by Pastor Ron Miyake

In the sermon that I gave on December 31, 2017, there were four things that I’ve been trying to do and hope you will try to do regularly in 2018 to grow closer to the Lord. Here is a brief summary:

1. GIVING THANKS

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Having an attitude of gratitude. Remembering to be thankful. Being aware of what God is doing around us, and in and through our lives. During difficult times, not thanking God for the difficulty, but thanking God that He is with us during those times.

One way to grow in this area is, at the end of the day, asking yourself or someone else, such as your spouse, a friend, or even just journaling… What am I (or what are you) thankful for regarding that day?

What you share doesn’t have to be something spiritual. It doesn’t have to be some huge topic. It might just be being thankful for talking with a friend; thankful for our school, job, friends, family; or how God helped us through a particular situation.

2. RELEASING PRAYER

Giving or releasing to the Lord those things that weigh on us.

Philippians 4:6-7 “ 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.”

Here is something that we can do…

As we go through our day and something happens that really bothers us or makes us angry or some other emotion, we can spend a few moments releasing or giving that emotion and the situation to the Lord. Then asking the Lord to fill our heart and mind with His presence and peace.

It’s doing something like this:  “Lord Jesus, I give my anxiety and this stressful situation to You.” “Fill me Lord with your peace. Guard my heart and my mind with Your peace and Your presence. Thank You that You are with me.”

You can do this type of prayer as many times as you need to throughout the day as things come up that you need to release and give to the Lord.

3. BREATH PRAYERS

1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray all the time.”

Regarding this verse and Breath Prayers, Pastor Rick Warren writes in The Purpose Driven Life:  “The Bible tells us to “pray all the time.” How is it possible to do this? One way is to use “breath prayers” throughout the day.”

Here is an example of a Breath Prayer:

In Matthew 1:23, Jesus is called Immanuel, which means God with us.

Make this passage into a Breath Prayer - a phrase, a truth from Scripture that we can repeat throughout the day.

•  Jesus, You are Immanuel, You are God who is with me.

•  Or, Jesus, You are with me.

Breath Prayers are

•  Reminders of God’s truth,

•  Our desire to know God,

•  Our dependence on God,

•  A reminder to talk and listen to the Lord throughout
    our day.

To remember Breath Prayers, it’s a good idea to plan a time to do them:

•  At the top of every hour.

•  At meal times.

•  When we look at our phone.

4. DOING WHAT THE FATHER IS DOING

John 5:19-20 "Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.  For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel."

In John 5:19-20, Jesus is our model for how He wants us to live and participate in the work of God’s Kingdom.

•  By being dependent on God.

•  Being aware of what God is doing.

•  Doing what the Father is doing.

•  Doing what the Father shows us.

•  Being in a love relationship with the Lord.

•  Doing His will and not our own.

Sometimes doing what the Father is doing is inconvenient or risky. Though it might take us out of our comfort zone, it puts us in the trusting God zone.

Doing what the Father is doing will help us experience a joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment that we would not have had if we didn’t step out and do what the Father is doing.

I hope that you and I will continue to grow in our daily interactions with God by doing things like Giving Thanks, Releasing Prayer, Breath Prayers, and Doing what the Father is doing, so that we will grow in intimacy with God and glorify Him more in 2018 and for the rest of our lives.

What is the first recorded sin in the Bible? One might conclude that “ground zero” for sin happened in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate from the tree that was forbidden to them. The Bible recorded it in Genesis 3:1-13.

Even though the sin of Adam and Eve occurred in the earliest annals of human history, it was not the origin of sin. Sin occurred in the realms of heaven sometime prior to the creation of Adam and Eve. If not, the serpent would not have existed in the Garden.

Isaiah 14 describes the downfall of a king. The description apparently makes reference to the motivation behind the downfall of Satan and his fellow rebellious angels. The earthly king simply embodies the arrogance and pride that caused Satan to betray God.

Isaiah 14:13 states, “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north.’” This king mirrored Lucifer, a powerful angelic being whose beauty and glory were beyond any mortal creature, who arrogantly attempted to usurp the recognition and status belonging only to God. As a result, God judged him and his legions and cast them out of heaven.

Note how the serpent tempted Adam and Eve. He made an appeal to the very same arrogance and pride that caused him to stumble and fall. He said to them, “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God…” Genesis 3:5a

Thus comes the scriptural truth that says, “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.” Proverbs 16:18. Hubris normally precedes a fall.

