BCC 주일 예배 - 다음 세대를 훈련하고 세우라 (시 33:11, 잠 22:6) 2026년 8월 16일

Preacher: Arizona Blessing Community Church

Date: 2026-08-17

Let us read the Word of God. Today, we have two passages. We will read them separately. First, I will read Psalm 33:11. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations. Amen. Next, let us read Proverbs 22:6 together. Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. Amen. Pastor, please come forward and share the message.

Hallelujah. The weather is quite hot, but I think I have adapted to it to some extent, so it doesn't feel as hot to me anymore. As we worship today, it has been about a month since I have been leading worship, and since there are English-speaking members in our congregation, I have been trying to adapt to the way we communicate. In our church, we have subtitles that come up, and I think it will take some time to get used to syncing the subtitles with the sermon. So, I hope you will adapt well.

Let us take a moment to pray for today’s worship. Heavenly Father, thank You. Thank You for how much You love us, for calling us, and for allowing us to participate in today’s worship. Father God, as we embark on the journey You have allowed us to take, we are reflecting on the direction our church should go. Becoming a blessing. I pray that You bless this fourth session of our church’s vision, and I believe that through this message, You will change our lives and the lives of our children. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

We began a long journey together on July 12 with the question, "God, what is next?" Today, we stand here with the same question. God, what is next for our church? As I think about the word "next," three things come to mind. First, when we ask, "What should we do next?" the most important thing God tells us is to kneel. The next step is for you to truly kneel. Therefore, this week, we plan to kneel in prayer for the future of our church through the Blessing Prayer Meeting. Everyone should come out and pray. Specifically, we will pray for the next generation and embark on a journey for them. So, when God speaks to us today about the "next," it is about the next generation. There is work we need to do. We must ensure that our children can change the world through us. Our children must become influential leaders in the world through our church and through you. So, we will kneel and ask for mercy and wisdom, and we will pray, and our church will embark on a journey for the next generation.

Ah, God, what comes next? The third thought that comes to mind is this: the next step is for our children to change the world. Through our children, through everyone who has passed through our church, children from the nations will return to the Lord, and hungry, naked, and struggling children will grow up in our church. Children who can become judges, doctors, scientists, and serve the world will come out of our church. I believe that this vision is a magnificent vision and a word that God has given us, and I dream of it and believe it is the direction our church should go.

In today’s scripture, God speaks of something greater and more powerful for our ministry. Psalm 33:11 says, The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations. What kind of plan is the Lord's plan? It is eternal, and it will be passed down through generations. I never imagined that I would come to serve with you here. Did you know? On what date would a person named Lee Woong-seop appear, and he would be doing faith life with you? A certain deacon would come, and we would serve together in this church. Ah, we did not receive a calling or a plan like that. God’s plan is greater and more expansive than we think. I am very excited and curious about the plan that the Lord has allowed me to begin serving with you in this church, and I cannot express how hopeful I am.

We are going through many difficulties, and I believe that through this church, we will change the world. We will become a church that makes an impact. I met my wife in college. I met her in Chicago. When I met my wife, I had been expelled from the mission field and had come to study. I was studying medicine. My dream at that time was to become a doctor again and return to the mission field with Team OM. So, I was studying hard. But it was very difficult. It was not just financially challenging; it was also hard to adapt to the culture, and studying was not easy. I had not grown up speaking English, so as I endured month after month, my heart felt heavy. At times, I thought, "Lord, I want to give up. I want to give up not just on studying but on life itself. It’s too hard. How will I pay for the next semester?" I had those thoughts. I was so frustrated that I went out on the street, and I saw a young man sitting there every day, looking lost and doing nothing. I approached him and started talking. I was struggling too, but as I listened to his story, I felt compassion for him. So, I shared some food with him and invited him to my room to sleep. Gradually, I began to reach out to one or two young people living on the streets. Some kids were not going to school, and I started getting calls from schools saying, "PE, I heard about you. We need you. We need your help." So, I began receiving calls from elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and colleges. Many people started to hear that if they went to Im Heung-seop, the evangelist, or the missionary, they could get help. Without realizing it, my ministry began.

My wife returned to Korea and became a nurse, working in a hospital, and later we got married. But after taking the medical exam, I changed my career path to theology. Pastor Okano scolded me so much that after much thought and prayer, I decided to return to the path of theology, thinking that I might return to medicine someday. I started studying at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. After that, I got married. Even after moving to Philadelphia and getting married, I continued to bring young people and teenagers from the streets to my room for ministry. When my wife returned from the airport to our home, she was shocked. All the kids had keys to our house. The small room I was living in, which was similar in size and structure to our honeymoon suite, was filled with kids. They were all over the bed and playing with the tree. Imagine 20 or 30 kids crammed into that small room. When they came in, they said hi to my wife, who was surprised right after getting married. For over ten years, I participated in caring for and nurturing young people and teenagers while serving the church as a pastor, and here I am today. When God brought me here and allowed me to meet you, I wonder what God intended for us to meet and be allowed to serve together. I believe that God's dream is greater and more expansive than my own. Are you not curious about how God will use you? I have no doubt that God has made incredible plans.

Our generations may be invisible, but I know that God did not establish this church solely for visible children. God must have a grand dream. That is why He established this church. It seems that Proverbs 22:6 speaks of this dream: Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. When we hear this word, many people may interpret it differently, and there are quite a few misunderstandings. The first misunderstanding is this: Parents, you should teach your children what they ought to learn. However, if you look closely, the word "parents" is not in this passage. We often focus on our own children’s education. If we don’t have children, we may not care much about how the church’s educational department operates. But God is saying that the church is not just a place for parents to teach their children. The term "children" here refers to all young people who can hear, understand, and learn, from toddlers to teenagers. Even a two-year-old can learn. A one-year-old can probably learn too. The unborn child of Deacon Choi, Leah, cannot learn yet. She will learn after she is born. God is speaking to all of us today. All of you who have understanding, with your life experiences, wisdom, and grace given by God, are called to teach all the children entrusted to us. This is the purpose for which God established this church. Therefore, let us not be mistaken; the work of the church is not just for parents to teach their children, but we must understand this correctly.

The second misunderstanding is that reading this passage can sometimes lead to a sense of condemnation. "Lord, You know my child is struggling in their faith. I feel so inadequate. I’m sorry, God. I have failed. What qualifications do I have? I just want to withdraw." Some may think this way. That is another misunderstanding. It is true that we must take responsibility. If we have made mistakes, we must take responsibility. But God also speaks in Proverbs 1:8, saying, "My son, hear the instruction of your father." Both children and parents have responsibilities. So, what is this passage saying? God is telling us that the church must pay more attention to the next generation, invest time, and fulfill the ministry that God desires. That is our responsibility. God has given us this sense of responsibility. Our church loves the next generation. Our church will not let the next generation go to waste. Our church will use all the strength, wisdom, and ability granted by God to reach out to even the invisible next generation, becoming a wonderful church.

So, why has God given us such responsibility? First, it is because they are precious. They are important to God. Why does God consider them important? Because He must be glorified through them. In Psalm 78, God commands us to save the children and to proclaim His salvation to the next generation. The reason is to give them hope. When we come to church, we often think, "I come to receive grace. God, please fill my spiritual longing. Pray for me. Bless my children." That is certainly correct. However, what is even more important is that I want to be used as a channel of blessing. How much do I want to be used before the Lord through this church? That is the mark of a growing Christian. It is important to pray for our children and think about the blessings they will receive through this church, but what is even more significant is to consider how I can dedicate myself to this church so that the gospel of God can be proclaimed, thinking about what God has allowed and what He desires for the invisible next generation. He has called us to help them understand that they were created for God’s glory and to help them find that purpose so that they do not depart from it. That is how important it is. We also have the duty to show our children and all the next generations in our church that the path to God’s glory is not a path of suffering. Living for God’s glory is a deep path. We have the obligation to show God’s goodness. God is worthy of glory. Romans 11:36 states, For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen. God is telling us that we must help our children understand where they came from, how they will return, and what they will live for. It is not easy for children to understand the greatness of God. It is difficult. Psalm 19:1 says, The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. Look at the heavens. Look at the stars. There are so many stars. I once told my wife during our dating days that I would gather all the stars for her, and she laughed. During dating, we often say silly things because we love each other. How much love does God have for us to create so many stars? Do you know how great God is? The solar system is just a tiny part of the universe. The closest star to our solar system is about 4.3 light-years away. That star is called Proxima. It is the closest star to us, about 40 trillion kilometers away. It is not that far. But that is the closest star, and there are countless stars in the universe. God created all of that, and through the stars, He shows His greatness and glory. There are countless children among us, and God desires to be glorified through our children as well. That is why we must raise our children well. All the children who come and go in our church, the teenagers who pass through our church, and those who move to our area and then go to another church—God has entrusted all of them to us. This shows us how precious they are. God has entrusted these precious children to us and given us a sense of responsibility.

The last point about why responsibility is necessary is very important. We live in the redemptive historical perspective of God. From Genesis to Revelation, all of history culminates in the salvation of Jesus Christ. This is called a redemptive historical perspective. Our lives are the same. Everything we live through is within the history of Christ, who looked upon our sinful state with compassion and saved us. If you had not heard the gospel through someone, you would not be here today. If the end of the world comes, what will happen to those who have not met the Lord? They will go to hell. It is a tragic history. That is why God uses us as stewards, hoping that our children will meet the Lord and enter into the history of salvation. That is our responsibility. God values us and values our children.

