Submission to Authority
This topic has been a lesson I’ve been learning all my life, and its only been the past year or so that I’ve realized just how important it is to God. There have been times I have been under leadership and become so frustrated or impatient with with the way the group was being led. I would feel that I knew the better way and would want to seize control or talk back. God has almost always told me to keep quiet though. Rather than confront in the natural, He has told me to pray for my leaders and keep humble. It can be a tough pill to swallow. The following is an excerpt from a seminar I gave recently… this covers the importance of submitting to authority…
In Numbers 5 there is a section that most people, particularly women, find repulsive. It is the instructions for what a husband is to do if he suspects his wife has committed adultery. The process involves the wife having to drink bitter water that includes a serious curse if she is guilty. Interestingly, there are no instructions for what a wife is to do if she suspects her husband has committed adultery. There is no test for the man, only for the woman. Why is this? Look closer at the chapter… Numbers 5:19 (ESV) says, “Then the priest shall make her take an oath, saying, ‘If no man has lain with you, and if you have not turned aside to uncleanness while you were under your husband’s authority, be free from this water of bitterness that brings the curse.” The basis of the curse is lack of submission to authority. This is why there was no test for the man, because the man is not under his wife’s authority. What God was showing through this test is His seriousness for His people to submit to the authorities He has given them. And God, as a jealous husband, will also have His right to test His people and allow a curse if they go astray from Him.
Numbers 5:28 says, “But if the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, then she shall be free and shall conceive children.” Any fruit born outside of authority is adulterous fruit. It is considered bastardly fruit before God. And just as children born out of wed-lock or born of impure relationships in Biblical times were scorned and rejected, so does God not look with favor to those who try and do ministry outside the authorities He has given them. There is covering under spiritual authorities and there are critical lessons of obedience and humility needed for those under the leadership.
Numbers 5 and the test for adultery also teaches us that if we have a spirit of jealousy or frustration with our disciples or with our authorities, we need to bring it before God in prayer. God wants us to deal with our unhealthy emotions. He will often lead us to either continue to lift up the topic in prayer or in humility confess our struggles with the person. The more we bottle things up, the more prone we will be to explode later on.
If you would like the rest of the notes to the seminar, e-mail me at jm@comequicklyministries.org. God bless!
Swimming With Little Ones
This past week most of my kids were away for conferences or visiting relatives/sponsors, so I went with a few friends from the community church located in my children’s home and took a bunch of the remaining kids (young boys, a couple young girls, and a couple older girls) out for swimming. We had a great time together and I was blessed to get a bunch of the younger kids to swim in deeper water. They were originally terrified of it, but with coaxing and reassuring eventually they each went with me. Some of them clinged to me the first time in the water, but soon they had gained confidence and I was no longer of need. 
Good stuff! Enjoy the pics!
With Eun Ho… just getting out into the deeper water (even with the life vest and tube it was scary at first for the kids to get in and swim around)
Mrs. Lee with three of the young boys… Hyun Bin, Kang, and Jung Ho
Trying to get a pic with two of the older girls Jin Seul and Yoo Jin… Jin Seul was laughing and trying to avoid the camera because of her hair
With Soo Ah after she first got into the deeper water… she was clinging to me then, but later she would be happily swimming and swimming and swimming by herself
With Ji Won… he was the most afraid of the group, but he too eventually got in… I was proud of him!
Another Ji Won pic
Jin Seul and Soo Ah underwater
Jin Hwa
Min Ho (older boy who came to help out) and Eun Ho
With Jung Ho
Yoo Jin and Jin Seul
The kids were worn out by the end of the day… here Eun Ho is fast asleep on the subway
Jung Ho knocked out
God bless!
