Message by Sister Abby Arnold
September 24, 2023
Scripture: John 4:24
There are two different groups of people in the world. People in group one believe in the existence of God and the other group does not. We say the 1st group would be “Theist” verses “Atheist.” Then, going a little deeper in the belief about God: There are theists such as polytheists & monotheists (one God believer). There are three major groups being differentiated: 1.Jews, 2.Muslimsand 3. Christians.
In Judaism, Jews believe in Jehovah as the only true God. Muslims believe that Alah is the only God. Christians believe only in Jesus as the Savior and the one true God.
I am a Christian who believes that Jesus is my Savior, and who has saved me from eternal death. And I also believe in Jesus Christ as the human form of the Creator of all the universe.
The Bible clearly says that there is a Creator who reveals Himself through His creation (Romans 1:19-20), which is called a “Natural Revelation”
“Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.”
“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”
People can find God when they look at the beautiful sun rise in the morning or the rainbow after the showers of rain… etc, etc.
However, the purpose of the natural revelation is to introduce us to the Creator’s existence, but if we want to know about Him more and have a better understanding than we need some guidance about Him.
This would be entitled, “special revelation” 特別啓示. God uses dreams and visions to reveal himself to us, God also uses people like priests, prophets, apostles, Bible teachers, preachers, and missionaries to teach us about Him.
The other special revelation is the Bible.
God reveals Himself in his Word. We can find God’s attributes like eternality, goodness, grace, holiness, immanence, immutability, justice, love, mercy, omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience through the Bible and the history of mankind.
Let me share my testimony with you about how I found God or, another way to say it would be, how God found me.
I was born and raised in Kangwon-do, South Korea which is a beautiful place that shares their border with North Korea. My grandparents and their grandparents believed in many gods and one of them was Buddha. However, one day, the real Creator, the God of the Bible, reached out to me when I was about seven years old in a very special way. A lady visited our house and took me to the summer church Bible school, where I learned about the name of God, “Jesus,” and learned a few hymns.
In those days I had bad nightmares, but one particular night in the middle of my nightmare, my body got frozen and I could not say anything. I got so desperate to get help from somebody. Then, all of sudden a hymn that I learned from the Summer Bible School came to my mind “ Nothing but the blood of Jesus, “ so I tried my best to sing that song out loud but it was so hard to speak. When I finally could speak out, I said, “the blood of Jesus!” I felt something like a heavy and a dark spirit had left me right away!!
As long as I remember that was my 1st personal experience of being delivered from bad spirits using the name of God “Jesus!”
In my early twenties, I was not a happy person at all. I couldn’t find the purpose of my life…one day I sat in my upper room in Seoul, South Korea, when I thought about what my life’s purpose should be. And, does God really exist? If so, does he truly care for me? I looked out the window and simply asked a question to God: “God, if are you REAL, please show me you are real and help me to come out from my unhappy life! I want to go out of Korea to find a new life! “ To make a long story short, after my conversation with God, miracles after miracles continued in my life.
I went to Tokyo, Japan, where I met a lady who later took me to a church “ Seisyo Kirisuto Kyoukai” in Takadanobaba, Tokyo. There, God showed me the purpose of my life. He showed me “the Kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33-34, Matthew 13:11) and also he gave me the promise of my family’s salvation. (Acts 16:31)
Thereafter, my reading of the Bible from Genesis through Revelation, and attending Bible studies, those things began opening up my spiritual eyes. I could feel my faith in Jesus start to grow. I began finding His promises and plans for me and for all His people who began making me so excited!
Through his word, God revealed Himself to me because He is a good father, Provider, Healer and a Deliverer! The love of God inside of me made me feel freer and freer!
Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. (2 Corinthians 3:17)
My plan was to spend 1 year in Japan and go back to Korea and find a better job. However when I found out about “the Kingdom of God,” I began praying to God to extend my time in Japan to learn more about Him. I was truly hungry for the word of God.
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. (Acts 17:11)
I got baptized in Jesus name in a bath tub in an apartment in Tokyo for my salvation.
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:38)
God’s plan is better than our plan… This drawing of me was drawn by my Japanese sister Hannah Kimura.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9)
Japan became my spiritual hometown because I was born again into the Kingdom of God in Japan.
I am indebted to you to show you salvation just like Paul who said that he was a debtor to express salvation to the Jews. I must continue to share the great salvation news to my beloved Japanese friends.
In return to the title of this message, “Who is God? He is the Creator of all the universe; yet, He became a human to die on the cross to make a way of salvation for us. He knows each person by name and He hears our prayers. God is alive and still speaks to us through His people and His word, the Bible.
Today, I encourage every each of you to seek God whatever situation you are in! He will come to you and reveal Himself as a good Father, Healer, Deliverer, Comforter and Savior!
Let’s pray!