• Opening message / Dr. Peter Chang (Germany)
• Main Message / Dr. John Jun (USA)
• Main Message II / Moses Yoon (Korea)
• Evening Message I / Eberhard Groß (Germany)
• Evening Message II / Bruno Aussant (France)
• Closing Message / Dr. Paul Hong (USA)

Thank God for this unforgetable conference!

Ezra               7 : 1-10

Key Verse     7 : 10

“For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.”

I wish all of you a happy and victorious new year 2010!

I praise and thank God for allowing us to celebrate the 2010 New Year’s European National Directors’ Conference here in Galilee, Israel. Many mission coworkers from USA and Korea came to this New Year’s director’s conference to support European and Israel Campus Mission. I am very thankful to all of you and especially to Shep. J and M for their hard working spirit and hospitality to make this possible – for us to have graceful Bible study and fellowship together here at the Galilee See, where our savior Jesus served his messianic ministry. May God bless this director’s conference and pour out his holy spirit upon his servant Dr. John Jun and to all messengers to deliver powerful messages for the 2010 UBF European Campus Mission.

Last year, 2009, was a historical year of the 40th anniversary of UBF European Campus Mission. God had abundantly blessed the 2009 Eringerfeld International European Summer Bible Conference in every way. Through this we could see God’s hope that Europe will be changed into a missionary sending continent once again. All European missionaries, native shepherds and the new generation co-worked together to prepare this historical conference wholeheartedly and to give thanks to God for his wonderful work in Europe in the last 40 years.

Now the New Year 2010 has come. In the last 10 years, our God led our ministry in his good sovereignty and absolute love, in the times of trials of division and throughout the healing process, so that we might build a firm vessel of prayer again and actively support the work of God in the CIS, the Middle East and Africa with 5 loaves and 2 fish faith according to Mark 6:37a. Let us forget what is behind and press on toward the goal again to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus. Let us challenge the pioneering of 1,700 European campuses through one-to-one Bible study and the disciple making ministry again, holding on to our prayer topic to double the ministry. May God bless our European directors to be empowered by the power of the gospel through this conference and to serve God’s ministry in Europe with a sense of obligation continuously.

In the beginning of every year, many people make new decisions, but hardly live up to them for more than two months. It is not easy to make a decision; but living up to a decision is even more difficult. In today’s passage, we learn about a great person who made a life’s decision in the history of Israel and lived up to it. He is the excellent Bible teacher, Ezra, who led the Israelites back to the Bible and rescued them from a spiritual crisis and downfall. In today’s passage, we will learn how the spiritual revival in Europe can begin and moreover, how we can influentially serve the doubling ministry in this year. May God bless each one of you to make a holy life’s decision like Ezra and be used as an excellent Bible teacher for this generation, who can bring about the spiritual awakening in Europe.

Part I. Ezra, an excellent Bible teacher

Chapter 7 verses 1 through 5 records the genealogical tree of Ezra. Ezra was 5^th generation of Zadok, an excellent and god-pleasing priest in the time of David, and 16^th generation of Aaron. Ezra was a 2^nd generation Priest, who was not born in Israel, but in Babylon and he grew up there. Most of the first and 1.5 generation Israelites who were born in Israel and carried away to Babylon in their young age had a strong identity and sense of history as God’s Chosen People and longed to return to their homeland. However, the 2^nd generation who grew up in Babylon did not have cultural and language barriers and mostly lived with the tendency to assimilate into the Babylonian culture and civilization. As Ezra had well adapted to the Babylonian society and laid his life’s foundation there, it would have been easier and much better for him to settle down in Babylon and look after his own future security and success. However, Ezra did not follow the pattern of the time.

According to chapter 7 verse 6, Ezra was a Bible teacher ‘well versed’ in the Law of Moses. ‘Well versed’ has a definition of somewhat ‘proficient’ or ‘well-informed on’. It means that he was an excellent Bible scholar with spiritual insight, who was able to teach his people the Law of Moses in every situation. Here, we can learn that Ezra’s parents must have raised him spiritually based on the Bible and encouraged him to live with the spiritual identity as God’s Chosen People. Moreover, Ezra himself struggled to hold on to the word of God in order to live with the identity as a Chosen People, while his fellow Jews made various compromises with the gentile culture and pursued worldly success. Finally, he became an excellent Bible teacher with extensive knowledge in the Law of Moses. He was a self-supporting, influential Bible teacher who employed his broad spiritual knowledge for the well-being of his society. He exerted a great influence, although he was a foreigner. According to verse 6b, he was a highly positioned leader, who was well acquainted with the superpower king and the king granted him everything he requested. With such a social standing, he could have achieved his dreams and enjoyed a successful and comfortable life in Babylon as a renowned professor in Babylonian culture and civilization or as a manager with a high salary.

However, what did Ezra do? Let us read chapter 7 verses 7 and 8 together, “Some of the Israelites, including priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers and temple servants, also came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes. Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king.” Ezra decided not to remain in Babylon, but to return to Jerusalem. He made a life’s decision. He led the 2^nd return of the Jews from the Babylonian Exile in 458 BC. God blessed Ezra’s decision and used him to lead his people back to the Bible and to restore their spiritual identity as God’s Chosen People. Through this one person, Ezra, the fire of spiritual awakening for his people was ignited, which has been repeatedly reignited in each generation since the Babylonian Exile to this very day. May God bless each one of you, especially our precious native shepherds and 2^nd generation missionaries, to grow as excellent Bible teachers like Ezra for the spiritual awakening in Europe.

Part II. Ezra’s decision: Go back to the Bible.

Let us read verse 10 together, “For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.” Here, we learn which life’s decision Ezra made.

First, Ezra decided to devote himself to the study the Law of the Lord.

As we have learned in verse 6, Ezra already was an excellent Bible teacher, well versed in the Law of Moses. There was no one better in the knowledge of the Law than Ezra. But Ezra did not become self-satisfied or proud. Ezra wanted to study the word of God more intensively and deeply. He was a blessed man, as the Psalmist says, “His delight was in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditated day and night.” (Ps 1:2) He knew that his people needed nothing more than an excellent Bible teacher, who studies the word of God deeply and teaches it correctly. In fact, the temple had been rebuilt in Jerusalem and burnt sacrifices were being offered to God. Outwardly, it seemed that Israel had been restored and there was nothing more for Ezra to do. However, this was not the case. Although outwardly they had an impressive temple and offered burnt sacrifices to God, their spiritual life was fully spoiled. In Ezra chapters 9 and 10, we can see many signs of their spiritual downfall. They began to intermarry with gentile women and as a result, idols and godless culture penetrated into the households, which led them to a total spiritual chaos.

What was the problem with these people of God? Why were they repeating their old sins again, even after rebuilding the temple by God’s wonderful grace? Ezra concluded that it was because they lacked the word of God in their life. Even though they had a temple, formal offering ceremonies and also priests, they lacked Bible teachers who can lead them to spiritual insight in the hope of God, to live as a Royal Priesthood and a Chosen People. They gradually became more complacent and finally totally corrupted. Ezra saw this spiritual reality and made a life’s decision to devote himself to Bible study. With a broken shepherd’s heart, Ezra studied the Bible. God blessed his deep Bible study and brought about a great spiritual awakening in Israel.

When we look at the Christian history, the main characters who led the spiritual revival movements always were the ones who decided to devote themselves to deep Bible study like Ezra. Through translating the Bible and meditating on the Book of Romans, Martin Luther realized the problems of the Catholic Church in the medieval age and challenged the reformation. In the end of the 17^th century, Rene Descartes’ rationalism and John Locke’s empiricism led the whole of Europe into a serious spiritual turmoil, so that many Christians lost their personal faith. In this time, Philip Jacob Spener (1635 – 1705) founded a small Bible study group called Collegium Pietis and began the Pietism Movement. One of his followers, August Hermann Franke (1663 – 1727) created a small Bible study group called “fellowship of Bible lovers” at the University of Leipzig and the University of Halle and studied the Bible from Genesis to Revelations. One of Franke’s followers, Ludwig von Zinzendorf (1700 – 1760) started a small Bible study group “Mustard seed fellowship” with his 5 friends. Later on, he initiated the Moravian Mission, which was a great influence in the world mission history. John Wesley was influenced by the Moravians and initiated the Methodist Movement, which began with a small Bible study group called “Holy Club.” When his country was in a national crisis, Pastor Grundtvig of Denmark founded folk high school in order to awaken his nation. 60% of this high school’s curriculum contained Bible study.

The spiritual revival in Korea also began in 1907 through intensive Bible study fellowship, “Bible lovers’ club – Sakyunghoe”. Whenever the “Sakyunghoe” met together, they studied the Bible three times a day for a week very intensively. Through such a deep Bible study, the Korean Church could greatly revive within 100 years – a very short time compared to the overall Christian history. Our UBF movement could also become influential because the late Dr. Samuel Lee and Mother Sarah Barry had decided to study the Bible intensively with the college students. The initial name of UBF was “National Student Bible Research Association.”

David was the greatest and most ideal leader in Israel’s history. How could he become such a great leader? Was it because he was a good soldier, who won many victories? Or was it because he was smart and a talented musician and poet, who impressed many people? No. The reason was his burning love toward the word of God. He had a great joy and longing to meditate on the word of God. David testifies in Psalms 19:7-10, “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.” He also confesses in Psalms 12:6, “And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times.” David loved the word of God more than gold or silver and it was sweeter to him than honey from the honeycomb. God’s wisdom was always with him, because he always meditated on the word of God and enjoyed it.

Likewise, all those who led a spiritual revival are those who loved the word of God and decided to study it deeply. God called us to be Bible teachers and spiritual leaders in this generation. God gave us this exclusive and precious mission to teach the Bible to campus intellectuals. In order to serve campus students and to bring about the spiritual awakening in Europe, we need to sharpen our sword of the word of God and swing the sling of God’s word diligently. May God bless each one of you to devote your heart to the intensive Bible study, so that you can penetrate to divide one’s soul, spirit and marrow like a double-edged sword. When we devote our whole heart to the Bible study like Ezra, then God will surely hear not only our prayer to double our gospel ministry but also lead us to a great spiritual revival in Europe.
Second, Ezra decided to obey the Law of the Lord.

Ezra did not just study the Bible theoretically to increase his Bible knowledge. No! He decided to obey the word of God and put it into practice. Usually, those who are in a leading position tend to teach others but hardly themselves. They point out and rebuke others’ sins, but do not repent of their own sins. I confess that it is easier said than done. In this sense, this message is for me than anyone else. The problem is that the life of such people does not have spiritual authority. However, Ezra had an awesome fear before the word of God and decided to obey the word of God. God says in Deuteronomy 28:2, “All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God.” In this New Year 2010, let us struggle to subordinate ourselves to the word of God and receive great spiritual authority. We can make many spiritual friends in Jesus, not with a theory, but through our practical life of faith. Jesus says in Mark 7:24, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” James writes in James 2:17, “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” Let us struggle to obey at least one word of God in this year, so that the word of God may gain power in our lives. May God help all of us to have spiritual authority by obeying one word of God and to live as fruitful Bible teachers and even as reformers for the spiritual reawakening of Europe.

Third, Ezra decided to teach the Word of God to the Israelites.

Ezra focused on Bible study and obedience toward the word of God. But he did not remain in his personal spiritual struggle. Moreover, he decided to teach the word of God to the Israelites. He realized that it was the only way to save his people from the sinful and corrupted idol-worshipping life. Ezra’s Bible teaching is well described in Nehemiah 8. According to Nehemiah 8:3, Ezra taught the word of God from daybreak till noon. During the Passover, he taught the people from the early morning till noon everyday for a week. He read the Bible first and interpreted it so that the people could understand. Then, what happened? According to Nehemiah 8:9, the people all heard the word and wept. Why did they weep? They wept, probably because the word of God spoke to them very personally and they were moved and shocked. They wept also because of their repeated sins even though they knew God’s patient love. They wept with a repentant heart, realizing the hope of God for them through Bible study. As Ezra decided to teach the word of God and taught the people God’s word intensively for 8 hours a day for a week, God’s word melted their hardened hearts and granted them spiritual insight over their sins and God’s faithfulness.

This is the power of God’s word. When we invite students to Bible study, many people reject us at first. They often say, “Bible study alone won’t help much.” But as we served them persistently through 1:1 Bible study, God worked mightily through his word in the lives of our sheep and our children. We have experienced this life-changing power every year, especially at the 2009 European Summer Bible Conference in Eringerfeld. More than 200 young students came onto the stage, every one with a clear decision of faith for world mission. Many sheep cause great pain to their shepherds for a long time because they live bound to their sinful habits.  But we have to know that, since the word of God works in their hearts day by day, they gradually grow every day to be great spiritual leaders like Sh. Peter, Sh. Joachim, Sh. Ian and Sh. Paul. Only in the word of God there is true hope and spiritual awakening for the people in Europe and for young students in this postmodern generation.

That is why Jesus gave all his strength to teach the word of God whenever he had a chance. In Acts 19, we see how difficult it was for Paul to serve the evangelical ministry in Ephesus. It was especially difficult because of those who were obstinate and publicly maligned the word of God. However, he did not give up, but chose some hopeful disciples and studied the Bible everyday in the lecture hall of Tyrannus (Acts 19:9). With tears and humbleness, he did not stop to teach them the Bible night and day for 3 years (Acts 20:31). God’s work through the word of God was truly great: People who practiced sorcery repented and burnt their sorcery scrolls, which valued fifty thousand drachmas. Acts 19:20 summarizes the work of God in Ephesus as follows, “In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.” The word of God is the only solution for the spiritual awakening and restoration of young European students. It is the only weapon to challenge the postmodern and sinful generation in Europe, and to save them from the power of sin. 2 Timothy 3:15-17 says, “and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Nothing in this world can wholly heal a sin-sick person. Human movements, such as the ‘Moral Re-armament Movement,’ ‘Anti-Nuclear Movement’ or ‘Global climate movement’ have their limitations. However, the word of God is the breath of God which has power to change and renew people. Only God’s word can change a person, a society, a country, a continent and a whole generation into a new creation. Apostle Paul writes in Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” Let us courageously preach and teach the gospel this year, out of a clear conviction like Paul! We will surely see the gospel ministry being doubled and the spiritual awakening in Europe.

In chapters 7 and 8, we see that God prepared the whole environment for Ezra, as he made a life’s decision: to go back to the Bible. God moved the heart of the super power king Artaxerxes and let him prepare all things for Ezra. Here we learn that when we make a decision to please God, he helps us in every way, even through the kings of the world.

May God bless our European Directors to make life`s decision like Ezra so that Europe may go back to the Bible and devote herself to the Bible study and obey the word of God. May God bless all messages, especially main message of Dr. John Jun and Msn. Moses Yoon, so that we may go back to Paul´s gospel faith and challenge the spiritual revival of Europe with the power of gospel again in this year. Let us read verse 10, “For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.”

Romans 1:8-32

Key verse: 1:16

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.”

Apostle Paul never went to Rome. But he never stopped praying for Rome evangelization. Due to his prayer, his shepherd heart grew and was burning with obligation to preach to Romans and all the Gentiles. Today’s passage can be divided in two parts; First, I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks (8-17). Second, what are the evils of the Gentile world which prevent the truth (18-32).

Through today’s passage, let’s restore our shepherd heart for post-modern intellectuals just as Paul had for young Romans who fell into sin.

Let’s also have the superiority of the gospel and preach it boldly like Paul.

1. I. I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks (8-17)

In verses 8-10, we can see Apostle Paul’s thanksgiving and prayer topics for the Christians in Rome. Firstly, he thanked God for Jewish Christians who pioneered Rome, the capital city of the only superpower nation. He thanked God, believing that the Roman church secured the bridgehead for world mission and could spread the gospel throughout the world. Since their faith was being reported all over the world, Paul was very thankful, even though he never met most of them.

What then was Paul’s prayer for them? Look at verses 9-10. “God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.” Paul earnestly prayed to go to Rome as a missionary. God was his witness how much he prayed at all times for Christians in Rome. He was truly a man of prayer for Rome pioneering.

Verses 11-15 tells us that Paul was obligated to both Romans who lived in the developed Greek culture and to those who lived in underdeveloped culture under the non-Greek influence. Paul’s mission vision for Rome came from his third mission journey in Ephesus, where he had daily discussions with disciples in the Tyrannus lecture hall for two years. Then all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the Asian province heard the word of the Lord, and God did extraordinary miracles through Paul. Through this, Paul saw the vision and said, “I must visit Rome also.” (Ac 19:21)  What was the purpose for Paul to visit Rome?

Look at verse 11-12. He wanted to impart to them some spiritual gift to make them strong.  And he wanted to bear fruit just as he did among other Gentiles. (14)

Why did Paul say that he was obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish?

First, it was because he knew that his great debt was canceled. (Mt 18:24-35) In Matthew 18:24-27, a man owed ten thousand talents to a king. There was no way for him to pay back the king even if he sold all his property and family members. So he fell on his knees before the king and said, “Be patient with me and I will pay back everything.” But it was impossible. Then his master took pity on him and canceled all the debt without any obligation.

Apostle Paul was the sinner of sinners who persecuted early Christians. But our Lord Jesus canceled all his sins without any demand.  Because of this grace, Paul was full of obligation to our Lord Jesus Christ. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world and he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The forgiveness of sin in the gospel is not only given to Paul, but to all the people of the world. This is why Paul was full of obligation to preach the gospel to all the Gentiles.

Second, because he had received freely, he gave freely. (Mt 10:7-8; 18:24-27)  Jesus called his 12 disciples and sent them out on a mission journey. Before sending them out, Jesus said to them, “Freely you have received, freely give.” (Mt 10:8) The gospel has an absolute value because it gives salvation for one’s life. It is more valuable than ten thousand talents. We cannot buy salvation with money. But Jesus canceled the debt of all our sins without any demand. (Mt 18:24-27) Not only did he cancel all our debt of sin, but he also gave eternal life and his kingdom as our inheritance.

Therefore, we have a great debt to God for his grace. Our God never asks us to pay back our debt. He only wants us to take care of campus students and be responsible to preach the gospel to post-modern intellectuals. One hymn writer wrote, “Lord Jesus, we owe you beyond our descriptions. How can we repay you?” The grace of Jesus on the cross, who shed his precious blood for us, is far greater than one can ever tell. Even if we sell all our property and lives, we cannot repay. As a great debtor to Christ, Paul was so eager to preach the gospel to people in Rome. (15) However, it was not easy for the Jewish Christians to preach the gospel to Roman citizens. It was a shameful thing to do.

But what did Paul say to them? Look at verse 16. “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” Why then were the Jewish Christians in the first century ashamed of the gospel?

First, because politically, Israel was a Roman colony. At that time, the Roman Empire conquered the entire world as the only superpower nation. Rome was the biggest city and it was magnificent. The Roman emperor’s power reached its climax. On the other hand, Israel was a small colonial country. Therefore, they felt deeply inferior to the Romans, and could not dare to preach the gospel.

Second, Rome was the highest developed country, wealthy economically and rich culturally. The Roman Empire conquered the entire world and brought all kinds of highly-prized treasures and slaves to Rome. They say that there were four times more slaves than Roman citizens in Rome. Wealthy Roman citizens built luxurious houses and enjoyed parties and gladiator fights daily in the Colosseum. But poor Jewish Christian immigrants lived in ghettos and had house church ministry. It seemed that rich Roman citizens did not need the gospel.

Third, they were ashamed of the gospel of Christianity. Jesus was born in a small town as a poor carpenter’s son. He did not receive a higher education. Finally, he was sentenced to die on the cross with two other criminals, the most shameful way to die. Humanly speaking, it was shameful to preach this Jesus to Roman citizens. So Roman citizens said, “Christians are weird and have childish superstitions.” To them, the gospel story was foolish. (1Co 1:23) Christians in Rome were a minority and lived at the bottom of society. It was shameful for them to preach this gospel to Roman citizens who were rich and powerful.

But what did Paul say to them? Look at verse 16 again. “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” Why was Apostle Pail not ashamed of the gospel?

First, the gospel was absolutely needed for Jews and Romans when Paul saw them spiritually. Even though Roman citizens lived a high class cultural life, to Paul they also needed the gospel. They were proud of living luxuriously, eating fancy foods and enjoying gladiator fights among slaves and wild animals.

But their inner life was like that of Emperor Nero who felt no satisfaction, only meaninglessness, and no fruit. To see them with spiritual eyes, they were idol-worshipers, immoral people who fell short of the glory of God (Ro 3:23) and their wages of sin was death (Ro 6:23a). They worshiped idols, materialism, political power, and pleasure-seeking. Because of these, they fell into deep sins. They were very corrupted morally and homosex spread wildly in their society, like Sodom and Gomorrah.  To Apostle Paul’s eyes, one million Roman citizens walked on the street not as human beings, but as zombies.

Second, the gospel is the power of God which gives salvation for everyone who believes. Look verse 16b. “…because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” The fundamental problems of mankind are sin and death. No one but God can forgive our sins. God so loved the world, and he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes shall not perish, but have eternal life. Only this gospel is God’s power that can save men from their sins and death, and give eternal life. When anyone receives this gospel, he can be free from the chains of sin. He can be free from the power of evils and break out from the chains of laws.

