For Alex, it's really easy actually. I think every single one of you in here, you've come and you want to show your support and you want to give a public affirmation, as Pastor Peter mentioned earlier, of your recognition of Alex's gifts and his service to the church and really kind of express to him the fact that you're praying for him as he and his family go out to China in a few months.

I think for me, the thing that I'm really grateful for in terms of Alex is the fact that I've known him for such a long time and in that process he's always been a very consistent presence. My first experience with Alex was actually in a Bible study context. So I was teaching a Bible study over at Pastor Peter's house when his church was much smaller.

And during those days, we didn't have a ton of newcomers so anytime someone new showed up to the church, immediately they stuck out. And certainly with Alex, that was the case because he was, I mean, the moment he walked in, the biggest guy in the room. And so he walks in and the thing that I vividly remember about Alex was he was wearing his baseball cap backwards.

And being the big guy that he is and before you really get to know him, he's a really friendly guy, but before you get to know him, he doesn't necessarily appear to be that way, I guess, at first glance. And so I saw this guy, he's got his hat backwards, he's this big guy, and I just thought to myself, like, this guy's bad news.

It's bad news, got to make sure we guard the sheep and protect the flock. And if this guy's looking to cause trouble, then we got to make sure that we address that early. But clearly first impressions were changed dramatically as he continued to come out. We got to know him much better.

And it's funny in that Alex going out to China is in a lot of ways, I think, going through the same sort of emotions and same sort of mental process that I was going through when we decided to move up to NorCal. And when he first again came out to Berean, he was just a college student.

He was in one of the very first small groups I ever led at this church. And just from the get go, he exhibited his faithfulness, his desire to learn, to grow, and the fact that he really loved Christ and he loved the church. And then from that point of being a college student, he eventually, of course, graduated and he became more of a friend.

I didn't really see him as someone that I shepherded, but I saw him as a brother in Christ. And our relationship grew to the point where I asked him to be one of my groomsmen, to stand up with me on my wedding day, because I felt like he was a brother that had encouraged me so tremendously that it would be fitting for him to be up there with me when I got married.

And then so our relationship changed from me being his pastor to me being his brother and his friend. And then soon, of course, as again, Pastor Peter mentioned just a bit ago, he started to serve alongside me. So we were co-laborers too. And when we had sort of broached discussions about possible people that could help with the college ministry and Alex's name was mentioned, I mean, immediately there was no question that he would be a huge asset to our group.

And I think the reason why is because again, being that consistent and faithful presence that he is, we knew what we were getting with Alex. We knew that by asking him, there was going to be certain things that we could expect for him to contribute into our ministry. And there was no question about asking him and him not being able to follow through with those things.

And so during the time that we served together as co-laborers in gospel ministry in the local church, again, I found my relationship with him continued to transform. And now that he's being sent off by this church to do the work of the Great Commission out in China, I think it's just sort of the cherry on top in terms of this process of sanctification and growth and development that we've seen taking place in Alex's life.

I think it should be gratifying for all of us to see and to take part in what's happening tonight, because this really is God operating through brothers and sisters in this community to not only be encouraged by Alex, but to really seek to encourage Alex and his family as they go out.

But yeah, I'm just so thankful for Alex, for his presence in this church and as much of a loss as it'll be for Berean to have to send him out, China's going to gain a lot from Alex's presence. And so Alex is zealous for the gospel. Alex is zealous for the Great Commission and God has planted a seed of desire and conviction when it comes to gospel ministry out in China.

And so the fact that Alex is being sent out with the support, the resources and the prayers of this church, I think we should anticipate and be really eager to hear about all that God is doing through him and through his family as they labor faithfully in Beijing. So brother, I'm just again, so thankful for you, thankful for your friendship.

I'm thankful that we can talk about anything from the angels to the Lakers to church ministry to just our spiritual lives and how things are going with us as parents and as husbands. And I really hope that we are able to encourage you tonight and even in the coming months before you leave, as much as you've encouraged us for the last several years.

So thank you, brother. Ah, okay. I think every single one of us that was there at that Bible study when Pastor Alex first came into our house had the exact same impression. Yeah, because he didn't look like a guy who belonged in a church initially, you know, looked like a gangster guy.

