new hope hollywood

Thinking about Death

2010-09-05T16:55:00.000-07:00

Today, I want to discuss with you the topic of death.   Ironically, death is the most democratic event of life.   It comes to all of us.   I’m going to wear the hat of a prophet and say a prophecy that is going to be 100% accurate: “100 years from now, you will be dead”.   There is a saying that “Nothing is certain but death and taxes”, but actually death is more certain, as taxes can be minimized and/or be avoided altogether.   While billions of dollars are used every year to minimize and avoid taxes by wealthy people and crooks respectively, there is no amount of money or influence that you can use to avoid death.   So if death is such an unavoidable event, ought not each one of us to stop for a moment to consider this event, and what can and will happen after it?

A friend of mine shared with me the other day that he was scared about the thought of death.   He is a Christian, young, healthy, with a promising life.   This made me think that while most of us look jolly and cool on the outside, all of us deep inside have questions about death and the after-life, including myself.

For Christians, the Bible, this book that we supposedly stake our faiths and lives on, presents on one side, a very optimistic outlook on death and, on the other side of non-acceptance of the message, a very pessimistic perspective of death.

So let us examine briefly some of these views:

Death is an escape / hope - For many of the slaves that suffered bondage while slavery was legal in the US and other parts of the world, the only hope that they could have was that when life in this world was over, God would take them to heaven and their tears would be wiped out, and God would reward them and compensate them for all the troubles they endured.   Similarly, early Christians who were persecuted and tortured, looked forward to death because it provided the hope and escape from the agony and suffering they were going through in the hand of their tormentors.   It was out of these difficult times, for example, that great African-American spirituals erupted like “Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King... No more crying there, we are going to see the King... No more dying there, we are going to see the King”.   So are you going through some very tough times?   Are you going through suffering and pain that is difficult to endure?   I want to encourage you by saying that it is all temporary. In the continuum of eternity, our lives here on earth are but a blip, and that immense difficulty that you are going through is a tiny portion of that blip.   You are going to go through it... you are going to make it... and when it’s all said and done, you will be on the other side, anyways, where God promises in Revelation 21:4 that “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever."

Death is a move - I remember that when I was a kid, 10 years old, my parents bought this very nice apartment house, in the center of the city, with an amazing view of the ocean and the harbor.   I was going to get my own room, finally, and I just couldn’t wait for the move.   But we had to wait until the house was finished with all its details, until all the furniture was brought in, and on top of that, my parents wanted a servant of God (a guest speaker for a revival at our church) to be the first one to stay in our house by himself as an honored guest - I just couldn’t wait until that man of God left the house!    As Jesus was getting ready to part with his disciples he said: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." (John 14:1-4).   There is a song by the great late Christian artist and evangelist, Keith Green, where he goes: “You know, I look around at the world and I see all the beauty that God made. I see the forest and the trees and all the things. And says in the Bible that He made them is six days and I don't know if they're a literal six days or not. Scientists would say no, some theologians would say yes. But I know that Jesus Christ has been preparing a home for me and for some of you, for two thousand years. And if the world took six days and that home two thousand years, hey man, this is like living in a garbage can compared to what's going on up there.”   So let’s get ready for the move.

Death is a victory event - for thousands of years, throughout human history, the devil and death had almost a free pass, and to an extent, the devil keeps attacking and taking souls to hell, by the millions, every day.   The thing is that hell was created really for the devil and his angels alone (Matthew 25:41), but he wants to take as many humans as he can, to torture there, and to co-exist and participate in the eternal suffering and punishment. But into the picture came the Son of God, to take the sin of the world, yours and mine, to take our place on the cross, to redeem us from hell and to buy our ticket to heaven.   And all it takes is for us to surrender to Him and receive the ticket by faith.   So death is a victory because a person that was supposed to fall in hell, Jesus rescues and instead takes with Him to heaven: “"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 15:55-57). No wonder why many Christian funerals turn into celebration events, where people rejoice on behalf of the brother or sister gone ahead, and instead are used to bring people to Christ.

Death is a graduation - As I have shared a few times with you, now close to 2 years ago, my 6 month old niece went to be with the Lord while she was peacefully asleep in my parents’ house in New York.   While many words were used to comfort the parents, my brother and his wife, I think that the ones that most consoled them were those from my pastor in New York, who said that Rachel (my niece) had graduated early and was already busy at work in heaven.   God took her first because she needed her for more important duties in heaven.    Some people think that when we get to heaven it’s going to be super-boring: all eternity doing nothing (yawn~)... but the Bible says for sure that we are going to be worshipping and serving Him (Revelation 22:3).   I don’t know about you but worshipping and serving him takes a lot of work and it is lots of fun, especially when you are doing it together with goofy brothers like Jason and William.    Ask the people who prepared for the last retreat how much fun it was to work together, worship Him together and serve Him and each other together.   Well, heaven is going to be like that and we cannot really imagine with our limited minds how great it will be. “"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Cor. 2:9). It’s like a baby, in her mother’s womb, that cannot fathom at all how life outside mommy’s belly will be like.   How can we, with our limited minds and imperfect vision, imagine the full extent of heaven’s excitement?   We only can trust that it will be awesome!

