The Inseparable Love of God (1) [ Romans 8:38-39 ] Why can nothing separate us from the love of God? 1. Because God’s love is eternal. Romans 8:29a says: “For those whom He foreknew…” The word “foreknew” refers to before eternity began —before the creation of heaven and earth . The phrase “those whom He foreknew” does not simply mean knowing about someone intellectually, but rather loving them. In other words, it refers to “those whom God loved from eternity past.” Amos 3:2a says: “You only have I known of all the families of the earth.” If “known” merely meant intellectual knowledge, that would imply that God only knew Israel and did not know the other nations—which cannot be true, because the all-knowing God lacks knowledge of nothing. Therefore, “I have known you only” means “I have loved you only.” God loved Israel among all the nations of the earth. Hosea 13:5 says: “I knew you in the wilderness , in the land of great drought.” The “wilderness” was where the Israelite...
"Certainly I will
be with you"
When God called Moses,
Moses responded,
"Who am I, that I
should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"
At that moment, God
assured Moses, "Certainly I will be with you ...."
(Exodus 3:9-12).
During my tenure as an
associate pastor at Victory Presbyterian Church,
after exactly one year
of ministry, feeling deeply disappointed, I expressed to God,
"I can no longer build
Victory Presbyterian Church," and fled to Korea, much like Jonah.
However, about two years
and six months later,
during a Church Renewal
Pastors' Association (CRPA) training session, through a guest pastor,
I heard the words of
Jesus in Matthew 16:18, ‘I will build My church,’
and through the powerful
work of the Holy Spirit,
I was not only convinced
of the promise that Victory Presbyterian Church
is the Lord's church and that He Himself will build it, but I was also compelled by that word.
Consequently, on December 21, 2003,
I was led back to
Victory Presbyterian Church in the United States and appointed as the senior
pastor.
Like Moses, I once
questioned,
"Who am I that I
could build Victory Presbyterian Church?
I can never do it,"
and fled.
To the one who said, ‘Indeed,
James, you can never build My church.
I will build My church,’
the Lord who made this promise has been with me
for more than 20 years,
leading me
and allowing Victory
Presbyterian Church to come this far.
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