The reaction of a robber towards Jesus and his result (Lk 23:39-43)

39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!”
40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?

One criminal accused Jesus and rejected Him, but another one feared God after receiving sentence of the cross. He repented that he himself deserved the sentence of the cross.

And he believed that Jesus was right. He believed that Jesus will be the king of the kingdom of God. And he believed the eternal kingdom after death.

It wouldn’t be easy for him to believe in Jesus who was ridiculed and who wore a throne crown on the head and was covered with blood.

Because he believed in Jesus, he received the assurance of “Today you will be with me in paradise.” And now he is there in the paradise.

If we also repent our sins, believe in Jesus as our Savior and the eternal heaven, we can also be in the paradise with Jesus just like the criminal.

Shalom and God bless!

Whose voice will you listen? (Lk 23:13-25)

22 For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.”
23 But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed.

Pilate couldn’t find any fault from Jesus so he wanted to release Him. However, the multitude shouted and asked to crucify Him.

Pilate greatly struggled between the voice of his conscience and the shouting of the public. If there comes a riot, his political position would be threatened.

Pilate who felt the political threat eventually decided to do what the people asked. The voice of the people triumphed.

In our hearts, there are some struggles between God’s word and the voices of the world. Whose voice would you listen to?

Listen to God’s voice and let the voice of the word triumph.

Shalom and God bless!

Pilate and Herod who were enemies became friends. (Lk 23:1-12)

11 Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate.
12 That day Herod and Pilate became friends–before this they had been enemies.

Pilate found no faults from Jesus and got to know that Jesus was from Galilee and send him to King Herod who happened to be in Jerusalem from Galilee.

Herod also couldn’t find any fault from Jesus. But he belittled Jesus, ridiculed him, and clothes him with a shining clothes and sent him to Pilate.

They who were enemies became friends at that day by exchanging Jesus. Because of Jesus, evildoers reconciled with each other and unified.

Because of Jesus who shed blood for sinners, there are people who reconciled and became friends, but there are people who opposed Jesus and reconciled and became friends.

I hope that we consider brothers and sisters preciously like Jesus and become beloved family of heaven.

Shalom and God bless!

Unless you repent, you too will all perish

Lk 13:5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

Several Galileans were murdered by Pilate at the Jerusalem temple. This was a religious issue that hurt Israel people’s pride. (13:1)

And 18 people died because the tower in Siloam fell on them. This could be a big issue in the society. (13:4)

Through that event, Jesus didn’t stir an uprising, but asked people to repent.

If we do not repent, we also might have a man-made incident or natural disaster occur to us and all perish.

However, if we have already repent and are close to God and love God, we can have a true rest in the embrace of God.

In this new year 2019, repent and leave sins and be closer to God. And be the children who give joy to God.

Shalom and God bless!

Possess God’s kingdom!

Luke 12:32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.

33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.

34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Though we want to possess the kingdom on this earth, God wants to give us His eternal kingdom.

That is given to us when we help others with our possessions.

That is like a pocket that never wears out and that is like storing treasures that are never exhausted.

People who put their hearts in heaven store treasures in heaven.

They serve their neighbors who are in pain as a proof that they put their hearts in heaven.

So store your treasures in heaven that would never disappear.

Shalom and God bless!

CHRIST AT THE CENTER

2 Cor. 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

The Mature Characters of Joseph

Mat. 1:18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce he quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his  people from their sins”

The obedience of Mary played a big role in the birth of Jesus, but Joseph also played a big role. When Joseph got to know that Mary was pregnant, he tried to divorce her quietly. Likewise, Joseph had a very caring heart. Before making decisions, he always thought a lot. And he did not sleep with Mary before she gave birth to Jesus. He was a holy person.

God entrusted baby Jesus to such Joseph.

We need to take the example of Joseph who has a caring heart, who does not make rash decisions but decides after careful examination and  who keeps his holiness.

Shalom and God bless us!!!

The Obedience of Mary

Luke 1:30 The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary; God has been gracious to you.
1:31 You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.
1:32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king, as his ancestor David was,
1:33 and he will be the king of the descendants of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end!”
1:34 Mary said to the angel, “I am a virgin. How, then, can this be?”
1:35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and God’s power will rest upon you. For this reason the holy child will be called the Son of God.
1:36 Remember your relative Elizabeth. It is said that she cannot have children, but she herself is now six months pregnant, even though she is very old.
1:37 For there is nothing that God cannot do.”
1:38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” said Mary; “may it happen to me as you have said.” And the angel left her

The birth of a savior was God’s plan that nobody expected. To receive the punishment of sins of all sinners, he must be born as human. Because he needed to be born sinlessly, he was born of the Spirit not through the man and woman relationship.

When an angel told Mary that she would give birth to a son, she was confused but the angel told her that nothing is impossible with God. Mary believed it and obeyed. She called herself as a servent.

Through obedient Mary, finally the way through which great savior comes was opened. Either small or big, God’s will would achieve through obedience. To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. (1 Sam 15:22)

Shalom & God Bless!!!

Meeting

Acts 16:1 He came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek. 2 The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him.

There are several characteristics of Paul’s 2nd mission trip.

1.  He got to meet several good coworkers.

2. He stayed in some important cities and did his ministry.

3. The gospel went into Europe.

4. He started to write letters.

Meeting good coworkers is very important because the future of a mission depends on whom we meet and who we are with. Paul met faithful and well-praised Timothy. He was a mixed-blood and had some worldly weaknesses, but was a well-praised person in the large area of Lystra and Iconium.

Likewise, I hope that we would first become a person whom people well speak of and meet people who receive compliments from people so that through our lives and ministry, the name of the Lord will be glorified and God’s kingdom will be expanded. Shalom