Delivering the Gospel & Testimonies of Grace
2013. 10
Elijah’s words brought hope and joy ｜ Sermon of the Month You Can Now Open the Era of Jesus ｜ Story from Missionaries Inside the Love of Christ that is Stronger than Cancer ｜ A Grain of Mustard Seed
A man in Malawi: This man was selling bananas at the gate of the university. His expression seemed dark so I wanted to preach the gospel to him. As I shared the words in Hebrews 10:10, “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all� the man believed it and received salvation. He was truly happy.
Message of the Month
How is it that thou askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? The Jews very much despised Gentiles and Samaritans because they were not ethnically pure. In John 4, a Samaritan woman who had five different husbands and was living with a sixth man came to the well to draw water and met Jesus. “This man is a Jew so he will despise me,” she thought, but unexpectedly, Jesus asked her for some water. The woman said, “How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria?” Jesus passed his heart to her by treating her warmly even though she was despicable. The woman continued speaking with Jesus and was soaked in His word. When Jesus said that he would give her living water so that she would never thirst again, she accepted His word as is and sought for that water instead of going against him by saying, “There’s no such water!” She was blessed as she accepted Jesus’ Word and her heart was made new. We are like that Samaritan woman. Long ago we were filled with resentment, hatred, abhorrence, distrust and despair. However, Jesus came to us and opened our hearts. He came into us and replaced those things with faith, hope, and love. It’s so beautiful that Jesus leads us to live with true hope the way He led the Samaritan woman.
-from Pastor Ock Soo Park’s sermon
Delivering the Gospel & Testimonies of Grace
2013. 10
Contents 2 Photo & News 3 Message of the Month How is it that thou askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? 5 Photo & News 6 Sermon of the Month
Elijah’s words brought hope and joy. 12 Testimony of the Month Was Dead and Is Alive Again, And Was Lost and Is Found 28 Resting Covered by Vines 30 Special Testimony Story from Missionaries 38 Pilgrimage Dead Sea 45 Field of Boaz Put into his hand 48 Missionary＊s Testimony To the Land of Promise, Land of Blessing 61 Life of Saints Let It Alone This Year Also 66 A Grain of Mustard Seed Inside the Love of Christ that is Stronger than Cancer
The Good News (Vol.204) is published monthly by Good News Publications, Inc., 3500 W. 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90004 E-mail: goodnewseditor@gmail.com Chairman, Chief Executive Officer: Ock Soo Park Editor-in-Chief: Hyun Tae Ko Art Director: Zinna Park Chief Printer/ Press: DLAP Printing, Co. Printed on October 11, 2013. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written permission of Good News Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2013 by Good News Publications, Inc.
Photo & News
The third morning of the no-money witnessing trip, we headed towards a place a short distance away from the city. We went inside a house that was made of dirt which looked like it would fall apart if it rained. We met a lady who only knew how to speak the local language rather than French, the official language of Congo. Sister Flory knew how to speak the local language so she preached the Gospel. The lady said, “I’m so thankful Jesus died and cleansed the sins of an ignorant person like me. Also I’m grateful to you for traveling this far to preach the gospel to someone who can’t even speak French.” PHOTO & NEWS 5
Sermon
Elijah’s words brought hope and joy.
The new world in the heart of the widow of Zarephath. Sermon of the Month | Ock Soo Park (Pastor, Good News Gangnam Church)
As the widow of Zarephath stood before d e a t h, h o w m u c h w o ul d s h e h a ve blamed her husband and the world her misfortune? However, when Elijah said, “The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail,” the word entered amazingly into her heart. People would naturally think that once the meal was finished, there wouldn’t be anymore left in the barrel. But the widow accepted those words as the Word of God and not as the word of man. The Word entered into the widow and worked to cast out all fear and despair, creating a new world.
6 The Good News October 2013
The words of Elijah rang in the ears of the widow of Zarephath. The widow of Zarephath appears in 1 Kings 17 when she meets the prophet Elijah outside the city gate. People were dying from famine because it hadn’t rained rain for three and a half years in Israel. The widow was living with her son and all they had left was a handful of meal. The woman went out to gather sticks to make a fire and bake a cake made from that handful of meal. She met Elijah along the way and he asked her for some water. As she went to fetch it, Elijah called her again and asked for a morsel of bread. She answered that she didn’t have a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel with which she would make a cake for her son and herself to eat and then die. Elijah said, “Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.” Elijah’s words rang out in the ears of the widow of Zarepath. Just a few short words filled the woman’s heart with hope and joy. Despair and death filled the widow’s heart before she met Elijah. After starving for a long time, she decided to eat a cake made from her final handful of meal and die. That’s when she met Elijah. Before she met Elijah, joy, thankfulness, and grace were nowhere to be found in her heart. The despair of starving and the thought of eating the last of their food before they eventually died were all that was left. However, the amazing thing was that when she heard the Word of God, her heart started to change. It’s like when the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, God said, “let there be light” and there was light. In Genesis 1, whenever God spoke, the earth changed.
Sermon 7
Sermon
The few brief words from Elijah didn’t allow the woman’s heart to remain in sleep; it had power to fill that heart with hope and joy.
Beautiful flowers blossomed, trees yielded fruits, birds sang, and the earth changed into a beautiful garden. It’s not just in Genesis chapter 1. No matter what darkness, problems, or concerns we may have in this world, when God’s Word enters into our heart, hope and joy arise, and His power is manifested. I met many people as I preached the gospel. Regardless of who they were, all of them rejoiced and were thankful once the gospel entered into them. When God made man, He made man’s heart and that heart is made so it can only change when the Word of God enters into it. Elijah’s word went into the widow’s heart and caused it to awake. “What? The barrel of meal will not empty? Then no matter how much meal I take out, the meal will continue to fill the barrel! Then I need to get the lady next door to make dough and I got to keep scooping. And with the dough, we can make a cake, and the lady next door and I can eat… I’ll tell the lady, ‘Hey, eat a lot. We can bake more for the kids.’ I’ll call my mom. I’ll call my brother, sister in law and friends. I should call so-and-so…” The few brief words from Elijah didn’t allow the woman’s heart to remain in sleep; it had power to fill that heart with hope and joy. H o w h app y m u st t h e w i d o w h av e f e lt whenever she saw the barrel full of meal! From time to time I read the book of Acts chapter by chapter and my heart gets so fulfilled that I can’t sit still and want to hurry up and get out there to shout the Word. While I’m shouting out the Word, all of the worries, concerns, and darkness that were 8 The Good News October 2013
in my heart disappear and my heart gets filled with hope and joy. How happy must the widow of Zarephath have felt after she dressed the meal and made a cake to bring to Elijah, and saw that the meal once again filled up the barrel! How joyful was she! She would scoop the meal from the barrel and make dough; her son would make a fire. “Just wait a little longer. It’s almost done.” After she ate the bread with her son, she would scoop more meal from the barrel and call her next door neighbor to knead dough together. She would be indescribably happy. The change in a certain girl who had to live in darkness and despair all her life I knew a student who was half Korean on her mother’s side. After her parents got married, their relationship fell apart so she spent her childhood in darkness. When she was in elementary school, her mother became mentally unstable and would receive counseling from time to time. Her father suspected her of infidelity and started fighting with her. One day, it came to a head when he tried to stab her to death. Her mom left the house and she stayed with her dad and older brother; she lived a very painful and dark life. She woke up one day while she was still in elementary school and saw a letter next to her head. In it, her father apologized to her and her older brother. Her father committed suicide. She was too little to know why her father killed himself. She just wondered, “How come only sad things happen in my family? Mom always fought with dad. Mom left home. Dad committed Sermon 9
Sermon
The Word entered into the widow and worked to cast out all fear and despair, creating a new world.
suicide.” Sometime later, her mom came home with a new husband but she didn’t get along with him. Her mom was still mentally unstable and would hit her for no apparent reason. “Why was I born into this family? Why do I have to live like this?’ She lived day by day in despair. One day her mom started to go to a Good News Mission church and her family started to settle down. Her mom arranged for her to go to Canada to study abroad. She stayed in the church and started to listen to the gospel from the pastor while she studied for two years. She went to church ever since she was little but she didn’t know the gospel. One day she finally realized the gospel, and her life changed greatly since. She returned from Canada and is now living with her mom and stepfather. For more than ten years, she never called him “Dad” so it felt embarrassing and awkward to start, but she did. She showed me a letter that she wrote, that said when she met her parents again inside the Lord, her family was peaceful and comforting. She was going to live in darkness and despair all her life but as Jesus Christ entered into her heart, He gave her peace and joy that other people in the world don’t have. The woman tasted a new world that she never experienced before "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1) We can’t touch God with our hand, see Him with our eyes, or feel Him with our senses but as we deal with the Word of God,
10 The Good News October 2013
we can know that, "this is God's Word; this Word is God." Just as the Word gave hope, joy, and faith to the Zarephath widow who only had despair, many times I saw people who were in despair, whose life became bright and happy after God’s Word entered into their heart. As the widow of Zarephath stood before death, how much would she have blamed her husband and the world her misfortune? However, when Elijah said, “The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail,” the word entered amazingly into her heart. People would naturally think that once the meal was finished, there wouldn’t be anymore left in the barrel. But the widow accepted those words as the Word of God and not as the word of man. The Word entered into the widow and worked to cast out all fear and despair, creating a new world. “I’m going to scoop up some meal, and bake bread for my mother’s family. How happy will she be as eats the bread? How happy will my family be? In this famine…!” The woman was excited. A new world that she never experienced before; she tasted that new heart. When I think about it, I can’t express in words how amazing it is. Whoever receives God’s Word into their heart can’t help but change. The Word casts out all the worries, concerns, and fears and makes a new world of joy and hope in our heart. I believe the peace, joy, and faith the Zarephath widow received from God will fill the hearts of all people who truly meet God and accept the Word.
