The AMI QT Devotionals from March 5-11 are provided by Pastor Mark Chun of Radiance Christian Church in S. F. Mark, a graduate of University of California, San Diego, and Talbot School of Theology (M.Div.), has been married to Mira for 20 years; they have two children, Jeremiah and Carissa.
Devotional Thoughts for Today
Mark 1:1-8 (ESV)
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, 3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’” 4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
The Gospel of Mark opens with John the Baptist’s acknowledgment of the superiority of Jesus’ ministry, based on one very important distinction—the nature of their baptisms. We read that while John baptized his followers in water, Jesus came to baptize His disciples in the Holy Spirit. John clearly saw the limitation of his own ministry, and in this passage he talks about the fact that his own work is limited to baptism by water.
Now, water serves as the symbol of cleansing and the forgiveness of sin, but in reality, water does nothing more than cleanse the outside of your body. No matter how refreshed you may feel after a shower, no one thinks that water has the capacity to cleanse the heart or renew the soul. I remember talking with a PhD student who marveled at the unique properties of water. (It is the only substance that is lighter in its solid form than in its liquid form, which allows for life on earth.) Admittedly, water is amazing and it sustains physical life, but it cannot do the one thing that is most important for you and me: it cannot give life to the soul.
It should be noted that the first activity that is identified with Jesus—the distinguishing mark of His ministry—is the fact that He is the baptizer of the Holy Spirit. And it is this baptism in the Holy Spirit that unlocks the door to living more powerfully for God. Dwight L. Moody, the great American evangelist, speaks about his experience with the Holy Spirit in his memoirs. In the summer of 1871, two women in his congregation felt a burden to pray for Moody “that the Lord would give him the baptism of the Holy Ghost and of fire.” Every Sunday, he would see them praying in the front row, and at first, he was irritated. Eventually, realizing he had no power behind his preaching, he decided to join them in prayer every Friday afternoon. In November of that year, when his church burned down to the ground, he went to New York to raise funds to rebuild his church. Day and night, he wandered the streets of the city, desperate for just a touch of God’s power in his life.
Then suddenly it happened. Moody explained: “One day, in the city of New York—oh, what a day!—I cannot describe it, I seldom refer to it; it is almost too sacred an experience to name . . . I can only say that God revealed himself to me, and I had such an experience of his love that I had to ask him to withhold his hand.” From that day on, Moody would confess that though he did not present any new truths, for some reason hundreds were converted in response to his preaching. The message was the same, but the power behind the man had changed completely. In the same way, the Holy Spirit is the only way that you and I can ever hope to live boldly and courageously for God.
Prayer: Lord, help me to live in the power of Your Holy Spirit. If there is anything that is hindering the Spirit’s work in my life, I pray that it would be revealed to me. If there is any sin that is grieving Your Spirit, help me to come to a place of repentance. Teach me how to live according to Your Spirit and to be filled continually by His presence. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Joshua 21
Lunch Break Study
Read John 16:7-15 (ESV): Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
Questions to Consider
- Why was it good that Jesus left the disciples after the resurrection?
- What will the Holy Spirit convict the world of?
- What does the Holy Spirit teach believers?
Notes
- Because upon His ascension, Jesus was free to send the Holy Spirit. Now the ministry of Christ was no longer bound by His bodily limits but available to spread freely through all those who believed in His name.
- One of the functions of the Holy Spirit is to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. First, the Spirit reveals the sin of unbelief and convicts the human conscience of its rejection of Christ. Second, the Spirit directs the world to a righteousness that can only be secured through the finished work of Christ. Finally, the Holy Spirit declares to the world the victory of Christ over Satan.
- The Holy Spirit leads believers in the truth that is taught by the Father and the Son. The Spirit does not teach based on His own authority, but what has been given to Him by the Son. In essence, the ministry of the Spirit points believers to Christ and connects them to their Savior.
Evening Reflection
Take time in worship and prayer, asking the Lord to fill you with His Spirit. How has the Holy Spirit been moving in your life recently? What conviction or revelation have you experienced as a result of seeking the Lord?
My father passed away the summer of 2017. For many years of his life, he faithfully served as an elder at a large Korean church. I still remember as a kid how happy he was in becoming an elder. His primary function as an elder was to lead and direct the choir, since he had studied music in college; so he faithfully directed the choir to sing songs of worship every Sunday for over two decades. He was also given opportunities to travel throughout parts of the world with the choir on their short-term mission trips—he enjoyed them so much! Those privileges and responsibilities given to him truly motivated him to work even more diligently, preparing Sunday after Sunday. He’d stay up for hours writing and re-writing some of the music pieces for the choir members. Of course, his pursuit of excellence and the hours and hours he put into his preparation also led to a certain set of expectations for the choir members; thus, he also become known as the “scary” elder, as he would at times yell at choir members for not performing to his high standards.
My wife sometimes gets in the mood for jigsaw puzzles, so we’ll get out a 500 or a 1000 pieces puzzle set and get to work putting the picture together. You can spend hours or even days putting the puzzle together, depending on the picture. I’ve asked people their opinions on puzzles; while some feel that it is a total waste of valuable time, others enjoy the satisfaction of finding the matching pieces as they rummage through hundreds of pieces searching for that match. Our family enjoys jigsaw puzzles as our children also get involved.
Today’s AMI QT Devotional is provided by Rebecca Wong, who is currently serving as the Children’s Ministry Director at Kairos Christian Church. Rebecca is a graduate of Point Loma Nazarene University with a degree in Media Communications.
What is the first word you associate with the word “dysfunctional”? Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be a glitching laptop, a broken zipper, or even a failing organ. I think most people would think of either “family” or “relationship.” Never in the history of mankind has there ever been a “perfect family”—and I think each and every one of us can personally attest to this. We can even see dysfunctional families all throughout the Bible: Adam and his wife playing the blame game right at the beginning of time, their son killing his own brother, Abraham’s family tree of adultery, lies, deceit, and betrayal, and David and his sons targeting each other for the throne—just to name a few of the big ones.
Today’s AMI QT Devotional is provided by Charles Graham. Charles is a new intern with Kairos, who came aboard in September of 2017. He is currently studying at Talbot School of Theology to prepare himself for a life of service and ministry.
At the end of Genesis 49, we see Jacob pass away. Genesis 50 wastes no time illustrating the immediate effect of Jacob’s death on his son, Joseph. Joseph is crushed at his father’s passing, made evident by his actions: hurling of himself at Jacob’s body, weeping and kissing him. To fully appreciate the sentiment here, we have to grasp the biblical understanding of weeping. When the biblical writers describe an instance of someone weeping, they do not mean soft sobbing and a few tears. No, weeping in their eyes is instead a strong, sometimes uncontrollable act of lamentation. Jacob’s death, in fact, carries such weight that all of Egypt mourns his passing for 70 days, just two days less than that of a Pharaoh’s.
Today’s AMI QT Devotional is written by Esther Chailim. Esther, a graduate of University of California, San Diego, is currently serving as the director of ministries at Kairos Christian Church (San Diego) and pursuing a Masters in Christian Ministry and Leadership at Talbot Theological Seminary.
For many, the end of life often calls for deep reflection on the things most important to them. Some reflect on the great memories they’ve had, while others think about what they would have done differently. In a similar fashion, this final request from Jacob was of great importance to him. Of all the choice words he could have said in his very last moments, he chose to give final instructions on the burial of his body. It’s important to note that though Jacob had been residing in Egypt for 17 years and had quite a successful life there with his sons, he knew his future did not lie there. Rather, he desired to be buried alongside his forefathers in Canaan, because it was the place in which God made his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, promising the land to them and all their descendants (Genesis 28:13-14). In other words, life to Jacob was found in the Promised Land, where he knew he would be in the special presence of the Lord. To Jacob, Canaan was more than just his hometown; it marked a statement of future hope. Thus, the burial in Canaan with his forefathers revealed Jacob’s hope and faith that God’s covenant promise would eventually come to pass.
Today’s AMI QT Devotional is provided by Pastor Peter Yoon of Kairos Christian Church in San Diego. Peter is a graduate of U.C. Riverside and Talbot School of Theology (M.Div.). He and his wife Jessica have three very active children: Nathan, Abigail, and Jason.
If you’ve been watching the news lately, you have seen the downfall of Hollywood’s moguls, news anchormen, actors, etc. The victims in Hollywood are finally mustering up courage to tell their stories, leading to the permanent dismissal of men who have used their fame, popularity, and position to abuse women for many years. Many people are probably thinking, “It’s about time…”
Today’s AMI QT Devotional is written by Joshua Chzen who serves as the college pastor at Kairos Christian Church (San Diego, California). Joshua, a graduate of University of California, San Diego, is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity at Bethel Seminary. He and Sandra were recently married in 2017. 
There’s an old Indian fable about a group of blind men who encounter an elephant in their travels. Since the animal is unfamiliar to them, they begin to feel around to try to understand what they face. As each of them touches a different part, every one of the men reaches a different conclusion about the creature in their path. One man touches the elephant’s ear and decides that it must be a large fan. Another wraps his arms around its foot and thinks he’s embracing a tree. The rest of them think they’ve found a spear (its tusk), a snake (its trunk), and a wall (its side). Of course, none of them are correct. This story is commonly used to illustrate issues of perspective in relation to truth; with only a limited perspective to aid their understanding, none of the men really know the truth of what they’ve encountered. (Of course, someone saw the whole thing; otherwise there is no story to tell—sorry relativism.)
One of the many lessons I try to teach my children is to always be someone who keeps their promises. A few weeks ago, one of my daughters promised me that she would clean her room by a certain day, but when the day had arrived, her room was still not clean. Even though I was disappointed by her lack of responsibility, it was a teaching moment for me; so I explained to her that as God’s children, we are called to keep our promises.
I enjoy watching “transformational reality shows”—they are reality shows where there is a great amount of change from the beginning to the end: for example, shows like The Biggest Loser, Fixer Upper, and Undercover Boss. Whether it be a body being transformed by getting in shape, an old house getting restored, or changes made in a company—positive change gives us encouragement and gives us hope that change is possible.