Hungry
I’ve served at Geon Christian Children’s Home for over three and a half years now. I’ve been there for longer than most of the staff now (many workers have come and gone). My Korean ability has developed to conversational and my relationships with the kids have each grown more with each passing year. There is so much more trust. The first year was super hard simply adjusting. The second year was really hard because I had been in Korea for over a year but I still didn’t feel that close with the kids. The third year was better, but there was still a lot of transition. For this fourth year, I feel I’m reaping the rewards of the years of faithfulness and relationship building with the kids. Even disciplining the kids when they are really tough isn’t as hard as it once was. Its not all easy and there are still areas to work on, but its so much better now than before. I know by most peoples’ standards what I’ve been doing at the home is a life lived worthy for God. There has been some fruit and it will continue to grow.
But most peoples’ standards are not my standards. I see trust and love growing, and for that I rejoice. But I don’t see children giving their lives fully to God. I see inner scars gradually being mended for some, but for others with deeper scars I don’t see as much healing. I see love covering over the scars, but now and then the wound shows and the child has a really rough time. I believe Jesus died and rose again that these children may have life and have it to the full. I’m blessed to be able to love these kids and help them along the way, but I want to see Jesus truly come and break the chains that still bind them. I pray and ask daily for miracles at the home… for salvation, healing, deliverance, and anointing to be released in the home. Dreams of my own and dreams and prophetic words of others have encouraged me to keep claiming this. I’m hungry for so much more. I don’t believe God has sent me to Korea to be content with this. I rejoice and praise God for what has happened, I really do… but I know God wants me to ask and believe for more. I know He wants this of all of us… reveal Your glory Lord!
Habakkuk 3:2 – Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.
Post Soccer Camp Swimming Pool Time
On the last day of the soccer camp, after the final tournament, lunch, and trophy presentation, we treated the kids to some swimming pool time. This was a huge highlight for the kids and I think the volunteers enjoyed cooling off as well. Enjoy the pics!
Tons of boys playing
Joy!
Team Chelsea still in their uniforms
The kids were drawn to the volunteers like bugs are drawn to light
And this would be the result… tossing Kyung Hwan around
Coach Indra with a nice spin slam
Director Larry getting in on the action
Backwards power slam
Coach Atul with good form
Volunteer Jee preferred to hug rather than wrestle… (she is with my boy Seung Hwan)
Ye Rang worn out from the fun
God bless!
Identity #26… I am part of the body of Christ
If we are all children of God, sealed with His Spirit, and belonging to Him, then this means we are in fact one body in Christ. Satan will often attack either our insecurities or our pride and make us think that we are alone. A sheep alone is much easier prey for a wolf. But God makes it clear that no Christian is meant to be alone and that we are all one in Christ. Jesus demonstrated this by making the outcasts (the fishermen, the tax collectors, the zealots) His own disciples and sinners, lepers, and prostitutes His friends. He showed that no matter our personality, our profile, or our past, that in Christ we are accepted and we are called to fellowship together. As every part of the body works together, the body is much more effective. No body part can be effective by itself. By claiming this identity we are stating that we are not alone as Christians and that we truly are accepted and have been made for a purpose. If we feel alone then we are called to seek out Christian fellowship and find the acceptance God promises. If we see other Christians who are alone, we are called to reach out to them and bring them into the body.
If you would like all the other identities, please e-mail me at jm@comequicklyministries.org and I’ll send them to you.
God bless!
Myanmar Mission Pics…
From July 25 – August 1 I was in Myanmar leading a team of 9 from my church. We visited four different cities in the country and held revivals, visited orphanages and day care centers, met with pastors and Bible college students, and prayed for the sick and oppressed. It was a full, powerful week. We definitely prayed it through. I’d be glad to share my testimony from the trip with you if you are interested… e-mail me at jm@comequicklyministries.org. Here are some pictures!
A nice countryside church in Myanmar… one of the poorest and most corrupt countries in the world…
Holding a revival service… there were people standing outside as well… church buildings aren’t that big in Myanmar and this place doubled as the pastor’s home (they clear out the chairs and sleep on the floor).
Yes, I danced in Myanmar… to the song, “If My People Pray” by Avalon
Some of the food we ate… it had a lot of Chinese influence… chicken, seafood, fried rice/fried noodles, etc. Myanmar food was delicious!
