"All in This Together" by Pastor Timothy Nam (January 19, 2020)

Psalm 133

God has called us to serve not for only ourselves, but for others, so we can love others. The world tells us to look out for what is best for our own interests. Yet various cultures tell us that sharing things with others and building a community is important. TV shows like Mash, Cheers, Seinfeld, and Friends are shows about people around them. All of the things around myself are meaningless unless I can share them with others.

Fellowship has its roots in Jesus and his disciples living daily and supporting each other. Real fellowship is sacrificial giving, loving, and being authentic. It's not just having a snack and enjoying small talk. Authenticity is being honest about the good and bad things. And you're supposed to ask for help when you need it.

We are awkward because we don't want people to see our pain. The masks actually hide who we truly are. We need to take risks to develop our maturity. It takes risks and it comes with honesty and being genuine. The New Testament repeats "one another" or "each other" over 50 times. We have a responsibility to love the people we are called to love. We are to give sympathy (not give advice) to others by affirming them, loving them, being patient, and doing it at times we don't want to. Yet we are self-centered, prideful, and we have egos.

Matthew 11:28-30 has Jesus giving us an invitation to come to Him because He knows we can be overwhelmed. We are encouraged to lean on and support each other in the most difficult of circumstances. In the place of grace, there is also mercy. There is no fellowship without mercy, forgiveness, or grace. We are called to do this every day with the love of Christ.

We also don't understand what people are going through. Only God and Christ completely understand, so we need to pray for mercy and grace.

Colossians 3:12-17- Jesus gave up his throne so that we could all have fellowship with one another. Let's try to remember that.

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

"We Belong Together" by Pastor Timothy Nam (January 12, 2020)

Ephesians 2:19-22

The Bible says we have to believe in God but we also need to BELONG to God to become his children. You might not think they go together, but the Bible says differently. We can believe in family, but we might not actually have a family. Everyone believes in something. Some people believe in money, academics, etc. Mercenaries will be on your side as long as they get paid. On the other hand, the military gets paid whatever to support their country. Mercenaries cling to money.

People that have fluttering beliefs are like children and they waver back and forth. Yet when they find a place, they get taken care of. Generally our beliefs put is in a group where we belong (church, high school club, etc.). We need to belong to God, not just believe in Him because no one can fulfill what He can do for us. Man needed a helper because he was never meant to be isolated and solitary.

Our relationship with Jesus is personal, not private. It's easy to believe in God, but not belong to God because we always fall short. Belonging to God is like being a part of a team. A team is made up of different people, but needs to think the same way and unite together. It's difficult in a group dynamic because it's easy to argue and not get anything done. Golf and tennis players don't have much or any conflict. However baseball and basketball teams can get into fights if there's conflict. You have to compromise to get to the same goal, but it's difficult. See Romans 14:4-5:

4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

C.S. Lewis mentioned that the word "member" was first used in church, but now the word has been changed. Now it's mundane and normal. For Christians, being a member is vital because we belong to Christ, so all who believe in Him won't be scattered or be alone. It's a body, not a building. Is it easy to live without any body part?

If everyone on the 2002 Korean World Cup team wanted to score goals, the team wouldn't have been successful. That team did so well because they came together as a team and each player played their position well. Gus Hiddink also got rid of the hierarchy system. They were all equal and they all used their skills uniquely. He made the older players and younger players mix together and he had the inexperienced players work together with the experienced ones. They had to work together and communicate.

Many people believe in Jesus or God, but don't go to church. These people are usually isolated from other believers and can't build each other up and have compassion or fellowship.  We all have a part to play or have a role. People might say "I'm not good enough" or "I'm too good to serve". Both show selfishness, greed, or a self-centered attitude.

Romans 12:6-8 tells us that not using your gifts is a rejection to God. When things don't benefit us directly, we're reluctant to do it. On the other hand, accepting our roles even if we didn't imagine doing them will help us get the most satisfaction in the world.

God calls us to do things that won't give us immediate success or glory. Why? God wants us to love real people. The Christian commitment isn't just to love Christ, but to love other (1 John 1:5-7).

If we say we have faith in God but are not walking in truth, we are lying to God. Yet if we believe in God, we should have fellowship with one another. Your faith in God will cause you to have fellowship with others.

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)
Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

"All You Need is Love" by Pastor Timothy Nam (January 5, 2020)

Matthew 5:43-48

Since it's 2020,  and since it's a round number, people try to make plans for this year or the next decade. But the Bible says it will end in disappointment. We were created in God's image because He is love. But we need to do it in unselfish ways. Many people can love selfishly, but God wants our testimony to the world and we can't do it in a selfish way.

The 1967 song "All You Need is Love" was written during the Hippie movement, which was anti-government and anti-Vietnam War. The Beatles definition of love was that only their version of love was acceptable, the way they did it. That's not true love. It's limited to certain groups of people. Also, love is not just being nice. You sometimes have to be harsh. You have to respect other people's points-of-view. You have to love people who are irritating and love those that are unlovable.

See Matthew 5:43-48. We need to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. The best use of this life is love. It should be our greatest ambition. We need to build relationships but we put off loving others and take our close relationships for granted. We do it because we know they'll be there. We cut down on giving. You can't build relationships without time and effort. We make excuses by saying we're caught up with work and life. Love lasts forever but everything else fades away: money car, clothes, etc.

When people are in their final days, people just want to be loved. The world deep down knows love is the most important thing. They just realize it too late. We will be evaluated on our love. Whenever we love others, we love Jesus. And yes, we can do things with selfish ambition, which is easy today with social media. However, the more time we spend on people, we realize how genuine love is. A mother gives up everything for her child. There's a lack of love in this world because there's a lack of time and focus on others.

Ephesians 5:2 tells us that the best time to love is now. Tell someone you love them and show it. Anything done without love is a waste of time. Recognize the necessity of love in your life.

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy