Gracepoint Berkeley: Acts2fellowship - A College Campus Ministry

Pastor William Kang: Signing Out

williamkang — Mon, 18 May 2009 17:24:12 +0000

Hi everyone,

As you know, Esther and I will be moving on to our Youth Ministry at Gracepoint. Though it’s sad to leave college ministry and all of you, we’re both excited at what God can do in the lives of the youth, not just the ones at our church, but in the entire Bay Area. The good thing is that we’ll still be around. Please pray for us.

I will no longer be authoring this blog. Daniel Kim, who is now leading A2F will be taking over.

I will post on my own personal blog, if you want to follow along with what’s going on in my life and ministry with the youth.

In Christ,

Pastor William Kang

Must See Video

williamkang — Fri, 15 May 2009 21:40:05 +0000

Here’s a video message from Pastor Francis Chan.

15 – Colossians 4:14-18 – Finishing Well

williamkang — Fri, 15 May 2009 16:09:42 +0000

What is significant about the fact that Demas who deserted Apostle Paul for the world (2 Timothy 4:10) was once among the list of people that Apostle Paul counted on? As a follower of Jesus, what is significant is that I should never be comfortable or confident about where I stand. In other words, my faithfulness is only as good as what I am thinking and what I am desiring today. I cannot take pride in my faithfulness in the past and I cannot look to the past to project my faithfulness in the future. If I think this way then I will coast spiritually today, and if I do then I am setting myself up for doom. I need to be faithful today. I need to do the tough work of applying the gospel to my heart today, and repenting of sins and false values. As a leader of followers of Jesus, I need to help others deepen their faith, knowledge and understanding of the gospel even to those who are encouraging disciples of Jesus. The point is that anyone call fall in the future, and so I must approach others not just with confidence but also with concern and care.

Reflect on Apostle Paul’s personal exhortation to Archippus in v.17, in light of what happened to Demas at the end. What is the work that I have received from the LORD and what may hinder me from completing that work? The work that I received from the Lord is the work of sanctification of my spiritual life and raising leaders. What may hinder me from completing the work is being satisfied with my definition of successful completion. Being a sinner, my definition of successful completion is different from God’s. I don’t need to work as hard, and I don’t need to persevere, in order to achieve my definition of successful completion. In other words, what will hinder me from completing the work that I received from the Lord is the idea that I think that I’ve done enough. I get satisfied too easily, and what this tells me is that I have my standards in mind and not the Lord’s.

Reflect on the importance of finishing well in life. Are there some areas in which I am declining in perseverance? Write out a personal prayer about living out my Christian commitments with faithfulness to the end.

Dear Heavenly Father. You know how easily and how frequently I lose perseverance. Lord, I think I know when those periods happen. I hope that you may give me the courage to share about it with my leaders and my peers so that I may receive help. Father, I still need to persevere in the matters of personal repentance and being colored by the gospel. I feel that a lot of the spiritual cancer cells have been wiped out, but the last remaining spiritual cancer cells are always the hardest to remove. They probably won’t be until I see you heaven, but until then help me to fight a steady and steadfast battle.

Reflect on the words “remember my chains.” What effect would remembering Paul’s imprisonment have had on the Colossians? Who are the people, and what are the chains I need to remember in living my Christian life? Remembering Paul’s imprisonment would have inspired the Colossians to live out the gospel in the manner similar to Apostle Paul. It would have inspired them to evangelize harder, it would have made any fears of imprisonment smaller, it would have made them more zealous.

Tags: Colossians

DT – 5/14 – Colossians 4:12-13 – Epaphras

williamkang — Thu, 14 May 2009 16:37:10 +0000

Reflect on the words “wrestling in prayer for you.” Have I ever known this level of intensity in my prayer life? When I think of wrestling in prayer I think of a great struggle against a power that is stronger than me. When I think of wresting in prayer I think of anguish, and I think of fatigue because of its strenuous efforts. When I think of wrestling in prayer, I think of perseverance through the tug-o-war between hope and hopelessness.

Think about the sort of person Epaphras was to the churches and to Apostle Paul. What was it about him that made Apostle Paul say “I vouch for him?” How does this compare with what sort of person I strive to be?Paul could vouch for Epaphras because: 1) He was one of them, meaning he was a part of their community. Being one of them means sharing a common faith. 2) A servant of Christ Jesus. This means that he has no personal business of his own. His own interest is the interest of Jesus Christ. 3) He wrestles in pray for others. This means that he is keenly aware of the issues of the people around him. He understood the stakes that were involved, he understood what he was up against, and he understood that he had to rely on God and not on himself. And 4) he is working hard. That means he is seen doing hard work more than he is resting. It also means that he’s taking more and more work. And there’s a willing, not begrudging attitude when he does his work.

Tags: Colossians

Congratulations, Class of 2009

williamkang — Tue, 12 May 2009 17:12:57 +0000

We had our Senior Graduation Day this past sunday at Gracepoint. I want to congratulate the seniors at a2f graduating this year. I praise God for shepherding all of you during your college years at Berkeley. From the bottom of my heart, I pray that you will all glorify God with your lives.

Shout out, in a comment, if you’d like to express something to the seniors!

Tags: Gracepoint, a2f, Class of 2009, Graduation

DT – Colossians 4:5-6

williamkang — Tue, 12 May 2009 17:10:55 +0000

Think about the significance of non-Christians being identified as “outsiders.” What does this teach about a Christian’s proper understanding of the community and people that he/she rightly belongs to? A Christian community is holy, meaning separate. It has values that are different from those of the world. Christians must understand this, and they must also understand that they are on the “inside.” I’m not saying this to suggest that Christians should feel superior. But rather, by knowing that they are on the inside, a Christian must understand that community will be a very significant part of his life. The Christian’s primary and important relationships will be with those on the inside. Most of his interactions will be with those on the inside. He or she will learn to trust those on the inside. The goal of the “inside” community is not to become increasingly insular and to selfishly monopolize and protect a treasure from the rest of the world. Rather it is to share the community with everyone, inviting them in to experience the community that God wants for ALL men.

Why would believers have to be “wise” toward outsiders? In what ways do I need to be wise in my action toward outsiders? Believers need to be wise toward outsiders because outsiders do not understand why believers do what they do. Others think that believers are weird, and others are hostile to believers. Furthermore, some outsiders want to see Christianity fail. And for one or more of these reasons, the world interacts with Christians with great scrutiny. And so, we need wisdom in order to engage the world lovingly because that is what we are called to do.

What does “making the most of every opportunity” mean in this context of relating with outsiders, and how have I been in this regard? Making the most of every opportunity with outsiders is really making the most of every opportunity to reach out to those outside of my community and inviting them in. In short, making the most of every opportunity is evangelism: it’s introducing them to my life, my community, the values we share and the Lord who makes this community possible.

What do I need to do in order to make sure my conversations are “full of grace” so that I may know how to answer everyone? One thing that I must to do this is to reflect on the gospel daily and personally and revisit the moments that God had forgiveness and mercy on me. I must not lose sight of myself and of what God did in my life. I must not forget that I have been forgiven much and have been afforded much grace. It’s with that kind of grace, flowing in my system, that I’m to converse with others.

Tags: Colossians

A2F Blue End of the Year Party

williamkang — Mon, 11 May 2009 17:23:51 +0000

I can’t believe it is the end of another year. You guys will all be moving on to another year, and the seniors will be heading on to real life. As a leader, the end of the year is a time for me to look back and to see the fruit of what God has done. As most of you know, I’ve been leading the seniors in A2F Blue. Here is a picture of them in action. As you can see, I have a lot to be proud about.

Behold, the future leaders of Gracepoint!

But seriously, though, I heard there were some tear jerking moments as seniors gave short testimonies of their four years at Gracepoint. Berkeley will hold a special place in their lives. We had a Hawaiian theme. Here’s Steve, Eunice and their son Elijah.

Aloha from Steve, Eunice and Elijah

I hope all of you had a great time. I’ll be watching the tape. Praise God for another wonderful year!

DT – Colossians 4 – Devoting to Prayer

williamkang — Mon, 11 May 2009 17:06:01 +0000

What would it take for someone to “devote [themselves] to prayer, being watchful and thankful”? Someone who is devoted to prayer makes priority a priority after daily devotions. They set aside time to pray, and when they pray they pray in a position that’s conducive to prayer (I’m far more focused and reverent when I pray standing up versus sitting down). Someone who is watchful is someone who is thinking about what is happening to the people around him, and he thinks about how those events will impact his community. Someone who is watchful is someone who takes necessary action and is thoughtful about the impact that those actions will make. Someone who is thankful is content with what he has. He is humble and he is helpful. He understands that he is been a recipient and just wants to give back.

What can I learn about the sort of things Apostle Paul asks the people at Colosse to pray for? What are my prayers full of? What priority does this reveal? What is the role of prayer in evangelism? What I can learn is that evangelism is an important topic of prayer. And if it is an important topic of prayer, and then God has a lot to do with the success of evangelism. It also shows that we are to partner up with God in evangelism, and a significant role that we play in evangelism is prayer. Apostle Paul was very mission minded, and he desperately wanted to reach the world. He understood that the task was beyond him, and knew he needed God’s help. And so he asked for prayers.