We visited the city Mandalay, known for being an center of idolatry. There were Buddhist pagodas EVERYWHERE. Ironically, we passed a Buddhist funeral on our way into town (all those trucks are loaded with people). Foreshadowing, maybe? =)
Praise the Lord!
Praying for little ones at an orphanage… all of them had their hair cut really short because it was rainy season and there are a lot of bugs and such… you learn about this stuff when you do orphanage ministry (and you wonder why my hair is cut so short every summer… its not just because its hot =))
Praying healing for a sick and barren woman… we were able to lead her through prayers of forgiveness for someone she was holding a lot of bitterness against before praying healing for her
Soaking session… no, we are not all sleeping, instead we are resting while listening to some worship music and “soaking” in the Lord… this is good to do now and then and be reminded that its not by works we are saved, but by grace. We prayed a ton during this trip and had to keep on our guard, but its good to slow down now and then. Jesus has good advice in Mark 6:31.
Visiting a day care in the countryside
One of the taxis my team rode… we would fit 9 people in the back while one person rode behind the driver on the bike
Some of my team
This time there really wasn’t room… another team member would have to join me in the back… not the most comfortable ride, but hey, its missions =)
Singing with other day care kids… in Myanmar you cannot talk about Jesus with non-believers or you will be arrested, so many pastors start day care centers and teach the children about Jesus with the hope that the children will be a light to their parents. These kids are almost all from Hindu families. Cute kids…
With some pastors and their wives in Yangon, a city that strictly controls the Christian churches and has shut many of them down. These men and women of God face so much… I was really blessed to have the privilege to pray for them and share with them.
Last, a picture of a child resting on the ground after we prayed for her… though she couldn’t understand our prayers, it was clear that the Spirit was ministering to her… while the picture doesn’t show it well, that is a large tear drop in her right eye… God touched many powerfully in this way during our trip.
God is good!
The following is from the book “Blessing or Curse” by Derek Prince. This aided my Myanmar team greatly as we visited the country for a week. People I know who have visited the country before have come out of it very sick or under spiritual attack. I wanted my team to be strong and protected. We did well and came out of the trip strong. I think many Christians make light of curses, but the word “curse” appears all throughout the Bible. Just like sin, it is something that must be redeemed by the blood (Galatians 3:13). #3 (submission to authority) is critical. I plan to share about that later. Be blessed!
How to be Protected from Curses (Numbers 23-24)
1. The people of Israel were moving in fulfillment of God’s plan for them.
2. They were supernaturally guided, day and night, by a cloud and a pillar of fire. This corresponds to the guidance of the Holy Spirit for New Testament believers (see Romans 8:14).
3. They were a nation under discipline, with God-appointed leaders and God-given laws.
4. Their relationships were carefully ordered according to a divine pattern. This harmonious pattern of relationships was beautifully depicted by Balaam’s own visionary description of them in Numbers 24:5-6: “How lovely are your tents, O Jacob! Your dwellings, O Israel! Like valleys that stretch out, like gardens by the riverside, like aloes planted by the Lord, like cedars beside the waters.” Obviously, this was not a literal picture of Israel, since she was encamped at that time in a desert area.
5. Much of the above was due to the fact that a whole generation of unbelieving and disobedient Israelites had been purged out from among them (see Numbers 26:63-65).
Deuteronomy 23:5 – But the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam; instead the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loved you.
Mini Picture Update
I just got back from Myanmar today after a week long mission trip. The trip was blessed and I’ll likely share some about it on my Wednesday update. For now, here are a few pics from my home that were taken before I left…
Going over English homework with Hyun Hee
Celebrating Dong Min dorm dad’s birthday with his boys
Dal Woo
Eun Suh
Hyun Bin
Ye Rang
Ji Woo getting tossed around by me
Hae Ran
Leaving the home in my car and kids crowding around saying goodbye
God bless!