Now, let us directly address our responsibility. What is our responsibility? In Proverbs 22:6, it says, "Train up a child in the way he should go." The word "train" is a very unique word. It is the word "hanok." Do you know what "hanok" means? It means to dedicate. To dedicate one’s life. What kind of life should we dedicate? As we live, when we dedicate our lives and commit ourselves, we are to help those around us, including the children beside us, to enter into a life of dedication. This is what it means to teach a child. We have many children coming and going in our church. There are many children around us. There are many young people. From our youth to middle school students, Sunday school children, we must teach all these children. This means we must participate in their training. We must dedicate our lives to God and help them understand who God is, who created them, what is happening in the world, and how to live their lives. We must teach them one by one, guiding them and helping them dedicate their lives to God.

And we must teach what is right. What is right? It implies that we must fulfill our personal mission. It is not just about conveying knowledge and skills. I am thankful that we do not have such people in our church, but some people come and only talk about stocks. Of course, it is fine to discuss stocks, and sharing knowledge about stocks so that our brothers and sisters can prosper is not bad. However, if someone only talks about stocks from the moment they enter the church until they leave, that is not good. It is good to share life experiences and help each other, but what is truly important is to convey who God is and show how to live our lives according to Him. What does it mean to be personal? It means to express what we say, see, hear, share, where our hearts are directed, how we care for others, how we share, and how we communicate in difficult situations. We must teach how to respond in urgent situations. God uses us to help our children become leaders who can influence society. I want our children to become doctors, scientists, teachers, judges, and more. Through the children I have raised, many pastors have emerged, as well as lawyers, broadcasters, and teachers. But those children were once lost. One of the children who became a pastor said, "Pastor, I can't speak Korean well. I am so grateful to you. If you hadn't taken me in, I wouldn't have come this far." The students of that pastor follow him closely and love him dearly. Why? Because he cared for them and walked alongside them.

As we live our lives, we must keenly understand what has been entrusted to us and reflect on what kind of Christians we should be and what kind of church we should be. I want our church to be a place that can fulfill the personal mission of education. I want to hear an "Amen" on this. Are you with me? Amen. Yes, there are many people in the world and many believers. However, I want our church, no matter how difficult it gets, to love and embrace one another. Even if we have to share a single spoon to feed many people, even if we have to divide a single grain of rice to share, we want to be a church with a sense of responsibility to convey the heart of God in a personal way. That is what it means to teach what is right. To do this, we need to invest time and effort. It is more challenging than anything else. Children are watching us, and it is difficult to show our true selves. Middle schoolers, high schoolers, and college students need to learn how to operate the church and what a Christian life looks like. Therefore, I always tell the youth, "If you are going to live hypocritically, just keep living that way for your whole life." When dating, we often hide our true selves. We may be impatient and speak quickly, but we try to appear calm and gentle. I joke that they should just keep living that way forever.

Beloved congregation, God has given us a sense of responsibility toward our church. Now, I want to share how we can apply this responsibility in four ways, all starting with the letter D: dependence, dedication, disciples, and demonstration. However, I will change the order of the first two and the last one. First, dependence means to rely more on Christ. This week, we will have the Blessing Prayer Meeting, where we will do something very important. In the future, the Blessing Prayer Meeting will be a spiritual prayer meeting with testimonies and guest speakers coming to share and help you spiritually. But at the beginning of this first semester, we will pray for our children. Bring the names of all the children you know, including your grandchildren and children-in-law, whether they are here or not. If there are children going to college or graduate school, or those starting new jobs, if they are here, even if it is just for an hour, come together. We will pray for those children and bless them. We will kneel before God. We must rely more on God. We must hold on to His mercy.

The second point is dedication. I mentioned earlier that dedication and discipline can go together. I initially planned to combine dependence and dedication, but I changed it. Our dedication and our education, training, or discipline must be unified. Sometimes, we see children who seem to be struggling. All children are precious, but when a child comes to our class and disrupts the atmosphere, we may feel frustrated. Sometimes, we encounter children with piercings, dyed hair, or even those who identify as LGBTQ. It can feel overwhelming. But do you know how precious each of those children is? God has given each of them talents. When we educate, we must not try to mold them into our image. God has invested in each person and created them with a purpose. Therefore, we must teach them according to God’s way, not our own. Our responsibility is to gently guide them in the right direction.

