Written By Rev.Dr. Joshua Hong

Senior Pastor of Full Gospel Church of Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.

There is a term “Pygmalion effect.” It originates from King Pygmalion in the Greek mythology who falls in love with the statue he carved. Moved by his love and dedication, Goddess Aphrodite breathed into the statue life. This story illustrates that aspiration, expectation, and affirmative thinking bring about change. How we think is very important. As Christians, we must think the heavenly things first and also think according to God’s will.

We must think big as God is big. In You Can be the Person You Want to Be by Robert Schuller, there is a story about a fisherman. After catching fish and removing the hooks, he would measure each and every fish with a ruler he had. Anything under 10 inches he put it in the basket and anything above 10 inches he released into the water. The man next to the fisherman carefully observed and noticed that this was being done to every fish he caught. The man told the fisherman out of curiosity, “You must be a philosopher.” The fisherman responded, “Why so?” The man said, “I figured there must be some philosophical meaning behind your keeping fish that are ten inches and under while releasing bigger fish.” The fisherman burst into a guffaw and said, “No. The skillet at my home is less than ten inches in diameter.” As funny as this story may be, it reflects our common mindset. We must overcome our limitation and circumstances and learn how to think big.

Furthermore we must think positively. Experts say 95% of brain activities in humans deal with fulfilling instinctive desire while only 5% govern higher, worthwhile thinking. That means if we leave the brain to rest we naturally conjure up instinctive and negative thoughts. Our left brain governs thinking; thinking generates emotions; emotions are the area controlled by the right brain. In summary, the right brain functions in conjunction with the left brain. There was a man who drank the water from the Niagara Falls while touring the site. A little later he saw a sign that read “Poison.” Realizing that he had just drunk the poisonous water, he came down with excruciating pain of his intestines dissolving. Soon he was taken to the hospital and the doctor upon hearing the man’s story broke into hysterical laughter. “The sign you saw read Poisson, not Poison. Poisson means fish in French.” As soon as the patient heard this, his pain completely disappeared. We feel as we think. We must at all times equip ourselves with positive, God-centered thinking that makes the impossible possible in all circumstance (Mark 9:23; Romans 4:17).

We must live everyday reflecting upon God’s callings. According to a research conducted at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, voluntary community service increases one’s happiness. Also it revealed that happy people actively engage in community service. Doing good deeds to others creates the domino effect of affirmation. How much greater would the effect be when we engage in God’s work? As we serve God’s work and callings, we grow happy and healthy. Before we know it, we also grow in faith. Faithful service built on active and positive thinking brings about the blessings of health and happiness. Thinking is directly proportional to success.

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Written By Rev.Dr. Joshua Hong

Senior Pastor of Full Gospel Church of Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.

Esau was the man who sold his birth right over a single bowl of food. We must not be the person who abandons spiritual blessings for the sake of bodily needs like Esau. Those who prioritize work, business, and child education should remember that all their needs will be met once they prioritize God’s kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). There is a Chinese saying, “There is not a flower that stays in bloom for over ten days or power that lasts over ten years.” The worldly power and wealth secured solely by human will without God’s assistance are in vain.

In the Greek Mythology, there is a story of King Midas who was blinded by the love of Gold. One day Bacchus visits and proposes to him that whatever he wishes would be granted. The king then asks that anything he touches turn into gold. Immediately anything he lays his hands on turns into gold. As he is excitedly drawn into his new power of fabricating gold, he accidentally touches his daughter and turns her into gold. Anyone he touched turned into gold. As he beheld the rays of the setting Sun fall on the world of gold he created, he cried, “It was not gold I wanted. Give me back my daughter. Bring back my daughter Marigold. It was not gold I wanted. It was a sip of water. I did not want gold. What I wanted was friendship with my old friends.” Does this not reflect our own lives?

