January 2012

ONNURINEWS

ENGLISHMINISTRY

2012 A Year of Honor

By Pastor Eddie Byun

Happy New Year! 2011 was an absolutely amazing year for OEM. Our Year of Freedom truly brought a shower of blessings into our lives. People were set free from years of bondage. Through our Steps to Freedom series, people shared testimonies of how God had set them free from decades of captivity to addictions. Unforgiveness that caused years of bitterness melted away as God moved peoples hearts to finally forgive. Also, we saw that the church was set free from just playing religion and began living out the Gospel to those within our city. We saw the faith of OEM grow as we became the hands and feet of Jesus,

serving the homeless, the elderly and the orphans. And we witnessed people set free from modern day slavery and human trafficking. Our fight for freedom led us to fight for justice and righteousness, which is the foundation of the Throne of God (Psalm 89:14). Though it was a great year, we also believe that in Christ, the best is always yet to come. We believe better things are yet to come in 2012. The word that God gave to us is that this year will be a Year of Honor. Our desire is to honor God and all those around us in a way that will truly please and glorify God. In 1 Samuel 2:30, we see God declare,

those who honor me I will honor. This is our theme verse for the year. We also see what happened last year as a natural overflow into what we will do this year. As we sought to be a voice for the voiceless and care for the oppressed, it became clear that this was the heart of God. It was a way of honoring the people that God cared about so much. So we ask that you would pray for us and join us this year in seeking to honor God first and foremost, and then honoring those in our lives that He calls us to honor. We expect great things from our Great God in 2012.

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ONNURINEWS January 2012

Christmas Caroling
By Marika Ravin

As we approached the soup kitchen, we could hear carolers singing, preparing for the people who would soon gather for dinner. It was Christmas Eve day, and these carolers had been spreading joy throughout Seoul since morning. They sang first at the Dongbu Senior Center and then proceeded to the Severance Hospital. They caroled on several of the floors at the hospital, and the patients participated enthusiastically. A young girl in particular clapped

along, clearly enjoying the music. Once everyone arrived at the soup kitchen, they sat and waited eagerly for the performance. The singing was beautiful, and the movements were so fun and wellchoreographed. The carolers sang Noel and Angels We Have Heard on High, as well as other traditional Christmas carols. It was a privilege to hear them and to see how much joy they brought to their audience.
The caroling team singing Christmas carols and sharing the joy of Christ at the soup kitchen.

Threefold Cord is not Quickly Broken

By Sung Min Kim

After giving birth, my body had a hard time adjusting to a new life. I caught a bad cold, had shingles and suffered inexplicable illnesses. Ever y bacteria and vir us continuously attacked me and irritated my soul. I stayed at home for a six-week long post pregnancy recovery and could not go to church for a while. My spirit was dark and feeble, which depressed my mind and weakened my body. I felt like I was wandering in the middle of an endless desert without water or a map. I held a marvelous treasure in my own hands, but I was too exhausted to notice him.

In the desert, the Moms Bible Study was an oasis for me. Mothers fellowship in the Bible study raised me up and helped cover the spiritual hole in my heart. When one of the babies got sick, all the mothers prayed together and supported the family in various ways. Experienced moms understood my str ug gle and generously shared their wisdom; I learned they also had endured difficult times. In a family, mom is the special person who cheers for her husband and children. Her spiritual status has a powerful influence to her

family. If so, who can strength the mom spiritually? All Christians need companionship in the journey of faith, and God certainly works among a group gathered under the name of Christ. Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand hima threefold cord is not quickly broken (Eccl. 4:11-12). Interestingly, the first meeting of the Moms Bible Study and my sons birthday are only a week apart. As my baby grows, I hope the Moms fellowship bears much more beautiful fruit.

Moms and their children at M o m s B i b l e Study.

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ONNURINEWS January 2012

Faith Means Everything

By Kent Lee

Faith is far more than mental belief. Moses proclaimed the gospel of faith when he said, You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (Deut. 6:5). Faith means total commitment. It means giving God all your heart, mind, soul, and strength (that is, passion, intensity); loving God with all your being. It means God wants all of you.

comforts, sense of security, everything. You travel all the time with Him to learn from Him, His teaching and His lifestyle, and in turn learn to teach and minister to others.

