I know this is a difficult and trying moment for our country, our economy, and our entire community’s welfare. It is especially difficult for our church community as well when we consider that the pandemic has loomed closer to us - by one of our larger community (Korean worship) member testing positive.
He is however in good medical condition with mild symptoms.
We are advised to stay away from the church building, as it is currently under quarantine until confirmed safe by the epidemiologist.
Above everything else, I would like us to be encouraged in the Lord, knowing that He is the Lord above the Corona virus, and He has the situation under his control. And for the sake of His elects, whom He loves, He will bring the situation to its normality at the His appointed time.
Let us we keep our prayers with thanksgiving directed to as we speak hope into our lives and into our society.
Please stay safe by observing the safety directive given to us.
May I also remind us to stay at home on March 1 & 8 and access this YouTube site for the livestreaming Sunday worship service, either at 11:00am or 4:00pm.
In light of the worsening situation of COVID-19 in Korea,
the Onnuri Church leadership has decided to suspend/restrict All Onnuri Sunday
services for the next 2 Sundays (March 1 and 8). Everyone is encouraged to
worship from home through online video streams.
For the Sundays of March 1 & 8, OEM will offer a
livestream of both the 11AM and 4PM (KST) services on our YouTube channel. These services will be in English.
https://www.youtube.com/user/OnnuriEM/
Also, please read the letter below from the Senior Pastor, Jaehoon Lee.
Be strong and courageous in this time.
May the Lord keep you and protect you.
Following the latest government's efforts to curb the spread of a
novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Onnuri Church
has called off all the worship gatherings including the Sunday worship services
as from today February 25th, until March 14th, or else following any further
communications.
Kindly note the above information, and continue to pray for the
situation.
For the time being, all Onnuri worship services will be conducted
online through the Onnuri CGN and YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/Onnuriservice -CGNTV : https://www.cgntv.net) The OEM congregation can go online on Sunday at 11:00 AM and 4:00
PM to take part in the worship services.
Please take note of this, and in case of any further information,
we shall be kept informed. Also,
please make sure other members of OEM are aware of the situation and changes in
worship services.
May the gracious Lord keep us all safe under his merciful care.
In John 5, we read about a man who had been paralyzed for 38
years. This man went to a fountain which was supposed to bring healing. The man
had waited for the Angel of God to stir up the water, but there was no one to
help him into the water for healing. Jesus finds this man and hears the excuses
why the man had not been healed. Jesus tells the man to pick up his mat and go
home. The man did.
Some of the Jews said that Jesus had broken the Sabbath and
were angry that Jesus had equated himself to God by saying that God was His
father.
Jesus brings us gifts and benefits with salvation. Jesus
tells the people who seek to destroy Him that He is doing what the Father has
told him to and to give the gift which the Father gave. Jesus did the will of
God and continues to work on our lives today.
Jesus gives the gift
of life.
For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so
also the Son gives life to whom he will.
John 5:21 ESV
The man who was paralyzed for 38 years accepted the gift of
life and was healed. Men like the Pharisees who rejected Jesus did not receive
the gift of life.
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and
believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but
has passed from death to life.
John 5:24 ESV
Paul explains in Ephesians 2:1-8 that in God's mercies been
accepted because of Jesus' sacrifice.
And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the
uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven
us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us
with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
Colossians 2:13-14 ESV
We are accepted not by anything we have done but because of
what Jesus has done. It is Jesus who gives the gift of exemption from
judgement.
For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to
the Son,
John 5:22 ESV
The salvation we received is a total package. It covers the
historical past and the future. In fact, Paul tells us that we are in heaven now
with Jesus.
and raised us up with
him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
Ephesians 2:6 ESV
Paul also further assures us in Romans 8:34 - 39 that
nothing can separate us from Jesus.Jesus will not ignore
our weaknesses. Jesus does the will of God and had work to do and continues to
do.
So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the
Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing.
For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.
John 5:19 ESV
Jesus is in us and
continues to be in us. Jesus does not just overlook our sins but also guides us
to become holy. Jesus brings light to us so the will of God will be done.
Finally, let us remember that we have the Spirit of
Jesus in our lives and we can walk with the spirit.
that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father.
Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my
word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into
judgment, but has passed from death to life.
The reason Jesus called the disciples to him for service was so that they would have eternal life. Jesus taught them and trained them so that they would be saved and go to heaven. The disciples need to grow in their faith in Jesus so they would have eternal power.
Jesus sends out the disciples who experience great miracles and victory. In Mark 6:7-13, immediately after these victories of experiencing the power of the Lord, there is a change in mood. In Mark 6:14-29, we read about John the Baptist's beheading. The disciples became discouraged. After the shocking execution of John the Baptist, Jesus performs the miracle of feeding the 5000. This pendulum lifestyle is to train the disciples for a transitory life. The disciples need to understand that the material blessings in the world are not permanent just like the painful difficulties.
Soon after the feeding the 5000, Jesus sends his disciples in a boat ahead of Him while He prays in the mountains. The boat hits rough waters and makes little progress in its travels. Jesus knows about their troubles and sees the distress of the disciples, yet He waits until a later time to help.
And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, Mark 6:48 ESV
Jesus delays manifesting his love to show the disciples who they are and what their true hearts are. Despite the skills of the disciples, some of them were fishermen, they could not help themselves in the storm. The disciples needed help in a situation that they should have been able to do on their own strength. By waiting, Jesus was able to teach a lesson to the disciples to help them grow their faith.
