This year's Summer Bible Conference (SBC) took place under the theme "Jesus, the Foundation" from July 25-28, 2024, at the Youth Hostel Helmarshausen, with 94 participants. To everyone's delight, many young families with their children—including two from London and one from Korea—were present this time, leading to a separate program or childcare being offered for the 13 children under the age of 10. A Ukrainian family from Darmstadt and Paulus L. (USA) also joined as international guests.
In these eventful times, we wanted to reflect on the foundation of our faith, community, and lives, and how we can build well upon this foundation, which is given to us through God's Word and through the missionaries who have served our community in Germany. We were grateful and glad that Pastor Mike Lee was willing to serve us as a preacher, as he is closely connected with the new generation, is intercultural, and has a burning heart for God's mission. We were pleased that he and his wife Julie were able to participate in almost the entire conference.
At the opening service on Thursday evening, Barnabas Kim preached on John 1: "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us," emphasizing that God came to earth in the person of Jesus to be very close to us and was even willing to die for us to save us from our lost state. Even if we sometimes feel like faulty spare parts, the Logos has a special plan for each of us. It gives our lives worth, purpose, and eternal meaning.
On Friday morning, Pastor Mike began his sermon series titled "The Vision of Jesus—The Kingdom of God" (Mark 1:14-20). Jesus had a vision of spreading the salvation-giving and restoring ruling of God in the world, announcing the "breaking news" that this was initiated with His coming. Ultimately, the Kingdom of God is the answer to the question of the meaning of our lives and world history. It grows in secret but is unstoppable. Today, we live in the tension between the fallen world and the coming heavenly kingdom. We are called to perceive the invisible Kingdom of God and follow it with a burning heart through repentance and faith (i.e., a change of heart). We can participate in Jesus' vision and hope by letting Jesus rule on the throne of our hearts and following Him as His disciples.
The sermon on Friday evening was on the theme of the "Mindset of Jesus—Cross and Resurrection" (Philippians 2:1-11). It focused on having the attitude of Jesus and living in Christ. What is Jesus' attitude? 1. Jesus voluntarily chose to become human. 2. Jesus set aside His divine nature. 3. Jesus humbled Himself to the lowest point to save us. 4. After His death, God exalted Him because of His service. Due to His voluntary self-emptying even unto death on the cross, Jesus exemplified the essence of love—selflessness, which does not seek its own advantage but the well-being of others, to the glory of God. To have this mindset of Jesus, He must live in us, for we cannot achieve it on our own. We constantly need to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, so that Christ may live in us and we may become more like Him (see Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.").
On Saturday morning, the theme was "The Power of Jesus—The Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:1-41). The Holy Spirit is a person of the Trinity and holds the same status as God the Father and the Son. The church is as dependent on the Holy Spirit as the body is on the circulatory system, relying on His power and work. In the hearts of people, the Holy Spirit brings fiery enlightenment through the Word of God, leading them to the knowledge of sin, repentance, and faith. After spiritual rebirth, we continually need to be filled with the Holy Spirit to have burning hearts and to be living witnesses for Him. How can this happen? According to Luke 11:13, we can simply ask the Father for the Holy Spirit, so that He might pour His love into our hearts, as Romans 5:5 says. This love can and should also be felt emotionally, as the father embraced the lost son. This love gives us strength and heals our hearts.
In alignment with the previous sermons, Mike Lee conducted a workshop on Saturday afternoon on the topic of "Missio Dei and Our Mission." The mission is Jesus' mandate to His church. Sometimes, it may appear to us as a difficult duty to fulfil. How do we gain a new passion for the mission? The World Council of Churches (WCC) has popularized the term "Missio Dei," which teaches that mission originates from God Himself. The Trinitarian unity of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is so overflowing with love that it seeks to give itself away. Therefore, mission is not a duty but arises from this overflow of God's love. Good examples of this are found in John 4:26, where the Samaritan woman at the well, after meeting Jesus, cannot help but tell her village about her experience, and in Acts 4:20: "For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."
We always need a burning heart that overflows with the joy of God's love for our neighbours, making us ready to reach out to others. This burning heart comes from the personal, grateful enjoyment of loving fellowship with God in Jesus. We can continually ask God for this renewed filling of our hearts. The overflow of God's love has a cross-cultural impact on people of all nations, as seen in Antioch (e.g. when people feel the accepting love of God through hospitality and conversations).
Pastor Mike encouraged us that CMI (Campus Mission International) could enrich the church landscape in Germany uniquely by presenting an alternative, integrative faith community for people of different nations. (Regarding the name "CMI" and its future, we were encouraged to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit and God's vision).
On Saturday evening, there was a time of praise with personal prayer and fellowship with Jesus. Afterwards, we celebrated with fruit and snacks in the dining room. (Unfortunately, the campfire was cancelled due to rain.)
On Sunday morning, David Schmeinck preached on Matthew 7:24-29, the parable of the wise and foolish builders, emphasizing that we need an unshakable foundation for our lives so that we can withstand the storms of life. Many people build their lives on wealth, family happiness, professional success, or the pursuit of fame, pleasure, or joy. However, these can become idols that lead us astray. What can withstand every storm is not just being a hearer of God's Word, but also a doer, walking the narrow path with Jesus, even when it is difficult. We cannot do this on our own but need God's help to resist worldly influences and align our lives with Jesus. Practical discipleship includes getting to know Jesus' Word in the Bible better, attending a church, and maintaining our relationship with God at all times.
The three morning devotions focused on the right relationship with God and His Word. On Friday morning, Johannes Kim Jr. preached from 2 Kings 10:15-17, emphasizing that zeal for the Lord is good but must be grounded in the correct foundation of God's Word to be truly godly rather than self-driven. On Saturday, Paula Kim preached from Hebrews 11:1-6, teaching that we can please God primarily through faith in His Word and His promises. On Sunday morning, Grace Sickelmann, based on Matthew 13:44, highlighted that Jesus is the greatest treasure for us, for whom we should be willing to let go of other things, such as taking time in our daily lives to cultivate community with Jesus and His Word.
After the evening programs on Thursday and Friday, Barnabas Kim offered the opportunity for collective prayer in the prayer room. On Friday afternoon, there were three interesting workshops to choose from: Georg Müller spoke on "Habit and Identity," discussing how introducing new habits or environmental structures can foster change, as our character is shaped by many small habits. Lukas Park addressed the five points of Calvinism, which assert that human salvation is not a matter of personal merit but purely a result of God’s grace. Abraham Park explained, based on Revelation, the predictions about the rapture and future events, and how they are sometimes misunderstood or misinterpreted.
To conclude, after some introductory words from Sven Reichardt, we celebrated Holy Communion together. To everyone's surprise, the young children joyfully performed three cheerful songs with appropriate movements.
We are very grateful to God for not only providing us with a beautiful setting, good weather for outdoor activities (hiking, beach volleyball, table tennis), refreshing worship through three praise teams, and good fellowship among people of all ages, but also for strengthening the foundation of our faith, life, and community. Through the sermons, we were reminded that our faith and mission are not about achieving something through our efforts, but about resting on the abundant, self-giving love of God in Jesus Christ, who humbled Himself unto death on the cross to restore us, lost in sin, and to raise us purely by His grace. This love can and will set our hearts ablaze and overflow through us by the power of the Spirit to others, if we consciously give Jesus the throne of our lives, listen to His Word daily, continually ask for the help of His Spirit, and trust solely in His strength. May God help us to draw from this source every day, so that His love and saving grace may flow through us and our community to many in our neighborhood, country, and beyond to the entire world!
