Sermon Rewind 7/21/14 - Soul Talk: Homosexuality

Last Sunday, Peter Park addressed what our witness should be to the LGBT community. Our witness should be of love, not of judgment, in truth. We are to love the LGBT community, yet still keep Christ in our witness. 

In light of the recent Supreme Court rulings on DOMA and Prop 8, there's more grey than black and white when it comes to same-sex marriages and Christianity. There is a unified answer though: love. Seeking being right must be secondary to seeking loving right.

by Ed Chu

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Sermon Rewind - 7/14/13 - Realizing God's Abundance

Passage: John 10:10

Benny Yu brought a message from Mexico City about receiving the abundant life that God desires us to have. Our biggest obstacle is mistaking lack of restrictions for freedom. Submitting to God's authority leads us to a place where we can thrive.  Benny gave us steps to achieve this:

• Lay aside our own agendas for His. This includes our desires for control and getting credit.
• Practice God's presence.
• Don't hide before GOD. Be authentic with our sins and our junk.
• Focus on God's causes. Allow Him to transform us into blessings for others.

Janice Yu offered up a prayer of blessing for NOC and encouraged us to join the "healing pool party" that awaits us beyond the barriers we've put up between ourselves and God.

by Chris Cheung

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Sermon Rewind 7/7/13 - Why Pray?

Mark 14:36

New International Version (NIV)
36 “Abba,[a] Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Hebrews 4:16New International Version (NIV)16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Dave Brubaker kicked off the truthstarts campaign by addressing the question: Why do we pray for our hopes/dreams/desires if God already has a plan? Dave, often citing C.S. Lewis, offered up these five aspects of prayer:

1. Prayer allows us to be absolutely real with God. Jesus did not want to go to the cross and honestly conveyed that message while remaining subservient to whatever God decided.
2. Prayer involves "chutzpah." When we pray, we can take the stance of supreme confidence (perhaps even audacity) of demanding that God show up.
3. Prayer transforms us. Just as Jesus promised to make the disciples "fishers of men," pray that God changes us.
4. Prayer leads to participation in God's work. Dave defined a miracle as the intersection of our faith and actions and God showing up. Responding in action to prayer gives us the opportunity to become the answer to someone else's prayer.
5. Prayer is communion with God.  When we pray we experience all aspects of the Trinity, as God makes us desire to pray, leads us in the method of prayer, and becomes the context of prayer.

by Chris Cheung

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Sermon Rewind 6/16/13 - Time Is Short

1 Corinthians 7:29-31

New International Version (NIV)

29 What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; 30 those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep;31 those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.

Alex Wu reminded us that our time on this earth is short. All of us face two truths: life is fleeting and Jesus is returning soon. There is nothing more important for us to do than to establish a saving relationship with Jesus. Not all of our earthly fathers are still alive, but in Christ we can still celebrate Father's Day in Heaven.

Alex's friend Linda shared about her feelings and experiences after her husband Tom passed away suddenly last year, leaving her and their four children behind. A powerful blessing is that he had reiterated his profession of faith in Jesus earlier that same day.

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Sermon Rewind 6/9/13 - A Lasting Faith

Liz Yim continued the Red series with a message about faith, and what faith is based on the accounts where Jesus talked about faith in the Gospel of Matthew. Faith requires us to know God, to know His character and nature.  A lasting and real faith will be rooted in a relationship with God that is informed daily by the scriptures.  Faith also requires us to believe, act with a hopeful expectation and have confidence in who God is.  As we get on the journey of faith, sometimes our experiences may not match up with what the scriptures say.  In these times, God will honor our conversations with Him about unbelief - "I believe, but help me overcome my unbelief."   

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Sermon Rewind 6/2/13 - More Than Words

John 14:15-24
New International Version (NIV)
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[a] in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”


23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.



Dave Brubaker paraphrased Jesus' words from John 14 by quoting the song More Than Words by Extreme: "...if you only knew how easy it would be to show me how you feel ... then you wouldn't have to say that you love Me, cuz I'd all ready know."  Just as we are called to demonstrate our faith by our works (James 1:14-18), we are called to show our love for Christ in our obedience.  Dave also quoted Howard Hendricks: "The opposite of ignorance is not knowledge; it's obedience."  Jesus followed this principle when He acted out both his love for us and His obedience to the Father by going to the cross. Dave closed by asking all of us what act of love we felt the Holy Spirit was placing on our hearts to show someone right now.

by Chris Cheung

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Sunny Softball Sunday

Chloe Lee

Nothing beats old-fashioned, American baseball games on sunny Sundays in southern California. Or, in this case, the sport's close cousin, softball. With the exception of the grapefruit-sized baseball, all-female teams and slightly different fields, baseball and softball are very similar.

"I liked that I was able to be with my friends and the Cheers kids I babysit at the same time. It was all my BFFs in the same place." -Joy Hsieh

On Sunday, March 10, two small groups convened at the baseball diamond in Craig Park for a little softball showdown: The Village versus Cheers. While the grown-ups got to work on the field, the kids ran around, enjoying themselves. Under the influence of a cheerleader, the little Village children made up a cute little cheer.

The older Lifegroup led the game off with a good start, pulling ahead by a couple runs. But as more minutes passed and The Village grew tired, Cheers swooped in and finished it off. With a wipeout too large in number to be remembered, The Village life group accepted their loss with positive attitudes.

"I enjoyed the fellowship during the game. Plus I liked the snacks." -Helen Lee

Communiity is a big part of Christianity. Sometimes it is better to experience God with others. He often works through others. A little softball game may not seem like much to you, but it could mean the world to God. He might have changed someone’s heart through the game. God works in many mysterious ways.