Sermon 11
Testimony of the Month
Was Dead and Is Alive Again,
And Was Lost and Is Found Throughout our marriage there was continual conflict between my husband and I. After receiving salvation by God’s grace, it seemed like I would be happy againbut I suddenly contracted leukemia. God taught me that my heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked while I fought against my sickness. God led me to believe His word.
Myung Ja Han(Good News Ul San Church, S. Korea)
Poor Daughter from a Rich Family My mother was practically a shaman. When I got sick as a child, she would bring a knife and rice inside a bowl made from a gourd split in half. Then she made me spit three times and cut my hair and nails three times and put them in a bowl. She would mutter to herself while she scraped the bowl, “Eat this rice, and immediately depart from this sick child” as she drew a cross with her foot. Then she would perform an exorcism by throwing the knife and saying, “If you don’t leave after eating the rice I’ll cut your stomach with this knife and you will never eat
12
The Good News October 2013
Testimony 13
한명자 자매 부부
again.� Strangely, once my mother finished the exorcism, my stomach ache or headache would be completely gone.
I was born to a rich family. We lived in a beautiful mountain village located in Choonchung province. We had a big family and owned many acres of crops and livestock. I wanted to study and become a successful lawyer, but my father was opposed to women studying. With help from my mother and sisters in-law I barely finished middle school but gave up on going to high school. I went to Busan to live with my older brother and began working at a textile mill to make money. Luckily, I was able to live in company housing. I needed to buy 90 meal vouchers every month to have three meals a day, but I only bought 30 vouchers because I needed to save money to study. I was hungry because I only ate one meal a day, so I made very salty rice with a lot of soy sauce and hot chili powder. Because I ate such salty rice I had to drink water all day which made me full. Sometimes I wonder if that’s perhaps why I am the shortest in my family. Resentment towards my father piled up in my heart. I hated my father for blocking my study just because I was a girl even though he had the money to send me to school. I wanted to stand proudly in front of my father after becoming a successful lawyer so I broke off communications with my family. 1st Class of Special Evening School Back in the days when telephone calls were manually connected by switchboard operators, becoming a telephone operator was harder than becoming a government employee. I passed the exam and earned a certificate. Although I was certified I failed all my interviews because I only graduated from middle school. I tried to commit suicide because nothing seemed to work the way I wanted. I took dozens of pills. When I opened my eyes I was in the hospital. I felt bitter toward God for not even allowing me to die.
14
The Good News October 2013
I was a member of the inaugural class of the “Special Industrial School”. I’m the one in the far left.
While I was working I entered the “Special Industrial School” created by president Jung Hee Park in its inaugural class and became a late-high school student. It was the first “Special Industrial School” and it drew the attention of the media and broadcast stations. As a representative of my class the principal and I appeared as guests on a live TV show. On the show I wanted to accuse of my father for discriminating against his daughter. However, the producer coached me to say that I grew up in a poor farmer’s family, so I gave up on studying and started to make money. But I thank the President for his thoughtfulness in giving me this chance to go to high school at my age.” I heard my father cried after reading my story in the newspaper. But, I couldn’t forgive my father until his death because my life was so miserable after I left home. Clash after Marriage I entered high school as I had hoped, but I ended up spending my time dating. Eventually I chose marriage over college. My husband was a non-commissioned officer in the military. We settled in Chundo-ri, a place deep in the mountains of Inje in Gangwon Province. I started to have indigestion when I ate food made with flour. I vomited Testimony 15
When we were newlyweds. My husband was an NCO
and stayed up all night with stomach pains and headaches. I became thinner day by day. We should’ve been happy as newlyweds, but our marriage was drifting into unhappiness. What saved my life was seven paper talismans my mother sent. I was freed from indigestion and migraines after placing the talismans on the ceiling, wall, floor, shoe shelf, pillow, and so on. There was a brief period of
peace after I regained my health, but a psychological war started between my husband and I because of the Bible study in the commanding officer’s house. This religious war sparked as soon as I was freed from physical pain so there was no time for me to enjoy it. My husband commanded me to remove the talismans from the house because he said they were demons. I believed in those talismans as my savior. It Was the Truth. I Am Going to Hell. I wanted to save my husband before he fell too deep into the Bible study, so I went to their meeting. One man was preaching to about a dozen people sitting in a circle. The man said the Bible is the truth and there is a heaven and hell. You go to hell if you have sin and you go to heaven if you don’t. I opened my ears in hopes of catching just one mistake in his sermon, but instead I found myself sitting up straight with an alert mind. I was afraid of going to hell. I heard how my hatred towards my father was murder. It became official that I would go to hell as a murderer in
16
The Good News October 2013
With my husband and two sons front of the judgment of God. I sat for eight hours continuously. Some were falling asleep, some left, and some were happy saying that they received salvation. I just cried because my heart ached. I never read the Bible in my life but I learned that the Bible is the truth that day. I learned that through the blood of Jesus my sin was washed away. After that day the seven talismans were gone. I started selling “semo squalene” made at the church that preached the gospel to me. I diligently went to church. I invited other soldiers to my house and played the sermon tapes. I hosted small conferences. I lived being busy and diligent. But my heart had no peace.
Frantically Working to Make Money The church I attended announced that in July 1992, the “rapture” would happen, so all saved people would ascend into heaven then. I just believed it and went around witnessing neglecting my children’s education and eventually allowed them to leave school entirely. But July 1992 came and went. What remained was my children who couldn’t read and a fight between my husband and me. We left the church. I began to work frantically to make money, as if money could save our lives. I bred dogs with leftover food from the military. What started with two dogs became a farm with
Testimony 17
dozens of dogs. I earned more money selling puppies then my husband did with his military salary. But we still fought continually. I didn’t understand why we hated each other when we made that much money. We owned and worked at many places- a cosmetic shop, a dried fish shop, a seaweed grill restaurant, service at the military welfare center, selling insurance, network marketing, a motel, and more. As we made more money the scar grew deeper between my husband and me. One summer I ran a motel during and made more than my husband’s annual salary in just a month. I invested in realty and made even more money. I received a commendation from the Chief of Staff for my journal on money savings. But my heart thumped at the sound of my husband’s footsteps when he came home. I was always walking on eggshells when I was around him. Alcoholism, Depression, and Suspicion We moved to Ulsan after my husband was discharged from the military. I ran a women’s clothing store named “Seeking Happiness” in Sinjung-dong. Business was good. I made plenty of money. I purchased property and apartments for investment. I wanted to end my life because my heart was suffering and I was depressed even though I was making a lot of money. I had to meet a therapist for depression after I became an alcoholic. My customers told me that rich people in Ulsan are unethical. I started to suspect my husband was living an unethical life outside the home. I doubted his fidelity. My thought grew and I began to feel as though he had abandoned the family. Focusing on money felt so petty and I continuously thought about death. I decided to kill my husband and commit suicide because I felt it was wrong to die alone. My husband and I bicycled, went to karaoke, exercised, and traveled to try to flee the darkness. We would start off on
18
The Good News October 2013
After receiving salvation I was truly freed from alcohol, depression and doubts. All I did was believe in the Word. I always thought about death because no other medicine could free me. But I have new power now.
a good note, but would always end up fighting. I decided to divorce. My husband persuaded me to get treatment at a mental institute. I went to a shaman to discuss divorce. The shaman told me that we were a perfect match- just as dogs chase chickens to bully, my husband chased after me. That was exactly how my marriage was. I was told to believe in Jesus. The thought of church still brought back bitter memories, but what the shaman said kept echoing inside my head. “What Time is the Service at Church?” I could not bear my husband’s disdain and disrespect toward me. I rode my bike downhill on a four-lane road with my eyes closed. But I didn’t get hit by car. I fell and landed on the street. I was fine with only a few bruises. “I can’t even die!” I remembered what my sister-in-law said. She preached to me for seven years over the phone. Every time we met she said, “Aunt, what you call salvation is not true salvation. It’s just knowledge you learned from the Bible. You have to receive the forgiveness of sin in your heart and be born again.”
One day, I received a call telling me my mother, my favorite person in the world, was dying of a stroke. I immediately called my sister-in-law and asked, “Is my mom saved? Is she going to heaven?” She told me my mother received salvation after attending a retreat at a Good News Church. When I Testimony 19
heard that my heart shook. I was wailing loudly after getting drunk one day and remembered the prodigal son in Luke 15. I sang a hymn, “Come back, come back…”. I wanted to return to God who was waiting for me. I called Good News Ulsan Church and asked, “What time is the service?” Heaven Was Created in My Heart I took a taxi and attended the Good News Ulsan Church. Pastor Young Gyo Kim preached about Exodus 17. “…When Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.” I thought, “If God raises His hand for me then I will be free from this tiresome life and my husband!” I wanted to know about my spiritual condition, so I went to pastor. “Did you receive salvation?” “Yes, I did” I recited Isaiah 44:22. The pastor said, “Ma’am, the man with an infirmity for 38 years finally walked after lying down for a long time. Would he go back to his bed and lie in sickness again if he became tired of walking?” I came to On Jeju Island with my husband after he received salvation. I was very happy that we could live spiritual life together.
