We Grieve, but not without Hope (1 THESSALONIANS 4:13-18) Pause & Reflect 13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Oh, raise your head for Love is passing by Come to Jesus, Come to Jesus Come to Jesus and live Now your burden's lifted, And carried far away And precious blood has washed away the stain So, sing to Jesus, Sing to Jesus Sing to Jesus and live And like a newborn baby, Don't be afraid to crawl And remember when you walk sometimes we fall So, fall on Jesus, Fall on Jesus Fall on Jesus and live Sometimes the way is lonely, And steep and filled with pain So if your sky is dark and pours the rain Then cry to Jesus, Cry to Jesus Cry to Jesus and live Oh and when the love spills over, And music fills the night And when you can't contain your joy inside Then dance for Jesus, Dance for Jesus Dance for Jesus and live With your final heartbeat, Kiss the world goodbye Then go in peace, and laugh on Glory's side And fly to Jesus, Fly to Jesus Fly to Jesus and live The central truth of this word was – You are informed today! (1) We grieve, but not without hope (2) Jesus is alive, and so are those asleep in Him (3) The Lord Jesus is coming again to bring those asleep and those awake to meet Him together in the air (4) Encourage one another with these words – *How has the LORD spoken to you today through this? Apply & Be Doers of the Word (1) Jesus says, “Everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (JOHN 11:26). We will not taste death, but keep on living with the Lord at all times. Make plans for that. Talk about that with your family and friends. Just like you will plan for retirement, or write out a will to whom your possessions will be inherited, or not hesitate to discuss with your doctor about your aging health condition, or down-size your cluttered items to make life simplier, or even consider end-of-earthly life issues, plan out and talk about eternal life with Jesus to your family and friends. Even in eternity, it may be a long time before we realize that we’ve fallen asleep and passed into glory! The pleasure of being with our risen LORD will be so great that even the thought of our earthly lives may not pass our minds very often. So before eternity arrives, make sure you have a plan in how you are preparing for that coming eternal life with Jesus and His people. A plan involves how you spend the time, possessions, investments, church etc. all things (however small or great) that God entrusted to you. A plan involves how to live now in light of the eternal future with Jesus. (2) Don’t make too much of your grief! Grieve, but not without hope. Keep your tears momentary. Keep sorrow at a distance. Bring what grieves you daily to Jesus on prayerful knees. Write-out what is grieving you on a notepad, and prayerfully speak against each one in the power of Jesus’ name. Renew your mind away from grief and onto the gladness in Jesus. Release it to Jesus. Do not carry its weight any longer. Do not seek excessive attention for others and their sorrow for you. Seek only the attention of your heavenly Father, who sees you and lifts you up in due time. (3) Take out all misinformation and fake news that infiltrates your day through leisure, devices, screens, and shows. Start each day informed correctly and rightly with Scripture. Narrow what enters the attention of your mind and focused energy. Narrow it on information from the foundation of His Word. Yet do not let it remain solely information. Make use of it as wisdom from God. Speak against the misinformation and news of the world with the good news and informed word from the Lord. Look at the world around you through the lens of holy Scripture, the lens of Christ. Discern what is on His heart and what is not. (4) This weekend, encourage four different people with an encouragement from Jesus’ resurrection. Greet them with, “He lives!” instead of a “Hello!” and “He has risen!” instead of a “Goodbye!” Don’t just give fake complements, but speak God’s promises over their lives (ex. “God has promised you…. His eternal life, His joy… in His only Son”) and see the ways it transforms your hope in Christ. Holy Spirit Moment & Group Prayer Take a moment to invite the Holy Spirit to fill you, and pray for one another. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18) …do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7) Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load. (GALATIANS 6:2-5) For the body does not consist of one member but of many... The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. (1 CORINTHIANS 12:14, 21-27) - Park’s (JP, Maria – Julia, Ben, Abe) - Park’s (Hanna, Jim-Bob – Samuel, Sophie) - Huh’s (John, Angela – Athena, Eliana) - Choe’s (Chong, Kate – Stella) - Park’s (Ben, Hanna – Evelyn, Louie) - Jeng’s (Jonathan, Nara – Emma) - Yi’s (Jonathan, Christina – Samuel, James, Ethan) - Gee’s (Waywah, Gloria – Emilee, Melanie) - Kim’s (David, Josephine – Elliot, James) - Jun’s (Kevin, Sarah – Ellie, Ella) - Shin’s (Jay – Ethan, Ivy, Iris) - Lee’s (Andrew, Heather – Amanda [Jake], Kristen) - Krief’s (Miki, Mr. Krief – Noa, Mya) - Chung’s (Chester, Ashley – Joy, Jonah)
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Monthly 1st & 3rd Saturday, 4:00pm @ various locations
June 2024
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