Chul speaks about the third chapter of Daniel this time.  It starts out with the powerful King Nebuchanezzar of Babylon showing off his seemingly absolute power to all his wise men and the leaders of his empire by making a formidable statue of 90 ft high and making them all to bow down before it whenever music is played.  Daniel’s three friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are put on the spot as they were the God-fearing Jews in the pagan world, not willing to bow down to an idol.  They face a time of trial, with their lives on the line.  The King confronts them for their disobedience to his decree and threatens that they will be burned alive.  However, the three friends keep their faith to God, and God works mightily in their lives.

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We continue to follow the life of Daniel and his friends through the captivity in Babylon.  When King Nebuchadnezzar threatens to kill all the wise men of the land when they cannot tell him and interpret a dream that he has, Daniel goes to seek the solution from God.  After learning of the solution from God, Daniel reveals the solution to the mystery to Nebuchadnezzar, and he and his friends are promoted to high status officials.  Chul Kim explains how God uses people like Daniel to topple the power of the world, as the statue in the king’s dream was toppled.  Like Daniel, we also must understand how a Christian can trust upon God for greater wisdom, and learn to follow him through what can seem like great difficulties.

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This message examines the life of Daniel and his friends after they were taken captive in Babylon. In spite of the Babylonians’ taking articles from the temple of God in Jerusalem, Daniel was unfazed by his situation, and resolved, along with his 3 friends, to continue to commit their lives to God by not eating the royal food and wine that the King of Babylon had ordered them to eat. Daniel and his friends decided to eat only water and vegetables, and God was with Daniel and allowed him and his friends to look healthier and better-nourished than people who ate the royal food and wine.

Several lessons are learned from this story of Daniel. First, when the structure of his life (i.e. the tradition of temple worship) changed, his faith in God did not change. Second, Daniel was persevering to the end, and was extremely committed to worshiping only the true God by whatever means necessary. Third, Daniel was probably able to draw strength from his friends, who encouraged and supported him in what he did. Daniel took his spiritual commitment seriously, in spite of the worldly demands of the new culture he was placed in. Reflecting on our own lives, there may be times when we’re forced to leave a certain Christian community that has a certain structure by which we worship God. How we respond to such changing situations would show how much actual faith we have in God, and how committed we are to Him.

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Sharon Kim talks about the life of the most notable and fearless apostle, the Apostle Paul.  She discusses the four components in the apostle’s life that were keys to his explosive ministry through many different hardships and sufferings.  First, she tells about his conversion.  He was like a superhero when we look at his life and the trauma that he endured.  God chose the tough and intimidating person that was fit for the job.  Second, she describes the community that was a big part of his life.  Third, she speaks about the Holy Spirit that enabled him to overcome fears and lead the early church movement.  Lastly, she focuses on the hardships that the apostle embraced so humbly and with grace…

Acts 13:44-50, 16:19-23, 21:30-36, 2 Cor. 11:21-29

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In this message, Chul Kim discusses Apostle Paul as he follows God’s will to Macedonia during his second missionary journey in Acts 16. Paul met various people affected by his preaching, including Lydia, a slave girl who was possessed by a spirit, and a jailer. The spirit allowed the girl to predict the future (even proclaiming that Paul and his companions are men of God), bringing money to her owner. The message talked about Paul’s genuine concern for the girl, whereby her worth was previously defined by how much money she was able to bring to her owner; after the spirit was driven out, the owner was noticeably upset, because he probably did not view the girl as anyone other than a person who brings him profit. Even as the girl prophesies about Paul’s association with God, Paul did not want God to be associated with the spirit, and may have been concerned that her prophesying gave only an incomplete view of God.

After Paul was thrown in prison because of his driving out the spirit, Paul and his companions prayed and sang hymns to God at night, even as they’re in prison. The message talks about how this is likely due to the fact that Paul was first given by God the vision to go to Macedonia, and probably knew that there will be suffering and persecutions involved. Hence, Paul was prepared to suffer for God, and understood that things may not go smoothly. Lastly, after having the chance to escape from prison due to an earthquake, Paul showed his concern for his jailer by gathering his companions and not running off. Overall, the message conveys the sense that despite the busyness of Paul’s life and ministry, he continually shows concern for particular individuals, such Lydia, the slave girl, and the jailer.

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