Paul experienced the power of the gospel in his life. Before receiving the gospel, he breathed out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. (Ac. 9:1) He went to Damascus to arrest Christians. On the way there, he met the Risen Jesus. (Ac 9:15) He accepted Jesus personally, received salvation and experienced the power of God. (16) He became an apostle to the Gentiles and went to Illyricum from Antioch. (Ro 15:19)

Later he was in prison, but he was a good shepherd who fed European Christians with spiritual food. So he could say in verse 17, “For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written; ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” God’s righteousness can be revealed in the gospel only by faith.

1. II. What are the evils of the Gentile world which prevent the truth? (18-32)

What kinds of sin prevent the truth of God? First, the sin of godlessness (idol worship), second, the sin of wickedness (immorality). Look at verse 18. “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness.”

1. The sin of idol worship (19-25)

The sin of the Gentile world is that they, the creatures neither glorified the creator God nor gave thanks to him. As a result, they began to make idols and worship them. Apostle Paul saw how people worshiped idols through his third mission journey. In verses 18-23, Paul explained the empty hearts of those who worshiped idols and God’s righteous degree on them. (24,25) Why did they abandon God intentionally?

First, God gave them rational conscience and reason to know him. All human beings can distinguish right from wrong through our conscience which God gave us. All human beings have natural inner beings to seek God because they know the existence of God. According to anthropologists, all tribes and barbarians have religions because all human beings were created by God.

Second, God gave them his eternal power and divine nature to know him. Look at verse 20. “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” We can realize God’s eternal power through his creation of the world.

What was the source of sin in the Gentile world?

Look at verse 21. “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” They knew God, but they fell into their own pride. They neither glorified God nor gave thanks to him. In other words, if they claimed to know God, they were bound by God and had to live by his words. It caused inconvenience and restriction for them. So they did not worship the Creator God. They thought that they were wise, but they became fools. They exchanged God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

These days people abandon the Creator God. They neither glorify God nor give thanks to him. They become proud with futile thinking and worship idols. 21^st century science and information technology brought so much darkness and led people to materialism, relativism and hedonism. How did God make them pay for their sins? God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped created things rather than the Creator. (24,25) It was indescribable sexual immorality in the first century. When we do not worship the Creator God, we too fall into the same sins.

1. The sin of moral corruption (26-32)

When they did not establish a right relationship with God, they became idol worshipers and morally corrupted.

Look at verses 26-27. “Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.” Paul says homosexuality is unnatural, indecent and abnormal. These days in America and Europe, homosexuality has spread like swine flu. What is worse, some Christians are homosexuals. Five states of America made homosex legal. But this immorality destroys families. The family is the core of our society. If the family is destroyed, the society will be destroyed. If the society is destroyed, our societies would be like orphanages without families.

Verses 28-32 describe moral corruption in a society and how people invented evils and practiced them. People did not think it was important to have a true knowledge of God. So God left them and allowed them to have their own worthless thinking. So they do what they should not do. They are filled with every kind of sin, evil, greed and hatred. They are full of jealousy, murder, strife, fighting and lying. They hate God. They are rude, proud, and brag about themselves. They do not obey their parents. They are foolish, they do not keep their promises, and they show no kindness or mercy to others.

When we do not establish a right relationship with God, societies become rotten to the core. Their sins grow until they not only continue to do these evil things but also approve of those who practice them, even though they know God’s righteous decree of death. (32; Ro 6:23)

When people do such evil things, they insist on their rights instead of repenting. Many people regard an immoral life as normal, and a normal life as abnormal. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 say, “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”

Conclusion: Here we can see Apostle Paul’s great shepherd heart for the Romans. This is a post-modern generation. Our post-modern generation is just like the first century young Romans who were sexually immoral and idol worshipers. We too, like Apostle Paul must have a great shepherd heart to preach the gospel of salvation and raise them as disciples of Jesus.

Galatians 5:16-26

Key Verse: 5:16

“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”

Normally the words preached are divided into two kinds. The first is the gospel itself to the non believers for their salvation, and the second is the truth that helps the believers to spiritually grow. The latter is the most of the case in reality. This means that the spiritual growth of a believer is very important. Some believers think that they are saved and live as they like heavily influenced by secularism. Some even commit sins thinking that they will repent later. The Galatian believers were in such a condition. So, in order to rebuke and build them up on the pure gospel, Paul wrote this epistle to the Galatians.

Today’s believers are like the Galatians. We live in a time when the soul is chocked by the body, and true freedom is said to be hedonism. Words like ‘purity,’ ‘holiness,’ and ‘truth,’ are considered to be strange and foreign. Even born again believers misuse their faith. Their influence in society is not great. God gave us the mission to make disciples among campus intellectuals. This is not an easy task. In order to win the victory we must have inner Christ-like character, as well as external abilities. Then, we can serve world mission successfully. How can we do so? Today’s passage tells us that the answer is living by the Spirit. May we learn how to live by the Spirit, and bear much fruit and powerfully serve God’s ministries.

Look at verse 16. “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Paul tells us that we should live by the Spirit. Then what does it mean to live by the spirit? To “live by” means to live according to the “leading” of the Spirit. It means to honor the Spirit, and to listen to his voice, and furthermore, to accept his lordship and ruling. For this we must first accept the fact that the Spirit lives in us. And we must honour the Spirit. Further, we must accept the Spirit and our Lord and be ruled by him. This is like, in a ocean sailing, giving the handle to the master and obey him. There is no visible route in the sea and when you cross the ocean you must have an experienced and skillful master. When you entrust the steering to him and obey him, you will reach the final destination safely. Likewise, to be ruled by the Spirit means to give the handle to him and obey.

What happens when we do so? “…you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” The desires of the sinful nature refer to the desires of our corrupted human natures. We have many evil desires in our corrupted natures. These sinful desires are too strong for us to overcome with our own strength. One shepherd at Yonhee chapter avoided being alone in order to overcome his sinful desire. He even wrote with his blood. However, he confessed that it was impossible for him to overcome his sinful desires. Paul says to us, “Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”

Look at verse 17. “For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.” Before we met Jesus, we didn’t have any internal conflict. We simply lived according to our sinful desires. The fruit we bore then were shameful deeds leading to death (Ro 6:21).

But after we met Jesus, we received the Holy Spirit who lives in us. However, the Holy Spirit coexists with our persisting sinful nature, and these two continually come into conflict. Yet although they coexist, they are not necessarily coequal. The Holy Spirit is far stronger and more powerful. This is because when Christ Jesus was crucified to the cross, our sinful nature with its passions and desires were also crucified with him (24). Therefore, the strength of our sinful nature is like that of a maimed snake wriggling on the ground. When we stand on the side of the Holy Spirit and live by the Spirit, we can win against our sinful nature.

Look at verse 18. “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.” The Spirit leads us but does not force us to follow him. This means that our voluntary and willing obedience is necessary to follow the Spirit’s leading (Lk 4:1; 2Ti 3:16). When we willingly obey and follow the Spirit, we are no longer under law, but under grace.

Then what are the things that prevent us from following the Spirit? Look at verses 19-21. “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” The sinfulness of the acts of the sinful nature are obvious. However, people still commit these openly everyday.

The fifteen kinds of sinful living can be divided into four categories.

Firstly, sexual sins. (1) “Sexual immorality” refers to all kinds of unlawful sexual relations. Sex must exist only within a married relationship. The Bible condemns any other kind of sexual relation, such as premarital and extramarital relations as sexual immorality. Today, morality has eroded and sexual immorality has become rampant. Our societies have become like Sodom and Gomorra. Many young people today are living in sexual immorality. We live in societies that mock and ridicule those who pursue lives of purity as people of God. (2) “Impurity” refers to all kinds of impure physical activity, in particular sexual impurity. (3) “Debauchery” is the condition of not feeling shame despite excessive sinful indulgence.

Secondly, religious sin. (4) “Idolatry” refers to adoring and serving something or someone else more than God. Loving money, authority, fame, somebody else more than God is also idolatry. (5) “Witchcraft” refers to using the power of evil spirits to deceive and trick others.

Thirdly, sins against our neighbors. (6) “Hatred” (7) “Discord” (8) “Jealousy” (9) “Fits of rage” (10) “Selfish ambition” (11) “Dissensions” (12) “Factions” (13) “Envy”

Fourth, sins of no self control. (14) “Drunkenness” (15) “Orgies”

When we think about above 15 kinds of sin, we may think “Oh, I have nothing to do with them”. Yet in verse 21, Paul finishes with “and the like,” meaning that there are other sins than the fifteen he mentioned. This means that there are other sins less obvious but similar to these sins.

There are others, such as, gambling, greed for money or food, enjoying lustful thoughts, vanity, comparing oneself, thinking highly himself than others, self-condemnation, laziness, indifference, heartlessness, mocking others, slander, and so on. These things prevent us from being led by the Holy Spirit. They prevent us from living normal lives of faith. With such sins we can not bear any inner or outer fruit and we become powerless. When directors deliver the message, these sins make their message ineffectively and powerless.

When we believed and were born again(Jn 3:5) we received the Holy Spirit. At that time, we became connected to God through the Spirit that is like a pipe. Through this Spirit-pipe, we began living lives led by the Spirit. But as time passed by, our lives became habitual and hypocritical. We became too busy teaching to students to teach ourselves. We neglected personally studying the Bible and living repentant lives (Ro 2:21). So our Spirit-pipes became clogged up and blocked. Some people’s pipes become completely blocked because of their sinful desires. Some people’s pipes become unblocked just during a summer conference, and close up again. Some people are unblocked just during the Sunday service. Some others are unblocked just when they write and share their testimony. For some, the pipe is only unblocked a tiny amount. They cannot grow spiritually. They become cultural Christians and grow more and more secular. Although they appear to be Christian, they have no power. Therefore, we must be alert about our Spirit-pipes.

What warning does Paul give to those people who live according to their sinful desires? Look at verse 21b. “I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Those who persist in sinful ways despite the guilt of their conscience cannot inherit the kingdom of God. They will instead inherit the kingdom of sin, sorrow and suffering of the devil. So what must we do? Above all else, we must repent daily. When we read passages like the Ten Commandments, Romans chapter 1, Galatians chapter 5, it is impossible not to repent.

When we live faithfully by the Spirit, what fruit will we come to bear? Look at verses 22-23. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Among the nine, the very first is love. In the past, it was impossible to produce such love. However, the Holy Spirit who lives in us produces in us this great love. Apostle Paul said the greatest of all gifts of the Spirit is love (1Co 12:31). Let us follow the leading of the Spirit and grow in the knowledge of the true love of Jesus. Let us always be inspired by his love and maintain a deep loving relationship with him. When we do so, we can live truly joyful and fruitful lives.

Secondly, joy. The Greek word for this word is “(Cara)” and this joy is the holy joy experienced by those who are saved. This joy is true joy and perfect joy. Those who are led by the Spirit are always filled with the joy of salvation. If we believe and have been saved but do not have this joy, let us repent and have a loving relationship with Jesus. Are you full of this kind of holy joy? May God help us to be filled with this holy joy.

Thirdly, peace. This peace refers to the one we have by being reconciled with God through the cross of Jesus Christ (Ro 5:1). This is not only the peace we have in our mind and conscience (Php 4:6,7), it is also the gift of God that restores conflicts and hostility (Ro 15:13). The world today is filled with terrorism, murder, and war of retaliation. There are also Muslims who are hostile against Christianity. Because of this peace is broken and there are many conflicts. There is no way to solve conflicts and hostility through human means. When people accept the love of the cross of Jesus, and serve God as one Father, and reconcile with one another as brothers, we can have true peace.

Fourthly, patience. This is to be able to forgive and forbear despite hardship and difficulty. Even though man received God’s love and blessing and went his own way, God was patient with him and waited for his return. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul emphasizes patience as the most important quality of love.

If we are to bear fruit as Bible shepherds, we must be patient and endure like a mother in labour. We must also be patient like parents who nurture and care for their children. When we are patient, our students can grow, and with teaching and training they can grow into great leaders. If a student that we invited and babysat whines and rebels, and we are quick to lose our temper and rebuke, that student will leave. The Bible shepherd who has many fruits of the Spirit is the one who can endure and be patient to the end. We need to be like God, and be patient with our difficult Bible students and be able to wait for them.

Fifth, kindness. This refers to moral goodness and generosity. This word was originally used to describe the merciful character of God (Lk 6:35).

Sixth, goodness. This is to willingly desire to serve others. This word is also used to describe God’s mercy (Ro 2:4).

Seventh, faithfulness. In Greek this word is “Pistis” and is also used to mean belief in God. However, in this context, it means being trustworthy and reliable. This is the most important character as a servant of God.

Eight, gentleness. This refers to ethical generosity. It refers to self-controlled rebuking and gently instructing (2Ti 2:25). The Bible says Moses was a humble man, more than anyone on the face of the earth.

Ninth, self-control. This is the ability to overcome one’s sinful desires. In Paul’s time, it was considered the most important virtue by the Greeks.

“…Against such things there is no law” (23b). Those who are led by the Spirit live according to a higher standard, and are thus able to fulfill the law (14). The aforementioned nine fruits of the Spirit are ultimately the characters of Jesus Christ himself. We cannot bear these fruits with our own strength. But when we live by the Spirit, the Spirit bears in us these fruits. The Spirit also helps us to bear much fruit outwardly.

The Spirit also works in other ways. Firstly, the Spirit saves (Jn 3:3,5). Through the Spirit, we are born again. This is an important work of the Spirit and refers to the salvation work of God. Secondly, the Spirit gives power to servants of God (Ac 1:8). For example, he enables us to speak in foreign tongues (Ac 2:4). The Spirit also gives the power to preach powerfully (Ac 2:41), to discern and understand God’s word (Jn 14:26; 16:13), to heal (Ac 3:6,7), to speak with wisdom (Ac 6:9,10). The Spirit also gives gifts to apostle, prophets, teachers respectively. He also gives the gift of help, to govern.

Look at verses 25 and 26. “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” In Jesus, we no longer live according to the flesh, but according to the Holy Spirit. Even though we are Christians, there are still many temptations to live according to our sinful nature. Therefore, we must always be alert and be on guard. We must reject the temptations and follow the leading of the Spirit, and keep in step with the Spirit. In order to do so, we must heed the word of God and devote ourselves to prayer.

What final caution does Paul give? “Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other” (26). Human glory is short-lived and meaningless. When we pursue such meaningless glory, we become divided against our coworkers and we anger and quarrel with each other. Human glory is the source of much conflict, sorrow, and unhappiness. Let us not seek such meaningless worldly glory and anger each other and quarrel. Let us pray to seek the true reward and glory that is from God, and love, encourage, and serve one other.

Last year, by God’s grace, I was able to concentrate on Bible study and prayer. I feel pain in my heart due to my many short comings and sins, yet God abundantly blessed my small struggle. In order to serve Chongro/SNU3 chapters together with UK ministry, it is essential for me to be spiritually awake. I struggled to write Sunday message one month before the date so that the word might control the mind and thought of myself and our spiritual community. Based on a clear understanding of the passage, I was led the senior group Bible studies and emailed them my manuscript to assist their Bible studies with fellowship leaders. Each morning, I wrote daily bread and shared with staff and some other shepherds through email. Through Skype on Friday, I studied with Abraham Ian, Paul in London. When I struggled to serve myself and the community with the word, God faithfully has led us. God helped me to learn and grow in Jesus’ love and patience. He gave me joy and happiness in my heart. In spite of growing tough spiritual environment in Korea, God raised 30 new disciples in Chongro/SNU3, sent 10 missionaries out, and established 12 house churches. I pray that in the new year that I may live by the Spirit more actively. For this, I pray that I may study the word of God with spiritual fervor and pray. May the Holy Spirit work powerfully through His word in the coming year.

In conclusion, we have learned how to receive the power of the Holy Spirit. The secret of receiving the Spirit’s power is to unblock our Spirit-pipes of our sinful desires and sinful nature through repentant lives. May we repent of our sinful nature daily and lead powerful lives led by the Spirit. May we also pray earnestly that we may receive the Holy Spirit. In this year 2010, may we be filled with the fruit of the Holy Spirit and powerful servants of God. Amen.

Ezekiel  37:1-14

Key Verse  10

„So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them;

they came to life and stood up on their feet – a vast army.“

The Prophet Ezekiel was taken prisoner during the second Babylonian attack. At that time he was 25 years old. At the age of 30 he was called to be God´s prophet. In this passage Ezekiel had a vision about a valley full of bones. God asked him, “Can these bones live?” Finally, God told him, “Prophesy to the breath.” When Ezekiel obeyed God´s command, the dry bones came into life again and became a vast army. According to this vision we want to think about the power of the word of God and the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit.

I.   Can these bones live?  (1-3)

Look at verses 1.2: “The Hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry.” Ezekiel was set in the middle of a valley full of bones. All over the place there were very dry bones. It was terrible. More than this, it was horrible. But he was brought to this place by the Spirit of the Lord. This Spirit forth him among this valley of death. On every step Ezekiel heard crunching and crashing sounds under his feet. It was a place of death and shear desperation. There was no hope in this field. It seemed there was a battle 100 years before and noone had burried the beaten army. The bones on the floor of the valley were completely dry. Ezekiel was not amused when he saw so many skeletons lying around. It was like being in an horrorcabinet. I don´t like skeletons too. So my God trained me and confronted me with bones by marrying a surgeon. When I visited her hospital she let me see surgeonal prozesses, for example to operate a broken bone or go into an abdomen with a videocamera and see the organs. But during so many years of living together and hearing her hospitalstories, I became customary for me to hear this. Ezekiel on the other side saw those skeletons the first time. A little bit they still look like people, but totally lifeless. Is there any picture which symbolise hopelessness and lifelessness better than the very dry bones on the floor of this valley? There is no extremer picture than this. It was really unimaginable that these bones ever could have strength and life again.

But look at verses 3: “He asked me, `Son of man, can these bones live?´ I said, `O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.´” When Ezekiel looked at the bones, God asked him, `Can these bones live?´ What kind of question was that? It was like a question, `Can these students spiritual live? Can Europe become a spiritual living continent sending out missionaries again? Can I become a good shepherd full of God´s shepherdheart for young people around me?´ Normally, the dead can not come back to life. A doctor´s efforts for revival don´t make any sense anymore on dry bones. There should happen a miracle to make bones living. According to verse 11, this vision refers to the house of Israel. Would Israel live again? Would their faith, their hope and their vision come back to life? Would they rise again as a holy nation and a royal priesthood? God is a God of hope. Israel´s situation in Babylon was desperate. God had the hope that Israel would be alive again. God wanted to plant his hope in Ezekiel´s heart. When God begins the work of restoration, he first plants new expectation in his servant´s heart. God is a God of power. Although the bones were entirely dried out, he could bring them back to life. He is the Lord of the resurrection and the life. In Hes 36,26 God proclaimed: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

What did Ezekiel answered to God´s amazing command? Did he answer, `No, God, that is absolutely impossible.´? No, he did not speak in that way. For humans it was not possible for bones to come back to life. Yet, he did not answer from his limited point of view, nor according to his thinking or experience. Instead of this he spoke words of faith. He said, `O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.´ This answer reminds us to the words of Maria who should bring Jesus into the world without knowing a man. But in this situation she also spoke words of faith by saying, `I am the Lord´s servant. May it be to me as you have said.´ (Lk 1,38) Ezekiel was a man of faith. He had faith in the power of God. God is the souvereign ruler of the living and the death. He alone knew what should happen. When I sit on my desk, meditating about the word of God, I often take a feeling-stone in my hand. On this stone the following words are writen: `For nothing is impossible with God!` It is good to know for me, that all things are possible with God. It´s good for me to have faith in this almighty God. Ezekiel was a wise man. He could not dictate what God was going to do. But he believed that God will give the right answer to his question. God plans his work and carries it out. If God wants, he can make dry bones come into life. God works in such mysterious ways that we can hardly imagine. If we have faith in God we can have the faith that God will fullfill any ministry, even a ministry which seems to be impossible. It is a biblical fact that at the end of time all knees will bow before God almighty. God asked, `Son of man, can these bones live?´ By faith we can answer, `O sovereign Lord, you alone know.´

II.   Prophesy to the breath   (4-14)

Look at verses 4-6: “Then he said to me, `Prophesy to these bones and say to them, `Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: `I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.´” Here God challenged Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones that God would make breath enter them and they would come to life. God would give them tendons, flesh and skin. Ezekiel prophesied as God told him. God began the work of restoring Israel with the prophesy to dried bones. Where God´s word is prophesied, a work of creation begins.

What words did God let be prophesied to the dry bones? “Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!” God let the dry bones be said that they should hear the word of the Lord. Bones usually have no ears to hear. But how could they hear the words of the Lord? God did not give up on them at that point. God let it be known to them, `Hear the word of the Lord!´ The word of the Lord is like a sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit (Heb 4,12). This word of the Lord came to Israel after crossing the Red sea (Ex 19,5.6a), “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Yet, Israel did not hear the word of God. Finally, they were carried away as prisoners to Babylon. They were in a swamp of desperation and hopelessness. However, God did not give up on his people like dried up bones. He sent his servant and let them hear his words. God had a hope that his people would live again, if they would hear the word of God. `Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!´

What happened after the word of the Lord came to the dry bones? Look at verses 7.8: “So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.” Ezekiel was confused. But when he obeyed Gods command fully, he could see the power of the word of the Lord. There was a rustling, the bones were moving and coming together. Then tendons grew and flesh over them and they were covered with skin. Now the bones looked like real people again. But there was no breath in them. They looked like Zombies. Although they looked like real people, they were not yet alive.

Look at verses 9.10: “Then he said to me, ´Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, `This is what the Sovereign Lord says: `Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.´ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up their feet – a vast army.” God allowed Ezekiel to prophesy to the breath that it should come from all four winds and breathe into the slain, that they might live again. When Ezekiel obeyed the breath came into the people and they came to life and stood up on their feet. As they stood there, they were a vast army. The bones looked so miserable and hopeless. But now there was a vast army. What a great change! The breath of God turned the dead into a powerful army. The breath of God overcame the power of death. God let the breath to be prophesied to and challenged the power of death. Ezekiel prophesied to the breath by faith, `Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live!´

Here I can learn two important points. First, the power of God´s word. Vers 14 says: “Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.” God´s work is not a human work. The work that God himself plans and announces, will be fulfilled according to his word. It´s interesting to see that God doesn´t fulfil his word by himself. God fulfills his work through his precious servants. God gives his servants the authority to prophecy to the lifeless bones. Ezekiel was only a Babylonian prisoner. His work of prophecy seemed to be small and insignificant. But God led world history according to Ezekiel´s prophesy and restored Israel to a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. According to the word of God, Jesus the savior of the world was born in a manger. Later he planted the hope of God into the heart of his disciples by preaching God´s word. According God´s prophecy Jesus died on the cross and finally rose again from the death. When Paul went to Rome, he was a prisoner in chains. But instead of living a sad and fruitless life, he began to preach the gospel to the Romans one by one. So God´s word could conquer the Roman Empire step by step. The power of God´s word changed the history and established a vast army of God from Rome to all over Europe. God is still fullfilling his world salvation work through his divine servants. Because Martin Luther translated the word of God into German language, the power of the gospel could change Germany and later all of Europe. We need no big churches like the Kölner Dom where over 20.000 people can come in. We just need people who obey God and preach the word of the Lord through 1:1 Bibel study. Through this ministry dried souls in Europe will stand up as a vast army of God. May God make me an Ezekiel for my time!

Second, the importance of prophesy to breath. WhenEzekiel prophesied to the dry bones, they became living humans. Yet, they had no breath of life. They lived in the flesh but were spiritually dead. Although Ezekiel preached the word of God as best as he could do, he could not make the dead living. That is why God let Ezekiel prophesy to the breath. When he obeyed God´s command and prophesied to breath, life came to the dead again. When the breath of life came into them, they received God´s spirit and became a vast army that could go into spiritual battle.

What does it mean to prophesy to breath? It means that you ask almighty God to give life back to the dead through his spirit. After Jesus´ ascension, his disciples were helpless and hid themselves in Jerusalem. Their bodies lived but their spirit was dead. So they prayed from all their hearts for the promised spirit of God. Suddenly the spirit of God came down like the blowing of a violent wind. This spirit gave life to them. 3.000 dead souls came back to life through their testimony. A vast army of God were resurrected. I pray that God may raise people like Ezekiel and people like the disciples of Jesus. I pray that God use me to prophecy to the dead students of Cologne, Germany and Europe, so God can give them new life through his spirit!

God wants to spend his Holy Spirit to the young generation of Europe through the powerful word of the Lord. If we pray so, God will grant us his life and establish a vast army of God. Finally we will cry out, `This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden.´ (36,35) I pray that God helps me to improve my Sunday worship massage, so that the power of God´s word can give dried bones new life. May God help us to prophecy to the breath to breathe into European souls, that they may live! Let us read the keyverse again: „So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them;  they came to life and stood up on their feet – a vast army.“

Key Verse: 16:5a

“Greet also the church that meets at their house.”

House Church means a church in a house. House doesn’t only means the building, but more especially a family or a small unity of Christians. House church is when a family serves a church in is home. In a so Christianized continent as Europe, where there are churches even in the most postponed villages, to serve the church in a house or an apartment seems very strange for many people. When I was invited the first time to the Sunday worship service and that I realized that it took place in a very small apartment, I thought that I was going to strangle myself. I told myself that I had fallen in a cult. However, the house church is not something new. It is even the model of the first Christian churches. But is it the model of church the best adapted for the Europeans in 21th century? I think that the answer is “yes”.

I have a friend Pastor who serves a local church in Nantes. His church began some years ago in his garage. During years he prayed with his coworkers to have a big assembly. God blessed their prayer and another local church joined them, until their assembly counts more than 200 members. But division and difficulties began appearing. The Pastor then said: « What is really my purpose? If my purpose is to have a big church with many members, I missed my purpose! » Then he changed his strategy. He encouraged the other church to become again independent; he sold their big “centre” and decided to emphases on biblical meetings in families. Now, every week, a different family serves meeting in his home. They invite their friends, their parents for a time of Bible study and prayer, and God blesses them.

Following this example, it seems that the resurgence of the church in Europe passes by the house church. The young peoples hated cold and too rigid religious traditionalism. They search a more personal and living way to meet God. The house church can bring them it. But how to serve a house church? Is it enough to have some religious activities in an apartment to be a house church? Through the example of Pricilla and Aquila, whom we are going to study today, we can learn what is a house church and how to serve the Gospel efficiently in our house churches in Europe.

First, Pricilla and Aquila collaborated the one with other one for the Gospel. Who were Pricilla and Aquila? According to Acts 18.1-3 Pricilla and Aquila was tentmakers. At the time of Roman Empire, tents were used for the Roman army and for the slaves. It was a very profitable business. We say that it is difficult for a couple to be together in business, because private and professional life gets involved constantly. For example, if the woman forgets to send a very important bill and that her husband gets angry against her, there is not enough chance that he makes her compliments on his kitchen in the evening at table. Rather he risks sulking and eating without speaking. Then how Pricilla and Aquila could they collaborate so intimately and so effectively? Look verse 3. Because they were « in Christ-Jesus. » It means that both Pricilla than Aquila had a personal relation with Jesus (Jn 15.5). They both experienced the love of God personally. They both knew the love of God personally. So they could love each other, they could embrace each other, support each other, pray for each other, encourage each other and be strong for each other, with the same purpose: serve the Gospel. They were ready to overcome all their difficulties because they kept looks fixed on their spiritual purpose. By serving a company, it is easy to be crush by difficulties or pressure. But Pricilla and Aquilas could overcome difficulties because their company was not one purpose a means for them, but there only to serve the Gospel and to support the people of God. Every day they worked diligently for their material needs, and in the evening, they served God together with a lot of joy and grace. One of the secrets of a successful house church ministry seems to be for the husband and wife to have a beautiful love relationship in Christ and the same purpose for the Gospel.

Second, Pricilla and Aquila collaborated with Apostle Paul for the Gospel. Let us read verse 3 once again. Here Paul does not call them “my sheep”, but « my fellow workers in Christ-Jesus. » We do not know if Pricilla and Aquila were already Christians when Paul met them. Anyway, when Paul met them in Corinth, « he stayed and worked with them” (Ac 18.3b) At the beginning, they made tents together. By common life with the apostle Paul, Pricilla and Aquila grew spiritually and became his close collaborators. When Paul devoted himself full-time to the ministry of Corinth (Ac18.5), Pricilla and Aquila continued supporting him financially and spiritually. In Corinth, the Gospel faith of Paul was controversial, so that Paul was frightened himself and wanted to leave the city. But the Lord appeared to him in dream and encouraged him to stay (Ac 18.6-10). Pricilla and Aquila continued supporting Paul and encouraged him in practice. When Paul left Corinth finally, Pricilla and Aquila went with him (Ac18.18). It was not easy for them to leave and to start again their business elsewhere. It would be necessary to find a new workshop, new purveyors and new customers. There was an important financial risk. But Pricilla and Aquila did not calculate as it. They were ready to leave everything to follow and to collaborate with the servant of God. Later, when Paul came back to Ephesus, Pricilla and Aquila were there, ready to cowork with him and to support him once again. We learn from Pricilla and Aquila that good house church leaders do not isolate themselves; but that they learn how to collaborate closely and to support the servant that God established.

Third, Pricilla and Aquila risked their lives for the Gospel. Let us read verse 4a. We do not know exactly about which event Paul speaks here. But what is true is that Pricilla and Aquila supported Paul not only by giving him a room in their house or meal, or a small financial support from time to time, but because they risked their own lives to protect and defend Paul. It was not because of their human fidelity, but this shows the depth of their commitment for the Gospel. Pricilla and Aquila realized how much Apostle Paul was important for the Gospel and especially, how much his ministry among the Gentiles was important. Therefore they protected Paul by risking their own lives, so that the Gospel of Jesus can continue spreading to the Gentiles. According to verse 4b, even the churches of the Gentiles was grateful to them. Their audacious and sacrificial faith became a source of encouragement and force for many brothers who faced up intense persecutions. Their practical life to open their house always to the Gentiles was also a good example and gave a good influence to the Gentiles churches. It is always risked to serve a house church ministry. Even invite a foreigner in our home can be risked. Our basic instinct encourages us to protect and to preserve our house and our family. But good house church leaders know how to sacrifice and even to risk their lives for the Gospel.

Fourth, Pricilla and Aquila shares the vision of God with Paul. In Acts we see that Pricilla and Aquila preceded Paul in Rome. It is wholly probable that they were come back in Rome not only because the roman emperor had allowed the Jews to come back there, but also because they knew Paul’s vision: « I must visit Rome also.” (Ac 19.21) In Ephesus, Paul had receives the vision of God to evangelize the whole world from Rome. However he did not go there directly. He continued first encouraging churches and dedicated himself to gather the offering of the Gentile’s churches for the church of Jerusalem. During this time, it seems that Pricilla and Aquila went to Rome to open it a shop. Paul prayed for Pricilla and Aquila a lot, because they shared his vision for world mission. They were good coworkers, not because they tried to follow Paul humanly, but because they shared his vision for world mission. Their purpose was to spread the Gospel of Jesus by their house church ministry. They put their hope in the kingdom of heaven. It was hard for them to go back in Rome, where from they had before been hunted. But they were ready to move anywhere, to make anything, if this can help the Gospel of Jesus to spread. This vision for world mission and this mind are essential for the house church leaders. Good house church leaders share God’s great vision for the whole world. They are not jealous of other Christians but are delighted to see the work of God growing, wherever it is.

Fifth, Pricilla and Aquila were excellent Bible teachers who helped people to have clear gospel faith. In Acts 18.24-26 we read how Pricilla and Aquila helped Apollos. Apollos was a man with a learned heart and a deep knowledge of Scriptures. He was also a good public speaker. But when they heard him, Pricilla and Aquila recognized immediately that something missed in his message. They did not publicly embarrass him. Instead, they invited him to their home and explained him the way of God “more adequately”. They helped him to understand the deep meaning of the death and the resurrection of Jesus, the work of Holy Spirit, the hope in the kingdom of heaven, the second coming of Jesus and the plan of God for the salvation of the world. This young intellectual very able did not intimidate them; rather, they saw him from the point of view of God, based Gospel faith. Through their house church they could take a personal time to help him practically. After being helped by them, Apollos went on to become an effective gospel worker, helping those who by grace had already believed. Good house church leaders not only share common life; they also are excellent Bible teachers who share their gospel faith with even one person deeply in their home.

Sixth, Pricilla and Aquila opens their home for church meetings. Let us read verse 5a. It seems that Pricilla and Aquila used their house for the meetings of the church. They made it in Corinth, in Ephesus and now, they made it in Rome. It is not always easy to open our house for church meetings : the house need to be clean and put away all the time, we need to be always ready to welcome people, etc… This asks denying and sacrificial mind. But Pricilla and Aquila never got tired of doing so. Their hearts were always opened towards the people of God. God blessed them financially so that they was able to give to the others. They used it to show hospitality and serve God’s needy people in many ways. Their home was a place of God’s peace, where God’s troubled people could come and find rest. Their home was a place where believers could gather to sing hymns and a place full of God’s word. It was a place to remember God’s amazing grace in Jesus and to give thanks. In mega-churches, people can easily be ignored or lost. But in a house church, they can be cared and each can participate freely. They can receive love and feel as in their family.

Today we learnt the principles of a fruitful house church ministry. They are: 1) To love each one other in Christ and to share the same purpose; 2) To cowork with the servants of God; 3) To be ready to risk our life for the Gospel; 4) To share the vision of God for the world; 5) To plant a clear gospel faith in young intellectuals; 6) To build a spiritually healthy environment based on the peace of Christ and the word of Christ. May God strengthen our UBF house churches in Europe and in the world according to these principles and be used preciously by him for his kingdom work.

Hebrews 11:1-7

Key Verse: 11:6

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

A Happy New Year for everyone! Two days of European Directors Conference are over. God blessed us with the word of God through Dr. John Jun. God wants us to hold the power of the gospel. God blesses us as we trust the power of the gospel and the life by the spirit. At first some people might have wondered why Dr. Peter Chang gathered all of us here in Israel. It is God who has brought us here. We came here to pray for Israel. We feel much closer to God in this land.

A closing message is about preparing for our new beginning.  We will soon return to our mission field (happily after the memorable tours in Israel together with fellow leaders). Whether we are from England, Slovakia, Germany, USA, Israel or from any part of the world, it is important to clarify some essential aspects of this life of mission. First, our joy depends on us. It is not the situation, other people and or anything else, but our faith (i.e., our own attitude, approach and perspective)—that determines our joy.  Second, the quality of this life of mission depends on whom we try to please. If we, like all people do, merely seek to please ourselves only, either we become quite self-centered or selfish. On the other hand, if we focus on pleasing those we serve or lead, our life would be quite superficial in that our joy rises and fall on the passing opinions of people.

This is the first year of the next ten years! Have you thought about 2020?  What will be most critical by 2020?  To many of us, next ten years will be quite important years. To many seniors in their late 50s or 60s, the next ten years are the time for wonderful conclusion about the first part of life. Those who are in 30s and 40s, the next ten years are most active and dynamic period of life. Regardless of our age, each of us here commit to a life that pleases God. Heb 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God”.  Then, the entire chapter shows, how by faith it is possible for people to please God.  If our intent is to please God, then we pursue a truly rewarding life. The title of today’s message is, “By faith it is possible to please God.”

First, three foundations of faith—hope, confidence, and understanding (1-3).  Look at verse 1: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Here, the object of faith is not something impersonal idea, state or things. Rather, the object of faith is God. Therefore, faith is being sure of God we hope for and certain of God we do not see. Faith is being sure of God we will meet face to face in the future while we are certain of this invisible God we now love and serve.

Look at verse 2: “This is what the ancients were commended for.” The ancients refer to many people of God in the Bible. The ancients, who lived thousands of years before us, lived by faith. By living by faith we join with these people of faith for ages that went ahead of us. We take their wisdom of life as our own for today.

Look at verse 3: “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” The essential foundation of faith is about understanding about God’s creation.  By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command. Out of nothing, God created everything by his command such as: “Let there be light…” then it was so. By depending on the Creator God we can engage in an exciting life of creation as well. With faith in Creator God we can explore this world and study the law of nature. Jesus had creation faith so he said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Mt. 19:26).  So faith is in God we hope for, the invisible but real God we love, and the work of God that we understand. Then, what do we do by faith?

Second, by faith we come to God (4). Look at verse 4: “By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.” The author of Hebrews skips the first man Adam and the first woman Eve. They failed. They lost the Garden of Eden and lived in a world where thistles and thorns flourished. They had to sweat to eat and they had to die.  Thinking about the painful reality of life and their miserable destiny was hard. Yet, they taught their children about the holy God, their disobedience, God’s gracious provision for their return to the kingdom of God through the Messiah (Gen. 3:15). In due time, their two children grew up. Later, Abel became a shepherd and his brother Cain a farmer. They had different attitudes toward God and life. Cain was an angry and rebellious man. Abel, on the other hand, was a godly man.

Look at verse 4a: “By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did.”  One time both offered offerings to God. Abel’s offerings were some of the firstborn of his flock that involved a blood sacrifice. Cain offered some of the firstfruits of his crop. One can go into the details about the offerings themselves. Anyway, to God, Abel’s offering was a better sacrifice. Abel loved God who is invisible. He did not blame God for a hard life. He did not argue with God, saying, “Lord, why should we work hard and toil here for the sin of my parents?” Instead, he probably said, “O Lord, thank you for giving us the hope of returning to the Garden of Eden someday through the seed of a woman. Help me to live by faith.” Abel loved God and honored him and accordingly offered a sacrifice with sincere faith. What was the outcome of his sacrificial life? One day his brother Cain invited him to a field.  There, Cain killed his brother Abel in an uncontrollable rage.

Then how does Abel still speak to us? Look at verse 4b: “By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.” What does Abel’s life say to us? Abel’s life seems to be too short. Cain was a murderer and yet lived a long life building his own civilization. Abel’s life speaks a truth that a seemingly untimely but righteous death is better than a long and ungodly life on the earth. Abel’s life teaches that God is pleased with our coming to him—a sincere and sacrificial life.

Many of us are here in 30s, 40s, 50s and even 60s. In the movie, “Titanic”, women and children were first taken to the boats.  People said, “Farewell”.  It was the moment of closing.  At the final moment when the ship was sinking, the band plays the song, “Nearer God to thee” as the ship sinks. As we conclude this life, the essence of this life can be summarized in one phrase, “This life is to come nearer to God”.  Apart from God, death is such a sad reality.  With death everything ends.  However, with God, death is the gateway to glory.  Without faith by death everything ends. By faith with death everything starts totally new. That’s why seemingly untimely death is so heartbreaking to us, in the other side of eternity such death is also a path of glory. Then, how can we come to God? We come to God by faith.  From a human point of view, Jesus himself died an untimely death on the cross. Yet, to many, Jesus’ death on the cross speaks more powerfully than his long life. His righteous death on the cross is the foundation of our salvation. What does the cross of Jesus do primarily? It enables sinners to come to God.  We come to God, by faith in Jesus. The first important way to please God is to come to him.  Any parents know that their children’s coming to them is most pleasant joy of all. God loves us coming to him through Christ Jesus. This year, as usual to all other years, we may face events that make us anxious and even fearful. Those who practice to come to God learn to face the most fearful of all—the holy God. Then, all else is not so terrifying after all. Only God alone is the consuming fire that kills both body and soul (Luke 12:4,5). So let us resolve to come to God as of first importance.

Third, by faith we walk with God who exists (5). Look at verse 5: “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.” After Abel’s death, Adam and Eve had another son, Seth. Enoch is from the line of Seth. Enoch was taken from this life. He did not experience death. Why such a reward? Enoch was a prophet (Jude 14,15). Enoch preached the holiness of God. His life was hard among the ungodly. He experienced death every day until he could not endure any more. God had mercy on him and one day took him away. God spared him from the pain of death.

When he was 65 years old, his first son Methuselah was born (Genesis 5:22-24). It is not clear what his faith was like before that. However, with the birth of his son, Enoch was much more serious about his spiritual life. Enoch walked with God(Gen 6:21-24).  What was so wonderful about that? To “walk with God” means to be in “fellowship with God.” To “walk with God” means to keep in step with God. Every step of his way he included God. He lived a life of  faith for a long journey one day at a time. His walk with God was so steady and fruitful that before his departure he was commended for his faith.  As a spiritual giant he knew the heart of God. Enoch’s life teaches us the blessed life–being with God.

God is pleased with those who believe in his existence.  Those who believe in his existence live in the presence of God.  They walk with God knowing that God is with them. God is walking by them.  Walking with God is about trusting God who is near. It is life that rejoices!  Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness is evident to all.  The Lord is near.”(Phil 4:4,5). God is near.  It is good to walk with God. It may not occur right away..

Enoch’s life demonstrates that the sound habit of walking with God is the best gift we can pass on to our children and the people we love. Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (Jn. 15:5,6).  All God’s blessings come through this vital walk with God. David also made a same conclusion. David speaks about his joy of walking with God, “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (Ps. 23:6). By walking with God we are committed to love. Walking with God is to enjoy his presence. As we walk with God, we are also able to walk with people. As we walk with God, we dwell in the light. By coming to God, we learn to overcome fear in this world. By walking with God, we practice his love in this world.

Fourth, by faith we believe God’s reward and earnestly seek him (7). Another hero of faith is Noah. The description of Noah’s generation was corrupt, violent and evil. “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God” (Gen. 6:8,9). Noah was different from that generation. Why? God showed him favor in the eyes of the LORD. He was righteous and blameless among the people of his time.  He walked with God. God preserved Noah in his generation.

Look at verse 7a: “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.” Noah had one message to the people.  It was about the holy God and the impending judgment on the world. Noah’s life was not that easy. As a preacher he prepared and delivered messages. He did not have a large congregation to support his living expenses. As a farmer he had to work hard to feed his family and get the sufficient funds to build an ark.  Moreover, he had to raise his children among such an ungodly generation. Building an ark was not a petty project. The ark was not a toy; it was as big as a huge football stadium. So it was a life-long project. It took many years.

Look at verse 7b: “By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” Noah was not an angry man. Probably, he was a very gentle and generous man. He did not condemn the world. He did not have to. People could laugh at his work, but they could not hate him. They allowed his project to keep going. Then at the right moment, God condemned the world. Just before the flood came, God himself shut the door of the ark. Too late, people cried and wept. God rewarded his faith by saving him and his family members.

Life of faith is about building something in this life.  Life of faith is to earnestly seeking—putting our heart—into the work we do.  By faith we learn to work hard! Life of mission requires hard work.  Most of us work at home, at our job in this world and for the ministry of God’s word and prayer. In 2009 Toledo UBF started building and renovation project that required a sizable investment. It was to prepare a ministry for the next ten to twenty years beyond. Many leaders were unsure about this. We always prayed and did not give up. Eventually, all leaders decided to commit for this project with a unanimous vote. It is one thing to build a visible house of worship. It is quite another to build people for Christ and his kingdom. Our work is to build people for Christ and his kingdom.

As we lift our eyes and see beyond our immediate concerns, it is obvious that God is building his kingdom through his people. Over the past 50 years God has built numerous base camps for mission in many parts of the world—even in this land of deeply religious people. Directors Conference is the moment of fellowship with God and his people. Through this fellowship we are able to build something larger than each of our ministries can do. This year we have this conference in Israel where our Lord first came to God, walked with God, and built his disciples through the ministry of God’s word and prayer.

The three people–Abel, Enoch, and Noah–were the first group of the blessed people in Hebrews chapter 11. They pleased God. As we conclude Directors Conference this year, we affirm that by faith it is possible to please God. Sometimes we don’t know what to do.  However, God gives us wisdom what to do in any situation, when our direction is clear: live in ways to please God. I remember what the late Dr. Samuel Lee said, “In the new land of mission, I resolved to please God as of first importance.” If God is pleased with us, everything is possible. Life that pleases God is life that shows that everything is possible. By faith we come to God. By faith we walk with God.  By faith each of us put our mind and heart to build a ministry that is big enough to save the world—our family, the people around us and the world we live in. God rewards this life of faith. As we close this conference, we are resolved to come to God, walk with God and build God’s people in Europe through whom the entire world is being saved. This is the way we please God.  Therefore, again this is what we are happy to do daily—throughout this year again.

Romans 1:6

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, first for the Jew than for the Gentile.”

Thank God for blessing European Directors Conference 2010 at the Sea of Galilee (Ein Gev Resort) abundantly. 100 Directors and Staff from Europe and Mission Journey Teams from USA and Korea met in Israel to report about God’s work in 2009, to receive clear direction and to pray for European campus ministry in 2010. This Conference was very special because it took place at the beautiful shore of the sea of Galilee where Jesus called his 12 disciples, healed the sick and taught the word of God and raised his disciples as fishers of men through whom God changed the world.

The house church of J. and M. So. hosted the conference sacrificially and prepared the best environment. We could sense their burning shepherd heart for Israeli students. The evening before the Conference J. gave a lecture on the history of Israel from God’s point of view. God did not give up on his people Israel but carefully leads them to salvation through the power of the gospel, precisely fulfilling his promises. Their Bible student S. attended this first evening. They pray to raise one Abraham and one Sarah of faith at Hebrew University and for J. to complete his PhD studies.

Dr. Peter Chang gave the opening message on the key verse for Europe UBF 2010 from Ezra 7:10. His powerful message helped us to understand Ezra’s decision to devote himself to deep Bible study, obedience towards God’s word and to the teaching of the word. Ezra’s decision was a decision that brought about a spiritual revival in Israel. Bible study and the main lecture by Dr. John Jun on Romans 1:16 taught us the gospel as the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. We remembered Jesus’ grace and that we are obligated in Christ to all people. All Directors were greatly encouraged through this lecture to preach the gospel boldly to post-modern young people who suffer because of idol-worshiping and immorality. In the evening the message of Sh. Eberhard Groß from Ezechiel asked us: “Can these bones live?” We could believe that the spirit of God even brings life into the students on European campuses who look like dry bones, raising them as a vast army of God. Three short testimonial lectures by M. David Kim, Sh. Moody Park and M. Samuel Peter Ryu vividly explained the topics Outreach, Disciple Making and House Church Ministry through their own testimony. Afterwards, Directors shared their reports on their ministry in 2009. They gave thanks for the hope of God that was revealed at the 2009 European Summer Bible Conference and talked about their spiritual and practical struggle for the growing disciples and for one-to-one Bible study ministry.

On the second day we shared our testimonies in groups and then studied the second main lecture, Galatians 5. Bible studies and the graceful message by Sh. Moses Yoon taught us to live by the spirit and to overcome our sinful nature. To live by the spirit means to unblock our “Spirit-pipes” through redemptive lives and to bear the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace etc. The topic of the evening program was “house church ministry”. Sh. Bruno Aussant of France introduced the exemplary house church of Priscilla and Aquila. After a brief book introduction of “Houses that change the world” by Wolfgang Simson, we split into two groups: Korean- and English-Speaking and held panel-discussions, led by M. Elijah Park and Sh. Paul Ridge respectively. Many co-workers participated actively by exchanging our experiences and views on house church ministries. The closing message was delivered by Dr. Paul Hong, UBF Coordinator for European Mission, on Hebrews 11. He taught us to live by faith like the ancestors Abel, Henoch, Noah: to come to God, to walk with God and to seek God and his reward. Dr. John Jun gave clear closing remarks and prayer topics, to pray for the doubling of the ministry in Europe as well as for the Muslim world.

Directly after the Conference, there was a special Sabbath worship service as all attendants entered a boat that brought us out onto the Sea of Galilee, where we listened to the message by Pastor Ron Ward on God’s unchanging hope for Israel according to Romans 11:26. Just to imagine that maybe we were on the same spot where our Lord Jesus walked on the water and calmed the storm and taught his disciples faith in God made this a very special and unforgettable occasion. Moreover on the journey afterwards we could praise God in the Land of Israel, e.g. as we sang “How great thou art” in a church on the Mount of the Beautidues.

Thank God who blessed this conference with the power of the gospel. Most of the 53 chapters in 22 nations of Europe consist of only one family. We could see their spiritual growth. This conference comforted all of them and equipped them with the power of the gospel and gave them vision to preach the gospel to post-modern students and to raise them as disciples of Jesus. There were less tears than in the years before and more loud “Amens!” Praise Jesus who answered our prayer for all 45 nations to be pioneered, as M. Joshua Kang was appointed as director of Spain UBF. Thank God for the sacrificial serving and encouraging message by Dr. John Jun, who had been traveling for more than a month and will continue his tour of Directors Conferences in Asia. In the end he encouraged us to challenge the doubling of the ministry in each chapter. May God continuously grant Dr. Peter Chang clear direction for Europe UBF and send out one house church to each of the 1,700 European campuses until 2020.

1. a new generation

After Maria and I returned from Uganda and attended the German leaders conference at the beginning of february 2009 the leading 2nd gens were invited by Dr. Peter Chang to a biblestudy in Bonn. He had a vision for the 2nd generation to cowork, to step to the front and take responsibility, to take over the work of the first generation. We realized that the term „2nd generation“ was a distracting separation between the missionaries kids and the young shepherds. We needed to become one team coworking, that also prayed for a coworking over the barriers of the several chapters. So we chose a new term: the New Generation.

We began regular prayer meetings for the New Generation to prepare the European Summer Bible Conference. Soon on one of those meetings I was appointed as president for the New Generation of Europe UBF, besides me 20 coordinators and managers were appointed. Our first task should be to serve the upcomming European Summer Bible Conference. In the midst of my demanding work on the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of the University of Cologne with night and weekend shifts I now felt a big responsibility on my shoulders, but I could not do anything than pray.

2. preparations for the ESBC „the Hope of God“

That time little Sarah came to Bonn and we invited to a meeting for the New Generation. Her comming was a great help to bring the New Generation from the different chapters together to one table. She has a strong leading personality spreading a lot of ideas and initiatives. 30 minutes before our first meeting she asked me: So what are we gonna do today? She expected a plan, she wanted to support me, but expected a clear task how to help. At that moment I realized that first of all we had to think deeply about the theme of the conference „the Hope of God“ – what was it about? What is the Hope of God? And I realized, that before planning or starting any practical preparation like music, dance, drama, orchestra – there was something we needed first: the unity among the New Generation. We already had enough ideas, how to prepare what, e.g. different ideas of the choir activities. But there was no readiness to invest for the coworking. Each leader wished the others would come in his own chapter and join his or her idea.

So during the first meeting we worked on the meaning of „the Hope of God“, we wrote down our associations, we wrote down, why exactly this conference was necessary. We learned from Ezechiel, that God could raise dead bones to life. We studied the keyverse and realized, that the Hope of God is first of all about God, not about us. God said: You will be for ME a kingdom of priests and a holy nation… It‘s all about God. After 40 years of wandering through the desert almost the whole first generation had died in the desert. A new generation reached the boarders of the promised land, and now it was their turn to conquer this land. The Hope of God was not, to give them the land of milk and honey, but – still – to make them his kingdom of priests and a holy nation!

In one meeting in Cologne we studied the feeding of the 5000 and realized that Jesus cared for his disciples. He wanted them to be refreshed. He himself wanted to feed the 5000 by God‘s power, but he wished his disciples to become part of this miracle – by bringing something in faith to Jesus, something they would find. And Jesus wanted to use this. Each participant of this biblestudy made a decision to bring one thing to Jesus in faith for the preparation of the ESBC. We decided to trust in God, that He would serve all these people, so that we would not end exhausted, instead we would enjoy the overflowing blessing with Jesus in the end like the disciples. During our prayermeetings we always tried to set our focus on the Hope of God.

Many leaders from the New Generation took more and more responsibility and initiative. Elia Lee, Grace Lee, Happy Maria and Maria Lee served several chorusses. Maria P. Lee and Johannes Chang were responsible for the orchestra, which were more than 100 members. Joy Lee, Sarah Helene from Freiburg, Maria P. Lee from Bonn were responsible for the Singalong-teams. Sam Ryu led the New Gen HipHop Dance Team. A responsible servant for the technics was Peter Lee. Sarah S. Youk and David Yoo prepared the 5 loaves and 2 fish drama. Elia Lee took charge of the worship night. Maria Keller, Sara Kum and Lydia Hong prepared the Body Worship dance. There was also the drum dance from Mainz. Maria Lee and three korean shepherdesses gave their best for the video presentations. Henoch Hong and David Shin prepared morning devotions. Four of six hosts of the evening programs were out of the New Generation. Many New Gens participated in the Ask Me Team. For all this the teams had to meet regulary and some had to drive long ways to come to the meetings. All the leaders did a great job.

