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LOVE ONE LOST SOUL DEEPLY

2 Timothy 4:2,    “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.”

God is with us this year in thought and deed and enables us to share thanksgiving topics and spiritual direction for the new year.

First: God’s Work of Discipleship

  Sh. Daniel (Master of Civil Engineering) went astray due to a marriage problem in the world after May. I tried helping him twice to marry by faith but he wanted a worldly woman so he left. He kept his faith for six and a half years but he lost his faith on account of his marriage. May God help him to return with repentance to live a life of faith and mission.

  Alexander established the first house-church of IPN UBF. He wanted to divorce his wife due to a problem with her strong character so he lived in the UBF center for three months. As a result he could restore a deep relationship with God with great joy. He left God to regain his wife and live together. His wife Elizabeth and their daughter Sara participated in the Christmas Worship Service and received God’s wonderful grace.

  Now they want to attend Sunday Worship Service with spiritual desire. May God help them live by faith and return to Sunday Worship Service to have a deep relationship with God. Also, God sent three Bible students: Luis, Fernando (Automotive Systems, freshman) and Samuel (Graduate Student, the first year).  I pray that they may deeply meet Jesus through faithful Bible study.

Second: I thank God for Co-working by Faith

  The missionaries met every Wednesday to keep their fishing appointment to preach the Gospel to IPN students. They also kept Bible study meetings, shared testimony, and prayed for Bible students. I learned that serving God by co-working by faith in this sinful world is very important. I also learned that serving God in a house-church has many difficulties.

  I thank God for those who served worship service in various ways: Grace Kim through playing the flute and Sara Kim by playing the piano and violin. I thank God for Samuel Choi who deeply received God’s grace through spiritual training in Chicago and came to Mexico to serve God’s work at IPN. He received testimony writing training and presides for our worship service. We pray that he may grow as a spiritual man of faith who can be used greatly to serve God’s redemptive work and for Bible students in Chicago.

Third: IPN’s Thanksgiving Topics

  Thank God for his abundant word through Romans, and John twice. Thank God for faithful Wednesday night fishing and for sending Luis, Fernando and Samuel to Bible study. I thank God for M. Rebeca Choi and M. Maria Kim who sacrificially serve students with food after worship service. I thank God for serving the Easter Conference among six chapters and for good co-working with Daniel, Alexander, and Alejandro. Thank God for inviting Joo Wang Kim, second generation from Ecuador. He received God’s love deeply through the conference, through touring Mexico and by spending time together with me.

  I thank God for enabling me to serve his redemptive work in Mexico as coordinator and for co-working well at the Latin American coordinator’s meeting. Thank God that I could serve Mexico Night in Chicago on March 4 to share the political state and mission strategy of Mexico. Thank God we could celebrate Christmas Worship Service with the Iztacala chapter. All of our members served to worship and glorify baby Jesus in a manger. I thank God for each member who memorized the key verse for each Bible study.

Fourth: What I Learned as I Served God’s Work in 2016

  I began the year by taking 2Timothy 4:2, ‘preach God’s word in season and out of season, ‘holding on to this verse for two years. I diligently shared the Gospel to have new Bible students and I met Luis, Fernando and Samuel and served them with 1:1 Bible study. I also visited Daniel, Alexander and Alejandro to give them spiritual help because they lost their faith. I served Mexico as coordinator and as a representative of Mexico’s political state and mission strategy in Chicago.

  We held Latin American coordinators’ meetings once a month to co-work well. God gave me new spiritual direction through Alexander. He did not want to participate in worship service because of the differences in customs, culture, language and food. I repented my sin of selfishness and Korean mentality in order to serve students. This year I decided to deeply love one student by being sensitive to the customs, culture, food, and language of Mexico in order to better understand Mexican people. For my key verse I took John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” My second key verse is Genesis 6:9, “This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.”

Fifth: New Spiritual Direction and Prayer Topics for 2017

John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

IPN’s Prayer Topics:

1. Learn God’s word from 1Timothy and Acts.

2. Invite 3 new Bible students to worship service and raise 3 new disciples.

3. 25 1:1 Bible studies and 15 worship service participants.

4.  Restoration of Sh. Daniel’s relationship with God, and Alexander and Alejandro’s families.

5.  Raise 12 spiritual leaders in 2020.

M. Bernabe Choi’s Prayer Topics:

1. Prepare Bible study and Sunday messages well.

2. Read the Bible entirely once a year, faithful early morning prayer and Daily Bread.  

3. Deeply love one sheep and Mexico.

4. Serve God’s work at IPN, serve well as Mexico coordinator and co-work well with other chapters in Latin  America(M. Bernabe Choi).