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28 episodes with korean christians
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Full Text of ReadingsMemorial of Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn, Priest, and Paul Chŏng Ha-sang, and Companions, Martyrs Lectionary: 447The Saint of the day is Saints Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and CompanionsSaints Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and Companions' Stories The first native Korean priest, Andrew Kim Taegon was the son of Christian converts. Following his baptism at the age of 15, Andrew traveled 1,300 miles to the seminary in Macao, China. After six years, he managed to return to his country through Manchuria. That same year he crossed the Yellow Sea to Shanghai and was ordained a priest. Back home again, he was assigned to arrange for more missionaries to enter by a water route that would elude the border patrol. He was arrested, tortured, and finally beheaded at the Han River near Seoul, the capital. Andrew’s father Ignatius Kim, was martyred during the persecution of 1839, and was beatified in 1925. Paul Chong Hasang, a lay apostle and married man, also died in 1839 at age 45. Among the other martyrs in 1839 was Columba Kim, an unmarried woman of 26. She was put in prison, pierced with hot tools and seared with burning coals. She and her sister Agnes were disrobed and kept for two days in a cell with condemned criminals, but were not molested. After Columba complained about the indignity, no more women were subjected to it. The two were beheaded. Peter Ryou, a boy of 13, had his flesh so badly torn that he could pull off pieces and throw them at the judges. He was killed by strangulation. Protase Chong, a 41-year-old nobleman, apostatized under torture and was freed. Later he came back, confessed his faith and was tortured to death. Christianity came to Korea during the Japanese invasion in 1592 when some Koreans were baptized, probably by Christian Japanese soldiers. Evangelization was difficult because Korea refused all contact with the outside world except for taking taxes to Beijing annually. On one of these occasions, around 1777, Christian literature obtained from Jesuits in China led educated Korean Christians to study. A home Church began. When a Chinese priest managed to enter secretly a dozen years later, he found 4,000 Catholics, none of whom had ever seen a priest. Seven years later there were 10,000 Catholics. Religious freedom came to Korea in 1883. Besides Andrew and Paul, Pope John Paul II canonized 98 Koreans and three French missionaries who had been martyred between 1839 and 1867, when he visited Korea in 1984. Among them were bishops and priests, but for the most part they were lay persons: 47 women and 45 men. Reflection We marvel at the fact that the Korean Church was strictly a lay Church for a dozen years after its birth. How did the people survive without the Eucharist? It is no belittling of this and other sacraments to realize that there must be a living faith before there can be a truly beneficial celebration of the Eucharist. The sacraments are signs of God's initiative and response to faith already present. The sacraments increase grace and faith, but only if there is something ready to be increased. Can the saints teach us to pray? Find out here! Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media
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Prayer Moment 2 of 4 in NovemberPrayer for Unity Among Korean Christians...Pray for both South and North Korean Christians to be unified in their faith in Christ....1. Pray for the millions of Korean Christians who claim Christ. Pray for humility of heart to be united in their gatherings and worship. (John 17:21)2. Pray for Korean Christians to fall in love with other locals and internationals in Korea as they share the gospel and see new life growing in others.3. Pray for the lure of worldly ways to grow dim in the hearts of believers. Pray for believers to come alive in selfless service of one another. (Philippians 2:3-4)For more resources and prayer opportunities, click the links below.Website: https://changethemap.netYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmu0ndxRYOLhYImtiGNtkzgFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/changethemapprayerteamInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/changethemapTwitter: https://twitter.com/changethem...
Full Text of ReadingsMemorial of Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn, Priest, and Paul Chŏng Ha-sang, and Companions, Martyrs Lectionary: 445The Saint of the day is Saints Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and CompanionsSaints Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and Companions' Stories The first native Korean priest, Andrew Kim Taegon was the son of Christian converts. Following his baptism at the age of 15, Andrew traveled 1,300 miles to the seminary in Macao, China. After six years, he managed to return to his country through Manchuria. That same year he crossed the Yellow Sea to Shanghai and was ordained a priest. Back home again, he was assigned to arrange for more missionaries to enter by a water route that would elude the border patrol. He was arrested, tortured, and finally beheaded at the Han River near Seoul, the capital. Andrew’s father Ignatius Kim, was martyred during the persecution of 1839, and was beatified in 1925. Paul Chong Hasang, a lay apostle and married man, also died in 1839 at age 45. Among the other martyrs in 1839 was Columba Kim, an unmarried woman of 26. She was put in prison, pierced with hot tools and seared with burning coals. She and her sister Agnes were disrobed and kept for two days in a cell with condemned criminals, but were not molested. After Columba complained about the indignity, no more women were subjected to it. The two were beheaded. Peter Ryou, a boy of 13, had his flesh so badly torn that he could pull off pieces and throw them at the judges. He was killed by strangulation. Protase Chong, a 41-year-old nobleman, apostatized under torture and was freed. Later he came back, confessed his faith and was tortured to death. Christianity came to Korea during the Japanese invasion in 1592 when some Koreans were baptized, probably by Christian Japanese soldiers. Evangelization was difficult because Korea refused all contact with the outside world except for taking taxes to Beijing annually. On one of these occasions, around 1777, Christian literature obtained from Jesuits in China led educated Korean Christians to study. A home Church began. When a Chinese priest managed to enter secretly a dozen years later, he found 4,000 Catholics, none of whom had ever seen a priest. Seven years later there were 10,000 Catholics. Religious freedom came to Korea in 1883. Besides Andrew and Paul, Pope John Paul II canonized 98 Koreans and three French missionaries who had been martyred between 1839 and 1867, when he visited Korea in 1984. Among them were bishops and priests, but for the most part they were lay persons: 47 women and 45 men. Reflection We marvel at the fact that the Korean Church was strictly a lay Church for a dozen years after its birth. How did the people survive without the Eucharist? It is no belittling of this and other sacraments to realize that there must be a living faith before there can be a truly beneficial celebration of the Eucharist. The sacraments are signs of God's initiative and response to faith already present. The sacraments increase grace and faith, but only if there is something ready to be increased. Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media
We examine what the US election season means for Israel and the stunning rise of AI. Plus, Christians in Pakistan are brutally attacked, and Korean Christians rally in in Washington for North Korean defectors.
We examine what the US election season means for Israel and the stunning rise of AI. Plus, Christians in Pakistan are brutally attacked, and Korean Christians rally in in Washington for North Korean defectors.
We examine what the US election season means for Israel and the stunning rise of AI. Plus, Christians in Pakistan are brutally attacked, and Korean Christians rally in in Washington for North Korean defectors.
We examine what the US election season means for Israel and the stunning rise of AI. Plus, Christians in Pakistan are brutally attacked, and Korean Christians rally in in Washington for North Korean defectors.
We examine what the US election season means for Israel and the stunning rise of AI. Plus, Christians in Pakistan are brutally attacked, and Korean Christians rally in in Washington for North Korean defectors.
We examine what the US election season means for Israel and the stunning rise of AI. Plus, Christians in Pakistan are brutally attacked, and Korean Christians rally in in Washington for North Korean defectors.
We examine what the US election season means for Israel and the stunning rise of AI. Plus, Christians in Pakistan are brutally attacked, and Korean Christians rally in in Washington for North Korean defectors.
We examine what the US election season means for Israel and the stunning rise of AI. Plus, Christians in Pakistan are brutally attacked, and Korean Christians rally in in Washington for North Korean defectors.
We examine what the US election season means for Israel and the stunning rise of AI. Plus, Christians in Pakistan are brutally attacked, and Korean Christians rally in in Washington for North Korean defectors.
We examine what the US election season means for Israel and the stunning rise of AI. Plus, Christians in Pakistan are brutally attacked, and Korean Christians rally in in Washington for North Korean defectors.
We examine what the US election season means for Israel and the stunning rise of AI. Plus, Christians in Pakistan are brutally attacked, and Korean Christians rally in in Washington for North Korean defectors.
We examine what the US election season means for Israel and the stunning rise of AI. Plus, Christians in Pakistan are brutally attacked, and Korean Christians rally in in Washington for North Korean defectors.
We examine what the US election season means for Israel and the stunning rise of AI. Plus, Christians in Pakistan are brutally attacked, and Korean Christians rally in in Washington for North Korean defectors.
On this special edition of Jerusalem Dateline, we go to the border between North and South Korea to learn about a prayer movement asking God to reunify the country and bring Jews back to the Promised Land.
On this special edition of Jerusalem Dateline, we go to the border between North and South Korea to learn about a prayer movement asking God to reunify the country and bring Jews back to the Promised Land.
On this special edition of Jerusalem Dateline, we go to the border between North and South Korea to learn about a prayer movement asking God to reunify the country and bring Jews back to the Promised Land.
On this special edition of Jerusalem Dateline, we go to the border between North and South Korea to learn about a prayer movement asking God to reunify the country and bring Jews back to the Promised Land.
On this special edition of Jerusalem Dateline, we go to the border between North and South Korea to learn about a prayer movement asking God to reunify the country and bring Jews back to the Promised Land.
On this special edition of Jerusalem Dateline, we go to the border between North and South Korea to learn about a prayer movement asking God to reunify the country and bring Jews back to the Promised Land.
On this special edition of Jerusalem Dateline, we go to the border between North and South Korea to learn about a prayer movement asking God to reunify the country and bring Jews back to the Promised Land.
On this special edition of Jerusalem Dateline, we go to the border between North and South Korea to learn about a prayer movement asking God to reunify the country and bring Jews back to the Promised Land.
On this special edition of Jerusalem Dateline, we go to the border between North and South Korea to learn about a prayer movement asking God to reunify the country and bring Jews back to the Promised Land.
On this special edition of Jerusalem Dateline, we go to the border between North and South Korea to learn about a prayer movement asking God to reunify the country and bring Jews back to the Promised Land.
On this special edition of Jerusalem Dateline, we go to the border between North and South Korea to learn about a prayer movement asking God to reunify the country and bring Jews back to the Promised Land.
On this special edition of Jerusalem Dateline, we go to the border between North and South Korea to learn about a prayer movement asking God to reunify the country and bring Jews back to the Promised Land.
On this special edition of Jerusalem Dateline, we go to the border between North and South Korea to learn about a prayer movement asking God to reunify the country and bring Jews back to the Promised Land.
On this special edition of Jerusalem Dateline, we go to the border between North and South Korea to learn about a prayer movement asking God to reunify the country and bring Jews back to the Promised Land.
On this special edition of Jerusalem Dateline, we go to the border between North and South Korea to learn about a prayer movement asking God to reunify the country and bring Jews back to the Promised Land.
Full Text of ReadingsMemorial of Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn, Priest, and Paul Chŏng Ha-sang, and Companions, Martyrs Lectionary: 450All podcast readings are produced by the USCCB and are from the Catholic Lectionary, based on the New American Bible and approved for use in the United States _______________________________________The Saint of the day is Saints Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and Companionsclass="content"> Sep 20, 2020 Franciscan Media Image: Saint Andrew Kim Taegon and Companions | CNS Photo Saints of the Day for September 20 Saint Andrew Kim Taegon (August 21, 1821 - September 16, 1846); Saint Paul Chong Hasang and Companions (d. between 1839 - 1867) Audio file Saints Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and Companions' Stories The first native Korean priest, Andrew Kim Taegon was the son of Christian converts. Following his baptism at the age of 15, Andrew traveled 1,300 miles to the seminary in Macao, China. After six years, he managed to return to his country through Manchuria. That same year he crossed the Yellow Sea to Shanghai and was ordained a priest. Back home again, he was assigned to arrange for more missionaries to enter by a water route that would elude the border patrol. He was arrested, tortured, and finally beheaded at the Han River near Seoul, the capital. Andrew's father Ignatius Kim, was martyred during the persecution of 1839, and was beatified in 1925. Paul Chong Hasang, a lay apostle and married man, also died in 1839 at age 45. Among the other martyrs in 1839 was Columba Kim, an unmarried woman of 26. She was put in prison, pierced with hot tools and seared with burning coals. She and her sister Agnes were disrobed and kept for two days in a cell with condemned criminals, but were not molested. After Columba complained about the indignity, no more women were subjected to it. The two were beheaded. Peter Ryou, a boy of 13, had his flesh so badly torn that he could pull off pieces and throw them at the judges. He was killed by strangulation. Protase Chong, a 41-year-old nobleman, apostatized under torture and was freed. Later he came back, confessed his faith and was tortured to death. Christianity came to Korea during the Japanese invasion in 1592 when some Koreans were baptized, probably by Christian Japanese soldiers. Evangelization was difficult because Korea refused all contact with the outside world except for taking taxes to Beijing annually. On one of these occasions, around 1777, Christian literature obtained from Jesuits in China led educated Korean Christians to study. A home Church began. When a Chinese priest managed to enter secretly a dozen years later, he found 4,000 Catholics, none of whom had ever seen a priest. Seven years later there were 10,000 Catholics. Religious freedom came to Korea in 1883. Besides Andrew and Paul, Pope John Paul II canonized 98 Koreans and three French missionaries who had been martyred between 1839 and 1867, when he visited Korea in 1984. Among them were bishops and priests, but for the most part they were lay persons: 47 women and 45 men. Reflection We marvel at the fact that the Korean Church was strictly a lay Church for a dozen years after its birth. How did the people survive without the Eucharist? It is no belittling of this and other sacraments to realize that there must be a living faith before there can be a truly beneficial celebration of the Eucharist. The sacraments are signs of God's initiative and response to faith already present. The sacraments increase grace and faith, but only if there is something ready to be increased. Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media
EPISODE OVERVIEW: Have you heard to one about the young South Korean girl whose family came to America with only $30? You know, the one whose mom and dad decided to take them from a comfortable life in their home country, to a very hard life in East Los Angeles? Well if you haven't, watch or listen now to learn how this weeks guest not only survived the move, but thrived. With the support of her family, hard work, and steadfast persistence, learn how she turned her creative passion into a million dollar hobby, was seen in over 180-million homes, did over $500-million in sales, is active in gem mining globally, and does business in 35-40 countries annually, and you can too. Ladies & Gentlemen, welcome to the Victoria Wieck story! GUEST BIO: Victoria Wieck is the epitome of the rags to riches American dream story. She immigrated from South Korea to America with her parents with only thirty dollars, and has built a multi-million dollar business with over $500 million in retail sales. After a series of corporate jobs, Victoria started her own company in 1989 on a shoestring budget to spend more time with her family. She has founded several other successful businesses since then. She's worked with a wide variety of retailers world-wide ranging from major department stores to duty free stores, as well as internet and TV retailers. For the past 23 years (19 years on HSN, and 4 years on Shop HQ), Victoria has been sharing her jewelry... FEATURED QUOTE(S): "If you have to to complain, you have time to consider your life.” - Victoria Wieck's Dad SHOW NOTES: SPECIAL OFFERS, LINKS, GUEST CONTACT INFO, & OTHER RESOURCES MENTIONED:Contact Info:Website: https://www.victoriawieck.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/victoriawieckInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/victoriawieckjewelryPodcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/million-dollar-passion/id1544827540 Special Offer:Visit Victoria's website at https://www.victoriawieck.com and sign up for free webinars!Links Mentioned:Alan Watts video, "What if Money Didn't Matter?" HOW TO SUPPORT THE REMARKABLE PEOPLE PODCAST:Subscribe, Rate, & Review us on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any of your favorite Podcast PlayersShare the podcast with your family, friends, co-workers, church, and on your social media pagesShop our store and support your favorite podcast, guest, and charities around the worldSponsor or Donate what you can financially to the podcast and help us continue to reach people around the world with the Remarkable true life stories that inspire us all to grow, feel purpose, and fulfill it!THANKS FOR LISTENING TO THE REMARKABLE PEOPLE PODCAST!
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North Korea is an incredibly dangerous country for Christians, so it leads many to wonder how we can work with North Korean Christians. In this episode, you'll find out how we strengthen North Korean Christians and learn how you can pray for them. Download a copy of the 2021 World Watch List at https://www.opendoorscanada.org/worldwatchlist/about-persecution/. Find more resources to pray for the persecuted church at https://www.opendoorscanada.org/get-involved/pray/. Join the Open Doors Canada Discord server at https://discord.gg/ABBAr5sCQb. Get in touch with us at podcast@odcan.org. Subscribe to the World Watch Weekly podcast via iTunes, PodBean, or Spotify. *Names may be changed for security purposes*
Full Text of ReadingsMemorial of Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn, Priest, and Paul Chŏng Ha-sang, and Companions, Martyrs Lectionary: 449All podcast readings are produced by the USCCB and are from the Catholic Lectionary, based on the New American Bible and approved for use in the United States _______________________________________The Saint of the day is Saints Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and Companionsclass="content"> Sep 20, 2020 Franciscan Media Image: Saint Andrew Kim Taegon and Companions | CNS Photo Saints of the Day for September 20 Saint Andrew Kim Taegon (August 21, 1821 - September 16, 1846); Saint Paul Chong Hasang and Companions (d. between 1839 - 1867) Audio file Saints Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and Companions' Stories The first native Korean priest, Andrew Kim Taegon was the son of Christian converts. Following his baptism at the age of 15, Andrew traveled 1,300 miles to the seminary in Macao, China. After six years, he managed to return to his country through Manchuria. That same year he crossed the Yellow Sea to Shanghai and was ordained a priest. Back home again, he was assigned to arrange for more missionaries to enter by a water route that would elude the border patrol. He was arrested, tortured, and finally beheaded at the Han River near Seoul, the capital. Andrew's father Ignatius Kim, was martyred during the persecution of 1839, and was beatified in 1925. Paul Chong Hasang, a lay apostle and married man, also died in 1839 at age 45. Among the other martyrs in 1839 was Columba Kim, an unmarried woman of 26. She was put in prison, pierced with hot tools and seared with burning coals. She and her sister Agnes were disrobed and kept for two days in a cell with condemned criminals, but were not molested. After Columba complained about the indignity, no more women were subjected to it. The two were beheaded. Peter Ryou, a boy of 13, had his flesh so badly torn that he could pull off pieces and throw them at the judges. He was killed by strangulation. Protase Chong, a 41-year-old nobleman, apostatized under torture and was freed. Later he came back, confessed his faith and was tortured to death. Christianity came to Korea during the Japanese invasion in 1592 when some Koreans were baptized, probably by Christian Japanese soldiers. Evangelization was difficult because Korea refused all contact with the outside world except for taking taxes to Beijing annually. On one of these occasions, around 1777, Christian literature obtained from Jesuits in China led educated Korean Christians to study. A home Church began. When a Chinese priest managed to enter secretly a dozen years later, he found 4,000 Catholics, none of whom had ever seen a priest. Seven years later there were 10,000 Catholics. Religious freedom came to Korea in 1883. Besides Andrew and Paul, Pope John Paul II canonized 98 Koreans and three French missionaries who had been martyred between 1839 and 1867, when he visited Korea in 1984. Among them were bishops and priests, but for the most part they were lay persons: 47 women and 45 men. Reflection We marvel at the fact that the Korean Church was strictly a lay Church for a dozen years after its birth. How did the people survive without the Eucharist? It is no belittling of this and other sacraments to realize that there must be a living faith before there can be a truly beneficial celebration of the Eucharist. The sacraments are signs of God's initiative and response to faith already present. The sacraments increase grace and faith, but only if there is something ready to be increased. Saint of the Day Copyright Franciscan Media
Dr. Helen Jin Kim discusses the role of Korean Christians in the making of modern evangelical America in her forthcoming book Race for Revival: How Cold War South Korea Shaped American Evangelical Empire. This episode was recorded July 15, 2021. The Center for Asian American Christianity at Princeton Theological Seminary invites you to join the dialogue on Asian American faith, identity, social engagement, and ministry through our newsletter, blog, and upcoming conferences at ltiaa.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ptscaac/message
This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Michael Kim. They speak about the history of the Christian Publishing Company (Changmunsa), the difficulties of operating during the Japanese colonial period, the complexities of the colonial publishing market, the movement among Korean Christians to achieve more cultural autonomy from Western missionaries, and the unique insights that can be gained from the diaries and letters of Yun Ch'iho (1864–1945). Michael Kim is a Professor of Korean History at Yonsei University's Graduate School of International Studies in Seoul, Korea. His research primarily focuses on colonial Korea, and he has published on various aspects of urban culture, print culture, colonial economy, Korean collaboration, migration, and wartime mobilization. He is co-editor, along with Michael Schoenhals and Yong Woo Kim, of Mass Dictatorship and Modernity (Palgrave, 2013). *** The Korea Now Podcast #99 – Michael Kim – ‘Industrial Warriors and Recognizing Religions - Everyday Life in Colonial Korea' The Korea Now Podcast: The Korea Now Podcast #99 – Michael Kim – ‘Industrial Warriors and Recognizing Religions - Everyday Life in Colonial Korea' (libsyn.com) *** The Trouble with Christian Publishing: Yun Ch'iho (1865–1945) and the Complexities of Cultural Nationalism in Colonial Korea (6) (PDF) "The Trouble with Christian Publishing: Yun Ch'iho (1865–1945) and the Complexities of Cultural Nationalism in Colonial Korea," Journal of Korean Religions, Volume 9, Number 2, October 2018, pp. 139-172. | Michael Kim - Academia.edu *Michael Kim's academic research can be found at: Michael Kim | Yonsei University - Academia.edu Support via Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/jedleahenry Support via PayPal – https://www.paypal.me/jrleahenry Shop – https://shop.spreadshirt.com.au/JLH-shop/ Support via Bitcoin - 31wQMYixAJ7Tisp773cSvpUuzr2rmRhjaW Website – http://www.jedleahenry.org Libsyn – http://korea-now-podcast.libsyn.com Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_qg6g1KyHaRXi193XqF6GA Twitter – https://twitter.com/jedleahenry Academia.edu – http://university.academia.edu/JedLeaHenry Research Gate – https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jed_Lea-Henry
The cultural landscape plays a momentous role in the transmission of Christianity. Consequently, the global expansion of the church has led to the increasing diversification of world Christianity. As a result, scholars are turning more and more to native cultures as the point of focus. Understanding Korean Christianity: Grassroot Perspectives on Causes, Culture, and Responses (Pickwick, 2019) examines how this new discourse evolved as well as presenting a missional methodology based on the study of the native landscapes of Korea. Kale Yu argues that the process of formulating and communicating Christianity was less consistent than is usually supposed. By immersing the reader in the thought and lived experience of various Korean contexts, Professor Yu recreates the diversity of cultural landscapes experienced by Korean Christians of different periods in history. The result is a new interpretation of cross-cultural missional interactions. Byung Ho Choi is a Ph.D. Student from South Korea in the Department of History & Ecumenics, concentrating in World Christianity and history of religions at Princeton Theological Seminary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The cultural landscape plays a momentous role in the transmission of Christianity. Consequently, the global expansion of the church has led to the increasing diversification of world Christianity. As a result, scholars are turning more and more to native cultures as the point of focus. Understanding Korean Christianity: Grassroot Perspectives on Causes, Culture, and Responses (Pickwick, 2019) examines how this new discourse evolved as well as presenting a missional methodology based on the study of the native landscapes of Korea. Kale Yu argues that the process of formulating and communicating Christianity was less consistent than is usually supposed. By immersing the reader in the thought and lived experience of various Korean contexts, Professor Yu recreates the diversity of cultural landscapes experienced by Korean Christians of different periods in history. The result is a new interpretation of cross-cultural missional interactions. Byung Ho Choi is a Ph.D. Student from South Korea in the Department of History & Ecumenics, concentrating in World Christianity and history of religions at Princeton Theological Seminary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/korean-studies
