How can I improve my relationship with my mate? 3 simple questions.
We had Steve ShamblinGraduating the Councelling school, but we'll be in Kona for another 3 months.
We just finished our FCM (Foundations in Counselling School) Last week.Where do you find your Identity? In your knowledge or your sonship?
- “Life” in hebrew means relationship. God wants us to have life and receive life from our relationships. With God and with people. As we look at the prodigal son, the father said that his son was dead but now he is alive. The life the son had was in the relationship with his father.
- The tree of knowledge is the knowledge of what is good and evil. Don’t try to find our identity in knowledge. We use knowledge, but we don’t eat it to find our identity. Don’t use knowledge as a source of identity. If I play music, I think I am a musician. but that is poison. If we live in the tree of knowledge, and we eat from it (we find our identity in knowledge) it will poison me and I will die. We try to find our identity in our accomplishment, performance. We learn to do this, but if we do, we die. We try to perform for our parents, our teachers, authority to find our identity. My mother did this. She had talent, and so much creativity. That became her identity and she became jealous, suspicious of people that her identity would be taken away. Our true identity (tree of life) is that I am a son of God, and I am loved very much.
- When Jx came out of the womb, He didn't know he was the son of God, he had to learn his identity. He learned from the HolySpirit, and he needed to listen to learn. And he learned obedience.
Jx was confused in the bible, and had trouble with his feelings, but he always went to the father to listen. He is the true model for true humanity. To teach us what it means to be the son of God.
- We see the vessel human body, (Like a glass cup) and the content filled by the father By himself it is empty, but it is filled with the father. A true man is not filled with himself, but it is empty of himself. But if we are filled with the father, it is the dance of intimacy with the father and son. The basis of the relationship is love. God gives us revelation because he loves us, he loves his child.
- The cup, only has the power to receive. (the vessel) once it receives, then it has the power to give.
- Pain -> do not look for pain relievers. God used pain to get our attention and draw us closer to God. Then we begin to listen to God and we come to a place of birth and healing. Jx suffered pain. He learned obedience through suffering. Not just at the cross. It was the suffering of being human, facing temptation and struggle to make the right decisions. learning make to right decisions. We must learn that because we are children of God. Jx said for the joy set before him, he endured pain. We need to look and embrace the painful memories, and we need to ask the HolySpirit what are the next steps? If we share in His sufferings, we share in His glory. and this brings unity. and this brings Joy.
- Sometimes we want God to control us. (the puppet Syndrome) and God will not do it. He will not control us. Sometimes we want to be like a puppet. Those people end up with severe demonic problems. Because we pray, control me! we are not praying to God. It’s only the demons who want to control us. God wants a free choice. a response from the freedom of my heart. We are a child with a free will, not a puppet. a puppet does not have a free will. This is not a picture of obedience.
- When there is a prophetic word, you need to test it. in your heart. Is that you God? and hear the spirit and ask your friends to pray with you. Ask 2~3 friends to test it with you. because only one person will not be the only person to hear God.
Jiyeon does the traditional hula dance in a traditional homemade ti leaf skirt! see the video!
One of the benefits of being in Hawaii, is the opportunity to experience rich Hawaiian traditions.
God's plan for cross-cultural relationships
The nations are divided with different languages and different cultures, but marvelously has relationships with God’s plan in mind. According to Edson Suzuki, our speaker and linguist, He gives linguistic evidence of God’s intricate design. ¨The nature of the difference between the languages is complementary , instead of contrastive. He gives examples of how languages complement each other (which derives from cultural believes as well) like verbal tense vs. verbal aspects in different languages. Direction of the action Vs. purpose of the action in different languages and cultures. But God is faithful to us, and He gives us a covenant that He will unite the cultures and languages and nations again. In Gen 12, God gives his promise to Abram ¨Leave your country…¨I will make you into a great nation… ¨I will make your name great, ¨…and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.
The start of God’s restoration of the Nations becoming one again reveals itself in Acts 2. ¨And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. This incident leads into the great commission in Acts 1:8 and Matth 28:19 where we go out to the Nations. The complementary characteristics of God’s languages and cultures, when we go preach the Gospel, (which we go and live and learn new languages and cultures) bring us closer to God’s original design of Man. in Eph 3:10 it says ¨To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God” When we go out to the Nations, and spread the Gospel, to become one again, Then the manifold wisdom of God will be revealed thus the Complete knowledge will be restored.
Ministering to others in cross-cultural contexts.
My most important concept to take away from the speakers is the triangle concept form on top, and meaning at the bottom. Although the form may be different (the way of praying healing over another, the way of worship, the clothes, the way to say hello), the meaning may be the same (healing, lifting God up, sharing God’s love). We need the Holy Spirit to discern what the form is and apply the meaning. Also we need an attitude of humbleness, and willingness to learn and develop the whole picture God intended us to be, by fitting the cultural pieces of other cultures together. To do this, we need the Holy Spirit to humble ourselves, and have the discipline to learn with a heart of servitude, and not a heart of teaching.
The longest journey in the world is from the head to the heart.
Well the 3 month lecture of my FCM school has come to an end already.





