2019 Lord’s Day – Sungrak Church

December 29, 2019 Full of Jesus’ Joy

January 3, 2020/in 2019 Lord’s Day /by Youhyun Chang

Senior Overseer Kidong Kim

Outline

[John 17:13-19]

God

is joyful.

As

God loves His Son,

He is pleased with His Son (Mt 3:17).

This

is the joy given to God’s Son.

God’s Son is full of this joy.

Jesus said, “If you keep my commands,

you will have the fullness of My joy in you” (Jn 17:13).

Those full of God’s joy

are hated by the world because they do not belong to it.

They are sanctified by the truth of Jesus.

You must be full of the Holy Spirit to be joyful in the truth (Jn 15:10-12).

Grace and truth is the Gospel of joy (Jn 14:20-21).

A slave to sin has no joy (Rom 8:15).

Only those who are justified are full of joy.

Those sick in heart and body have no joy.

You must receive Jesus’ power to be full of joy.

This is God’s will: (1 Thess 5:16-18)

Be joyful always.

To do this, pray continually

and give thanks in all circumstances.

○ Without the Holy Spirit, there is no joy.

Let the Holy Spirit work as He wills.

○ Without the Lord Jesus’ blood, there is no joy.

Receive the forgiveness of sins. Repent and be rid of your sins.

○ Those baptized in immersion are truly joyful.

If baptism becomes a ritual, there is no joy.

Experiencing Jesus is to be baptized.

※ Possess a faith that has joy.

Have God’s joy together with the Son.

Be full of the Holy Spirit! Rejoice again and again!

Summary

Semuon’s Letter

The Lord Jesus’ work is not done because someone asks you to do it, and it is not stopped because someone asks you to stop. Whoever receives the power and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and whoever receives the Lord Jesus’ command to do ministry or do the Lord’s work – they can merely start obeying and working until the death of their bodies. If a person threatens others, aggressively steals money, and then does the Lord’s work – this is the work of a thief. I received such threats.

If faith disappears from the Lord’s work, it is tiresome, difficult and unfortunate. If you have faith and obey the Lord, no matter how difficult your situation is, it will remain a happy memory. The Lord forever remembers His 33 years in the world by His deep scars on His palms, legs, and forehead.

The Lord will love the spirits of those martyred with Him. He will remember all their efforts to overcome the world and all their labor in the church. He will commend them, reward them, and let them enter the Father’s glory. He will give all shepherds and those with duties the crown that will never fade away.

All trees in winter suffer the harsh blizzard and cold weather. But their roots thicken and they reserve much nutrition. When spring comes – the branches rise up, flower buds form, and they grow into exuberant trees. This is the same with the church. For half a century, we suffered dense criticisms and unfair persecution. But like a big tree, we grew thick and reserved much nutrition. We arm ourselves with the truth and better understand the Picture of God’s Will as we see spring coming.

The founding overseer of the church was born to be persecuted, the next overseer will blossom with his power and skill, and then there will be bearing of fruit. The blizzard is still active and the cold wind is blowing, but spring will finally come. I overcame this dense persecution. This is my vessel. I have even strength to endure greater persecution. This is my vessel. I am not a small cup but a large vessel used by God. I am not a pot easily broken. I am a golden cup that cannot break. How can I not know this?

“No one who has left everything for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age – along with persecutions – and in the age to come eternal life” (Mark 10:29-30, simplified). I believe in this word of the Lord. I received a hundred-fold blessings in this present age and received a hundred-fold persecutions. I will finally receive His reward. I believe in the Lord’s word to “rejoice and be glad.”

Semuon,

29th December 2019

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December 22, 2019 Jesus is Our God

December 27, 2019/in 2019 Lord’s Day /by Youhyun Chang

Senior Overseer Kidong Kim

Outline

[John 14:6-12]

God

is spirit.

No one has see Him

or can see Him (Jn 1:18).

Jesus is the Image of Him who cannot be seen. God is spirit (2 Cor 4:4).

Jehovah is Israel’s God.

He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Acts 7:30-35).

Jehovah is His memorial name (Hos 12:5).

The name we know and believe for salvation (Mat 1:21)

is Jesus.

He is God’s Son. God is pleased with Him (Mat 3:17).

It is surely ‘Immanuel’ who saves us (Mat 1:23).

Jehovah is not a son of man. He is not a man (Ex 3:15).

Someone who is not man cannot redeem man’s faults.

Jesus is the son of a woman. He is a man (Lk 1:35).

From now on, we listen to His word (Mat 17:5).

We believe in the Lord Jesus’ word (Jn 4:21).

Jesus’ word is eternal life (Jn 12:49-50).

The Holy Spirit does not witness to Jehovah.

He is the Spirit of truth testifying to Jesus (Jn 15:26).

If you are not born again by the Spirit, you cannot enter heaven.

○ The Spirit of truth testifies to Him who is the truth (Jn 14:6).

Only the truth sets our spirits free (Jn 8:32).

Our Lord and Savior accepts the Spirit’s testimony (Jn 15:26).

○ We must know why we receive baptism in immersion.

By baptism, we throw off the old man and religion (Act 19:2-6).

This is being born again.

○ Those who see Jesus see the Father

and dwell in the Father.

Hereby we receive authority to be God’s children (Jn 1:12).

※ Please bury the name of Jehovah

and call on Jesus’ name.

We call on His name only by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:3).

Summary

Semuon’s Letter

Sungrak Church is at the prime age of 50. The church is full of experience, wisdom, knowledge and good sense. It is like the age of an aged father or grandfather. A single church is not a bunch of flour thrown in a bowl. It is bread formed from the dough. Jesus said, “This bread is My Body.” His words turn that flour into dough, and the dough turns to bread. This bread is like the church.