Pride appears to be at the very root of original sin, both in heaven and on earth. John Stott seemed to be extremely accurate in his assessment that “Pride is more than the first of the seven deadly sins; it is itself the essence of all sin”. It may very well be Ground Zero for sin.

Proverbs 6:16-19 lists seven things that are an abomination to the Lord. Pride heads the list. The Bible supports the idea that pride and arrogance are opposed by God. James 4:6 says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Proverbs 16:5 uses even stronger language. It says, “Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; assuredly, he will not be unpunished.”

C.J. Mahaney, in his book on humility, gives a reason why God hates pride so passionately. He wrote, “Pride is when sinful human beings aspire to the status and position of God and refuse to acknowledge their dependence upon Him.”

The second portion of Mahaney’s definition is where the rubber meets the road. How often is it that we fail to acknowledge our dependence on God and go along our merry way living life as though we are in control of it? If that reflects the presence of pride in one’s life, Lord have mercy on us.

Take a moment and reflect upon the possible presence of pride in your life and ask the Lord to help you take a journey to learn about humility. After all, being humble is being like Jesus who said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Something to think about…

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

The Spirit of the Lord has prompted me to reprise a portion of something I wrote almost six years ago. I trust that it has special meaning for some of you who read it.

 C.S. Lewis once wrote that “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains; it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

I first read this quote when I was experiencing excruciating pain from a bulging disc in my lower back. The pain got so unbearable that I consented to a surgery, which had a fifty percent chance of resulting in permanent paralysis.

Indeed, “God shouts in our pains… it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

Here are the last three of six thoughts that I wrote:

Fourth thought: Relief from pain and suffering may not be the main Christian answer to pain and suffering. (Thoughts four through six come from one of my professors, Lewis Smedes)

Lewis Smedes wrote, “Ministries of healing are not the main Christian answer to suffering. At their very best, they eliminate a particular suffering of a particular person. They do not remove all suffering from life, and there are still many others suffering the same suffering that was just healed. The healings are signs "that God is alive, that Christ is Lord, and that suffering is not the last word about human existence".

If you are in the midst of pain and suffering, perhaps it would be wise to accept that God will eventually give meaning to it all even if you don’t feel it and that relief from your ordeal may not be the main answer from God.

Fifth thought: Healing from within suffering is as wonderful as healing from suffering.

Lewis Smedes wrote, “Healing from within suffering is as wonderful as healing from suffering. God gives inner strength that compensates for loss, and gives the sufferer resourcefulness to live faithfully and effectively.”

I personally marvel at people whom I know who live in constant pain and do not disclose the presence of pain by the way they live. With God’s help, they have received healing from within their pain and suffering and can live with joy in the midst of their pain and suffering.

Sixth thought: We need to show readiness to suffer alongside the people whose suffering never gets healed.

Professor Smedes wrote that as Christians, we tend to "expect and celebrate God's triumph over our suffering while we show little readiness to suffer for the people whose suffering never gets healed."

We should never shy away from those whose pain and suffering continues in the midst of persistent prayer and exhaustive endeavors at remedy. We should join them in their pain and suffering. We can’t give them answers we don’t have, but we can give them our presence and our support. In other words, we just love them.

As Christians, we need to remember that “healing from within suffering is as wonderful as healing from suffering”.

Take time and read 2 Corinthians 1:1-8, 4:16-18 and Romans 8:18-39.

Something to think about…

by Paul Lu

On a recent plane ride, I was intrigued by a documentary about a young man who, against all odds, bought a dilapidated place and turned it into a beautiful bed & breakfast. Set atop a mountain in a rural town in Taiwan, El Patio del Cielo (EPC) can house a total of 16 guests in six housing units. The view from EPC is stunning, overlooking mountain ranges in dense forests high above the clouds. Guests stay in traditional “Three-section Compounds” where the living areas in the middle section is flanked by two side residential wings.

When Pei-jun Ho graduated with a degree in medicine, he would have never thought that his labor of love would be voted “the most beautiful bed and breakfast in Taiwan.” But it wasn’t an easy task. Turned down by 15 banks, Ho was finally able to get funding from a local bank to finance his project. After a long and arduous process, an architectural gem was finally born to welcome people from around the world to get a taste of living in rural Taiwan.