There was a teacher in America who started at a new school. One day, a student came in late and fell asleep in class. After a week of this, the new teacher decided to visit the child’s home. When she arrived, she found that the child was an orphan. He came to school in tattered clothes and without a lunch. He was embarrassed and fell asleep in class. Other students teased him, but the teacher looked at him with a mother’s heart and felt compassion. She decided to take him under her wing. She arranged to take him to her home a few times a week to teach him. She taught him how to use a fork and knife, table manners, and how to speak properly. She also helped him catch up in his studies, and eventually, that child, who had once been at the bottom of his class, became the top student. He began to enjoy learning. People had thought he was hopeless, but he began to shine. Years later, the teacher moved away, and they lost touch for 40 years. One day, the grown-up student saw in the newspaper that his beloved teacher had passed away. He had become a renowned scientist and university professor. He sent his daughter to pay respects to the teacher’s family. When she arrived, she showed them a picture of her father as a child. The husband of the teacher began to cry. The child who had been deemed hopeless had become a university professor. We cannot give up. My aunt served as a middle and high school teacher for 30 years until she passed away. When I was giving a lecture at a conference, I saw her from a distance. She called out to me. I realized she had taught me in elementary school. That child, who had struggled in school, is now studying medicine at Korea University. I recently went to lecture at the medical school. We cannot give up. Many children will be raised through you. Many children—teenagers, elementary school kids—may be invisible, but I am so excited about the potential they hold. These children will be raised through your hands. Therefore, we must not give up on them. We must prepare for them. We do not know how all the children around us will grow, but because we do not know, we must teach them with compassion, love, and care, nurturing them with discipline and self-management.

Finally, demonstration is the most important thing we must do. Our responsibility is to set an example. As I mentioned earlier, young children are watching us closely. They want to know how Christians live. They want to see how church members live. They want to know how Christians interact with the world. We must teach them how to speak and act. That is why our lives can be so challenging. I have hope, and I have expectations. I believe that this church can transform Arizona, impact America, and influence the world. There is so much work to be done through our children.

Beloved congregation, I want to conclude with one last example of the kind of example we should set. There is a company in America called Vista Equity Partners, a $3 billion fund company. The CEO is Black. He grew up in poverty and faced many challenges, but he overcame them. He learned to share the love he received from the church. At a graduation ceremony for a historically Black university, he stood before the graduates and shared his story. He promised to pay off the student loans of all 356 graduates. The students were shocked. He paid off $34 million in debt, including the loans of their parents. He left them with a powerful message: "Make sure they pay this forward." He wanted to ensure that the love he received would be passed on to others.

Beloved congregation, Christ is the living God. Christ has saved us. We have received such amazing love from God. He established our church and calls us to share that love. I hope that you and I can pass on that love to the next generation. When the countless invisible children grow up in our church, I want to hear them say, "When I went to Blessing Church and walked alongside the adults, I had such precious times. I was so happy. I had meaningful experiences. The journey was joyful, and the love I received from the adults made me look forward to the next week’s outing."

Beloved congregation, you have many ways to participate in the lives of the children you encounter. First, come to the Blessing Prayer Meeting and pray for all our children. Pray for the stories of education that will be poured out in our church. Second, when you meet children, greet them at their level, give them high-fives, buy them coffee or ice cream, and offer life advice to young adults. Sometimes, they may not listen to their parents, but they will listen to the deacons and elders. I was the same way, and so were you. Our children are the same.

Beloved congregation, let us pray together. We will pray for the next generation. Would you please stand? Let us pray together. We will pray quietly. Living God, bless our children. Living God, help us train and establish our children. Father, use our church. Lord, help us to serve and walk alongside the children entrusted to us. Help us to fulfill our responsibilities toward them. When You work, let us know that You are alive. Help them understand the reasons they should be blessed in this world. May they learn from us, and may each one of us be a church that sets an example. Lord, work in us. God is alive. Shall we sing together? Great is our God, the God of love, who leads us, filling our lives with joy. Living Lord, my true hope, I have no worries. The love of the Lord overflows, filling my life with joy. Yes, Lord, thank You. We believe in the promise of our Father God, who blesses and uses us, and we go out into the world this week. Father, bless our children. They have moved up a grade. May they see Christ through their teachers and friends. Lord, hold them and give them wisdom to overcome the harshness of life. Our young people are looking for new jobs, and our children are moving to new schools. Father, go ahead of them, settle them in, guide them, protect them from the attacks of Satan, and give them wisdom to apply the life lessons they learned in church. Thank You for blessing us materially each week and allowing us to eat and wear. Although we may seem lacking in worldly terms, You provide for us, and we thank You for allowing us to bring our offerings for Your glory. We have reasons to be thankful, and even if things do not go as we wish, we still have reasons to be grateful. Though our offerings may be small, may they be used to raise many children who will have an impact on the world and grow to spread the love of God. Now, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all who dedicate their lives to nurturing the next generation from now on. In Jesus' name, I bless you. Amen. I send you out. God is alive. See you next week.