20
The Good News October 2013
myself. ”I never got up and walked! I am still the lord of my heart. I am the king who led my own life! On my way back after fellowship I was afraid of getting hit by the cars because if I died, I would have gone to hell. During the second fellowship with the pastor I was able to believe verses in Leviticus 4:28-30. Once I believed the Word, I finally understood the true meaning of Isaiah 44:22 and Hebrews 10:14. The questions inside the gospel were untangled. After receiving salvation I was truly freed from alcohol, depression, and doubts. All I did was to believe in the Word. I always thought about death because no other solution could free me. But I have new power now. How amazing! My circumstances remained the same, but in my heart I was singing hymns and I read several different books written by Pastor Ock Soo Park. The books were refreshing and sweet. Heaven was not a place to enter only after death. I could experience Heaven in my heart just like the hymn, “Heaven is everywhere”. “Please Let Me Enter Heaven, Even as a Cleaner!” My husband persecuted me severely. He promised me happiness if I didn’t drink, tried not to commit suicide, and didn’t doubt him, but his persecution was so harsh. “The church you went to previously said they preached the gospel, too. Look what happened! You chose that kind of church again?” He told with me to find another church closer to home. One day, my husband and Sun Hyung, my second son, had a conversation. “Your mom changed. It’s a miracle. She stopped drinking, doesn’t talk about killing herself, and her doubts about me are gone. And she always smiles. But how come she doesn’t
Testimony 21
ask me to go to church with her if she’s so happy?” “Would you go to church with her if she asked you to?” “Of course not!” “Mom knows you won’t . That’s why she’s not asking.” My husband later told me that he prayed during his business trips to Ulsan and Busan, “God, even if I have to sweep the yards as a janitor, please just let me enter heaven!” One year after I was saved my husband also received salvation. After he received salvation we prayed, sang hymns, and read the Bible together. We preached the gospel to customers at our shop. People received salvation and became part of the church. I can’t describe how happy we were. In 2011, my husband and I followed Pastor Hong Ryul Ryu and his wife to Africa as volunteers at four World Camps. In Africa, I learned a world of the heart I couldn’t learn in Korea and experienced hearts flowing with each other regardless of the language barrier “You knew you had leukemia, right?” I was diagnosed with malaria when I came back from Africa, but it wasn’t a problem to me because I gained so much happiness there. I had milder symptoms compared to some pastors who also caught it. But while they recovered quickly, my symptoms grew worse. For six months I suffered from frequent coughing and mild to severe breathing problems. I began to lose weight, have cold sweats, lack energy, and I bruised easily. On April 30, 2012, I had severe pain in my waist. I went to Dong Gang Hospital and was transferred to Ulsan University Hospital. The pain was unbearable. I couldn’t even think. An intern who drew blood from me asked, “You knew you had leukemia, right?” Leukemia? Suddenly I remembered the image of a woman in a soap opera with a pretty hat on her head, living the last moments of her life because she had
22
The Good News October 2013
If Christ’s spirit lives in me then the Spirit will give life to the body. First, I remembered the moment I received salvation. I had assurance. “Then the Holy Spirit will give life to my body, too!”
this illness. I had the same illness as her. I briefly thought: “I’m going to die. For a long time I thought I was a victim of my husband’s cruelty. But I will die first and he will be the victim of my death . If I knew earlier, I would have been nice to him.” I decided my heart to go through an alternative form of treatment. From five in the morning to midnight, I went through a regimen of exercise, diet, and drug therapy. Seven weeks after I began the therapies Pastor Sung Gyun Oh was transfered to our church. At our first wives meeting with Pastor Oh I boldly testified, “I am healed by faith in His Word.” The pastor recommended I check my blood cell count at a hospital to see if I was getting better. Unfortunately, regardless of my effort, my health was worse. I grew so weak. I couldn’t walk out of my house. I was unable to drink water. The organs from my left side to my stomach hardened. Pastor recommended I go to the hospital for treatment, but I stubbornly insisted on my method. When the pain was unbearable, I prayed, “Please, take me now!” and when the pain was gone, I prayed, “Please forget my prayer before, God. I witnessed diligently. I didn’t preach the gospel to my two sons, daughter-in-laws, my brother, my sister or
their families yet, God.” I prayed to live longer. Pastor again recommended I get treatment at the hospital, but again I insisted on my method and went into a cancer care center in Gapyung of Gyunggi province. There was a chance for me to die while traveling to the care center, but I Testimony 23
After gaining faith through the gospel my husband and I are listening to lectures in Cyber Theology School to become missionaries.
did not want to be admitted to the hospital. I went into the care center in a wheelchair. All the cancer patients whispered to each other that I would die in a week. I kept my sickness from my family who were not saved but I missed my brother, sister, younger siblings, and their families. When I met them during visitation, I received a new heart. “I have God. I have not preached to them yet.” When I changed my heart to live, I was able to eat small portions of food. I prayed that I would walk out of that door. And I walked out. I walked leaning on two canes. Then I walked leaning on one cane. Eventually, I walked alone. I also hiked. I listened to Pastor Ock Soo Park’s sermons on the Internet all day in my room. “All Are Finished, But I Prayed Him to Finish” Christian cancer patients asked me to lead daily praise and prayer meetings at night. I began to preach the gospel. Many received salvation. There was a 73 year old grandmother with
24
The Good News October 2013
liver and lung cancer who was a pastor for 50 years. She was in pain because she didn’t have assurance of entering heaven before her death, so she prayed for God to send her spiritual guidance. After listening to the gospel she told me she led many people in the wrong way. She said, “How easy it is. He already finished everything, but I prayed Him to finish!”, and she held my hand saying, “Thank you, missionary!” From a college professor to an oriental medicine doctor, from a president of a fashion company to female government employee, from a female Hong Kong lawyer to president of a heavy equipment company, and a female high school teacher, many received salvation and became happy. The pastor and the brothers and sisters from the Good News Chun Cheon Church, the church closest to the care center, visited and had fellowship with the patients. Many patients were led into the light and peace with the books written by Pastor Ock Soo Park that were displayed in the center. Christ’s Spirit Raises Even the Dead God gave me a promise: “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” (Romans 8:11) If Christ’s Spirit lives in me then the Spirit will give life to the body. I remembered the moment I received salvation. I had assurance. “For sure, I received salvation in April, 2011. So then the Holy Spirit will give life to my body, too!” Until that moment, I walked a foolish path in unbearable pain holding onto things that were not by faith. But still God poured grace upon me. God taught me that my heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. He made me believe in His Word. In my heart I felt that if I had stopped being so stubborn and listened to pastor earlier I wouldn’t have had to go through that pain to gain faith. Now I realize this is the world inside of God’s grace. Testimony 25
I am thankful to God for changing my stubborn and selfrighteous heart into a humble heart ready to receive grace. After I regained health, I appeared in a TV show called “Today Live - Near Death” by SBS on August 27th. My family opened their hearts wide after they saw the show. They said God performed a miracle. I was connected to my long-last friends again which gave me a chance to preach the gospel to them. Everyone opened their heart towards the God I believe in. Given a New Life, I Plan to Preach the Gospel and be Happy. God brought many changes to our lives, which we spent working hard to make money. God leads us to reconcile with those who closed their hearts. A short while ago we visited our older son’s family in Hanoi, Vietnam. My son was connected to a missionary in the city and my daughter-inlaw was able to have fellowship with the missionary’s wife. Over the Korean Thanksgiving holiday we shared our hearts with our family. I am thankful when I see God working inside my younger son’s family. My husband, Brother Jung Soo Lee, used to be a terrifying tiger that could never change. But now my gentle husband shares his heart with me. We entered Mahanaim Cyber Theology School to become missionaries together. We finished the first semester and we are now on our second semester. I was given a new life. I want to preach the gospel and be happy. “It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.” (Luke 15:32)
26
The Good News October 2013
THE SECRET OF FORGIVENESS OF SIN AND BEING
BORN AGAIN A collection of sermons by Pastor Ock Soo Park. Forgiveness, which is the greatest gift that God has given us, is now revealed.
••CONTENTS•• 1. The Four Lepers 2. Jacob and Esau 3. Woman Caught in Adultery 4. The Man With an Infirmity for 38 Years 5. The Chief Butler and the Chief Baker 6. Eternal Redemption 7. Man Hit by Robbers 8. The Power of Samson 9. Cain and Abel
w ww.goo dnewsmission.net
Testimony 27
RESTING | From the Editors
28
The Good News October 2013
Covered by Vines Years ago, a certain man received five boxes of high quality grapes from his friend who owned a vineyard. That summer, a terrible storm had blown away so much of the crop that the remaining fruits were very expensive. The man who received the gift of grapes was very grateful and thanked his friend. “I heard that fruit is so scarce nowadays, it’s a big problem, but you got me five boxes?” Then the owner of the vineyard replied, “I’ve farmed many kinds of fruit, but grapes are hardly affected by external conditions. Apples and pears fall when storms come, but grapes don’t. Other kinds of fruit are exposed to the wind, but grapes are hidden, either inside or under the vines. Also, because vines are relatively short, they are able to endure extreme winds. Unless a person picks them, they can’t fall off the vines.” Vines look as though they would lose all their fruit when heavy storms and rains come because they are so thin and small, but in reality, grapes are protected when all other fruits fall off. Jesus is the vine and men of God are the branches. They are the fruits born on the branches. The church may look fragile like vines but it has the power to protect its fruits under any circumstance. Contrary to how it looks on the surface, the fruits are protected under the vines, the most reliable trees. That’s why the saved saints inside the church can rejoice, rest, and be free from despair and loss in front of any circumstance. Grapes cannot fall off unless a person gathers them himself.
Resting 29
Special Testimony
Missionaries’ Testimonies Series 3
Now as a servant who only hears the word of God
Earlier this year God gave us a promise that, “There will be 100 servants of God like D.L. Moody and John Wesley in 2014.” According to the promise, God raised up the servants through faith. The testimonies of the missionaries who came to Korea to attend the 2013 World Culture Camp were especially hot with the Spirit. In this series of five testimonies, they share how foolish and shameful they were following their own hearts and talk about how they met the love of God when they reached their limits. ▣ How Can He Rise?
30
The Good News October 2013
| Kyung Hyun Nam (Missionary in Phillippines)
선교사들의 이야기 Story from Missionaries
“You Can Now Open the Era of Jesus.” Kyung Hyun Nam (Missionary, Good News Q.C Church, Philippines)
If not removed immediately I had one of my molars removed when I came to Korea recently to attend the World Camp. I didn’t want to get it pulled but the dentist insisted because it would infect other teeth so I had no choice. A couple of days later, I went to the hospital for some tests and they said that my liver had a white coating around it and it might lead to cirrhosis if not removed immediately. An elder I know who is also a doctor asked me, “How did you manage to live? You must have felt so tired.” Then I realized why I frequently felt so tired in the Philippines. It was because I kept the things I was supposed to get rid of. “Brother Kyung Hyun Nam does not know how arrogant he is.” I felt so troubled in my heart before I went to Korea. Prior to my visit, some church members in Korea had gone against our mission and left. Some of their children were studying abroad in the Philippine church. The money those students paid for their living expenses were a great help to the church so the fact that their parents left the church had a big effect on my heart. I went to Good News Gang Nam Church after I arrived in Korea. The meeting for the returning missionaries usually Testimony 31
Special Testimony
The arrogant and proud can’t see clearly, yet they tend to trust their own judgment. starts at 8 o’clock, but that day it started at 7:30 am. When I talked a little bit about my heart, Pastor Ock Soo Park said, “Brother Kyung Hyun Nam doesn’t know how arrogant he is.” I felt so mistreated, especially because I was extremely exhausted already. The next day, for the first time in my life I had the ugliest blisters on my lips. Then again at the meeting, I started off saying, “Pastor, I feel so bad. Couldn’t you treat us a little nicer?” I opened my heart, sharing even the difficulties I had because of those who left the church. Afterwards, Pastor said, “You can now end Kyung Hyun Nam’s time and start the Era of Jesus.” When I thought about what he said, I realized how frightening it was. Basically he meant that until now he was never able to see Jesus working in me. I was astonished. From then on the only thing I could do was heed the Word. As I paid attention to the sermons Pastor Park preached to the students at the World Camp, I felt that all of them were meant for me. The arrogant and proud can’t see clearly, yet they tend to trust their own judgment. However, the image of church that they see with their eyes isn’t the true image nor is image of the servant of God. Unfortunately, I also lived like them, trusting my own judgment. I Was Sitting Above All Things I received salvation at the age of 27 and I’ve spent the last 30 32
The Good News October 2013
선교사들의 이야기 Story from Missionaries
years inside Jesus. Inside the church I listened to sermons about the Gospel, repentance, and rest countless times and sometimes I even gained faith. Yet my faith was like dry stubble. When I heard from the people that went against the church, I felt that they also had a point. I was judging everything on my own and I was sitting above all things. “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the starts of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north” (Isaiah 14:13 KJV). I was indeed arrogant. The heart of Satan was inside of me. At the Pastors’ meeting again, I confessed that I lived with such a heart. Without the assurance that the Word of God prevails I still vividly remember Pastor Park demeanor was during the Pastors’ meeting. When he talked about the people who left the church, he smiled and said, “These people prosecuted me so much that I have to go to the police department and the District Attorney’s office.” He was not worried at all. I felt that he already won the fight in his heart to have peace. The legal suit was in progress, but he was not involved in it – he was standing at the end of it already. Everyone feels afraid (at least a little bit) when they are being prosecuted. That’s why they have no choice but to take prompt action to prevent any indictment when their confidants desert them. It’s like that in any and every organization in the world. However, Pastor Park wasn’t like that at all. As I was flying to Korea, I honestly thought that Pastor Park would go easy on the missionaries because there were people leaving the church. Testimony 33
Special Testimony
There is only the Word of God in his heart! He denied himself and kept only the Word of God! Contrary to my thought, pastor told the ministers to go their own way. “I’ll go my way,” he said. “You, go your own way!” That’s not something you can say so boldly. It’s something you cannot say without assurance that the Word of God prevails. Whatever happens, the Word prevails and if you look at it through the eyes of faith, you can see that you’ve already won. Pastor was able to stand fearless even when everyone went against him because that truth was clear to him. There is only the Word of God in his heart! He denied himself and kept only the Word of God! My righteousness and spiritual life seemed like dry stubble carried away by the wind in front of his steadfast strong faith. Looking back, Pastor’s answers to our questions were always consistent. “That’s not a problem. That’s nothing.” That was also what Jesus said in front of problems. The Pharisees, the diseased, the demon-possessed; all of them were not problems; they were nothing to Jesus. Those who forsook their hearts and lived with the heart of Jesus lived the same way that Jesus did. ‘There is only the Word of God in his heart! He emptied himself, and kept only the Word of God!’ I didn’t live with the same heart as Jesus. Rather, I feared and was worried about “my problems”. But when Pastor spoke about spiritual life, I murmured in my heart, “Pastor, please stop. I’ve heard it enough. Must we continue this endless and pointless fellowship? Let’s just stop.” My ears heard about spiritual life, 34
The Good News October 2013
선교사들의 이야기 Story from Missionaries
and my head understood, but it was not established in the core of my heart. So Pastor continued teaching us over and over again; to establish it. But I grew sick of it because I was arrogant. I was also like as Jesus In the book of Esther, Vashti refused to come at the king’s command. I was just like Vashti. When Pastor Park saw us, his eyes were always calling us. “Hey, you. Why don’t you come see me?” But I didn’t come even though I could feel his eyes. Although Esther was not called, she went to King Ahasuerus to save lives saying, “Let my life be given me at my petition and my people at my request.” Once pride and the heart of Satan came into my heart, the church and the servant of God lost their authority. The heart to judge the church and the servant of God and the heart to insist on my self-righteousness began to rise. When I discovered that the heart of Satan was inside me, the power of God was restored. ‘The Word of God is truly life.’ I felt it in my heart. I may not know much about other things but Pastor Park always tells us about the Word of God. John 1:14 says Jesus was “the Word made flesh, and dwelt among us.” And we are the flesh that contains the Word. Ultimately, Jesus and us are the same. Jesus, who is the Word, came to this Earth in flesh and did many wonders and signs. A man of God is in flesh but he lives with the Word of God inside his heart. Thus he does the same works Jesus did. Pastor Park also lives with the Word inside his flesh and was victorious against all sorts of problems and battles in his life. After listening to Pastor, I thought, “That’s who I am, too.” Testimony 35
Special Testimony
I found the faith to say “That is nothing” to any kind of problem. I was also like Jesus. Although I was born as a sinner, the Word came to dwell in my heart after I received salvation. There was no difference between me and Jesus. I was the flesh which received the Word and Jesus was the Word made flesh. The problem was I didn’t live by the Word of God alone. I mixed the Word and my thoughts together. For example, when things were good, I would follow the Word, but when things got bad, I followed my thoughts. I was wandering back and forth so when a huge problem came along, I lost faith in the Word of God and was thrown down. When I was able to separate the Word from my thoughts, I was also able to have faith in my heart. I found the faith to say Pastor’s signature quote, “That is nothing” to any kind of problem. Until we make the precise sound of faith precise note C. If it’s a little off, he corrects them. “That’s not C.” Why? Their voices become very clear and beautiful when all the members of the choir make the same precise note. Pastor Park was also tuning us to have the same precise sound of faith. After making a similar sound, we ministers think that we got it and start to feel tired of what he’s telling us. Starting from the second day of the pastors’ meeting at the Good News Gang Nam Church, I felt in my heart, “This fellowship is so precious and beautiful! It is so good indeed!” During the meeting, Pastor asked us to think, “We wake up at 4 36
The Good News October 2013
선교사들의 이야기 Story from Missionaries
o’clock in the morning and have fellowship till 11 o’clock in the evening. Why do you think we are doing this?” Isn’t it because he had something to give us? It wasn’t anything except to try to cast out all the impurities mixed with the Word from our hearts; to establish the Word only. Waking up at 4 o’clock in the morning and being seated until 11 o’clock for 4 days was painful for my back but besides that, I was so happy to have such a meeting. I found the faith to say “That is nothing” to any kind of problem. The sermons and testimonies continue to brush off the things that cover my heart Although I’ve been inside the church a long time, the fellowship we had last summer was unprecedented. So was the missionaries going around the country to share their blessed testimonies. I was so thankful to be a part of that particular journey. I was so happy that I could run toward the front of the chapel to share my testimony before many brothers and sisters. Young missionaries’ heart changed so fast that the aged ones like me had a hard time keeping up. All the testimonies from the missionaries brought me indescribable joy and happiness. We see archeologists brushing off the artifacts they found hidden deep underground. When they brush them off, the dirt is removed and the precious artifacts are revealed. The continuous Pastors meeting did the same work for my heart. As the sermons and testimonies constantly brushed off the things that covered my heart, all the stains of my thoughts were removed, leaving only the Word of God inside. I witnessed how faith in the Word was established thoroughly and precisely in my heart. It was an unbelievably happy moment in my life. Testimony 37
Pilgrimage
10
Dead Sea The Dead Sea is a vacation spot loved by Israelis and travelers from around the world. Let’s visit the site purported to be the ancient city of Sodom and Gomorrah. Joo Hyun Chang (Good News Jerusalem Church, Israel)
38 The Good News September 2013
Salt Sea There are four seas bordering Israel; the Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. The Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea are both actually lakes, not seas. But in ancient times they were called seas and so they are still called that even now. In the Bible, the Dead Sea is called the Salt Sea because it is as its name indicates, extremely salty. To this day it is still called the Salt Sea in Hebrew. Different seas vary in the level of salinity (saltiness), but on average they are about 3.5%. The Dead Sea is more than 30%. About 600 to 700 tons of water flow in every day from the Jordan River to the Dead Sea. Rather than flowing into another body of water, it just evaporates leaving behind minerals like salt and this is why there’s so much of it in the water. Because it’s seven times more salty than the saltiest seas and eleven times saltier than the least salty seas, not one single fish can survive there, hence the name “Dead” sea. People floating in the water Since the Dead Sea is so salty, people don’t drown but rather float in the water. Even if a person doesn’t know how to swim they can’t help but float. That’s why people tan as they float in the water, sometimes even sleeping with a plastic bottle for a pillow. There are things you can do in the water there that are impossible elsewhere. It’s possible row yourself a great distance across the sea with very little effort because objects are much more buoyant in salt water than fresh water. But the high mineral content prohibits people from submerging Pilgrimage 39
Pilgrimage
A tourist floating while laying, reading a newspaper
themselves while they swim. If the salt water enters a person’s eyes, it stings and is very painful. Signs are posted at the Dead Sea instructing people to come out immediately and wash in the outdoor shower if saltwater enters their eyes. Likewise, if a person has an open wound they are not allowed in the water. What’s especially interesting is that lifeguards there don’t look for people who might be drowning, but rather they are on the lookout for people who are swimming and blow their whistles at anyone who does. People that cause problems at the Dead Sea… When we see people floating in the water at the Dead Sea, we are reminded of the words of Pastor Park, “Once you are in the waters of the Dead Sea, regardless of how well you swim or not, all are made to float. Likewise, if we are inside the 40 The Good News September 2013
domain of Jesus, regardless of who does well or not, all will be made holy and will be made to have faith.” People that cause problems at the Dead Sea go inside the water and are afraid they will drown. They flounder about in the water and disturb the others around them. It’s just like us who are already saved inside of Jesus trying to become holy and perfect and live a good spiritual life on our own. Desolate rocky mountain near the Dead Sea If you go down the road from Jerusalem to Jericho in the direction towards the Dead Sea, your eyes are caught by the high altitude of the rocky mountains. The Dead Sea is 410 meters below sea level; the lowest point of land on Earth. That’s why there are warm winds in the area surrounding the Dead Sea even in the winter. King Herod built his castle and resided there to avoid the cold winter of Jerusalem. This is Masada is a fortress where a remnant of 960 Israelites fought against the Romans
Pilgrimage 41
Pilgrimage also the location of the fortress “Masada” where the Israelites fought with the Roman army. The Dead Sea is 3.77 kilometers deep and 18 kilometers wide. It’s a large lake about six times the size of Sea of Galilee. The area near the Dead Sea is thought to be Sodom and Gomorrah, a cursed land in the Bible, so archeologists are currently excavating the region. I rode with a group in a car and stopped for a moment to look around. I saw a pillar of stone there that looks like a woman wearing a skirt. The pillar is inscribed, “Lot’s wife”. The rocky mountains around the Dead Sea are not actually rocks but salt that’s hardened to form rocks. I tasted the rock Stone pillar called ‘Wife of Lot’
42 The Good News September 2013
The water of the Dead Sea seems clear and beautiful, but it’s actually dead, unable to hold living things.
and it was actually very salty. Our hearts like the Sea that’s dead because it doesn’t flow Looking around the Dead Sea, I thought about man’s heart. Living things roamed about in the Sea of Galilee for thousands of years because the water of the Jordan River flowed in and out of it. But the Dead Sea was different. The water that flowed in from the Jordan River could not flow out and was trapped. When it evaporated it was impossible for living things to abide in it. It became a dead sea. This is a good example of man’s heart. We can survive only when our heart flows together with another person. It’s especially important for the heart of God and the church to flow in. The heart should also flow with others around them. Pilgrimage 43
Pilgrimage I heard the servant of God say, “Speak boldly about the heart of God. Wherever you go, speak of the heart given to you by God. Say it ten thousand times.” When we share the heart of God that flows into us, we are able to reflect on our image and clearly see that we’ll be made to become one hearted. Christians should live sharing testimonies. Although some of us may be weak-hearted, communicating with each other allows us to be freed from our thoughts and live by faith in the Word of God. Satan deceives us to close our heart and then close our mouth. Just like the water flowing from the Jordan River evaporates in the Dead Sea, as long as our hearts are closed, the heart God gives us will evaporate from within. Satan’s plan is to keep life from flowing through us. Many people are deceived by Satan and suffer from believing in their thoughts. The water of the Dead Sea is clear and beautiful but because it doesn’t flow, became a sea that’s dead. Our thoughts are deepened considering this fact.
44 The Good News September 2013
Field of Boaz
Put into his hand Sung Hoon Kim (Pastor, Good News Hanbat Church, S. Korea)
“And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had put into his hand. And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.” (Genesis 39:4-5) Let’s focus on the phrase, “...put into his hand,” from the scripture above. “Put into his hand” means to give some work or responsibility. Potiphar was the first to put everything into Joseph’s hand. Joseph was sold to Potiphar as a slave so Joseph was just one of countless servants in Potiphar’s house. But Field of Boaz 45
Potiphar saw that everything he left to Joseph always worked out well. He naturally developed faith in Joseph and left more and more works to Joseph.In the end, Potiphar put evrything into Joseph’s hand. The Bible says, “...the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man.” Potiphar was an evil man who had nothing to do with God, so he was not qualified to receive blessing. However, he was blessed with possessions. This is what is so wise about Potiphar. When he put all responsibilities in Joseph’s hands, God saw those things as Joseph’s works and fulfilled them. Here we can discover the characteristic of God’s blessing. There is no one who can receive blessing through his own condition. God decided to only bless Jesus. That is why, once we discover that we are evil and leave all of ourselves to Jesus, God’s blessing is upon us entirely. Pharaoh’s situation was totally different from Potiphar and the prison guard. Pharaoh couldn’t understand the significance of his dream at all. When he heard from Joseph that the dream was a forewarning of the famine coming to Egypt, he knew that he couldn’t overcome it. Pharaoh knew that Joseph was the only one who could solve that problem so he gave Joseph his sovereign power. We also face these kinds of situations. When we cannot find the way out of a certain problem, we look unto God. God gave Pharaoh a problem that was impossible to solve with man’s wisdom so he could 46
The Good News October 2013
put Joseph in the position of power. That’s how God works with us, too. Because God can’t manifest himself as your king and ruler if you are trapped in the prison of your thoughts, He allows things you can’t handle. The Lord teaches us that He is the only solution. If you give your “ring” (symbol of sovereignty and discretion) to Him, you are truly precious and prudent. That decision not only saved Pharaoh himself, but also all of his people. Then the Lord who became my ruler will start to work so preciously and amazingly. I will see and marvel at His wisdom and power, and I will go into more precious rest and deeper peace through my faith in Him. After Joseph arrived in Egypt, he was in charge of Potiphar’s house fist, then the prisoners in prison, and then he took charge of all Egypt. When we receive salvation, first we meet the Lord who saves us from sin, then we meet the Lord who takes charge of our family, and then the Lord who takes charge of our whole life. “Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ.” (Romans 1:6) We who received salvation were redeemed by Jesus’ blood and are in Jesus. Our whole lives are already left to Jesus. So, regardless of how we are, we became people who receive blessings that Jesus was supposed to receive. We are able to rejoice always because our lives were put in Jesus’ hands. Field of Boaz 47
Missionary’s Testimony_1 | Young Sam Kim(Cameroon)
To the Land of Promise, Land of Blessing Born at countryside, I did not know anything about the world, but as I admitted into the air force as a non-commissioned officer, I came to know the world. I determined that I would not live like other colleague officers who were so evil, but my heart was the same evil human being who was not different from them at all. Afterwards, God had led me to the land of promise.
