Love and Power Lives Within

2009-08-03T16:27:00.003-04:00

"For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace."
Romans 6:14
We can easily read the words of Paul but we never take the time to grasp the full meaning of them. Sometimes we, including myself, find it hard to control sin and we end up surrendering to sin. All we can do and think of doing is sin... Our minds are corrupted by the things of the world. We hear things on the radio and see things on the television that change the way we think, telling us to fulfill the American dream - to prosper in life and to enjoy it. We are so easily influenced by the things of the world... and yet we call ourselves Christians when we should be the ones influencing and making an impact in our schools, neighbors, and city. Why do we find ourselves saying a prayer, asking God for help and guidance, for forgiveness and end up sinning over and over again?
"What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!..."
Romans 7:24-25
We lack the understanding of grace. We lack the understanding of what Christ has done for us on the Cross. We do not truly know the consequences of sin. God sent His one and only Son to die on the Cross on our behalf. Yes, this is because He loves us so much... but this is also because He hates sin tremendously. Christ resurrected from the grave and gave us victory over sin!
victory - a success or triumph over an enemy in battle or war.
We can't do this on our own strength. This is why we keep falling and falling. We try to live our lives on our own power. We are human... It is impossible to live our lives without sinning and falling if we do not presevere in prayer and in the Word. We no longer are under the law, but are under grace! We are redeemed by the blood of Jesus!
"No, in all these things we are more than conquerers through him who loved us."
Romans 8:37

One

2009-05-11T22:16:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone! I'm glad to be back on the blogspot! In this post I want to tell you guys of how God has spoken to me at MTS (a leadership conference for Seekers).
On Saturday, a bunch of seekers members and myself met up and took the train to a church. At that church, the praise team appointed me to play the drums and I was more than happy to accept their request. I felt that God has given me the gift to play the drums, so why not use it to the fullest? During praise, I had sensed the Holy Spirit working not only in my heart, but also in the hearts of the whole congregation. Seeing all these people from different schools praising the same God, under one roof just amazed me.
"This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus."
Ephesians 3:6
I believe that days like that show us a glimpse of heaven. How great will it be when we praise God in heaven?
After praise, we were introduced to a dance group (PK) who traveled from Korea to the United States. They performed an incredible dance and manifested the joy they have for God. This again showed me how different people, even from a different nation, are so different but yet so similar because of what Christ has done for us on that Cross.
PK's mission was to reach America because they felt that the United States are so focused on sending missionaries out but are not reaching out within their own nation. We, also as Christians, should reach out in our own country, present the Gospel to the lost, and manifest the joy and peace that we have in Christ through our actions.
"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 28:19-20
(The Disciple Cycle)
We have ONE life, ONE purpose, under ONE God. Don't waste your ONE chance to share the Gospel. There will be no turning back.

2009-05-11T00:27:00.001-04:00

Justin Kim is back on blogspot!
Next post soon to come. 05/11/09
Title: "One"

Wake Up Call

2008-12-04T22:52:00.002-05:00

Soon To Come - "Wake Up Call"

http://wcbstv.com/topstories/student.killed.by.2.879770.html

A student was killed by a bus on her way to school. Just imagine if that person was your friend or even YOU? Are you or your friends ready to face the judgement of God? Let's wake up brothers and sisters who are called to share the wonderful Gospel of Christ! Tomorrow is not a garuantee to anyone! Can you say to yourself or to a friend that you or your friend will be alive tomorrow? If you die at this moment, where do you think you will spend eternity at? This same question applies to your classmates and family. Stop wasting your time and live your life for Christ. If you, yourself don't have a burden for the lost who will spend their eternity in hell, then you might have to look over your own faith. Jesus is the only way, the truth, and the life! You can't play around with time because not only is your time limited on earth but also your friends and family have a limited time on this earth, you'll never know when they will pass on to eternity! You cannot rewind time and all you will feel is regret! If you love God, then you must love others and live your life to fulfill the Great Comission! Every second that passes by is from the grace of God. Do you wake up in thanksfulness? Wake up and know the reality! Share this Gospel with others! You are blessed to even know this. Gospel. It is the very gift of God that we know it! It's a priviledge so live your life evangelizing!

Potluck

2008-11-30T18:41:00.003-05:00

On Wednesday I had a great thanksiving dinner with seekers from Francis lewis and bayside and of course cardozo. we each brought food for a potluck and it was really awesome seeing brothers and sisters from different schools praising God. It was a great blessing to lead praise and seeing God's people praise with great passion inside a school. Although we may be from different schools, God gave each of us a purpose to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are all unified by the blood of Jesus Christ and we are one great family under God. We are truly blessed to have each other and some of us fail to realize that. The world can't have the type of relationship that we have with each other... God has blessed us with a lot of things but one of the best people He has blessed us with is each other. Lets show love to each other and help each other out at the hard times.

Calling

2008-11-21T23:33:00.004-05:00

Acts 9:1-22
It is a great passage about the conversion of Saul. Saul was a man who persecuted the disciples of Christ. But, God has appeared to him and Saul trembles on his knees and becomes blind. The Lord calls Ananias to heal Saul but Ananias was skeptical because of Saul's previous actions. But in faith Ananias goes to heal Saul and to give him sight through the power of Christ. And Saul was greatly changed due to the calling Christ has given to him and went on changing the lives of many and many were astonished.
Like Saul, we were all in darkness. We rebelled against God and all we wanted to do is to sin. But God appeared to us and dramatically changed our lives. God's calling for us is mainly to reach the lost and to preach the Gospel to all nations! In this passage, it shows two callings. The calling of not only Saul but also the calling of Ananias. Ananias was very doubtful of whether or not he should go to Saul and recover his sight. But in FAITH, he went out and did what the Lord has called him to do and therefore changed the life of Saul.
After Saul changed and accepted Christ into his life, he lives a totally different lifestyle. Others around him were extremely shocked because of his dramatic change through the power of the Cross. We should also have the same effect in our own schools. Are we the difference in our own schools? Do we shine that light of Christ and are we grateful for this Gospel message we believe in? God used a man like Saul, who persecuted the disciples, to change the entire history of mankind. Are we going to be like Saul, a history maker, or are we going to continue living our lives without showing the power of the Gospel. We have to fall on our knees and repent before God and then God will use us to expand His kingdom and to fulfill His will for you on this earth.
Luke 4:18-19
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poorl He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To et a liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."
As Christians, don't we have the same calling Christ had on this earth? We should strive to be like our Saviour and God's calling for us is far greater than what we have in plan for ourselves.
But we also do have minor callings in our life also. Like, what job to take or where is God taking me with my life? If we live according to the Bible and in prayer and really seeking after God and our foundation is on the Gospel, it will be easier to find our callings and plans in our lives.
What has God called you to do?

Prayer

2008-11-13T19:51:00.002-05:00

Prayer is one of the many gifts that God has given to us that we should use to the full extent. It's a priviledge that God has given us! It's a blessing that God has given us this ability to actually communicate with Him. We have to realize that Someone is listening to us, is watching over us, and cares deeply for us. "Intimacy" We are close to God and having a personal relationship with our Lord who is in heaven! God is our Father but He is also our "Abba Father" Someone who we can have a close relationship with. He hears our cries, accepts our praises, and knows each one of our voices. Sometimes we may feel as if He does not hear our cries but He is listening to every little word we say. We may feel as if our prayers are not being answered but in His time He will answer each one of our prayers.
P.U.S.H Pray Until Something Happens
Do you believe in the power of prayer?

"If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,the Lord would not have listened.But truly God has listened;he has attended to the voice of my prayer."
—Psalm 66:18-19

“Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it—the Lord is his name: Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known."
—Jeremiah 33:2-3

“To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.”
-Martin Luther King Jr.

Our Foundation

2008-11-06T18:08:00.002-05:00

1 Corinthians 3:11
"For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, whch is Jesus Christ."
Many of us have struggles during our weeks, struggles in school, in our own homes. Sometimes we may feel as if it is too much to handle. Sometimes we just fall away from God and eventually leads us into the wrong direction, to a place we would never want to be in. And sometimes we end up blaming God although He had done nothing wrong. We just feel lost, lonely and lifeless.

I tell you brothers and sisters that I have gone through that path many times before and at those times I wondered to myself, "Again?" The Bible tells us about sin, of how sin misleads us to places we never wanted to be in and how it breaks our relationship with God. 1 Corinthians 3:11 tells us that Jesus Christ is our foundation! What does that mean? We have to put our trust and faith in Jesus Christ and when our trust and faith grows stronger, our foundation grows stronger. If we do not exercise our faith by reading the Bible and praying, our foundation will get thinner and thinner, to a point where it just breaks and where we just fall.

Jesus laid down the foundation for all mankind. God is holy and must judge sin. We are sinners, therefore God must send us to hell but Jesus Christ came down as human and suffered on the Cross for our sins and resurrected on the third day. This is the strong point of our foundation. Something Christians may do sometimes is just believe in this message but that's one of the reasons why their foundation eventually gets destroyed. Believing in this message is not the only thing you should do to keep a strong foundation. We also have to realize that we have to do something with this message and that is to evangelize. We should also have fellowship with other Christians who will make our foundation stronger. We should pray and read the Bible to keep a strong relationship with God. Yes, the Gospel is the center point of our foundation and without it there would be no foundation but we also have to make other parts of our foundation strong.

As Christians, we should also realize that we cannot build this foundation on our own. We need the help from God. And as Christians we should also help others build up their foundation because we do not want our fellow brothers and sisters to fall. "Accountability" Let's remain strong for Christ is our solid rock!

