게 속해 있는가, 우리는 무엇에 순종해야 하는가, 그리고 이
것을 누구와 함께 나누어야 하는가? 이것들은 정확하게 하
나님이 누구이신가에 대한 것입니다. 그는 주권자이시며 신
실하신 분이십니다. 이것이 제가 속해 있는 하나님의 모습입
니다. 하나님께서는 Shema가 제가 순종해야 하는 것임을 재
확인해 주셨습니다. 랄리제일침례교회 성도 여러분들께 제
일 먼저 이 간증을 나누고 싶습니다. 그리고 제 주변의 믿
지 않는 친구들에게 전하고 싶습니다.
During the past 6 months our A3 ministry has been study-
ing the book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy was never a
book in the bible that I sought to read in times of strife, and I
assume not many others do so as well. It was rich in history
and foundational concepts of Christianity; however, it did
not always directly communicate the wisdom and encour-
agement that some of the books of the New Testament might.
Nevertheless, I wanted to give Deuteronomy a fair shot.
Some core themes the book of Deuteronomy taught me are
God’s sovereignty, his never-ending and never failing faith-
fulness, and the Israelite’s unfaithfulness. To be quite honest,
it seemed like we were listening to the same story over and
over again every week. Every time the Israelites failed to obey
the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9), God displayed his wrath
and His grace for the Israelites to recognize the gravity of their
sin against Him. I began to realize that it became a common
theme in my life as well.
During my year long mission trip in East Asia, I realized the
most important task I have in my life was also the most sim-
ple yet difficult. It was to love my God with all of my heart,
with all my soul and with all of my might (Shema). A year’s
worth of evangelizing and being transformed by the Gospel
taught me this simple and powerful statement from the book
of Deuteronomy. Sophia, our guest speaker, picked Foun-
dations as our theme for the retreat. She spoke on who God is
the first session, whose we are the second session, what must
we obey the third session, and who can I share this with the
last session. She walked us through the foundations of our
faith in each session but it was not until the last night of the
retreat that my trained and dulled heart began to realize what
was happening in my life.
She began to lead us into a time of prayer that night. I closed
my eyes and thought about what I needed to pray. I wanted
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to repent, I wanted vindication, and I wanted healing for the
hearts of the people that I have broken, including my own.
As I began mouthing the words I planned to say, the sudden
realization of my sin hit me. I had been unfaithful to my God.
I was an adulterer.
I was the same as the Israelites and I deserve the same wrath
they experienced. I already knew this in my head and even
said it with my own mouth, that I am unfaithful during our
small group discussions. I have even shared with people that
I needed to love God with all of my heart, with all of my
soul, and with all of my might. However, in that moment of
prayer that Sophia was leading us in, I realized how much I
had broken God’s heart. Infidelity in a covenantal relation-
ship should never be taken lightly; yet, I had been choosing all
of the competitors for my heart over the God who has been
so faithful and so good to me.
If either of my parents ever cheated on each other, it would
damage our family in ways unimaginable. What difference is
there in my unfaithfulness to God, except that my crime may
actually be much worse and, shamefully, more common?
The God I have betrayed still receives me over and over again,
with the same love and the same forgiveness as the first time.
He loves me so much he Has given me a glimpse of His wrath.
He thought my life worth saving and freeing from slavery to
this world that He would pay any cost to win me back to a
heart that is faithful to His. Sophia addressed the founda-
tions of our faith with 4 questions: who is God, to whom do
we belong to, what must we obey, and who can I share this
with? This is exactly who God is. He is sovereign and He is
faithful. This is the God I belong to. God has reaffirmed that
the Shema is what I need to obey and my FKBC family is
whom I want to share this story with first and then with my
unbelieving friends.
랄리제일한인침례교회
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