And he has that serious expression about him. And he, people call him Genghis Khan because he kind of looked like a Mongolian. And, but again, I think everybody knows who knows him well. He's like a big teddy bear inside. He tries to be this tough guy, but we know him.

Yeah. So again, you know, when the scripture tells us, "Sanate lehens hastily," I remember talking to a brother, a pastor who's been ordained outside of the church. And he was telling me the process and how in the context of the ordination, he felt like, is this it? Is this the way ordination is supposed to be?

Because the room full of 150 people, they passed the test and a bunch of people that didn't know them were saying, "Hey, you're being commissioned out into ministry." And I remember him just kind of leaving the ministry, leaving the ordination process. And he was saying how disappointed he was.

He thought it would be more than that. And, and, and again, we were talking about that ordination process. Well, what did the Bible say? How does the Bible say we ought to bring people into ministry? That we ought to take very serious, you know, what it means to come into ministry that when we ordain somebody and say, as a church, we confirm the calling of this man, that we are not just hastily sending somebody out.

Every once in a while, somebody would ask me, "Now, now that you're a pastor, do you encourage your children to go into ministry?" And, and I say this with a clear conscience. I said, "No, I do not. I do not encourage. In fact, I wouldn't encourage anybody, push anybody to go into ministry because I know what ministry means." Is that, there's that beginning process of like Simon of standing in front of people and leading and small groups and all of that stuff.

There's a lot of behind the scene type of stuff that, again, you know, I was just having dinner with Pastor Aaron and you know, now that he's a senior pastor of his church up north, he knows exactly what I'm talking about. I mean, it's sometimes you feel like you're schizophrenic.

You know, there's nights when you go home so encouraged, you know, I love this church and I'm doing the exact thing that I want to do. And then you wake up next morning, you get an email and it's like, "Oh my gosh, I don't want to do this anymore." You know, and you go through this roller coaster ride that's kind of hard to relate.

It's like, why, why would, why would it, why would it be so difficult? And again, you know, Pastor Aaron knows exactly what I'm talking about. And soon Pastor Alex will know exactly what I'm talking about. And so the, the wear and tear that being called into ministry requires, and that's why he says someone who desires to be an elder is, seeks a noble task.

Pastor Alex has never wavered in that. He, he wanted to do ministry. And again, being called into ministry, Paul says, Paul tells Timothy, 1 Timothy 1.18, wage the good warfare, right? Paul described ministry as warfare. He describes it as a fight in 1 Timothy 6.12. He says, "Fight the good fight." Again, Paul at the end of his life, 2 Timothy 4.7, he described the totality of his ministry as, "I have fought the good fight." So what we're doing today is really ordaining him to enter into this fight.

Not that, the rest of the church is not, not that if you're not ordained, you're not in this fight. But in particular, when a man is ordained, when the church lays hands on this man, we're asking him to take charge, to take the lead. And when the criticisms come, when the bullets come, that you're going to be the guy in the front who's going to take the bullet first.

So ordination really is a, a setting apart from the church to say, we're ordaining you. We're, we're confirming you to lead us in this fight. And so, yeah, I'm hesitant. I'm not eager to send my kids out to battle. Now, if they say they want to go, I will be the first one who will be proud.

And I'd be, I'd be thankful that God is leading them in that direction. But would I ever push them in that direction? No, I would not push them in that direction. As we have this time of ordination, I want to encourage all of us, and in particularly, obviously, Pastor Alex.

What does this day mean? And obviously he's been a pastor, at least serving as a pastor. But today, as we confirm him together, you know, when you launch a new business, you want to make sure that you have your proper, you know, study done, the market study. You know, you, is it the right place?

Is there, is there a supply and demand? You know, whenever you, you do something new, you want to make sure that all the things are prepared and all the tools that you need, that, that you have that. You know, every year we have graduations. People graduate because they learned a set of facts and they're going to apply it in the real world.

Well, ordination, calling it to ministry, is unlike anything else. It's unlike anything else because the battle that he's fighting is not a psychological battle. It's not a sociological battle. It's not a financial. It is spiritual. And that's why it says 2 Corinthians 10, 3-4, "For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.

For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but of the divine power to destroy strongholds." This is not something that we can enter into thinking that, well, you know, he's very articulate, he's strong, he has, he has a degree. He has many experiences. So now he's equipped to go.

Paul warns us, again in Ephesians 6, 12 and 13, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." It is a spiritual battle. He said our enemy is spiritual.

And so therefore the weapons that we need to gear up on are spiritual. So again, I don't want to spend too much time in this, and I know you're already tired of, you know, your tolerance level of my preaching is already kind of filled to that point, so I don't want to go too much over.

But at the same time, we want to encourage Pastor Alex, and again, reminder of the church, what this battle really is. Because it is a spiritual battle. The scripture tells us you have to gear up spiritually. And, you know, we don't look at Pastor Alex and say, you know, he's going to, we believe he's going to be successful and fruitful in ministry because, because we see all of his gifts, and he has all this education, all this experience, so now he's going to apply it to ministry.

That's exactly opposite of what Paul says. If that's our mentality, you're already setting yourself up for failure. He says, if God really exists, which we believe, if heaven and hell really exist, if angels are real, if demons are real, we know that our struggle is against them. It may manifest physically, but the real power behind our discouragement, the real power behind the pushback and the persecution is always spiritual.

So therefore, we are reminded to gear up spiritually, he says, to put on the full armor of God. He says in Ephesians chapter 6, he says, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against authorities, against the cosmic powers, over the present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth." So the first thing that he says, you're putting on the armor of God. As we commission him to battle, the first thing he says is to fasten on the belt of truth.

Now obviously the truth is referring to the Word of God, which we talked about this morning. But the idea of fastening on the belt of truth, it has the imagery of being prepared for action. Truth is not just changing our paradigm or the way that we look at the world.

Truth equips us for battle. That's the image that we get. They would tie up their belts before they go into battle in order that whatever it is that they're wearing would not trip them up. So the first idea is to be prepared. He's been trained in seminary. He's in the process of getting his THM.

And so he has a lot of biblical knowledge that's crammed into his head. And all of that is not simply to say, "Well, he's got a degree. Now he's got an MDiv. He's going to get a THM." And so because he has these titles, he said, "No, these truths are given to him to prepare him for action." And that's the first thing that he says, that the Word of God is our weapon.

In fact, he begins the armor with the Word of God. And then at the end of it, he also says to put up the spirit of the sword, which is the Word of God. Second thing that he says is to put on the breastplate of righteousness. You will be tested.

If you push against the darkness, they will push back. You don't go and preach the gospel in the darkness and darkness doesn't say, "Thank you." If you push against the darkness and you bring the gospel to people who have not heard, they are going to push you back. And one of the first ways that you'll see it manifested is in order to nullify your message, they will nullify the messenger.

And that is the common thing that you see, even with the Apostle Paul. We see in Thessalonica where he preaches the gospel and he was so fruitful. When he left, in order to nullify the power of the gospel, they were saying that, "That guy is like any other philosopher who came here.

All he wants from you is money." And they were trying to nullify his message by nullifying the messenger. And that's why he says to put on the full, the breastplate of righteousness. And that's why one of the first qualities of an elder is that he must be above reproach.

If your life is not above reproach, your message will be disqualified. People will listen to what you say and say, "That sounds great, but you, how can we trust anything you say?" They're going to, there's no other profession where you're going to be examined in every part of your life, by every facets of different people, young people, old people, people who are from one group or another, will examine your life to see, "Is this guy, is this guy able to preach this?" That's why Paul says in Acts 24, 16, "So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man." And the reason why he takes pains to have a clear conscience before God and man is because he knows.

He knows that his life is a platform to be able to preach the gospel because they would easily nullify, "You know what, Apostle Paul, that guy's saying all this stuff, but look at his life. Look at the way he spends his money. That guy, all he wants is money." So Paul lives in such a way so that he would not be accused of any wrongdoing.

1 Peter 2, 12, "Live such good lives among the pagans that though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." Even when they want to disqualify you, he says, "Live in such a way to put on the breastplate of righteousness that Christ gives, that even if they want to accuse you, they can't." Thirdly, "Put on the shoes for your feet having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace." So again, putting on the shoes, he gives us a picture of being ready to go.

And I would say, if, when anybody says that they're interested in going into ministry, the first thing that I will ask them is, "Are you ready to go?" If you, once you're done with your training and the church ordains you, are you ready to go? So what do you mean by ready to go?

