The Internship

I started the Biblical Teaching & Preaching School (BTPS) with a mixture of fear and excitement. God has called me as a teacher and trainer so I wanted to learn better ways of teaching and preaching.

Outreach. After a one-month lecture phase, I interned at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Ipoh. I had a good time with many different experiences.

Even though I had five years of experience working in the Korean Church as pastoral staff, I learned many new things during my placement. Preaching on Sunday, teaching in small groups & youth group, prayer meetings, visitations to encourage people, funeral services, and leading worship challenged and equipped me.

During my church placement, my first preaching was about God's strength being displayed through our weaknesses according to 2 Corinthians 4:7-18. When Paul was writing 2 Corinthians, his leadership and apostolic authority were endangered. He experienced conflict with false apostles in Corinth. Although they attacked Paul vigorously, what really hurt was the fact that the Corinthians did not come to his support. Rather, they supported the false apostles.

Paul had a passion for the gospel and a deep love for his churches, but he suffered pain over misunderstandings and attacks. Paul realized that he was like a clay jar. He realized that when he is weak God could use his weakness to show His glory.

I have lived this message a number of times. Since coming from Korea, I have felt that I am a broken clay jar. I feared speaking English and tried to improve so I could minister and serve people. It is a big weakness that I carry. I cried out to God again and again. God encouraged me that the human perspective and God's perspective were different. God uses my weakness to show His glory. Because of my weakness I can be humble, grow, and rely on God.

Core Values. At SMC Penang, we have 10 core values. One of them is personal growth, meaning change. If we want to teach to change lives then we must be growing and changing ourselves. In Luke 2:52, Luke mentions four areas of growth in Jesus' life: wisdom, stature, favor with God and men. I have grown in all of these areas.

During the BTPS, I grew most in two areas: intellectual and spiritual development. In intellectual development, I found I needed to study more to prepare teaching and preaching. It was not just studying the Bible. I needed to study other books so I could reach different age group's, along with understanding relevant issues and cultures.

In the area of spiritual development, I needed to have time with God otherwise I could not teach or preach. This does not mean I did not have time with God before. It simply means that I have grown in having an intimate relationship with God as a teacher.

Spiritual discipline helped me to handle and manage my entire situation in God so that I could receive God's grace and be changed to imitate Jesus in daily life. Although I am weak God has imparted His character in me to grow more and more to be a proper teacher.

MYUNG HEE has been on staff in Penang for over ten years. She is currently the leader of the Frontier Missions Department as well as the SoFM.