know God’s will is not only possible but is also our duty.  Let’s say to God that we will follow God’s will, whatever it takes, and then we will clearly know His will for us (Colossians 1:9— we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding).   

Let’s end with a personalized declaration of Romans 12:2.  To the Lord and to the world I declare: I will stop bench-marking this world.  Instead, I will be transformed every day.  I will renew my mind by getting into the Word of God.  I will also renew my heart by prayer, so that I may test and prove what the will of God is for me, good and acceptable and perfect.  In Christ’s name, Amen.