Death is gain - One of the most famous sayings by the Apostle Paul is: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Phil. 1:21)... He went on to say “If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.” (Phil 1:22-23)   i.e. he was saying, if I remain in this earth, that means fruitful ministry for Christ and more souls will go to heaven, but I am so in love with Jesus, I am so consumed by the wonders of heaven and God’s presence, that I can’t wait to go there.   I so wish that I could gain the eternal perspective that Paul had some day.   Meanwhile, I am still consumed by the temporary materialism of this world, fascinated by the illusive excitement of this earth and deceived by the glitz and drama of our vain lives.    I want to be like Paul some day, so help me God.

In closing, I want to share one of the most famous quotes in modern Christian history, penned by a young missionary in his twenties that went with his 4 passionate friends to an unreached tribe in Ecuador, and were killed by the tribesmen they were trying to reach. His name was Jim Elliot and before he went to be with the Lord, at age 28, he wrote these words that now echo in eternity:   “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose”.    The life that we have we cannot keep, no matter how hard we try to maintain control over it. So Jim Elliot is encouraging us to give it to God anyways, because when we do, we will gain an eternal destiny that we will never lose.

EQUALLY AMAZING

2010-08-30T02:25:00.000-07:00

LISTEN TO THE WORDS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BE_qq3CvFc&feature=channel

SIMPLY AMAZING... WATCH ITTTTT

2010-08-30T02:03:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqfU3OFNZA0

God's Chisel

2010-08-27T15:36:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRzltLYy9xk&feature=player_embedded

Live Service

2010-07-04T10:57:00.001-07:00

Free Webcam Chat at Ustream

KENYA MISSIONS

2010-06-28T01:51:00.000-07:00

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" - 1 John 3:1

Dear brothers and sisters,

I thank you and the church for all of the support I have received the past few weeks as I prepare for Kenya. I am truly blessed and encouraged by each and everyone at New Hope. Please keep me in your prayers!

As I am preparing to leave tomorrow, I am nervous and excited at the same time. I don't know what to expect and I don't think it's hit me yet that I'm going to AFRICA!??!!? SOOOO CRAZZYYY!!

I've been also getting a lot of compliments lately on the fact that I'm giving up a bit of my Summer for missions in Kenya. I am not being modest when I say that it is nothing amazing that I'm doing something like this. I'm doing missions overseas in Kenya. You do missions here at home, at school, at work, etc. You support missionaries so that they can go on missions. What I'm trying to say is that we are all partners with the mutual vision of sharing the Gospel and giving all glory to God. Praise God.

The biggest prayer that you can pray for our team is that we show CHRIST-LIKE LOVE to the people of Kenya. "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers... let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1John 3:16-18

It's gonna be an adventure and lots of fun. Thank you!

- Peter

P.S. Check out our MESAHI webpage http://uclamesahi.weebly.com/videos.html

and watch our cool video that we didn't get to watch at service today.

Training for winning

2010-06-14T23:19:00.000-07:00

outline/notes:

video:

Live Service

2010-06-13T10:56:00.000-07:00

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Entering the Promised Land

2010-06-07T01:53:00.000-07:00

Joshua 1:1-9

EXODUS, THE DESERT AND THE PROMISED LAND – The Classic View vs. the Modern View.

Many Bible teachers use the story of the Israelites leaving Egypt, journeying through the desert for forty years and entering the Promised Land as an illustration or allegory of our journey of faith. i.e. We were enslaved by the devil and in sin, but we were rescued and led out of our slavery in sin by our Savior and Lord Jesus. And in this life, we toil and go through many hardships, like the Israelites in the desert, until we will one day enter the Promised Land of heaven. This is a fine illustration, especially for those of us who have the hope of heaven. However, another perspective and outlook that modern Christians take of this storyline and how it is applied to our lives is to think of the Promised Land as a state of blessing and victory that we can enter into. After all, Jesus urges us to pray “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. So Jesus encourages us to enjoy some of heaven here on earth.

Yes, we have been freed and delivered from the shackles of sin, and we have gone through a purification process in the desert, but now is time to enter the Promised Land and seize the victory, the blessings, the fulfillment of the vision and purpose that God has in store for us. God wants you to enter the Promised Land. God wants you to have victory and to live a life of success and blessing, so that you can become a positive impact and agent of change in this world. So that your talents and gifts can be used to serve humanity and to bring many people to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

So let us study today the beginning of Joshua 1, which is the threshold of when the Israelites enter the Promised Land. Their former leader, Moses, is dead and now God calls Joshua to lead the new generation of Israelites into the Promised Land:

¹ After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: ² "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. ³ I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. ⁴ Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea on the west. ⁵ No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

⁶ "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. ⁷ Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. ⁸ Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

1. RECEIVE THE VISION FROM GOD

Like He did when he called Abraham or like when he called Moses, his predecessor, Moses, God gives a vision to Joshua.

"Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. ³ I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. ⁴ Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea on the west.

The Bible says that without vision, the people perish (Prov 29:18 KJV). Without vision, we are like blind people wandering around. But even blind people, if they have a clear vision, purpose, goal, destiny can accomplish much, such as Hellen Keller and Stevie Wonder http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/famous-blind.shtml . If you don’t have a vision for your life, as God to show you one. Usually vision is shaped through your desires, and your natural gifts and talents. Also, the vision that God gives is not a selfish one, i.e. designed to make YOU rich and famous. The vision that God gives is usually one of service to others. E.g. to be a Doctor to heal many people, to be a public servant who serves the city, state, country; to be a musician that encourages and inspires others, to be a preacher who brings many to the Lord, to be a lawyer that advocates for the poor and those that don’t have a voice, etc. Ask God to show you the vision.

2. BE STRONG

Being strong implies that your are prepared and trained. Being strong means that you are ready to take action and that you take action indeed. So how can we become strong biblically:

· Isaiah 40:31 tells us that “those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” So we need to wait on the Lord

· Ephesians 6:10-16 urges us to “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

Waiting upon the Lord and putting on the whole armor of God is done through prayer, by establishing an always “online” communication with God. The Bible exhorts us to “pray without ceasing” 1 Thes. 5:17. We ought to be connected to God like we breathe constantly non-stop.

3. BE COURAGEOUS

Courage is not the absence of fear but the ability to stand and push forward in the midst of our fears. Let us overcome the fears that forbid us from going forward to the Promised Land.

The Israelites were scared of the giants who lived in the Promised Land. We might be scared also of the giants ahead of us: the fear of failure, the fear of financial insecurity, the fear of temptations and the fear of ridicule from other people.

But we can overcome our fears and be courageous knowing that God is WITH us (Joshua 1:9), God is FOR us (Romans 8:31) and God is IN us (1 Cor. 3:16; 1 John 4:4). In a way, Courage is simply FAITH, simply believing that God is WITH, FOR and IN me, that I can do all things in Him and that I can conquer any giants ahead of me and my Promised Land

4. BE CAREFUL TO OBEY GOD’S WORD

Being careful means being intentional and meticulous – not passive and mediocre/ ”whatever”/ indifferent about the Word.

Therefore, we need to intentionally, purposefully plan time to go and be in the word. To Hear the Word, to Read the Word, to Study the Word, to Meditate on the Word and to Memorize the Word.

Because the Word will give you wisdom, ideas, vision, direction, hope, purification and cleansing, strength, courage and faith.

As we follow these directions: 1) Receive the vision, 2) Be strong, 3) Be Courageous and 4) Be careful to obey God’s Word, we will be able to enter and conquer our respective Promised Lands to serve the people and give God the Glory! Amen.

Resetting Your Life

2010-05-17T22:51:00.000-07:00

Here's the outline:

“Whenever anyone puts their total trust in Christ, they become a
completely new person. They aren’t the same anymore. The old way of
living disappears. They get a fresh start and a brand new life!”
2 Cor. 5:17

Sometimes I am playing a game on my phone, for example Tetris, and I mess up so badly... I let the pieces pile up without completing a single row. It maybe that I lost focus momentarily, or that I slacked off, or that I made some wrong decisions, or that the pieces were coming all together too fast for me too handle. In any case, sometimes when that happens, I become so overwhelmed and hopeless, that I just say, it's not worth playing any more, and before the screen says game over, I turn the game off and reset the game to start all over from the beginning and try again.

Sometimes I wish I could do that in life. I lose focus. I slack off. I made wrong decisions. I went the wrong way. Too many responsibilities and demands all come toward me at the same time. And I feel like I am a loser in the game of life. I wish I could just reset the game. Start from the beginning. Get a fresh start. Start a new life.

I would like us to look at the lives of 3 people in the Bible who lost their focus, who slacked off, who messed up quite badly, who went the wrong way, who made some wrong decisions. And through their lives, let us look at some ways we can learn from them how to reset our lives through the redeeming love of our God.

David - Repentance

(Story in 1 Samuel 11-12) After many years struggling, being hunted by King Saul (dead or alive), David eventually ascends to the throne of the Kingdom of Israel, and becomes one of the most powerful kings in the world at the time. In the midst of his royal glory, David loses his focus, slacks off, and one day, when he should have been out in the battle fighting, instead he's strolling the roof of his palace and spots a naked woman taking a bath. He covets her and has her brought her in, in spite of being warned that she is married to one of his faithful soldiers. He commits adultery with her and she ends up pregnant with his baby. He tries to cover his sin up, first by trying to have the husband soldier come home and sleep with her, but honorably, the soldier refuses to go home when his other fellow soldiers are sleeping out cold in the tents. Eventually, David has the solider, Uriah, killed in the battle, by having him placed in the frontline, where most soldiers are assured to die. God is not pleased and has a prophet, Nathan, come to rebuke David. Curiously, Nathan first tells David a story about a poor man who had only one little lamb he loved dearly, and how a rich man next door, who had plenty of cattle, when he had a guest, came to the poor man's house, stole the poor man's lamb and cooked it as a meal for the guest. David became furious at hearing this abuse and was starting to outline the punishment that this evil rich man deserved, including death, when Nathan tells him "You are the man!". You see... no sin is hidden before God. God can see and knows everything. We are fools in thinking we are fooling God. As soon as David hears these rebuking words, he kneels before the Lord and cries out "I have sinned against the Lord!" He did not try covering it up further or finding lame excuses like saying "I did not have sex with that woman" or "she made me do it... she tempted me". He accepted his sinfulness and that he had committed the sin. Repentance means to make a u-turn. To say, I'm not going to go this way any more, to turn around and go the other way, God's way. And out of this repentance came this famous prayer we all love:
Psalm 51 (Excerpt)
For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.

