What is the Gospel?

Hello blogosphere!

To start, for those of you that missed Sunday night’s concert – you missed out. It was amazing. There is nothing like worshiping with 15,000 other Christians in the middle of Manhattan no less. And it was not so much the multitude as it was the magnitude of the spirit in the house. Hopefully the church can make it to Chris Tomlin in January.

Second, as there is ambiguity as to the origins of the name “IN2” for our church, let me offer up some explanation, having served since the EM beginnings.

IN2, in part, comes from scripture - Matthew 11:28 which initially served as one-half of the mission verse for the church. (Matthew 28:19 serving as the other-half)

“Come IN2 me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest…”

The 2 also indicated (at that time) the presence of 2 churches within one church – a Manhattan location in the Upper West Side and a New Jersey location in Tenafly, NJ. Since then, the NJ location was merged with the Manhattan site.

Some would also say that the 2 indicated 2 language-oriented ministries – Korean and English, though not confirmed by Pastor Marc.

With that squared away, feel free now to ponder other life mysteries such as:

1. Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
2. Why do we drive on a parkway and park in a driveway?

By Andy Choi, Core Leader

Bold Enough

It is not what a mere man does that determines whether his work is sacred or
secular, it is why he does it. The motive is everything. Let a man sanctify
the Lord God in his heart and he can thereafter do no common act.

- A. W. Tozer

Are we bold enough to question our motives without giving the automated answer we were conditioned to say?

By Grace Kang, College Small Group

Fall is here!

Fall is here!

I feel like Fall came without much warning. It was 75 degrees one day and then 55 degrees the next. Fall is such a romantic season. I can’t wait for the leaves to change color. Central Park will be so pretty.

But Fall also tends to bring loneliness. To combat this, I suggest the following:

12 Hugs (per day).

Virginia Satir, family therapist, through research has concluded:

“We need four hugs a day for survival. We need eight hugs a day for
maintenance. We need twelve hugs a day for growth.”

How many hugs did you receive today? When’s the last time you got 12 hugs in a day?

Better yet, when’s the last time you gave 12 hugs?

The thought of hugging 12 times might seem a bit daunting for some people. But when in doubt, just stretch out your hands, close your eyes and give the other person a tight squeeze.

By Bomee Chu, Welcoming Team

Do Not Forget

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess His name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Hebrews 13:15-16

Here is one of my favorite passages in the Bible. It sums it all up.

The first part is something we hear all the time - about worshipping, praising, and blessing the name of Jesus with our lips. We do it through our prayers, our songs, our conversations. It's definitely an important part of faith and our walk with God.

But it's the second verse that really hits me hard.

"Do not forget," it says.

Do not forget to do good and share with others. This is what is pleasing to God.

My words, my prayers, my songs... They are empty without a generous, gracious, and loving service towards others. This is an ongoing challenge I face every single day. It's not easy to share my time, money, resources... It's not easy to stop thinking me, me, me... It's not easy to put others first.

But, this is what is pleasing to God.

It says in 1 John 3:18, "Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." Loving God and loving people is much more than words or even prayers. Love is action. And "doing good" and "sharing with others" are actions.

Ah, if only living it out were as simple!

Let's remember though. Love God. Love people.
Whether it's loving people in our personal lives or serving our city's people in need...
Let's not forget to live it out. Do good. Share.

By Sera Han, Worship Leader

Positive Outlook

How to start your day with a positive outlook

Open a new file in your PC.

Name it as "Boss".

Send it to the RECYCLE BIN.

Empty the RECYCLE BIN.

Your PC will ask you, "Are you sure you want to delete Boss permanently?"

Answer calmly, "Yes," and press the mouse button firmly....

Feel better? Have A Nice Day.

By Andrew Choi, Audio/Visual Team

Laughter is Good for the Soul

I received an email from a friend going through a hard time. The details don’t matter except that this friend feels like giving up. My friend feels a bit guilty for feeling that way because not everything is going bad. Some things are actually pretty good. But there is a sense of frustration and emptiness and perhaps a bit of wishing that things could be like they used to be.

What then? Many answers, I suppose. Here’s one.

Life is short.

We already know that. I heard it said this way: Life is too short not to laugh. Life is too long not to laugh.

I think we have to laugh either way. We all understand that outward circumstances can’t make us happy. That has to come from within, or better yet, from above.

We can’t always change circumstances we don’t like. But life is short, and it’s also long, and because it’s short and long, we have to laugh. “A cheerful heart is good medicine” (Proverbs 17:22). So we need to laugh sometimes. Life is funny and often absurd. And while we are laughing it is not wrong to wish things were different. We all wish that from time to time, and we shouldn’t feel guilty about feeling that way.

