From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. Today, I would like to share some reflections about how some people respond to the idea of religion, especially in Japan. We will still read a passage from 1 Kings as part of our on-going study of this book, but I won’t focus on the passage. I’ll only summarize its main point and then reflect on two common attitudes towards religion. [Read 1 Kings 16:8-28] Background The reason for this chaos and death is the same for all 3 kings. The root of the problem was idol worship. Idol worship was not a new problem
1 Kings 14 sermon, Part 2 of 2, “Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa”
From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. My last few sermons focused on the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the time of 1 Kings. Today, we will read about the Southern Kingdom of Judah, about the first 3 generations of kings there. The first is King Rehoboam. The second is his son Abijah. The third is Abijah’s son Asa. When you read about the kings in this book, you might think their stories sound very similar. That is true. But each king’s story contains one or two details that are unique. I’ll focus on these unique details. [Read 1 Kings 14:21-15:24.] King
1 Kings 14 sermon, Part 1 of 2, “God Sees Through Our Masks”
From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. In Japan, many people wear masks. It’s to prevent us from spreading sickness or catching it. But there is another reason for masks, according to a Japanese friend of mine. One day she told me: Some people wear masks because they want to hide something. Maybe they don’t want people to notice or recognize them. Or maybe, they want to hide something dishonest. I thought my friend’s comment was interesting. In today’s story from 1 Kings, we will hear about a king who wanted to hide his identity. 1 Kings Chapter 14 is actually about
Christianity in Malaysia
This post introduces Christianity in Malaysia. The writer is a member of International Bible Fellowship (IBF) church. My husband and I come from Malaysia, but we have also lived in Japan and the U.S. In terms of race and religion, Japan’s population is quite homogeneous. Like the U.S., Malaysia is diverse, but in my country the lines of race and religion are even more distinct. Multi-cultural, multi-religious country In Malaysia, race and religion are sensitive topics, to the extent that we were discouraged from discussing them as speech topics in school. Though Malaysians live in relative harmony, there is an undercurrent of tension regarding race and religion. The two are
1 Kings 12 sermon, Part 2 of 2: “False Religions”
From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. Intro Have you ever heard of fake noodles? According to a video I watched, some people in an Asian country found a way to make imitation beef noodles, including fake meat. By adding water and sauce to a powdery substance, the result looks and tastes like real meat. People sell this fake food because the ingredients are cheaper and they can make more money. A lab test showed that eating this fake food can cause cancer and other problems. The scary thing is that customers don’t realize it’s fake! I was reminded of this video
1 Kings 12 sermon, Part 1 of 2: “Despite Human Folly”
From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. Intro Last time, we read a sad story about how the wise king Solomon turned away from God in his old age. As a result, God declared that Solomon’s kingdom would be split. Today, as we read 1 Kings chapter 12, we see the kingdom of Israel beginning to split. Two messages from today’s story: First, despite human foolishness, God is in control. Second, despite human foolishness, God is gracious. Let us pray. [Read 1 Kings 12:1-24] There are two important characters here: Rehoboam and Jeroboam. It’s easy to confuse them because their names sound the same. To recap: Rehoboam
Asia Covenant Conference 2017
The Asia Covenant Conference is a gathering of churches from the Evangelical Covenant denomination that meets every few years. Christians gather to share reports of their ministries and how God has worked in their countries. The conference takes place in a different host country each time. This year, Japan played host. The conference took place at the National Olympic Memorial Youth Center in Shibuya, Tokyo, November 1-3, 2017. Delegates came from several countries: Thailand, Philippines, India, Nepal, Taiwan, China, Japan, and the U.S. In addition to giving conference reports, the foreign guests enjoyed cultural activities. They experienced a koto concert, and some participated in a traditional tea ceremony