As Christians we need to understand that we are not exempt from hardships. We should remember that when we are going through low moments, that Jesus is still with us. Jesus may delay his love for us because He wants us to grow or to learn something.
When we are threatened by difficult times, we must understand that it is God who is directing it all. God is with us and He is aware of what we are experiencing and feeling. God is allowing these situations to happen so that we will lift our eyes to Him and understand how much we need God.
If Jesus had allowed the disciples to stay on land and be with the people who were feed miraculously, they may have become arrogant or content without growth. Instead the disciples were instructed with a simple task of taking a boat out to meet Jesus on the side. Whatever pride the disciples had was tested when they could not cross over and Jesus had to walk on the water to calm the sea.
And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, Mark 6:51 ESV
Jesus loves us and wants us to mature spiritually. To mature we need training and struggles to bring us to the level of honesty and growth which Jesus demands of all His disciples.
With the recent Covid 19 outbreak in South Korea there is now
much fear among people in Korea. In Christian circles there are many theories
why God has allowed the outbreak to happen. Some of these theories do reflect
the Bible and others can never really be verified. Regardless, we do we need to
ask ourselves as a church what is God speaking to us.
In Matthew 24 the disciples are worried about their future
and ask about when the end is coming. The scriptures tell us that things will
become much worse before the end. Jesus tells his disciples to take note of difficult times.
When such perilous moments happen we need to awaken to the
reality that we are pilgrims on a journey home. If these disasters were only
for non-believers, then we would tell people to join the church to receive
protection from the disasters. But in these cases when the hard times happen
both Christian and non-Christian, we must remember this Earth is not our
home.
Our situation seem to
be getting worse, but Jesus tells us not to worry and understand that these
hardships are necessary.
For nation will rise
against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and
earthquakes in various places.
Matthew 24:7 ESV
Jesus is in control and will limit the scope
of time. He understands what we are capable of enduring and wants us to be
rescued.
And if those days had
not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the
elect those days will be cut short.
Matthew 24:22 ESV
Another important
point is to remember we should not be led astray by others. In fact, we are
told not to be dissuaded from the truth by anything.
And Jesus answered
them, "See that no one leads you astray.
Matthew 24:4 ESV
These days there are many cults and false teachings. We need to take
seriously that people are trying to lead us astray from Jesus and the truth. This is a warning that we
need to be cautious of the cults and false teachers. If we do not know the
truth about the word of God, we can be misled.
For many will come in
my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray.
Matthew 24:5 ESV
Pandemics, wars, recessions, depressions and the other troubles will come, and our role in the
church is to pray. We need to pray for strength for ourselves and the church.
We need to pray for wisdom so we need to know how to manage the situation. We
also need to pray for faith that we can believe that God is in control and there is hope.
Jesus tells us that
there is hope and there is an end. There is a salvation for those who endured. God's love for us
endures forever.
But the one who
endures to the end will be saved.
Matthew 24:13 ESV
Jesus does not want us to lose heart or
strength. Our Lord encourages us to press on and understand that this is not our world. Something much better is waiting for us.
Experiencing the Joy of the Lord in our Dark Times.
Psalm 9:1-12
As Christians, one thing that strengthens us the most is the fact that God is in control. However, what most Christians long for are signs that show God is in control. There is a real difficulty when we see nothing or hear nothing from God for a long time especially when we need God the most. There are times when Christians do not even feel worthy enough to approach God for help because our ways are wicked.
In Psalms chapter 9, we read how David drew his strength from the revelation of what God had done for him in the past. Similarly, from the revelation that we receive from God is enough to have the joy of God. We need to draw our strength from our experiences we have had with God.
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. Psalms 9:1 ESV
We know that Moses met God at the burning bush. Moses had to go through difficult times before he met God. We can say that it was through life experiences that Moses met God. We can also say that it is our life experiences how we have true knowledge of God.
And he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Exodus 3:6 ESV
The same can be said for Hagar. She left because she had betrayed and wronged her mistress, Sarah. Yet, God sought Hagar out to protect her. Hagar experienced God during the difficult times, and she was blessed by God.
And he said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?" She said, "I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai." The angel of the Lord said to her, "Return to your mistress and submit to her." The angel of the Lord also said to her, "I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude." Genesis 16:8-10 ESV
When times are dark we need strength and there are a few things we can do to get this strength from God.
1. Look at the times you have experienced God and how God has rescued you or comforted you. This way an inner revelation is established, and we will have a confidence in God. What God has done once, He will do again.
2. We need to find people that we can trust and talk about our problems. They can help you pray and help you remember what God has done in the past.
3. We need to speak the word of God. The word of God is life and will give us the peace of the Lord.
4. Don’t blame other people for your difficulties, but understand God is working on your life.
King David was on the run from his enemies and Absalom, King David's son, is trying to take over his kingdom. David understands that he is not a perfect person or worthy, yet God had given so much to David. It is this understanding that David holds onto to get him through the difficult time he was experiencing when he wrote this psalm.
For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment. You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish; you have blotted out their name forever and ever. Psalms 9:4-5 ESV
David understands that this is not the time blame other people but accept that God is working in his life. God has been exceptionally generous and merciful with us, too. Let us encourage one another and be thankful for the work that God continues to do in our lives.
