June 2017

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” – Proverbs 9:10

Traditionally, the United Methodist Church celebrates Aldersgate Day on May 24 to commemorate the day in 1738 when John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, experienced assurance of his salvation. He had a Holy Spirit moment through his Aldersgate experience. While he was walking on Aldersgate Street, he listened as someone was reading Martin Luther’s preface to the Epistle to the Romans, and this led him to experience his Holy Spirit moment. “While he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.” Later, before John Wesley died, he said his last words that “The best of all is.. God is with us.”

As I remember “Aldersgate Day” and the life of John Wesley, I hope and pray that all my parishioners including my soon to be born baby would have at least one unforgettable Holy Spirit moment so that they would know and confess that “the best of all is God is with us.” During this time of being pregnant, I have prayed a lot for my first baby and thought about what kind of person this one would be. Millionaire? Celebrity? Smart person? Healthy person? It all sounds very tempting, but I truly want my child to be a man of God who loves God first and makes God a priority. Because I believe that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” as Proverbs 9:10 said, and “The best of all is.. God is with us.”

Through a mentoring meeting, I came to know about the web site called “Father’s love letter.” It has a love letter from God based on Bible verses and it is written in 100+ languages. I was very touched by each phrase of this letter, and it was another Holy Spirit moment for me. I read this letter over and over for my soul and for my baby’s soul. And I would like to share it with you all for your soul! I hope and pray that you also have a Holy Spirit moment through God’s love letter for you.

Blessings,

Pastor Ran