2008. 9. 14 Rev. Kim, Young Bong

Invitation to a Spiritual Journey 2
A Lake with Clear Water
Acts 2:43-47

1.

Today is indeed a day for gladness and thankfulness. Since January 2006, the members of our church development committee prayed, talked and shared together until late at nights. During the Lent season of 2007, we gathered for a special Morning Prayer service for the spiritual community in Manassas. In July of 2007, the Lord brought to us 50 long-term committed members and 20 short-term contributing members. On September 9, 2007, the Korean United Methodist Church of Greater Washington was able to hold the first opening service at the Manassas Campus with 70 dedicated members.

To those having participated in the ministry the past year has been a period of experience in God’s guidance; on the one hand it was a time of humbling experience, and on the other hand, it was also the time of tasting the mystery of faith. At times, the mountains of problems were not easy to overcome, and the challenges to be faced and resolved were daunting, but through it all it came to pass. There yet remains lots of work to be done, and needs to be fulfilled, but the Manassas Campus came to be firmly founded as a spiritual community.

How thankful it is to see those prospects who once knocked on the door with fear and hesitation, but are now comfortably settled as new members. How thankful it is to see the young ones who once followed their parents to a new place and who at first felt difficult to adapt to, yet are now children and youth with happy faces embraced as one family. Seeing the sense of accomplishment and gladness in the faces of those who once volunteered only with dedication to face unknown challenges in the uncertain environment does move me to tears.

In all this we give thanks foremost to God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. As Abraham left Ur to follow step-by-step to a place unknown, yet to which God has led, much appreciation goes to those who dedicated themselves through either the long-term commitment or through short-term support contributions. Thanks also go to those who provided prayerful support and encouragement for the Manassas Campus. Special thanks are owed to Reverend Kang, Hyun Shik, who served as the pathfinder to forge this path.

As one avails his house to friends, thanks of appreciation is owed to the members of Manassas St. Thomas UMC who have provided all manners of space and conveniences, and thanks of appreciation is owed to Reverend Tommy Herndon who always served as a dear friend of strength. In particular, words of deep appreciation goes to Reverend Cho, Young Jin, Superintendent of the Arlington District, who during his term as the resident pastor was instrumental in big ways to forge the establishment of the plans, and who, alongside Reverend Kim, Myung Jong, continue to provide endearing prayers and support.

2.

Perhaps there may be those who may have seen the establishment of the Manassas Campus and thought: "Why try to grow as such? Isn't it just as well that we stay comfortably as is without a further growth? Is it from a want of more to seek more?" Such words of warning are well appreciated. I too draw the line in pursuing a blind growth as being 'the will of God'. I too would not want that kind of growth. That kind of growth would not help with God's kingdom at all.

But it is also not right to think that the church "is good enough amongst us to keep its doors closed." The church has the responsibility and the calling to call on that one more person to hear the Christ's gospel that he may traverse the path of life. Even if we are not able to take up on this responsibility and active calling to step out for serious witnessing, would it be right to turn away those who seek our church? During the past year, our church has been a church that stays put to receive rather than a church that steps out to witness. But in being able to receive all those who entered, there were space issues. So the Manassas Campus was founded as the alternate solution.

The dream we seek to realize from the Manassas project is two-fold. One, by this means we are able to secure space for the newcomers to our church. Although today we use the lent space provided by the affiliated Manassas church facility, looking forward, with the expected growth of the Campus, we envision establishing a separate worship facility. We envision that the future Manassas Campus worship facility will also serve as space for a youth center, so that the facility is utilized throughout the week. Thereby I hope to see the future facility becomes useful for the greater community. Should we realize this dream, then those newcomers to McLean would want to consider heading towards Manassas instead.

Another dream hoped for through the Manassas Campus is directed to Missions and Evangelism. I have briefly spoken before of how our church is a church that stays put to receive rather than a church that steps out to witness. How grateful should we be that we do stay put, and yet newcomers come to join us just from what they hear of us. But, despite this, we should not forget our calling to witness. That is why, five years ago, our church in having established the fourth long-term strategic plan embraced as one of the main goals to become “a church that steps out to witness.” We dream that the Manassas Campus will be the medium to bring about a revival of our calling for Missions and Evangelism towards fruition of much bounty.

3.