The cultural landscape plays a momentous role in the transmission of Christianity. Consequently, the global expansion of the church has led to the increasing diversification of world Christianity. As a result, scholars are turning more and more to native cultures as the point of focus. Understanding Korean Christianity: Grassroot Perspectives on Causes, Culture, and Responses (Pickwick, 2019) examines how this new discourse evolved as well as presenting a missional methodology based on the study of the native landscapes of Korea. Kale Yu argues that the process of formulating and communicating Christianity was less consistent than is usually supposed. By immersing the reader in the thought and lived experience of various Korean contexts, Professor Yu recreates the diversity of cultural landscapes experienced by Korean Christians of different periods in history. The result is a new interpretation of cross-cultural missional interactions. Byung Ho Choi is a Ph.D. Student from South Korea in the Department of History & Ecumenics, concentrating in World Christianity and history of religions at Princeton Theological Seminary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/east-asian-studies
The cultural landscape plays a momentous role in the transmission of Christianity. Consequently, the global expansion of the church has led to the increasing diversification of world Christianity. As a result, scholars are turning more and more to native cultures as the point of focus. Understanding Korean Christianity: Grassroot Perspectives on Causes, Culture, and Responses (Pickwick, 2019) examines how this new discourse evolved as well as presenting a missional methodology based on the study of the native landscapes of Korea. Kale Yu argues that the process of formulating and communicating Christianity was less consistent than is usually supposed. By immersing the reader in the thought and lived experience of various Korean contexts, Professor Yu recreates the diversity of cultural landscapes experienced by Korean Christians of different periods in history. The result is a new interpretation of cross-cultural missional interactions. Byung Ho Choi is a Ph.D. Student from South Korea in the Department of History & Ecumenics, concentrating in World Christianity and history of religions at Princeton Theological Seminary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
The cultural landscape plays a momentous role in the transmission of Christianity. Consequently, the global expansion of the church has led to the increasing diversification of world Christianity. As a result, scholars are turning more and more to native cultures as the point of focus. Understanding Korean Christianity: Grassroot Perspectives on Causes, Culture, and Responses (Pickwick, 2019) examines how this new discourse evolved as well as presenting a missional methodology based on the study of the native landscapes of Korea. Kale Yu argues that the process of formulating and communicating Christianity was less consistent than is usually supposed. By immersing the reader in the thought and lived experience of various Korean contexts, Professor Yu recreates the diversity of cultural landscapes experienced by Korean Christians of different periods in history. The result is a new interpretation of cross-cultural missional interactions. Byung Ho Choi is a Ph.D. Student from South Korea in the Department of History & Ecumenics, concentrating in World Christianity and history of religions at Princeton Theological Seminary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/christian-studies
The cultural landscape plays a momentous role in the transmission of Christianity. Consequently, the global expansion of the church has led to the increasing diversification of world Christianity. As a result, scholars are turning more and more to native cultures as the point of focus. Understanding Korean Christianity: Grassroot Perspectives on Causes, Culture, and Responses (Pickwick, 2019) examines how this new discourse evolved as well as presenting a missional methodology based on the study of the native landscapes of Korea. Kale Yu argues that the process of formulating and communicating Christianity was less consistent than is usually supposed. By immersing the reader in the thought and lived experience of various Korean contexts, Professor Yu recreates the diversity of cultural landscapes experienced by Korean Christians of different periods in history. The result is a new interpretation of cross-cultural missional interactions. Byung Ho Choi is a Ph.D. Student from South Korea in the Department of History & Ecumenics, concentrating in World Christianity and history of religions at Princeton Theological Seminary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/asian-american-studies
The cultural landscape plays a momentous role in the transmission of Christianity. Consequently, the global expansion of the church has led to the increasing diversification of world Christianity. As a result, scholars are turning more and more to native cultures as the point of focus. Understanding Korean Christianity: Grassroot Perspectives on Causes, Culture, and Responses (Pickwick, 2019) examines how this new discourse evolved as well as presenting a missional methodology based on the study of the native landscapes of Korea. Kale Yu argues that the process of formulating and communicating Christianity was less consistent than is usually supposed. By immersing the reader in the thought and lived experience of various Korean contexts, Professor Yu recreates the diversity of cultural landscapes experienced by Korean Christians of different periods in history. The result is a new interpretation of cross-cultural missional interactions. Byung Ho Choi is a Ph.D. Student from South Korea in the Department of History & Ecumenics, concentrating in World Christianity and history of religions at Princeton Theological Seminary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history
The cultural landscape plays a momentous role in the transmission of Christianity. Consequently, the global expansion of the church has led to the increasing diversification of world Christianity. As a result, scholars are turning more and more to native cultures as the point of focus. Understanding Korean Christianity: Grassroot Perspectives on Causes, Culture, and Responses (Pickwick, 2019) examines how this new discourse evolved as well as presenting a missional methodology based on the study of the native landscapes of Korea. Kale Yu argues that the process of formulating and communicating Christianity was less consistent than is usually supposed. By immersing the reader in the thought and lived experience of various Korean contexts, Professor Yu recreates the diversity of cultural landscapes experienced by Korean Christians of different periods in history. The result is a new interpretation of cross-cultural missional interactions. Byung Ho Choi is a Ph.D. Student from South Korea in the Department of History & Ecumenics, concentrating in World Christianity and history of religions at Princeton Theological Seminary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion
The cultural landscape plays a momentous role in the transmission of Christianity. Consequently, the global expansion of the church has led to the increasing diversification of world Christianity. As a result, scholars are turning more and more to native cultures as the point of focus. Understanding Korean Christianity: Grassroot Perspectives on Causes, Culture, and Responses (Pickwick, 2019) examines how this new discourse evolved as well as presenting a missional methodology based on the study of the native landscapes of Korea. Kale Yu argues that the process of formulating and communicating Christianity was less consistent than is usually supposed. By immersing the reader in the thought and lived experience of various Korean contexts, Professor Yu recreates the diversity of cultural landscapes experienced by Korean Christians of different periods in history. The result is a new interpretation of cross-cultural missional interactions. Byung Ho Choi is a Ph.D. Student from South Korea in the Department of History & Ecumenics, concentrating in World Christianity and history of religions at Princeton Theological Seminary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology
Nutella. Fellatio. The Homeless. Privilege. The intersectionality of these 4 traits form the basis for today's show. Plus some vaccine chatter, toys of our youth, matzah toppings, Korean Christians, and the boys reach the 1 billion mark. **TRIGGER WARNING: IF YOU OR SOMEBODY YOU CARE ABOUT HAS BEEN INVOLVED WITH THE ORAL REMOVAL OF NUTELLA OR SIMILAR TYPE SUBSTANCES FROM THE PHALLUS OF AN HOMBRE WITH NO CASA THEN PLEASE SKIP THIS EPISODE, AND GET YOURSELF A KLONDIKE BAR**
New Report Reveals Atrocities Done to North Korean Christians (Intl Christian Herald 10.31.20) by Daniel Whyte III
Rev. Yohan Hong shares what we can learn about prayer from the practices of Korean Christians.
We sit down with Dr. Steve Chang and his wife Pastor Lisa Chang, calling in all the way from South Korea and interview them about Dr. Chang's article in The Gospel Coalition entitled "What South Korean Christians Want You to Know About Coronavirus". We discuss the article, the challenge of church in the midst of the Corona Virus, but also the new opportunities and how God is calling up a new generation of church leaders. This podcast is specially hosted by Hope Chang, daughter of our guests, and also the regular host's, Kyle's, fiance. Dr. Steve Chang is is professor of New Testament at Torch Trinity Graduate University in Seoul, Korea, and pastors the English-speaking congregation at Hallelujah Church alongside his wife Lisa, the children's pastor of the same ministry. Check out the article here: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/what-south-korean-christians-want-you-know-coronavirus/
**1. It's been a blessing in disguise in many ways.** a. We have such busy lives we tend to go from day to day, month to month and year to year wishing we had more time with our kids family. To be at home. b. We have all of that right now. Let's not have the grass is greener mentality. c. What the virus meant for evil God meant it for good. d. Isaiah—our fourth child. i. Stared out into space because of the work we needed to put into it. ii. Not one congratulations in the church. iii. But can't imagine life without him. iv. His name and Serenity's name--- means the end. **2. In scripture a person's name often signifies his character or ability or mission especially when the name is given by God.** a. God changes Abram's name to Abraham to show that he had made him the father of many nations (Gen. 17:5). b. Jacob's name to Israel (Gen. 32:28). (one who holds the heel to wrestles with God) c. Simon to Peter (counselor to rock) d. Saul to Paul (Hebrew to Gentile name) **3. God's name is no exception.** a. We use a generic name for God and it often reflects the generic type of relationship people have with Him. b. Korean Christians wanted to distinguish the shamanistic understanding of god with the one true God. The traditional Korean word for God is ha nui neem. (One from above) Christians call Him ha na Neem. (which means one and only being) **4. The meaning of the name Yaweh.** a. Ex 3:13-15 - 13 Then Moses said to God, "Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you.' Now they may say to me, 'What is His name?' What shall I say to them?" 14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" 15 God, furthermore, said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations b. God was not introducing Himself but reminding them Who He is to Israel. i. Gen 2:4-9 - 4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven. 5 Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. 6 But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. 8 The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. 9 Out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. ii. The Jews stopped using God's personal name to make sure that they don't use His name in vain. iii. The name that is given to us is Yaweh or Jehovah (in Greek with vowels)--- don't know for sure. iv. This name is used 6828 times compared to the generic word for God is Elohim, 2800 times. v. If we called each other Asian guy, or big guy or man or girl it already has a sense of distance. c. Notice that God gives three answers to the question, "What shall I tell them your name is?" i. First, in verse 14 God says, "I AM WHO I AM." ii. Second, in verse 14 God says, "I AM has sent me to you." iii. Third, in verse 15 God says, "Yahweh … has sent me to you … this is my name for ever …" d. The meaning behind God's name as I AM has several significance that is particularly relevant to us today. i. The first and foremost meaning is that God Is. Not was or will be but IS. 1. Acts 17:24-28 - 24 "The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; 26 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and exist, 2. The most well known question from Hamlet a. “To be or not to be, that is the question” i. Contemplation of life b. We don't have the ability to be. i. We are constantly changing. ii. I don't know if I'll be here next week. Even if I do I don't know if I'll be the same person. (lose some hair, gain some weight, have different thoughts. I am not constant. iii. I am always becoming but I am never being. iv. Only God is I AM 3. Heb 11:6 - 6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. 4. In the Lord's prayer we begin by acknowledging God and God. a. Our Father who art in heaven Hallowed by Thy Name. 5. Ps 90:2 - 2 Before the mountains were born Or You gave birth to the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. 6. Rev 1:8 - 8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." ii. The second meaning behind His name I AM is that God is the ultimate cause. 1. God is the ultimate cause. John 5:26 - 26 "For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; 2. Only God can create something from nothing. a. People pay good money to be tricked. Illusion. 3. Rom 4:17 - who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist. 4. Col 1:16-18 - 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 5. So just as God created all things from nothing in the beginning only He can recreate man into a new man from the dead. Rom 8:29-30 - 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. 6. Remember the context of this a. God didn't need Moses. God wasn't asking for help. b. He was going display His glory through Moses. All he had to do is do exactly as God told him to do. 7. Vice President Pence prayed as he took over the task force to handle this virus. a. They mocked him and said he's the worst person if he's going to depend on God. iii. The third meaning of His name is that God is the ultimate goal of our existence. 1. Our purpose in life is to reflect God's glory. a. Man was never meant to live independent of God. 2. The problem with the health and wealth gospel is that they see God as the road to get to other things that they covet or even worship. 3. God is the final destination. God is the reward of our salvation. 4. John 17:3 - 3 "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 5. John 14:1-6 - 6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. 6. I was like that in Knoxville Tennesse lost in the woods without gps. a. Jesus is our destination. i. If we have Christ we have found out way. ii. We have found the answer. iii. If we have Jesus we have life. b. It's not if we have Christ and health we are set. c. It's not Christ and job, or family, or friends or even church. d. All I have is Christ and that is enough. i. If you have Christ you have arrived. 7. God is on His throne and even this Corona Virus and the economic melt down is under His sovereign control. 8. A conversation that a mom put up online she had with her teenager daughter during quarantine. “I had a very interesting conversation with my 15 year old yesterday. he said, "You know, Mom. God has allowed us to be at a point in this country where so many of our gods are being taken away: sports, the arts/entertainment, education, money, travel, church and traditions. I am thinking maybe He wants us to get our eyes on Him and be like the early church, in small groups learning and growing in Him." We are blaming "big government" for this chaos and confusion. Have we ever stopped to think that God in His wonderful loving kindness is giving us this opportunity to experience Him, fresh and new?? He is Sovereign!! He is good!! I for one was very convicted by her words.” 9. Remember that God used pestilence to deliver Israel from Egypt.
While the world has many ideas about what it means to truly live, Jesus offers us a path to life that seems counterintuitive––in order to live, you have to die. This truth from John 12:24–26 applies not only to the eternal life that comes to us through Christ’s death, but also to our own death—death to self, death to the world, and even death for the sake of the gospel. Drawing on a recent trip to South Korea, David Platt shares about how this truth was demonstrated in the twentieth century among Korean Christians, and he challenges us to consider how this truth should shape our lives as well.
Will North Korea’s recent diplomatic efforts be an answer to South Korean Christians’ prayers? Hopefully, says Sang-Bok David Kim, the chancellor of a South Korean evangelical graduate school, Torch Trinity Graduate University. “North Korea has been threatening South Korea two or three times a year. [They say], ‘We want to make Seoul a city of fire.’ They make weapons. They shoot our navy boat down. They shoot cannonballs into South Korean islands,” said Kim. “We are very sorry they have behaved like that.” But this aggressive behavior hasn’t kept South Korean churches from praying for their Northern neighbors. Instead, South Korean Christians pray frequently for “freedom, for evangelism, for the transformation of the North Korean leaders, that God will be merciful to them and to us so our nation will be unified so we can go up there and evangelize in North Korea and plant 15,000 churches,” he said. Kim joined associate digital media producer Morgan Lee and editor in chief Mark Galli to discuss his ambitious North Korea church planting plan, how the South Korean church has welcomed refugees from the North, and the surprising way God entered his family’s life.
The Korean terms for God and Jesus. Why are Korean Christians so inclined to Western Protestant theology, specifically Calvinism? â??How were animal sacrifices and shamans excised from the Judeo-Christain tradition? Why was Western Christianity more successful than Eastern in suppressing polygyny? Please recommend some sources on â??deconversion,â?? the process of â??converting" out of a religion and into non-belief. Can you suggest resources on the evolution of Sophia into Christ? Suggestions on textual criticism. I would be greatly interested in knowing what your reasons may be for thinking all of the gospels were likely written in the 2nd rather than the 1st century. Suppose Gideon had a large army but divided them into groups of 300 which engaged and defeated the Midianites in various places, so that the credit for defeating â??the Midianitesâ?? (as a whole) was given to this or that 300 depending on where the tale was told? Reasons for thinking the Vedic Soma drink was not the juice of the Amanita Muscaria mushroom.