I once read the following poem, “With money you can buy a house but not a home. With money you can buy a clock but not time. With money you can buy a bed but not sleep. With money you can buy food but not appetite. With money you can buy a house but not a true family. With money you can buy medicine but not good health. With money you can buy opulence but not happiness. With money you can buy a golden Crucifix but not Christ who was nailed and risen.” That’s right. We must live for eternal life, the invisible yet most precious and invaluable treasure. Every true blessing comes from God. There will be superfluity of Divine grace as we seek spiritual blessings rather than just bodily benefits.

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Written By Rev.Dr. Joshua Hong

Senior Pastor of Full Gospel Church of Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.

The creature with the shortest lifespan on the earth is the mayfly. During the summer, an adult mayfly may only live up to two hours and never live more than a day. In case of cicadas, an adult may live for two weeks. The lifespan of  a fly is 8 days, a rabbit 8 years, a dog 15 years, an ant 25 years, a pig 30 years, an eagle 70 years and ginkgos and zelkova few hundred years. Every living thing on the earth has its lifespan.

Humans are no exception. Even in this age of scientific and medical breakthroughs, human lifespan on average slightly exceeds 80 years. Japan is considered the longest living country with an average lifespan of 84 years. Yet this is a recent phenomenon. It was only after 1947 that average male lifespan exceeded 50 years. Even in Jesus’ time, the average lifespan was shorter than 50 years. Be that as it may, people live life as though they could live forever. The breath of life is the nose and death occurs when that breath ceases (Ecclesiastes 3:19). Nothing in this life lasts forever. Only God is eternal.

There is a Latin phrase, Memento mori. The word memento means to remember or ponder upon and the word mori means death. The phrase means, “remember death” or “live by pondering upon death.”  It seems like yesterday when I was in school. The older generation often says, “Time flies like an arrow.” The older I grow, the more I tend to agree.

The Bible says it is better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of feasting (Ecclesiastes 7:2). Why so? At the house of feasting, people just “laugh and be merry.” End of the story. At the house of mourning, however, they are reminded of memento mori. They reflect upon imminent, inevitable death for which the guests of the house mourn. Then they cherish the remainder of their life and its meaning. We must prepare for our eternal life by reflecting upon death, Heaven, and Hell.

Many of you are familiar with Rodin’s most recognized sculpture, The Thinker. Despite its evocation of beauty, it is in fact a depiction of something ominous. The sculpture is Rodin’s interpretation of the emotional struggle of mankind as it enters the Gates of Hell in Dante’s epic poem The Divine Comedy. Before we go travel, we carefully plan and pack the things we need. The date of the ravel to the eternal world is drawing near. We must behold eternal God and prepare every moment according to His will (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). Everyone dies. Only when we contemplate upon this simple truth, can we live the life full of wisdom. Memento mori!

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Written By Rev.Dr. Joshua Hong

Senior Pastor of Full Gospel Church of Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.

There is peace offering as well as burnt offering, sin offering, and guilt offering in the worship of God. Burnt offering is burned entirely or in part and its remainder is kept by the priest. Sin and guilt offerings are solely for the priest. However peace is different from other forms of sacrifice in that the person who offers it can eat part of it. Except for the priest’s portions of hind legs and breast, the offerer of the sacrifice shares it with neighbor and eats together.

There is a unique rule concerning peace offering. It is that the meat from the offering must be consumed on the same day before the sunset (Leviticus 7:15). Peace offering as a sign of a vow must be eaten by the sunset next day. If not, it must be burned by the third day. Why did God implement time constraints while allowing its consumption by the offerer? Why did God provide the ground for the nullification of the offering?

On average a cow weighs between 300 and 400 lbs and produces almost 200 lbs of flesh meat excluding bones and intestines. The person who offered peace offering must eat of the remainder of the offering on the same day. It must be consumed as quickly as possible. How should you go about that? You could never finish it by yourself. Neither can your family. Neither can your close friends. This is the time to have a feast with your neighbor whom you have neglected. As the term implies, peace offering is the sacrifice offered to promote peace with neighbor. The offering serves as a reminder that sacrifice unto God should manifest as love for neighbor and sharing with them.

Jesus also spoke of peace offering: “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift” (Matthew 5:23-24). True worship is to be offered unto God with truth and spirit but its meaning must be expressed in the relationship with neighbor. The worship acceptable unto God is love of and peace with neighbor. Is there anyone whom you hate in your heart? Do you have strained relationships with people? Pray for them. Bless them. Reach out to them first and give love. Share with you neighbor the grace you received from worship. It will truly be a peace offering God delights in.

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Written By Rev.Dr. Joshua Hong

Senior Pastor of Full Gospel Church of Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.

Apostle Paul did not harbor the vision of evangelization of Rome immediately after his conversion. He received the vision when he ministered in Ephesus (Acts 19:21). Paul encountered Christ and became converted on his way to Damascus. As he headed to Damascus to preach the Gospel, he faced numerous death threats from Jews who considered him a traitor. In the middle of the night, Paul escaped Damascus and received the three year training of holiness in the Arabian desert. After that, he returned to Jerusalem and tried to do the work of God with the disciples only to be suspected by people. Their apprehension was from that Paul once persecuted Christians. Only after Barnabas confirmed Paul’s identity, was Paul able to meet Peter. Even in Jerusalem, Jews tried to persecute and kill him. As a result, Paul descended on his hometown Tarsus and spent thirteen years in reclusion.

Then Barnabas visited him and suggested joint ministry in Antioch which they led for a year. After a year, he along with Barnabas embarked on a missionary trip. As they were about to head for the second trip after several months of the first trip, there arose a huge conflict. While Barnabas wanted on the second trip Mark, who suddenly withdrew from the first trip, Paul objected citing Luke’s irresponsibility. Eventually, Paul and Barnabas parted and the two went on separate missionary trips: Barnabas with Mark and Paul with Silas. When Paul reached Ephesus after the second trip spanning 5,000 kilometers and the third trip spanning 6,000 kilometers, he realized that the ultimate vision God had given him was the evangelization of Rome.

Paul had to wait twenty years after his conversion to realize that His purpose had lied in Rome. In spite of the prophet Agabus’s prediction of persecution, Paul went up to Jerusalem, underwent death threats from Jews, interrogation by a Roman procurator, survived Euraquilo-storm, and finally arrived in Rome. In Rome, he lay the foundation of world evangelization. If Paul undertook the ministry of Roman mission shortly after his conversion, His printing ministry, character, and the fruit of his mission would have been incomplete. God knows our circumstances better than does anyone. If there are trials in our lives, they are the procedure for God to realize His visions in our lives. Like Paul, we must proceed with God as the ultimate source of hope in life and with God-given visions even if it takes time and even if there are trials. Let us not forget that like Paul each one of us has been called by God as a vision maker.

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Written By Rev.Dr. Joshua Hong

Senior Pastor of Full Gospel Church of Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.

A leader must be able to use the language of command and authority. After creating man, God gave him a privilege. That was to name animals, plants, and all living things. The names such as tiger, eagle, and lion were made as Adam commanded. God gave enormous authority to man’s words.  In Mark chapter 11, there is a story of Jesus Christ cursing a fig tree. Despite the fact that it was not the season for fruit, Jesus Christ cursed the tree upon seeing nothing but its leaves and the tree eventually withered. As people were amazed, Jesus said, “ For truly I say to you, That whoever shall say to this mountain, Be you removed, and be you cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he said shall come to pass; he shall have whatever he said.” This story has a special message in which Jesus says to us, “If you command in your own words with faith, your command will come true as I cursed a fig tree and it withered.”

