Celebrating 25 years of God's faithfulness and grace, in the ministry of growing to resemble Jesus.

• Today is truly a day overflowing with gratitude.

• It is because we are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the founding of Valley Bible Church.

- While we have loved and served one another,

- At times, we were also sinners who made many mistakes.

- Yet, despite that, Valley Bible Church has reached 25 years—what could this be if not the grace of our faithful God?

- We prepared for nearly six months to plant the church.

- Then, on July 11, we held a church planting service at our home with just the four of us: my wife, our first and second children, and myself.

- Officially, Valley Bible Church held its first service on July 18, 1999.

- Reflecting on the 25th anniversary brings a fresh sense of emotion.

- In reality, it is not easy for pastors or members to stay long in one church; it requires a lot of patience.

- When I was in seminary, I heard something like this:

- Teach God’s Word according to the Bible,

- Make disciples,

- And build people up—this requires staying in one church for a long time.

- If someone stays at a church for only a few years and moves elsewhere, they may start new ministry work in the new place.

- But to help someone grow in Christ, it cannot be done without long-term ministry involvement.

- However, many things happen within the church.

- There are good things like learning the Bible, loving one another, and serving each other.

- But at the same time, not-so-good things also occur.

- Some people don't want to learn the Word.

- Situations arise where instead of love, hatred exists between people.

- Some sit and criticize others.

- There are also those who complain, saying they are doing well, but others are the problem.

- Yet, my seminary professor taught that even in such cases, we must endure and continue the ministry faithfully.

- The fact that I am still attending Valley Bible Church is probably because those words have taken root in me.

- But above all, it is certainly because of the love and grace of our Lord.

- Today, I was planning to give an exposition on 1 Corinthians, but instead, I would like to share the following three points with you.

1. The fact that our church is celebrating its 25th anniversary is solely due to the grace of our faithful God.

- Yes, it is God’s grace.

- The Lord has declared that "the wages of sin is death," meaning that if we sin, the consequence is death.

- Whether it’s a small sin or a great sin, the result is death.

- In the Bible, there are several instances where people died immediately because of their sin:

- Nadab and Abihu, Ananias and Sapphira, King Herod, and others.

- Yet, for a sinner like me to still be attending Valley Bible Church and for the church to continue growing—this is solely because of God’s grace.

- The first sermon of the church plant was on Psalm 127.

1. Psalm 127: "Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain."

- If Valley Bible Church had not been established by God, we wouldn’t have made it this far.

- Therefore, we have no choice but to be grateful.

- After graduating from seminary in 1999, I planted the church.

- We continued the Bible study that we had been doing for almost two years before the church plant.

- The church bulletin reports that we held a Bible study on Friday, July 30, the week we had our first service.

- The following Friday, August 6, we started a foundational Bible study on faith.

- Although the number of participants was small, the church was growing spiritually around the Word.

- I realized that nurturing with the Word means growing slowly but firmly.

- That’s why I still pray every day for growth through the Word and encourage reading and meditating on the Scripture daily.

- Sermons were delivered through expository preaching of the Bible.

- Someone once said that if sermons are not expository, they lead to the path of hell.

- Looking back, I realize that if I had not preached expositions, I might have ended up going in a direction far from the Scriptures.

- There were questions about the name of our church.

- People wondered why it was called Valley Bible Church.

- At the time, such names were not commonly used in Korean churches.

- Some people even mocked, asking if anyone read the Bible, given the name.

- I was not well-acquainted with the fact that many American churches had similar names.

- We considered many options for the church name, but about six months before the church plant, we decided on Valley Bible Church and registered it with the government.

- By choosing this name, we aimed to remind ourselves every time we use it that the Bible is God's Word and that the Scriptures are important.

- We wanted to keep reminding ourselves to read and study the Bible more diligently.

- One of the ways Satan attacks us is by distorting the Bible.

- This happens when human thoughts are mixed with Scripture, leading to distortion.

- One way we aimed to prevent this was by naming the church Valley Bible Church.

- Thus, I started preaching expositorily on Sundays and conducting Bible studies during the week.

- In early October 1999, Faith Bible Church provided space for us, and we began holding services in four rooms on Sundays.

- In fact, we diligently searched for a place to worship for almost six months before the church plant.

- We visited various locations, including public schools, other American churches, and Seventh-day Adventist churches.

- Some places, despite being very small, were asking as much as $3,000 at the time.

- But God’s plan was different.

- I discovered that Faith Bible Church was affiliated with IFCA, which I was a part of.

- At that time, God arranged a dramatic meeting with the pastor in charge at the seminary.

- I was feeling quite exhausted from the prolonged search for a location.

- That day, I was in a particular class at seminary,

- and our teacher asked what I planned to do after graduation.

- Usually, such questions are not asked during class.

- But the teacher seemed to know that graduation was approaching for me.

- I responded that I was looking for a location to plant a biblical church for the Korean community.

- But the day before, I noticed there was a church in Northridge that I wanted to use, and I mentioned wanting to meet the pastor there.

- To my surprise, someone from the group said, “I’m the pastor there.”

- So after the class, I spoke with that pastor.

- Ultimately, this led to our being able to use the church space.

- It was truly amazing how God had prepared everything.

- After the church was planted,

- I worked in secular jobs while preaching the gospel.

- My wife and I visited other homes at least once or twice a week to share the gospel.

- By the end of the first year, our congregation had grown to about ten families.

- However, around September 2000, issues arose within the church.

- This led to disciplinary actions,

- which were carried out cautiously but lasted almost a month.

- Despite fervent prayer and pleading with God, the result was that half of the church members left.

- We returned to the original number we had at the beginning.

- I was truly struggling.

- It felt like the hard work of the past year had collapsed.

- My heart was heavy, as if I was on the verge of giving up.

- The reason for my struggle was that during the time I preached solely from the Bible,

- some new visitors would leave, saying that we only talked about the Bible and then storming out.

- However, I believed that since the Bible is God's Word, not preaching it would mean the church would not be true to its purpose.

- So, I continued with expository preaching.

- There were two specific verses that strongly reinforced my commitment to this approach.

- Proverbs 13:13: "Whoever scorns instruction will pay for it, but whoever respects a command is rewarded."

- 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."

- 2 Timothy 4:3: "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear."

- 2 Timothy 4:4: "They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths."

- Because of these scriptures, I learned what God was saying in the Bible through expository preaching and believed it was my duty to proclaim it.

- Last year, I published a book titled "Why Attend Church?"

- If I had not continued with expository preaching, this book might not have been published.

- Despite my continued expository preaching, after one year of church planting, half of the congregation left, and the number of attendees dwindled back to the level it was at the start.

- The number of people listening to sermons decreased to just 4-5, making it feel like we were starting over.

- However, about a month later, God did something amazing and comforted me.

- One of the things was sending someone from Korea through a job connection.

- We welcomed this person into our home, provided a meal, and spent time together.

- And then another amazing thing happened that brought us comfort.

- I received a sudden phone call from a young American woman.

- She wanted to attend a Korean church and asked if we could pick her up.

- When I asked how she found out about our church, she said she saw it in the Yellow Pages.

- So, I picked her up, and the joy I felt during that moment was overwhelming.

- The comfort God provided was incredible.

- Even though I felt as if the church I had built over the past year was crumbling, God sent someone to us.

- While picking her up, I asked if she spoke Korean, and she said she did not.

- When I asked why she was looking for a Korean church, she explained that she had come from Florida to find a job and that her boyfriend was Korean.

- So, she wanted to attend a Korean church.

- That day, our church had a festive atmosphere.

- It was amazing that God sent a white woman to a church where the services were conducted in Korean.

- Even when the number of attendees was small, just one additional person brought immense joy.

- I was truly happy and grateful.

- This experience reaffirmed that the church is established by God.