48
The Good News October 2013
My Childhood My childhood was a series of shameful events that took place in a remote countryside where I lived naively in ignorance. I couldn’t count to ten until I went to elementary school. I remember how grownups in my town would promise me rice cakes if I could do it, but I couldn’t so I’d get teased and embarrassed. I was unable to read well until I was in third grade so I spent a lot of time studying. I was amazed that other kids could memorize books that I couldn’t even read. I was inspired to do better so I studied very diligently and received first place in my class when I was in sixth grade. However, I couldn’t go to middle school because we didn’t have the money, so I helped with the farming for one year. The next year I received an allowance on New Year’s Day and was able to go to middle school with it. As a middle school student, I was bound to my studies. I was obsessed with the idea that I would be a failure in life if I did not study, so I always had books with me. My daily routine was to help with farming after returning from school, like cutting grass for the cows to eat. My friends would play when they had time, but I studied and cut the fodder every day. Death of my Older Brother When I was in ninth grade, my oldest brother died in an accident with some farm equipment. He was 21 years old. His death left me feeling many things. I felt the vanity of life and thought deeply about life and death. My oldest brother was the keeper of the family, so his absence brought many changes to our household. Testimony 49
Missionary’s Testimony
My second oldest brother left to make money in Seoul and came back to the countryside. He lived an unrestrained life and dated a woman who was a year older than him and had a baby. There were a lot of changes when my sister-in-law entered our conservative family. No one could bother my short-tempered sister-in-law. Although we were poor, we were a harmonious family but the harmony was being replaced by chaos. My parents would always say, “Watch out for women. If the wrong woman comes in, she will ruin your family.” The thought that I should be on guard around women was engraved in my heart. I felt as though women were strangers that ruined families. Dating for the First Time Time passed and I volunteered for the military after graduating from high school. I entered service as a non-commissioned officer and received first place at the training center and a Chief of Staff Award. After finishing six months of training, I was promoted to the rank of tech sergeant and worked at the Songjeong Air Force Base. While I was in the military, I attended the Korea National Open University and would go home on weekends to help with farming. I thought I was good because I came from a good While I was in the military, I would go home on weekends to help with farming. (Vacation at hometown)
50
The Good News October 2013
The days I worked as a mechanic at the Songjeong Airfield
Confucian household and was told by the elderly people in the town that I was a good person. But as I started my military service I came into contact with the world for the first time through my colleagues. When I saw them committing sin, I judged them thinking, “Dirty punks, how can you live so thoughtlessly?� As I judged them, I tidied up my own life. However, I thought of the sins my colleagues committed and enjoyed them in my heart behind their backs. After being promoted to Master Sergeant, I went on a blind date for the first time at the age of 26. I met a woman and we exchanged letters. I would fill up ten pages in one letter and meet her once a month during the weekend. Perhaps because I treated her too nice, one day she told me we should stop seeing each other. Since she was the first woman I met, I liked her so much. While it seemed to come naturally for others, I didn’t know how to date women so I got dumped. I was so shocked. I was lost so I started going to a Presbyterian church for the first time. Testimony 51
Missionary’s Testimony
When the Gospel came into my heart, I became free from all the fears and insecurities that suppressed me. Joy, peace, and happiness rushed like a flood deep down in my heart. June 21st, 1986 When I went to the Daejeon Air Training Command to be trained for three months, I met people who I thought were strange. Those people were current Pastor Choong Hak Lee, Pastor Bum Seob Kim, Pastor Sung Hwa Cho, and others within the unit. As I attended church I thought my sins were increasing but these people said that they were righteous. One day, my colleague who was being trained in the same barrack with me attended their meeting. When he came back, he said, “It does not fit my thoughts, but the word is right,” and he asked me to go there with him one time. I refused because the church I was attending taught me that any other church besides the Presbyterian church is heretic.” But my friend urged me to go several times so I attended a Bible seminar held at the Hanbat Central Church with him. Even though I listened to the sermon, I was too embarrassed to admit my sins. After the sermon was over, I had fellowship with Pastor Jung Hak Yang, who was a missionary school student back then. There was a funny situation during our conversation. As I continued to speak from my thoughts, he would open the Bible to speak to me. My mouth was closed over and over. I always thought I was good but the Pastor 52
The Good News October 2013
explained and gave examples of how human beings reveal evil as they meet their limits. As l listened, my heart crumbled. “The things that I did and thought that were good until now were all within my limitation. I haven’t met a situation I couldn’t bear, but if I did, the wickedness would come out!” I came to believe the word, “The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” (Psalms 14:2-3) I came to accept the fact that I was 100% a sinner and I was eager to receive salvation. The next day, I heard the Gospel. “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world,” (John 1:29) came in to my heart. I came to have an assurance that my sins were forgiven. I always had a fear of insecurity, inferiority, and death. Because I was afraid of people, I was unable to express my opinions well and always had to have books in my hands to feel secure. But when the Gospel came into my heart, I became free from all the fears and insecurities that suppressed me. Joy, peace, and happiness rushed like a flood deep down in my heart. June 21st, 1986 was the day a new life began for me. A Sudden Unit Transfer and Being Discharged After receiving salvation, I attended a Bible study in our unit for a month and went back to Songjeong and attended the Songjeon Central Church (currently the Good News Songjeong Church). I did not know anything except that my sins were forgiven. Not long after I went to Songjeong, The Songjeong Fighter Squadron moved to Gangreung before the ‘88 Olympics. There was no Good News Mission church in Gangreung then, so a minister suggested that I quit the military, Testimony 53
Missionary’s Testimony
I thought I could overcome sin when I received salvation, but when there was no church, I could only be dragged by sin. I keenly felt the necessity for the church.
explaining that it’s hard to live spiritual life in a place where there is no church. I was a professional soldier that repaired aircraft and I thought there was no better job than this. I was enjoying my life and people told me that I was a good fit for the military. Many people persecuted the Gospel and were skeptical, so when the minister suggested I quit the military, I started to doubt the church. That’s when God gave me a heart to think.“What is it to believe in God? God is invisible, but what is it I believe in to believe in God? Is it to believe in what many people assert? Is the majority the truth?” I read in John 1 that the word is God and I thought, “Ah, believing in God means believing in the word.” A line was drawn in my heart as I realized, “my sins were washed by believing in the word, so I should believe in the word even if I’m ruined.” When I made up my mind, God blessed my soul. God planted a heart in me to believe in the word. “No matter what people say, if the word says something then that’s how it is!” But I couldn’t make up my mind to quit. In July I attended the summer retreat and discussed it with ten pastors. Almost all of them said that it would be better to quit but one said, “If it is the will of God then you can preach the Gospel in your unit.” I just accepted the word that fit my heart. I came 54
The Good News October 2013
back joyfully after the retreat. One student sister asked me what I decided after consulting the servants of God. I boldly replied, “If it is the will of God I can just preach the Gospel in Gangreung.” Then she said, “If you can’t obey when God entrusts you with a small thing, how can God entrust you with greater things?” and I felt as if I was caught stealing. I decided to quit. Because I was in charge of aircraft equipment, I couldn’t be discharged right away. I had to wait six months. During the six months without a church, I visited the church in Wonju a few times but I couldn’t spend much time listening to the word so my heart became darker and darker. I preached the Gospel for about a month but after that my mouth was shut and I began to fall into the world more. I was a weak person who could not live a spiritual life without the church, just like the minister said. Wasting My Retirement on Gambling I attended a retreat held at the Seoul CCC center that winter. I received the heart to live for the Gospel as I listened to the word. I had the heart that the Gospel was everything to me. But I followed my friend who had been discharged to East Incheon. I thought I needed to get a job before going to church. While looking for a job one day, my friend took me to a “Pachinco,” gambling place. He told me to pull the lever once so I did it out of curiosity and won $100. I mindlessly thought, “It’s easy to make money. Is there any need to work hard?” Later, I found out that I had taken the bait they give to newcomers at that gambling place. Eventually, my friend and I lost all of our retirement pay. I wanted to give the precious money I made working for the military for a long time for the Gospel. Testimony 55
Missionary’s Testimony
I thought I could overcome sin when I received salvation, but when there was no church, I could only be dragged by sin. I decided to not go gambling but sure enough, I found myself the next day sitting there gambling again. I thought that if just one person told me not do it, I would be able to be free from it. I keenly felt the necessity for the church. I felt so useless after wasting my retirement pay in a moment by gambling. I was so devastated that I was going to commit suicide by jumping off a rooftop. I was so embarrassed that I had been led by my ambitions even after receiving salvation. One day, I heard a sermon by Pastor Ock Soo Park about Samson in Judges 16. The image of Samson was also my image. Just as Samson fell for Delilah even though he had power given by God, I also fell for my ambitions even though I received salvation. I felt as though scales were being stripped off my eyes. The next day I visited Bucheon Peace Church. Before I realized it, I told the pastor all about my gambling, even though I wanted to hide it out of embarrassment. After listening to my story, Pastor Sung Gyoon Oh held on to me. He allowed me to stay at church for six months. God humbled my arrogant heart and taught me the life of a Christian little by little. This is when God began to lead my life. The Best Job in the World There were brothers at church who washed cars in the early mornings to make money. Pastor said that it would be good for me to work with them but I refused because it seemed too lowly for me. I wanted to be a firefighter. I was unable to be a firefighter though so I worked at a construction site for a month. My heart was humbled as I did physical labor. In 56
The Good News October 2013
God permitted his grace of salvation to me, a countryside boy who once thought of himself good, and led me to the world of faith.
