Month: September 2012

  • The Revelation of Jesus the Baptist… 

    I was listening to the message “The Baptism of Fire” by Allen Hood recently and one of his points really hit home to me.  He shared how Jesus spoke of John the Baptist as the greatest of those born of women and how John the Baptist was indeed his forerunner.  No one ever thinks of John the Baptist as simply “John” or “John the Prophet.”  He was labeled “John the Baptist” because he started the ministry of baptism of repentace of sins with the Jews, something that would continue into Christian belief.  John’s sole purpose in life was to prepare the people for Jesus.  His purpose wasn’t to save souls or to spread revival or to evangelize to the nations… it was solely to prepare the way of the Lord and ready the people for their Messiah.  Ironically, while we call him John the Baptist more people actually ended up going to Jesus to be baptized than to John once Jesus started his ministry.  Jesus refused to baptize the people though and instead had his disciples do the baptizing of water for repentance.  This was extremely prophetic to the church.  His baptism was to come later.

    John the Baptist spoke of Jesus in the same way in all four Gospel accounts, describing Jesus as one would “baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire.”  If he had given Jesus a title it would have been, ”Jesus the Baptist.”  John was Jesus’ forerunner and demonstrated baptism, but he was clear in speaking to the people that Jesus’ ministry would be far greater.  John’s baptism was of water for the repentance of sins… Jesus’ baptism would be of fire and the Holy Spirit.

    Sadly, “Jesus the Baptist” has been lost in the church.  We all know Him as “Jesus the Shepherd,” “Jesus the Savior, “Jesus Our Friend,” and “Jesus the King of Kings.”  But Jesus’ own forerunner chose to reveal Jesus as a baptizer.  Repentance of sins and water baptism are great, but Jesus had come for so much more.  He had come to baptize us with His fire and His Spirit.  We are meant for so much more than just forgiveness, we are meant for an intimate FIERY relationship with our God!!! 

    So many people try to fight their sin and struggles through earthly means and methodologies.  But what we need more than anything is to be baptized by God’s Spirit and His fire.  It’s not by might nor strength nor by power but by the Spirit of God!  Rather than fighting sin in our flesh, when we are filled with God’s fire our desire and zeal for Him grow far greater than the temptations and distractions of this world.  When we are filled with God’s fire we can’t help but share Him with others… fire spreads!

    Throughout Scripture whenever Jesus revealed Himself in His true being, He was always described as being on fire.  His love and His zeal for us is far greater than anything.  His desire is that we make this our prayer to Him…

    Song of Songs 8:6-7 – Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm, for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding in the grave.  It burns like blazing FIRE, like a mighty flame.  Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away.  If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned.

    Baptize us with Your Spirit and Your fire, Jesus!  Only You can baptize us in this way, and we want Your fiery love to consume our hearts!!!

  • Basketball Tournament Pics and Overcoming Fear

    Today my boys basketball team that I have coached since 2007 won the Seoul children’s home basketball tournament for their first time ever!!!  I was so proud of them!  

    The day started with the children homes girls kickball tournament and our home participated for the first time.  I served as an assistant coach and our girls ended up losing in the first game (to the team that would end up winning the championship).  The girls had played very nervous the whole game and made different mental mistakes.  I was still proud of how well they tried, but they were disappointed after the match and most of them wanted to go home.  A few of them wanted to stay for the basketball tournament though.  Out of all the tournaments I’ve attended, for both soccer and basketball, neither the girls nor anyone else from the children’s home (aside from one dorm dad) had ever attended the tournaments to cheer on the kids.  I encouraged the girls to stick around, and so they agreed to.  They weren’t let down!

    I began to feel very nervous myself for my boys.  We’ve practiced really hard the past few weeks and have had weekly practices this past year.  But for all my boys but one, this was their first time playing in the tournament and some of them only had just a year experience of basketball.  They had developed really well, but they were lacking game experience with fellow peers.  I was nervous we would lose and the kids would still feel not good enough.  And my kids then began to tell me how nervous they felt, and one of my star players kept having to run to the bathroom.  I knew I was being confronted with the same fear as them, and as their coach/guardian I needed to disallow that fear from affecting me.  What the orphan spirit boils down to is a fear of rejection, and its that same fear that made the kids (and in turn me) nervous to lose and to feel not good enough/worthless.  I dealt with the pressure I was feeling and coached my kids as best as I could, encouraging them to relax throughout the games.
    The kids won their first three games and were finally in the championship, about to face our rival children’s home who had beaten us 4 out of the past 5 tournaments and had also beaten us at soccer.  My kids were really nervous again and another one of my best players asked me, “Is it okay if we just lose?”  I could tell he feared losing the game and feeling defeated, and feeling he had let everyone down, especially me.  I told him, “I don’t care whether you win or lose, I just want to see you give your best effort for the whole game to the very end.”  In the past I would have just told kids to have fun and to not care about winning or losing, but in truth if kids live with that feeling then they will fail at life.  The kids really need to know that the most important thing is their full effort (while enjoying it as they go), and as long as they give their full effort the results don’t matter.  
    So during the championship game I kept yelling to my kids, “Play hard until the end!  Play hard until the end!”  They were losing early on and I called a timeout and again encouraged them that all I cared about was that they played hard to the end.  15 minutes remained in the game, so I told them “15 more minutes.  Give me the best you can in 15 minutes, that’s all I want.”  And my kids did just that.  They took control from that point and finished strong, despite the other team giving one last hard effort.  I’m so proud of them!!!
    Enjoy the pictures  =)
    Prepping my boys before a game
    The boys meeting midcourt with the other team at the start
    Girls from the home cheering them on
    With my boys after our first win
    Coaching from the side with Yong Shin
    Yong Shin taking a free throw
    Nice!
    Encouraging Yong Shin after he fouled out of that game due to some tough calls
    Another action shot (we are in blue here)
    Girls cheering
    Friends Mary and Kate also cheering them on
    Sitting with my boys as we watched other games and waited for our next
    Chae Hyun
    Yong Shin
    The boys with Sky and our friends Mary and Kate
    Final score
    With the boys after winning it all (dorm dad too)
    With all the girls who cheered and a couple dorm parents as well =D
    We all went to an amazing meat buffet afterward to celebrate… this pic is of me speaking to the kids and praying for the meal for us
    Soo Jin in front of her feast
    Chae Hyun, Byung Chul, and Soo Hoon
    Blessings!!!  =D

