“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

(Mattthew 6:33)

Christians often say, “I am the part of God’s kingdom, and I am a child of God.” We also use the expression “I hope God’s kingdom will come here.” Moreover, it is common to hang the scripture Matthew 6:33 at work or home. Are you the people of God’s kingdom? Or are you living a life of seeking first God’s kingdom and righteousness? If so, what does “the Kingdom of God” look like and where is it? Only when we know properly about “the Kingdom of God” can our faith be directed toward God.

Some people say that “the Kingdom of God” is “the Kingdom of Heaven.” What do you think? Isn’t this world we live in “the Kingdom of God”? Some people limit the kingdom of God to a “church.” Well, isn’t the world outside the church God’s kingdom? There have been a lot of discussions theologically. These two ideas seem close to the truth, but these are not enough to be the truth. The first idea, the idea is that the Kingdom of God is only the Kingdom of Heaven, conflicts with the truth that God creates and operates this world. Also, we can see in our history how the second idea that limited the kingdom of God to only churches affected the Middle Ages.

So, what is the definition of “the Kingdom of God” in the Bible? Pastor Martin Lloyd Johnson defines it as “the place where God rules” in [The Church and The Last Things]. In other words, both heaven and the church are parts of God’s kingdom, and everywhere God operates is defined as God’s kingdom. Looking at the Bible, Luke 17:20, when asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus said, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.” In addition, Matthew 12:28 says, ” But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” In other words, if Jesus expels the spirit of evil in us with the Holy Spirit, God’s rule is established there, so it is declared that it is already God’s kingdom. Colossians 1:13 also explains this part. To clarify again, “the Kingdom of God” is where God’s rule takes place, and all universes, including heaven, churches, and the world outside the church, are included in the kingdom of God.

“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,”

(Colossians 1:13)

Then why did Jesus mention our intrinsic part to explain “the Kingdom of God”? The reason can be seen through [the Holy War by John Bunyan] as it expresses the conflict in the spiritual realm of humans as a kingdom of soul. God is the one who creates and governs all this world. Among the creations God has created, humans are the only ones who choose to have a relationship with God by free will. Of course, leaving behind a deeper discussion of the choice, the part that does not follow God’s rule in the world built by God is the area of Satan and the people who reject God. In all but these two areas, the world unconditionally follows God’s rule and operates, so it is the realm of God’s kingdom. Also, he says that the two areas excluded from the kingdom of God are not physical areas, but spiritual areas, which are invisible to the eyes, but separated.

Going back to the beginning, are you living as God’s people in “the Kingdom of God”? In other words, does the kingdom of God come upon you? As mentioned above, the definition of “God’s kingdom” is where God rules. But if we are living in our own will, not in God’s will, we cannot say that God’s kingdom has fully come upon us. We often recognize the word “governance and authority” as a word expressing a very oppressive and uncomfortable state. Moreover, if we are advised to “live within God’s rule and authority,” we often go our way, refuting that this is not a desirable religion. Perhaps most people misunderstand the meaning of the words “governance and authority” because they have experienced incomplete human governance and authority. In addition, many churches explain the governance and authority of God’s kingdom as the form of unconditional obedience to pastors and spiritual leaders, so it may have caused misunderstanding as a negative effect. However, we Christians must live differently from the Israeli people who asked God to set one of them as king even though he is already the perfect king to us. The God we believe in is the creator of the world, the absolute righteousness (Psalms 33:5), and the God who surpasses all comprehension (Philippians 4:7) and who gave his son for us with the absolute love (Romans 8:32, John 3:16), and such God is our king. Moreover, he is not an oppressive ruler, but the God who respects our free will (John 1:12). What do you think? Do you still feel frustrated by the expression “God’s rule and authority”? However, if you think about the meaning of the Bible, it may be the choice to escape the fear of uncertainty with your will and enjoy true freedom.

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”

(John 1:12)

Now in summary, the expression “Seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness ” or “God’s kingdom has come upon me” means that I seek God’s will and live according to his will, not my will in life. This life is the appearance of obedience in the Bible and the appearance of children in the kingdom of God. Wherever we are, I hope we can all clearly understand the meaning of “the Kingdom of God,” live as children of God’s Kingdom, and enjoy and share the true freedom God gives us.