the midst of that, I felt that God was protecting me. There were many accidents and people got hurt but those things just passed me by. I had the heart that if God allowed it, I could do physical labor my entire life. While I was working, one verse from the Bible came into my heart: “And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.� (Genesis 28:15) I had to leave early in the morning for work and came back in the evening. I was tired by then and I had to sleep, so I did not have time to read the Bible, so I prayed to God to give me time to read the Bible. When the brother who washed cars quit, I was able to take his place. Because I was able to read the Bible, pray, and have time to preach the Gospel after returning from work early in the morning, the work I used to consider as trivial before became the best job in the world. I washed 100 cars every day early in the morning and earned $2,500 in one month. It wasn’t a small amount of money back then. Because Testimony 57
Missionary’s Testimony
it was money that God had given me by grace, it was easy to give it back to God. It didn’t work when I was trying to give God my own money but it was very easy to give what God had given me. Grace Car Interior There was a ministers’ relocation and a new pastor arrived. The new pastor suggested that I quit my job at the car wash and start a car repair shop. It sounded like nonsense so I didn’t keep it in my heart. Even when the pastor mentioned it a second time, I couldn’t accept it because I didn’t have a store, money, and most importantly, the skills so I wondered, “What does he want me to do?” The third time he brought it up, I could no longer just ignore it. While I was thinking, “Why is pastor telling me to do this if he surely knows my circumstance?” the word in Matthew 8 came into my heart. A certain centurion went before Jesus because his servant was suffering from an illness and when Jesus said that He would go and heal him, the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.” I received faith and thought, “Other things are unimportant. If God speaks, it is done!” I had faith that God would fufill what he spoke through His servant, so I decided in my heart to start a car repair center. From that point on, God began to work. There was a vacant lot near Northern Bucheon Station where a building was supposed to be built, but it was left empty when the permit was not issued. The landlord could no longer manage the lot 58
The Good News October 2013
when people started dumping garbage there so he offered me 150 pyeong of land rent free in exchange for managing the lot. I started by getting galvanized iron sheets from a junk yard for a fence and made a parking lot. Little by little I settled down and soon after I put up a sign that read “Grace Car Interior” and started a car repair center. My legs would tremble when customers came to have their cars fixed. The first car a customer brought in was a Grandeur. The customer said that there was a problem so I opened the hood but I did not know what to do. I automatically prayed. Although the situation was bleak, God gave me wisdom so I told the customer to leave the car with me and go take care of things he needed to do while I worked on it. He said, “Okay” and left. I called pastor and other car repair centers and asked how to fix the car. The repair shops nearby knew I was just a beginner and did not consider me as competition so they taught me kindly when I asked them about how to do repairs. That’s how I learned the skills to repair cars. A New Life Begins in the Land of Promise As I was running the car repair center, I went to church whenever I had time. When I observed pastor and the way he lived, serving the Gospel seemed very difficult to me. It seemed like the difficulties the saints brought before pastor became pastor’s problems and everything just looked so difficult. I thought I couldn’t walk the path of a minister. But God blocked my work at the car repair center and told me through the pastor to go to missionary school and become a minister. I said I wouldn’t go. I didn’t want to walk that hard and painful path. But God changed my heart when I read Deuteronomy 11. Testimony 59
Missionary’s Testimony
“And that ye may prolong your days in the land, which the LORD swore unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey. For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs: But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven: A land which the LORD thy God careth for: the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.” (Deuteronomy 11:9~12) God said he would give me the land that he had promised to the Israelites after leading them out of Egypt; the land flowing with milk and honey. That land has hills and valleys so it’s able to absorb the rain that falls from the sky. I thought the blessed land had no problems; a land where everything goes well. But the land of blessing God speaks of is the land that can absorb rain. In other words, the land that couldn’t hold water was blessed because it continually needed the rain of grace that came from heaven. God said that the land of blessing is where we cannot live without His grace. I have lived my life pursing the ways where I do not have to seek God, where there is no burden and where everything turns out well. This was the first time my heart met the blessing God spoke of, not what I thought a blessing was. I decided to go to missionary school. A new chapter of my life began in the promised land of God. 60
The Good News October 2013
The Lives of the Saints
Let It Alone This Year Also Hun Mok Lee (Pastor, Good News Yangcheon Church, S. Korea)
Pardon and Probation In legal terminology, there is “pardon” and “probation.” A pardon is given by the special right of a head of state. It is a waiver or setting aside of a sentence or even the necessity for a trial. Probation comes after the accused has been found guilty. It is the lifting of punishment, where if other crimes are not committed during a fixed period of time, the sentence remains but the punishment is stayed. All people are born sentenced to death before God because of sin. They live on probation but in the end the death sentence is certainly enforced. If we don’t hear and believe the Word of God about the pardon Jesus Christ gained for us at the cross, the death sentence will be enforced even if we lived well during our probation. Born again saints are people who received the pardon given from heaven. Because we were sentenced to death, we were headed toward death day by day. But by receiving the great pardon, we gained eternal life in heaven. The Full Pardon Fulfilled on the Cross Although many saved people say they know and believe in the fact that our sins were pardoned by Jesus at the cross, they don’t The Lives of the Saints 61
really experience liberty and peace. It’s because they continue to live through the thoughts of Satan. They view the work God performed on the cross like probation. They live laboring and carrying a heavy burden, suffering with anxiety while trying to do well. We don’t know how thankful it is our sin has been pardoned on the cross and the happiness it can bring us. The holiness of the saints through God’s pardon at the cross can’t be mixed with any unclean thing of the world; it can never be profaned, it is perfect and can’t be destroyed. “For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.” (Hebrews 10:14) People who strive to become holy not only deny the word that clearly states that we are made perfect, but cunningly try to make the word match their thoughts through their deeds and efforts. A saint is someone who received a full pardon at the cross. Even if we have committed many sins, there is no longer a curse that we must try to escape from. The effect of the cross cannot be nullified. Therefore, saints are not people who received probation, but rather people who received a full pardon in Christ Jesus. We are the world’s most pure and holy saints and children 62
The Good News October 2013
We cannot bear the fruit of spiritual life. Saved saints are those who confess that they are the fig tree that bears the fruits of life only through the grace of Jesus, the keeper of the vineyard
of God because Jesus has already received the punishment meant for us. Let It Alone “And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it” (Luke 13:8) In the parable of the fig tree planted in the vineyard, the owner was seeking fruit from the fig tree but couldn’t find any. Therefore he ordered the keeper of the vineyard to cut the fig tree down; in a sense giving a death sentence. The keeper of the vineyard told the owner, “let it alone this year also.” This doesn’t mean, “if it bears fruit we’ll keep it alive, but if it doesn’t we’ll cut it down so leave it alone this year also.” These words contain an important meaning. It doesn’t mean that the fig tree should receive probation for one year and then receive death. It means he intends to fully pardon tree and keep it alive so that it can never be cut down. The phrase “let it alone” in Greek is “aphiemi,” and it means to forgive, pardon, to not forsake but to leave it as it is. It is just like yelling “you’re pardoned!” to a condemned criminal who is being led to the execution. Let it alone (aphiemi); such The Lives of the Saints 63
astonishing words! How deeply moving and full of life are these words! “Aphiemi” is one of the words Jesus cried out while on the cross. “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them;” (Luke 23:34) When Jesus says to God, forgive them, “forgive them” is “aphiemi” in Greek. By being crucified on the cross, Jesus is saying to God “forgive them their sin.” He is saying this on behalf of the people who deserve to be executed. This is same word spoken on behalf of the fig tree. People think the parable of the fig tree in the vineyard is about the keeper’s pleading to the owner to delay the punishment for one year so that the tree can try to do better. When people think this way, they assume that the tree will be cut down if it doesn’t bear fruits that year. In the same way people think in order for the saints to produce good fruits they must labor diligently, earnestly striving to be holy. The barren fig tree was not cut down at the request of the keeper of the vineyard. Our mistakes and sins have been completely washed and a full pardon has been given to us through the cross of Jesus, and God won’t remember our sins anymore. 64
The Good News October 2013