4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak
and justified when you judge.

9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

17 The sacrifices of God are [c] a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.

God accepts this beautiful repentance of David and still, in spite of his horrendous sins (adultery, murder and robbery), settles him as the greatest King of Israel and through his lineage comes the Messiah, the Savior of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Peter - Forgiveness & Vision
Peter was the head disciple of Jesus. He was one of the favorites, if not the favorite. Jesus told him that upon him, he would build the church (Mat 16:18). When Jesus says that he is going to die and that Peter is going to deny him, Peter boldly tells Jesus ""Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!" Matthew 26:35). A few moments later, we see Peter vehemently denying Jesus, three times, even cursing while at it. The Bible says that "And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” 62 So Peter went out and wept bitterly." (Luke 22:61-62). Many people think that when the Lord looked at Peter, he looked at him with condemning eyes, sort of saying: "see, Peter, you betrayer, I told you so"... but I rather think and believe that the Lord's eyes were those of compassion and mercy... "Peter, I told you in advance so you know I know you are weak, but that's ok, I'm dying on Calvary for you, for your sins, for your weaknesses and failures". I believe he was thinking what the apostle Paul would later write: "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:1). Later, after He resurrected, Jesus would come individually to Peter, to both confirm and affirm His total forgiveness and vision. This would be the interaction:

John 21
15 After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.”

“Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.

16 Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

“Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.”

“Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.

17 A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.

Jesus was confirming his forgiveness 3 times for the 3 times Peter had denied him... i.e. for every sin we commit, Christ is willing to and will forgive us each time. And Jesus was reminding him and confirming the vision. Peter, remember, I said upon this rock I will build this church. Don't forget the vision. Don't get stuck in the rut of guilt and shame. Remember the vision and get busy. Go feed my lambs, take care of my sheep. Feed my sheep, Peter! Peter went on to become the Great Father and pillar of the early church, and indeed he ended up dying for Jesus, as he had earlier promised Jesus (upside down though, for he did not consider himself worthy enough to die the same way as his Master).

Moses - Empowerment

(Exodus 1-3) Moses grew up as a Prince of Egypt, but eventually realized that he was a privileged Jew living among the Egyptian slave masters. He thought that he would be the Jewish hero that could save the millions of his people under slavery. So he took matters into his own hands, and when he saw one of the Jewish slaves abused by an Egyptian slave driver, he slayed the Egyptian and buried him. Soon, word got around and Pharaoh put a search warrant to find him and have him killed. So Moses ran away and lived the life of a fugitive for 40 years in the land of Midian. It's while he is living life in Midian as an outcast, fugitive, that God shows up and tells Moses to go to Egypt to rescue His people, but this time with God and His power:

Exodus 3
7 Then the Lord told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live. 9 Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. 10 Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.”

11 But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”

12 God answered, “I will be with you. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.”

Moses felt inadequate, beat up and beat down by his failures and bad decisions, trapped in the guilt and shame of the past, but God was hitting the reset button in his life and was telling him that He was sending him and that He was going to be with him. When God hits the reset button in your life, he empowers you with His Presence, with His Spirit. Moses goes on to become the greatest leader of Israel taking over 2 million Israelites out of Egyptian bondage into the front door of the Promised Land.

You see life is like a game of Tetris. And God gives you many times and chances at failure. But the important thing is that you learn from those mistakes, that you repent and decide not to make those mistakes again, and that you RESET and restart again clean, FORGIVEN (by God), with a new determination, a new vision and a new empowerment. Don't give up on the game of life, just because all the pieces don't fit in together the first time or the second time you play. In addition, you can ask and invite the Spirit of God to come in you and to guide you through life into victory. In Korea, there are professional leagues of video games like Starcraft. These guys master the games in such a way that they can beat any amateur, literally, with their eyes closed. A few years ago, I was watching a professional starcraft gaming competition on TV with my friend, who loves this game. My friend, who is sort of a pretty good amateur player of the game, once told me... "Wow, I wish I had the Spirit of that professional player. Then, I would do well and beat all my opponents". Well, the good news is that in this tough game of life, you CAN have the Spirit of the SuperPro in the game of life. He overcame sin and death, and He promises to be with us and even in us.

"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:16)
"You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." (1 John 4:4)

So remember:
“Whenever anyone puts their total trust in Christ, they become a
completely new person. They aren’t the same anymore. The old way of
living disappears. They get a fresh start and a brand new life!”
2 Cor. 5:17

RESET!

2010-05-09T17:25:00.000-07:00

One Thing You Can’t Do In Heaven: by Mark Cahill

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

Let’s think about it. 300 hundred million years from now what do you think will really matter? Will it be the money you made in your short lifetime? Will it be that you were married and raised your children well and sent them off to good a college? Will it be that the Lakers, I mean the Cleveland Cavaliers, became NBA champions in 2010?

300 hundred million years from now, the only thing that will matter – that is if you believe in Christ Jesus to be our savior and was resurrected – the only thing that will really matter is who is in Heaven and who is in Hell; Who is with God the Father forever in eternity, which is our greatest desire as Christians, and who is forever separated from Him. If that’s the only thing that will matter then, it should be one of our greatest concerns right now.