- It was a reminder that if we understand and follow God’s Word well, He will guide and sustain us.

- Valley Bible Church grew in this way.

- As the church developed spiritually through the Word, it received blessings.

- It truly thrived under God’s grace.

- During Bible study, I would give a final exam, which was also a significant blessing.

- However, as a few people began to feel that the church was established, difficulties started to creep in.

- In such times, it's important to return to our original commitment.

- As the congregation began to prefer sermons that scratched their itching ears, the number of people listening to expository preaching started to decline.

- At that time, I realized something important.

- Particularly while preparing for a retreat, I had to reconsider how the church could become united again.

2. A New Chapter for Valley Bible Church

- As I reflected on these challenges, I gained a new perspective.

- It came from nearly three and a half years of expository preaching through the book of Ephesians.

- While I had learned about faith through expository preaching of the Gospel of John,

- I now saw a new understanding of the church itself, particularly from Ephesians 4.

- This passage illuminated what we are called to do regarding the church.

[Ephesians] 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, [Ephesians] 4:12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, [Ephesians] 4:13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

§Understanding this passage up to verse 16 can be summarized in the following points: o 1) Jesus gives pastors and teachers to each church. § The pastors and teachers established in the church are given by Jesus. o 2) Pastors and teachers teach, and the congregation should learn and be well-prepared through the Word. o 3) Pastors and congregation members together must build the church where Jesus is the head. § Jesus, as the body of Christ, gave pastors and teachers to establish the church. § He also gathered the congregation. § Therefore, everyone in the church has a mission to build up the church.

§ So, to what extent should the church be built up? o 4) The church should aim to have a faith that is unified in belief in Jesus. § For the church to have the same faith, it must have a clear understanding of what the Bible says about faith. § Therefore, the congregation should learn, understand, and apply the teachings about faith. § In reality, this is where the church often faces significant issues. § Why do heresies arise? — It is because people do not fully understand biblical faith. § The question is whether this faith is based solely on the Bible or if it includes personal interpretations and feelings — and this makes a difference. o 5) Finally, the church must be built up to the point of growing into Christ. § This fifth point represents the ultimate goal of the church. • All members should be actively building each other up until the church matures into being like Jesus.

o Valley Bible Church has begun to understand this. § We have started to realize that for the church of Jesus to be built up, each of us must participate. § The ultimate goal of building the church is for all members to become like Jesus — this is what we have come to understand correctly. § This has marked a new chapter. o We were familiar with the idea of becoming like Jesus. § However, we have come to understand that this must happen within the church. § We have realized that Jesus established the church and saved us through His crucifixion for this purpose. o I taught this message at a retreat, and I saw that the church began to unite around this message. o Of course, it is true that even after teaching this message, there are still some people who do not focus their ministry around it. § However, I hope that we all will focus on this message. • People often say that the most important thing about church is to attend worship. § Some people think that simply attending worship and then leaving means they have fulfilled their duties to God for the week. § In fact, it seems that many people are doing this.

o If there are people who only attend worship and then leave, § They need to understand that this is wrong. § This is because Jesus has called us to do more than just this in the church. o Recognizing this itself is opening a new chapter in understanding the purpose of attending and serving in the church. § Valley Bible Church has begun to make this leap.

3. What do we have to do to achieve this ultimate goal in the church?

Here is the English translation of the text:

To achieve this ultimate and highest goal, we, the grace-received members, must diligently and fervently serve.

o I will refer to today’s passage while discussing this.

o Due to time constraints, I won’t be able to do an in-depth exegesis...

o I would like to share only the conclusion.

1 Corinthians 11:1 is the conclusion of the teaching that begins in 1 Corinthians 8:1. o --- The Apostle Paul is instructing us to follow his example of being like Jesus. § We are to follow this example. § If we connect this teaching with Ephesians, it is about our ultimate goal, which is to become like Jesus. o This should be evident starting from the church --- and extending to each individual’s home and society. o Valley Bible Church has entered into this new chapter. o However, the church needs to focus on learning this and working on it together in ministry.