Jesus Became the Fertilizer Through the death and decay of matter, energy is produced in the form of fertilizer. Fertilizer, a word related to death, carries the meaning that through death new life emerges. The keeper of the vineyard says that he will dig around and fertilize the barren fig tree. The Lord was crucified on the cross and has become our fertilizer in order to save us. The Lord’s death became our fertilizer and through its nourishment we are able to bear fruits of life that please God. The keeper of the vineyard protects the tree that deserved to be cut down. He waters it and continuously protects it from being cut down, so that it may bear fruit that the owner can accept. “I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day.” (Isaiah 27:3) Only Through the Keeper of the Vineyard We cannot bear the fruit of spiritual life. We must discover the evil that is in us and look only to the helping hand of the keeper of the vineyard for us to live. Saved saints are those who confess that they are the fig tree that bears the fruits of life only through the grace of Jesus, the keeper of the vineyard. When this comes to our knowledge we can never be pleased or boast about ourselves in anything we may have done. In reality, we are the fig tree that was to be cut down. The Lives of the Saints 65
Pastor Ock Soo Park 165th Testimony
With the Gospel to the Ends with the Lord to the Last
Inside the Love of Christ that is Stronger than Cancer
The Sister with Cancer that Only Two People had on the Whole Earth I called a certain sister on Thanksgiving after I returned from a mission trip to Japan. When she was 25 and still single, she suffered from a rare form of cancer but was healed by God’s grace. Although she was unable to move while she was ill, she began to walk and even run after she was healed. 66
The Good News October 2013
Unfortunately, her cancer returned. It’s uncommon for young women like this sister to get cancer but her case was especially unique. Most people who have cancer are diagnosed with it in a certain area or organ of the body like the stomach or the liver, but this sister’s whole body was cancerous. There are only two people in the world who share this condition; one is in the U.S. and the other is her. Her doctor is conducting research while treating her because her symptoms are so rare. What is amazing, to the point that even the doctors can’t believe it, is that because it’s so extremely painful, most people would be afraid to even get up, but this sister is walking around, and running, and smiling. If you ask her if it hurts, she doesn't say that it doesn't, but she also doesn’t express any suffering, sad thoughts, or despair. She just lives in the midst of hope by always looking up to God. You don't know how thankful I am that I’m able to see that image of the sister. Even When Cancer has Spread All through Her Body, How Do I Express Her Grateful Image… I hadn't seen the sister in a while so I called her to let her know that I would be going to the Good News Gumi Church to have service there and that I’d like to see her then. The sister came to the church before the service with her parents and older brother. After the service, we had a special laying on hands prayer for the sister. The sister calls me occasionally and one time she told me how much she liked chocolate. She asked me to buy her chocolates the next time I went abroad. Even though I thought about buying her chocolates, when I travel I don’t have time to go Testimony 67
shopping so I wasn’t able to. When you fly overseas, you can buy them at the duty free store, but I always forget and never got around to it. We had some chocolates at home so I just gave her those. It’s hard for me to put in words what it’s like to see that sister’s face just beaming with happiness even though there’s cancer spread all throughout her body; I don't know how to express it. I believe that because the love of Christ is stronger than cancer, His grace allows her to overcome the pain. This sister never expresses despair or worry. I havn’t seen her father or mother, or anyone in her family suffering because they believe that the sister will certainly be healed. The sister is always smiling as tells me about this and that that is going on in her life. I can’t help but to feel indescribable thankfulness whenever I see that image. Whenever We Meet She Says "Pastor, Thank You. I Will Be Healed Soon." As we live in this world, we encounter adversity in one way or another, but Jesus has the power to overcome all things in this world. "If I was in the same condition as that sister, how disappointed would I be? How worried would I be?" When I think about it, I just can't understand how she’s able to be that way. That sister is overcoming day by day through Jesus covering her heart with the hope that He will heal her. Although many people are dying of cancer. this sister doesn't even have the slightest heart to think that she is going to die. Normally, when people discover they have cancer, they quickly fall into despair and the cancer spreads throughout 68
The Good News October 2013
Although the prisoners were in torment, suffering, and despair, Paul praised and thanked God. Even though the sister has extreme cancer , just like Paul, she is happy and lives being thankful to God.
their bodies. However, if you have faith to believe that you are going to be healed, the power to overcome cancer becomes stronger. The sister is exceptional in this aspect. Every now and then I pray, "God, please give the sister strength. Give her the strength to overcome her sickness. It says that they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. Please renew her strength and allow her to overcome her sickness." Even though I often pray like that, I am still amazed whenever I see that sister’s image. The sister has endured hardships because of her cancer for the past few years, but now she is recovering well. During the World Camp last summer, I remember that sister so happily telling me, "the cancer cell count has decreased considerably and I’m feeling much better." I don't know if her condition ever worsened but the sister never tells me anything like that. Instead whenever she sees me she says, "Pastor, I'm getting better. Pastor, thank you. Soon I will be healed," and I see her always having hope. Although the Body is Arduously Fighting the Cancer, the Heart sits in the Place of Victory When the prodigal son was at the pig pen, he needed to go Testimony 69
back home, but going back was very difficult. Even though it was physically difficult for the son to return, when his heart retuned to his father, his body followed and sat down in the glorious seat prepared for him. Before God bestows grace upon us, he leads our hearts to the place of grace. When our hearts are in sin, God leads our hearts to righteousness and then he begins to lead our lives. God leads our hearts first. This sister’s heart sits in the place of victory and lives in the glory of God even though her body is in an arduous fight against cancer because God is holding onto her heart. Although Phillip and the other prisoners with him were in torment, suffering, and despair, Apostle Paul praised and thanked God. Most people with cancer are worried and afraid and in despair, but this sister, just like Apostle Paul, lives a happy and grateful life. I am thankful that God gives this sister faith. And you don’t know how thankful I am when I think of how God will continue to live and work inside that sister. I want to see her quickly healed and praising God with a healthy body. I believe that day will come.
70
The Good News October 2013
Good News Mission Churches • Good News Central Church 3500 W. 1st St., LA, CA 90004, USA Tel.1-213-440-4369 • Good News Orange County Church 3330 W Lincoln Ave., Anaheim, CA 92801, USA Tel.1-714-366-0207 • Good News San Jose Church 1548 Curtner Avenue, San Jose, CA 95125, USA Tel.1-408-500-2130 • Good News San Diego Church 4920 Ocean View Blvd, #3, San Diego, CA 92113, USA Tel.1-619-573-8340 • Good News Anchorage Church 1020 W. Fireweed Lane, Anchorage, AK 99503, USA Tel.1-907-830-5115 • Good News Las Vegas Church 9443 Breechcloth Way, Las Vegas, NV 89117, USA Tel.1-702-285-2817 • Good News Hawaii Church 1219 Keeaumoku St, Suite 400, Honolulu, HI 96814, USA Tel.1-808-679-2800 • Good News Salt Lake Church 353 Park Creeke Ln, APT #B, Salt Lake City, UT 84115, USA Tel.1-801-656-5299 • Good News Sacramento Church 7100 Fair Oaks Blvd, Carmichael, CA 95608, USA Tel.1-916-996-4655 • Good News Tacoma Church 10103 South Tacoma Way, Lakewood, WA 98499, USA Tel.1-253-267-4161 • Good News Dallas Church 1149 Plano Rd., Garland, TX 75042 , USA Tel.1-214-886-3317 • Good News Houston Church 6530 Rolla St., Houston, TX 77055, USA Tel.1-713-498-1980 • Good News El Paso Church 4805 Atlas Ave., El Paso, TX 79904, USA Tel.1-915-603-0055 • Good News Kansas Church 501 W. 100 Terr., Kansas City, MO 64114, USA Tel.1-816-210-0351 • Good News Ottawa Church 212-71 Boul Fournier, Gatineau, QC J8X 3P7, Canada Tel.1-613-263-0377 • Good News Singapore Church Blk 918 Jurong West St., 91 #1-110 (S)640918, Singapore Tel.65-8220-2054
www.goodnews.kr
Good News Mission Churches • Good News New York Church 300 Nassau Road, Huntington, NY 11743, USA Tel.1-631-745-4734 • Good News Brooklyn Church 597 Degraw St., Brooklyn, NY 11217, USA Tel.1-631-988-1206 • Good News Atlanta Church 11011 Rogers Circle, Johns Creek, GA 30097, USA Tel.1-678-473-1594 • Good News New Jersey Church 1075 Queen Anne Road, Teaneck, NJ 07666, USA Tel.1-201-543-1208 • Good News Detroit Church 1181 Harding Ave, Rochester Hills, MI 48307, USA Tel.1-248-971-4151 • Good News Chicago Church 4825 W. Jarlath St., Lincolnwood, IL 60712, USA Tel.1-847-329-0237 • Good News Boston Church 228 Ferry St., Everett, MA 02149, USA Tel.1-617-943-9739 • Sydney Grace Church 72-74 Joseph St, Lidcombe Sydney NSW 2141, Australia Tel.61-2-9749-2114 • Good News Finland Church Porslahdentie 23 C 9 00980 Helsinki, Finland Tel.358-45-112-3588 • Auckland Grace Baptist Church 18 Kaipatiki Rd, Glenfield Auckland, New Zealand Tel.64-9-440-9214 • Good News Kingston Church 63B Deanery Road, Kingston 3, Jamaica W. I. Tel.1-876-620-9340 • Good News Mission Baptist Church-Tema Good News Mission. P.M.B. Comm. 1, Tema, Ghana (W/Africa) Tel.233-22-305857~8 • Good News Mission(K) Nairobi Church P.O.Box 57329, Nairobi, Kenya -00200- Tel.254-729-398912 • Good News Kampala Church P.O.Box 33441 Kampala, Uganda Tel.256-414-271-357 • Good News Mission(Burundi) Bujumbra Church B.P 2207 Bujumbura, Burundi, Central Africa Tel.257-79901723 • Good News Mission(R) Kigali Church P.O.Box 3539 Kigali, Rwanda, Africa Tel.250-78-8610363