Way, Truth, and Life

2008-10-24T22:53:00.003-04:00

John 14:6
"Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through Me."

So this week I led Bible Study in Seekers and it was such a blessing but also God willing. It was supposed to be about Christianity vs Catholicism but I thought there were more important things to talk about. Instead of trying to get them to realize the difference between these two, I decided to question them about their own faith. I was really shocked by the answers my group members gave me... I was disappointed greatly... They really did not know what Christianity was all about.
I thought to myself, "How can I try telling the differences between Christianity and Catholicism if they don't even know the foundation of their own faith?" I asked them, "What is the most important thing to know as a Christian? How do we know we are saved?" None of them knew the answer... Some of them said, "Because we believe in God." I told them that it was the very Gospel! The sad truth is, none of them even knew what the Gospel was... So I had to explain what the Gospel was and why we believe in it.
Doesn't this tell us anything about our own Seekers guys? I am not trying to criticize them in any way and I am not trying to be mean but WE HAVE TO WAKE UP! If our own Seekers does not know our own faith, what does that tell us about their own walk with Christ? It shows a lack of reading the Word and praying to God. It tells me a lot of them are coming to Seekers to socialize and that is a dangerous thing!
I want us all to make sure that our own Seekers members know what the Gospel is because if we don't, there is no way for our school to be changed. We have to know and let others know that we are sinners headed to hell because God hates sin but God in His great love and mercy, sent His one and only Son to die on the Cross for our sins and resurrected on the third day! HE SAVED US. WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT GRACE IS! WHAT LOVE IS! Without the Cross of Jesus Christ, we would all be heading to hell right now, there would be no Seekers, there would be no Christianity, there would be no hope!
We have to thank God for opening our eyes to the truth of the Cross of Christ. Guys, let's wake up and make sure our own Seekers knows what the Gospel is, know what Christianity is all about because if we don't, our school will not be changed.
Goal: Make sure all your Seekers members know what Christianity is all about - the Gospel, and motivate them to read the word, pray, and evangelize through the power of the Holy Spirit.

No More Troubles

2008-10-17T21:43:00.002-04:00

1 John Chapter 3 vv. 2, 9.
If you can search these verses up, do so because I believe these verses have so much meaning in them.
Many of us have trouble finding out what to do with our lives and wonder what the future holds for us. Verse 2 shows us that we do not have to worry about our own futures. Many of us are waiting for an answer and longing for direction in our lives and this verse ensures us that God will reveal the future to us. We also wonder about our decisions in life and wonder if it is God's decision for us. This verse also tells us that if God is revealed to us, then we will be like Him! We have to realize that if we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, our decisions in life will be according to His will because we are like Him! We have nothing to worry about if our lives are lead by Christ.
Verse 9 gives us comfort. It says, since we are of God we do not sin! There is no way for us to sin and why? Because of the great price Jesus Christ has paid on the Cross for us. Although we were sinners, Christ died for us and resurrected on the third day! He gave us salvation! Unlike the world, we have the ability of not sinning through the power of the Holy Spirit. We have true freedom! On our day of judgement, God will judge the sin of all but since we accepted Jesus Christ, God will see past our sin and see the blood of Christ!
How blessed are we?
Question: Do you have any praise reports or prayer requests?

The Great Race

2008-10-11T19:43:00.002-04:00

Sorry guys for not updating. I totally blanked out on it... -.-;; Well, I think there is a purpose for it in a way? Because today I went to MTS (Monthly Training Seminar) and now I can tell you what I learned at the meeting. It's a monthly meeting for all of Christian Seekers in NYC and we basically get discipled.
Today we went to the book of Hebrews:
"Therefore we also, since we are rounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Hebrews 12:1-2
Verse 1 talks about a race that we are striving to finish but it also says that we can easily lose track while we're running this race. Sin is what prevents us from finishing this race. But what can we do to make sure that we do not lose trach and finish the race?
It's through clarity and passion. Verse 2 talks about how Jesus died on the cross for our sin and He was endured the cross because we were His motivation. He though about us on that cross and His very love for us kept Him up there. He thought about each of us by name and died for our very sins - for the very joy of our salvation which brings joy to Christ.
How does this relate to the race we are striving to finish? We have to know why we are running this race and have great passion for it. But we have to realize that we have to renew our vision and if we fail to do so, we will lose our joy and our passion.
How do we renew our joy and passion? We celerate through praise and worship. Celebration renews our joy and passion in Christ. We have to renew and refresh the fact that we were sinners in God's eyes and were headed to hell, but God in His great love and mercy, sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our very sins and resurrected on the third day. We hear this a lot from Pastor Stephen. renewing and refreshing our thoughts of Christ will allow us to finish the race that is ahead of us.
Stay strong brothers and sisters!

