Los Angeles Held 3 Day Retreat to Commemorate Easter

OU Riverside

Easter retreat kicked off in Los Angeles on Friday with opening service that lasted for 3 days.

Dr. Matthias Gebhardt delivered a message from Isaiah 52:13 to Isaiah 53. This is the prophecy from the prophet Isaiah to the exile. We can see the image of Jesus in the prophecy, the image of a suffering servant. He was so disfigured and marred but because of his suffering we gain life. We need to have the eye to look beyond the suffering to see the glory of the cross. The prophet said that he was pierced for our sin and by his wound we are healed. This is how we can come and stand in this place. Our sin separated us from God and through the love and sacrifice of the Lord we can come back to God. We have been given this great grace and hope that we can always testify this amazing grace and what God has done for us.

The event was followed by a series of Bible studies.

Dr. Christy Tran gave the first two Bible Studies, leading us to deeply meditate the meaning of Jesus' cross. Jesus said the cross is glory, however, why the cross is glory? From a corn of wheat and the woman who broke the alabaster jar, we know the answer is that except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. Jesus is telling us a world of resurrection, but before the glory there first is cross. As the famous verse John3:16 said, God gave us His one and only Son for He so loved the world, hope we truly understand His love and repay God with our pure and sincere love, regarding Him as the center of our life for God loves us above all.

The last Bible Study is delivered by Dr. Esther Kim. According to John 18, we meditated two topics, one of which is about the responsibly of Jesus' death, another about how to follow Jesus going the way of the cross. On the one hand because of love Jesus went to the cross with obedience, on the other hand, Jesus was crucified by human's sin. Hope we truly recognize our sin and repent it in front of God's unconditional love. Hope we take up our cross to follow Jesus, believing God is with us, to live in victory.

 

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World Olivet Assembly believes in equipping believers with theological and practical resources that would enable them to advance the work the gospel.

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