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From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. We are continuing 1 Kings chapter 20. Previously, we read about how God saved the helpless king Ahab from Ben-Hadad. Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, had a superior army and after failing to get tribute from Israel, decided to attack Israel. In today’s sequel, we will look at the Arameans misunderstanding of God, and also Ahab’s continuing disobedience. We will reflect on two questions: 1) Do we have misconceptions about God?, and 2) Why do we disobey God sometimes? Let us pray. [Read 1 Kings 20:23-43] Do we have misconceptions about God? In verse 23 Ben-Hadad’s

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From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. Today’s story in 1 Kings 20 is the beginning of King Ahab’s eventual demise. In spite of how he rebels against God, God shows Ahab mercy upon mercy. If anything, this chapter demonstrates 3 characteristics of God: 1) God helps the helpless, 2) God helps the undeserving, and 3) God helps to gain our attention and response. Let’s pray. [Read 1 Kings 20:1-22] Surrounded by the Syrian army, King Ahab of Israel has nowhere to run, and Ben-Hadad’s victory over Israel is guaranteed. Suddenly, a prophet of the Lord appears out of nowhere, in verse

Churches are expected to do good work that serves and takes root in their communities. Some churches advance social welfare; some offer English or music or sport classes. Other churches reach out to the sick, such as cancer patients. Whatever form this may take, pastors and church members can use their unique gifts and backgrounds to serve the community. For example, the posters below promote a cancer support event. Mr and Mrs Fukuhara, members of IBF church, are involved in this support group called “Philosophy of Cancer, Outpatient Care”. With the help of Nagareyama City, their group will run an admission-free event involving discussions with invited speakers and panelists who

Every year, many Japanese choose to receive baptism during Christmas service. In the church I pastor, we had two young people receive baptism during the Christmas of 2018. We were most thankful for them. Below are their testimonies, which I hope may bring you joy as you read them and see God’s work in their lives. I was raised in a Christian home, so it was natural for me to attend church. But I got very busy in middle school with extra-curricular activities, which took place every day including Sundays. I could barely attend church for those three years in middle school. Looking back on it, I wasn’t close to

From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. ­­ In our last few sermons, we focused on the story of Elijah, one of the greatest prophets in the Old Testament. Today, our story will begin to transition into Elijah’s successor, Elisha. We will be reading from 1 Kings 19:19-21. Here, I would like to draw 3 themes: (1) God’s unique way of calling, (2) the greatness of self-sacrificial service, and (3) the cost of following God. [Read 1 Kings 19:19-21] God’s unique way of calling First, Elisha’s calling is unique. One day, Elijah just happens to come walking across the field and throw

An international student at our church took the initiative to organize fellowship for young people through frisbee. On that day, an elementary school-age boy happened to be at the park and joined in their game. He seemed to have enjoyed himself very much and wanted to keep playing with the group. The organizers said he should ask his parents for permission first, if he wanted to play with them at church. The boy went home and told his parents. Perhaps he told them how fun it was to play frisbee with those nice people, or perhaps he said that the church had English classes and that he wanted to visit.