Newsletters
Shallow to Deep
(The Forge Newsletter_01_2022)
“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, and when a man finds it, he hides it and rejoices, and goes back and sells all he has and buys the field.” (Matthew 13:44)
There is a saying in the Korean language, “Licking watermelon rind”. Watermelon is a fruit that we eat the ripe red flesh of, not the rind. But if anyone says that he only licks the rind of a watermelon and tastes a watermelon, then he is really stupid.
1. We are too busy to taste the ripe red flesh of watermelon
A friend of mine used to live a busy life with three jobs before the COVID-19 pandemic. And another friend has been busy almost all week, from dawn to evening, delivering goods to customers' homes since the COVID-19 crisis. However, it is possible to be both lazy and busy, because busy people are often lazy when they are not busy. When we live such a hectic and busy life, we do not have the time or space to deepen and look inside ourselves or to build up relationships, instead we plough on shallowly and are satisfied with our wages. COVID-19 forced many of us to stop our busy schedules, but because we are used to filling our time superficially, we just filled it with digital screens and virtual activities, and were satisfied with our furlough, not realizing that life could be so much more.
2. We don’t work hard because we don’t know the value of what we have
Although they work in other people's fields to earn wages, some people diligently plough the ground, fertilize and work hard sowing seeds. However, some people only pay attention when the owner is looking and waste their time. Such a person will receive only wages for the rest of their lives and will be satisfied with the life of a labourer.
3. We live by licking the rind because we are obsessed with what we see
A person who only thinks about what he sees and only what he gets, cannot think about relationships that are invisible and intangible, and lives only with wages that he gets. However, a person who thinks about the relationship, regardless of whether the owner sees him or not, diligently tills and cultivates the land as if it were his or her own field.
4. We live as labourers because we have not found the hidden treasure
A person who only ploughs the surface and lives only for wages, can never find the hidden treasure in that field, nor can he own it. However, the person who finds the hidden treasure can no longer live as a labourer, but he is willing to sell everything he has and own the field. People who live only by the outward surface cannot understand why he sells everything and has to buy the poor field. Because they only think about what they can see and get at that moment. However, faith is the substance of things that hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. He doesn't buy a field to own a field, he buys a field to own the treasure.
5. If we don't know who we are and our destiny, we live by licking the rind
When the Israelites, who had been freed from Egypt, ran out of food in the wilderness, they missed eating watermelons, cucumbers, and meat in Egypt, so they wanted to return to Egypt. This shows that they have no interest in their identity or destiny, no hope of God's promises, and are only focussed on what they eat.
Due to the Covid-19, things that were busy and busy in the hamster wheel have stopped for a moment, and now we have an opportunity to dig deeper and to go deeper. However, some are not as busy as they used to be, but are differently living busy days with laziness. If we do not listen to God and only listen to the words of those around us, we may receive a higher wage on this earth, but we will never discover the hidden treasures of heaven.
[ Finding Hidden Treasures in My Life ]
1. The Treasure Hidden in the Abandoned Tree
In 2020 February, for Noah's birthday, we were going to buy him a bow that he was interested in, but I wanted to make one for him by myself. However, I didn't have the space to work on, so I decided to clear out a bike shed, which was filled with bicycles and all sorts of junk. I planned to put our bikes on the wall, so I installed a bike rack on one wall of the house and a roof over it. And after cleaning and organizing the shed, I have my own small workshop. Then a friend of mine, a local carpenter, gave me a planer, an axe, a vice, and bought an anvil: used when hammering in a blacksmith's shop. Also I bought a new saw, a power drill, and chisels, etc.. I have already made a few bows by bringing some trees from by the ponds and reservoirs that could have been firewood or rotten if left alone. I could not have imagined that there was a beautiful bow in that abandoned wood. However, as I cut and trimmed the crude tree, I discovered the bows in it and discovered the qualities of a carpenter in me.
2. Treasures found while repairing the home garden
In the back garden of our house, there was a narrow passage leading to the back gate, and the concrete floor was cracked and ugly. So one day, I took courage and started breaking the concrete floor with a small hammer. In fact, if I put 2-3 cm of concrete on a cracked foundation, it can last 2-3 years. However, when I started working on the cracked foundation, the work became too big for me and I regretted digging even deeper into the foundation. However, it took about a week and I put 36 bags of 25 kg of sand, 11 bags of gravel, and 10 bags of cement. Through this I am discovering another treasures within me. Also, I cleaned around a cluttered little pond, made a stone mosaic floor, and made a bench chair with a large stone like a tomb stone, which was always around there as a stumbling block. Now, I can sit by the pond, read a book, and fish. ^^
I made a couple of crates and an easel for my friend who launched her cafe business. Also I made a very nice sturdy work-bench with scrap wood and I am building a shed in our garden that will be my new work shop. God provided a lot of very nice timbers free of charge from some builders close to our house. When I move by faith, God will show and release what he has already prepared; the hidden treasure.
