Sermon Rewind 2/24/13

1 Corinthians 4:14-21

New International Version (NIV)14 I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children. 15 Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me. 17 For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.
18 Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. 20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter oftalk but of power. 21 What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline, or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit?

Benjie Kim continued to explore what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Benjie explained that as a disciple, it is important to have a teachable spirit. Who we think we are is disconnected to the truth of who we really are  - we all have blind spots about ourselves that we are unaware of. The teachable heart is the portal to seeing who we really are. It means we are open to change and hearing truth in our lives. A teachable disciple must be able to do two things:
1. Receive hard truths even with imperfect circumstances. Even though the delivery of truth might not be ideal or harsh, there is still opportunity to be teachable.
2. Share hard truths even at the risk of losing a relationship.
Benjie finished by sharing one truth for each one of us: You are God's beloved child. The places in your life that you least want to confront, Christ became the ultimate teacher by dying for those areas. Never doubt that God deeply loves you.

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Sermon Rewind 2/3/13 - Fan or Follower?

1 Corinthians 13:1-7, 13

The Message (MSG)

The Way of Love

13 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.

² If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing.

^3-7 If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

¹³ But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

Benjie Kim kicked off the new series, Fan or Follower. This series is about discipleship. Are we fans of Jesus or really followers of him in discipleship? Dallas Willard defines discipleship as followers who are willing to do anything and everything to master the craft. As followers of Christ, the ultimate craft is to love. From, 1 Corinthians 13:1-7, 13 (The Message), Benjie shares how we must pursue love with intimacy and vulnerability. As we enter vulnerability, we feel naked. Are we willing to be naked in front of God, so He can see our sins and pains? Our pursuit of God involves great fear and pain. Christ became naked and broken for us. When we become naked, God will clothe us in His love. He will heal and redeem us in His timing. Discipleship is relational, not transactional. As we pursue love, the byproducts will be change. God is the one that will change us. The price has already been paid by Jesus, so we’re free. The call for discipleship is to pursue love.

by Arnold Wang

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Sermon Rewind 1/27/13 - Busy With God

Matthew 28:18-20

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

What is a disciple of God? Pastor Peter examined this question as Jesus gave the Great Commission to His disciples in Matthew 28:18-20. Simply put, a disciple is a follower of Jesus, one who is baptized and tries to teach and obey all His commands. The prerequisite to being a disciple is that we have to be a follower of Christ first. As disciples, we are able to teach with authority because Jesus promises to be with us until the last days. To be an effective disciple, we must spend time with Jesus. We often show our love for a person by spending time with them, and it is no different with Jesus. Quality time requires quantity time, and we each were made uniquely to spend time with God in our own way. What is one way God has created you to have a relationship with Him, and to reach out to others?

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