[Thanksgiving] Cast all Your Care on God

On Sunday, November 19, 2017, the Thanksgiving Service was observed at onnuri Church, Yangje-dong, Seoul.

On this occasion, the teenagers who were once baptized in their infancy were officially admitted to the Church community (유아세례 입교식). Also the believers who completed one to one program (일대일 양육) received warm celebration from the congregation.

 

Pastor Lee Sang-jun gave a sermon, "Stand firm against your enemy the devil" based on the script First Peter 5:5 - 11.

 

 

Pastor Lee Sang-jun is preaching at Yangje onnuri Church on Nov. 19, 2017.

 

First, Pastor Lee stressed the congregation to cast all the care on God because he cares for us all. The first care means all kinds of anxiety, while the second one is taking care of something. It means our anxiety would be taken care of by God by all means.

 

Pastor Lee said our confession of belief in God is the belief in his power and capacity. Under the absolute sovereignty of God, our lives and the world are to be governed by him.

Pastor Lee took an example of the pilot of a passenger aircraft. While flying aboard an airplane, all passengers  had nothing to do but to pray for the safe operation of the plane.

Because the pilot did not make a soft landing, the passengers had only to pray for the safe landing.

 

* The airplane is approaching the runway of Incheon International Airport.

It must be dangerous to fly at high altitude or at low altitude because of the risk of nose dive or unexpected obstacles ahead, respectively. So it cannot be safe unless God holds the control stick together with the pilot. It's because our life is full of dangers and risks. We cannot live without anxiety.

 

How a toddler dares to stand up and walk depends on the nearby parents or caretaker. Our anxiety ought to be taken care of by somebody around us.

It is not good to escape from anxiety by alcohol, drugs, sex or entertainment. They could make a temporary free time from such anxiety. They could not give us a solution nor relief.

 

Then we must declare that we stand by the side of God. We should be armored with holy spirit and sword of scriptures being supported by Jesus Christ. Then we can stand firm against devils in safety.

(우리는 분명히 하나님의 소속임을 밝히고 영적인 전신 갑주를 입고 말씀의 검으로 구원자 되시는 예수님의 지원 아래 마귀와 대적해야 합니다. 그래야 안전할 수 있습니다.)

 

* Illustration from Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by William Blake

 

These days young men and women are increasingly worried about their future spouse. As a result, some of them have given up their hope to meet with a good spouse.

 

On the Thanksgiving day, onnuri Christians received a weekly newspaper (온누리신문) in which Professor Chang Gyeong-chol gave a piece of advice to unmarried woman under the title,  "Who is qualified as a husband" (남자의 자격).

"결혼은 대화다. 일평생 대화할 수 있는 상대를 만나야 한다.일단 누구에게든지 좋은 친구가 되어야 한다. 나도 그 사람에게 관심이 있고, 그 사람도 나에게 관심이 있으면 좋다. 서로 마음에 안 들더라도 좋은 친구가 되어야 한다. 그 사람이 내게 결혼할 사람을 소개해줄 수도 있기 때문이다. 신앙이 있는 사람은 하나님께서 관계의 고삐를 쥐고 계시다는 사실을 믿어야 한다. 또한 이상형을 버려야 한다. 아상형이 있으면 간직을 하되 발설하지 않는 차선을 택하기를 바란다. 이상형을 자꾸 이야기한다는 것은 다른 의미로 내가 어떤 결핍된 인생을 살아왔는지를 상대방에게 노출하는 것이다. 자신이 못 가진 것에 대해 미화하면서 환상을 가진 것이 이상형이기 때문이다."