Liqeni Grace International Church of Tirana

20/06/2021

The fact that we try to be right with God is a sign that we are rebelling against the atonement of the Cross of Christ. We pray, “Lord, I will purify my heart if You answer my prayer—I will walk rightly before You if You will help me.” Jesus is not just beginning to save us—He has already saved us completely. It is an accomplished fact, and it is an insult to Him for us to ask Him to do what He has already done.

Writing of Jose Cortez..

19/04/2021

April 18 on Romans 11:17-24
- For whom the bell tolls by Ernest Hemingway
- Why grafting the Gentiles into the Israel was necessary? Cut the vine/trunk & new branches to graft in..
- Isaiah 5:1-2 & Luke 13:6-7 on the bad fruit in the best environment: What brought such an outcome? Is God at fault?
- Grafting is an opportunity = kairos in Greek implying 'time/season that God intervenes': God's initiation means opportunity not to go empty or in vain
- Grafting means co-sharer of the triune God (God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit = Emmanuel - roots to empower the branches)
- Many not knowing what they have & the change & meaning of the gospel message
- Don't boast or be arrogant but be afraid (not deilos - fear-driven from violence/abuse of power - but phobos - fear but from the reverence/respect.
- God's firm resolution according to our faith - attitude after the fall.. only two options: the one is 'kindness' means profitable - fruit-bearing from the source God & the other 'decisiveness' means sharpness - fruit-bearing from self. Psalm 1:1 the wicked (god-less-ness), sinners (against God's law) and mockers (self-interpretations)
- The LORD God = the Creator & the Judge = Alpha & Omega
- Continue to be in unbelief or faith..
- God's will is not to love God but to love others because it will eventually help us love God and ourselves, not vice versa. (Matthew 6:14, 1 John 4:20)
- Before we were wild - forgotten
- Now we are grafted into cultivated olive tree - cultivated = kalos 'attractively good' 'outward sign of the inward good agathos 'good in nature (God alone is good in Mark 10:18)
- Are you fruit-bearing?
- Roots to fruit: only in God we can produce fruits that please God or what God designed or wants to get..

You don't support the root, but the root supports you. (Romans 11:18b)

29/03/2021

March 28 on Luke 20:27-40

Good News = Jesus is the Christ, God's Son, the Savior = Ichthus (fish) or an image of wheel: King Crucified & Resurrected
- Jewish rejection due to the wrong expectation of the Christ (Messiah in Hebrew, 'anointed with oil - king, priest, prophet' in meaning) as a royal military King who would overturn the Roman Empire
- Since Jesus was crucified by the hands of the Roman governor.. but there were different stories about his resurrection..

Scandalous:
- John 6:61ff & Luke 7:23 Does this offend(scandalous in the ancient Greek) you? No one comes to me unless the Father led him to me.. only through the faith in the Father would come. Blessed is the man not tripping over because of me.. scandalous = disgraceful & shameful
- 1 Corinthians 1:21ff what God knows about us - our stupidity that we boast as our wisdom - drives Him to use a stupid method 'preaching/proclamation' since we want what we want - seeking after wisdom & signs.. Christ is the power & wisdom of God
- Jesus must reshape of our hope ('rope' in Hebrew) since we cling to a wrong/rotten rope.. a Korean folktale https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o60apGctKKQ
- We choose to listen to God or listen to others as our faith

Scripture & Power of God:
- without the right understanding of the words, we will be in error (wandering from the right path): eschatology (last/final) & apocalypse (unveiling not tremendous disasters) - all positive originally though people recognize as negative..
- This happens when we listen to other resources rather than to God who meant always "positive' for us..
- Isaiah 6:9-10 When we depend on other resources, we don't function accordingly as designed..
- We shouldn't misunderstand God's intent: God's broken heart over people's stubbornness not to listen to God..

Aren't we Limiting God as much as we are limited/crooked:
- being in error but not knowing what we are doing like Saul did
- the Sadducees took Jesus as 'a teacher' not as "God's Son, LORD"
Law as 'an object of ridicule' not as "God's Will/Word"
Resurrection as for 'this life' not as for "THAT life"
- Either to believe (to have His mercy - as the Helper) or to ridicule, people come to Jesus..