If you are being ordained so that you can be here and you see, you see the comforts of, of maybe, on appearance looks like, "Well, this is comfortable, this is nice, and this is what I want." The first thing I would ask is, "Are you ready to go?" Are you standing before God and saying, "Here am I, send me." Obviously, Pastor Alex has made that commitment from the get-go.

That he is being ordained today because he's already committed to go. The word gospel just means good news. And by the nature of the word news, news is not something, you don't tell somebody, "I have some news," and then walk away. Right? You don't tell somebody, "I got some news." You don't say, "I have good news.

See you tomorrow." Right? The nature of the word gospel means to tell somebody. That's what the word means, news. So to be a minister of the gospel means that he is ready to go. He's ready to tell people. He's ready to proclaim it, wherever it is God sends him.

So the first call of a minister is to stand before God and say, "Here am I, send me." If we're not ready to be sent, then we're not ready to be, to be a proclaimer of the gospel. It's to go. But going isn't just about moving location. We say, "Well, if we go to China, we'll go." But again, one of the best insights that I've gained about mission work was from a missionary who was out in the mission field.

And he says, "The greatest challenge of a missionary is to continue to go." Because you have that initial going. You pack up your stuff, and it's uncomfortable, and you move to a new location. But our natural human nature is to learn to adjust. Everywhere we go, make it our home.

Whether it's here, whether it's NorCal, or whether it's a foreign country, it's our natural nature to want to make wherever we go our home. And that's the challenge, is to constantly remember that we are aliens and strangers in this world, whether you are living in Irvine. And again, that's some of the mistakes that we make, is that we think, "Well, we're home, and they're not." No, none of us are at home.

It's just that when we physically move somewhere, it constantly reminds us we're not home. So that part of it, putting on the shoe of the gospel of peace, is to have that mentality to constantly be ready that this is not your home. That one day we will be home in eternity.

Until then, we are to go physically, we are to go socially, emotionally, and spiritually. Be always ready, wherever God calls us. He says, "In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish the flaming darts of the evil one." Why do you need to take up the shield of faith?

Because you're being set apart from ministry. When the scripture says that you have an adversary, like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour, guess who the primary target is going to be? Are the people who are the most committed to share the gospel. And so, all of a sudden, you're going to become a target.

Not that you weren't a target before, but you're going to be a greater target. Because if you become a leader, and you fall, the effects are going to be much greater. It's not because we're more special, it's just that there's more consequences when we fall. So our adversary is going to be targeting anyone who picks up his cross and say, "Here, my son, me." That's why, if you remember Luke chapter 22, when Jesus is about to go to the cross, he looks at all the disciples and he said, "Satan has asked permission to sift you, all of you, like wheat." Because they were the closest to Christ.

He didn't sift everybody. He didn't say, "I'm going to attack everybody." He said he wanted to attack specifically you guys. Because you guys are the one closest to Christ. So if there's... So by being ordained, being set apart, and saying, "I'm going to take on this task," you're putting yourself in a situation where you're going to be attacked.

You're going to be... And it's going to come from all different places. It's going to come from places that you don't expect. If you expected, it wouldn't be so discouraging. But it will come. There are... I don't think there's anything else that we can do where you're going to become the target of scrutiny more than what you are choosing to do.

Okay? It's too late. You can't back out now. Right? Kill first. Our enemy will first cause you to doubt God. When discouragements come, when people begin to question you, when you are not fruitful as you desire, and you're laboring, and you're lonely, and you feel alone, especially because you're going to be on a foreign country, and you're out there with your family, and you're having a difficult time, maybe even financially, and you're going to begin to question, "Is God real?

Why is he not answering my prayers? Where's the fruit? I thought if I came out here, and I just gave myself, and we're going to bear fruit, and you find that it's not what you thought, Satan is going to attack you. He's going to cause you to question. And that's why it's so important for us to take up the shield of faith, that our belief in God does not waver because of circumstance.

There's going to be times when God's going to make himself so clear to you, and you're going to say, "Thank God." I get to wake up every morning to be in the Word of God and tell other people, "There's going to be days when you're going to be, 'Thank God, what a privilege it is to be in this position.' And then there's going to be days when you wake up, 'Oh my gosh, I don't know if I can do this another day.' And you're going to ask yourself, "Is there another way?" As Christ agonized, obviously we're nowhere near the agony that he experienced, but as Christ agonized over what was about to happen, there will be days where you will be able to understand Jesus.