  •  

    Pure Giving

    Today at the children’s home I received a bunch of random little things from my kids, with none of them being connected to the other.  At dinner one of the 2nd grade girls ran to get me a cup of water when she saw I was going to sit at her table.  While eating one of the junior high boys came to me and gave me a drink mix pack he had gotten (random!).  After dinner a boy who had a bad outburst the last time I was at the home came to me and apologized for what he did.  After I gave him a hug he smiled and handed me a small pack of garlic crackers.  Later in the evening while teaching in one of the boys’ rooms, a younger elementary boy slipped into the room and without a word set a piece of gum in front of me before slipping back out.  So random!  And cute.  =)

    Today was definitely an exception.  I don’t usually receive so many things in one visit.  But I do treasure the small things the kids will do for me now and then.  There is a purity in their giving. 

    I did similar things when I was little.  At night now and then, after getting ready for bed, I would go into my parents’ bedroom and pull back their bed covers for them.  And I would put a nickel or a quarter or whatever small change I had onto their lampstands on either sides of their bed.  I don’t know why I did those things looking back, but I know my actions were pure.  My mom still remembers those times well. 

    I want that pure, childlike heart again.  A heart that will do spontaneous things for others based on a simple, pure love… without expecting anything whatsoever in return.  I never expected my parents to say thank you for those little things I did for them, and I know my kids aren’t needing or expecting a thank you from me either when they do little things for me.  That’s how pure the love is… no expectation or entitlement whatsoever… they are satisfied simply in showing the love.  And their love is so beautiful it makes me smile whenever I think about it.  =)

    Bless us with such pure love, Lord!

  •  

    Hopeless Freedom

    Recently I had the privilege to speak with a high ranking army officer who had served in Iraq and in Afghanistan.  He shared about how his heart broke for the kids he would see in both countries who were so poor and unhealthy.  And what hurt him more was that he was told that the poor kids he was seeing were actually the better off, and that there were many poorer and more unhealthy kids in other areas.  It killed him because part of America’s goal in going into both countries was to free the people from oppressive governments/terrorist groups, educate the people, and stabilize the nations.  But despite freeing the people and educating them, they’ve actually found the nations to be even LESS stable than before!  What’s resulted is a hopeless freedom in both nations.  While the oppressive governments in the physical had been dealt with, the oppressive spirits over the nation are still just as active as before. 

    It’s the same for so many justice groups that try and rescue girls who have been sex trafficked.  A majority of the rescued girls, unless they receive deep inner healing and a strong family like support, will return to the sex industry.  The truth is that even though they receive freedom in the natural from the sex industry they are still in bondage spiritually and emotionally from all the trauma they had endured.  And without receiving full deliverance, they too are also living in a hopeless freedom… freedom in the physical but still oppressed in the spiritual.

    You cannot educate the bondage out of people.  You can break the physical chains, but if the spiritual chains remain then they are not truly free.  Education is a good thing, but it isn’t the key for deliverance.  The key is the truth in Jesus.  “Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free,” John 8:32. 

    I’m blessed by so many activists who have hearts for the victims of injustice and desire to make a change.  But unless activists are fighting in both the spiritual and the physical, I’m afraid their efforts will only accomplish so much.  For this reason I really believe that when North Korea opens up many people with beautiful intentions will try and go into the nation to help the people, but in the end most of them will give up because they’ll find they can’t fully set the people free working only in the physical.  It will be when people who are equipped with prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit enter the nation that we will see true healing and change among the people.

    Life is made up of body, soul, and spirit.  Freedom is made up of the physical, the emotional, and the spiritual.  We want to see all three in complete freedom.  Jesus spoke clearly when He said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” John 10:10. 

    God bless!