Change & Transformation as the children of Abraham:
- Luke 19:9-10 Salvation is on this house since he is a child of Abraham.
- John 5:24 He who hears my word & believes in the One who sent me has the eternal life..
- How did Jesus proclaim this?
- 'salvation' means 'out of danger of destruction into God's safety'
- 'passed' means 'change of condition/place/status'
- Galatians 3:7,29 those who are by faith are children of Abraham. Those of the Christ are heirs of Abraham..
- 1 John 3:14 we know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers..
- What do we know? Are you not sure yet?
- 'love' means 'agape love' here, which means 'love defined by God' not according to our thoughts or ways but God's ways and thoughts..

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22/03/2021

March 21 on Acts 9:1-19

We do everything according to certain belief & conviction whether we admit it or not.
- positive or negative defined by our individual criteria: everyone had different criteria..
- negative only by God's perspective because it eventually not beneficial for us
Saul had the scary & self-harming conviction on Jesus & His disciples due to his ignorance of his being in error until God revealed it clear to him.

How harmful is our self-conviction:
- It is not what God says 'good' because it doesn't function as God designed it to be - meaning of 'tov' in ancient Hebrew
- 2 Chronicles 34:2 what is right in the eyes of the LORD = not turning aside to the right or to the left: follow what we see fit/good

What is it like: in the incident of King Saul in 1 Samuel 15:17-23
- King Saul was so convinced that he did obey the LORD God's mission/word and that he did something for God.
- Through Samuel God made it clear that King Saul was self-convinced and that he disobeyed God - that is like divination & idolatry: trying to do something else than God says & than God reveals.

Saul (asked of God) to Paul (restrain): Loss & Rubbish in Philippians 3:7-9
- following what we see/thing right/good - to our profit.. naturally (in sinful nature) we can't live for someone else..
- Faith is to consider all that we see good a loss (in ancient Greek - something that will damage us - harmful for us)
- Faith is to consider all that we were proud of rubbish (in ancient Greek - waster thrown to dogs: nothing to be proud of)
- Faith is to move our focus from ourselves to Jesus - the words (Rematos rather than logos)
It is no faith unless God spoke it out of His mouth. That is self-conviction.

Saul's encounter with God:
- Who are you, Lord? Jesus of Nazareth: must be so confusing & humiliating to Saul who had been so convinced of his persecution and plan
- What shall I do? you will be told all that you have been assigned to do: must be so depressive to Saul who had put everything in control
- Three days of fasting & prayer: prayer in ancient Greek means 'exchange of wish' - giving our thoughts/concerns and taking God's words/will: without faith we can't do as God says/wants

3 days to convince Ananias:
- disciple(continue to ask/learn) to apostle (sent on a mission): only one who learned to ask can be sent
- my chosen - the same root of church 'ek-klesia' just like you Ananias
- my vessel to carry my name - just like you Ananias
- suffer for my name - p***a 'to act upon in a certain way' = passover in ancient Hebrew = to halt..

Deuteronomy 8:3
- He afflicted us: because we can't do as we think good/right, rather we should wait for God to direct/say
- man does live on every word of God's mouth: as God says though it is very opposite to what we think/expect..

18/03/2021

March 14 on Acts 8:26-40

Understanding on "Acts - Veprat e apostujve"
- God who sends
- disciples who will to do as directed

3 Un-usual Elements:
1) the desert (path/road) - un-usual place to go (where should meet in the desert)
2) the foreign eu**ch - un-usual person to meet (Deut. 23:1 rejected from the assembly of the LORD God)
3) the Isaiah 53 reading - un-usual part to read (why did this chapter & part attract this eu**ch? What was in his mind? - Isaiah 56. Isaiah 53 on the Messiah, the turning point for the promise & hope for the future for the eu**ch..)
==> Question to ask: Why does God do this way? ^^

3 Non-functioning Contrasts:
1) on the path (hodos - v.26 'road' in ancient Greek) but w/o the path-finder (hodos-egeomai - v.31 'to explain') - unknowing where to head - being confused: not good (tov in ancient Hebrew)
2) a powerful official (dunastes - v.27 'a ruler') but w/o the ability (dunamai - v.31 'can') - knowing his inability in this life-and-death-for-him matter: not good
3) re-living (ana-ginosko - v.28 'to read') but not living (ginosko - v.30 'understand') - unknowing experientially or personally: not good
==> Question to ask: Are you functioning well without God's help?

Mater Plan of the Mastermind:
- Matt. 28:18-20 & Acts 1:8
- What are we to do in relation to God's words?
- What do you think you can do for God rather than what God says we can do for Him?

Into the LORD God's Routine:
- from our routines - organized, planned, scheduled
- out of depending on our limits
- out of depending on our thoughts/ways
- out of depending on our strengths/ablilities
- to God's routine - as God directs by the words of His mouth
- into God's interference: can you be happy with it, which could be 'irritating'?
- into God's overruling: can you be happy with it, which could be 'uncomfortable'?
- into God's sovereignty: can you be happy with it, which could be 'powerless' and 'helpless'?
==> Question to ask: Are you still being on your own? Are you certain on living on guesses or wishes or assumptions?

What to Lose?:
- 1 Cor. 15:51-53
- Christian living is 'a mystery', rather a great fortune..
- sowing 'the perishable' & reaping 'the imperishable'
- sowing 'the mortal' & reaping 'the immortality', that is the eternal life.. as the eu**ch read in Isaiah 56.
- Deut 6:10-15
- God was going to give them the good things you did not build/earn/dig/plant: Why?
- What did God ask of them? Before giving or after giving?
- What does 'not forget the LORD, fear the LORD, serve Him only' mean?
==> Question to ask: Are you in this relationship with God?

08/03/2021

March 7 on Deuteronomy 8:1-6

- Introduction to misconception that people hold in relation to God & debates about God's existence & identity
- God who reasons with "Purpose-why" rather than "How-why" & evidence of how well He took care of them in the wilderness during 40 years
- God who portrays who He is with the things that are totally new - manna as daily food supply ("what is it" in Hebrew) & Sabbath that helped them to see their lack of faith or absence of faith - what was in the heart of people
- People's conviction - groundless but so sure - exact opposite to the facts that Egypt was to them "the land of slavery" & "the iron-smelting furnace"
- How people take "good news"
- Read Proverbs 3:11-12 & Hebrews 12:7-11

No one could strip off the folly strongly bound up in the heart of the foolish because they are so convinced, but the wise keep on asking & checking if they bind themselves with the truth or not by listening to God & others.
어리석은 사람은 어떤 확신에 빠져있어 누구도 그 어리석음을 벗겨낼 수 없지만 지혜로움은 계속해서 진리를 붙들기 위해 자신을 살피고 하나님과 사람의 목소리에 귀를 주위에 기울이는 사람에게 있다.

27/01/2021

Welcome to English Service at 2 pm every Sunday.. ^^

29/02/2020

It is very refreshing to come to know that we do only what is in our heart (what we love) not what is in our mind (what we think). Never ever. There is no need, therefore, to tell "Do what you love" or "Love what you do" because that's what we exactly have been doing so far. ^^
Only the triune God (the Father, the Son & the Holy Spirit) is interested in revealing this truth to us so that we could make a right approach due Him alone when we come to His presence. (Deuteronomy 8:2 Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands & Hebrews 12:14 .. without holiness no one will see the Lord)

우리는 우리 마음 속에 있는 것 (우리가 사랑하는/좋아하는 것)만하지 절대 우리 감정 속에 있는 것 (우리가 생각하는 것)은 하지 않는다는 것을 알게 되어 참 하루 하루가 새롭게 느껴진다. 그렇기에 "당신이 좋아하는 것을 하세요" 혹은 "지금 하고 있는 것을 즐기세요"라고 하는 말들은 사실 할 필요가 없다. 이제까지 줄곧 그렇게 살아왔잖은가?! ^^

29/07/2019

Every contact leaves a trace. - Edmond Locard
모든 접촉은 흔적을 남긴다.
Çdo prekje lë një shenjë.
Setiap jejek meninggalkan tanda.

What unique but common 'trace' or 'mark' did we have when we met Jesus in person?
우리는 주님을 개인적으로 만났을 때 어떤 독특하지만 동일한 흔적을 가지게 되었나요?
Cila shenjë unike por të përbashkët kemi pasur kur të takohej personalisht me Jezusin?
Jejak atau tanda yang mana unik tetapi sama kita memiliki ketika kita bertemu Yesus secara pribadi?

11/03/2019

Having the worship service in a new place with new people..