The Goodnews - February, 2017

Feb 2017

DELIVERING THE GOSPEL & THE TESTIMONIES OF GRACE

∙ Special Article

Meeting with the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands

∙ Memoirs of a Missionary One Who Escapes to God

∙ New York Times The Son of Distrust

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Table of Contents

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Monthly Sermon Let’s Meet Jesus!

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Salvation Testimony Discovering the Heart of my Father

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Memoirs of a Missionary One Who Escapes to God

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Special Article Meeting with the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands

New York Times The Son of Distrust

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Good News Magazine | February 2017

Cover Photo

34 Gospel Lesson Get Out of Here Right Now

42 Preaching the Gospel to the Ends of the Earth Believe in the God that Eunsook’s Father Believes in

46 Church Directory

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Sermon of the Month

Let’s Meet Jesus!

Pastor Ock Soo Park | Good News Gangnam Church

“And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched… and when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.”

IT IS NOT EASY FOR PEOPLE TO MEET JESUS There was a ruler of the synagogue named “Jairus.” His daughter was sick and dying and because he had no way of saving her, Jairus came and found Jesus and fell down at His feet and pleaded with Him to come to his home.

Afterwards, as Jesus was heading to Jarius’ home, a great multitude surrounded and followed Him. While Jesus was heading to Jarius’ home, suddenly He turned around and said, “Who touched me?” Peter said, “Lord, many people press thee,” but Jesus said again, “Somebody hath touched me.” The woman who suffered for twelve years with an issue of blood said that it was her who had touched Jesus’ garment and Jesus said, “Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.”

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When Jesus was in the world, people who met Jesus had their problem resolved no matter what it was. Likewise, if we meet Jesus in our hearts, no matter what the situation may be the problem is resolved

When Jesus was in the world, it was not easy for people to meet Jesus.

Although they wanted to meet Him; He was at a place far away or even if He was nearby, there would be so many people around Him that it was not easy to meet Him. One time, when Jesus was preaching the Word in a house in Capernaum, men brought a man on a bed who was taken with palsy. But because there were so many people in the house Jesus was in, they couldn’t enter, so they took apart the roof tiling and let down the man with palsy in front of Jesus.

WHAT EVER THE SITUATION MAY BE, IF WE MEET JESUS, IT CAN BE RESOLVED The reason why it was not easy for people to meet Jesus during his time was because Jesus could not be in many places in Israel at the same time, but only in one place at a time. It was not easy to meet Jesus, but those who did meet Jesus received a great blessing. Jairus’ daughter came back to life, the woman who had an issue of blood for twelve years was healed, and the woman who was caught in the act of adultery had no choice but to be stoned to death was freed from death and sin. The Samaritan Woman met Jesus and gained a new heart, and those who were hungering met Jesus and ate bread.

Jesus worked in Israel 2,000 years ago, today we are unable to see or touch Him. But, during the time of Jesus, people had to personally go and find Jesus to meet Him, but we can meet Jesus with our hearts.

After I received salvation, I, like everyone else, didn’t only have happy, cheerful, and joyful things happen to me, but there were times that I encountered things that were dark, miserable, and despairing. At those times, if I fell into concerns and worries, I could only let out sighs and everything would be bothersome and my heart would be in fear. There are many instances that people are not able to escape from that kind of darkness and from those nervous and despairing thoughts.

When Jesus was in the world, people who met Jesus had their problem resolved no matter what it was. Likewise, if we meet Jesus in our hearts, no matter what the situation may be the problem is resolved. Today, we cannot see Jesus with our eyes and cannot hear the voice of God with our ears and cannot touch Jesus with our hands, but we can meet Jesus in our hearts.

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Sermon of the Month

AS THEY LISTENED TO THE WORDS OF PAUL, THEY MET GOD In Romans chapter 27, the ship Apostle Paul was on his way to Rome encounters a tempest and the sun and stars were not seen for many days. The boatmen trying to escape the storm, threw the ship’s cargo overboard and later even threw the ships’ equipment overboard, but they had no confidence of salvation.

The people on the ship fell into despair and had not eaten for a long time. Then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, “Sirs.”

“Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve saying, “Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.” Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer.”

Those who heard the words of Paul, whether they believed in God or not, while they listened to him they met God in their hearts: “The God who Paul believes in will protect us!” And then, the nervousness, fear, and sadness departed from their hearts.

JUST AS DARKNESS LEAVES WHEN LIGHT ENTERS At times fear arises in our hearts. That fear does not just dwell in our hearts.

In order to escape that fear, it makes us commit sin. People are afraid of being poor they steal, and after making a mistake, being afraid of future troubles, they kill. All these sins begin with fear. With our strength, it is so very difficult to shake loose those fears. But those who were on the ship with Paul, regardless of whether they believe in God or not, when Paul said, “My God whom I serve will protect us,” as they thought about God who will do as he said, fear departed from their hearts.

From time to time, concerns, worries, fears, evil thoughts, and lustful thoughts come and find us to cover our hearts. Right then, although people say, “I won’t be afraid! I won’t think these evil thoughts!” but often they fall deeper into those thoughts. When this happens, if we think precisely about God and Jesus, our hearts begin to change.

Whether it is fear, sadness, worry, and suffering; all these things are darkness.

Jesus in the Gospel of John chapter 8, says, “I am the light of the world.” Just as darkness leaves when light enters, if we think about God in our hearts, those thoughts will get rid of the darkness in our hearts.

WE HAVE TO OFTEN MEET JESUS IN OUR HEART Those who were on the ship together with Paul were in fear in the midst of the tempest, and fell into despair and sadness thinking they were going to die.

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Jesus in the Gospel of John Chapter 8, says "I am the light of the world." Just as darkness leaves when light enters. if we think about God in our hearts, those thoughts will get rid of the darkness in our hearts.

But as they heard the words of God spoken by Paul, a new heart rose within them.

“God is going to save us!” If this heart arises, then fear, sadness, and despair come to an end. As we walk the path of our lives, although we may encounter a variety of great and small problems, if God is alive in our hearts, all those problems come to an end. When Jesus was in the world, those who hungered came before Jesus and ate food, those who were sick came before Jesus and were healed, the woman who had no choice but to die because she committed adultery met Jesus and gained life, and the Samaritan Woman met Jesus and gained a new heart. We too, if we meet Jesus now, Jesus chases away worry, fear, sadness, and despair that is inside us, and gives us joy and hope.

For this reason we must frequently meet Jesus in our hearts. When I have some quiet time, I think about how Jesus fed five thousand people with five barley loaves, I gain strength in my heart; I gain hope as I think about how Jesus brought back to life dead Lazarus; and as I think about how Jesus casts out the demons from the demon possessed man, I gain peace.

In the New Year, whenever we are in fear, let us think about Jesus and look toward the light. In this new year of 2017, we will experience many things, let us remember the works that Jesus did one by one and think about them. And let us speak about the grace Jesus has bestowed upon us. And while we do this, when our hearts meet Jesus, all fear, sadness, and despair will leave. If we walk together with Jesus in our hearts, then Jesus who is unseen with our eyes, will walk with us in our lives. We will say, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want,” and joyfully sing.

In 2017, let us not darken our hearts. Whenever there is hope, remember and think about Jesus and let us look to the light. Then the darkness will leave and Jesus will live and work in our hearts.

Pastor Ock Soo Park

Pastor Park is currently the senior pastor of the Good News Gangnam Church. He is the founder of the Mahanaim Cyber Theology School and International Youth Fellowship.

Annually he is the guest speaker for Bible Crusades domestically and internationally and serves as a guest lecturer to university students. He is the author of several titles such as: The Secret of Forgiveness of Sin and Being Born Again, Repentance and Faith, Navigating the Heart. These books have been translated in 17 different languages, and in addition he is the author of 40 other books on spiritual life.

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Salvation Testimony

Discovering the Heart of my Father

Israel Rangel | Good News Central Church

My parents divorced when I was around ten years old and since then my heart was split into two, half of my heart with my father and half of my heart with my mother. I lived with my mother, my older brother and sister, aunt, and grandma after the divorce for financial stability. I saw my dad on occasion and every time that I saw him I wanted to stay together as a family, every time that he had to leave I would go outside and yell, “Bye dad, I love you!” I would wait until he was out of sight to go back in the house. We moved to many different apartments and small houses in many different cities but when I would see my parents arguing or putting me in the middle I would become sad and introverted and try to look for something to occupy my time. Little by little I began to play video games a lot and watch a lot of TV to escape into a reality that was better than my own, there I found my comfort. I grew and excelled in school. As my understanding grew and I learned many things I began to think a lot, I thought about life, I thought about my future, I thought about how I should react in certain situations if they arose, and I would even just stay awake at night just thinking while looking out my window and stargazing. I really couldn’t stop thinking about everything, but of course many bad thoughts began to arise and I had to think of them too; so when the thoughts of doing wrong or doing bad came in I would try to avoid them and remind myself about what is correct and what is good.

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"I wanted to love my mom, but I couldn’t, I wanted to be truly happy, but I couldn’t, I wanted to excel, but I couldn’t ..."

1. Israel's family dinner 2. Israel and his mother

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As I matured more and more thoughts began to arise and even intensify, I began to blame my mother for my financial situation, the divorce, and taking away my only father figure. I could see that the other kids had their fathers to teach them about cars, college, jobs, the future, and about life and I was left with misfortune and only a day or so out of the month where I would see my dad. I learned about morals and values through playing video games and watching cartoon 1 super heroes and anime but I had built up rage inside of me throughout the years of being compared to my cousins and to everyone else that I would want to fight with someone at school. I was waiting for some unfortunate bully to cross the line, with my punching bag at home, or in my video games somehow showing that I could overcome, that I was strong, that I was able to surpass what was expected of me. As I had the heart to advance I would despise my mother for not learning English or being able to succeed in the world and also despised my Hispanic Heritage for always taking the low position and doing the dirty work that others didn’t want to do. I argued with my mother and tried to correct her, as did my brother and sister but we would always just yell at her and call her names like “stupid” and “retard” or much worse things. I was stuck between what I wanted to be and what I didn’t want to be. I had no patience with my mother and eventually as I saw my father’s faults as well and I began to despise them both, at that time my brother and sister would go to extremes like locking themselves in the room, cursing and screaming, staying over their friend’s houses for many days. My

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Salvation Testimony

sister began to idolize the high life and would only accept that as she wanted to get away from her situation and my brother ran away and went to live in Los Angeles and left us in Hesperia, the High Desert. I wanted to love my mom, but I couldn’t, I wanted to be truly happy, but I couldn’t, I wanted to excel, but I couldn’t as I got sucked into gaming and trusted in my own ability, and throughout the years as I saw myself, my brother and my sister fighting with my mother I couldn’t say that I was good, I couldn’t say that I was truly nice, and I couldn’t be my ideal self.

All those years of having a standard of good that I couldn’t manage and being stuck in between loving my parents and hating them, and all those years of reflecting upon my actions and seeing my brother and sister fighting with my mom and how other people lived made me condemned myself. Then I went to Santa Monica College and in my first semester, I received a flyer to go to the International Youth Fellowship (IYF) English Camp in Tijuana and I thought that the price and being a weekend trip was really great. So I attended and I loved the camp and the opportunity so much that I wanted to have everything to do with the IYF. So then I was invited to a Membership Training in Riverside and Brother Dwayne preached the Gospel to me, I thought I knew about church since my mother was more of a Christian than anybody else. She took me to church with her all the time but all I saw was youth hooking up with each other, offering trays, loud & long worship music, and a God who had never helped me once in my life. I had a prejudice against the Bible because I always saw my mother seeking Him, going to church all the time, offering the little money we had, and praying to a God that seemed to never be there. I believed that He didn't exist and that He was just a fake god that people sought to have hope for the future. That prejudice made me not want to have anything to do with God, church, or His Word.

I had a preconceived opinion about how God was that type of being: false, non-existent, never helps our family, doesn't answer prayers, and just meant for false hope. But when I heard about Genesis 6:5 I could completely relate as I would always think to myself, “why am I like this?” I had never

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heard a Christian say anything about how truly evil we are, so I listened and it made so much sense, then I received salvation and became free from that condemnation. I was able to realize that the Bible was not a book about good words and fake promises that but a book that talked about the condition of my heart and showed me why I was that way and how to deal with it. Through this verse I was able to see my heart and understand why I couldn't do the things I wanted to do but instead was dragged to do the things I didn't want to do.

Soon afterwards I went to South Korea as a short term missionary on a search to know more about God and to find myself. I learned about the love of God through my students as I became an English Teacher at the Daeduk Lincoln International Middle School. I attended the World Camp there and I could sense the heart of God towards me. When I returned from my short term life I had a heart to continue studying music, but one day I was on a drive with Pastor Eddie and I told him about how I was going to go to music school in LA and that I had a small heart to go to the Gracias Choir but I didn’t really think that was possible. He asked me if I wanted to live by faith and I responded by saying, “yes.” He then suggested for me to live inside of the church and receive guidance from God and I agreed. Since then I have lived in the Los Angeles Church and have learned so many things about God, myself, this world, and the small heart to go into the Gracias Choir has increased so much in me that I cannot think of just living a regular life with a job. I don’t think I could find true happiness in that. God had held onto me even before I knew Him, He saved me from myself and revealed to me that it was satan and sin making me this way, and He continues to guide me to live the blessed life and took me out of the path of destruction that I was on. He saved my life and the life of my family and has made me so happy and thankful to think about the future that He has in store for me. I don’t deserve any of this but I can see the love of God and the mercy that He had on me. I cannot say how thankful I am, but I can see how God put me into so much sin to have so much mercy on me.

All this time I thought my father figure was taken away from me, but in reality my Father was always taking care of me from the beginning.

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Special Article Meeting with the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands

Fiji

Meeting with the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, "We will certainly work together."

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare

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P

astor Park arrived at the Nadi International Airport in Fiji. Pastor Park and his party were able to pass customs with ease through the help of the employees from the Foreign Office. They were headed to Suva where they were to meet with the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, Manasseh Sogavare.

For the four days Pastor Park was to stay in Fiji, to be able to meet the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands seemed like an impossible feat. Solomon Islands is not just a small nation but a sovereign country. God loves the South Pacific and its islands which is why He is allowing the gospel to be spread there. It is this heart that allowed this all to happen. It was as if all this was planned beforehand; as soon as Pastor Park's schedule ended in Kiribati, all the events in Fiji followed immediately after.

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Special Article Meeting with the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands

From left to right: Pastor Joe Park, Pastor Ock Soo Park, Prime Minister Sogavare

Exactly at 7pm, Pastor Park met with Prime Minister Sogavare and his wife.

Pastor preached about the woman caught in adultery in John chapter 8. He spoke about how the woman was able to change her heart and how IYF was working to change the hearts of the youths.

Pastor Park mentioned how he wants to work the same in the Solomon Islands.

Prime Minister Sogavare replied by saying, "I'm deeply moved. Over 90% of our population are Christians but we still have a lot of problems regarding our youths. It is because there is no change of heart as you said." He gladly promised to work together with IYF. Pastor Park continued to preach the gospel through the testimony of the former Ghanian president who received salvation before passing away.

"In Romans chapter 3, verse 23 it states, 'for all have sinned, and come short of

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the glory of God.' But how did God judge? In verse 24 it states that we have been justified by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. You may believe that you have sin, but what is God saying? In 1 Corinthians chapter 6, verse 11 it states, 'but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified.'

Amen?"

Prime Minister Sogavare listened to the gospel very intently for 40 minutes and expressed his heart that united with God by saying "Amen!"

He said, "Thank you. I believe in the word of God completely. We will most certainly work together. I will invite you to the Solomon Islands so that you can do this work. And I will set up an MOU so that we can progress with this work. The time spent was like heaven. I listened to the true word of God." He opened his heart completely to Pastor Park.

Pictures of Pastor Park and the Prime Minister discussing how IYF can be involved for future projects.

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Special Article Meeting with the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands

Pastor Park received honorary gift during the presentation ceremony.

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Gracias Choir members perform for the Prime Minister

Following this fellowship, Gracias Choir soprano Jin Young Park and soprano Hye Mi Choi gave a beautiful performance. They first sang the national anthem of the Solomon Islands. Then they sand "Blessed Assurance" and "It Is Well with My Soul." It was as if they were singing the heart of the prime minister.

They held a gift presentation ceremony and then had a luncheon. Pastor continued to have fellowship and the prime minister once again promised to work together. Pastor Park continued to meet with Prime Minister Sogavare late into the night. This was a beautiful meeting prepared by God. "We did not plan to meet with the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands and the Minister of Education was out of the country, so we didn't expect to meet with him either. However, we received news that the Prime Minister was in Suva from the

18th to the 22nd and contacted the office to schedule a meeting with him. God prepared everything. God is pleased with preaching the gospel in the islands of the South Pacific. We knew God's heart for sure through this meeting." - Missionary Young Hyun Yoon of the Solomon Islands Pastor visited Fiji for three days from the 16th to the 19th, not including the one day he spent in Kiribati on the 18th.

During those three days, he met with the president of Kiribati, the prime minister of Fiji, and the prime minister of the Solomon Islands. These events would not have transpired had is not been the work of God. Just as Missionary Yoon testified, God loves the people of the South Pacific Islands. It was a precious time where we were able to feel the fervent heart of God. We are hopeful to preach the gospel to the islands of the South Pacific together with each res-pective government.

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Memoirs of a Missionary_Cote d'Ivoire

Memoirs of a Missionary Episode 4

One Who Escapes to God “How can we experience God? People can escape to God, if they want to experience God. Although there may be many ways, there is no better way than escaping to God.�

God sometimes gives us problems that we cannot comprehend and bear. It is because He wants us to escape to Him and taste the grace and love of God. This is the providence of God. We could deeply feel this in the testimony of Missionary Jung Do Lee.

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7 Transfers and 14 Hours- the Road to Ghana About a month after I arrived in the Ivory Coast, I had to go to Ghana to attend a pastoral meeting. Not only was it my first time going there, but I had to transfer rides seven times and it took me fourteen hours. It was a big challenge for me to go to Ghana since I spoke neither English nor French. My wife and my daughter, Do Hee didn’t seem worried at all. We left at 5 a.m. and went through fifteen checkpoints. At that time, the domestic situation was not stable, so inspections were very strict. Around 10 a.m., when we passed the boarder of the Ivory Coast, we saw many cars waiting for customers as we had heard. We first looked for a 30-seater-van to go to Takoradi, Ghana. There was a sedan driver who offered to take us for 15,000 cedis. It was around $4 in American money. We got in the car thinking that it was cheaper than what we had expected. Just the three of us were riding the sedan. I was very happy because we were able to ride the sedan with the money it would have cost us to ride an old uncomfortable van back home. Because the fare was so cheap, I thought Takoradi was close by, but it took 3 hours. My wife and Do Hee comfortably slept in the car.

When we arrived at the Takoradi terminal, I gave the driver 15,000 cedis.

However, the driver told me that I had to pay more. As I listened carefully to what the driver was saying, I realized that I had misunderstood him. He actually told me “one hundred fifty thousand,” but I understood that as “fifteen thousand.” People at the terminal suddenly surrounded us. They were around 300 people. The driver was angry and yelling at us. I just stood there repeating, “I am sorry.” Then, all the other drivers joined in and started to yell at me altogether. Later, a police officer came and asked what was going on. My answer was simple. “I don’t know English.

I have no money.” After hearing from me, the police yelled at the driver. It seemed like he was saying to the driver, “You should have explained more thoroughly since he doesn’t speak English.” If it weren’t for the policeman’s help, we would not have been able to escape from there. The atmosphere was really serious. After I came out of the crowd, I looked around and found my wife and Do Hee eating lunch on the floor on top of newspapers. The police safely took us to a place where we could get a ride to Accra. “ The great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles: Yet the Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day” (Deuteronomy 29:3-4).

I was a deaf and mute since I did not know the language. Although I could see, I could not do anything. However, it was not a problem because the One who sent me to the Ivory Coast heard, saw, and knew about when and where I was

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Memoirs of a Missionary_Cote d'Ivoire

going to face difficulties. How good it was to not have eyes and ears to know about the situation and how good it was to not realize how much of a difficulty I was in!

Jehovah, God became my God and was with me. It was a blessing to live a life of witnessing the miracles and works of God. On the way to Accra, I saw clouds in the blue sky out of the window of the car. It looked like the clouds that had protected the people of Israel.

My Wife’s Childbirth: “Don’t Worry About Anything” As the due date of my second child came near, I did not know how to prepare for the childbirth. My wife was almost due, but she told me that we should go out to preach the Gospel. At that time, she barely spoke any French, so she felt burdensome about going out. I think God gave her a heart to go out at that time.

As we were walking around, we saw a beautiful house and entered the house.

Surprisingly, a man named Sice, who visited our church a few weeks ago asking, “Is this a church?” was there. We were happy to meet him and shared the Word. Sice was born as the 3rd generation in a Muslim family. Yet, he enjoyed listening to the Word. Once, Sice told us that he was a doctor in the past and offered to help with my wife’s delivery. Sice helped in many ways.

Although it had already been fourteen days past her due date, my wife did not have any labor pain. Early one morning, I read Philippians 4:6, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” God said, “Be careful for nothing and let your requests be made known unto God,” to me who was praying about my many worries and problems. “Thanksgiving comes after problems are solved….” I felt that I was worrying about things that were already solved. I listened to the sermon of Pastor Ock Soo Park online in the afternoon. Although I was only able to only listen to ten minutes out of an hour-long sermon due to bad internet connection, I was able to feel the heart of Pastor Park who wanted my heart to be connected with God’s heart.

In the afternoon, my wife started to show symptoms of malaria. My wife was scared and even cried in the evening. Even though we were physically tired because we could not get enough sleep, the worries disappeared and thankfulness filled our hearts as we connected our hearts with the Word in Philippians that we read early that morning. The Word protected our hearts that night. At 5 a.m., my wife began feeling labor pain and delivered a baby 10 minutes after she arrived at the hospital.

We could not finish paying medical fees but we were able to be discharged from the hospital by grace. On the way back home with my wife, it rained so much. Because

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"How good it was to not have ears and eyes to see the situation and to not realize that I was going through difiiculties."

we did not have much money, taxi drivers did not want to take us. The third taxi driver thankfully took us, but he just dropped us off by a main road because it was too difficult to go through the streets due to the heavy rain. We covered ourselves with a small umbrella and barely returned home.

When I checked the kitchen, our rice container was almost empty. I cooked the remaining rice and made seaweed soup. There was nothing else to put in the soup beside seaweed, but I tried my best. However, when I brought the food to my wife, she did not eat well saying that it was not delicious. My wife started to suffer from malaria again. We could not buy the prescription medicine because we did not have enough money. My wife moaned in pain for three days due to a fever. I too could not sleep well and was tired and hungry. I thought about Pastor Ock Soo Park a lot. “Pastor, what did you do in this situation?” I was not sure if he heard me or not, but I asked that question in my heart many times. I read Isaiah whenever I had time. The Words strengthened me. Before, I had to pay some fees to file documents for the baby and I told Sice to take care of it. Yet, the law had changed and we were able to get a refund. I was able to buy things that I needed with that money. I was so thankful.

There is no Greater Work than Gaining a Soul for a Missionary Two weeks after my wife’s delivery, I suddenly collapsed in the early morning due to a severe stomachache. Church brothers took me to the hospital. When I came back home, my wife was lying on the bed suffering from malaria again. As she tried to help me after I collapsed, she caught malaria again because she was running around in the rain. Early in the morning the next day, I read Jeremiah 45. Jeremiah spoke to Baruch. “Thou didst say, Woe is me now! for the Lord hath added grief to my sorrow; I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest” (Jeremiah 45:3). Baruch was the only servant of God who united his heart with Jeremiah, wrote down the Word, and delivered the Word. However, God allowed him to go through suffering and sorrow. What was suffering for Baruch? “Thus shalt thou say unto him, The Lord saith thus; Behold, that which I have built will I break down, and that which I have planted I will pluck up, even this whole land. And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the Lord: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest” (Jeremiah 45:4-5). I could not understand these Words when

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Memoirs of a Missionary_Cote d'Ivoire

I read it, but incidents began to happen that made me understand the words. My baby, who had not been healthy since birth started to get more sick. I saw my baby in pain. Though it had been over twenty days since the baby was born, the baby did not have a name yet. It was a really tough time. I could not even afford to take care of the We invited Pastor Kwang Woon Kim and held a conference at ourfirst house in Benin. baby. Although we went to the hospital, the baby’s health worsened. That evening, I collapsed again. My stomach hurt so much. I poked my stomach with branches but I could not even feel that because the pain within was so severe. I was rolling over and threw up in the bathroom. Eventually, I fainted. Early next morning, I was able to recover my senses and heard my wife’s screaming. My baby was not breathing. I took the baby to the hospital. I was out of my mind. They tried to perform CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) but there was no response from the baby’s cold body. I lost consciousness and was hospitalized. Two days later, I was discharged from the hospital and came back home.

I threw the Bible and the picture of Pastor Ock Soo Park, but there was one thing that I could not throw away. Those were the words of the Bible and the life of the pastor. While I was lying on the hospital bed, my wife told me about what Pastor Ock Soo Park said on the phone. “Sister Kim, the baby is already dead.

Be realistic. I will die, you will die, and Missionary Lee will die too. Everyone dies.” Perhaps, that was the heart that led and allowed Pastor Park to walk the path of the gospel until now. To the pastor, no incident was big. Even death was nothing special but something that happened to everyone to the pastor. However, there was something bigger than the gospel in my heart. There was a great thing that made me unable to live for the gospel. Baruch was in pain. It was because God had removed what he had planted. God spoke to Baruch. “Do not seek them for yourself.” If there was greater work than gaining a soul, then it was forsaking everything that belonged to the flesh. Although God worked and those works were planted by God, those things belonged to the flesh if it made me lose the heart to establish living for the gospel in my heart. God said He would not accept anything from the flesh and He would break them down and pluck them up. There was

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"If there was a great work than gaining a soul, then it was forsaking everything that belonged to the flesh"

nothing greater than preaching the gospel. God said to me, “No matter what kind of problem comes to you, no matter what you lose, don’t do and accept things that make you give up on gaining a soul.”

After Young Kwon, the Benin pastor’s wife, passed away, we had a funeral in Korea. On the next day, Pastor Ock Soo Park had a meeting at the parsonage.

He said to Pastor Kwang Woon Kim, “I will accept you being sad until today.

However, I will not accept it tomorrow.” That day, I had realized that a missionary 2 his wife. Yes, that was right. There did not even have a right to cry after losing was nothing greater than gaining a soul to a missionary, no matter what.

There was a saying, “You bury your parents in the ground when they die, but you bury your children in your heart when they die.” I was not sure who said it, but I thought it was very true. The nameless baby was with us for just 21 days, but the baby remained at the corner of my heart and humbled my heart.

“You Shall Experience the Goodness of God and Know it!”

It happened when we were moving the chapel. For over a month, we looked for chapels with the brothers and sisters, but we could not find a house that was suitable for us to use. However, one day, I just wanted to go to a town that we had never visited. When I went there, I found a really nice house. It was maintained by a real estate brokerage, so I was able to look around the house with the agency. There was a big living room where we could have service and rooms that we could use for the Gospel class and sleeping quarters for our missionary school students. Moreover, it was located by a main road.

It was a big and practical house. However, it was too expensive. They asked us to pay $600 per month. I tried to cut it down to $400, but they said they could not go any lower than $500. I could not do anything, so I came back home thinking that I should look for another house. After I came back, I prayed to God. Whenever I prayed, I thought about that house. Even when I went out to look for 3 Daughter, Do Hee other houses, I still thought about that house.

My Wife and Our Eldest

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Memoirs of a Missionary_Cote d'Ivoire

How can we experience God? If you want to experience God, you have to ecape to God

As I was praying early in the morning, I thought, “If the landlord of the house was living there, the owner of a hair salon around there should know the landlord’s number.” The real estate agency would never give me information about other people. However, the hair salon was a little different. I got the number from the hair salon and was able to meet the landlord lady. The landlord also told me that she could not give me any discount. Yet, as I visited a few more times asking for grace, she accepted our offer. We did not have any money ready at that time, but we decided to pay them by receiving aid from mission headquarters and moved in.

From then on, the real estate brokerage started to pick on us. They threatened to sue the landlord. The reason was that the landlord broke the contract with them and made a contract with us. They even sent me threatening letters three times a week saying that they would report us to the police. Since it was an international and big real estate brokerage, they systematically gave us pressure. Until that time, we were not able to pay the rental fee and signed the contract, so the landlord told us to vacate the house. There was no other way for us than to receive grace.

Setting up the internet in the new house was a very important thing to do. It was very important to me because the internet was the only way that I could receive the heart of the church in Korea. In order to set up the internet, a telephone company had to connect a phone line first. However, without the contract, we could not apply for the phone line. I inevitably prayed. One brother told me that if I get a document from the town hall, I could apply for the phone line with that document. I was thankful to hear that. Soon, the brother brought a seven-pagelong-document and told me to sign them. I asked the brother how much it cost to issue this document. He said he paid a little extra money other than the regular fee to an officer of the town hall. I spoke to the brother who said he had to do that because it was not a legal document. “Brother, I’ve never taught you this kind of way of working. It is because I have never learned this way from Pastor Ock Soo Park. I cannot work this way. God knows better than anyone about how much we need the internet. Thus, God will work.” I ripped the seven-page-long-document in front of the brother.

