Obadiah

The Kingdom Will Be the Lord's

Obadiah 1:1-21

Key Verse 1:21

“Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion to govern the mountains of Esau. And the kingdom will be the LORD's.”

Obadiah is the shortest prophetic book, consisting of just one chapter. Yet it occupies a special position in that it reveals the destiny of all who adopt Edom's way of life.

In Hebrew Edom means "red" (Genesis 25:30). Its variant is “Adam” which is comprised of the same consonants (that is, aleph, daleth, and mem). In the book of Obadiah, Edom is an alternate name for Esau. The meaning of the name Edom suggests that Edom refers to a man who adopts an earthly nature. (Read Colossians 3:5 for a few examples of the earthly nature.)  

Hebrews 4:12 reads, "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow." The word "diving" indicates that man's existence is divisible into different components. It has been said, "Hellenism divides, Hebraism combines." This statement also indicates that whatever is put together can also be disassembled. The point here is that human beings are a combination of different components so that man as a living entity is divisible.

Similarly, Genesis 2:7 reveals to us how the Lord God put different components together. "The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." Emerging out of this discussion is the identity of Edom, that is, a man whose predominant nature is earthly.

Again, Obadiah describes the destiny of Edom. According to one Jewish resource (Trei Asar, the Twelve Prophets Volume 1, published by Mesorah Publications, Ltd. P. 268) the author of the book of Obadiah was a proselyte who used to be an Edomite but turned to worshiping the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. The same resource identifies Obadiah with the one mentioned in 1 King 18, where the man named Obadiah, while serving King Ahab as a royal administrator, secretly protected one hundred prophets from the killing hands of Queen Jezebel. If indeed this assertion is true, the message the prophet Obadiah conveys to us becomes clear, for he proclaimed God’s judgment on people like Queen Jezebel who adopted Esau’s lifestyle, living purely on a carnal level.

Many Bible verses talk about the destiny of those who adopt Edom's way of life. In Genesis 3:19 we are told that upon succumbing to a carnal desire Adam was decreed to return to dust. Genesis 25:23 says that Edom is destined to serve Jacob for flesh cannot and should not be allowed to take leadership over what is spiritual. Hebrews 12:16 says, "See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son." Malachi 1:2-3 say, "I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated." The book of Obadiah however goes into further details about the destiny of Edom. What then is going to happen to Edom (and to all who adopt Edom's way of life)?  

First, let us go against her for battle (1)

According to verse 1 it is the Sovereign Lord who builds a rally among all nations for a battle against Esau. This immediately raises questions: If Edom came from the Lord, why does he go against Edom? If indeed man is divisible into different components, such as dust and the breath of life, why does the Lord promote a battle against what is earthly? If he is going to fight against what is earthly why did he allow the earthly component to be incorporated into the constitution of a human being?

When we consider these questions with what the Bible says about who God is, that is, the Lord God who is good, and good all the time (Psalm 100:5), we can come up with a correct answer to these questions. That is, God has a good reason and purpose in forming man out of dust and then calling a battle against the earthly nature. God does not want man to be dominated by what is earthly. Rather he desires man to overcome and remain dominant over what is earthly. For this reason we can even go to the point of saying that by declaring war against Edom, the Lord God decreed from the beginning that only those who fight against one’s earthbound nature and become dominant over that earthbound nature should inherit his kingdom!

Thus those who adopt an Edomite lifestyle are bound to run afoul with the Lord who is sovereign. Who can possibly fight against the Sovereign Lord and win? No one.

"Rise, and let us go against her for battle." This passage reminds us of the battles King David went through, for in Psalms 35:1-3 he says: "Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me. Take up shield and buckler; arise and come to my aid. Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Say to my soul, ‘I am your salvation.’” It also reminds us of what the Apostle Peter urged the early Christians to do in 1 Peter 2:11, "Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul."

Second, you will be utterly despised (2)

Look at verse 2: "See, I will make you small among the nations; you will be utterly despised." In the day of King Ahab the royal couple Ahab and Jezebel adopted the Edomite lifestyle. Queen Jezebel kept 450 Baal prophets on a government payroll who operated as male prostitutes (1 Kings 18:19). In those days, while the Baal prophets lived in mansions, the Lord’s servants, like the Prophet Elijah, were driven to mountains and deserts. Due to persecutions Elijah had to run away to a deep mountain cave where he lived like a caveman.

What happened in the end to Jezebel? The Lord commanded Elijah to anoint Jehu who in turn caused Jezebel to be thrown down from her window to the ground. Dogs came and devoured her flesh. But the Lord God exalted Elijah by allowing him to go up to heaven, riding a chariot of fire in a whirlwind. The ways in which Jezebel and Elijah finished their life’s journeys here on earth shows us that those who adopt the Edomite lifestyle are destined to become utterly despised, whereas those who live a life that is filled with God's Spirit will be highly exalted.

Third, the pride of your heart has deceived you (3-7)

All love to be great; no one wants to be small. All desire to be exalted; no one wants to be despised. Why is it then that so many adopt the Edomite’s way of life? Let us read responsively verses 3-7. Verse 3 begins, "The pride of your heart has deceived you..." It has been said that war is a deception. The point of the deception is to cause the opponent to make a wrong assessment as to the possibility of winning or losing. Once one is bound to lose and yet thinks that he is going to win, we can say he has been deceived.

