Doves & a Raven

Doves & a Raven

 This is straight from my small group blog. Just thought it was interesting so Im posting it here. 

Reading Genesis 8 @ Swork in Eagle Rock. I came across this paragraph (v. 6-12)

6 So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. 7 Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. 8 He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. 9 But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself. 10 And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. 11 Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. 12 So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore.

And this passage is like... uhh wth!? But I felt like there was this mystery that God had placed behind this passage. I also read commentary with my readings so the commentary said: The Raven in seeking food settles upon every carcass it sees, whereas the dove will only settle on what is dry and clean. The dove returns home when they find no place to land.

So I feel like there are two types of people in this world. Ravens & Doves.
Straight from my scriptures journal: God sends out birds into the world, the doves will return home (which is with God), but the ravens will sit on anything that satisfies them in the world and stay there (which is without God). And it just speaks so clearly to me that we are to be like doves, not satisfied in landing on this Earth where everything is dirty & unclean. But we are to be home which is a place that is described as any place with God. (Just like the doves returning to Noah in his ark). And just like Noah did, so will God "put out His hand and [take us], and [draw us] into the ark to Himself."

It was also funny how I came upon this revelation because I was like man this makes no sense, so I whispered a prayer under my breath. God reveal to me the secrets of this verse, and He did. Sure it might be way out there, but it makes perfect sense with God's nature and the rest of the Scriptures. Amen & amen.

Truth is Truth despite how it is said.

Upon listening to another one of Paul Washer's convicting sermons, I could only agree with his statement that Christians in America are thin-skinned. Paul shared that his wife had said that American Christians (interchangeable for Young Nak Christians) are thin-skinned because they are not capable of receiving rebuke. Counseling, rebuking (admonishing, reprimanding, etc), and sharpening (iron on iron) are gifts from God, so that as a body we can further purify and refine the body of Christ; however, if we neglect and take offense to rebukes, admonishments and reprimands, we only hurt ourselves.

The negligence of reprimands represents a certain level of deceit in our walks with Christ because a denial of reprimands and rebukes displays a heart in which one thinks himself as perfect. Yet we should not take all rebukes and reprimands as correct or true; however, we should take note of it, search the Scriptures, and if it is in Scriptures (which is Truth), then to embrace the counseling and go about fixing ourselves (or rather ask God to create us anew once again for that specific thing). Even if the truth that is spoken to us is spoken with a condescending tone or attitude, we cannot deny the fact that the truth is the Truth. Whether the truth was delivered negatively or positively (however as Christians I believe that we should always attempt to edify, exhort, and encourage with our words and even our tone of voice and attitude), if it is truth, why should we let it slide and ignore it just because we did not like the way it was said.

I am not promoting that we reprimand or rebuke one another with harsh tones. I believe we should be slow to speak (thinking about what we say) and choosing our words wisely; however, when we are on the receiving end, we should not take offense when another comes off as harsh or even rude, if it is truth.

This is the character of a man who follows the Lord: One who receives harsh and gentle words without retaliation, but never one who gives harmful and rude words.

God's Hand touches Riverside

A recap of this past week.

Monday
Cutting to the chase, it's 10:30pm I'm just sharing my struggles on the phone with Sherei, a good friend from 'bama, while I sit in a parked car in front of a house full of KCMers. Sophomore Accountability usually concludes @ 10:30pm, and I'm faced with the options of jumping in at the end or turning around, driving away back to my house for yet another "christian" gathering at my place for prayer.

Yet a tug at my heart won't let me 180* and turn around. So I go in, and a powerful voice of prayer echoes to the heavens as God listens and smiles. After SA is done, and as typical Koreans do, everyons just lounging 'round, my phone rings and it's Glenn. I need to go back to my place for my prayer meeting! So in those 5 minutes that I'm at SA, I invite Jony for a time of prayer at my house.

Later on in the night, after much sharing between me and Glenn, Jony comes and I just share the truth of the Gospel with him. The love of God and the joy of dissecting the Word, God's glory disguised in words.

