Shepherd's Corner (December 10th, 2025)
- Brian Lee
- Dec 10, 2025
- 3 min read
What I Believe and Sense God is Doing in Our Midst
(Why Riverside Community Church, a House of Prayer for All Nations, is special to me.)
One thing has become increasingly clear to me in these past eight months since returning to Riverside: the church Jesus is building is unmistakably missions-minded. The Great Commission is not an optional assignment for the select few. It is the heartbeat of Christ for His people. Our risen Lord has commanded us,
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).
A church that follows Jesus is a church that moves outward.
There are many wonderful English-speaking Korean churches in our region, and we thank God for them. And yes, Riverside Community Church began as the English Ministry of a Korean-American congregation. This is part of our story, a heritage we honor with gratitude.
But from the beginning, our calling was never to become simply another English-speaking Korean Church. God planted us here to become what Jesus declared:
“My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations” (Mark 11:17).
Our identity is deeply biblical, rooted not in ethnicity or familiarity but in the Lord’s global heart.
This does not mean ignoring our heritage. On the contrary, Scripture celebrates the beauty of diverse backgrounds being brought into unity under the reign of Christ (Revelation 7:9). It means that while we may speak different languages at home and cherish our cultural traditions, the official language of Riverside must be the Word of God. This is the language by which God calls, forms, and transforms His people.
To be a community church, a house of prayer church, and a house of prayer for all nations church requires intentionality. It means loosening our grip on what is familiar, so that the truth of God’s Word becomes more familiar. The Bible tells us,
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16).
A church shaped by the Word becomes a church that welcomes, prays, and loves beyond the boundaries of comfort.
When I answered the call to return as your pastor, I believe I was responding to God’s invitation for us to enter into this identity. Not simply an English-speaking Korean congregation, but a Christ-centered, Gospel-driven, Holy Spirit-led church, a people through whom God blesses and reaches the nations.
Our readings through 2 Chronicles, Ezra–Nehemiah, and Haggai have made this unmistakably clear. True awakening does not begin with structures or strategies, but with the heart. In Nehemiah’s day, even after the temple was rebuilt, the Torah was taught, and the wall was restored, the people still needed inner renewal. Their hearts had to be rebuilt by the Word and Spirit of God. The same is true for us.
So, Riverside, may I invite you to:
Pray with me for an awakening.
Pray for a renewal that begins in our hearts and flows outward.
Pray that we would break out of our comfort zones and answer Christ’s call to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).
“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.”— Revelation 7:9
Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus. Reign in our hearts, build Your church, and make Riverside a true house of prayer for all nations.
In His Grace Alone,
Pastor Brian Lee
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