Archive for the ‘Gospel’ Category
A Weekend with Dr. Rev. Michael Oh
Saturday, August 21st, 2010
Michael Oh from Urbana 09 on Vimeo.
We have the great privilege of hosting Michael Oh for the weekend of September 25-26. Join us on Saturday evening at 7:30 pm for worship, a message by Michael Oh, followed by a light reception. On Sunday morning, Michael will be the preacher for the English Service which starts at 11:30 am. There will be special offering for his mission work in both services.
Dr. Michael Oh is president and founder of Christ Bible Seminary in Nagoya, Japan and father of four daughters Hannah, Mikaela, Eowyn, and Elliot and one son Michael Jr. Born and raised in the Philadelphia area, Michael attended the University of Pennsylvania as an undergraduate where he also received his Master’s degree in Education and his PhD in Leadership and Cultural Anthropology on a Kellogg scholarship. Michael received his seminary training at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School where he earned a Master of Divinity degree.
In 1998-99 Michael and his wife Pearl served as short-term missionaries with Mission to the World during which time they planted Chita Zion Presbyterian Church. After that term Michael completed a Master’s degree in East Asian Studies on a Regional Studies scholarship at Harvard University with a concentration in Japanese anthropology and sociology. Michael and his family moved back to Japan in January of 2004 before founding Christ Bible Seminary in April 2005.
Christ Bible Seminary is the fastest growing seminary in Japan making an impact among young Christians seeking a renewed vision for the next generation of Christianity in Japan. The ministry of Christ Bible Seminary also includes a sizable new church plant, All Nations Fellowship, lay training, and a contemporary worship event for young people called Heart and Soul which is the largest regular meeting of young Christians in Nagoya. Michael is a PCA Teaching Elder in the Philadelphia Presbytery and the youngest member of the executive leadership of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization.
The gospel via John 3:16
Saturday, July 31st, 2010
Here’s my attempt to explain the gospel using John 3:16. Any suggestions or tweaks that would make this better?
For God so loved the world…
By nature, God is the giver of life and everything good. God created and designed the world to operate perfectly with Him at the center. God created us to know him and for us to enjoy the world he made. This is what our world was supposed to look like.
But our experience tells us that the world isn’t the way it is supposed to be. Just watch the news for a day and you’ll get depressed. Watch Jersey Shore and you’ll get even more depressed. But you don’t need to watch TV to know that our world is messed up. For many of you, this isn’t conceptual, but something that is real and hits close to home. Not only is the world around us messed up. But our inner world is also messed up as well. Inasmuch as we want to contain that mess so that no one can see, it doesn’t take much for the mess the spill out. My friend calls us overstuffed Twinkies. All it takes is a little pressure for the cream to ooze out into the open.
At the root of it all, our mess is a result of rejecting and rebelling against God’s intentions. God’s intention is for us to live under his good rule and care, but we would rather rule our own lives and care for only ourselves. Consequently, everything and everyone (including God) revolves around us, rather than God. The world is jacked because it’s full of people who think they know what they are doing.
But the amazing thing is that God doesn’t just love the world when it’s going well, but even when it’s jacked. God doesn’t just love the world in a sentimental kind of way, but it lead to a specific action.
He gave his one and only Son…
God didn’t just love from a distance, but he wrote himself into the story by entering our mess that we created. God sent Jesus to fix the mess we created that we couldn’t fix on our own. But how does he do this? The Bible says that when Jesus came, he came to show us what the kingdom of God is like and who the real King is. In other words, Jesus gives us glimpses of what the world would look like if He were in charge. Jesus showed the world that his reign would be one of love and justice, a world that we all want and long for.
But if God’s kingdom requires justice, what is to become of all of us who have rejected and rebelled against the King? The cost for our rebellion is death, both spiritual and physical. We can’t demand justice for the world and not apply it to ourselves. A renewed world starts with a renewed person.
God shows his love and justice through the cross where Jesus dies the death we deserved to die. Along with absorbing the cost of our disobedience, our mess can be forgiven, and the estranged relationship between you and God has been renewed and restored. It’s the cross that gives us hope for our complete restoration. This is what Jesus came to do for you. But there’s something you have to do in light of this.
… that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
God has taken the initiative to love you and to remove any obstacles that get in the way. God has opened the door for this to happen. You can to continue to reject God and continue to attempt to live life without God. Or you can stop rejecting God and accept Jesus as your Savior and King. Whoever you are, no matter what you’ve done or where you’ve been, the invitation is open for you to believe in Jesus and trust in what He did for you. The amazing promise is that those who do believe in Jesus will not perish, but have life eternal.
This is not an easy decision, but it is a critical decision. What will it be?
A Gospel Approach to Evangelism
Monday, June 21st, 2010
from the “Gospel and the Heart” study, Harbor Presbyterian Church, San Diego CA
The liberal/pragmatist approach to evangelism is to deny the legitimacy of evangelism altogether. By contrast, the conservative/moralist person does believe in proselytizing, because “we are right and they are wrong.” Such proselytizing is almost always offensive.
The gospel is a “third way,” different from both of these, which produces a constellation of traits in us:
First, we are compelled to share the gospel out of generosity and love, not guilt
Second, we are freed from fear of being ridiculed or hurt by others, since we already have the favor of God by grace
Third, there is a humility in our dealings with others, because we know we are saved only by grace alone, not because of our superior insight or character.
Fourth, we are hopeful about anyone, even the “hard cases,” because we were saved only because of grace, not because we were likely people to be Christians.
Fifth, we are courteous and careful with people. We don’t have to push or coerce them, for it is only God’s grace that opens hearts, not our eloquence or persistence or even their openness.
All these traits not only create a winsome evangelist but an excellent neighbor in a multi-cultural society.
Reflections from Lynchburg
Thursday, June 3rd, 2010
During one of my sessions, I remarked how important it was for churches to network together in order to reach a city or in our case, a county. No one church can reach the city, even the giga church down the street. Churches need strategic partnerships to further our reach. Rather than working independently, we need to learn to work interdependently. What I found encouraging about the Lynchburg Chinese Conference was not only the partnership between the churches, but also the generations. I was encouraged by their vision and their commitment to equip the church to be on mission with Jesus. I was also impressed by the affection that people had for each other. It felt like a big family reunion. But even though it was our first time at Lynchburg, we felt like we were part of the family. Not only are we family, but we are on mission together to show the people around us how great God truly is! It’s a privilege that we can do it together rather than alone. May God continue to bless our churches to be a blessing to our communities and beyond.
Here are the messages. Listen to the youth speaker. His personal testimony is very powerful.
Youth Speaker: Stephen Hawkins
Session 1
Session 2 (unavailable)
Session 3
Session 4
Session 5
Adult Speaker: Ken Liu
Session 1
Session 2 (unavailable)
Session 3
Session 4
Session 5
Sunday Morning Session
Growth Group Q and A
Monday, March 15th, 2010
What’s a growth group?
A growth group is a group of three that is committed to growing together in Christ.
How do Growth Groups work?
- Growth groups meet once a week for approximately one hour (can take place anywhere provided that you can take time to pray)
- Growth Groups are groups of two or three (adding a fourth person in the beginning of the second group, and multiplication is imminent)
- Growth Groups are not mixed gender.
- There is no curriculum, workbook, or training involved.
- There is no leader needed in the group.
- Only three tasks are to be accomplished:
- Sin is confessed to one another in mutual accountability (sample questions are available and can be adapted to your needs)
- Scripture is read repetitively, in context, and in community (20-25 chapters per week with the emphasis being on communion with God vs. knowledge)
- Souls are prayed for strategically, specifically, and continuously
How does this fit within our vision and mission?
Our vision is to be a community of disciples that point people to Jesus. Our mission to enjoying God, experiencing community, and engaging the world. Growth groups are a tangible way we can express our vision and mission.
How does this fit within our houseplants launching into different regions?
Growth groups would be the starting point and building blocks of any future houseplant launch. It is much easier to launch groups of 2-3 than groups of 10-12. When we have 3 to 4 growth groups in a particular region, we will launch a group in that particular area.
How will future houseplants be different than growth groups?
Houseplants will be network of growth groups that seek to tangibly love and serve their particular circle of relationships which may include family, neighbors, coworkers, etc. Houseplants will focus on creating opportunities to build connections between each growth group as well as your targeted oikos through hospitality, service, community, and outreach. Each houseplant determines what their particular focus will be.
What’s the timetable for launching?
Growth groups can be started right away as soon as you find a group of three. As we intentionally pray for people, the hope is that our growth groups will start to multiply in God’s time. Whenever there are at least four groups in a particular region, we will launch a houseplant.