Everyone in the church must work together to become more like the Lord. • Each person should use the talents, gifts, and resources God has given to help each other grow. § If we are not careful, we may end up just passing time without properly engaging in ministry. § People like this might mistakenly think that just attending worship is sufficient for their church involvement. o How should this ministry be carried out? o Whatever task you are involved in through this, the ministry should help others become more like the Lord. § Even if it is something as simple as cleaning up trash— § Or preparing food— § Or participating in worship— § Or looking after babies— § Or guiding people— § Or preaching— § Or even sitting down and having a meal together— § Everything should contribute to making each other more like the Lord.

When doing ministry, some people think that others need to do the ministry for them to join in. § However, this is incorrect in church ministry. o Recently, I asked someone to join in the ministry of Jesus. § He responded by saying: § “This is something that needs to be done together with enthusiasm, but now is not the time for that.” § He implied that it used to be possible, but not now. • This may be a reasonable perspective in worldly terms. § But it is important to understand that the church is different. § We should not approach the building of the church, created by the Lord of hosts who made the entire world, in this manner.

When building the church, one’s ministry should first be prayed about to God.

 Pray about what ministry you should engage in for building God’s church.

 Ask for ideas—cleaning up trash, for example, is also a significant ministry.

 Pray to discover what ministries align with your talents and gifts.

o Once that is decided, start the ministry.

 For example, if you decide to visit people every week, listen to four prayer requests, record them, and post them in the church room for collective prayer:

• You will meet people.

• You will learn about their situations.

• You will pray, and others will also have the opportunity to pray.

• You will contribute to helping people grow into Christ.

 So, pray and once you have made a decision, start that ministry…

o It’s not about waiting for others to start their ministries before joining in. o Church ministry is something you simply do. § Did Jesus wait for others to start their ministries before He began His? § Did the Apostle Paul wait for others to start their ministries before he began his? o No, they did not. o Both Jesus and the Apostle Paul started on their own. o When you start, God will send people to join you and help with the ministry. § This is how you should approach ministry. o When you wait to see others start their ministries first, you might feel that if they don’t, you’re left alone and might end up complaining. — That’s not church ministry. o It’s not God’s work but rather people’s social work.

o When you determine that a ministry is needed to help others become more like Jesus and you decide to start it after praying about it, then start it. § If the ministry might interfere with the work of other pastors, discuss it with them. § The pastor will gladly set boundaries for you. o A member of our church thought it was necessary to start a Korean language school and decided to do so. § They then advertised for others to join. § However, no one responded or joined. § As a result, the brother did not start the Korean language school for almost a month. o So, I called to inquire about the delay in starting the school. § He said that he had not started because no one had expressed a willingness to join. § In other words, he was waiting for others to join and be enthusiastic about the project.

o So I told him: §Church ministry doesn’t work like that. • I asked him if he thought the Korean language school was really necessary for the church. • He answered, "Yes, it is necessary." o I then said, "Pray more about it this week, and if you are sure that God confirms that this ministry is needed, then announce the start of the Korean language school for a specific day next week." o He followed my advice—announced it—and then students started gathering and people began to come and help. § In the ministry of building the church to become more like Jesus, pray about what ministry you should be involved in.

§ And each person should determine even the small tasks. § Then carry out those tasks. • By doing so, you will contribute to becoming more like Jesus, starting with small areas of ministry in the church. o This is what our Lord desires. § However, while worship is essential, it is only a part of the church's ministry. o Ultimately, worship, Bible study, prayer, praise, and fellowship all must contribute to growing into Christlikeness. § With this goal in mind, consider what ministry to engage in. § If you approach your given ministry with this goal in prayer, God will grant you wisdom. o As we mark the 25th anniversary, may we engage in ministries that reach the pinnacle of becoming like Christ and glorify the Lord greatly. o I conclude with this prayer and message.