Message from March 6: "Turnover Our Thought"

Joshua 5:10-12

Generally, spring is from March to May. From this week, our high temperature will be around 70’s. Spring is the most beautiful time of the year. The trees that seemed dead over the winter seem to come out from the branches. Grass turns from brown to green, making the whole garden come alive. However, even though spring is the time when everything looks good and perfect, it’s also the season for ancient time that is hard to survive because people have no food to eat. They have to get through this period called ‘the farm hardship period.’ It is important for people to eat. Some people think that happiness depends on what they eat. However, we Christians need to eat not only for our physical body, but also our spiritual needs. In this Lent season, please fill your spiritual hunger by the word of God. If you follow the Lenten Calendar, you are finished the book of Romans. We have already read over half of the New Testament.

The toughest time that the Israelites lived through was during the exodus, because they didn’t have food to eat. About 2 and a half months after they left Egypt, they began to have bitter feelings about God. From Exodus 16:3, the Israelites said to Moses and Aaron, “If only we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we set by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” The Israelites could not thank God for freeing them from the Egyptians because they were starving. So, God pitied them and gave them bread called manna. God gave them this food as though it was raining in the desert. In the morning, thin flakes like frost appeared on the desert floor. The Israelites said to each other, “What is it?” The meaning of manna is actually what is it.

Today’s scripture says that since they had the produce of the land, the manna stopped. The morning after the manna stopped, the Israelites probably still went out with a basket looking for manna. However, nothing was there. How disappointed would they have been coming back to their tent with an empty basket? How confused could they have been when the food from the glory of God suddenly stopped? They probably had a lot of thoughts in their mind such as what are we going to eat to survive, and has God abandoned us? As we live through this world, there are times when manna stops raining. There are times when nothing rains when we look up. There comes a time when nothing happens, as though God has turned away. Then people get confused and disappointed. However, we should turnover our think in this time as Christians.

First, we should know that God’s grace still continues. God’s grace had only changed its way. That grace only changed from manna to the produce of the land. Manna wasn’t the only grace that God had given to them. The produce of Canaan was more grace from God. However, the problem was that some people thought that manna was the glory from God and didn’t consider the produce of Canaan as the glory of God. People thought that it was a miracle that manna rained from the sky, but they didn’t consider the produce of Canaan special.

We should value the produce of Canaan more than manna. Food from the earth is more blessed than a miracle food coming from the sky. The Bible says that Canaan was a land of milk and honey. Milk and honey do not come from the sky, but from the earth. Which do you think is the true blessing from God? Is it eating manna that came from heaven in the desert, or farming in Canaan and eating the produce of the land? Manna was just an emergency food provided from God during their journey. We should be more thankful for the food from Canaan than manna.

Second, we need to know that our daily grace is more precious. God gives us manna sometimes during our lives. He helps us when we really can’t handle things with our own strengths. The moment of a miracle is not the only moment of grace. Remember that our everyday lives are grace from God. We should thank God for the miracle, but we should also be thankful for our daily lives, so that we don’t have to wish for a miracle. Be thankful for every day that we can work hard. Don’t get frustrated by the same pattern of the days, but live happily. Love your life. Be thankful that you have a job, and are able to work. It may not be as dramatic as raining manna, but be thankful for our labor as we experience God’s love and his grace for us every day.

Miraculously coming out of big trouble is our mighty God’s love. However, living a peaceful life without any big trouble is the greater power of God. Are you possibly looking for a miracle that comes from heaven as you live your life? Our faith is the turning point of our thoughts. How often do you thank God for what you have every day? Don’t lose your thankfulness to God. Thank God for giving us lives, parents and children, profits, a beautiful environment, and a job for us to work. 

~Pastor Jay

Pastor's message 2/28/2016: A Useful Person

Related scripture: Philemon 1:8-14

Onesimus helped Paul while he was in prison. However, he was born as a slave and was a sinner for running away after stealing his owner’s money. Then he met Paul and became a Christian. Later on, Onesimus became such a good assistant of Paul. The meaning of the name Onesimus is helpful or useful. Onesimus had a life that was the total opposite of the meaning of his name. However, as he met Christ, he changed to a useful man. According to Ignatius’ letter, Onesimus became a bishop of the church of Ephesians in the early 2^nd century and he collected Paul’s letters to publish. Because of his effort, we can get the New Testaments. Onesimus used to be harmful to others and useless, but he had changed to a useful person who left huge achievements in the church history. He was able to change, because his owner, Philemon, who forgave his sin. Paul sent a letter to Philemon and encouraged him to forgive Onesimus. This morning, let’s think about the Paul’s encouragement and share this grace of God.

First of all, for us to become useful to others, we need to know that we are brothers and sisters in Christ. We call one another as brothers and sisters at the church. These brothers and sisters should be attached in Christ. Apostle Paul encouraged Philemon to forgive Onesimus as he emphasized the phrase, “in Christ.” Church is a place for brothers and sisters in Christ to gather as one. So, we gather here to pray in Christ and need to be able to share the grace of God. The church needs to become a complimenting, encouraging, and loving place for Christians. In this world, we all have different jobs, education levels, and living environments, but at church, we are brothers and sisters that are equally loved by God. In the presence of God, we are same as brothers and sisters. However some people who lack of faith often show their arrogance or boasting. When we see them, we should not be disappointed because they are trying to change to reach the fullness of Christ. We are all useful people in Christ not only as church leaders but also as one time visitors per year. When we open our mind to others as brothers and sisters in Christ, people will accept us as their brothers and sisters. When we open our minds to our enemies, they will be a good helper of us in Christ. Apostle Paul emphasizes this to Philemon.

Second, in order to be a useful person, we need to recover relationships through forgiveness and love. Apostle Paul said in verse 8-9, “For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty, yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love.” Then, he said in verse 11, “Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me.” In the relationship between the owner and the servant, Onesimus was useless, but when he became a servant of Christ he really became useful. However, even if Onesimus became a new person in Christ, he was not able to fully do the work of God because of his broken relationship with Philemon. Therefore, Paul sent him to Philemon to be forgiven.

We can tell that Paul did not want to recover the relationship by forcing Philemon to forgive Onesimus, but instead, he wanted them to experience the love and forgiveness in Christ to rebuild their relationship. Paul believed that this was one of the steps that Onesimus had to take in order for him to handle the huge amount of work. Then, in verses 18 and 19, Paul said to Philemon “If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it.” Apostle Paul said he would take care of all the loss that Philemon suffered because of Onesimus. He showed the love that we have to have.

Honestly, Onesimus was a sinner that could have been sentenced to death according to the old Roman law. The fact that Onesimus ran away was a big loss of Philemon’s property. However, as Christians, we know that there are prioritized before the law which are love and forgiveness. The characteristic of Christianity is love and forgiveness. Jesus had told us to forgive our brothers and sisters not seven times, but seventy-seven times. This does not mean we should forgive others up to a certain number, but forgive them till the end. Forgiveness comes from the person who was hurt, not from the person who hurt others. People can forgive others, when they let go of their pride. If you think you have hurt someone, then ask for forgiveness, and if you think of someone who hurt you, then have the faith to forgive him or her. Forgiveness and love can be possible, when Jesus is in us.

It was not easy for Philemon and Onesimus to see each other. However, Paul knew that unless they learned about love and forgiveness, they couldn’t become useful, so he had to make this opportunity for them. To become a useful person, we should remember today’s sermon. First, we are the brothers and sisters in Christ. Second, we need to be able to love and forgive others in Christ. So, I pray in Jesus’s name that all of us will be used by God and will be helpful to others.

~Pastor Jay