All posts by psamkang

This past Monday, we celebrated Labor Day, a day in which (supposedly) we are to enjoy a nice day off from work… a kind of a sabbath. But most people took this opportunity to go on a small break filled with fishing poles, small diners, and the like. This got me to thinking that perhaps the American tendency to use Labor Day to “do work” or “do something with family/friend” is also reflected in the Christian church – whereby we consistently ignore God’s commands to rest and focus only on the commands to work (for example 1 Corinthians 5:58).

Now don’t get me wrong. There is a very real command from the Lord for us to do good work (Ephesians 2:10) in light of our salvation in the Lord. Or in other words, only in Christ can we truly do good work which is fulfilling and meaningful, freed from any self-centered ambition or impulse. Indeed Christians are tasked with the command to do good in numerous places (another example Matthew 5:16). For the most part, we have very little difficulty grasping this concept. After all, it is human logic which says that if we have received something, then we should somehow pay it back. And applying this awesome human logic to Christian life and Scripture, most people think along the lines of (1) God has saved me, and therefore (2) I/we must do good works. However good this may sound, it is in the end not a Biblical concept. God has commanded to work and work hard and diligently (Philippians 2:12).

HOWEVER, we must remember that it is our faith in Christ’s finished works, not our own which has saved us (Romans 4:4-5)! What is the Bible’s lesson on works then? I believe the Bible teaches us to work hard (doing good works), however it warns us from working too much. This lesson is pointed out in the Christian life example given by Christ wherein He took a lot of breaks. There are many examples in the Gospels (one of which is Mark 1:35), where Christ seems to get away from the crazy schedule of life and ministry just to relax.

Now there is something that must be said about Christian rest, which is in contrast to worldly rest. Jesus shows us that Christian rest involves renewing the spirit by praying and enjoying the presence of God, NOT in zoning out in front of the TV.

As said before, we the church need to work hard, but refrain from working too much. Again here is an example of quality versus simply quantity. Furthermore, Jesus shows us the lesson of taking breaks and working well at a steady pace.

special shout out to Rev. Sam Kim, assistant pastor at Great Commission Community Church who taught me this valuable lesson so many years ago

At the conclusion of church/fellowship retreats, there are always a few that I find who are left a little sad. Their sadness comes from the fact that while they witness many others being given sweet spiritual blessings/healings/salvation in other people, they themselves seem to have missed out or even been passed over. This is where the notion of the bunker buster blessing comes in.

In my fascination of military TV programming, I once stumbled upon a show on bunker buster missiles and bombs. These things are no ordinary explosive weapons. They are highly specialized because you can shoot them through walls or through dirt underground to detonate hidden bunks/buildings/bad guys’ hangout.

Now, for those who seem to have “missed out on blessings” at retreats – in fact, have NOT. What has happened is that the blessings of God had so deeply penetrated our hearts, souls, and/or minds that it isn’t so very obvious as the “ordinary kind”. However, upon hours or days or weeks after the event has passed, we see the inevitable signs of these blessings which God has so deeply penetrated in our beings. This type of blessings, it seems, usually happens when there are deep rooted things within us which we may not even be aware of – but praise God, He is! (Romans 8:26-27) And so God shoots deep and then allows the spiritual “bomb” to “explode” and lead us to realization, thankfulness, and/or repentance.

And so this is for all of those who feel as if God had passed by without blessings. Though your particular encounter with God may have not had the same outward expression, God has touched you deeply. One pastor once told me that the true measure of a retreat or an encounter with God cannot be fully seen or understood until some time has passed. I am confident in saying that those who are hit with these bunker buster blessings end up reaping great rewards of spiritual growth over the long haul.

(Related: P. Sam’s blog from 2011 Summer Youth Retreat)

Many people may not be aware, but there has been for about almost half a year now, a small handful of our Youth and English Ministry members who have been meeting every Saturday morning at 7am to pray for our church. In many cases the numbers are very “humbling”. And yet to me, this is very encouraging. Why? My old mentor had a way of always being a humble leader. He had “succeeded” in the eyes of the world and the typical Korean-American perspective on a successful/blessed ministry. However, when various people asked him how many attendees he had the previous Sunday, he would just smile and tell them “we had about xx show up for Saturday morning prayer meeting”. I once asked him why he did this and he answered, “It’s never about the number of kids who show up on Sundays, but the ones who show up to pray. That number gives you a good perspective on what your actual membership is…”

And so I, in line with what my mentor told me years ago, am greatly pleased, humbled, and encouraged to see that still small number of young believers showing up to pray. It may not be popular or even really all that fun. Yet there it is. Every Saturday, in the Choir Room, at 7am… a small number of young people praying for themselves and praying for their church family. And it is these small secret prayers that I believe God is most well pleased. (Matt. 6:6)