When he cried out, "Lord, is there any other way? But not my will, but your will be done." In Numbers 23, 19, it says, "God is not man that he should lie, nor the Son of Man that he should change his mind. Has he said and will he not do it?

Or has he spoken and will he not fulfill it?" There will be days when you're going to have to cling on to that, and everything inside of you is going to say, "I don't know if this is true. He said he promised, but where is the fulfillment? I'm crying out to God, but where is he?" And that's when you have to remember, you need to take up the shield of faith.

"Has he said and will he not do it? I believe it. Help my unbelief." Paul says to Timothy, 2 Timothy 1, 12, "I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed. I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me." Do you think Paul never wavered in his faith?

I think he did. When he says in Philippines, "I have learned the secret of being content in every and all situation." You know what it means by he learned it? There are times he questioned it. That's why he said he learned it. There are times when he was having hardship, and it's like, "What is this?

How come I'm an apostle, and I have to make tents to pay the bills?" You know, in Corinthians, he said, "Go in here, I have many people, you know, that are mine, and to be courageous and preach the gospel. And these same people that you told me to go to, now they're questioning my apostleship, and they're causing so much pain in my life." And at those times, you must take up the shield of faith.

See, Paul learned it, right? Because he went through hardship. He went through periods of doubts. And it was at the conclusion of that, he realized that God is always faithful. He will not only make you doubt about God, our enemy will make you doubt yourself. It's like, "I believe in God, but maybe I'm not the one.

You know, I see all these other people who are being fruitful, but why not me? Maybe I'm not cut out for this. Maybe I don't have the makings of a good pastor." And he's going to begin to poke at all your flaws, I guarantee you, right? Because we have flaws, right?

You know my flaws, I know your flaws. We know Pastor Aaron's flaws, right? We know our flaws. But you're in a situation where they're going to poke at it, right? Our enemy's going to poke at it. And they're going to poke at it and cause you to doubt yourself.

And it is at those times, you take up the shield of faith saying, "I didn't come into ministry because I was the most gifted. I didn't come into ministry because I was the most articulate. I didn't come into ministry because I thought I was going to be the most successful.

I came into ministry because I was convicted that the gospel was true. And I'm committing to do my part. And in the end, God is going to do what he's going to do." And you cling to that with all your might, right? To persevere, take up the shield of faith.

Take up the helmet of salvation. That God's love for you is not based on your performance. And that's something that you will wrestle with. And I'm pretty sure Pastor Aaron knows what I'm talking about. And every pastor knows what I'm talking about. That are, just like any other guy, you know, two guys meet together and say, "Hey, what do you do for a living?" Oh, and then you kind of, you know what I mean?

You're secretly jocking to say, "Oh, I make more money than you do." "What school did you go to?" You know, "I went to UCLA." "Oh, I went to a better school than you." It's no different even in pastorate. You know, you get together and say, "Well, how's your ministry going?

What's going on with you?" So take up the helmet of salvation. That our foundation is not based upon our performance. God's love for you is not based upon your performance. God never saved you because of your potential. God saved us because we could not. And that will never change.

That will never change. So our work for Him is just an expression of our love. Because we want to see the lost saved. And I want to again remind you, Romans 8, 31-36. "If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is it that condemns? Christ, Jesus is the one who died. More than that, who was raised? Who is at the right hand of God? Who indeed is interceding for us? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

Whether your ministry is large and successful, whether you are struggling to just hold on to one soul, who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, distress, persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? We must put on the helmet of salvation. That my identity in Christ does not waver one bit because of what you are able to do or not able to do.

Once He becomes our Abba Father, He's our Abba Father for eternity. And that's what gives me strength. That's what gives you strength. And when you get out there and you begin to do ministry again, as you are doing ministry here, that you remember this. Take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

And finally He concludes by saying, "Pray. Pray, pray, pray, pray, pray." If there's anything that a minister must commit to do is to pray, pray, pray, pray, pray. Because by praying, we're coming before the Lord and saying, "All of this is not possible without You." And when we don't pray, we're indirectly saying, "I can do this." And that's the last lesson that any of the disciples needed to learn before he went to the cross.

