Pastor William Kang: Signing Out

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

Here’s a video message from Pastor Francis Chan.

15 – Colossians 4:14-18 – Finishing Well

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gracepoint Freshmen Staff Appreciation Video for GLIVE

Just in case you missed it. Here it is

Which one of our A2F Freshmen gave you the heebie-jeebies? I welcome your comments.

DT – 5/4 – Colossians 3:1-4 – Setting Your Hearts on Things Above

What would be some fundamental differences between someone who has his heart set on heavenly things versus earthly things? Someone who sets his heart on heavenly things have in mind the things of God.  He understands that life is not about pursing happiness but faithfulness.  So his earthly dreams do not become important.  When such a person’s heart is set on heavenly things then he is going to use his earthly things—basically money and time—to invest in the things that will endure in heaven.  And basically those things are people and God’s ministry.  He will understand that the only earthly things that he needs is are just his needs.  A person who sets his heart on heavenly things is able to accept and process setbacks and disappointments with the end in mind.  In other words, he is able to hope and to persevere through trials and tribulations.

From the exhortation to “set your heart” and “set your minds” on things above, what practical lesson can I learn about my responsibility and ability to personally direct my heart and mind toward godliness? This tells me that I have the responsibility and the ability to appropriately set my heart and my mind on heavenly things.  It is my fault and my responsibility if I choose to dwell on wrong values, on earthly things, on wrong source of significance, on the smut of the world.  I cannot blame others for thinking these things, and I cannot blame others for my life turning out poorly, and I cannot blame myself for war that battle inside of heart between heavenly and earthly values. 

Tags: Colossians

Gracepoint Worldview Camp

Our annual Worldview Camp will be from 6/17-20 this summer in Alameda. Our guest speaker will be Sean McDowell! Please sign-up online (www.gracepointonline.org/signups) if you would like to attend. It will be $50 if you sign-up by 5/15 and $60 thereafter.

Please remember to place your orders for the summer DT journal at http://www.gracepointonline.org/gp/signups/dt_journal_order_form. Pre-ordered summer DT journals will be available for pickup/purchase Sundays, May 10-June 21.

Please note that this summer, starting in June, we will be meeting on Tuesday nights for prayer meeting and Friday nights will be MYT followed by combined Bible study at 1st Presbyterian Church. Here’s a short trailer for the MYT classes and you can sign up online.

Tags: Gracepoint, Worldview, Sean McDowell

Away at the Director’s Retreat

I’m away at the Director’s Retreat, so I won’t be making any posts for a few days.

DT – 5/1 – Colossians 2:16-23 – The Sufficiency of Christ

What mistaken understanding of piety is described in this passage?  Why is it wrong, and why would some people be drawn to it? The mistaken understanding of piety that is being described here is a form of asceticism.  According to some commentaries, there were some who added rules (regarding what they were allowed to eat) as a practiced that was required in addition to their faith in Christ.  This is wrong because Christ is sufficient for salvation.  To add rules that must be adhered to suggests that Christ sacrifice was not enough and there some discipline based on effort that is required.  Some people are drawn to it because they are “doers.”  It’s hard for them to understand how on earth it’s possible to just receive salvation because it doesn’t seem fair.  Meritocracy makes a lot of sense because of the semblance of justice attached to it.  These doers also participating in ascetic practices because they can see results.  From a certain perspective, though, this practice seems very self-serving.  This way of practicing Christianity is unbiblical and unordained by God.  Christ died and was raised and salvation is offered as a gift that must humbly be received.  There’s no way on earth that any man can pay back the debt nor earn it.  And life is not a matter of tacking on additional rules, but by loving God and others, which is now possible to do because a follower of Jesus “died with Christ.”

What would characterize someone whose Christian life is based on the all-sufficiency of Christ alone?  Someone whose Christian life is based on the all-sufficiency of Christ alone would be characterized by freedom to love.  He or she has the ability to love others because he recognizes that Christ took care of his most important need (salvation from sin and death).  And having recognized that he also recognizes that there really is no other need or goal that must be done in life.  In addition, he recognizes that Christ promises to provide for his daily needs, not just physical but spiritual.  Because Christ is sufficient, the Christian is assured of unconditional love, unrelenting attention, significance and security.  And given all of that, the Christian is filled with gratitude and wants to shared this good news with others.  He is freed up from providing for his own needs and looks to providing for the needs of others.

Tags: Colossians, Sufficiency of Christ

This has nothing to do with Gracepoint or acts2fellowship but…

I just thought I’d post this up. Someone showed this to me, and I thought it was humorous. Do you think it can be used as a message illustration? If so what could it illustrate? Please comment

it’s 5 minutes, so if you’re busy the move on. If you’ve got 5 minutes to spare, then enjoy.

Gracepoint Fellowship Church: Praxis Ministries

Our Praxis ministry has a new website. Check it out.

DT – 4/30 – Colossians 2:9-12 – What Christ did for me

List all that we have been given to us or all that has been accomplished for us “in Christ” or “with him” according to this passage.  Reflect on this list, and write a prayer affirming these truths and thanking God for these gifts. 

1.  All the fullness of the diety lives in bodily form, and I have been given fullness in Christ.  The fullness of God dwells in Christ.  If I want to see what God is like then all I need to do is to look at Christ.  That the fullness of God is in Christ, I can see that God did not hold anything back when he sent his son.  In a sense God invested everything he had so that sinners like me can be saved.  What a poor and foolish investment.  I am amazed that God did it for it shows me that He loves me.  I am further amazed at the fact that God takes this poor investment (i.e. me) and transforms me into a being that will glorify him.  God not only loves me, but he is powerful.  What amazes me more than that is that I have been given this fullness in Christ.  The cosmological reality is that the fullness of Christ dwells in me.  One way of looking at this is that Christ is with me, and that reality should have some bearing in my life.  That means that life after receiving Christ is different in quality than it was before receiving Christ.  With Christ with me, the kingdom of God is here, slowly advancing against the gates of Hades, slowly growing and changing the things around me like yeast pervading a batch of dough.  In other words, because the fullness of God dwells in me, the terms of life are all made new, and life’s challenge is for me to experience this newness.

2.  God saved me and made a covenant with me (“circumcision”) and I became one of his people.  I was God’s enemy.  I thought differently, I lived differently, I lived apart from him, and I lived a life pursing what I wanted, sometimes at the expense of others.  God should have shown me the door and left me headed to an eternity apart from him.  He looked at my life and wasn’t mad or angry.  Rather he felt compassion and pity, and he saved me from my life, made an eternal covenant with me and made me one of his people.  God saved me, his enemy and made me one of his people.

3.  I was buried with him in baptism.  What this means is that my old life—all of its desires, its ideas, its values, its identity—all died.  They no longer have mastery over me because Christ is now my master.  Though the presence of my old life still lingers and I may follow the old ways from time to time, it does not have dominion because it died because I have a new master now.

4.  I was raised with him through faith. Through Christ I have been given a new life.  There are new possibilities that weren’t afforded to me before I met Christ.  The text says that I was dead in my transgressions, meaning that I was enslaved to my desires.  But, after being set free from the dominion of those desires, Christ has given me the chance and the power to live and experience His kingdom when I trust in his word (which is faith).