There are infinite possibilities and hidden treasures (skills, relationship, identity, destiny) within us. But in our too busy daily life and our monotonous life that spins around in a guinea-pig’s wheel, these things are overlooked without being discovered. Now is the time to dig deeper and find these hidden treasures, and we must sell all we have in order to buy the field.
[ Prayer & Intercession ]
1. Should I get the Covid-19 vaccine or not?
About 5 years ago I got a letter asking me to get the flu vaccine, but I decided not to because I saw a person who was vaccinated suffering from the side-effects of the vaccination, and I knew that God had already put in my body a self-defence mechanism: immunity that could defeat all diseases. So I decided to develop my immunity, although I might suffer a little bit if I got the flu. Again, I received a call asking me to get the Covid-19 vaccine, but I did not feel I need to receive it. So I declined it because I was determined to develop my immunity. But if God tells me to go abroad and I have to present a vaccination document, I might take the vaccination.
There are people around me who have been vaccinated, also there are people who strongly reject it. And there are a couple of people who have already reached the threshold of death due to contracting the Covid-19 virus, or the Covid-19 vaccination, and a couple of people are currently suffering from it. Some say they reject the vaccination because of rumours that one of the components is derived from unborn child’s tissue; some because, once a person has been vaccinated, he or she must continue to be vaccinated. (*There are also rumours that there are gel-electronic chips implanted to control us, but I think that is not true.)
Any vaccine can help to some degree, but you cannot rely on it alone. And any vaccine can have side-effects. In the end, it is up to me whether I get vaccinated or not, and I am responsible for the results. We are living in more uncertain times than ever before. In the end, the only sure thing is the one we believe in, Jesus, who is the beginning and the end, the way, the truth, and the life. If we are asked to receive something on our right hand and forehead, we must be suspicious. (Revelation 13:16)
2. Why are we being forced Covid-19 vaccination?
If you look at the reasons for getting Covid-19 vaccine, there are various reasons, such as (1) health, (2) travel, (3) people around, (4) coercion from the government or work. But the only real, medical reason for receiving a vaccine is health. Not being vaccinated does not make me more or less likely to infect others with Covid and there is evidence that it does not protect me entirely from catching Covid. There is also some evidence that this vaccine, which was not tested thoroughly before being given to most of the population, has serious side effects in some people. Perhaps more than the vaccines we have been used to having. When we are vaccinated, our body produces an antibody that can defeat the virus. However, people who get the disease, with or without getting vaccinated, will also develop antibodies to it. In other words, it has the same effect as getting a vaccine. But why doesn't the government treat people who have been cured of the coronavirus the same as those who have been vaccinated? Is there any reason why you should always be vaccinated?
Re-infections are being reported among people who have recovered from the coronavirus, and re-infections are also being reported among people who have been vaccinated twice. So, from a medical point of view, what is the difference between a person who got the vaccine and a person who got covid 19 and got better, without getting vaccinated? There is no difference. However, in terms of policy, there is a huge difference. People who are vaccinated have antibodies, can get a certificate and have fewer restrictions with it, including for foreign travel. However, people who have recovered from the coronavirus have developed similar antibodies or stronger antibodies but are not issued with such certificates, which limits their movements and travel. If there is no ulterior motive for requiring all of the population to be vaccinated, this seems inexplicable.
The current vaccine is know to not protect against Omicrom. (Read more…) Nevertheless, the government recommends a third vaccination, and Israel is said to be starting a fourth vaccination. What is interesting is that, although it has been found that the existing vaccine is not effective against the Omicron variant, people continue to receive the vaccine because they feel that it will be safer if they receive the third and fourth doses. This is illogical thinking.