Tags: Colossians, Prayer

DT – 5/7 – Colossians 3:13-17 – Peace of God Ruling over my Heart

williamkang — Thu, 07 May 2009 17:19:23 +0000

What do I think needs to happen in order for the peace of God to rule in my heart? In order for the peace of God to rule in my heart, I need to accept the reality that Christ has given to me. This means that I need to accept myself and my limitations. This means that I need to accept my cross. What is my cross? It’s the ministry God has given to me; it’s the people that God has placed in my life. The peace of God can rule in my heart if I accept that this is my life. I am not at rest when I dream about something else. I am not at rest when I am unable to accept the terms of my life. I am not at rest when I complain because complaints often turn into bitterness and then resentment.

What are some things I can do to allow the word of Christ to dwell richly in my heart? For me it’s simple, I need to spend more time reading God’s word and reflecting on it. I need to prioritize it, and make it a regular part of my morning, afternoon and evening.

In this short passage, Apostle Paul repeats the need to be thankful twice. What place does gratitude have in my relationship with God? Gratitude has a large place in my relationship with God. The Bible is clear that God leads my life. It is clear that God sustains all things. Though evil and suffering are not caused by God and though they were not a part of his plan, he allows them to happen and uses them as a context or environment through which I can be transformed. The life that I have now is a life that he has ordained, and so to have gratitude is a powerful way to say, “thy will be done” and “I love you, Lord and I will follow you.”

Tags: Colossians

DT – 5/6 – Colossians 3:9-14 – Putting Off the Old Self and Putting on the New Self

williamkang — Thu, 07 May 2009 17:11:03 +0000

Apostle Paul affirms that Christians “have taken off their old self with its practices and have put on the new self.” Why, then, do some Christians still live in their old lifestyle? I think one reason that Christians still live in their old lifestyle is that they don’t want to. They may have wanted to leave their old lifestyle the moment that they received Christ and for a few weeks afterwards. But somewhere along the line, “holiness” became too difficult, and so they found themselves craving the things that they once left behind. But how is it possible to live in their old lifestyle with this verse? I think when they read this verse they have to gloss over it by not reading it carefully. Or if they read it carefully they become like tax attorneys who try to find a loophole or they define “old lifestyle” in a way that allows them to continue living their old lifestyle. Also, I think a lot of Christians don’t understand how spiritual transformation works. They have tried to leave their old lifestyle and they failed. And so they become cynical and think that perhaps spiritual transformation happens in heaven, and until then, because God “forgives us anyway,” they don’t make an effort to leave their old lifestyle. And I think others think their lifestyle is not as important as the work of the gospel. These Christians do a lot of evangelism and their serve and they think they are good Christians. But they ignore their character and sinful activities done in private because they think “hey, I’m serving God, and isn’t that what Christianity is all about?”

Verse 10 says that the “new self” is being “renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” How can I be renewed daily to faithfully reflect the image of Jesus? What aspects of God’s image do I need to foster? I really admire the fact that Jesus was busy but he was never in a hurry. He had a good relationship with time. He was able to enjoy the moment and be fully present for the people around him. He didn’t get bogged down by what he had to do. Often when I think about what I need to do I completely miss out on the life that is happening right in front of me. I also admire Jesus’ understanding of his identity. He came to serve and he knew that his role was to die as a ransom for many. Is my call any different? Am I not called to serve and to die, not as a ransom, but to die to my life so that others may live. It was Bonhoeffer who said that when Christ calls a man he calls him to die. I’m to take up my cross and follow him, and that means I’m to submit myself to reality so that others can live. Christ humbled himself to reality. His reality was the fact that people interrupted him all the time. And his reality was not to become the king of kings on the earth, but to be a ransom and eventually be the king of kings in God’s kingdom. There are parts of me that wants to live, that wants to seize life by its horns so that I may find life, hoping to experience a thrills and excitement, while picking up recognition and status along the way. I think that if I can have those things then I would really find life. But that’s not what God calls me to do. He even says that if I pursue life then I will forfeit it. I’ve got to humble myself to my reality and by doing so I can be a blessing to others and I can find life. “Life” is not found only in preaching at a revival service where many can come to Christ. “Life” can be found in the mundane, in playing with my kids, in cleaning up the church with my ministry group, in cleaning my house with my wife.

Why is it important to put on love over all these virtues? What would happen if I were to pursue these virtues without love? According to the text, it is important to put on love over all these virtues because it binds them all together in perfect unity. If I pursue these virtues without love then I am pursing them with self-interest in mind. The pursuit of these virtues becomes a means to a selfish, not selfless, end. Ultimately I am serving myself rather than others, and I can fool myself into thinking that I’m a loving person when in fact I’m a selfish person.

Tags: Colossians