Precious Pearls!

FX Worshippers were introduced to Pastor Ki Tae Choi during the October FX service who enlightened us with his sermon about “precious pearls”. And what exactly are these “precious pearls”? Pastor Ki read the Parable about the Pearl from Matthew 13:45-46, (the NLT version)

45 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. 46 When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!”

Throughout the generations, immigrants have been considered pioneers of hopes and dreams, willing to leave everything behind in search of a better way of life and better opportunities. These hopes and dreams were often linked to the Kingdom of God; the immigrants being the merchants, in search of the pearl, namely, Jesus. Being the merchant is like being the people of God, which has great value and means everything. For the “pearl is the most priceless thing”, and when we give praise and glory to God “Jesus is the merchant, and we are the pearls, all of His hopes and dreams.”

So what are your hopes and dreams? How can you be worthy of God’s grace and love? What does the Kingdom of God mean to you and what steps can you take to live out Kingdom lives? What transformation can you make in becoming a pearl? Good journey, merchants, may your personal search for the Pearl be precious and priceless!

- Laurie P

The Heart of Worship

The Faith Experience: The Heart of Worship

This past September FX service rounded out the Summer Roots series with Reverend Derek delivering the Word about Worship. FX was originally launched to introduce contemporary worship as a modern alternative to traditional worship, but does the style in which we chose to worship really matter as long as we are giving honor, glory and praise to God? Does it make any difference whether or not we are lifting our hands while shouting our praises or meditatively standing and quietly expressing our gratitude in silence? For, Worship is all about God, and our primary concern should be whether our worship pleases God.

Reverend Derek summarized that the word “worship” comes from the Old English roots “weorth”, meaning “honor” and “worthiness” and “scipe” which means “to create”. The primary focus of Worship, what we were created for, is to give glory, honor and praise to God – and not just on Sundays, but every single day of our lives. When we put God in the center of our Worship, we receive blessings in this encounter with the living God: we come to find ourselves in the presence of the living God – not just having “knowledge about God”, but being present to a life-giving relationship “with God”.

Today we live in a world that is plagued by consumerism, a constant distraction that preoccupies our lives and distorts reality, causing us to miss the importance of why we were created. Newer modern technology also contributes to life distortion, which leave sources of our contentment empty. “Getting caught up” brings no satisfaction in this culture of consumerism and takes the focus off of saturating our mind with the Word, opening our hearts to God and honoring God in Worship.

Through Worship we are giving worth to God. Worship is a reflection of our thanks for His unfailing love, a tribute to His Power and Majesty, an offering for all that are we are to be in His very presence. In Worship, open all your being for God to speak through you and receive God’s Word. Putting God at the center of Worship gives God a sense of pleasure, the whole purpose for our praises.

So, what prevents you from being fully present in Worship? How can you incorporate Worship into your life on a daily basis? How can you make your work life an expression of Worship? How can you fit Worship into your children’s school and sports activities?

One way that I have found to Worship on a daily basis is through picking plumerias (or any other flowers) to wear in my hair. Plumerias remind me of the many summers I spent on Molokai in Hawaii with my grandma, Helen. Every morning we would go in the back of our homestead property and pick plumerias to wear in our hair. Now, every time I pick a plumeria and breathe in its sweet fragrance I remember those cherished childhood memories and my “tutu”, whom I loved very dearly. And I praise God with each and every plumeria that I pick and give Him thanks for the many blessings in my life.

May you find new and creative ways to Worship each and every day, and remember…in the heart of worship it always is, and always will be, all about our loving God.

-Laurie P. (October Good News Article)