❖ Video ❖ Audio The Mystery of God’s Choice (Part 1) Romans 9:1-13 Mari Ikeda A. The reality that the people chosen by God are rejecting God (1-5, Deuteronomy 7:6-8) 1 I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit— 2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, 4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship…

❖ Video ❖ Audio Let Us Heed These Things Psalm 107:33-43 Andy Nagahara A. Reasons for withering and flourishing (33-38) He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs; there he brought the hungry to live, and they founded a city where they could settle. They sowed fields and planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest; he　blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased, and he did not let their herds diminish. For the people of Israel and the surrounding areas at that time, water was so precious that it is completely unimaginable to those of us who live in Japan where water is abundant.…

❖ Video ❖ Audio The Irreplaceable Love of God Romans 8:31-39 Mari Ikeda We’ve been reading Romans from the beginning of this year, and now we have finally got to the halfway point today. Today’s part  – Chap 8 verse 31-39 is the praise to God as a closing of the first half of Romans. We will hear Paul’s words of excitement to God repeatedly. Verse 31-34 talks about how God loves us so much, and 35-39 talks about how we can never go astray from God now that we know His such love for us. We will read the scriptures little by little as usual. Let’s start with 31-32. …

❖ Video ❖ Audio Crying Out to the Lord in Distress Psalms 107:1-32 Andy Nagahara I will divide Psalm 107 into two parts. Today we will go through verse 33. Here, the people of Israel were redeemed from various hardships and brought together, which is appropriate for us as we have just resumed our on-site worship service this month! The first three verses describe the gratitude and joy of being redeemed and called together. After that, four different kinds of hardships are recorded. Each of us, as a people who have been freed from various hardships and called to this place, should listen carefully to the message of Jesus as…

❖ Video ❖ Audio The Work of the Holy Spirit: The Power to Believe in Hope that is Unseen Romans 8:18-30 Mari Ikeda A. Present suffering and future hope (18) 1. Creation is suffering with humanity (19-22) 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation…