series: Exodus #
verse: Exodus 22:28-31 #
Main Idea: #
English Ministries (that form alongside native tongue primary churches) grow at a weaker and slower rate. They do not thrive because there is no strong sense of identity. And more importantly, we have lost our devotion. A key characteristic of the Korean speaking churches is a strong devotion to the church. They go to early morning prayer. They go to Wednesday service, Friday service, they serve and sacrifice whenever they can.
Compare this to the English Ministry. Where did it all go? Was it the language difference that caused the cultural and spiritual disconnect? Pastor Jin feels depressed, unmotivated, and hurt. He worries for his own children, “Will they be able to connect with people and grow spiritually?”. But Pastor Jin had a revelation. This depressing feeling of a loss of hope stems from the fact that he had placed his hope on the people, instead of God.
Become a God Fearing Leader #
You are to revere God, not revile God
When we respect human leadership that God has ordained, we are honoring God. Essentially, how we treat and respect our leaders, should reflect exactly how we treat and respect God.
An interest statistic is that, areas with higher rates of fatherless homes, has a significant correlation to violent crimes. A God fearing leader in the household is so vitally important to a healthy home.
Why did you stop going to church? #
Young adults who stopped going to church often replied, “Church is not worth my time”. Can you resonate with this?
We are at the age where we start valuing our time much more because we have much less. We become busy with studies, work, and other non-negotiables.
Give God first. Not the leftovers #
It’s an act of devotion and priority. It’s an act of trust and surrender. When you get a paycheck, devote an initial portion to the church. Don’t give whatever is leftover after you’ve spent it all. We live in a society that values putting money into savings. “Hold onto your money”, “Don’t give it away”. It’s the same reason why we say, “I’ll give when I have more money”, “I’ll serve when I have more time”. But let this be known, there will never be a better time than today. This is all about delaying our steps to devote ourselves to God. It’s all about our reluctane to sacrifice it all to God.
Stop fitting God into your life. Stop waiting until you’re ‘available’.
Instead, put him first in all things. Let him be the first thing you think about in the morning. Let him be the last thing you think about before going to sleep. Be obedient to God, and stop letting other factors control you. The things that you own, the money that you possess, the achievements. The only thing that matters in life is God.
Do not consume what others casually consume #
The main idea behind this point is social media. Do you ever wonder what benefit it has for us? Zero. It provides zero value to us. But not only that, it leads you away from God. The more you regularly consume these things, you become a slave to it. You no longer think about God.
What you need is not more beauty, more time, more money, better health. You. Need. God. Jesus is the bread of life. Those who come to him will never hunger or thirst. Experience him fully, and you will not need anything else. Run to Him, and find hope and rest in Him. God has never failed his promise, and he never will.