Jubilee Presbyterian Church of Irvine: May 2013

GIVING WHAT WE HAVE
April 2013

Blessed Couple. Our Lord Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Young and I regularly go to China and Cambodia to give what we have. What do we have? The Lord has given us the Gospel, the Kingdom of Heaven, the treasure of all treasures. During this mission trip to China we were greatly blessed to give the most valuable treasure to those who were really thirsty for it.

Delighted Souls. I taught the Bible for twenty-six students in China for a week, and six candidates for the Masters of Divinity for another week. I was happy to see them overjoyed whenever the Gospel touched their hearts while studying Scripture. Let me tell you just two verses among many which we studied together to the point of delighting our souls.

“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints” (Psalm 116:15). In light of this verse, I taught the students not to be afraid of dying, for they would never die without special purpose of God or without His great welcome into His bosom. No death for any believer will ever be accidental death, even if it may seem to be. For the believer, death is no longer to be feared, for it is precious in God’s sight!

“The king has brought me into his chambers” (Song of Solomon 1:4). This is the most marvelous Gospel for the Christian. It is the highest honor for the believer, for he used to be a pauper, a terrible sinner, but now he has come to enjoy the most intimate, personal relationship with the King of the universe—at the innermost private room of the King . O how happy is the bride of Jesus, who is the King of kings and the perfect bridegroom in all respects! The happiest person in the world is none other than you and I!

The Lord called me to preach a sermon at a local church on the text of Luke 8:40-56:

Jesus said, “Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping” (8:52). He told this command to those who were weeping for the 12-year-old daughter of Jairus, who just died. But the people mourning for the girl laughed at Jesus who said she was sleeping, because they knew that she was dead.

Jesus’ statement was based on what was sure to happen in the future. As a matter of fact, He is the One who has the power of resurrection! Those mourners’ laughing was based on what they were seeing at the moment. They acted by sight, but our Lord by faith in the truth. They only saw the depressing present reality, but our Lord foresaw the bright future.

How do you live a life in this world full of troubles? Do you walk by sight, or by faith? Are you swayed by every whim of life, or do you stand firm in faith no matter what may happen to you, because you know that the sufferings of this present time are not comparable with the glory that is to be revealed (Rom 8:18)? The Lord tells us,“Do not fear; only believe, and you will be well.” Our future is definitely to be bright and most glorious, because our Lord is our resurrection and our life! Our hope for tomorrow is much greater than all difficulties of this world. Let’s rejoice in the Lord even in troubles.

On April 21, the congregation was delighted to hear this message from God Almighty.

Overflowing Love. At three local churches, for three to four days at each church, Young gave a series of lectures on how to bring the children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord for the glory of God. The audience, mostly parents of children, was very willing to receive her teaching, since they had never before heard such biblical instructions about child raising. Their deep appreciation of the biblical truth caused their hearts to overflow with gratitude and love for God. Almost every day, someone from the audience volunteered to treat Young to lunch or dinner as an expression of love and gratitude.

Young and I pray that the seeds sown in these thirsty souls will bear beautiful fruits in China, for we witness that many in the next generation do not know the LORD or the work He has done for His church as it is described in Judges 2:6-15 about the Israelites.

Glory Be to God. Why do Young and I bother to go on mission trips? For the glory of God! Why do we live, die, and rise again from the dead? For the glory of God! Why are there so many groups and churches involved in world missions? For the glory of God! Why do all sinners of the world need to hear about the Savior Jesus whom God sent? For His glory!

Why are all things happening around us as they are, and why do all people exist just as they do now? All to the glory of God the Creator! Hallelujah!