How are things?  We will continue with Shorter Catechism tonight at 7pm.  We will cover Q’s 3-6 in the book.  Also we will begin Membership this Sunday after Small Groups.  Also for those who have gone thru the P& W Training, we will continue this Sunday during SG time.  Here’s today’s devotion:

Wed, Feb 22nd – Numbers 13-14

Looking at society today, you don’t see alot of courageous people.  Our world is set up in a way where people don’t need to take alot of risks especially in regards with their lives.  That’s why so many of us like watching movies like Braveheart b/c it chronicles the lives of brave men and women that are willing to risk everything.  Today in our chapters, we read about the cowards and the courageous.  Moses would chose twelve men to check out the Promised Land.  Now that in and of itself was a sinful act b/c he wanted to make sure that Canaan was all that God said it was.  He couldn’t take God’s word at face value.  So these men would explore and come back and rave about the bounty of the land.  BUT (there’s always that big but), the people in the land are extremely powerful.  Wait a minute, did they forget the God that had saved them.

So what would the Jews do?  But before that, Joshua and Caleb would exhort the people to take the land b/c our God is powerful and to trust Him.  One of my favorite scenes in the entire OT.  Talk about courageous men.  But the people would cringe and want to kill Moses and Aaron so that they could return to Egypt.  Amazing!  Right at the entrance to their dream homeland and they want to turn back.  God would punish the Jews by not allowing any of them to enter the land except Caleb and Joshua.

What do we learn from this?  True courage only comes when we trust the Lord.  Finding courage in ourselves is shear folly b/c we are mere humans.  But when we entrust our lives in God’s hands, we are truly able to do all things.

Take care guys and God bless!

SDG,
P. Ben

How are things?  For those who haven’t heard, I’ll be heading off to a PCA Church Conference this Thursday.  Pray for Peter Yang and myself as we will be learning new means to impact our church.  Here’s today’s devotion:

Tues, Feb 21st – Leviticus 26

It is real easy for us to not take godliness seriously.  There are certain things where we suffer the consequences such as not paying our bills or not going to work but righteousness doesn’t seem to have the same consequences.  However when we take God’s Word seriously. We need to really look at the manner in which we live our lives.  Althroughout God’s Word, there are clear indicators for righteous and unrighteous behavior.  We see the manner in which God loves when we faithfully follow Him and when we don’t.  

In our chapter today, God lays out the guidelines for the way that we should live our lives.  It speaks of the rewards for our actions.  Now if you’ve studied the OT before you would see that the Jews failed to keep God’s commands.  But that was the point, there was no way to attain the reward b/c of their sin.  So what was the point in this?  Chapters like this would show us the need for the Word and transformation.  The reward is found in Christ by grace but now we apply the Lord b/c we can.

When you’re given the ability to do something, you cherish it that much more.  We hear stories of those who were blind that got their sight back.  Everything in their lives had changed and they don’t take anything for granted.

Have a great week everyone and hope to see you all soon.

Blessings,
P. Ben

It was great seeing so many of you guys at our Worship Training and Welcoming Dept Meeting.  Thanks to Susie, D. Tommy, D. Johan and everyone else who participated.  Here’s today’s devotion:

Mon, Feb 20th – Leviticus 16

There are certain days that are sacred to us such as birthdays and anniversaries.  These days are special b/c of the special events that have occurred on these days.  In Leviticus 16, we read about the most sacred day on the Jewish calendar, the Day of Atonement.  This day began with the Jews during their time in Egypt as they were pleading for relief from their bondage to the Eygptians.  The Lord would send Moses to deliver God’s people but Pharoah was unwilling to let them go.  The Lord would send plagues on the nation which would display the power of the Lord and create the means by which they would set free.  Even with all of the supernatural works that were displayed, the king was unwilling to bend.  Finally the Lord would send the angel of death which would wipe out all of the firstborn in Egypt.  

This day was significance b/c it was the establishment of the Passover where God’s people would be covered by the blood of the Lamb.  As we read in our chapter today, there was an elaborate ceremony that was set up that would be performed on every Day of Atonement.  The blood would be sprinkled seven times on the altar and one goat would be sent off as a symbol of sins being taken away.  

But we must remember that no matter how many animals were sacrificed, it wouldn’t be enough.  Therefore, this day would forward to the final day of redemption that would happen in Jesus.  Sometimes I wish that we had even one day where we’d go back in OT times.and see the steps that would be taken that still couldn’t take away our sins.

Have a great week everyone and God bless!

SDG,
P. Ben

How’s it going?  For those of you who didn’t hear, we are beginning our Praise & Worship Training this Sunday right after Small Groups.  If you signed up for the Worship Dept, make sure to attend.  Here’s today’s devotion:

Friday, Feb 17th – Leviticus 14

As attractive as someone can be, if they’re not able to keep themselves clean, it really doesn’t matter.  Most of us have met people that we are attracted to but when we notice their lack of hygiene, it turns us off.  Cleanliness is really important to us but it was even more important in OT times.  Especially without other means to clean things, problems such as leprosy and mold could really destroy whole communities.  That’s why this issue needed to be taken serious.  The Bible would give clear instructions to cleanse a person and a house as well.  When you look at the steps that someone needed to take who was deemed unclean, (throwing away their clothes, shaving their heads, etc.) it was a grueling ordeal but the steps needed to be taken in order to insure that the disease didn’t spread.  Similar painstaking steps were taken in regards with an unclean house.

