룻기 3:18
하나님을 찾고 기다리십시오 Seek and wait for God
오늘을 넘기지 않으시는 하나님을 기다리십시오; 신실하신 하나님, 자비하신 하나님 Wait for God who will not rest till He has done this day; faithful God, merciful God
나오미와 혈루증 걸린 여인의 믿음 The faith of Naomi and the woman with a hemorrhage 마 9:22
HOF교회에 약속하신 말씀 The promise to the HOF Church 대상 22:18-20
예배와 기도가운데 솔로몬의 세대를 일으키실 것을 기다리십시오 Wait for the raising of Solomon's generation in worship and prayer
Summary
In the latter half of the previous year, as the church approached its 10th anniversary, they sought God's guidance for the future. During this time, Pastor found inspiration in the book of Ruth, particularly Ruth 3:18, which advises waiting for God to settle matters. This led to the establishment of the church's motto for 2023: "Wait for the God who does not delay today."
Pastor believes that God is faithful and merciful, and that He is fulfilling His promises to their church community. They highlight the examples of Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz, who, despite facing challenges, remained committed to seeking God's presence and guidance. Naomi, in particular, serves as a testament to unwavering faith in the midst of sorrow and loss.
Pastor shares the story of their church's establishment, emphasizing that it was initiated by God and not human plans. They express a vision of becoming a church that fulfills the responsibilities of Solomon's generation, praising and worshiping God, and expanding His Kingdom.
To prepare for this vision, the church recognized the need for ministers for the next generation. Through prayer, God brought a pastor's family to our community, bringing hope and unity. Pastor encourages a focus on God's work rather than individual people, urging the church to continue praying and worshiping as a community.
In conclusion, Pastor envisions the church as a place of continuous prayer and a gathering place for the next generation. They pray for the church to bear fruit, multiply, and become a community that influences nations for Jesus.
Script
Last year, in the second half, as we approached 2023, which marks the 10th year of our church, we prayed about how God would lead our community. It was during that time that I came across the book of Ruth and pondered upon the words of Ruth 3:18. The background of this verse is as follows: Ruth went to the threshing floor where Boaz was working and lay at his feet, quietly waiting. Later, Boaz discovered Ruth and expressed his intention to redeem her and continue the lineage of her household. However, there was a closer relative who had the right to redeem, and if he declined, Boaz promised to take on the responsibility and provided an abundance of barley. Naomi, upon hearing Ruth's story, gave her testimony of faith. This is precisely Ruth 3:18: "Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest but will settle the matter today."
As I meditated on these words, hope arose within me. It seemed like God was speaking to me about what I should do now and what I should cease. Therefore, holding onto this verse, I have set our church's motto for 2023: "Wait for the God who does not delay today."
I believe that God is fulfilling the promise He has given to our community. I have this assurance because I trust that God is faithful and merciful. God, who is faithful and keeps His promises, is working to accomplish what He has promised us. And God is a God of mercy, extending His compassion to those who seek His help.
As I summarize the book of Ruth, I have observed a common characteristic among Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz. Regardless of the difficulties they face, they contemplate, struggle, and move within the framework of God. Let's take a look. Naomi's husband's name is "Elimelech," which means "my God is king." It is a name that contains a profound confession of faith. However, did the God he believes in provide abundance? It was a famine. Their lives became empty and filled with hunger. As a result, Naomi's husband left God and went to Moab in search of a way to survive. He thought things would go well there, but both her husband and sons ended up dying. However, even after ten years of sorrow, Naomi comes to the conclusion that returning to the embrace of God the Father is the answer, not blaming or losing faith in God. That's right. Whether things go well or not, whether there is pain or not, whether there is peace or not, regardless of the situation, Naomi seeks answers, tries to find solutions within the context of "God's presence," and does not leave God. The "faithful God" leads Naomi, who does not abandon God, no matter what.
Our God! You are a faithful God. Our God! You are a merciful God. You will never forsake us. Without you, I have no hope. You save Naomi, who bows down before you in surrender. Yes, Naomi was sad, but she mourned within the presence of God. She was in pain and suffering. However, she did not leave God. Her children and the people around her all left, and she spent nights in loneliness. But she did not let go of the words of the promise. Who can rejoice when there is nothing to eat? Who can be glad in the midst of pain? It hurts. I want everything to stop. She herself and everyone else gave up. But she did not give up on God alone. Towards such Naomi, God showed "mercy.“
In Matthew 9, there is a story of a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years. She had sought renowned physicians and had spent all her resources, but she could not be healed. Everyone, including herself, had given up. However, when she encountered Jesus, she followed Him and touched the edge of His cloak. It was her hope to touch even just the fringe of His garment, not His hand. My dear friends, this woman would have been a Jew. Since she was afflicted with a disease, she was considered unclean, and everyone kept their distance from her. However, she had faith that she wanted to touch His garment. So, unnoticed by others and even by the Lord Himself, she followed Jesus, pursuing only Him. Truly, with a heart smaller than dust, a heart that could be easily disregarded... But it was her desire to contain the Lord that touched Jesus deeply. He spoke to her. It is written in Matthew 9:22, "Jesus turned and saw her. 'Take heart, daughter,' he said, 'your faith has healed you.' And the woman was healed at that moment.“
Indeed, she did not separate herself from Jesus. She did not follow Him because she was healed. Even when everything collapsed, she remained in the presence of the Lord. Only after losing everything did she realize that the Lord had become her everything. However, the faithful God saved the woman whose everything had crumbled.
"'Take heart, daughter,' he said, 'your faith has healed you.'" What is faith? It is to trust in God. It is to surrender to God's faithfulness. It is to wait for God's mercy. To hear, "Who is it? Your faith has healed you. Even though you have nothing, you have not followed people but have trusted and waited for me until the end..." "Yes, you have given your heart to me. Now I will become your everything, I will give you my own, my life, my joy, my peace..." I bless you with overflowing grace.
While serving in the church recently, I have been experiencing the unconditional God who pours out His blessings and mercy, and I simply desired to touch the hem of God's garment. Yet, God, who is full of mercy, has elevated me and called me precious, and I have been experiencing a God who comes to me even before I seek Him.
Our church, HOF Church, was established on March 16, 2014, during a commissioning service. HOF stands for "Heritage of Faith." In the latter half of 2013, while fasting and praying, God gave a promise, saying, "Build a church, the kind of church you desire." That was the message found in 1 Chronicles 21-22.
In this passage, there is a scene where David conducts a census. David performed the census out of his prideful thought that he had established his kingdom, and God became angry with him. However, David repented and offered a sacrifice while prostrating himself at the threshing floor of Araunah. God did not distance Himself from David, who committed sin but repented; rather, He drew near to him. David built an altar on that very spot and later Solomon's temple was built there. Interestingly, that place was Mount Moriah, where Abraham offered Isaac, and it eventually became the place where Jesus was crucified. When David was about to die, he called the next generation and entrusted Solomon, his son, saying in 1 Chronicles 22:18-19, "Hasn't the Lord your God given you rest on every side? He has delivered the inhabitants of the land into my hands, and the land is subject to the Lord and to His people. Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God. Begin to build the sanctuary of the Lord God so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the sacred articles belonging to God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the Lord.“
As I meditated on these words, the Lord placed this desire in my heart: "Build the next generation like Solomon. They will be established on the foundation of repentance from the first generation. Through them, the generation of Solomon will build a place of worship where God's name will be exalted. Therefore, build the temple and bring the ark of the covenant of God to be placed in the temple where the generation of Solomon will worship God, who dwells in the place of worship.“
However, during my prayer, it was a time when the previous church was facing significant difficulties due to the relocation. We had to sell Bellfield and move to Granville, but the Bellfield building wouldn't sell, and Granville was considered a Muslim area and a high-crime zone. It was a challenging period both financially and emotionally. In such a difficult time, should we start a new church and go out again? It was truly a tough situation. However, as I meditated on the words of 1 Chronicles, I felt this assurance in my heart. God would faithfully fulfill these words. As evidence of that, God would move from Bellfield to Granville and show the establishment of HOF Church. I shared the heart God had given me with the pastor and discussed it with the elder responsible for construction. Despite the challenging circumstances, the elder provided significant comfort and support, bearing the responsibility even when we were going to establish the church.
The story of the past HOF Church is that it was not built based on anyone's pastoral philosophy or project but that it is a church established by God Himself! In the midst of various situations, God faithfully fulfilled His promised words to HOF Church, and the evidence, the reality, was the establishment of Granville and HOF Church.
Therefore, the church that God initiated, the church that God spoke about, and the church that God will accomplish. HOF Church will be a church that fulfills the responsibility of Solomon's generation, building the temple, praising God, worshiping God, and expanding the Kingdom of God from Sydney to the nations. Hence, our task is to seek the promised God while waiting for the establishment of Solomon's generation. Then God will work. He doesn't tell us to prepare finances or buildings but tells us to "seek the promised God." When the first generation seeks God and finds Him, I believe God will prepare the second generation and work through them.
We, the first generation, are the generation that seeks God. Our second generation, the generation of Solomon, will be a generation that builds the temple, sings praises to God, experiences the presence of God, and is commissioned by God towards the nations. I believe that HOF Church will be built according to God's faithfulness and mercy, not by our abilities.
To prepare our church for such a church, we needed "ministers for the next generation." In the first year of the church, we established one person as a minister for the next generation among the children. However, it seemed that it was not God's timing. Since then, the saints have been praying for the next generation and ministers. At such a timing, God sent a precious pastor's family to our community. It brings significant comfort and hope to our community. It sounds like the signal flare for God to fulfill His promised words. The pastor's family thinking of our church and us thinking of the pastor's family did not originate from ourselves. But God caused us to meet coincidentally and gave us a united heart in such a situation. All of this is God's leading. God will fulfill His mission in our church through anyone He chooses. That one person being the pastor's family is also something to be thankful for. The important thing is not "who has come" but the confession that "God" is working in this matter.
Beloved saints! Let us wait for God who will fulfill His word without passing today. What does it mean to wait? It means "to pray," "to worship," "prayer is waiting." God works in the praying community. I hope that the prayer meetings, which continue as a constant supplication, will blaze brighter as time goes by. In the field of prayer, where the living waters of prayer flow, I hope to see the dry bones rise up and become soldiers of God's army, and gospel workers who carry the gospel wherever they go.
Therefore, I hope this small space becomes a place where prayer never ceases. May it become a place where the Solomon generation of Sydney, day and night, gather to pray. I hope it becomes a place where people filled with the Holy Spirit rise up and gather as a generation that carries out the work of the Holy Spirit. If someone desires to use this place as such a place of prayer, let us dedicate it as a place of prayer.
When we stay before God, praying together, may this place become Araunah's threshing floor that restores, Mount Moriah where offerings are presented, and the cross that saves the next generations. I pray in the name of the Lord that just as Boaz begot Obed, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David, HOF Church may bear the next generation, and the next generation may bear other souls, and they may become a community of Jesus that bears nations.