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In my last sermon, we read about the woman who had suffered bleeding for 12 years. Jesus had said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering” (Mark 5:34). Compare this with the response Jesus received in his hometown: “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” They took offense at him. And it is written that he was not able to perform miracles there… Jesus was amazed by their

From a sermon series on 2 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. Last month, we covered 2 Kings 11. We read about how Joash’s grandmother Athaliah tried to murder all of her own grandsons. Jehosheba, Joash’s aunt and the wife of Jehoiada the priest hid Joash from Athaliah, preserving the royal line of King David. When he was 7 years old, Joash was anointed king of Judah, and Athaliah was executed. Today, we will read about the rest of Joash’s life in 2 Kings 12. I would like for us to look at the character of King Joash today and focus on 2 of his weaknesses: his

From a sermon series on 2 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. Just last month, Tetsu Nakamura, a Christian doctor who dedicated more than 20 years of his life to the aid of the people of Afghanistan died after he was shot by presumably Islamist militants. We wonder, why do such things happen? This is one of the few questions we ask ourselves when we read 2 Kings 11. From this chapter, I would like to draw 3 points: 1) the sovereignty of God, 2) the silence of God, and 3) the servant of God. Before we read the text, let’s pray. [Read 2 Kings 11] Background

IBF holds its candlelight service on December 24 every year. Through worship songs and a handbell performance, we experience and share the joy of Jesus’ birth 2,000 years ago. Jesus Christ is the Savior and Messiah prophesied by the Old Testament who was born to bear our sins and die on the cross for us. We affirm this each year through the words of the Bible at the candlelight service. The word “Christmas” means the celebration of Christ’s birth (Christ + Mas). Those who believe in Christ will experience freedom of heart and the start of a new life. I hope that we will start 2020 with a renewed heart

Parable of the sower (Mark 4: 1-20) / How to be productive in the kingdom Introduction: Today, we will look at a well-known and familiar parable. Read Mark 4:1-9 first. (vs 13-20 for context) A parable is a teaching method which Jesus uses frequently to teach people who want to follow him. It uses everyday situation to teach life lessons. Teaching from the parable has deep implications for the wide audience – of those who seek and those who follow. From the Gospel perspective, our heart’s readiness to receive the Word is crucial to those who have yet to believe. While in the Christian living perspective – our heart’s receptiveness

Journey to a blessed life with God (2 Peter 1:3-4) I once watched a movie – The pursuit of happiness – with Will Smith as the main character. It is true story about a man’s one year struggle being homeless together with his young son. It showcase the American dream to be successful in the land of opportunity. In the story, Chris Gardner had problems with his wife which ended up in separation. He takes his son on a journey wanting to be a successful stock broker. Before he could do that, he needed to support himself by selling a special machine to doctors while interning at a famous stock

The 2019 Asia Covenant Consultation was held in Pune, India, and we visited the country from October 8 to 12. About 70 participants from Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, South Africa, Nepal, America, and India joined the conference. Pastor Kou gave the main lecture on the theme of “Unity and Diversity in the Church.” Each participating country gave its report, and Taiwan’s Pastor Wu presented on his vision. We also heard presentations on various ministries. Worship was led by Japan’s Pastor Ochiai, Pastor Seino, and Pastor Hiyoshi. During a tour of outreach sites, we visited places in the Equator area where employment training for women and church-based nursery schools were conducted. When the