I want to look into how to pray with the power of faith. There are five steps to faithful prayer. When praying for healing, we can first petition to God saying, “God. Heal me.” The second step is to acknowledge in faith, “God. I believe you’ll heal me.” The third step is to command, “In the name of Jesus Christ, be healed of all diseases.” The fourth step is to believe that healing has been completed and declare it in perfect present tense, “I’ve already been healed.” In the world of the third dimension, there is time, which consists of past, present, and future. In the world of the fourth dimension, however, there is no linear time but faith only. The fifth step is to thank God for the healing you have already received in the statement, “I thank you that you have healed me.” These five steps comprise powerful prayer in faith.

A person with power and authority does not beseech. He neither begs nor implores. A person with power and authority just commands and what he says is done. Jesus Christ who has all authority in heaven and on earth has entrusted you such power and authority. Then we as the children of God have been given the power and authority. We must understand such power and use it wisely.

In sickness, commanding using the authority of Christ is as important as taking medicine. A while back, I had a cold accompanied by throat discomfort. I laid my hand on my throat and declared, “By the blood of Jesus Christ, throat will no longer hurt. Throat discomfort will disappear.” I woke the next day and pain and discomfort were gone. We must understand and be able to use the power God has given us. 1 Peter 4:11 reads, “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God.” Also in Proverbs 18:21, it says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Your words can bring grief and sickness in others’ hearts. In married couples, hurting a partner with words is more destructive than stabbing him or her with a knife. When you work together with others at workplace, you must avoid idle talk. A leader at all times must be the messenger of hope. Please consult your language. You have to examine and see if your language is the language of God.

In forging intimate relationships with your spouse, children, parents, and people from workplace and church, the words you speak must be the words of God. If you have a God-given dream, declare it as God has commanded you. When you look at others, consider God’s plan for them and bless them with prophetic words. Encourage them. Look at their future potential, not the present situation. Acknowledge and declare their dreams as if they have been realized already. Renewal and revival will take place through you.

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Written By Rev.Dr. Joshua Hong

Senior Pastor of Full Gospel Church of Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.

“Tomorrow morning at 10 you may come to see Mr. Beethoven.” A boy was ecstatic over the letter delivered early in the morning. To him, Beethoven was an object of awe and inspiration much like the dazzling Sun. At the time Beethoven was the most renowned composer. Many of his works were inspirations to other composers. To the boy who loved the piano, Beethoven was a living legend. “How wonderful it would be to meet Beethoven.” The boy who always entertained this thought was finally meeting Beethoven. Ironically it was round this time when Beethoven was gradually losing his hearing and avoided meeting people. Nevertheless Beethoven agreed to meet the boy.

The night before the meeting, the boy could not sleep. His head was full of complicated and anxious thoughts. It was eve frightening. He had heard that Beethoven began hating people as he was losing hearing. The boy’s mind was set on the hypothetical scenario of Beethoven bursting into a fit of rage all night. On the day of the meeting, the boy anxiously set out meet him. The two met and had a brief conversation. Beethoven asked the boy to play the piano. The boy stayed clam and gathered composure against tension and played a piece by Bach. After playing it with an all consuming zeal, he nervously looked at Beethoven. There was overwhelming astonishment on his face. Beethoven quietly said to the boy, “Your music has a living soul.”

The boy was extremely happy to hear this. He came back home and practiced even harder from that day forward. The encouragement from Beethoven instilled in him hopeful dreams and visions for the future. Later, he became a world-renowned pianist. He established his worldwide respect and reputation as a Hungarian composer and a pianist and his beautiful works are played by many classical performers today. He is Franz Liszt.

Just like Liszt, you can be transformed by someone’s encouraging and complimenting words. Therefore it is important to be near those who speak positively. What is even more important, however, is that through our words we can bring about change in others’ lives. Now go and declare the words of courage and hope to those around us. You will experience the miraculous power of the words of hope declared in God’s name generating more influence than any wisdom or teaching.

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Written By Rev.Dr. Joshua Hong

Senior Pastor of Full Gospel Church of Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.