Tags: Colossians

DT – 4/29 – Colossians 2:4-5, 8-15

What hollow and deceptive philosophies are out there that depend on “human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than of Christ” that challenge the sufficiency of Christ in a believer’s life?  Christ is sufficient but often people don’t feel this way because they feel that they need something more.  In other words they think that they would be happy if they had Christ plus something else.  The first thing that comes to my mind is consumerism.   Some people think that they need to have stuff in order to be happy.  The believe in the advertising and fall for the pitches they make in the product’s ability, not just to do what they’re supposed to, but also to deliver some form of happiness.  Another thing that comes to mind is the need for success.  Some people tie their self worth or value to how successful they instead of who they are.  Through Christ, they have a relationship with someone who loves the unconditionally.  But often this isn’t enough.  They need to be better than others and often try to achieve some form of success to believe this.  Another thing is calling.  Some people, I think, put too much emphasis on calling.   They want to know what God is calling them to, and until they find out they won’t be happy.  What’s worse is that they won’t serve God wholeheartedly today because they’re trying to find out what God wants them to do tomorrow.  I do believe God calls certain people to certain roles.  But for some people, calling is a means to happiness and so, oddly, Christ isn’t sufficient unless they finally find what they are called to do.  I think this is based on a belief that we were put on this earth for a purpose.  You hear statements like this in the movies, and it’s kind of misleading.  Biblically, we were put on this earth to have a love relationship with God and to love others in our community.  And because of the fall we were called as ministers to reach out to the world.  And so every Christian, once they become Christian, already found what they’re supposed to do.  But sometimes, some believers think that some vocational calling will make them happy.

What do I need in my life to guard myself against hollow and deceptive philosophies out there? I need to read the word of God, daily and frequently.  Not only do I need to word of God, but I need to reflect on its merits and how its teachings are more value and more sensible than the hollow and deceptive philosophies.  I need to pay attention to the messages that I receive for often they expose these hollow and deceptive philosophies as the fruitless deeds of darkness.  And then I must live it out.  This is important because by living it out my belief goes public and it becomes faith.  By applying God’s word, my immunity system against defensive philosophies becomes more formidable. 

Tags: Colossians

DT – 4/28 – Colossians 2:6-7 – Continuing On

What does it mean to “just as you received Christ as Lord, continue to live in him?” I received Christ as Lord by accepting the gospel as true and by surrendering my life to Jesus.  In other words, I recognized that the Bible’s testimony about me—that I am a sinner—is true and I also recognized that Christ loved me and that he died for my sins.   I also recognized that my life is not my own, and God has total ownership over my life.  This was my conviction when I first received Christ as Lord.  Now the challenge is to continue to live like this on a daily basis.  I’m proud and forgetful of who I really am and what Christ did.  Sometimes I look to what I’ve done for Christ and fool myself into thinking that I’ve changed and that I’m not bad.  But the hard fact is that I’m a sinner and I’m still in need of the gospel every day.  On any given day, there things happen that challenge my faith and trust in the gospel.  In other words sometimes my source of significance isn’t my relationship with God but on what I do.  And when that happens, I find myself insecure, jealous, envious and irritated by others.  And so one way that I can continue to live as I received Christ as Lord is by defining myself by who I am and not by what I do.

Reflect on the words “rooted and built up in him,” “strengthened in the faith as you were taught,” “overflowing with thankfulness.”  What do each of these look like?  Assess how I am doing in each of these areas.   Rooted and built up in him.  This means that I’m grounded in God’s word, and that his words and his promises are more trustworthy than in situation that can happen in my life.  When I’m rooted in God’s word, I cannot be shaken and I cannot be moved.  The world can try to do what it wants to me, but to no avail because God’s word is stronger.  Being built up in him means that the Word of god is transforming my life.  What that means is that I am growing spiritually, and I am changing for the better and for God’s glory.  Strengthened in faith as I was taught.  This means that my trust in God’s word as true is growing, and what this looks like is that my values and my goals in life become more and more independent from the world.  When I am strengthened in faith, I become more heaven bound, and so my personal agenda starts to decrease and I come to have more room in my heart for others.  Overflowing in thankfulness means that my life is characterized by gratitude.  This means that a complaining spirit is rare, and that I can easily find reasons to be thankful.  This means that I’m not taking what I have in life for granted, and that I’m content for what I have.

Tags: Colossians