Those who adopt the Edomite lifestyle are deceived by the pride of their hearts. In their pride they make a wrong assessment as to whether or not the lifestyle they promote would serve them for good. Obadiah saw the Edomites in his day buy bigger houses in better neighborhoods while thinking that no one could bring them down. But Obadiah saw that that was not going to be the case. Although they could do so well with their hands and achieve such visible results as a better mansion in a nicer neighborhood, eventually what they built with their own efforts would come to nothing. This is a great tragedy. Why do you work so hard only to see that what you achieved comes to nothing? What a waste of resources!!

So the lesson is that we are not to build our life-security here on earth. Life here on earth is a period of preparation for eternity. All the resources in life, such as talents or youth, must be directed to serving God's purpose, that is, building the Lord's kingdom in the hearts of fallen men.

Fourth, will I not destroy the wise men of Edom? (8-9)

Categorically, the Edomites include all who are of earthbound nature as well as those who pursue their earthly desires with aggression. They can be sub-categorized into two classes: the wise (8) and the warriors (9). The wise include lawyers, doctors, philosophers, theorists, strategists, researchers, consultants, investors, artists, scientists, inventors, politicians, and all sorts of gurus like religious gurus and financial gurus. They have brains, so that in their shrewdness and smartness they know how to go and get what they want ever so quickly. Their warriors are just go-getters. In so getting, they ignore morals and ethics. What counts to them is the end; they don’t care whether or not the means are just. Simply, with whatever means available, they go get what they want.  

But will they eventually enjoy for good what they get? No. The Lord God who is sovereign makes it sure that their plans would be thwarted, so that in the end the Lord's purpose alone would prevail. This observation indicates that true wisdom comes from reconciling man's purpose with God's.

Fifth, because of the violence against your brother you will be covered with shame (10-14)

Those who adopt Esau's lifestyle will be hit with tragic consequences for another reason, that is, all the days of their life they project themselves as bad neighbors. In verses 10-14 we find two interesting categorizations: first, the categorization of neighbors, that is, Edom and Jacob; and, second, the categorization of the ways in which an Esau-type person relates himself with his neighbor Jacob.

We glibly say neighbors are those who live close to you. But characteristically there are only two kinds of neighbors: the Esau-type and Jacob-type, not the poor vs. the rich, nor the educated vs. the uneducated, etc. From God's perspective you are either like Esau or like Jacob. In other words, you as a neighbor are either an earth-bound person or a heaven-bound person. You see these two inclinations within yourself as well.

Remember that both Esau and Jacob were conceived in the womb of the same mother. They lived under the same roof, under the same parents, until they parted. Since they were twin brothers they were supposed to love one another. But they did not. They sinned against each other. And the way of the unfaithful is “hard” (Pro 13:15).

It is interesting to note that it is Esau whose life alone is described to go “hard”. Why? We know the answer: Jacob is already under God's training. In a way, Jacob is like a man who gets disciplined ahead of the rest of his siblings. The next in line is Esau. Jacob stole Esau of "heaven's dew" (Genesis 27:28,39). “Heaven's dew” stands for the spiritual blessings, such as the Scriptures, like Moses' Ten Commandments. Every privilege comes with responsibility. Since Jacob disobeyed the Lord’s commands, the Lord disciplined him so that Jacob would learn responsibility. On the part of Esau then he should have humbled himself and remained in support of Jacob. For although Jacob stole him of the heavenly dew, Jacob was bearing up the responsibility which Esau himself had given up.

But what did Esau do? How did he treat Jacob? The passage we just read describes his dealings with Jacob in four ways: violence (10), indifference (or aloofness) (11), looking down on (12), and taking advantage of (13-14). He was violent to Jacob. He stood aloof when his brother Jacob was suffering. And when Jacob’s enemies came and robbed him, Esau joined Jacob’s enemies, and took advantage of Jacob.

These practices indicate that there is animosity between Esau and Jacob. Esau's ill-treatment of Jacob displeases the Lord, so the Lord says, "You will be covered with the same; you will be destroyed forever" (11).

Sixth, there will be no survivors from the house of Esau (15-18)

Verses 15-18 describe the Lord's final judgment on those who adopt Edom’s lifestyle. On the day of the Lord the Lord will judge Edom. The day of the Lord will turn out to be the time when the table will turn in favor of God's people (namely, the house of Jacob and the house of Joseph). While the house of Jacob will be a fire, the house of Joseph will be a flame. Both fire and flame will burn the stubble (the Edomites) reducing the estate of the Edomites to ashes.

Seventh, the kingdom will be the Lord's (19-21)

Look at Verse 18b again: "There will be no survivors from the house of Esau." When there are no survivors, who can possibly inherit the kingdom? No one!

This outcome is what Esau chose from the beginning, for when he sold his birthright for one bowl of lentil soup, he sold not just the right to inherit some family assets but the eternal kingdom. This conclusion (the loss of the eternal kingdom) sounds dogmatic. But as dogmatic as it sounds, this is what the Bible maintains, for in 1 Corinthians 15:50 the Apostle Paul says, "I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God." Similarly, Romans 14:17 reads, "[T]he kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit..." But Esau believed in eating and drinking. Edom trusted in what is earthly; Esau despised what gives life to man, that is, the Spirit of God.

In conclusion, in the book of Obadiah we see the destiny of those who adopt the Edomite lifestyle. Against their will they forfeit the right to inherit the Lord’s kingdom. The Prophet Obadiah foresaw that Edomites have no future in God's kingdom. In Hebrew the name Obadiah means "the servant of the Lord." Let us pray then to warn ourselves against the Edomite lifestyle and offer ourselves as the Lord's servant.

One word: the Kingdom will be the Lord's

Class Exercise:

1. In Hebrew, what do the following words (names) mean?

1. Edom _________
2. Jacob _________
3. Obadiah _________

The end

As I have loved you so you must love one another - John 13:34b

In order to attend the LA UBF Summer Bible Conference I and Rebekah took the Amtrak. It was a 23 hours of train-ride from Redding to the Union Station Los Angeles.

This conference was one of the most beautiful conferences I have attended.

Personally Shepherd William's message touched my heart. In his message he said my first love with Jesus Christ should be the same 'now' as that  of the 'first love' when I first met Jesus. During the hour of singing songs of praise I shed many tears.

At the outset what Shepherd Robert Fishman said in his opening message also touched me. He said that this conference is a 'leaders conference' for the theme is high and noble. His message was heart-moving. I asked him for a copy so I could read it again.

Through the group Bible study the Lord also blessed me with words from 1 John 4:7-8. "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." God is omnipotent. He is omnipresent. And God is love. For the first time in my life I realized that it is only natural for one to love as God (our Lord Jesus) has loved us, for God IS love.

My deepest thanks and praise to the Lord for the conference and for all who served the conference with prayer, music, messages, group Bible studies etc.

Speakers and Testimony Sharers

11 Group Leaders

 
Now that the conference is over, I and Rebekah needed to go back to Redding. So Monday morning we came out to the Union Station located at the down town LA. The train (Coast Starlight #14) is supposed to leave at 10:00 a.m. But due to the earthquake that broke out yesterday in Napa Valley area, the train is going to be delayed. Now we are waiting at the Amtrak Metropolitan Waiting Lounge. The Amtrak officer came out and said the train will soon leave, but he does not know exactly when. Thank God for the delay though, so while waiting at the lounge I could write down my reflection and share it online. 

Amos Bible Study

Seek the Lord and Live

Amos 1:1-9:15

Key Verse 5:6

“Seek the LORD and live, or he will sweep through the house of Joseph like a fire; it will devour, and Bethel will have no one to quench it.”

One of the cardinal principles in interpreting the Scriptures correctly for all of their strenuous purposes is to understand the ultimate purpose the author of the Bible (that is, God himself) has in mind. The sixty-six books of the Bible came from God. The whole Bible has one single message, not two or three. Although there are 66 books in the Bible the message that runs through them is one (1) and the same. One of the reasons why there are different books is because the audiences, the generations, and their environments are different.

Tonight we are going to cover Amos, the third book of the 12 Minor Prophets. In giving prophesy through Amos, the Lord conveys the same message - the message which is not different from the message other books are conveying. But the people and their environments are different.

The single message all the books are conveying is the call for all fallen men to be saved into God himself by listening to the message of salvation and thereby forming the unity of love, becoming one with Him. The expression of this message varies, such as the message on the kingdom of God, the call to join the family of God, or the hope to come to the home of righteousness. But the point remains the same. God wants people to become like him.

Like other books of the Bible then Amos cries out to the people of his generation to repent and turn to God. The title of the message reflects the same message: "Seek the Lord and Live."

Now the questions we are going to consider tonight are: 1) Why did the people of Amos's day fall from their secure position? In other words what was the cause of their down-fall? Simply speaking, what was their problem? 2) How did their problem(s) become manifested in their lives? And, 3) Finally, what is the Lord's remedy to their problem(s)?

I. Two years before the earthquake (1:1-2)

A question that arises in examining Amos is, "What gave rise to the prophecy of Amos?" In other words, why did the Lord find it necessary to send the Prophet Amos in addition to his contemporaries such as Isaiah, Micah, or Hosea? We can find an answer to this question in verses 1 and 2. Look at 1:1-2. “The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa--what he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel. He said: ‘The LORD roars from Zion and thunders from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds dry up, and the top of Carmel withers.’ ” In many places of the Bible earthquakes hit people not just because of some earth movements; behind it there is always the hand of God. For this reason, even in a business world, such as insurance, they call disasters caused by earthquake or brush fires as “Acts of God.” Indeed, in many instances the Lord employs earthquakes as a means to carry out his judgment on the wicked. Examples include the earthquake that caused the wall of Jericho to come down, so that God's judgment fell upon the people inside [except Rahab and those who belonged to her]. When Korah rebelled against Moses, the Lord let the earth open its mouth to swallow up Korah and those who belonged to him. In the case of Uzziah, God's judgment fell on him when he burned incense in violation of the law of Moses. (2Ch 26:16) It was not unlikely that the earthquake mentioned in v. 1 coincided with the sin of Uzziah. Apparently, its magnitude was so big and extensive that it drew the Prophet Zechariah’s attention that he refers to it to describe the kind of earthquake that will hit Jerusalem at the time of the Lord's [second] coming. (Zec 14:5)

God is an all knowing God. In his eyes all the events that are to occur in the days to come are known as if they have already taken place. It is not inconceivable that the Lord was in apprehension of the sin Uzziah would commit. So it can be said that in anticipation of the wicked violation of the Lord's holiness two years in advance, the Lord established Amos and gave his words to the people of his days.