WAKE UP!

2008-10-03T18:51:00.004-04:00

"See You At the Pole"
Today was the first time I went to the pole at my school. There was only a couple of us, around six to seven students. As students passed by us, I felt that maybe some saw the light of Christ - people actually gathering up and praying. But I felt as if God's presence was not present. I felt as if no one was prepared. We went on and prayed for each other but everyone's prayer request was about the SAT's which really disappointed me in a way. We didn't pray for the school who really needs the Gospel more than anything else.
After around fifteen minutes of praying for each other's "SAT", it ended. I felt as if it was pointless... We gather around the "school" flag pole praying for SAT's yet the prayer for the school is left out. I wondered to myself, "What really is in the core of their heart?" I mean, SAT's go by and that's that but what about the school? Most of us only have around two years left in high school and some of us don't realize that our school is full of sin and is headed straight to hell.
WAKE UP EVERYBODY!
If you aren't sharing the Gospel message with anyone in your school, you should look over your faith. God has blessed us tremendously and has shown us the message that we were sinners who were headed straight to hell but God in His love and mercy sent His one and only Son to die on the cross for our sins and resurrected on the third day! But what are we doing with the Gospel God has given to us? Are we ashamed of the Gospel or are we afraid that we might lose friends or get made fun of? Are we living according to what we believe in? Let's not only do it in word but also in action. Action speaks louder than word.
I think this is a great verse that will encourage us all.
"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 8:38-39
How powerful! Do we believe in this or are we going to continue the rest of our lives wasted...
Brothers and sisters we have a lot of work to do and let us leave our high schools knowing that God has used us in our schools.

Nothing to Fear, Christ is Here

2008-09-26T20:56:00.002-04:00

Jude 14:24,25
"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen."

In our daily lives, we feel like we are going through so much - school, studying, homework, etc. - but when we look at these verses, we feel a sense of comfort. These verses tell us that Christ will keep us strong and will always be there for us in our trouble times. It also shows us the price that He paid on the cross - "And to present you faultless". Because Christ loved us so much, He died on the cross for our sins and resurrected on the third day, and if we believe in this message, God will not see the sins we committed and will see the blood of Christ - "faultless".

This should also bring out joy within us, joy that would motivate us to share this Gospel message with others. "Exceeding joy" - we obtain this joy because we realize that we passed from death over to life. The fact that God has all dominion and power shows us that we have nothing to worry about and it also shows us that Christ is in control. Therefore there is nothing to fear!

Stay strong brothers and sisters!

John 3:16

2008-09-19T16:33:00.003-04:00

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
John 3:16 (NKJV)
This is a verse that us Christians hear often but why, and what does it mean? There are many topics that are talked about in this verse and to understand the full meaning we must look at the verses that follow it.

"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
John 3:17-18 (NKJK)

These verses talk about the conversion all Christian go through when they accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour. "From death to life!" Few of us lack the understanding that our salvation is not by works. Our salvation is a gift from God and He gave this gift to us because He loved us, a fallen humanity. In John 3:16 it says that "For God so loved the world..." He loved us even though we were enemies of Christ and were sinners who deserve eternity in hell. And we should do the same to others.

When we go through this conversion from death to life, it changes us more than we can even imagine. Conversion changes our personality and our character - we bear fruit (peace, love, and joy). We now have a purpose in life in Christ and God is in control.

This should also motivate us to go out and preach the Word that we are all sinners - Christ died for our sins - and Christ has ressurrected. All we have to do is believe in this Gospel message and we will see gradual changes in our lives.

Question: What does it mean to "believe"?

2008-09-12T17:51:00.002-04:00

I am going through so much right now. I need your prayers...

Grace Greater than Our Sin

2008-08-27T10:48:00.003-04:00

1 Timothy 1:12-17
And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting my into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Summer is almost over and school is about to start. There is one question that still runs through my head, "How can I allow others to see what Christ has done in me?" These verses answered that question. "Grace" is what I have found.

Now Paul, who once was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man found that "grace" has changed his life, grace given by God. How did a sinner like Paul come to change the lives of many? He says "the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant." That's where he received his motivation from. God saw in Paul something worth saving and he was changed by the grace of God! From sinner to the greatest apostle.

How can we allow others to see what Christ has done in our lives? Grace. We have to appreciate what God has done for us. Although we were sinners, Christ died for us. He resurrected on the third day and gave us the hope of seeing Him again. We were once enemies of Christ but He saw in us something worth saving and died for us. We have to daily refresh this message, this gospel and if we don't we're going to end up in the traps of sin over and over again. Are we going to allow others to be changed, or are we going to end up in the clutches of sin?

How has God's grace changed your life?

blogger

2008-08-16T19:52:00.000-04:00

I guess I'll try out this so called "blogger." So far so good, just have to change some things. May God's will be done through this site.