The Son of Man came to save that which was lost, Matt 18:11. Saving Souls was of utmost importance to Jesus, so shouldn’t it be a major priority for us as his followers? The first thing Jesus says to his disciples in the Gospel of Matthew is “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men. The very last thing Jesus says to his followers is the Great Commission which we read in the beginning “Go and make disciples of all nations…” Jesus Christ began and ended his ministry on Earth with the purpose of not only saving the lost but to RAISE DISCIPLES who would be the salt and light of the world and REDEEM ALL THINGS and PEOPLE FOR our LORD JESUS CHRIST.

As Christians, as the church, as the BODY OF CHRIST, are we being obedient to God’s calling to us to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to save those who are lost? Or are we content with just coming to church on Sundays? Are we too busy watching the Lakers game or too engulfed with homework and school or too consumed with the internet to even care?

Most of us here are saved, born-again Christians. But what does that mean? What does the Gospel mean to you? Understanding the Gospel is only such a small part of the Gospel. Living the Gospel with the entirety of our lives is a part of the Gospel which we, and I personally, often neglect.

I think the Gospel can be conveyed and shared in two ways:

- Through Evangelism: Actively sharing the Gospel to your non-christian friends to strangers and ministering to them. This means using Words and Talking to people and Telling them about our Lord Jesus Christ. To tell them Romans 5: 6-8. “You see at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will someone die for a righteous man, though for a Good man one might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were yet sinners Christ died for us.”

o 1Peter 3:15-16 says: But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

§ Are you prepared to give an answer if someone asks you about Christ? Would you not know the words to say? Or would you be too ashamed to share your faith? I know many people today are too ashamed to proclaim the gospel on their campuses or at their workplaces. Maybe for good reason too, I know some workplaces do not allow their employees to share their religion. But in Matthew 10:32 Jesus says: whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.” Think about that. Jesus, Lord or Lords will acknowledge YOU before God the Father in heaven. HOW AMAZING IS THAT? Will that be you? Or will he be disowning you in heaven? And how sad would that be?

- The second way we can convey the Gospel is through the entirety of our Lives: Do our Lives reflect the Gospel? Without uttering or saying any words and only through our actions, can people see that we have Christ living within us? We don’t even have to speak a word about God and people would realize that we are Christians. One of my closest friends at school Jon, told me about a person on his floor that he only met a couple of times his sophomore year. But on those couple of occasions Jon was always reading the bible or caught holding the bible. This person that he barely knew calls Jon 2 years later and asks him about Jesus Christ. How amazing is that? Do we live our lives that scream out “JESUS CHRIST LIVES” or are we living lives that scream out “I AM OF THIS WORLD.” If an alien were to look at how you lived in a 24 hour day, besides Sunday, do you think the alien would even notice that you were a Christian? Maybe the alien would think that you were a good student, you were a good employee, or maybe that you were good at a certain video game. But would he see that you were a Christian? Do you think the alien could POSSIBLY deduce that you were a Christian by seeing in the 24 hours of your day you spent a couple of minutes to pray before you eat or slept? Maybe?

- OUR LIVES are a MEDIUM for sharing the Gospel. This is exactly because Jesus Christ used his life as the medium to bring salvation to those who were lost. And we look to Jesus Christ as the ultimate model for how we should live our lives. Jesus Christ, who shared in our Humanity, lived his life as a man tempted with sin, yet lived the perfect, sinless life. THAT is the life that we should have lived and Christ’s death on the Cross is the death that we should have died.

- Understand that Christ is our INTERCESSOR who intercedes On OUR BEHALF. Romans 8:84 says this: “Christ Jesus, who died- more than that, who was raised to life- is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” If you didn’t know the word intercede in Merriam-Webster Dictionary means to intervene between two parties with an emphasis on reconciliation. Yes our Lord Jesus Christ interceded on OUR BEHALF so that God’s wrath would be taken upon Himself and not on us so that we could be reconciled to God the Father. In the same way, we as Christians need to be reconcilers, Intercessors for people who are lost, following the footsteps of Christ. How will those in Africa know of God, if we, Christians, are not there to intercede on their behalf and reconcile them with Him?

And we should be living our lives in not just one way but both ways: Through evangelism and using our own lives as a way to share the Gospel.

It’s definitely a struggle to be bold enough to share the Gospel. Maybe we think we’re too shy or not eloquent with words. Let these words from Apostle Paul be an exhortation to you “ When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom but on God’s power.” 1 cor. 2:1-5. And apostle Paul was one of the greatest evangelicals to ever live, converting hundreds of thousands of un-believers to Christ. Yet he says he was not eloquent with words and came with much trembling. Truly, God uses the weak to lead the strong. So don’t be afraid to speak forth the name of Jesus Christ, because it will not be through your own wisdom or understanding but God’s power and the Holy Spirit working within you.

And is it really necessary that I, myself go on some overseas missions? It really isn’t possible with my full time job and summer school, you might say. But I tell you missions doesn’t have to be overseas, it could be at your home, school, workplace, local supermarket, or on the streets. There’s enough people who haven’t heard of Jesus Christ in our own neighborhoods let alone third world countries. Get to work!

Or you might think, missions and evangelism is only for missionaries. But Jesus Christ says “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” There need to be more workers for the kingdom of God to help collect the harvest. The great commission wasn’t a passive statement “maybe you guys should go out and make disciples,” No, it was a command, Jesus says “GO. GO MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS.” The key word is GO.

And really, it’s not something that one can do just overnight, to begin preaching or evangelizing to the multitudes or to have a heart to do short or long term missions. But it starts small. It starts by you reading scripture and knowing it. And prayer. And then maybe ministering to a non-christian friend. Then to evangelizing at your schools. But it all begins with prayer.

And I myself may be a Pharisee when I say these things. It’s really hard to evangelize on campus sometimes because I’m so busy, but usually its because I forget. And my life may not necessarily be glowing with the Gospel. That alien might think that I’m anything but a Christian. But the words that I speak really do burn within my heart. I want my heart to break for what breaks God’s heart: the Lost souls. That is why I’m going to Kenya this Summer for Medical Missions after being so lazy all those other Summers. I am going to make my best effort to try to be obedient to the Great Commission.

And here’s something to look forward to. 2 cor. 5:10 says “ we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” We all know it as Christians: there’s going to be the Last Judgment when we stand before the throne of Heaven and account for our physical lives on earth before God. Will we be able to say to God that we were able to boldly proclaim our faith to unbelievers and live a life of worship to Him? Or will we say before the Almighty God “I lived a comfortable life and I made lots of money and had a nice collection of sports cars.” Do you imagine God to pat you on the head and say “you were a faithful servant! You did a great job collecting so many riches! I really liked your red car.”

All jokes aside, before our Holy God I really do want to say, without lying, that I was a faithful servant.

I just want to end with a story of a man named John Harper who was on the Titanic. When the Titanic sunk, John Harper gave up his life jacket and began to evangelize to the people drowning.
When the Titanic began to sink, more than 1,500 passengers jumped or fell into the icy waters. As they gradually drowned or froze to death, Harper was seen swimming from one passenger to another, pleading with them to accept Christ.

Only six of the 1,500 people struggling in the water were later rescued, including a man who later identified himself as Harper's last convert. This young man had climbed up on a piece of debris. Harper, who was struggling in the water near him, shouted out, "Are you saved?" "No," the man replied. Harper then shouted the words from Scripture: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." The man did not answer, and a moment later he drifted away on the waves.

A few minutes later, the current brought the two men back together. Again Harper asked, "Are you saved?" Once again, the answer was "no." With his dying breath, Harper shouted, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." He then slipped under the waves for the last time. Then and there the man accepted Christ Jesus.

What you do now in this physical body really does matter and it echoes throughout eternity. You may never see the fruit of the work you are doing for Christ, just like John Harper. But surely you will when you get to heaven.

One more thing. Just like John Harper demonstrated, there is an URGENCY for sharing the Gospel. To think that John Harper spent his dying breath to talk about Jesus to another. He could've used those moments to say some last minute things to his wife and daughter. No, but this man, he understood that there was an URGENCY for people to know Christ. Do you feel that same urgency?

Let’s live lives that are a bold testimony that Jesus Christ is alive.

And you have probably already figured it out by now. But if you haven’t what is the one thing that we can’t do in heaven? It is evangelism, missions, SPREADING THE GOSPEL, and bringing more people to Christ, because by then everything would have already been decided.

A CALL TO ANGUISH- David Wilkerson

2010-04-12T16:21:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGMG_PVaJoI

Best Sermon Ever Preached - VI (by Jesus)

2010-04-11T21:38:00.000-07:00

Here's the John Piper video shared today during the worship:

Here are the notes of today's message (unfortunately, the video/audio did not work today):
Best Sermon Ever Preached VI

No Resurrection - No Christianity

2010-04-05T11:10:00.000-07:00

Here are the notes from Easter Sunday's service:
4-4-10Resurrection

Here's the video:

Easter Sunday Live

2010-04-04T10:45:00.001-07:00

Free TV Show from Ustream

FIFTY REASONS WHY JESUS CAME TO DIE

2010-03-31T01:42:00.000-07:00

I know we just had a sermon on this. But to be honest, we only covered a small part of why Jesus came to die for us sinners (obviously we didn't have enough time to go over them all). So if you have the time (and I know you do) read this FREE ONLINE E BOOK by John Piper of the 50 Reasons why Jesus came to Die.

It makes you think. Was the sole, primary passion of Christ really US? The song that we sing from time to time by Michael W. Smith, Above All, the lyrics are:

Crucified laid behind a stone
You lived to die rejected and alone
Like a rose trampled on the ground
You took the fall and thought of me
Above all

Really? Did Christ really think of us above the Father in his dying thoughts? Because of God's love for us Christ came to redeem sinners like us, but his primary passion was to fulfill the will of the Father and to bring glory to God.

So who crucified Jesus? Not the Jews, not us, but God did. Read the EBook, I think you'll get a lot out of it.

The Greatest Sermon Ever Preached - III

2010-03-14T03:10:00.000-07:00

Here are the notes (sorry, no video this week - the audio was not captured, unfortunately):
Greatest Sermon Ever Preached III

Resources

2010-03-13T03:09:00.000-08:00

Hello!