That describes not only saving faith, but our daily practical, experiential faith. Trusting God in your daily relationship with Him means not only believing what He says, who He is, or The Old Testament talked what He will do. It means about faith often in terms of continuing to give up Unless you believe, you will not c ove n a n t l a n g u a g e a n d everything as you continue to covenant theology - entering follow Him as His disciple. It understand. into a covenant relationship means continuing to be fully with God. You give up committed to Him every day ~St. Augustine everything, you give Him giving Him everything, giving your life, you enter into the yourself fully to Him, and covenant relationship with trusting Him fully for Him, and He owns you. This total commitment of the heart everything. That kind of faith changes us, and produces real also means believing and trusting God with your whole being fruit. The epistle of James talks about this real, practical faith. emotion, mind, intellect. Only with total commitment can we We could paraphrase James words today as: show me the enter into the covenant relationship with God and find money! We show it not in our ability to intellectualize about our forgiveness and rebirth through the cross of Christ. faith, but in our hearts. We show it by loving God passionately and by being visible disciples as Jesus called us to be. Jesus equated faith with following him to become his disciple. That means, in the language of his day, giving up everything to Thats what faith really is. follow Rabbi Jesus in His ministry; giving up home, family,

Service through Ushering

By Tae Chon

I originally signed up for the ushering at OEM because I believed it was the easiest way to serve the church. Pass out a few bulletins, smile a couple dozen times, maybe meet for brief prayer sessions beforehand and, like a 16th century indulgence certificate, Im good! Serving on Sundays is an important part of my life now. Welcoming family into worship that embraces the Father is my motivation for passing out bulletins and happily greeting the tide of guests. As an usher, I welcome attendees. I also observe and work

with those who carry out the actual production of our weekly services. And I learn so much from them. The guests we welcome have a spectrum of attitudes ranging from curiosity, caution, nervousness, and rudeness to warmth, anticipation, and joy. Ushers are the first faces the congregation sees as they enter OEM. What attendees do not get to see are the meetings before each service. In these meetings, we pray for each other and make our pleas to the Almighty God that He would be honored and

pleased during the service. We believe in faith that He will do all that is according to His purposes. I have yet to see Him not show up. Another thing the congregation does not see is the prayer that happens before our weekly meetings. Its done in homes, on subways and trains, in courtyards and cafes, and behind closed-doors. Its done in faith. Each of us serves for the glory of God. He receives glory when we enter into His presence day in and day out, be it Sunday or today, and respond by serving Him.

Some of the members of the Ushering Ministry at World Cup Stadium.

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ONNURINEWS January 2012

Salvation is Like This

By Kent Lee

Interview with Zane Kang

By Candace Hendrick

You are caught up in a fast moving river, and in the process of drowning, the river hurls you toward a steep waterfall, where you will plummet to your final death. Jesus stands on the shore, shouting your name. He extends his arm out to you to grab you. Hes the only one who can save you. You are helpless. All you can do is respond, let Him grab you, and let Him rescue you. He is your hero, your only hope. Or you can refuse His help. Try to save your own life from the predicament that awaits youthough you cannot. Ignore His outstretched hand, and decide to go it alone, be your own boss, the king of what's left of your life, the master of nothing but your own destruction. Or call out for help, let Him grab you and save you, let Him pull you out, revive you, dry you off, give you new clothes and a new existence. Notice that you contribute absolutely nothing here. He does all the work. All you did was not refuse His help, but ask Him to rescue you. Because He did everything, He owns you now. You cannot go back into that river. Not ever. But at times we get thirsty for the wrong thing. Instead of quenching our thirst in the living waters of our Lord and His Spirit, we sometimes thirst for the old river water, for the common, dirty water. But He has so far removed us from the old river of destruction and so changed us that we can't really go back to it, to being lost. We cannot lose our salvation. But we still go after common, dirty water elsewhere. Like the Israelites wandering in the desert longing for the comforts back in Egypt. But they could not really go back, only imitate it somehow, like with the golden calf. Maybe you try to go back to common, dirty water somehow. Maybe you try to drown yourself in your bathtub. Submerge yourself in a swimming pool. Immerse yourself in a mud bath. Play in a quicksand pit. Maybe you stick your head in a toilet. That's how we Christians act oftentimes. But Jesus always pulls you out and knocks some sense into you, and wraps His loving arms around you. That's what salvation is.

Zane Kang is leaving for Nagoya, Japan within the next couple months. He will be taking a long term mission trip to Christian Bible Institute. While attending classes there, his main purpose will be to assist with ministry needs. He visited the institute briefly in September of 2011 for a new building dedication. Currently, he is here in Korea, waiting for his Religious Workers Visa to process. I have had the opportunity to ask him about that trip and learn more about his journey with the Lord. How did you make the decision to go on the mission trip to Japan? My decision to go to Japan actually took a while because it was a country I never seriously thought about. Japan first came to my heart in a time of prayer, and I first dismissed it. But then God brought Pastor Michael Oh to speak at OEM, made divine appointments, and cleared obstacles. His call became clear. I made the decision to submit my application to Christian Bible Institute as an intern. What has the training been like for you? In terms of missionary training, I was blessed to go through two: one with OEM, the other at Onnuris Acts 29 Village. The greatest blessing was to share with other brothers and sisters how God had called each of us to join His work and to hear together the testimonies of those who have gone before us. Sometimes it was demanding, but I was really glad to learn, considering how much of a rookie I was. What has been the hardest to overcome in preparing for this long term mission trip? The hardest part has definitely been waiting and obeying. My departure date was delayed by months several times. God has been using this time to deepen my intimacy with Him and make me sensitive to His voice. Coming to terms with who I was led me to come to terms with who God was. A very wise friend of mine reminded me of the only thing that I need to take to the mission fieldthe presence of God, always with me, in His grace. God brought Zane from denial to obedience. Through prayer, a visit to Japan, and training, He has prepared Zanes heart and his steps. Though we will miss him, we anticipate reports of Gods work in and through Zane in Japan.

Right: Zane, in the middle with the Executive VicePresident, Joseph Kim on the left. Far Right: CBI Japan

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ONNURINEWS January 2012

Twelve Months, Twelve Locations, Twelve Issues: One Purpose

By Pastor Joel Yoon

Above: Laying hands on the wall at a construction site of the new HOLT ofce building.

As we anticipate the last prayer walk (Fire by Night) of 2011, we are reminded that the issues that we have been praying for throughout the year are all connected. In January, May, and October, we prayed for adoption. Praying for adoption means we also pray for our leadership. In January, we started off the year in Gwanghwamun, praying for the leadership of Korea. In May and October, we prayed for the infant or phanag es Easter n Social Welfare and Holt Childrens Services, praying that God would find the orphans there a home. This month, we will have gone in a full circle. Currently, the Constitutional Court of Korea is discussing whether to change the law to increase the limit for international adoption. This is a result of prayer. In April and November, we prayed against plastic surgery and abortion. In April, we prayed against Koreas obsession with plastic surgerya sign of selfobsession. In November, we prayed around two specific womens clinics that are known to abort babies. During our prayer walk, we could not help but observe the culture surrounding these clinics. They are located in Seouls trendiest area, saturated

with high-end shops and a plethora of plastic surgery clinics. The seed of self-obsession leads people to make bad decisions which results in unplanned pregnancies. And for many of these self-obsessed people, it unfortunately leads to abortion. And this month, again, we will find ourselves praying for the leadership of Korea as they are in discussion to legalize abortion. Many more connections could be made, but one more that should be mentioned is simply an issue of the heart. Governments and organizations can change, and even the culture of Korea may change, but there will always be some sort of manifestation of the evil in our hearts. As stated in the Bible, For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person (Mark 7: 21-23). This is why the Church needs to go out on the streets to pray for these issues. The power of the Gospel is the only way these issues will be resolved.

youth of Korea on mission with God by serving the church, the city, and the nations. We partner regularly with the rest of OEM in outreach activities such as homeless and elderly ministry, prayer walks, and short-term mission trips. Through small groups and workshops, we teach and encourage students to be mature followers of Christ and leaders in their communities and schools. Our students are mostly expat Koreans who attend international schools in Seoul. They are from countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. We encourage our students to join ministry teams such as the praise team, welcoming and ushering team, and the media team, so that they can discover and develop their spiritual gifts and grow in their faith. The past semester in 2011, we focused on holiness and purity. We believe purity is a vital quality that Christian youth need to maintain in order to survive this world and be effective in ministry. Satan is attacking the youth in this area, so we are doing what we can to fight back and train our youth to overcome the enemys attacks. It is very important that we, the grownups, help keep our young pure by pouring prayers into their lives. Please join with me as we pray that the passion for holiness in the youth of today will only grow from this day forward.
Below: The students of Nine37 at Purity Workshop, praying for one another.

Nine37: OEMs Youth Ministry

By Pastor Isaac Surh

The name of OEMs youth ministry, Nine37, symbolizes our commitment to and focus on missions and sending people out into Gods mission field. Jesus said, The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few (Matt. 9:37). The mission of Nine37 is to get the

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