From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. God’s Depressed Prophet After the climatic competition between Elijah and the prophets of Baal, as readers we might think that the nation of Israel will finally turn back to God. Unfortunately, as we enter 1 Kings 19, we see Elijah losing hope. From this chapter, I want to highlight 3 points: 1) God’s depressed prophet, 2) God’s gentleness, 3) God can restore our hope. [Read 1 Kings 19:1-18] God’s Depressed Prophet First, let’s look at God’s depressed prophet. Some psychologists define depression as loss of hope. As human beings, we need hope to keep living.
1 Kings 18 sermon, Part 2 of 2, “Elijah and Prayer”
From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. Last month, we saw how God sent a drought to discipline the Israelites under King Ahab who turned away from the worship of God to the worship of Baal. Then, we witnessed the great contest between the 450 prophets of Baal against the prophet Elijah at Mt. Carmel. God demonstrated that He alone was God by bringing down fire from heaven, showing that Baal was a false god. This miraculous sign was meant to draw the Israelites back to God. Today, we continue our story of Elijah, which deals with prayer. [Read 1 Kings 18:41-46]
1 Kings 18 sermon, Part 1 of 2, “Elijah and the Prophets of Baal”
From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. Today’s story is a dramatic one. 1 Kings 18 is about the fiery contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. During this time, Israel had turned away from worshipping the one true God, in exchange for gods like Baal. Elijah’s mission was to bring them back to the God of Israel. [Read 1 Kings 18:1-40] There are 3 characters I would like to reflect on from this passage: 1) Obadiah shows we serve God in diverse ways, 2) Elijah was just a servant of God, 3) God demonstrates his power and judgment. With each
着工式 2018
キリスト教の着工式についての情報があまりにも少ない。元々、神道の背景の中で地鎮祭として根付いてきたからであろう。 しかし、工事関係者や建築主にとっては、これからの工事の安全のために祈る大切な式ともなりうる。キリスト教もこの世の人たちの必要を福音の目を持って提示していくことは大切である。キリスト教の着工式について皆さんでアイデアを出し合って、より良いものを提供して行きたいと願っている。 今回は、茨城県の鹿嶋の地で東建さんのアパートの着工式をするように依頼された。式の中で、私のメッセージは「神の摂理」というテーマで、神のみ言葉に従って歩もうとする者に神様は必要な人との出会いや、良い計画を予め用意しておられることを確信をもって語った。神は、神の祝福がクリスチャンの人生の上に望み、この世で良い証がなされることを心から願っておられる。 神様はまずもって私たちの人生を、またすべての出来事を見ておられる。愛の神は、私たちの人生を知っておられるように、私たちも神の導きや神のご計画を私たちが心を開いていくときに、必ず気づくことができる。 イエスキリストのメッセージの多くがお金や自己管理（スチュワードシップ）に関係している。信仰者も自らの賜物に忠実に歩むときに、ある人には金銭を通してなすことができる事柄について、神様の大きなご計画があることに気づくことがある。 私たちの教会堂は牧師や宣教師が結婚式を通してこの世に仕え、頂いた謝礼を忠実に管理し、また献金し、蓄えることができた原資が元となって取得することができた。神様の導き、また私たちの忠実な歩み、富に支配されずに富を支配していく、そのような態度が大きな祝福につながっていくものと私は思う。 聖書 ローマ１２：５－８「5:5 この希望は失望に終わることがありません。なぜなら、私たちに与えられた聖霊によって、神の愛が私たちの心に注がれているからです。 5:6 私たちがまだ弱かったとき、キリストは定められた時に、不敬虔な者のために死んでくださいました。 5:7 正しい人のためにでも死ぬ人はほとんどありません。情け深い人のためには、進んで死ぬ人があるいはいるでしょう。 5:8 しかし私たちがまだ罪人であったとき、キリストが私たちのために死んでくださったことにより、神は私たちに対するご自身の愛を明らかにしておられます。」
1 Kings 17 sermon, Part 2 of 2, “Fear of Death”
From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. When I was a child, the one thing that I was afraid of was that my mother would die. I had nightmares in which I saw the lifeless body of my mother. In 2011, it felt as if the nightmare came true when I received an email from my dad, telling me that my mother had a stroke. I flew home from the U.S., and though I was happy to learn that my mother was alive, she was a shell of her former self—unable to talk, walk, or eat. It was as if I had
1 Kings 17 sermon, Part 1 of 2, “God’s Provision, Our Obedience”
From a sermon series on 1 Kings by See Huang Lim, a missionary at IBF. We have been going through 1 Kings for a while. Today’s passage is the starting point of the prophet Elijah’s ministry. From it I would like to draw 4 points: 1) God’s unexpected way of provision, 2) worshipping God in the midst of hardship, 3) how Elijah points us to Jesus, and 4) the widow’s act of faith and obedience. Let us pray. [Read 1 Kings 17:1-16] Here is a brief summary of the background. Verse 1 tells us that God permitted a drought to happen in the land of Israel as a sign of
Evangelism through connections
In recent years, I have been serving not only at my church in Matsudo but also at Kuki church in Saitama prefecture. Just the other day, a member of Kuki church who is a doctor gave us a donation towards Akagi Camp. My wife and I attended the camp, which was held August 15-17, 2018, at Akagi Bible Campsite. The event, specifically, was called Covenant Refreshing Camp (CRC). We were joined by another member of our church (IBF), along with an American man who had visited IBF’s Friday service not long ago. This American brother had been introduced to IBF by a missionary living at Akagi Camp. He now