Backtrack to last Friday, in our Small Group Leaders' meeting, each week a leader teaches the rest of the group about the assigned reading of that particular week, so I went first and I put together a lengthy, meaty outline for 2 short chapters. I was quite discouraged after that Friday because it just felt like God was showing me that I was trying to teach on my own, that without Him my words fall on empty hearts, or my words are weak and cannot even penentrate the weakest of hearts. So I was very discouraged that Friday night (mostly because I guess it felt like no one cared about what I had to share, it just felt like they were listening because it was a part of the meeting).

Ok back to this week! So I'm meeting with Jony and Glenn and I just happen to have extra copies of the 6page outline, and with the leadership of the Spirit I just share the depth, width, height of God's love with them. And their tender hearts bear witness to the words that God clearly speaks through me. We end in prayer and we ask God for an anointed rain of fire to captivate our hearts and drench us with the passion for Christ.

Tuesday
Praise God, Jony calls me back and says that yesterday was a night of breakthrough for him, a turnaround point in his walk with God. From complacent "christian" to a lover of God. Oh how glorious is the Lord's work. His day is divinely planned from the seemingly bad things being transformed into blessings and the good things being even better than usual. Truly he now understands that the Word is as sweet as honey on his lips and he says "I can't contain the joy of the Lord inside of me! I just need to share it!"

Glorious. God breakthrough in Riverside. Begin with those who are weak and are ready to be free from the bondages of this world and sin. There is more, but I've been typing for a long time now, so I'll hopefully put the other stuff up later.

Actually jk I'll put the other stuff up now.

So now it's Thursday and I'm in KCM.

Backtrack, @ IHOP-KC, when trained IHOP Staff prophesied over me, there were two things they said on top of everything else, that I would "set the captives free" (which I feel like was part of what happened on Monday and also what happened with couple people at church) and that I had "clarity in the Word and I am able to translate the Bible into modern-day langauge for people when they don't understand". And also that many people would surround me calling me trustworthy and how important that trust is in this world and how it's hard to find in this world.

At the General Meeting, they introduce this new thing they are doing on campus starting next week called BYOB (Bring Your Own Bible) from 11am-2pm on campus to encourage bible reading at school. It would be a time of reading the Word with leaders there to answer questions about the Scriptures. So after the General Meeting & pastor Ronnie's message, Frank, a student-leader, comes up to me (now take into account that I've only been @ KCM for about 4 weeks now), and asks me if I could be there just to be able to help answer some questions @ one of the BYOB sessions!! And just the prophecies are being fulfilled now. God is so Glorious.

AHHHHHH!!!! I CANT TAKE IT ANYMORE. HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT GOD IS NOT REAL! OH USA! OH CALIFORNIA! OH UCR! OH YOUNGNAK! WILL YOU AWAKEN FROM YOUR SLUMBER AND LISTEN TO THE GENTLE LOVING VOICE FROM GOD. OH IF YOU COULD ONLY SEE THAT HE LOVES YOU DEARLY AND HE WOULDN'T WANT YOU TO BE ANY DIFFERENT THAN HOW YOU ARE, BUT THE ONLY THING HE DESIRES IS FOR YOU TO BE WITH HIM! Oh, how glorious it would be to see that one day, all men, women, infants, babes, and all the world praise the name of the Worthy One.

God is.

Yesterday night was my first prayer meeting @ Athena House (frat house) and I really didn't expect too many people to show up. A first year, Glenn, I met through Luke18 networking, was the first to arrive and I just got a chance to pray for him and to show him what following God looks like. Specifically, having our source of living from God and not relying on other people, leaders, church, and anything else that is not eternally living. (Psalm 1)

Then Jonny from KCM showed up, and it is a divine appointment that we met each other long long time ago. And last night, I believe that Glenn and Jonny's hearts were awakened to the reality of Christ. The joy of reading the Word. Why we are Christians and Christianity is not religious, but it is a reality. The Lord spoke through me as I testified of His grace and mercy in my life. Ended with prayer and asking God to set their hearts aflame to search after Him. A great and mighty work has begun in these two brothers.

Jesus Culture?

So, Tommy and I were going to make the 8-9 hr trip up to Redding, CA to attend Jesus Culture @ Bethel Church in Redding; however, we have to go up and come down on the same day (thus a hazard arises with the driving). So we ask for confirmation from the Lord if we are supposed to go, and one of my friends from UC Riverside feels like he is supposed to go, and I am his only ride up if I go. Go figure, the Lord works in mysterious ways.