From the Pastor’s Desk (286) One of the unhealthy tendencies athletes display as they start to improve and become good is neglecting the basics that got them to where they are. That’s why a good coach will emphasize and drill the fundamentals into their players over and over again. New Life has become a healthy and solid church because we have humbly and diligently partnered with God over the years. Therefore, I, as your spiritual coach and pastor, would like to do the same. First, make Sunday corporate worship a priority before serving in ministries. I’ve noticed that some of you come to church on Sunday only to serve in a ministry, ...

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From the Pastor’s Desk (285) I write articles like this in the Facebook Pastors’ Group to inform, encourage, and challenge its members. “Many of you in this group know that I do house church ministry. I have been doing it for more than 25 years. Unchurched unbelievers, whom we call VIPs, are reached through our house churches. Instead of inviting VIPs to our Sunday worship first, our house churches welcome them into their gatherings, where they witness and experience Christ’s love and the power of prayer through the members. Eventually, our house church members encourage and invite their VIPs to Sunday worship and to RJM (Receiv...

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From the Pastor’s Desk (284) As I visit your house churches, I am often greatly encouraged because I see beautiful communities of Jesus being built as you do life together and faithfully reach out to your VIPs. I thank God for you. To help you have an even better house church meeting, I would like to share the following practical guidelines. Please apply them in your house church life. Be on time! Being on time is a sign of love and respect for others, whereas being habitually late can be a sign of selfishness and disrespect. Therefore, as Christ-followers, we must strive to be punctual. Life happens, especially on Friday evenings on ...

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From the Pastor’s Desk (282) On this last Sunday of the year, I regret that I won’t be able to worship and share God’s Word with you. I will be in Carson, CA, worshiping at Podowon Church, where the senior pastor will lead his final service with his congregation before retiring. This pastor has faithfully served as the senior pastor for 24 years and 11 months and has been doing house church ministry for about 20 years. He is truly one of our brothers in Christ and a part of House Church Ministry International. A few years ago, during the pandemic, the church faced a significant trial. An entire village left because the village leader ...

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From the Pastor’s Desk (281) We will hold the 2025 Missions Rally from January 31 to February 2, with Dr. and Mrs. Taeho Ko as our speakers. Dr. Ko moved to the U.S. in his teenage years, and Mrs. Ko, after spending a few years in Paraguay, also came to the U.S. as a teenager. They grew up in New York City, attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), earned degrees, and met each other there before getting married. After working for several years on the East Coast as engineers, they relocated to Houston for work. The Kos and I have mutual acquaintances. Before their move to Houston, they reached out to me for advice on where to live and ...

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From the Pastor’s Desk (280) Last October, when the team leaders and the house church seminar and conference-related leaders met with me to set the calendar for this year, we realized it was going to be fuller than ever before. However, the thought that came to my mind wasn’t, “Will we be able to do all this?” but rather, “What will it feel like to do all this?” No matter how daunting and insurmountable the task that God calls us to do may seem, we know that He never tells us to do anything to hurt, break, or make us miserable. Instead, He calls us to make us stronger, deepen our faith in Him, and give us an opportunity to experience ...

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