If you are hungry for more Jesus check out www.desiringgod.org

Boasting only in the cross:

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/ConferenceMessages/ByDate/2000/1483_Boasting_Only_in_the_Cross/

Don't Shut Up

2010-02-28T21:57:00.000-08:00

Here's the video of the message (we finally figured out the audio):

Here is the outline:

2-28-10 Don't Shut Up

The Greatest Sermon Ever Preached - II

2010-02-21T23:30:00.000-08:00

Here's the outline for today:

2-21-10TheGreatestSermonEverPreached

And, here's the video (again, sorry, for the bad sound quality/static).

The Greatest Sermon Ever Preached (by Jesus)

2010-02-14T23:06:00.001-08:00

here is the message outline:
2-14-10TheGreatestSermonEverPreached

and here's the video of the message (sorry for the static - we are working on improving the quality of the sound):

2-14-10 Live Service

2010-02-14T10:52:00.001-08:00

Live video by Ustream

Letter on behalf of Onesimus

2010-02-07T19:44:00.000-08:00

Message based on the letter to Philemon, by Paul.

Philemon is a curious book in the Bible. It's a one-chapter personal letter from Paul, tucked in the Bible, among the letters he sent to the churches he founded and church leaders (e.g. Timothy, Titus). It's a book you would miss unless you read the one-year Bible or hear it mentioned at church.

Paul wrote this letter while in a Roman prison and Philemon was a wealthy man in the city of Colosse (city in south Turkey), who had become a Christian through the ministry of Paul. Onesimus, on behalf of whom he is writing the letter, was a slave of Philemon, but he had become dissatisfied with the life of a slave, and had run away from Philemon's house, having stolen some of the latter's wealth.

While a fugitive slave, he was caught, probably because slaves back then had a mark that showed they were slaves.   Serendipitously, by God's sovereign plan, he ends up in the same prison as Paul. Paul takes Onesimus under his wings and grooms his as his spiritual son. But while Paul benefits much from having Onesimus next to him, Paul is concerned about reconciling the relationship of Onesimus and Philemon.   And this is the letter that he writes and sends along with Onesimus to try restore the relationship.

Book of Philemon (New International Version)

1Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,

To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker, 2to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier and to the church that meets in your home:
3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, 5because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. 6I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. 7Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.

8Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, 9yet I appeal to you on the basis of love. I then, as Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus— 10I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. 11Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.

12I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you. 13I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. 14But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do will be spontaneous and not forced. 15Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for good— 16no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.

17So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. 19I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self. 20I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. 21Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.

22And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers.

23Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. 24And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers.

25The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

(this is the message that was preached at New Hope Hollywood 2/7/2010 - sorry about the sound quality / a little be a static)

And, here are the 5 principles that we can learn from this Letter to Philemon, on behalf of Onesimus:

1.    Spiritual Debt is greater than any earthly debt – My childhood missionary/pastor, Roy Nylin (a man of Swedish background, who grew up in Connecticut and went to Bible School in Missouri) – he brought the gospel to the Canary Islands of Spain. My mom started going to church there and he planted the gospel message in my heart with his puppet sermons. He would later help establish the first Korean church in Spain in which I grew up.   He would also write the recommendation letter for me to come to college to the US.   I later invited him to my wedding, took him to a Broadway show as an appreciation gift, and put him in a hotel next to the church for our wedding. He prayed at our wedding.   Later, when I was visiting Missouri, I drove with Joseph as a little boy, stayed overnight at a motel 6 to have breakfast with him. Then, we drove back another 4 hours back to St. Louis. We still exchange christmas cards and stay in touch.   Furthermore, our spiritual debt to Jesus for our salvation is the greatest.   How many times have you stopped to thank Jesus for the amazing salvation that he has given you. He has freed you from sin and eternal damnation.

2.    Reconciliation is both an aspect and goal of Christian life – Many people think that Christian life is all about praying hard, reading the bible and witnessing to others.   But the central message and raison d’etre (reason of being) of Christianity is reconciliation.   It first starts with our reconciliation with God. “For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.” (2 Cor 5:19).   But then God wants us to be reconciled with others. With our friends, with our family members, our parents, our siblings, gosh… even our enemies.   You cannot claim to be a true Christian and have un-reconciled relationships. 1 John 4:11 “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”   1 John 4:20-21 “If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.”

3.    Love is selfless, generous and takes action – Like with the Good Samaritan, love is not a concept, but a verb, an action verb.   While the religious leaders (the levite and the priest) had a concept of love and preached about it, it was only the good samaritan that actually bandaged the wounds, carried the wounded jewish man on his donkey (he gave up his comfortable saddle), put him in a hostel until he recovered totally, covering all the cost out of his own pocket. Love is selfless, generous and takes action. Paul was also saying: “if Onesimus has done anything wrong, or if he owes anything to you, charge it to me”.

4.    Forgiveness breeds destiny – You might be curious what happens next.   But thanks to this plea/lobby/intercession/mediation/negotiation on behalf of Onesimus, Philemon forgives, welcomes and accepts Onesimus (plea/intercession/mediation can lead to forgiveness/reconciliation).   Onesimus goes on to become a very influential church leader. He goes on to become the prominent apostle Onesimus.   He preached the gospel all over Europe and minor Asia (Spain/Carpetania, Turkey/Colossae, and Greece/Patras).   He later became the Bishop (head overseer/pastor) of Ephesus (one of the most influential cities in the world during the apostles’ era, the second largest city after Rome).

5.    The dots will eventually connect (Romans 8:28).   At the time, sometimes we don’t understand why we go through what we are going through.   Probably, Onesimus didn’t understand why he was in jail sitting next to a crazy Christian called Paul. But as time passed, as his life was changed and revolutionized, and later he looked back to his life, he could see how the dots were connecting (like Steve Jobs wondering why he had taken Calligraphy in college, which eventually led to us having all these font options in our our word processors, because Microsoft copied Mac’s fonts). Some *scholars think that Onesimus collected Paul’s letters together. And, as a result, he decided to include the letter about himself, sort of as a testimony, to share how the dots connected in his own life, by God’s grace and mercy.

Dealing with Worry

2009-10-07T16:50:00.000-07:00

All of us deal with worry at some or many points in our life.   Some level of worry is healthy in that it motivates us to strive hard to seek solutions and improve for the future.   However, the worry that I'd like to address is one that takes control of our thoughts and emotions, and paralyzes our progress.

Often times, we worry about situations we don't have much control over: the economy, the family's business, the weather, the future, etc.   Other times, we worry when things don't go as planned.    This worry can become so all-consuming that it throws us to a panic attack and our hearts become gripped with fear.

The truth is that sometimes God allows things to mess up in our lives so that we'll come him and trust him for the deliverance/breakthrough.

I'd like to share 4 ways of dealing with worry based on the verses found in Philippians 4:6-7 and Matthew 6:25-34:

1) Don't worry - it sounds obvious, but we have to make a conscious determination to not allow worry to overtake our thoughts and emotions. Tell the spirit of worry to stop - Enough is enough. You are not going to let anxiety take root in your heart. You are going to conclude that worry does not add anything to the situation. As Jesus said: "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life" (Matt 6:27).

2) Pray and Petition - Instead of worrying, we are going to turn the worrying situation into an opportunity for prayer. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition... present your requests to God".   Every troubling situation is an opportunity to trust and lean on God.   God does not allow any trial or difficulty that we cannot handle with His grace and help.     Turn your worry into a prayer.   God will help you and turn the situation around.   The Bible says that "the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective" (James 5:16).

3) Give thanks to God - One way to upgrade our prayer to our prayer of faith is to thank God in every situation.   Thank God that He can and will deliver you out of your situation... that He will provide for all your needs... that He will make a way where there seems to be no way.   Your thanksgiving is a declaration of your faith in the almighty and casts away any kind of worry or fear.

4) Seek His Kingdom and His righteousness - Instead of worrying about what to eat, what to drink, what to wear, i.e. the future (Matthew 6:31-32), Jesus urges us to seek His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things (that you unnecessarily worry about) will be added unto you (i.e. taken care of).   Focus on God's purpose in your life, on the vision that God has given you, on the ministry / work that he has entrusted you here on earth, on His Kingdom work, on spreading His righteousness, on giving glory back to Him, and GOD will take care of your needs and situations.

The Harvest Is Plentiful

2009-10-07T02:59:00.000-07:00

Last week, I evangelized on campus for the first time at UCLA. I wasn't planning on doing EV that day but a couple of friends wanted to and dragged me along.

We went with partners. I didn't feel like I was ready to approach a total stranger, but the first person we met my partner says, "And Peter will share with you the Gospel." I was totally caught off guard. After a few seconds of stuttering, I shared the Gospel and told him of our Savior, Christ Jesus.

It came naturally. All I spoke was the Truth that I had stored in my heart.

I share this, because I was super encouraged by my first EV session and until that day, I had not realized the importance of evangelism and the urgency of the missions field. In Matthew 9:37 Jesus says "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few." The harvest is all of the people who do not hold Christ as Lord in their hearts. WE must be the workers.

God has specifically placed us on our campuses, in our cities, with a certain group of friends, etc, to be used as Ambassadors for Christ. Nobody places a candle under a bowl, but places it in plain view on a table. In the same way, as Christians, as followers of Christ, we should not keep the treasure of the Gospel to ourselves, but be the light that plants the seed of Christ in many.

And we should not do it out of obligation and legalize our faith, but with an overflow of love that naturally wants to pour out to our friends and neighbors and to non-believers. God loved us first.

What are the (almost) first and last things Jesus says in the bible? The first is "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men" and the last being the Great Commission. That just shows the importance of doing God's ministry through missions.

Also, evangelism helps you GROW in your faith through the motivation to learn more about Christ so that you may share it with others. "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect." 1Peter 3:15.

"Gentleness and respect." If your main purpose of studying the bible is so that you may have knowledge to stumble Athiests or non-believers in a debate, then your heart is not in the right place. Arguing does not bring people to Christ, but only hardens their heart. Again, do it out of an overflow of joy and love. Being genuine and vulnerable. This is what will please our God.

I encourage you to feel the urgency of sharing the Gospel, not just through evangelism, but through YOUR LIFE. Live the Gospel so that others may see it and come to Christ.

And this is a bible verse that I found encouraging:
"If we have died with Him, we will also live with Him;
if we endure, we will also reign with Him;
if we deny Him, He will also deny us;
if we are faithless, He remains faithful"- 2 Tim. 2:11-13

- WANGDIRTY