If you are interested in join one, contact Pastor Ken
Update from Wayne and Gail
Friday, March 5th, 2010
Wayne and Gail are missionaries that we support. Here’s their latest update:
Dear Friends and Family,
This past weekend marks the first month of our ministry here in Biem. We cannot believe the time has gone by so fast. Since the last time we sent out an update, quite a few things have happened. Here’s a quick recap…
- A lightning storm where hundreds of strikes kept us up all night. The older Biem folks said it was just like the 2nd World War where bombs were dropped along the mainland coast.
- Wayne helped killed a 2.5 feet long lizard…skinned, cooked and “enjoyed” it…
- The earthquake in Chile triggered a tsunami warning here on the island (canceled soon afterward).
- A few trips to the bush and a fishing trip which gave us great insights to the Biem culture and lifestyle.
Gail and I have started helping out with little medical services…patching up sores and treating colds and fevers. We are again reminded of Jesus’ ministry of physical healing which serves as a symbol for the ultimate spiritual healing made possible by Christ’s death and resurrection. While our language is still too limited to communicate the gospel effectively, we pray that the little things we do for the people would add credibility to the Message we will present one day.
We will be traveling back to Wewak next week for the annual regional conference. After the conference, we will be doing some preparation for our house building project this summer (purchases, finalize housing plan, etc.). The weather and the sea are still quite unpredictable so could you please pray for calm sea when we travel next week?
Language learning is coming along. We are still negativing on word-level communicate while learning a lot of practical expressions. Doing language drills and processing language data can be dull at times but would you pray for clarity of mind and perseverance as we continue to learn the language?
We got an email yesterday that Wayne’s mom was suffering from some serious back/spinal pains (went to the ER three times last weekend). By the time we were able to call on satellite phone, she was already out of a 2-hour surgery. It really hits home just how far we are from our families in times like this. Many people have commented on our “sacrifice” of moving to Papua New Guinea (and we will say a hundred times over that it is no sacrifice but gain….) but the real sacrifices are made by our family members, especially our aging parents who had to say goodbye to their children and grandchildren. We would not be able to be here on Biem without families and friends making various sacrifices to support us. Thank you again for being part of the team.
In His Lamb,
Wayne, Gail, Abby and Kala
The Gospel Does What Media Coverage Can’t
Thursday, January 21st, 2010
A good word from Dan Cruver via Gospel Coalition. Let’s take this to heart:
I’m grateful for the media’s coverage of Haiti’s crisis. It confronts me with graphic images of human suffering. Where I live, life is simple and safe. I have more than enough to eat each day and a comfortable place to sleep each night. Compared to most everybody else in the world, my life is very hobbit-like. For the most part, like Tolkien’s hobbits in Middle-earth, I live among peace-loving, comfort-enjoying people.
One of the great dangers of living where I live is that I can easily adopt a hobbit’s way of thinking: “Well, it’s none of our concern what goes on beyond our borders. Keep your nose out of trouble and no trouble will come to you” (hobbit Ted Sandyman to Sam in The Fellowship of the Ring). In the face of that ongoing temptation, the media’s coverage confronts me daily with Haiti’s ongoing crisis, and for that I am grateful.
But the gospel does what media coverage cannot. It doesn’t merely awaken us to humanity’s need; it moves us out to meet it. We move out to meet the needs of others because God first came down to meet ours.
Long after the media coverage fades, after our nation’s attention has turned to other things, the gospel will still be moving us toward Haiti’s need. Therefore, it is critical that we as believers feast upon the gospel every day. It’s the only thing that will make what goes on beyond the borders of our own little Hobbiton our active concern. The gospel does what media coverage cannot: it mobilizes for long-term engagement.
Urbana Presentation
Sunday, January 10th, 2010
Untitled from Ken Liu on Vimeo.
Powerpoint
Clips used and referenced (in its entirety)
The State of Christianity from Urbana 09 on Vimeo.
Interview with Patrick Fung from Urbana 09 on Vimeo.
Ramez Atallah’s Neighborhood: Cairo, Egypt from Urbana 09 on Vimeo.
Missions Issue: Human Trafficking from Urbana 09 on Vimeo.
Pray Big and Pray Bold: Sunder Krishnan from Urbana 09 on Vimeo.
For all videos, go here.