That you're not going to do it. Satan has asked permission to sift you like wheat. And I don't know if Satan has asked permission to sift you like wheat, but I know from experience and from all the people who've gone before us, that you will be tested. Your character is going to be tested.

Your ability is going to be tested. Your family is going to be tested. Your relationship with your wife is going to be tested. Your children will be tested. Your ministry is going to be tested. You're going to be tested in your 30s. You're going to be tested in your 40s.

You're going to be tested in your 50s. You're going to be tested with your finances. You're going to be tested in your leisure. You're going to be tested in your pride. You're going to be tested in public. You're going to be tested in private. In every aspect of your life, you will be scrutinized.

And in the context of that, if the Holy Spirit is not sustaining you, we can't make it. And that's why he says, "Your spirit is willing, but your flesh is weak. So therefore, cling to Christ in prayer." So this is our encouragement to you this afternoon. And I ask all of you who are here this afternoon to confirm him.

It is not because the people who are ordained are some special people that you guys can't relate to. And we're not saying that at all. We're same people like you who needed his grace to live. We're same sinners who struggle with the same lust, same desire for recognition, same desire for honor, just like everybody else.

If there's anything that's different in any way, it's because God was gracious to us and he opened our eyes to see the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And then that caused us to say, "I want to tell other people about this. I want to spend every minute that I have, the rest of my life, to tell other people about this." And that's why we ask you to pray for him.

We ask you to pray for him today. We ask you to pray for him when he goes. We ask you to pray for him for the rest of your life. So when we're here ordaining him, we're not just ordaining him today and say, "Well, he's off, so we've done our part." When we're ordaining him, we're going on the same wagon as him, right?

Same thing with Pastor Aaron. When he was being ordained, Pastor Mark, when he was being ordained, that we're basically saying that even though we may be physically apart, by laying hands on him, we're saying, "We're going to get on the same bandwagon. We're going to get on the same cart from this day on.

That I'm going to be responsible for him. He's going to be responsible for me. And you're going to be responsible for him as well." That we're laying hands on him and on behalf of us, representing us, he's going to lead. He's going to take the lead in preaching the gospel.

So if he fails, we all in some part will fail. If he fails. And so we need to keep him accountable. We need to pray for him. And so when we ask the elders and the leaders to come and we're going to lay hands and pray for him, obviously we're not going to have you all come and lay hands on him, because you can't.

Okay, there's too many people. But spiritually, symbolically, we're all going to lay hands on him. We're all spiritually going to be praying and saying, "We affirm. We affirm this man's calling in his life and from this day forward, what he does, we do with him. If he succeeds, we succeed with him, because we confirmed him.

If he fails, we fail with him, because we confirmed him." And so I pray that again, now as I ask his family to come up and ask the elders, including Pastor Aaron, to come up, and we're going to lay hands on him. We're going to pray for him. Okay, if you can come up.

Jan and Hadden? I think they're washing him up to be presentable. All right. Okay. Okay, have a seat. All right, we're all going to lay hands, and again, please pray with us, and then Elder Philip, Elder Joe, and Pastor Mark is going to represent us in prayer. But again, as we pray, again, if you would have the same spirit that we're laying hands on him, and we're confirming all together.

So we'll have them lead us in prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you that you've put us in this position, Lord God, to witness and to be a part of sending and also ordaining Pastor Alex and Jan and also Hadden. Father God, Lord, I just want to pray for their ministry in China as Pastor Alex and the family is preparing to go.

I pray, Lord God, that you would help them in just the practical ways of preparing themselves, just leaving the United States and taking the family overseas to China. And I pray that all the transition that will occur, all the logistic that needs to get done will be smooth. I pray, Lord, even just emotionally that you would comfort them.

I know that it's not going to be easy the day that they're traveling overseas, knowing that they are leaving their family members, everything that they know here in the United States and building a new life in China where it's a new place. New things, Father God, people that they don't know, language that they don't understand, people they don't, the culture that is different, Father.

But Lord God, we are just wholeheartedly ordain Pastor Alex and his family, Lord, to be a minister and a pastor of the gospel so that they can bring light, Lord God, to areas that are dark, that needs to hear the gospel, Father. And I pray, Lord, that you would meet all of their needs, that you would meet all of their needs emotionally, physically, financially, in every way, knowing that you are with them, Father, that you have commanded us to go.

But in the end, that you comfort, that you will be with them always to the end of the age, Father. And I pray that that will be their comfort in times of difficulty, in times of loneliness, times of just questioning, Lord, maybe why they're there, Father, that they will feel your presence with them, Lord, in the most difficult times, knowing that you have called them and they're exactly where you have placed them, where they should be.

And I pray for fruitfulness in their ministry in China, Lord. And I thank you, Lord. Father, we want to lift up our sister Jen to you, Lord, as your child, as your adopted daughter, Lord God, I pray that she may continue, Lord God, to be sanctified, that you challenge her in so many ways through the support of her husband, through raising Hadan as she prepares and as she goes, Lord God, I pray that she may cling to you, Lord God, that her relationship with you personally, Lord, may continue to grow with passion, with intensity, Lord God, with the desire, Lord, to please you in everything that she is able to do, Lord God.

So I pray as well, Lord God, as a sister, Lord, as she will be meeting and ministering to other sisters around her, I pray that you help her to be a model example, Lord God, of faithfulness, of patience, of the fruit of the Spirit, Lord God, that as she disciples others, that sisters around her may see the light of Christ, her attitude, Lord God, to be humble, to be like Christ, that in everything that she does in encouraging words and in things, Lord God, that she may continue, Lord God, to think with a mindset of service, a mindset of doing things out of love.

And Lord, as a wife, Lord, we pray that she continue, Lord, to support Alex as they ventured into a foreign place. And I know, Lord God, that alone is somewhat stressful, but I pray, Lord God, that as they go together, Lord, that she may find strength through the relationship that she has with her husband, that as she supports, as she continues, Lord, to build relationship in a different place, Lord, I pray that whether they're in China or wherever they are in the world, Lord, that their relationship may continue to be solid, that their love for one another may continue to grow, that their love for one another may continue to support their desire to please you as a team, as one, Lord God, that the ministry, Lord God, that they both commit to, Lord God, may be for your glory as well, Lord God, as a mother.

We pray, Lord, that you give her patience, that you help her, Lord God, to be mindful of how and what she can say and encourage young Haddon, Lord, so, Lord, that she can raise and be a part of really ministering to her son and really getting the gospel into him to help him, Lord God, to see just the light of Christ through his interactions with Jen as well, Lord God.

We want to pray for Haddon. We thank you, Lord God, that he brings so much joy to this family and, Lord, I know that the most important thing in their minds is that Haddon would know Christ and that would come to believing and sanctification and knowledge, Lord God, that the gospel is real, that Christ is real, that he may one day see his parents and what they have committed to do, that he may embrace that as well, that the passion for the lost may be imparted to him as well, Lord God.

We pray for his safety and his continual growth, both physically, emotionally, and spiritually, Lord, that in the situation for him, I pray that he may be an obedient child, that he may not bring heartache to his parents, but, Lord God, that he may bring joy and continued understanding of your love for us, Lord God, as teaching both Jen and Alex, Lord God, in parenting.

So, God, we pray for this family. We pray for Jen and Haddon, Lord God, as they support and be a part of this ministry and be a part of this team as a family, Lord God, that as they venture into this new chapter, I pray, Lord, for much strength and much commitment to you, Lord God.

>> Heavenly Father, we pray that Pastor Alex and Jen, in their preparation before leaving, God, that they would have sweet times of prayer with you, that as you prepare them, that you would prepare their heart to be in a place of humility. God, that Pastor Alex would empty himself of any selfish ambition to create or produce something of his own accord, but, God, that he would learn through sweet prayer and you would bring his heart to a place of submission, that he would be ready to do your will, that he would be ready to follow your lead, and, God, he'd be willing to take the steps and guidance that you provide, Lord.

And, God, we do know that in the times to come, in the months leading up, that there are going to be hardships, perhaps logistical frustrations. I know that they're already, right now, busy as it is, and that there are different stresses to come, but now as you prepare them, God, would you build in them a great confidence not in themselves, but as they labor, as they strive diligently for your glory, would that be accompanied and combined with great confidence in the name of Christ.

Lord, would you bring them to a point of trust, trust in your sovereignty, trust in your character, trust in your presence. In all things, Father God, we pray that you would fill their hearts with more love for Christ, that any sacrifice made, at any time they feel that they're leaving behind too much, Lord, that these things would be all sacrifices of love to you.

God, that their hearts would be filled with great affection for our Lord and Savior, that when they go to preach, that God, they'd be preaching the love of Christ. God, that when they go to minister, it'd be done for the love of your name. And Father, it's in that great name we pray, amen.

>> All right. >> You want me to take him? >> Are you gonna take him? >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> Okay, at this time, we would like to present Pastor Alex with a certificate of ordination and also a little gift. So I'll go ahead and on behalf of the Berean Community Church, I will go ahead and read the certificate, okay, and make the presentation.

Certificate of ordination, we, the elders and members of Berean Community Church, hereby certify that Alex Han has been tested and confirmed through years of faithfulness and fruitfulness to be set apart for the gospel ministry of Jesus Christ. On the 7th of December, 2014, the following council members, leaders of Berean Community Church, signed by Peter Kim, Mark Lim, Joseph Chun, and Philip Kim.

>> Thank you. Yeah. Yes. It's like I'm being sent out to war and spiritual battle and you guys are cheering for me. It's so great. Yeah, I mean, I was trying to think of a way to sum up just my attitude and just my perspective in all this. And there's just like two points that I just want to make.

And first point I want to make is just how I got here. I remember when I was in China and I was, I think I was talking with Pastor Aaron over the phone. Probably Henry probably heard about this too, but it was like a Sunday morning. We didn't go to church yet.

And so I was talking to Pastor Aaron and then I remember telling him, I was like, "You know, for whatever the reason, like I just love God." You know? And it wasn't, it's a known fact, you know? It's a known fact. Yeah, I believe it. But there was such a simplicity to that, to whatever experience I was having at that moment, you know, just to have this simple love for God, no strings attached, you know, like, you know, like, yeah, he saved me, he's blessed me, he's given me all these different things.

And just my response is just, I simply love you. And just thinking about how that simple love is being manifested now and just coming up to this point of being ordained and now, you know, thinking about China and missions and trying to start a church, it really is just a manifestation of this simple love for God and a desire to share this simple love with everyone that I know.

And I'm just utterly humbled and amazed to see how much that love for God could carry me through. And I'm genuinely wondering, will this love carry me through once more? And I think with confidence I can say, yes, it will carry me through. My second point, I was just trying to think, yeah, like, people are asking me, "So how do you feel like being ordained?" And I'm like, "I don't know, I never went through it before." I'm only expecting to be ordained once, so I'm like, I don't know how I'm gonna feel.

But if I can sum it up in two words, it's answered prayers. And it's not my answered prayers, it's really the answered prayers of a lot of different people at our church. I am the result of your prayers. And I think knowing that should stir up the body of Christ, to stir up the faith to have in Him, that He does answer prayers.

Like, when Pastor Peter comes up and says, "You need to pray to God to raise up more workers to be sent out to the harvest," tonight, this is like the manifestation of that prayer being answered. You know? I'm one of those workers. And there's gonna be many more workers that are gonna be raised up as a result of answered prayers.

And so when Pastor Peter was saying, "You gotta pray, pray, pray," I'm looking at my life and I'm like, I'm the result of answered prayers many times over. And it just humbles me. It points to the fact that I can't be here without the support of God and the support of this church.

And I am absolutely excited. You know, I know school is gonna end for me pretty soon, and I'm excited about that. I'm like, yes, no more driving up 70 plus miles, you know, twice a week. But I'm actually more excited to start the work in China. It's been seven years waiting, praying, preparing, and to finally come to the manifestation of like actually going.

I'm gonna be like, man, I'm just gonna be praising God, you know, every day. And so I'm utterly humbled, I'm grateful, I am the result of your answered prayers, and I'm only praying that our church would pray more so that we could raise up more workers to be sent out into the harvest.

You know, yes, our family needs prayer, yes, our family needs financial support for this move to China. But more than us, the work itself needs more people. And I'm taking open calls right now to be sent out to China. You don't have to wait. If you want to join the team, you can join the team now.

So I'm just letting you guys know. Anyways, that's it. I'm done. Thank you very much. (audience applauding) (audience clapping)