3. Can Virtual Reality replace Real Reality?
After lockdown measures were put in place in each country due to Covid-19 around April 2020, time spent on the internet skyrocketed. Use of video meetings, gaming, social media, movies and unhealthy internet use such as gambling, pornography, and child abuse all spread like wildfire. I too have been having fellowships and prayer meetings on the internet with 5-6 brothers every week for over two years, and there are a lot of good things in it: sharing, encouragement, and challenges. (Before this incident, when we met every week for fellowship and prayer and we shared simple food too, but it doesn't work through the internet.) Even though virtual reality looks and feels plausible, it cannot replace reality. It's just tricking our eyes or our senses with dazzling technology for a while. The gospel can be preached on TV or through the internet, but if it ends with our words, it will not be good news. Our words should be incarnated as the Word, Jesus was incarnated to be with us and among us. Otherwise our words will be disappointing. Therefore, the kingdom of God must be manifested in love and power in our real lives.
4. There is God's brake system in the universe: Sabbath(שַׁבָּת)
Last year, three different people came to see me within three weeks. The first person came to me with clear intentions because God reminded him of me while he was praying in a very desperate state. Two other people came to me without such a thought, but God led us to the same subject. The first person who came to me had always been a very confident person, having various outstanding skills, and was a very zealous perfectionist. But the person I met that day was really helpless, and he was heavy in despair. God told me to just listen to him without interrupting. He shared almost an hour, in tears a couple of times. Then I said, "A life without stop and without rest is a slavery life and it leads to destruction."
The most important thing in a car is not the engine, battery, or accessories but the brake system. A car without a brake system or with a malfunctioning brake is a weapon to kill myself as well as others. If we don't trust God, we can never stop and we can't rest. Even before God created man, he had already created a brake system is called “Evening” in nature. Also, after creating man he made the next day as a rest day: Sabbath. However, those who do not believe that God has already made everything and that Jesus has already accomplished everything on the cross continue to drive themselves and others too. God has given us six days of daylight so that we can fully work. And He gave us six nights and a seventh-day Sabbath so that we could rest and enjoy. “If we do not trust, we cannot rest.”
5. The world is crazy and we are living in uncertainty and insecurity.
In Israel, last year the conservative and progressive minority parties formed a coalition government, so Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister for the past 12 years, stepped down from the prime minister's office, and hardliner Naftali Bennett has become prime minister. Also in Iran, Ebrahim Raisi who is hardline conservative has been elected president. In China, the invisible power struggle to challenge Xi Jinping's long-term reign continues, and in North Korea, there are signs of cracks in Kim Jong-un's iron fist rule. In the midst of this, it is said that Covid-19 is gaining ground after the British variant, the Indian delta variant and South African Omicron variant, but I don't know how far to believe it. After all, there is nothing but the cross of Jesus Christ, and nothing but the Words of God. The kingdom of God is still conquering the kingdom of darkness in the midst of this, and it is encouraging us to participate. Through the COVID-19 pandemic, we are experiencing pruning. Do not be anxious to protect the branches that already exist, and be willing to cut off the branches that do not bear fruit so that the branches that bear fruit will bear abundant fruit.
[ News Update ]
1. My friend Mohammad passed away
On April 3rd, Mohammad, who had been fighting cancer and having kidney dialysis, passed away. Last year at the end of May or June, I was talking about visiting Egypt and going to England together, but he died of a heart attack suddenly on that morning. I am still in contact with the remaining family members every week through SNS, and I ask you to pray for them.
2. Two of my wife’s relatives have passed away.
In May and June, two members of my wife's family died. One of them died suddenly, and the other died after battling cancer for a while. So we had to drive about 2,000 miles on the road between Scotland, England and Wales. One in particular had a meaningful conversation with me two days before he died. He had been an atheist and evolutionist his whole life, but he was a kind and warm person. So I said to him, “You have lived as an atheist and an evolutionist, but I have to tell you that there is God and there is another world after death, and I want to meet you there again.” Then although he was in excruciating pain, he replied, “I want to do too.” After that I prayed for him. We don't know when we will go. That's why we have to be prepared and live. We have to prepare for the coming of Jesus, but also we must prepare for the way I go.
3. Family news
At Christmas, my mother-in-law came to spend a week with us, and we had a quiet but enjoyable time. In the spring of last year, I met a Korean missionary who is a 7th grade Taekwondo marshal-arts teacher and lives 30 minutes away in Swansea. And Noah, Yohan, twelve Korean children, and one British teenager have been learning Taekowndo every week. Also Noah has started GCSEs, similar to the high school entrance exam, and Yohan continues homeschooling.They are both doing very well.
Qday Music Album: “Tomorrow Never Comes!”
1. Tomorrow Never Comes!
2. The Only Way
3. Beginning & End
4. Enough
5. The Most Beautiful Thing
6. Set Free
7. Let Your Kingdom Come
8. Like A Rock
Shalom Shalom!
Qday LEE
(+44) 7870 653157
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