In this Talk, Rev. Song from Seoul describes how Korean Christians faced persecution through the Japanese. In the past the Korean Church has focussed on prayer and The Great Commission. He reminds us of the importance of the truth that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
A sermon presenting the biblical reasons for fasting and its role in the internal journey of Christians. - SERMON TRANSCRIPT - Well, as you've heard and have heard for a few weeks, today is the International Day of Fasting and Prayer for Worldwide Evangelization. And as I was preparing for this message, I was reading a number of quotes about the power of fasting in the history of the church. And I came across this one by Charles Spurgeon, and he said this, "Our seasons of fasting and prayer at the Tabernacle," that's at his local church, "have been high days indeed. Never has heaven's gate stood wider and never have our hearts been nearer the central glory." Isn't that marvelous? Isn't that an incredible testimony? And so, also from the churches in Korea, so far, in one denomination in particular, over 20,000 Korean Christians have set themselves apart to fast and pray for 40 days. 20,000 Korean Christians for 40 days. They go up to a specific prayer mountain, and there are these little huts, and they just go in there, and they fast, and they pray for 40 days. 20,000 Koreans have done it so far. And God has moved in an incredible way in the church in Korea for a hundred years. 1884, the first Protestant church was planted in Korea. In the hundred years that followed, 30,000 Christ-honoring churches were planted in Korea. That's about 300 a year. That's incredible, the power of God moving. Now, I cannot draw a direct connection between fasting and prayer and that kind of result. I find frequently when you see these accounts of fasting and prayer in the Bible, those that are humble and are just praying and seeking the Lord, say something like this, "Who knows? Perhaps the Lord will be gracious," etcetera. And I think that that's right. God doesn't owe us a thing. We're not twisting his arm behind his back. "We fasted, so you must give us such and such spiritual outcome." It doesn't work that way. But I want to know that kind of power in this church. Amen? I want to see that kind of evangelistic fruitfulness in this church. I wanna see God do amazing things. I want us to live up to our potential. I want us to live up to our calling in Christ. And so, I've been looking forward to this day of fasting and prayer for a long time. Now, I read a book, in preparation for this, by John Piper called A Hunger for God. And in it, he deals with the question of fasting, and he begins by saying, "Books on fasting are dangerous." And I was interested in that. I was interested, and I tried to understand the danger. And as I read, and as I thought, I started to see what the dangers were. In the famous epic by Homer, The Odyssey, the hero Ulysses is trying to make his way back from the Trojan War. And he gets in one misadventure after another, one dangerous problem after another, as he just tries to get his men home to their wives and to their families, just trying to come home, that's all. And that's what the story is about. Well, at one point, while navigating the narrow Strait of Messina, he and his men confront the twin perils of Scylla and Charybdis. Now, Scylla was this hideous she-monster with these heads and all that, that if the sailors got too close, they would... She would pluck them out and devour them. So you'd think, "We're gonna steer a wide course away from it." The problem is that at the other side of the Straits, there's Charybdis, which is this horrendous whirlpool that sucks ships down a hole to the bottom of the sea. And so, you've got an image of avoiding extremes, really. You can't to close to... Go too close to the one or to the other, you're gonna have problems. We have sayings like this, “Between the rock and the hard place,” or “Between the devil and the deep blue sea,” this kind of thing, where we have to find a way to navigate through some dangers. Now, you might say, what are the dangers of fasting? Well, on the one side, you have the danger of self-righteousness. People who fast are especially tempted to this. Why? Because they want something for their effort, and they want you to know about what they're doing, and they wanna get something from God and all that. They wanna feel righteous about themselves because it's not easy to fast. And so, there's the danger of self-righteousness, people thinking they can earn favor with God or forgiveness for sins, or there's some standing of piety that you get in the eyes of others. That's the danger on one side, self-righteousness. But then there's the danger on the other side of this issue, and that is self-indulgence. On the other hand, people live for selfishness. They live for their earthly appetites. They feed themselves with more and more and more. There doesn't seem to be anything inside that's telling them to stop, and that is a great danger as well. And the result of that is a spiritual dullness and low energy that makes it impossible for us really to hear God speaking and act. So you have self-righteousness on the one side, and then you have self-indulgence on the other. Now, as we look at the issue of fasting, we realize we Christians are not the only ones who fast. Frankly, pretty much every religion in the world has certain fastings involved, for example, Islam; you know the month of fasting of Ramadan. I've been told that more food is consumed that month than any of the other months, but they only fast during the daylight hours, and then at night they can eat, but that's a fast. The Buddhists, the monks in Tibet, they fast long, long periods of time fasting. The Hindus fast, Gandhi, as we'll talk about in a few minutes, used fasting for political purposes. Some people fast just for their health. Some people even carry it to extremes like anorexia. Some people in the Bible even fast for fanaticism's sake, in Acts 23, there's this interesting group of Pharisees, of Jews, fanatical Jews who hate Paul so much that they take a vow that they will not eat or drink anything until they've killed Paul. They've assassinated him. Now, either they got awful thin, or they gave up that vow; one or the other, but there's a vow to fast until they can assassinate the Lord's apostle. And so, fasting of itself isn't necessarily a good thing, but there are incredible benefits to us both in the internal journey of sanctification, growth, and holiness, and the external journey that the church is on of worldwide evangelization. And I wanna look at that with you this morning. So let's look first at this issue of the internal journey of the heart. What do you desire? What do you want? What are you living for? What do you have a taste for? Fasting, if I can put it quite simply, keeps the body, physical body under orders and keeps the glory of God your primary focus and desire. That's what fasting does for you in the internal journey. Now, in order to give a warning against that one Scylla of self-righteousness, the danger of that, we need to have some Biblical guidelines. False teachers sometimes call people to fast, even extreme fast. In 1 Timothy 4, it says, "The Spirit clearly says that in later times, some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.” Listen, "They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving." Watch out for false teachers like that, who teach extreme asceticism as a way of getting close to God. God is, in the scriptures, I believe, jealous over your evangelical freedoms. He says in Galatians, "It is for freedom that Christ has set you free. Stand firm then and don't be burdened again with the yoke of slavery." So if you ever have religious leaders that are standing over you and putting on you a yoke saying, "You must fast or God will not be pleased with you," that's that extreme form of self-righteousness that we must avoid. Along with that, as I've mentioned, is the problem of hypocrisy and pride. Jesus addresses this in the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew Chapter 6. He said, "And when you fast... " By the way, not if you fast. "When you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you're fasting, but only to your Father who's in heaven. And your Father who sees what is done in secret, he will reward you." The problem with the hypocrites is that they were disfiguring their faces to show men they were fasting. "Oh, I'm fasting today," and everyone just knew it. And what was their motive? That people would think well of them, that they would put them up on a spiritual pedestal. "I fast twice weekly," they'll say. And they're just way up there on that spiritual pedestal. You know what Jesus says about them? "I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full." They're not getting anything from God on Judgment Day. Watch out for that kind of thing. "Fasting, if I can put it quite simply, keeps the body, physical body under orders and keeps the glory of God your primary focus and desire." There's another danger along with it is the strengthening of self-will, will power. "Look what I can do by my own will. I have mastery over myself. Look what I can do." That's the last thing that you want in a spiritual discipline, is a strengthening of will power. That's not what you want. What you want is that your will would be submitted to the yoke of the master, that he is in charge, that he is leading you, and therefore we fast because he leads us to do it, not because we can prove kind of mind over matter, that kind of thing. And we definitely don't wanna think, as I mentioned earlier, that we're in a position to make demands on God, that we can claim something on God if we fast. I think about, for example, Mahatma Gandhi, he didn't make a claim on God, but he did make a claim on his nation. Shortly after the partition of India, it was separated into an essentially Hindu country, India, and essentially two Buddhist... Sorry, Muslim countries, Pakistan and East Pakistan, which became Bangladesh, there was this partition and tremendous struggle between the Hindus and the Muslims, tremendous struggles between the two; warfare really almost, almost like a civil war. And Gandhi was so grieved over this that on January 13th, 1948, he proclaimed nationwide for himself, everyone would know, a fast to the death if the violence didn't stop. Well, at this point, he was seen to be almost like the father of the nation. Everybody revered him. Both sides revered him, and so they did not wanna see him die. And so, little by little, all of the rioting and the bloodshed stops and he's there lying on his bed dying, well, what he's done is, he's taken the nation and put its arm behind its back, say, "If you don't stop, I'm going to kill myself." But what I'm saying here is that we cannot go to God with our fast and say, “You owe us something because of what we're doing.” God doesn't owe us a thing. He never will. We cannot coerce God through fasting. He will not listen to that. "We cannot go to God with our fast and say, “You owe us something because of what we're doing.” God doesn't owe us a thing. He never will. We cannot coerce God through fasting. He will not listen to that." Now, as I look at Scylla and Charybdis, as I look at the danger of self-righteousness, which I've been describing up to this point in the message, and the danger of self-indulgence, I have to, as a pastor, discern which is the greater danger for us at this present time. Which is more likely to be the problem for an American Evangelical congregation? And it seems to me that the Lord has so abundantly blessed this country, abundantly blessed our farms, so that year after year, we have incredible harvest. Abundantly blessed our industries, so that year after year, we have amazing productivity. Abundantly blessed our businesses, so that year after year, we have incredible profits. Abundantly blessed our research labs, so that year after year, we have incredible discoveries and inventions and formulae. It seems to me that God has so lavishly blessed this country that the greater danger is self-indulgence here. And it's not just because of the blessings, but because of what I see, not just in this church, but in churches across America, the struggle that we have with learning to say "No" to ourselves and the blessings that God has given. The amazing thing is, and this is a kind of an irony, that one of the greatest enemies against the work of God are God's good gifts to us. God gives us lavishly many things to enjoy, but they can become the very thing that hinders the most the work of God. Listen what it says in Mark 4:18-19, this is the familiar parable of the seed and the soils. But it says, "Still others, like seeds sown among the thorns, hear the Word, but the worries of this life, and the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the Word, making it unfruitful." Jesus lists some threats, an array of threats against the Word. "The worries of this life," he says. "The deceitfulness of wealth," he mentions and then, that dangerous vague catchall, "desires for other things." Now, what would that be? Well, anything other than the Word, anything other than the Kingdom of Heaven. Desires for other things. And therefore, I think some of God's greatest adversaries are his good gifts. He says in Luke 14, another place, "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come for everything is now ready.' But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.' Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please, excuse me.' Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.'" So there you have a field, you have a yoke of oxen, you have a new wife, all of them good gifts from God and all of them blocking this man so he can't follow Christ into the Kingdom of Heaven. Now you would say, "Well, that's just for evangelism, right? Those things can block you when you come to faith in Christ." Friends, it's all the way across the board. It blocks us all the time. God has given us many things richly to enjoy, but isn't the parable of the seed and the soils, the idea is that thorns come in and choke it out, making it unfruitful. Desires for other things come in, so we don't want the kingdom anymore? We want something else. We have to understand our time. We have to understand how surrounded we are by diversions. Is that a good word? Diversions. What is a diversion? It's something that diverts, right? Isn't that amazing. The brilliant insights you get week after week from the pulpit. A diversion is something that diverts you. Well, what are we being diverted from? Could it be we're being diverted from the work of the kingdom? Could it be that diversions come and branch us off so that we're not doing the work of the kingdom the way we should? Diversions. Those diversions are dangerous. And along with it, we have the problem of just worldliness. The fact is we have a hard time saying "No." You know, when you live a life of self-indulgence, you get fat, physically. I mean, we actually gain weight, and America has the world's biggest problem with weight, but we also get fat, spiritually. Our hearts get sluggish to the word of God. We tend to be low energy at that point. We can't respond, or we divert the word from saying what it really does because it might hit too close to home. And at that point, we're really not ready to do what Jesus said. "If you wanna follow me, you have to deny yourself daily and take up your cross and follow." And that's painful, and anyone who's tried it has found it to be painful. And so, it's a challenge to keep carrying the cross, and Jesus says, "Deny yourself daily." That's very, very difficult to do, but there are severe warnings against self-indulgence in the Bible, James 5:5 says, "You've lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourself in the day of slaughter." Oh, is that painful? "Fattened yourself in the day of slaughter." Or it says in Amos 6, "Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria. You lie on beds inlaid with ivory, and lounge on your couches. You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves. You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments. You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions. But do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph. Therefore, you'll be among the first to go into exile. Your feasting and your lounging will end." You know, in all of this, God's glory is at stake. I asked at the beginning, what do you have a taste for? What do you want? What are you hungry for today? What are you thirsty for? Are you hungry for God or something else? It says in Psalm 16:11, "You have made known to me the path of life, you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." God is a God of pleasure. Don't let Satan sell you an idol on that one. Our God promises incredible pleasures at his right hand. What he doesn't want us is to be diverted by his created good gifts here on earth so that we stop loving him first and foremost, and that becomes a danger, as John Piper put it so beautifully, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him." Friends, we will not be most satisfied in him if we're glutted on his good gifts. Instead we'll be satisfied with the good gifts and forget the Giver. Now, in all of this, Christ is our example as was read for you earlier in Matthew 4, it says that, "Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil, and after fasting 40 days and 40 nights, he was hungry. The temper came to him and said, ‘If you're the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’ And Jesus answered, ‘It is written, ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’" Now, isn't it fascinating that as Jesus begins the most important ministry in the history of humanity, as he begins the work of redemption after his time of identification with the human race through his baptism by John the Baptist, he is, it says in Mark, "driven out by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted for 40 days," showing a different kind of identification, an identification of him with us physically. He knows what it's like to be hungry. And he began this ministry in an amazing way with fasting, a 40-day fast, and in that 40-day fast, he prepared himself for the work. Listen to this, John Piper has this remarkable statement, "As he's preparing for great work," Piper speaking about Christ, he says, "It seems to me that this story should shake us. Here is Jesus standing on the threshold of the most important ministry in the history of the world, and on his obedience hangs the salvation of the world. None will escape damnation without this ministry of obedient suffering and death and resurrection. And God wills that, at the very outset, this ministry be threatened with destruction-namely the temptation of Satan to abandon the ministry- the path of lowliness and suffering and obedience. And of all the hundreds of things Jesus might have done to fight off this tremendous threat to salvation, he is led by the Spirit to fast." That's how he begins his warfare with the devil, by fasting. I think this should cause us to sit up and take notice, and so also the quote that he gave, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." he says, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." Here he's identifying not just with the human race generally, but with Israel, particularly, in their 40 years of wandering through the desert. And there in Deuteronomy 8:2-3, God says, "Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these 40 years to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." What is the lesson? Well, basically, out in the desert, they didn't eat if God didn't give the Word, and God gave the Word every day for manna. So God would give the Word, more manna, and down it would come and they'd eat. So in effect, they grew to look, not to the food, but to the mouth of God, and when God spoke, they ate. And if God didn't speak, they wouldn't eat. So also Jesus in the desert, "God the Father has not spoken yet that I eat and so I will not eat. And I will not eat until he speaks the word eat." And so you look beyond the gift of God up to the God who gives the command and say, "Lord, what is your will? Shall I eat now? And if you say, 'No,' I'll joyfully keep doing whatever it is you last commanded me to do. I live at your mouth, I live at your word, not on the bread." You learn just to be totally focused on the mouth of God. "Speak and I will move, speak and I will eat, speak and I will act, I will obey." That's what Jesus is modeling for us here, "I'll eat when God tells me and not before." And so also we see the example of the Apostle Paul in holiness and mission in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, he gives us the image of an athlete. He said, "Don't you know that in a race, all the runners run, but only one gets the prize. Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training." Strict training. "They do it to get a crown that will not last. We do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore, I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave, lest after I've preached to others, I myself may be disqualified for the prize." What is he talking about there? Isn't he saved yet? Doesn't he know the grace of Christ at the cross is available? Of course, he preaches that all the time. He said, "Lest after preaching to others I'll be disqualified." What is he talking about? Self-discipline for the purpose of ministry, self-discipline for the purpose of holiness, brothers and sisters, self-discipline, so that we can get everything done that God wants us to do as a congregation. That's the holiness that the Apostle Paul is modeling for us. Not talking about wearing hair shirts. He's talking about keeping the flesh under, keeping it in subjection so that it's not the master. Oh, how it wants ascendancy, doesn't it? Doesn't the flesh wanna take over? Doesn't it wanna just run your day? Your appetites, they just wanna take over. Shall we deny that they're good? No. God said they were, but we must keep them under, and that is why for the sake of the internal journey, we must fast and exercise discipline. And so we fast to guard against allowing our flesh to seize control of our lives. We fast so that we can empty ourselves of God's good gifts for a season, to open ourselves to him, himself, and to his Word. We fast like Jesus did to prepare ourselves for the great work in the ministry God has given us to do, but we do not fast to become more righteous before God, and we do not fast because God will think better of us, and we do not fast, so that he will give us something which otherwise he would not have given us as though somehow we're coercing him. Our righteousness doesn't increase at all through fasting. Internal journey, that's why we fast. What about the external journey? Well, if you look at Acts 13, it's a remarkable thing, this church at Antioch. I believe the purpose of fasting for the external journey, and I've never known this as much in my life as I do now, and I'll probably know it even more 10 years from now, if the Lord allows me to continue as a pastor. The fact of the matter is: the Bible does not give us exhaustive commands that cover every good work we can do. There are many things, decisions we have to reach in the Christian life that the Bible doesn't directly tell us what to do. John Piper put it this way, "Most of the questions we need to answer in the planning of the life and mission of the local church, the Bible does not answer directly. It is a spiritual thing therefore, to discern which of all of the 10,000 possible good works our church could do, which ones he's calling us to do." That's not easy to do. Think where we are, folks. We're here in Durham. We're in a downtown church. We're surrounded by problems, surrounded by issues related to inner-city, surrounded by poverty, surrounded by single parents, surrounded by educational problems, surrounded by gang-related violence, surrounded by drugs. Last week, there was a radical group here protesting a pro-homosexual play in one of our schools. Where were we? Why didn't we make a godly protest rather than the ungodly protest this group made? Where is our voice? Where is our impact, our salt and light in this community? Why do so few people from the community actually worship in this church? And that's the question we have to ask. What are we called to do? What direction do we call the move? Folks, we can do it all. We can. About 350 of you come here approximately every week to worship. We cannot do 10,000 ministries. Doesn't that make sense? Aren't you relieved? You'd like to do the ministry you're called to do, right? You're not called to do 10,000 ministries. Alright? Which ones then? Acts 13, "In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, who had brought up with Herod the Tetrarch and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said... " Now, isn't that marvelous? "While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said... " Does he do that? Yes, he does. Does the Spirit speak? Yes, he does. Does he say this kind of thing, "Set apart for me, Barnabas and Saul, for the work to which I have called them." Yes, he does. Does he still do that? Yes, he does. What did the church in Antioch do in order to hear him? They fasted and they worshipped, and they prayed. And so in Verse 3, so "after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off." Some quick observations first, this fasting was after Christ's coming. Some Christians say fasting is an Old Covenant thing; we don't need to do it anymore. They point out that Christ never commanded us anywhere to fast. Well, the church in Antioch didn't buy that. They were fasting. That's after Pentecost. That's well into the New Testament era. They were fasting. Second observation, the fasting was a corporate fast. Now, I know that the Lord says in Matthew, we're supposed to wash our face and put oil on, and don't put oil on 'cause then that's a sure give away that you're fasting. Nobody does that anymore. But what Jesus is saying is, "It can't be obvious to anybody that you're fasting." You don't know whether I'm fasting today or not, and I'm not gonna tell you, okay, but I do think a corporate fast is a good thing. It's a good thing for a church to come together and to agree to abstain from food for a time so that we can pray together and hear the Spirit's voice. It's a good thing to do. It's a corporate fast. Third, this fasting was an occasion for the Spirit's special guidance. The church in Antioch, Antioch was the third largest city in the Roman Empire. Do you think they didn't have 10,000 ministry directions they could go? Yes, they did. It was a crossroads. There are people from all over the place there. What was the Lord calling them to do? Alright, how about a missionary journey? Fine, who should go? There are five leaders here. Should any of them go or somebody else? How many of them one, two, all five, which ones? There was lots of ways to go. This fasting was an occasion for the Spirit to give direct guidance so that that church would know what to do, and this fast changed the course of history. It was influential. Think about what happened after Paul and Barnabas went out. Think about the change. I'm not saying there wasn't missionary work going on before this moment, of course there was, from the moment of Pentecost on, of course. But there is something significant about Acts 13. It was a fork in the road. And as they got to Cyprus, and they travelled through Asia Minor on the first missionary journey, then later Paul and Silas on the second and the third missionary journey, heading westward, going toward Europe, you know what you get out of that? You get the expansion of the church into Gentile regions. You get the westward move of the church, and in the ministry of the apostle Paul, you get such things as the book of Romans, the book of Corinthians, and Galatians and Ephesians and Philippians and Colossians and Thessalonians, and all of that, the epistles of Paul came. I'm tracing it all back to the fast? No, but this was a fork in the road, wasn't it? It was a moment in which the Holy Spirit spoke to that local church and told them what to do. And so also again and again fasting has changed the course of history. I'd like it to change our course. I'd like God to speak to us today. I'd like him to speak to me today. I'd like him to speak to all of us today. What is happening in our church? If Christ were to speak to our church the way He spoke to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3, the letter to the church at Durham, "These are the words of him whose eyes are pure and fire coming out of them and whose feet are like burnished bronze," what would he say? What would he say is being done well by this church, and what would he say is an area of deficiency? In which ways have we obeyed him and in which ways have we disobeyed him? What would he say? Well, I think, as we were talking in the staff together, ministerial staff said, what would he say? And they said, “Well, this is a church, it seems that loves the word of God, loves to hear it taught and preached, loves to hear it accurately divided... Rightly divided. This church also has a God-centered vision for church life and ministry.” There are lots of godly people who have been incredible role models to me and who continued to be so who are doing amazing ministries here in this church, many. There is a love for and an escalating interest in overseas missions, both career missionaries that come through our number and go out and get set up and consider this their home church, and short-term missions that are burgeoning as you've seen. There's one going on right now, as you heard earlier. There is an occasional periodic sacrificial giving financially for missions, especially in December. That's a good month for sacrificial giving in missions. There's a yearning among many in this church for God-centered worship and a delight in it. There's a willingness, I think, also to face hard doctrinal issues and not run from them. Not one of you has come up and said a negative word to me about Romans 9 preaching, I tell you, that would not have been the case four or five years ago. You folks are willing to face hard things in the Bible and learn. Whether you agree with everything or not, you're not shying from it, but you're reading, learning and studying, and that's a good thing. There is some good outreach in the neighborhoods of Durham, like the Health Fair and other things. There is some outreach that goes on, and I think it honors God. There's an essential unity around the Word in this church, and that's not to be taken for granted. It's rather a great delight. There is some fruitful outreach and ministry to internationals going on and to college students. There are many other ministries as well. Please don't come to me and say, "Why didn't you mention mine indirectly?" Okay? So I'm saying many other fruitful ministries as well, you're in there. We covered on that? Okay. But there are some areas of concern. Sometimes I worry that we love to hear God's Word more than to do it, and good teaching goes bad if you don't apply it. There is, in my opinion, not enough or little evangelical fruit. I'd like to see lots and lots of people baptized. It doesn't matter whether I'm doing the baptism or not, I just like to see it happen. I'd like to see it coming because you folks are being faithful to witness in the workplace, in your neighborhoods, and with your relatives and friends, paying the price to lead others to Christ. I'd like to see more of that. Our corporate prayer meetings are relatively poorly attended. We have them every week, and we also have them quarterly, quarterly better attended than the weekly ones, but still relatively poorly attended. We have a strange and inconsistent pattern of giving financially. We are incredibly generous at the end of the year and usually make our budget, and we have given incredibly, lavishly generously recently to Lottie Moon and some other things, but then we immediately in January get behind the eight ball and stay there most of the year, financially behind, $50,000, in our budget. We struggle to maintain good community with each other. That's why we're moving toward at least trying in the fall a small group ministry so that we can get to know each other better and have a stronger community. Some of that's just the issue of how far a lot of you drive, and I think that's an incredible thing. We don't seem to make much of an impact on the city of Durham itself, as I mentioned. And I will say this with tenderness and love, not everyone that comes here regularly has a sacrificial spirit gift ministry here in this church. Not everyone does. And you just have to ask yourself, in the last month or two months or five months, "How many hours have I given to serve the people of this church and the work of the Lord here along the lines of a spiritual gift ministry?" Just ask it. Ask yourself that question. I think we're at a crossroads as a church, I feel that for myself as a pastor. Good teaching must lead to good living, or it's going to go bad. If we don't step up to another level of passionate engagement in ministry, I think the church is going to go bad. But you know what, I think we will. I have that confidence. I think that's exactly what God's saying to this church. "He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." What's he saying to you? What's he saying to you about your life? Now, you may not... I'm gonna end this message in about a minute or two, and then we're gonna close the service, and I'm gonna invite as many of you as you feel called to go down to Morgan Hall to join us in praying for an hour. So if you feel led to come, I want you to come. But even if you can't come, if you feel God leading you to be in another place, a different place, I wouldn't... I'm not gonna judge you for that. That's legalism. I'm not gonna say, I'm just gonna say, whatever you do with the prayer time right after the church, look at your life and say, "What is God calling you to do with fasting and prayer? What is he calling you to do? What is he saying to you?" Are you sailing more toward ascetic self-righteousness and tempted to be righteous because of the sheer discipline, spiritually of your life, or is there the opposite problem, more of self-indulgence and a sluggishness, that's come over you? Which of the two is a greater danger? Ask the Lord to show you. Let him work in your heart. "I think we're at a crossroads as a church, I feel that for myself as a pastor. Good teaching must lead to good living, or it's going to go bad. If we don't step up to another level of passionate engagement in ministry, I think the church is going to go bad." Let me speak one final word. Let me bring you right to the cross. Whatever you do with asceticism, with fasting, with prayer, it's not gonna save your soul. There's only one thing that can wash away our sin, and that's the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross. That's our central hope. I praise God that I am not saved by my piety. I would not be saved. I praise God for that. I'm saved by Christ's righteousness alone. If you're listening to me today, and you're not a Christian, it's not fasting you need. It's faith in Christ. Come and talk to me after the service is over. If you don't know Christ as your Lord and Savior, there's nothing more important for you to do than to believe in Jesus and trust in him. And some of you need to come back to the cross to begin with, and say, Lord, "I've not been living for you. I've not been denying myself daily and taking up my cross and following you." Please close with me in prayer.
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