Describing the cause of the disasters that were decreed to hit the people of Amos' day, 2 Chronicles 26:16 states: "But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense." As we saw in covering the book of Hosea, the Lord struck Uzziah with leprosy on the spot. In his pride he violated the Lord's holiness and the outcome was leprosy.

Let us stop for a moment and think about the nature of Uzziah's sin. In his pride he burned unauthorized incense. 2 Chronicles 26:18 reads, “They confronted him and said, ‘It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD. That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honored by the LORD God.’ ”

The priests' rebuke indicates that sinners cannot approach God without an intermediary. 1 Timothy 2:5 says, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus..." These passages tell us that all are sinners and that no one can approach God without going through Jesus, the only mediator. Jesus died for our sins. He rose for our justification. So when we humble ourselves, confess our sins to the Lord, believe in the grace of sin-forgiveness, we then can approach God with confidence.

The point of pride then is to reject Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior. Speaking of this truth, Jesus says in John 3:18, "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." In the case of the people of Amos's day, the priestly system given to Israel through Moses is a type of the reality to come, that is, Jesus Christ. But in his pride Uzziah rejected the necessity for a mediator. The Lord then struck him with leprosy.

From Uzziah's example we learn that a proud person is not someone who brags about his own abilities or his possessions. Rather a proud person is the one who does not admit that he is a sinner and is therefore in need of a mediator, who is Jesus Christ.

II. For three sins, even for four (1:3-9:10)

Amos can be divided into three parts: the first part (1:1-2) points out the cause (that is man's pride) of their downfall; the second part (1:3-9:10) describes God's judgment on the unbelieving nations; and the third part (9:11-15) concerns the vision of the work the Messiah is to fulfill.  

The second part can further be subdivided into two sections, that is, God's judgment on the unbelieving nations (1:3-2:3) and God's impending judgment on the house of Jacob, and the Lord’s call to seek the Lord and live (2:4-9:10). The phrase, "for three sins and even for four," refers to the Lord's long patience. Yet despite the Lord's long patience, when people keep rebelling, the Lord ensures that no sins will go unpunished. God is the God of mercy and the God of justice.

The unbelieving nations remain condemned. Using the law of the conscience the Lord revealed the right way to life, but when they violated the voice of their consciences, God was ready to mete out his judgment upon the unbelieving nations, such as Philistine or Edom.

Unlike the Gentile nations, the house of Jacob had the privilege to receive the way to have their sins forgiven and approach God. But in their pride they rejected the way of God's salvation. King Uzziah's sinful pride was the last straw to the Lord's forbearance. Would someone stand and read Amos 6:8?

Still, however, in his long patience, the Lord urged them to seek the Lord and live through the prophet Amos. Look at 5:4, “This is what the LORD says to the house of Israel: ‘Seek me and live...’ ” Again, Amos 5:14 reads, "Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is." Notice that the Lord exhorted them to seek him first, and then they can seek good. This is consistent with the truth that when one makes a tree good, one naturally sees the tree bearing good fruit, for a good tree cannot bear bad fruit; it is only a good tree that bears good fruit.

In regard to the judgment on all peoples on earth, the Lord distinguishes the house of Jacob from the Gentile nations, for as the Bible continually maintains, although a majority of the people in the house of Jacob were unbelieving, the Lord still left some remnants, such as Amos, so Amos 9:8 reads, “ ‘Surely the eyes of the Sovereign LORD are on the sinful kingdom. I will destroy it from the face of the earth--yet I will not totally destroy the house of Jacob,’ declares the LORD.”

Let us then think about the call to seek the Lord and live. This exhortation teaches us that seeking the Lord is the key to securing life. Most people in the day of Amos sought to make a living by indulging themselves in buying, selling, planting, or building. They made super-human efforts to make a living by chasing after the things of this world, such as real estate; as a result, some were so successful that they built a winter house here and a summer house there. (Amos 3:15) But the Lord says that the efforts to make a living must be directed upward.

“Seek the Lord and live.” The word “seek” suggests that the presence of Lord is not obvious to carnal minds. So one must make efforts to find the Lord. This however does not mean that the Lord plays hide and seek. Rather the opposite is true. In order to help his children to look for him, the Lord intentionally sends troubles, such as locusts, so they would repent and turn to God. Let us read 4:6-13. It is interesting to note that the Lord gave them empty stomachs so that they could seek the Lord. The empty stomach is symbolic of an economy going bad, with people losing jobs. The Lord's approach in helping people to seek the Lord is very much revealing of what is going on in the U.S. for the last couple of years. When one's stomach is full one must be careful for he is in danger of being complacent and thus not seeking the Lord. No wonder that missionaries in less developed countries (such as Mexico) than the U.S. are all in good spirit; with great fervor they all seek the Lord. Each time they pray they all kneel down and offer prayers. In Guadalajara, the average annual income is $10,700. But for new college graduates the average monthly salary is below $500. Yet according to Msn. Hanna Rhee, in an effort to seek the Lord, the student-leaders attended the Purdue Int’l Bible Conference by paying not only for the round trip tickets but also the conference fees.  