We can also achieve dreams by complimenting and encouraging others. There are three types of language: language of relationship, language of information, and language of motivation. “Mom. Get me something to eat” is the language of relationship. Information refers to a person’s thoughts and feelings. Asking, “What did you learn from today’s service?” is using the language of information. To a leader, the language of motivation is important. Saying, “Astonishing. How did you come to realize that?” to the other party after he finishes speaking encourages, compliments, and builds up the other party. Doing that, you can bring out his innermost essential desire and potential.

Dale Carnegie said, “You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” Everyone has the desire to be recognized. It is said that everyone wears an invisible sign that reads, “I’m important. Treat me as someone important.” Whomever we meet, we should be able to see this message. Knowing that they are important and precious, we must treat others with affection and respect. In a similar vein, American psychologist William James said, “What every genuine philosopher (every genuine man, in fact) craves most is praise although the philosophers generally call it recognition!” There is a proverb, “Encouragement makes a useful person out of a fool.”

I would like to introduce the leadership of Bear Bryant, a famous college football coach in America.  He scored most wins in the history of college football in America. He used to say, “I’m just a farmer fro the country side but I know how to manage a team. You have to use compliment and criticism appropriately until the entire team moves like one body. There are three things I often say. If something goes wrong, I say, “I’m responsible.” If we achieve notable results, I say, “We did it.” If we accomplish our goals, I say, “You did it.” By saying these things, I was able to motivate the players and eventually win.” Bryant’s principle is truly profound. The players must have thought to themselves, “Our coach trusts us. He believes in us, recognizes us, and encourages us.” Such a positive message helped them renew their commitment and compete aggressively.

Abraham Lincoln was known for using the language of compliment and encouragement. In 1864, he send the letters encouragement to many generals who were then engaging in Civil War. On December 24 of 1864, he wrote to General Sherman, “Many, many, thanks for your Christmas-gift—the capture of Savannah.” He added, “When you were about leaving Atlanta for the Atlantic coast, I was anxious, if not fearful; but feeling that you were the better judge, and remembering that “nothing risked, nothing gained” I did not interfere. Now, the undertaking being a success, the honor is all yours; for I believe none of us went farther than to acquiesce. And, taking the work of Gen. Thomas into the count, as it should be taken, it is indeed a great success. Not only does it afford the obvious and immediate military advantages; but, in showing to the world that your army could be divided, putting the stronger part to an important new service, and yet leaving enough to vanquish the old opposing force of the whole—Hood’s army—it brings those who sat in darkness, to see a great light. But what next? I suppose it will be safer if I leave Gen. Grant and yourself to decide.”

How would General Sherman have felt when he received the message from Lincoln? He must have thought Lincoln had recognized him. He must have been moved by Lincoln’s acknowledgement of his autonomy. Soon General Sherman replied, “I am gratified at the receipt of your letter of Dec 26, at the hand of General Logan. Especially to observe that you appreciate the division I made of my army, and that each part was duly proportioned to its work. The motto, `Nothing ventured Nothing won’ which you refer to is most appropriate, and should I venture too much and happen to lose I shall bespeak your charitable influence. I am ready for the Great Next as soon as I can complete certain preliminaries, and learn of General Grant his and your preference of intermediate objectives.” As can be seen, interest in others naturally bring out the language of motivation. Then we can say the words of blessing and respect.

Also, we have to the words of prophetic blessing to people. The meaning of the name Simon is reed. In outer appearance, Simon was weak, wavering, and short-tempered. Jesus, however, saw his potential and said to Simon, “From now on, your name is no longer Simon but Peter.” What does Peter mean? It means rock. We need the attitude to bless others prophetically based on their potential. Especially a leader must effectively handle the task of encouraging and motivating the members of his group to realize their dreams and potential by using the language of prophetic blessing. When we declare God-given dreams to others, they are given the power to realize their dreams.

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