Consider how much persecution and slander we endured? They were like seasons of fierce blizzards. This was merely practice for the tribulation of the future. We all experienced this from God. The root of a church is the pastor who founded it. Semuon is the root of Sungrak Church. This root has endured well. It pushed through so many hardships until now.

When Jesus came on the earth and did His public ministry, He was slandered, persecuted, subject to jealousy and alienated from the first day. Consider how much He endured and cried in order to plant the seed of heaven on earth? He at last died on the cross. From that moment, God’s seed laid root in Hades. From the root’s nourishment, we gain eternal life.

When we started this church, we kept saying, “Please give us ten members. Please give us just ten members.” We kept muttering this prayer several thousand times a day. When we walked across the street, we said this prayer. What resulted was Sungrak Church. From now on, our attitude and objective is to protect the church. We must all use all of our strength.

Someone once asked me, “Pastor, what is your wish? Please tell me your heart’s wish.” I replied, “My wish is to protect the church. Protecting the church is protecting the truth. To do this, we must unite our hearts and minds and pray, ‘Please give me ten members. Just ten members.’ If we do this, we will bear an abundant cluster of fruits in our spirits.” Please take an interest in all these. Each of us must pray to have ten spiritual fruits come to us. Then we should preach and witness.

The way to show our church’s healthy appearance to the world and to God is unity. We must never have weak faith and take no sides in the struggle. We should listen carefully to the Lord’s admonition and live: “Do you want to leave too? Those who do not gather with me will scatter.”

The way to powerfully protect the church is quickly gathering and mobilizing in one place. Those coming from afar and labor for so long are laying bricks in the Temple of God’s kingdom. If we all gather together, Sungrak Church can be protected. I urge everyone to receive God’s revelation and commandment by the Holy Spirit and labor with all their strength.

Semuon,

22nd December 2019

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December 15, 2019 The Son of Man Came

December 20, 2019/in 2019 Lord’s Day /by Youhyun Chang

Senior Overseer Kidong Kim

Outline

[Matthew 20:28]

God

is the Creator.

He created the world.

So mankind could live in it,

He gave sun and rain to righteous and unrighteous alike.

However,

God sent the Son to the world

to give His blood and flesh (Jn 6:53-55).

Those belonging to God are His sheep (Jn 10:16).

He nurtures them.

He gives His sheep pasture to eat (Jn 10:9).

The best pasture is God’s word. His word is eternal life (Jn 12:50).

Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He is food for the sheep (Jn 6:48-51).

When sheep eat the grass, the grass dies.

When humans use wood from the mountains, trees die.

The universe was created through natural revelation (Heb 1:2).

If things do not die, they are useless (Mt 16:24-25).

Just as animals are killed when humans eat them,

if animals do not die, they cannot become food (Jn 11:25-26).

Jesus became spiritual food to feed us.

The Son of Man did not come to be served.

He came to die for mankind.

○ He died and became pasture to give us life.

He comes inside us by the Holy Spirit.

The truth is the perfect pasture.

○ The Holy Spirit teaches, reminds and makes us understand

God’s word. He is the Spirit of truth.

○ The Son of Man came to die for us.

He became spiritual food and drink.

Knowing the truth is the food of life.

※ Let us not serve Jesus, but obey Him.

He desires to feed us with the truth.

We must receive pasture of the truth.

Summary

Semuon’s Letter

I remember past events like a dream. Though I do not remember their names, I remember their faces vividly and ponder on them. They had no homes and lived in rented rooms. Their lives were so difficult. They were immature and a burden to their families. They ran from their homes. They could not laugh with joy but suffered in pain, living discouraged. When it was the Lord’s Day, they were the first ones to run to church. The young children played all they want. They joyfully laughed and acted differently. They could relax their hearts and joyfully laugh. I remember them vividly.

Whether there was rain or snow, there was still the small-sized church set in the empty fields. They would call it ‘heaven’. They came to my house, relaxed and laughed joyfully. Among them were women who could not endure married life and felt like their stomachs were bursting. Church members were so poor at that time, but they joyfully laughed in their hearts. This was the church which nurtured the dream of The ‘Return to the Word’ Movement. It spread throughout the world. I still remember those wonderful faces.

Where have they all gone? I see some old faces from time to time. With a surprise, they say, “Pastor, do you remember me? I am deacon so-and-so.” When I recognize them, their wrinkled eyes shed wet tears like pearls. “I was worried you might not recognize me…I remember your young face. It makes me cry to see you in pain.” When these old deacons say this, it strikes my heart and my eyes fill up with tears.

In those day, when the rain came, everything got bogged down. When the clouds scattered, flies would gather and small insects would cover the ground. You had no place to set your foot. Sungrak people would say, “This church is the house of my Father. It is heaven.” Because they assembled together so diligently, our church stands firm on the rock today.

What our church should be so proud of is assembling together. When we gather as a church, no one complained. Even in cold winter, we assembled together. Our church’s slogan was: “If we gather, we pray. If we scatter, we spread the gospel.” Those sweat and tears brought about today’s Sungrak Church. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” I recall this Bible passage. This is the earnest faith of the bride, waiting for the Lord’s coming (Heb 10:23-25).

Now I, a servant of the Lord, am like an old tiger without teeth. But I am surrounded by so many people who love me and I am grateful. This is my earnest wish as the Lord’s servant: If we mobilize and assemble together, we show ten times the strength. We must not do this once, but ten times. This is the mind and power to protect the church.

Beloved Sungrak people: let us encourage each other just ten times so we all assemble together. This is how we protect the church. This is my last exhortation as an old servant of the Lord. Just ten times.

Semuon,

15th December 2019

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