III. I will restore David's tent (9:11-15)

Let us rise and read 9:11-15. This passage further elaborates on the prophecy Jeremiah proclaimed. The Lord established Jeremiah to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, and to build and to plant. Indeed, as Jeremiah prophesied the Lord uprooted the house of Jacob and sent them to a foreign land. Then about 8 centuries after Amos’s prophecy, the Lord God sent Jesus Christ, who in turn restored David’s fallen tent. Legally, Jesus is the son of David, for after being born of a Virgin Mary, he was registered into the family of Joseph, a descendant of David. When Jesus was about thirty years old he began his public ministry. The focus of his ministry was to build the kingdom builders. For this purpose, Jesus called the Twelve. Through his disciple making ministry the Lord restored David's fallen tent. Here "tent" is symbolic of a house where family members live together. In the day of Amos the Lord had to declare that the twelve tribes of Israel (collectively called “the house of Jacob”) had to go into exile. But when Jesus came the Lord established the Twelve disciples (who later were called the Apostles), who in turn worked to restore God's kingdom by preaching the gospel to all nations.

Thanks and praise be to God for sending Jesus as a kingdom builder.

One word: Seek the Lord and live

---

Class Exercise:

1. In Amos 3:3 the Lord asks the whole family (who came out of Egyptian slavery), “Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?” What is it like for the two to ‘walk together’?

2. Read 2:13-16. What do the following categories of people have in common?

1) The swift; 2) The strong; 3) The warrior; 4) The archer; 5) The fleet-footed; 6) The horseman; and 7) The bravest

3. According to Amos, “a burning stick” refers to: _____________________________

4. What is wrong with the way in which the following exhortations are arranged?

1) Hate evil, love good

2) Seek good, not evil

3) Seek the Lord and live

4) Seek me and live

5. Fill the blanks: “He who made the _________ and _________, who turns ________ into _______ and darkens ______ into _______, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land --- the ______ is his name.”

6. Amos 6:8 reads, “I abhor the pride of Jacob…” What does “abhor” mean?

7. In Hebrew the name “Amos” means “a burden carrier”. What does the meaning of the name Amos and Jesus Christ have in common?

The Vision of the Rock

At 10:30 am of August 17, 2014 we had a Sunday worship at the Shasta College, underneath a tree standing in front of the music department.

Missionary Isaac Kim served a message entitled "The vision of the Rock" on Daniel 2:45. At 5:30 pm we would like to have a sogam meeting.

Patterns of the mind by Lynn Harold Hough - A book recommendation

While I lived in Long Beach, as I was passing by a house, I saw a house burnt down. A man put out lots of books on the street. "What is going on?" I asked. The man said, "A fire broke out." "What do you want to do with all these books?" I further asked. "They are all free: you can take all of them, if you want", the man said. "Wow thank you", I said. A lot of them were covered with ashes. Some books were badly damaged by fire. But most of them were savable. So I loaded up as many books as the trunk of my car could hold.  All the books were related to the Christianity. Later I learned that the books the man put out on the street came from a pastor's library.

The book entitled "Patterns of the mind" by Lynn Harold Hough is one of them.

The book has five chapters:

Forward
I. The man who has no pattern
II. The man who does not know how to use a pattern
III. The man who has a false pattern
IV. The man who has an incomplete pattern
V. The Christian pattern

In an article, "Religion", the Time Magazine (August 4, 2014 Edition), reports an emergence of non belief system in the U.S. The report features Mike Aus, a former pastor, who gave up his faith. For years Aus preached at a progressive, nondenominational church in Houston, and he readily admits to having been a 'cafeteria Christian'. "I never believed in hell," he says. "Ever." He always loved going to church ..., but by the late 2000s, he left the ministry. Then in March 2012 he declared himself an atheist.

Aus' case falls into the category of the man who has an incomplete pattern, I think.  When religious leaders questioned a man about Jesus, he said, "One thing I know: I was blind, but now I see." John 9:25 At least the man who used to be blind knew one thing about Jesus: He opened his eyes! But there are many who know a lot about Jesus but in fact know not even "one" thing about Jesus for sure, so as far as faith is concerned their faith is shipwrecked, and therefore rejected. 1Ti 1:19; 2Ti 3:8

The Times report however reminds me of Jesus' warning, "[When] the son of man comes, will he see faith on the earth?" Luke 18:8.  The Apostle Paul says that before the lawless man is revealed, the falling away (or apostasy) comes first. 2 Th 2:3 (KJV)  In time of apostasy which is already here in the U.S. I recommend the book for it helps examine the solidity of one's faith in the Lord, as the Apostle Paul said to Timothy, "As for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of..." 2Ti 3:14

The purpose of judgment

In talking to Athenians the Apostle Paul said everyone ought to repent for God set a day to judge the world by the man he has appointed, that is, Jesus Christ. Acts 17:31

For what does he judge?

We find the answer to the question in what we do daily, such as grocery shopping, or gardening. My wife goes to the Winco for grocery shopping once a week. There she goes through a produce section where she carefully examines produce such as pumpkin, lettuce, or watermelon. In selecting watermelon, she knocks on the watermelon, hears the sound, and depending on the sound, she discards what seems not worthy, and puts in the cart only the ones she finds good.

The same is true with judgment: selection of that which is worthy.

The Scripture screams out for this purpose:

- He chose Last Adam over the first Adam.
- God chose Abraham over Abram, Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, Israel over Jacob.
- He is in the process of shaking everything (and everyone) in order to keep that which cannot be shaken. Hebrew 12:27
- He already expressed his end purpose of ministry, that is, to sieve into the perfected world only those who are able to endure before him forever. Isaiah 66:22
- Kingdom of God is like a man who goes out to the sea, throw a net, draw it in, and put in a bucket only good fish, throwing away bad fish. Matthew 13:47-48
- The Father is like a Gardner who prunes vine, keeping branches that bear fruit, throwing away into fire branches which are not worthy. John 15:5
- Abraham saw this, and discarded that which is not enduring, for while living in tent he looked forward to the city with a foundation. Hebrew 11:16
- The Apostle Paul exhorted the Philippians to live a life worthy of Jesus, for he did not want his flock to be thrown out into the fire. Phi 1:27
- The Prophet Malachi saw the purpose of Jesus' coming, that is, as a man with a refiner's fire, or a launderer's soap. Malachi 3:2
- John the Baptist saw the purpose of the Savior coming, that is, harvesting with a winnowing fork, so grain ought to be gathered into a barn, chaff to be thrown into unquenchable fire. Matthew 3:12
- The Apostle Peter saw this down the road, and prayed for his children to 'grow up' in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. 2 Peter 3:18
- For this reason Jesus said that at the resurrection people will neither be given marriage nor be given in marriage, for they will be like angels in  heaven. Matthew 22:30

So who can be made worthy? John 15:5,16

The Lord Is My Shepherd - Psalm 23:1

August 7, along with their parents Carolyn (9) and Christyn (3) visited Redding. On sunday they had a worship service. Msn Isaac Kim their grandpa served a brief message on Psalm 23:1. Christyn memorized the passage. They drew a painting on the subject.

Enlarge the place of your tent! Isaiah 54:2

[Shepherd Terry sharing daily bread 

with his children seated around the eating table 

during the Monday breakfast meal time.]

From August 2 to 4, 2014, Shepherd Terry and his company total 9 of them (his wife Mari, five boys, Maggi, and Angie) visited Redding. They also brought a dog Kuma.

They arrived Saturday late evening. After dinner, we had a watermelon party at my backyard.

Sunday morning, we had a Sunday worship service. Peter Lopez Jr. presided. Missionary Isaac H. Kim served a message on Isaiah 54:2. He shared prayer topics for Bible Brazil, Bible Mainland China, Bible Ukraine, and the European Summer Bible Conference.]

After the worship, Missionary Isaac Kim took them to the Manzanita Lake Trail.

Sunday evening program included dinner (carry rice), talking fellowship, movie watching ("Daddy Long legs"), and sleep.

Monday morning after visit to the Turtle Bay we parted the company.

Grandma is No. 1

Once upon a time a brother who lives in the south wanted to go fight with his brother living in the north, for he thought in rebellion his brother in the north broke the unity and went out, whereupon the Lord said via his prophet, to the brother in the south, "Don't do it, for 'this [tearing] is my doing'". 2 Ch 11:1-4

The name of the prophet is Shemiah which means "heard by the Lord". The name connotes an obedient man listening to the Lord, praying to the Lord, heard by the Lord (getting his prayers answered), a man in a constant life-stream with the Lord, the source of life.

Shemiah went out and said, "This 'tearing' (act of rebellion) is my doing". It is the Lord's doing, for the Lord said to Solomon that "this" is what was going to happen down the road - a result of Solomon not hearing the Lord but persisting in his own way. 1Ki 11:4,11

So hearing the Lord keeps the family in peace. Disobedience to the Lord breaks the unity.

To help his children keep the family in perfect peace and harmony, the Lord calls out to his children saying, "Hear O Israel, the Lord your God is one: love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength." Deu 6:4,5 This calling is called "Shemah Calling". Shemah means, "hearing" (or simply talking).

One (1) is the first whole number. In Genesis 1-2 the Lord kept the family in wholesome 'oneness'. From Genesis 3 till Revelation 20 we see the brokenness of the oneness. In last two chapters of the Bible we see the oneness of the family restored.

July 19, 2014, my wife Rebekah had the first birth day in Redding. Her children recognized that she keeps the family in peaceful unity. So on her birthday they came around the eating table, sang "Happy birthday", and said, "Grandma is no. 1".

Question: what is her source of peace? The answer is still the same: "Shemah": she hears the Lord. Every morning she spends good hours reading the Bible, and praying. The Lord hears her, that there is peace in the family. So here is the truth: Grandma is No. 1 (or the best) because the Lord with whom she is in constant live-stream is No. 1, just as it is written: "Hear O Israel, the Lord your God is ONE". 

Wedding (Jing and Ryan)

Groom entered

Bride entered

# Joyful joyful we adore thee

# Prayer

# My song is love unknown

# Wedding Sermon on Jeremiah 29:11 by John Kwon - he urged to renounce one's own plan and live by the Lord's plan by submitting oneself to the Lord. Americans might consider Chinese as enemies but children of God do not do that. Rather they pray for the prosperity of the Chinese. Pray for Ryan and Jing to serve the Lord's purpose and plan for them and for China, praying to preach gospel and for the prosperity of the Chinese people, the plan for Bible China and World campus mission!