Blessings,

Jin

Many Christians often use the expression “I go to church” or “Let’s go to church together!” As can be seen from the mentioned expression, the word “church” contains the identity of Christians. However, I myself have never thought deeply about the meaning of the word “church.” Then, Christians, do we know and use the word “church” exactly? What does the word “church” mean to you?

“To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ–their Lord and ours:”

(1 Corinthians 1:2)

First of all, looking at the Bible, 1 Corinthians 1:2 says, “To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ–their Lord and ours:” Does it mean the same as the meaning of the church you think? That is, “the church of God” is a group of people who are called saints in Christ, or a group of people who believe and call Jesus Christ as the Lord beyond space and region. Of course, we cannot ignore the reflection of the meaning of the times that the meaning of the word contains the meaning used by many people in that era, but we must know and use the biblical meaning of the word “church,” which expresses the identity of Christians.

According to Pastor Martin Lloyd Jones, (The Church and The Last Things), there are two important meanings based on the origin of the word “church.” First, in many parts of the Greek Bible, the word translated as “church” is “eklesia,” which means “people who have been called together.” Also, the word of “church” originated from the Greek word “kurios,” which means “Lord,” and through various changes, the current word “church” was created. Looking at these two things, the word of “church” means a group of people who recognize God’s presence and sovereignty. Is it similar to the meaning of the words we looked at above or what you think?

Furthermore, the meaning of “church” can expand further. In the New Testament, the word of “church” is sometimes used as a plural form, and it is also expressed as the only universal church. For example, in Galatians 1:2, it is described as “To the churches in Galatia,” and each group of people who recognize God’s presence and sovereignty in the Galadia region is recognized as a church. On the other hand, in Ephesians 2:22 “And God placed all things under his feet and pointed to be head over everything for the church,” it is expressed as the only universal church. In this way, we, familiar with the vertical hierarchy, think that each church in a region belongs to a church in a wide sense in a vertical hierarchy, and that the head of the church in a wide sense is Jesus. This is a completely different idea from the Bible. Each church in a region is an independent church, and there is also an invisible universal church, and the head of this universal church and all local churches is Jesus. Of course, we continue to think of vertical hierarchies, but that’s never the case. Pastor Martin Lloyd Jones said, “All Christians are members of the spiritual and invisible universal church and are also members of the visible local churches.”

In summary, the biblical meaning of “church” is a group of people who have been called saints who are distinguished from the world in Christ, or a group of believers who recognize Christ’s presence and sovereignty. This group is expressed as a local church that appears to be independent locally, and also refers to the only spiritual and invisible universal church in which all Christians consist of one body. What do you think? Are we participating in the church that the Bible says? What does the church that we expect look like? I hope we all understand the biblical meaning of the word “church” properly and establish the righteous church and the identity of Christians.

Blessings,

Jin

These days, I’ve thought about me, but I’m not sure why I was born. However, I found reassuring scriptures in Bible.

I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me just as the Father knows me and I know the Father–and I lay down my life for the sheep.” (John 10:14-15)

This is Jesus’s word to us.  He knows me as the Father knows Him and He knows the Father. That’s so incredible and gracious. As you know, Jesus and the Father are one, so They know everything about each other. That means God knows everything about me even though I’m not sure about myself. Moreover, Jesus is my good shepherd, so He leads me. That is amazing grace, isn’t it?

Blessings,

Jin

Recently, I had chances to teach C++ to a couple of students. I disappointed about the current curriculum of the classes that the students were taking. The curriculums were similar to the classes that I took 10 years ago. I thought my college friends and I were in a period of transition to new generation. However, the students who are taking the class of C++ Programming are still complaining that they’re learning only how to type the programming languages and that they do not know why the C++ has the concepts, functions, and rules as I complained in college.

I understand the professors and lecturers didn’t get their degree about their programming skills, so they don’t have to program fluently like a programmer who is working in real technical filed. However, they have responsibility to teach their students the concepts or frameworks of the programming language. Of course, I know some lecturers have passion to teach their students, so they try to make interactive classes. I hope I can see many more the passionate lecturers in teaching their students.

Blessings,

Jin

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,”
(Colossians 3:23)