So what does this have anything to do with us?  Fast forward to the gospel where Jesus would confront the Pharisees and tell them that what really makes someone unclean is not what’s on the outside but on the inside.  So when you really think about it, b/c of sin all of us are unclean and there was nothing that we could do about it ourselves.  That’s why Jesus would come.  He would do the work of spiritual cleansing and restoration that none of us could do by ourselves.  He would be that sinless sacrifice that would truly wipe away all of our sins.

Have a blessed weekend everyone and God bless!

SDG,
P. Ben

How are things?  We’ll have our College Bible Study tomorrow night at 6pm.  Hope you all can join us.  Here’s today’s devotion:

Thurs, Feb 16th – Leviticus 8-9

Why is ordination such an important process?  The church culture has changed over the years where the term “pastor” doesn’t have the same meaning.  Growing up in the Korean American church, we would use the term JDSN which is the Korean term for “evangelist” or another designation for an intern pastor, someone who was still in seminary.  I remember hearing people call people “pastors” even though they weren’t even in seminary.  So what’s the big deal?

Reading thru our chapters in the book of Leviticus, we see how important the entire ordination process.  It was an elaborate process which Aaron would offer numerous sacrifices and blood would be spread on those anointed.  Looking over these chapters it really helps me to appreciate what it means to be a pastor.  The calling is truly a blessing from the Lord, one that I’m not deserving of.  The anointing is crucial b/c no man can ever be a representative of the Lord w/o grace.  

So you may ask, why isn’t this process followed anymore?  It is b/c of the perfect sacrifice that has been offered by the blood of Christ.  Thru the cross, we are able to anoint those who have been called to ministry and utilize them to do the Lord’s work.

Take care guys and God bless!

SDG,
P. Ben

For those of you who will be joining us for EM Bible Study tonight, we will be covering Q 3-6 in our book.  Hope you can make it out.  Here’s today’s devotion:

Wed, Feb 15th – Exodus 40

It’s always nice to know that there are certain people in your life that will be with you always, those that you can count and depend on.  When we go thru hardships, it’s really comfortable having that special someone that’s there.  For some of us, we were able to celebrate with that special someone the other day, for others it’s a friend or a loved one that we can count on.  Today we read about God’s presence in the midst of His people and we see how the Lord cared for His people.  The Lord would give instructions to Moses as to how to build the tabernacle.  This would be a large tent which would represent the very resting place of the Lord.  God would be very detailed in exactly how it would be laid out b/c it was His house.  

The final culmination to all of this was the glory cloud that would descend on the tabernacle and would be the guiding symbol for God’s people, wherever the cloud would move, God’s people would go as well.  By this very act, the Lord would show His love to His people.  He knew that they were weak in faith and prone to wander and so He would give them a visible manifestation of Himself in the cloud.  Likewise the Lord would give us the Lord’s table that would symbolically represent to us the very presence of the Lord.  That’s why whenever we take of the communion elements we can find real comfort b/c we know that our Savior is there.

Take care everyone and hope to see you all soon.

Blessings,
P. Ben

How are things going?  For those who will be coming out to EM Bible Study, we will be covering Q 3-6 (pgs. 11-26) in the WSC book.  Hope you guys can make it.  Here’s today’s devotion:

Tues, Feb 14th – Exodus 32-33

Every so often you’ll get a offer that you can’t refuse, a deal on some electronic gadget or a car.  Today in our reading Moses would deal with this situation as the Lord would give him an enticing offer.  By this point in the narrative, the Jews had arrived at the base of Mt. Sinai to receive the commandments.  But as time went on, the Jews grew impatient and they were waiting for Moses and so Aaron gathered the people and had them create a golden calf to worship.  Now there are a few interpretations of this.  Some believe that Aaron was recreating one of the Egyptian gods for them to worship.  Still others believe that he was creating a image of the God of Israel so that people could worship something until his brother returned.  Either way, it was sinful and detestible in the sight of the Lord.

As Moses was with the Lord, the Lord would tell Moses exactly what was happening and gave him the offer.  I’ll wipe out the people and start a new nation with you.  Now we can say that we would never accept this offer but we must remember that there is great honor in being the founder of a new nation.  Moses also was under constant pressure from the Jews.  I’m sure it was tempting for Him to want to start anew as well.  But Moses understood the important of his people and so he would urge the Lord to reconsider.  The Lord didn’t change His mind but it would be apart of the entire narrative of following the Lord.

When you think about it, we can be like the Jews in so many ways.  We want to focus our attention on something else if it seems like the Lord is taking too long.  We will divert our attention to things of this world and forget about the importance of waiting on the Lord.  We must remember that the Lord has a purpose in all ways… even when we have to wait.

Take care everyone and God bless!

SDG,
P. Ben

Thanks to everyone who participated in yesterday’s Prospective Servants Meeting.  It was great seeing so many of you taking steps to get involved.  A reminder that our Core team will be getting in touch with all of you shortly.  Here’s today’s devotion:

Mon, Feb 13th – Exodus 20

Growing up, I remember almost every year we would watch the Ten Commandments movie on TV.  It would only be shown once a year and it was a special time for our family.  I still recall the powerful portrayal of Moses by Charelton Heston and the way that the picture depicted the amazing journey of the Jews.  The climas of the entire drama was found at the base of Mt. Sinai as Moses was at the top of the mountain to receive the commandments.  Why was it even necessary to have these commandments?  Most would argue that virtually every human being knows that these actions are wrong or sinful so why did it need to be clearly expressed?  If you look at all other religions, there is some form of prohibition: Do this and don’t do that.  The Christian faith is only religion that doesn’t lay out commandments as steps to please the divine, it show humanity that there is no possible way to please an all holy God.

Jesus spoke about the Ten in the Sermon on the Mount when He explained that we all have broken all of God’s command in thought and deed.  Therefore, God would lay out His laws as an act of mercy to show our need for our Savior.  Now most of us probably know this so where do we go from here?  The law is still vitally important in this aspect.  It’s God’s guideline that gives us direction as to how to live pleasing lives for Him.  If someone told us what we needed to do in order to please them, if we really love them, we wouldn’t ignore what they have to say but we make the honest effort to seek Him.

Have a great week in Christ everyone and God bless!

SDG,
P. Ben

Tonight we’ll be continuing our College Bible Study at 6pm.  Afterwards, we will have fellowship at our house.  (6373 S. Jackson Gap Ct., Aurora, 80016)  Hope you guys can make it.  Here’s today’s devotion:

Friday, February 10th – Exodus 16-17

The journey of life shows us alot about our character and lessons that we learn from the Lord.  When we look to God’s Word, we learn invaluable lessons of how the Lord works and the mistakes that God’s people made.  As they continued on their way to the Promised Land, they started to grumble about lacking food.  They wanted to return to bondage for a meal ticket.  What the Jews failed to realize was that their grumbling wasn’t against Moses and Aaron but against the Lord.  Likewise, we need to remember that when we complain about our lot in life, it might not be simple venting but a complaint against the Lord.  But aren’t we supposed to be transparent before the Lord?  Yes, but when we guise it with simple sharing instead of presenting it before God, then we fall into sinful patterns.  If the Jews had simply prayed that the journey was hard and difficult without food, the response of the Lord might have different.  What made matters worse was
that they wanted to return to the nation that they were just freed from.

Later in chapter 17, the same thing would occur as they said that they were thirst.  God would have Moses strike the rock and water would flow.  We know that all of Scripture points to Christ and we see a great example of this.  The Lord would stand on the rock and take judgment for His people and the water would flow that would give them life.  This points forward to Christ as He is the Rock of our Salvation.  Even without sin, He would go to the cross and be pierced.  Water and blood would flow which represent life eternal.  

It is always important to be honest with our Lord.  Life can be very tough and we need to share the extent of what we are going thru with our God.  But at the same time, when we seek to find an ungodly avenue for the solution, we need to stop and revert back to godliness.

Have a great weekend everyone and God bless!

SDG,
P. Ben

Hope everything is going well.  Here’s today’s devotion:

Thurs, Feb 9th – Exodus 13-14

Last night during our EM Bible Study we were discussing the importance of God’s Word being infallible and inerrant being that it does not and cannot err.  The importance of this is that the Word displays the very character of God.  So when others would question whether certain things happened in the way that Scripture chronicles it, it brings to question the sovereign power of the Lord.  One of the most famous stories in all the Bible is seen in Exodus 14 with the parting of the Red Sea.  The Jews were on their way to the Promised Land when the Egyptians changed their minds and pursued them.  It’s no wonder why they would do this but they wouldn’t bother to build their grand temples and monuments by themselves.  Why do it when you can get it done for free?

It seemed like all hope was lost when the Lord would instruct Moses to part the waters.  Now there are scientists that argue that there is a certain natural phenomenon where if the wind blows in a certain direction and then suddenly changes course that that area of the Red Sea is shallow enough to be cleared.  That’s fine but how do you explain that happening at the exact time when the Jews arrived there at the precise location.  And even if this was the case, the exposed land would be extremely muddy, easy pickings for a powerful army.  Indeed, this was a great miraculous event and the Lord would deliver them in a way that they had never experienced before.

We see how the Lord took care of His people and laid judgment on His enemies.  Likewise we see a picture of the final judgment day here as those who are truly God’s people will be spared and those who refuse to place their faith in Christ will have judgment fall on them.

Take care everyone and God bless!

SDG,
P. Ben