# Marriage vows

# Ring exchange

# Proclamation of marriage 

# Groom kisses bride

# Presentation of Mr. And Mrs. Libert

# Music program 

- "I am a child of God" ( Lydia Hopeman )

- Orchestra 

- "Your deep love" (Choir)

# Words of congratulations and blessing:

- Jing's dad from China (online)

- Hanyang Coworkers (online)

- Brothers and sisters of China (online)

- Grace Lee (Dr Peter Lee's wife) of Hanyang

# Photos

Good soldier of Jesus Christ

From July 3 (Thursday) to July 7 (Monday) Missionary Nathan of Brazil and Missionary Philip Lee of Downey, LA visited Redding, Ca. It was a prayer journey, praying for Bible Brazil, Bible North America, and Bible Mainland China.

Nathan is a missionary to  Brazil. He is  visiting the U.S. to attend the wedding between Jing and Ryan. due on July 12. Jing is sister from southern part of China. She is now working on a Ph.D in business management. Ryan is working on a master program in Nevada majoring in earth science.

Missionary Philip brought lots of kimchi. During the Independence Day Missionary Philip fixed kimchi. In the evening we had a BBQ at my backyard. After dark we watched the fireworks.

Saturday we explored the Lassen National Park. There we did the Kings Creek Trail and the Bumpass' Hell Hot-spring. In the evening, I had a Bible study (1 Chronicles) with Nathan.

On Sunday (July 6) we had a worship service.  Missionary Philip served a message on 2 Timothy 2:3-5. Then we made a visit to Lake Shasta Caverns.

Shasta Lake (Nathen -seated; Philip walking on a pier)

During evening hours we had a Bible study on the Lord's world mission vision. Bible passages we covered included: Matthew 28; Romans 8:31; Col 2:15; Gen 13:14; Deu 11:24. Around 9:00 pm it cooled off, so we went out to the Turtle Bay and did the Sacramento River Trail. During the trail we could see the color of the Turtle Bay Bridge changing.

Good solder of Christ

2 Timothy 2:4-6.

⁴ No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. ⁵ Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. ⁶ The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.

Today’s passage teaches us how to serve God’s ministry and also how to discharge all our duties at work places and at home.

First, look at verse 4.

⁴ No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.

We are not regular ordinary civilians since we were bought by the blood of Jesus and became born again.  We are disciples of Jesus.  We are blessed to grow in Jesus and serve Him and His Kingdom.  So we do not live like other regular civilians.  How do other regular civilians live? Their first priority is family oriented life or their jobs or anything else they like to do in this world.  But, the priority of Jesus’ disciples is to please our commanding officer, Jesus.  So we focus on growing in the words of God and teaching his sheep and raising them up as his disciples.  It is easy to say this, but this requires a lot of work and focus.  If we do not focus on this, we are very distracted by so many things in this world, and at the end we can not see good results.  We can not raise up even one disciple.  We are living in very distracting generation with such as all kinds of media such as endless news daily through the internet.  So we can waste our precious time at least a few hours per day easily watching over those things on the internet.  But, instead of wasting those hours a day in that way, we can use for God’s kingdom purpose by writing letters to our sheep or to prepare good Bible notes.  The followings are my prayer topics of this year.

1. Reduce spending a lot of time for news, sport updates on the internet, and use time in doing the work of God.

2. To feed David Lantow & Alex Chu at Whittier college faithfully and raise them up as Jesus’ disciples.

3. Study Portuguese & Spanish in order to support missionary Nathan family in Brazil & to serve Spanish speaking people.

4. Pray for shepherd Max’s new life.

5. Continually support our soccer ministry and feed our soccer students with 1:1 Bible studies.  At this moment about 15 Warrant high current or graduated students are coming to our Sunday soccer fellowship faithfully

6. Being faithful to early morning daily bread and prayer devotion time.

7. Continue to help our children to eat and write daily bread at least during holidays and summer break.

8. Feed at least 5 new students with 1:1s

9. Write letters to God’s sheep & coworkers diligently 

What is the first prayer topic among these. The number one is to reduce time to spend on the internet and use them for God’ kingdom purpose because I am very distracted by the internet daily.  I had to repent of spending much time on this and make a decision to change as this new year started.  May the Lord help us not to waste much time on the internet, but use precious time for the work of God.

Let us read verse 4 again. ⁴ No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.  I had one good experience regarding this verse: Since I came to US, God’s mission field, in April 1995, as his servant, for about 16 years, I could not meet my family in Korea not because I did not want to meet with them, but because I could not have time and money to visit them being busy serving God’s mission and raising children in this mission field.  We did not have enough money to visit them.  On the contrary we had a lot of credit card debts such as $80,000 or $90,000.  In some sense, I felt ashamed because I had nothing to give them.  But, during those 16 years, some students grew up out of students our family fished and served.  And at the right time, God’s sent me and my wife to our family in Korea after about 16 years, when we attended our UBF international Bible Conference in Korea in 2012.  We brought a lot of gifts for them.  What was amazed was when I visited them, one brother, two sisters, and one brother in law became evangelists after graduating from seminary schools in Korea.  I realized that the Lord took care of them very well while I was busy in this mission field.  When missionary Nathan decided to live in Sao Paulo, Brazil, as a missionary, there was a great work of God in his younger sister’s life and also in her husband’ life.  His younger sister studies the Bible with shepherdess Ataiena via Skype and she even goes fishing.  Her husband also studies the Bible with missionary Nathan via Skype.

Missionary Nathan, when do you think would be a right time to visit your family in Paris, France?  I think at least it is after you graduate from your graduate school and get a full time job and save money from your full time job for your family airplane tickets and gifts for your family in France.  Plus, hopely after raising up at least one disciple out of Brazilian students.

May the Lord help us to live as God’s servants not being involved in civilian affairs.

Second, let us read verse 5.

⁵ Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. 

Apostle Paul compared a good servant of God to a good athlete.  We know how to be a good athlete through Olympic games. In order to be a good athlete, he or she has to go through a lot of training.  Especially to be successful athletes like medalists in Olympic game, it requires even more intensive training.  Likewise, in order to be spiritual good athletes, we need to be well disciplined through such as coming to early morning daily bread and prayers faithfully and preparing the good Bible notes and messages faithfully and feeding sheep in Good times and in bad times.  Let us read verse 5 again.  ⁵ Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules.  Apostle Paul talks about “the rules” here.  An athlete competes according to the rules.  Regarding the rules, Apostle Paul refers the way of service, especially in love, long patience, walking in the work of the Holy Spirit and everything in prayer.  We have to take long patience and prayers over one student for many many years.

Out of “the rules”, serving the Lord through prayers is the very important rule because everything is on God’s hand.  Although we work hard, if there are no God’s blessings, we can not bear good fruits.  This battle field belongs to the Lord and win or lose belongs to the Lord.  So we need to always pray to the Lord.  When missionary Nathan left United States to Brazil, he desired to raise 12 disciples and then 100 disciples out of working with these 12 disciples.  Without seeing these, he promised not to leave Brazil to pioneer any other countries in Latin America.  When he left United States for Brazil, he was filled with desires to pioneer all Latin America.  Do you remember this?  But, as you know, raising up 12 disciples is not an easy task. Raising up even on disciple is not easy.  We can not do without God’s help and blessings, although we have very strong desires.  That means we must pray a lot for God’s blessings.   

Also, we should have a right attitude.  For example, one person said “See other missionaries, they don’t go fishing, they don’t raise any disciples, so what is a problem for me not to raise up even one disciple.  This kind of attitude is not graceful.  We must have a right attitude and live before God and live on this words.  When we see other missionaries not being able to raise up disciples, we should think in a right attitude by making a decision to work even harder and pray harder in order to take care of my portion and plus other missionaries’ portions.  This is true love toward other missionaries. 

Third, apostle Paul compared a good servant of God to a hardworking farmer.  Let us read verse 6. 

“The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops”.

Here a hard working farmer refers to a farmer who works hard, who is not lazy.  A farmer should be diligent and work hard if he wants to see good fruits.  There are a lot of work to be done for a farmer who expects to see good fruits such as cultivating the land, fertilizing, removing weeds constantly, pruning, and harvesting fruits or veggies, and delivering to right places, etc.  There are endless works to do. 

Last Thursday, I and missionary Nathan brought 4 boxes of veggies and several other items without missing even one important item to make Kimchi.  See how we, especially I and missionary Rebekah worked hard to make Kimchi.  I had to wash cabbages several times and also chopped many radishes to make ingredients of Kimchi souce, and then my fingers became tired and worn out.  To make one valuable item like this demands a lot of work.  How much more we have to work hard to produce spiritual fruits to present Jesus for eternal life and everlasting rewards.

Let us read Galatians 6:7 ^“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”  This verse explains well, whatever we do, we reap what we sow.  We work hard, we reap good results.  We do not work hard, then we reap nothing or less.  We can not cheat the Lord.  We work hard in our spiritual battle fields with fishing and 1:1s, preparing good Bible notes and feeding them faithfully and praying for them day and night, then surely the Lord will bless our prayers and hard working with good disciples one by one.  On the contrary, we do not do this, then there will be no good results. 

Jesus also said in Matthew 7:18 “A good tree can not bear bad fruit, and a bad tree can not bear good fruit.  Not only spiritual battle, we also have to work hard at school or at work places as well.  In order to get a nice job at nice companies, Missionary Nathan has to work hard at a graduate school going extra miles, going beyond his school classes.   So that he can demonstrate himself as an excellent and hard working employee candidate when he apply for a job at good companies like Sao Paulo branch office of Google, or Microsoft, or salesforce.com, or Cisco, or SAP, etc.

I have about 15 soccer students.  We started our soccer fellowship with them about one year ago.  I invited them to soccer fellowship at Apollo park near our Bible center in Downey.  Basically every Sunday, I carried goals, balls, other equipments to keep fellowship with them.  Finally we could build good friendship with them and then they came to my house for my birthday party.  I have never had a birthday party for the last 19 years life in US, but this year I had the first birthday party only to invite these soccer students to our house and to present our invitation to the Bible studies.  We had wonderful fellowship even playing pin-pong together.  To attract students, it requires hard working, sacrifice, and faithfulness like this.

Today we learned how to be good servants of God, although there are many different kinds of Christians: Sunday Christians, easy going Christians, easy going disciples, easy going fathers, and husbands, but there are good and hard working Christians, fathers, husbands who know taking care of their family and spiritual children well.

When  we work hard, we must work hard with a right direction.  What is good if we work hard for a wrong direction.  So we have to think and remember what the Bible says and get right directions from our Lord Jesus. 

For example, Mt 5:48: Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.  We have to think how to have things done in perfect ways rolling our eye balls to south, to north, to west, and to east, observing everything going on.

Let us read verses  ⁴ No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. ⁵ Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. ⁶ The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.

One word: ⁶ The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.