But he did not stop there. A few years after EPC gained popularity, Ho began to help the small town of Zhushan, where the B&B is located. He walked around town to discover shops that still kept the traditions of Taiwan alive. For example, a husband-and-wife team continues to create “Pong Bi Pang” which is essentially popcorn made from brown rice. The machine they use is a gigantic iron tube that makes a loud ‘Boom!’ each time brown rice is popped into dried flakes. Another shop owner stitches comforters by hand with ornate Hakka-themed covers. All of EPC’s bed linens are sourced from this shop. A third family in town continues the tradition to hand-hammer cutlery from iron. The owner’s son, who worked in electronics for ten years, decided to return to his father and carry on the family business. Ho arranges his guests to take a tour to Taiwan’s nostalgic past by stopping at these shops to let visitors get a glimpse of these cultural traditions.

As I marveled at the transformation that has taken place at EPC and Zhushan, I can’t help but think of how Jesus has transformed me, especially since coming to Evergreen SGV. Before I came to this church, my spiritual life was dry. My wife and I were quite involved with our previous church, but due to different visions, we decided that it was time to part ways. He led our family to Evergreen SGV, where a big emphasis is placed on missions.

In December 2015, while doing my devotion, a few verses jumped out at me. “Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.” Ephesians 3:7-8. He showed me that it was time for me to equip myself so that He could use me to share the “unsearchable riches of Christ” to those who don’t know Him. In the same way that Ho changed an unsightly object and turned it into a beautiful building, I believe that God is also in the process of molding me into a vessel that is fit for His service.

Now in my second year at BIOLA, I believe that God is preparing me in the area of linguistics so that I can help in the work of Bible translation. Did you know that out of the approximately 7,000 languages worldwide, half of those languages still have no translated Scripture? As it says in Romans 10:14a, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?”

My prayer is that I would continue to walk with Him and strive to make Him known. God is still working in me. He is not done with me yet. I don’t know how exactly my future is going to unfold, but I know that He has a good plan for me, and for you. In God’s plan, everyone has a role to play. Just like what has transpired at El Patio del Cielo, He will redeem His people and make something beautiful out of ashes.

by Courtney Fukushima

 “You should play the violin for our church’s orchestra!” A man at church had told me one Sunday morning after discovering I played the violin. Being a shy freshman in high school at the time, I made excuses of not being a good enough player and too busy with sports and school. With a kind smile he said, “When God gifts us with talents we should use it for Him.” He encouraged me before we parted and we made our way into Evergreen SGV’s sanctuary for service.

Eight years ago, Rick Tsushima was this man who encouraged me to use my gifts for God’s glory. Rick was a devoted and loved member at Evergreen SGV for many years and whom many of you perhaps have known. Just a few months after our brief conversation at church I was saddened and shocked to hear he had gone home to be with the Lord. Since then, God has placed a continual conviction in my heart to not only use my violin to praise Him but to use my words, actions, and every other ability I have to honor the One who has given me the capability to do so.

These simple words from a man I hardly knew began to mold a growing conviction in my heart as time went on. However, excuses like hardly knowing anyone, feeling inadequate to play, afraid to be on stage, and being busy hindered me from obedience.

The verse from 1 Peter 4:10 as well as Rick’s kind encouragement continued to speak to me: “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms”. Finally, being able to play the violin in this past Christmas Eve Candlelight service was a huge blessing. Not only was it a special moment between me and the the Lord, but it was also amazing to play for our congregation alongside my little sister and some of the youth I had served in the Surge Jr. High ministry! It was a huge encouragement and a humbling moment to see the youth of our church using their gifts/talents to serve the Lord joyfully and without hesitation or excuses at their age.

Reflecting back on this past Christmas Eve service, it was incredible to witness how individuals within our church family recognized their gifts and used them to glorify our Lord through various forms. Because of faithful obedience, many people within our church family served our God this Christmas season through the many opportunities Daniel Gee, our artistic director, provided for us.

Although Christmas has come and gone along with the excitement of opening physical gifts, I remain encouraged by our church family’s obedience in using our Spiritual gifts for God no matter what season of the year it may be. Romans 12:4-8 states, “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.” I am forever thankful for people in my life like Rick Tsushima, who obeyed the Lord even in the smallest of things and made an impact in my life. From this experience I realized that even the smallest words of encouragement can change someone’s faith for the better; and although we may never see the fruits of our labor, the Lord is pleased and lives may be changed by small acts of obedience. May our Heavenly Father always be glorified through the unique gifts he has given each of us; and may we as many members at Evergreen SGV continue to build one another up as one body of Christ!