Leading the witness of Gospel are the following two introspective affirmations. The first is that in witnessing of Gospel, one must stay faithful in the course of following the narrow and rough path. I already talked about that last week. As the “sojourner of the Kingdom”, we should make progress day by day in following Jesus Christ. We should have some stories to share as to what we experienced during the journey. We should witness with our words as to why that path is the road to Life and the road to Truth.

There is another affirmation to be had. Christian religion is not a religion for hermits. It is not a mere personal religion for believing and cultivating of mind in seclusion. The moment when we meet God through Jesus Christ, we come to open eyes toward our neighbors. If we are secluding ourselves away from neighbors as we say that we met God, then we cannot say that we meet the God whom Jesus called Him as Father. True believing compels us to encounter people who share a like faith, and establish a church. And faith can grow healthy within the church. Therefore, it is an essential affirmation to form a good church for fruitful results of our witnessing of the Gospel.

There are many people who became disenchanted distance themselves from the church and are secluded away from the church life in the Korean community. It’s because there are so many rumors and gossips. There are many churches that are in the midst of troubles and experiences of discord. Additionally, the dispute of church is very intense and vicious more than any other groups. Each one believes that they are working for the Belief of God. Once they become embroiled in such disputes and are hurt by them, then they become afraid of being even near the church.

Thinking about such aspects, the words Jesus told the Mosaic scholars and Pharisees came into my head. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the Kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.” (Matt. 23:13). This teaching should be heard in today’s churches to caution the clergy and the lay believers as serious warning, because such things are actually happening.

Go out and ask those who do not attend a church. Even guessing conservatively, at least half of them would answer, “I don’t go to a church because I dislike churches.” They may dislike the pastors or they may not want to see the lay people of the churches whom they view to be hypocrites. It is the church itself that expunges them. If churches are as such, what good is witnessing of the Gospel? There is an old saying, “come by a rumor, flee by the sight.” As we expect, can today’s churches show those who come to a church an exemplary witness to the Gospel, after hearing the good news of the Gospel?

4.

We must not think that this talk is only about other churches. As we offer a celebratory worship of thanks to mark the first anniversary of Manassas Campus, we must take this as a word of caution that we too must be introspective in affirmation. We must take this as a word of encouragement that we must not be a church that discourages people; moreover, we must pray, agonize, and strive to become a church that enlivens hope in the hearts of hopeless people. We must become a church where people who don’t know Jesus can visit after ‘the talk of the gospel’ and then see ‘the circumspection of the gospel,’ a church where we can show the Truth we try to deliver through our lives.

The Lord Jesus compared evangelism as being ‘fishermen of men.’ Let’s think about this parable for a moment. When it comes to fishing, whether you grill them, eat them raw, or dry them in slices, catching is the end-all to the act of fishing. If so, what should we do after we fish people through evangelism? Eat them? No, not at all. The parable relates to fishing people from the polluted water of death, to transport them into the lake of the water of Life. Therefore, before scooping people out of filthy water, we must prepare a lake that’s filled with this water of Life. Otherwise, one will face death regardless.

Episcopal priest Sam Shoemaker, who founded AA - Alcoholics Anonymous ? an organization treating people with alcoholism, once said the following, lamenting those churches that lost the zeal for evangelism.

“In the Great Commission, the Lord has called us to be--like Peter--fishers of men. We've turned the commission around so that we have become merely keepers of the aquarium. Occasionally I take some fish out of your fishbowl and put them into mine, and you do the same with my bowl. But we're all tending the same fish.”

This is a sharp criticism indeed. However, this allusion makes me wonder. Are we even keeping the aquarium adequately? Isn’t it that the water has become murky since the last change of water, which was some time ago; that the glass of the aquarium is covered with green moss; that the fish in the water are unfed, desperately gasping for air with their mouths sticking out of water? Isn’t it that when a silent turmoil is happening in the aquarium, its keeper is dozing off outside, totally unaware of the situation?

At this thought, I can’t help but ask this about myself and our church, “How about our church?” Although the pastors and lay leaders are making great efforts to administer good ministries, there may be more than a few leaks. Some congregation members have left disappointed, untended by pastors. Quite often, members who had been settling nicely, failed to adjust in cell group meetings and left. While they belong to church physically, more than a few of us may feel they are in tepid water that lacks air. As the Head Pastor, I feel great responsibility for that.

5.

However, I thank God that we have more reasons for hope. By the grace of God, our church has been doing His ministry in peace and full of His kindness. Because of our lay leaders’ sacrifices and devotions, many have come to our church and enjoy new spiritual lives. It’s true that some are struggling, but more cell groups are experiencing true fellowships of believers and gaining spiritual lives. Worship services, short-term missions, the Nathaniel Mission Center, the ministry at our Manassas Campus, Sunday school, and spiritual retreats ? through all these, meeting God and experiencing changes are happening ceaselessly. All these are by the grace of God.

Therefore, we must make greater effort for our church to be a lake with clear water. Before we fish people, we must tend to our lake with great attention, so the people we fish can swim freely in fresh water, enjoying their enlivened living. We must make more effort to make our church and our cell groups to be places full of refreshing spirituality. We must be more devoted to making our church a place of inspirational worship services, true fellowships, sharing and serving, learning the Word of Truth, and practicing the love of Jesus Christ. Without making such a church, evangelizing is not so fruitful.

My dear brothers and sisters, please understand how valuable and important your dedication is in making our church a righteous church, a healthy church, a capable church, and a church full of grace. Please remember how important it is to devote yourselves to the growth of those wanting to know the Lord Jesus as Disciples of Christ; and to the restoration of people, who are knocking on our doors in their search for ‘the spring of Life’ after struggling in a lake of worldly waters. The church exists for people -- people don’t exist for the church. In order for us to become a church that truly exists for people, we need your many dedications, prayers, and sacrifices.

There is nothing in the world that can replace the church. Spending a couple dozen thousand dollars to watch the Olympic Games in Beijing won’t change a person’s life. After appreciating a big opera production or a musical in Carnegie Hall or the Kennedy Center, life is the same as it has been. A famous movie director who created numerous masterpieces cannot really change a person’s life with his movies. All these do provide benefits on their own. Nevertheless, inspiring a soul, putting a person’s life on a new track because of that, and reforming society from within as a result, cannot happen anywhere else but in churches.

6.

Thus, I am sincerely asking my dear congregation on this meaningful day. I am asking all of you to dedicate all the more to make our church to be sound, healthy, and full of blessing just like the early church in Jerusalem as we read from today’s scripture so that our church will become a lake with clear water.

Starting tomorrow until October 12th, which is the 57th anniversary of our church, we will hold special early Morning Prayer services to pray for our church at both McLean and Manassas Campuses. A bookmark prayer list was distributed to all of you. Please carry the bookmark everywhere and pray. Please attend early morning prayer services if possible. Let us gather together at church and pray for the church and yourselves. It is good to pray alone but it is much better to pray together. I encourage those who can’t make it to early morning services also pray following the bookmark prayer list everyday. Let’s try our best to make our church’s spirituality stronger, deeper and lifted than before.

I’m also asking dear congregation who love Korean United Methodist Church of Greater Washington. Please dedicate all the more to our church. Currently, 10% of dedicated members are serving the rest 90%. A clear majority of members are trying to get all the benefits without committing themselves to any church services, mission work or activities. I’m urging those members. Please be involved in any shape or form in establishing the sound and healthy church. Your faith will grow only if your involvement becomes somewhat burdensome. I hope you upgrade your faith one level up through this opportunity. If you can’t find any ministry to serve, please pray earnestly. There is no bigger dedication than prayer. Please participate more in offering as well. Your offerings will be used to establish a sound church so that more souls can be led to salvation. Please dedicate with your blessings, talents, time and efforts. We need such dedications to make our church as a lake with clear water.

We need more dedicators to the Manassas church community. I hope more members hear God’s calling through the early morning prayer service and volunteer to the Manassas church community. Some of you may think the resident pastor would soon give up due to exhaustion. I’m not waiting for the day of giving up Manassas Campus. Rather, I’m waiting for the day the Manassas church becomes bigger and ministers to mission work a lot more actively and successfully. It is going to happen. Please picture this beautiful future and resolve to dedicate.

Dear congregation who truly love Jesus and love our church, let’s dedicate to building a church that makes you feel good, grateful, and proud in your hearts; a church through which non-believers become believers and believers grow and become disciples of Jesus; a church that walks together on a rough and narrow road standing firmly on top of faith; and a church that shines a bright light of Jesus to the world and its church members work as if they are the salt of the society. Dedication to the church is not a sacrifice. It will bring you overflowing spiritual blessings more than anyone else. It will make our church deliver God’s blessings to others. God will use it for good purposes. I earnestly pray God’s blessings be upon Korean United Methodist Church of Greater Washington and its congregation.