The nearer the conference the more was to do and it became more difficult to find time to meet for prayer. Three weeks before the conference only five or six attended at our NewGen leaders prayer meeting. The others missed without a word. I knew, that everyone had so much to do. I myself was lacking so much sleep because of my night shifts. Besides the preparations each leader also had his own work or studies, exams or other duties. But that day we felt left alone by our coworkers. During the preparation I often got the question: “Why is coworking with the others so important? It is quite good, how it is. Each chapter can pray by itself.” That day we tried to talk on the phone with each responsible leader. Every time we had to make clear how important the united prayer was. The prayer meeting could not be cancelled because of dance, chorus or orchestra practices. These could not be more important than the united prayer, not for the preparation of a spiritual conference about the hope of god.

The days of Nehemia came to my mind. I realized that our spiritual vessel was in ruins like Jerusalem in the days of Nehemia. Over more than 70 years nobody could rebuild the wall. Now the people were used to this situation. „Why should I rebuild the wall for others? Why me? I did not destroy the wall. Besides the ruins don‘t bother me. I have my family, we have adapted to the situation, I am satisfied.“ We had the same problem the people from Jerusalem had. We were grown up in these spiritual ruins and did not have an imagination of the beautiful Jerusalem, God‘s vision. To put something together is so much more difficult than to destroy. To build more difficult than to break down. To heal more difficult than to hurt. But the story of Nehemia gave me hope. I realized, that God himself had begun this good work, and he would lead us to the very good end. God has a great vision of a beautiful Jerusalem quite beyond our imagination. He wanted to establish a pure vessel of prayer in the new generation, which he would use powerfully. On the next day, 5th July 2009 many young people from the New Generation came from all over Germany to the prayer meeting in Bonn. We thought about Nehemia, next to each other, together we stepped into the presence of our God, prayed honestly and asked God to reveal His hope at the conference.

3. the European Summer Bible Conference

Too many miracles happened at the conference, that I cannot tell everything. God revealed His hope. Jesus is the hope of God. Gods hope for the New Generation was clearly visible from the beginning of the conference. The New Generation was present as AskMe Team, as chorus, hosts, as a powerful orchestra, dancers, as great worship & praise team, everywhere. Especially the Mission Calling was impressive. Many young people went to the stage to testify that they made a decision to give their lives as missionaries to God. Even Samuel Kösters was there. I realised that God himself had prepared the New Generation and had already worked mightily among them. Gods hope also was clearly visible through the testimonies of the future missionaries Elia and Petrus. The Ballet prepared from David and M. Hanna Shin from Tschech was very funny so that I couldn‘t stop laughing. This dance indeed was a firework of the hope of God. For through David‘s testimony at the worship night we got to know what depths he had to go through when his father died unexpectedly early. It is really a miracle of God that David was freed from his loneliness, depression and aggression and that he was changed by God so that he could testify the love of God full of joy. This joy and energy was visible in the ballet for everyone. Full of thankfullness I realised that God worked so powerfully in the New Generation. There, where people prayed for them.

The worship night was a premiere and highlight for the New Generation. Ten years ago I wanted to use a pickup for the guitar to amplify the sound, I was told to leave the ministry when I would use electronics during worship. I tell this to testify how God has worked in our ministry and has broken a lot of gridlocked thoughts and opened a new way for a New Generation. At the worship night there were 3 bands: ELF+1, Living stones, Eagles wing. I never experienced such a lively, powerful and dynamic worship at a conference. Not only because of strong and modern instruments, but also because of young people who really worshipped God in truth and from the bottom of their hearts.

Jonathan Hong gave a message about true worship. We had three life-testimonies, from David Shin, Marc Choi jr. from Paris and Grace Joo jr. from Sweden. The testimony of Marc Choi also moved my heart. It is alone by gods grace that these newgens, struggling in their small pioneering ministry, testified god‘s love in their lives.

4. the greatest blessing: the Word of God

After the conference I realized that the greatest blessing for me was one experience. A few days before the conference during the night I suddenly realized that I was awake even though my eyes were closed. And in me the whole time the word of God was playing like a movie: „But God said to him: You fool!… Jesus said to them: Do not worry!… But seek his kingdom…“ The word itself took me, gripped me, caught me with a power so I could not but listen again and again. I was deeply alarmed about the seriousness and gravity of God‘s: „You fool!“ , and got excited by Jesus‘ promise: „Seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.“

Four months through four messenger training camps I had studied this text again and again with my trainers, discussed it, illuminated it from various views, learned it by heart and presented it freely. We had sweat together, revised the message again and again, I was challenged to find out the main point newly again and again and deliver it clearly. While finally preaching I trembled: Would my trainers fall asleep? Would I forget my text? But deep down I felt peace because I knew that God accepted our five loaves and two fishes and would do something great with it. Later a missionary from the middle east testified she had felt the presence of the holy spirit working in the whole assembly mightily during the message. Many young people recited to me spontaneously the conclusion of the message: „Don‘t be a fool! Do not worry! But seek His kingdom!“. Some New Gens accepted this word as their new keyverse. One even decided to receive a training in Germany. I was filled with deep thankfulness to experience that God himself had planted his word into the hearts of the listeners, and that I with my five loaves and two fishes could become a part of this miracle. In the retrospective I realized that my trainers – independent of how adventerous I found their methods before – had one unbelievably precious quality: They had the absolute respect and reverence for the Word of God!

To experience how God himself let His word become alive in me and how He spoke it into my heart very personally through this messenger training – this experience was the greatest blessing of this conference for me. God showed me that he himself brings the earnest search in his word to a good end and blesses this search abundantly. I experienced God himself working for me and in me.
When I became aware of this the desire was born to share this experience, first of all with all the leaders of the New Generation. Each of them should experience the authority and full power of the Word of God like me! This was even more exciting than all the genius dances, orchestra masterpieces, all great worship and praise and the other conference acitivities together! I wished for everyone to sweat with the word of God and struggle with one word for some months until it does not let you sleep anymore and you realize that the word of God is living, powerful and sharper than any double-egded sword and that in His Word you find the burning Hope of God!

5. the next step: HopeExplorer Biblestudy

A clear plan took form. Because not everyone could have a messenger-training over 4 months I thought the leaders at least should prepare one word for a really great, exciting, powerful biblestudy with the responsibility that every participant would go home with more hope than he or she had come. I realized that the great ESBC was only a small glimpse of the Hope of God. We just tasted a little bit of what God can do. Now the Hope of God should become our lifestyle, we should start living the hope of God.

On the one hand I saw the great trouble we were in, the german chapters had gossiped too much about each other, hurt each other too much and now had to pay the price, they could not cowork wholeheartedly, and this influence had infected the 2nd generation already. Instead of getting up and taking the chance to receive the whole blessing a spirit of tiredness and discontent came up again after the conference. Many had sought to serve God alone by preparing the conference and received a remaining word, but some still felt left exhausted. The last 40 years God was with us, yes, but it was also like wandering through the desert. We could not stay here forever. While becoming aware that this reality was even worse than I expected before, I realized that at the same time God already had prepared a way for us out: we should explore his Hope – we would find it in His word.

The prototypes of hope explorers came to my mind. While ten other explorers talked about giants and problems, Joshua and Caleb saw the promised land with the eyes of hope, they saw it through the eyes of God. Finally Joshua was able to lead the people into the promised land, while the rest of the first generation remained in the desert. To get out of the desert we need explorers like Joshua and Caleb who go first, who focus on the Hope of God and deeply explore the Word of God to see what He sees.

By the HopeExplorer Biblestudy God showed us a way how he would lead us out of our misery and how he would strengthen us and prepare us for the conquering of the promised land. First we had to learn to see the promised land with the eyes of hope. The faithful members of this Biblestudy would become real Hope Explorers who would carry the Hope of God inside of them. And by forming a spiritual vessel seeking the Hope of God they would make the first step for the unification of the New Generation, they would become a continous good influence among the New Generation and God‘s chosen leaders into his promised land.

After I shared these thoughts with Dr. Peter Chang, he invited me some days later and told me: You should start to work! He had invited M. David Yoo, too. And by chance M. Petrus stopped by. So one hour later M. David Yoo, M. Petrus and I sat together on one table, and we felt that at once the spark infected them also, and we became one in prayer to God to use us for this HopeExplorer Biblestudy. Though being three very different people, different in character, in way of thinking and talking, we were one heart in this prayer topic to explore the hope of God together. Interestingly soon from the beginning opposing voices arose, God knows how and who. But the word from Nehemia we studied already prepared us how to deal with these kind of troubles: Nehemias answer was prayer and focusing on God‘s work. A spiritual vessel has started to grow.

On 1st November 2009 the first HopeExplorerBiblestudy took place. God powerfully revealed His hope again through Nehemias deep affection and prayer in view of the troubles Jerusalem was in. We all were impressed that finally God made the persian king even supply Nehemia to build Jerusalem.

On 5th December we studied how finally the building of the wall began, how the high priest as one of the first crampled his priestly robe back and started to carry stones for the wall, how the coworking started, and how more than only a wall was build again: a new identity of the people of Jerusalem. God said to each participant: You are important.

On 10th Jan 2010 the third HopeExplorerBibleStudy took place. The opposition awakes telling: „You are working in vain!“ But Nehemias prayer becomes the prayer of all the builders and God crushes the enemies’ plans. Finally the builders become more than builders, they become warriors, at the same time carrying their weapons day and night to protect their family, their wall, and their city. Something much greater than a wall is being formed. God raises heroes. Lost people grown up in ruins become his royal priesthood and holy people again.

Each biblestudy involves our very personal lives: What are your ruins? Where is your part of the wall? When have you been at the point of „I cannot go further. I die. I want to give up!“?

Each biblestudy opens our eyes for the Hope of God beyond our former understanding. His big plan. We realize, it is all about God. My life is important in His plan. When I endure, when I don‘t give up but give my all, my very best for Him, I win great battles not only for myself, but also for my family, for my friends, for my city, for the New Generation, for our church. God has great blessings in mind, he wants us to conquer his promised land, and he will make us the heroes who will do so.

In 2009 God has begun to form a New Generation and has given it a team of HopeExplorers who explore the Word of God absorbing the Hope of God to help the New Generation conquer the promised land. We believe God has a revival for Europe and much more in store for us.