But if we don’t laugh, someday we will die having squandered the blessings the Lord gave us while we were on this earth. Laughter is one of God’s best gifts, and it is one way of not letting life get you down.

Given all the problems, pressures, worries and fears that we all share right now, it’s easy to spend our days in a perpetual frown. B ut even now, perhaps especially now, we need to laugh.

So let’s pray that the Lord will lift the burden and give us joy. My prediction is that the Lord will do it, and that we will find reasons to smile and to chuckle and to see the humor in the world God made.

Go ahead and give yourself permission to laugh. It’s good for the soul.

By Gary Yi

Baptism and Being Reborn

I wanted to use this blog to answer a question brought up in our small group last Friday: the relationship between being reborn and being baptized. The question was raised as we looked at John 3:1-21, the story of Nicodemus, a Pharisee who came to Jesus with the question "what does it means to be born again, or born of water and the Spirit" (John 3:5-7).

I don't mean to give the official position of our church concerning these questions, nor do I claim an advanced Biblical prowess. Simply, here are some related Bible passages to further whet your appetite, courtesy of Ms. Google.

As to the question of whether baptism is a "MUST" to be saved, look at the story of the thief who was next to Jesus on the cross. Luke 23:41-43: "Then he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' Jesus answered him, 'I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.' " (NIV). The theif didn't get a chance to be baptized.

On the other hand, see Colossians 2:11-12 for our old selves being buried with Jesus through baptism. "In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead" (NIV).

Or, finally, take a peek at the great commission in Matt. 28:19: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (NIV).

By Jean Choi

Baseball Ended

While 4 MLB teams furiously duke it out for top bragging rights in the 2008 season, I am rather disinterested. You can trace the sudden change of heart to the moment my team was eliminated from the race. I have no one to root for anymore. It's not fun. I try. But it's not the same. I have no allegience to the other teams.

We all need some object to root for. If our team isn't in the game, it's just no fun. Whether we're on the bench or on the courts, we've got to enjoy the thrill of a cheer. What's your team? What drives you? Without it, it's no fun. There is no joy.

Planting Mustard Seeds

I attended a christian school when I was in sixth grade. It was then my teacher taught our class about the mustard seed. She brought a jar of them to show the class. At the time I didn’t know there was such a thing as a mustard seed. I knew I liked mustard on my hotdogs and hamburgers, but that was it. But as we passed the jar around our teacher explained that the mustard seed is a very small seed that grows into a very large tree. I was amazed. Then she read a passage from the bible:

“ 31He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches."
Matthew 13:31-32

It dawned on me at that moment that I was a mustard seed. And that God would allow me to grow into a ‘big person’ to help those who didn't believe in Christ. Altough I was just a dorky little sixth grader then, God was covertly preparing me. He was the one who helped me grow into a big tree capable of producing more mustard seeds.

Today, I AM that ‘big person’ and I have BECOME that big tree that I was once amazed at – and to top it off, I’ve been given the responsibility to take care of new mustard seeds.

You see, Mustard Seeds is the name of our Sunday school ministry at IN2 Church. I am blessed and honored to be their Praise and Large Group leader. Every Sunday, I lead these children in prayer and praise. And everyday, I pray that one day, each and every one of these little mustard seeds will grow into a beautiful and glorious tree, so that they too can create more seeds and let other birds perch in its branches.

Here are some pictures of those 'mustard seeds' - taken during "RAINBOW", their Vacation Bible School this past August.

By: Debora Suk

The First "Unofficial" Blog

I like "official" things.

Things unofficial are not as authentic. You feel ripped off, cheated, short-changed. It tastes funny. It smells weird. It looks strange. We call it names like "last-minute", "that doesn't count" or "rough draft". At first you thought it a bargain, in time you think it a cheap fake. I need that diploma to tell me I'm smart, or else I'm not? I'm sure I was born; nevermind, don't got a birth certificate.

Yes, I like "official" things. They make everything certain. It's professional.

So penciling a blog "last-minute" didn't feel right. Nevertheless, it's better to begin than stay idle forever. And hey, how many of us can truly tell a real LV bag from a fake one? It functions the same. Besides, some say that "official" is all a brand. We pay for the name. We want the name.

With that, let me quickly introduce the blog. We'll be updating this blog frequently. It'll be a outlet for various topics from various authors. So stay tuned.

If you'd like to contribute, contact me at dave@in2church.org. Be it official or unofficial, I am excited to see where we go from here.

By: Pastor Dave Chung