God worked faithfully. God worked in a way that He would not put a person who believed in God to shame. Two days after the brother visited us, my wife came out of the room shouting. “Honey! Honey! The phone rings!” I went to - 2424 -

God gave us a big and practical house for a new chapel.

the room and cautiously picked up the phone. I was able to hear a phone signal sound. During service time, when I gave a testimony about how the phone line was connected, the brother came up to me and said, “Missionary, I’m sorry.” For a month and a half ever since then, we were able to use the internet for free and it got disconnected afterward. Then, exactly three days later, I signed a contract with the landlord and was able to use the internet again. Nobody still knows who, why, and how the internet was connected and disconnected at that time. One thing that was certain was that everything was done by God. “O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing” (Psalms 34:8-10).

Knowing God does not mean that people kow about the Bible well. People might see the ingredients in the soup on the table or might smell the soup. However, they can never tell if the soup is good or bad, unless they taste it. Likewise, if you did not experience God, you could never know God. How can we experience God? If you want to experience God, you have to escape to God. That is what the Bible says. There might be countless other ways, but there is no better way than escaping to God. People want something because they lack. God said, “Those who seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.” More than getting a house, setting up a phone line, and using the internet, I was thankful that I was able to experience the Word of God and taste how God amazingly worked.

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New York Times: Notes on Genesis I

The Son of Distrust Pastor Ock Soo Park | Good News Gangnam Church

Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.

And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. (Genesis 16:1~4)

T

When Taking the Step of Faith Our eyes to see the circumstances are much stronger than our eyes to see the Word of God. Thus our hearts are constantly inclined toward the circumstances, which keep us from believing God. The Bible often speaks about this.

When Lazarus was diseased in John chapter 11, his sisters sent a person to Jesus to ask Him to heal Lazarus. Jesus did not go to their house but said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God.” In their hearts, Mary and Martha, who heard this, thought, “If this sickness is not unto death, then our brother will live.” But then their brother began to become more and more ill instead of getting better the next day.

The hearts of the two sisters also changed in accordance with the circumstances.

“The Lord said that our brother will live, but he might die.” “If this keeps up, he will die!” “Oh, our brother is dying!” The word disappeared from their hearts and the reality that their older brother died was magnified.

How much faith do people who walk by faith need to believe the promise of God? They need the faith that since it is the Word of God, it will be accomplished exactly as it was articulated, although the circumstances state otherwise. God wants to save every one of the people of this earth; to make them into the people of God. But we become the people of God when we take the step of faith. If we believe the Word of God because it seems that it will be accomplished, then we will believe not only in God but also in the fortune teller and anyone just

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New York Times

o elaborate upon Abraham, he is the father of faith; however, he was not a man with faith to begin with. God clearly promised Abraham, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make thee a great nation....(Genesis 12:1~2) If he were a person who had faith in God, he would have believed, saying, “Regardless of the circumstances, since this is the promise from God, I will have many descendents like the stars in the sky and the sand of the sea.” Yet, he could not. There is a step anyone who enters faith must take. Abraham was going through that step. That step was that although God told him he would have many descendents, the actual circumstances stated otherwise.

As ten years had passed after God gave Abraham His promise, he had become older, and he began to think, along with Sarah, his wife, that, “Although God promised, it is impossible now to have a son.” If the circumstances had gone consistently with the Word of God, then when they heard the Word of God, they would have simply believed. If Sarah became pregnant the moment God said, “Your children will be many like the stars in the sky,” it would not have been difficult at all to believe. But ten years passed, and Abraham was becoming older and older, while the possibilities of him having a child were diminishing.

However, God said that Abraham would have many children, and thus, Abraham was experiencing conflict between the circumstances and the promise.

New York Times: Notes on Genesis I

passing by. If things go as stated, who would not believe?

Satan creates circumstances that are opposite of the promise God gave us in order to keep us from having the faith to believe in that promise. At the moment, everything feels impossible when looking at the circumstances.

But believing the Word of God because they are God’s words is true faith. This is how God is training and leading His people. Regardless of how it appears in your eyes; regardless of how it seems according to your experiences; and regardless of how the circumstances flow, God wants to lead you to the step of faith and have you say, “If this is what the Word of God says, it is the truth,” and have you believe the word.

But people only follow whatever fits their hearts or circumstances. They do not follow the Word when it does not fit.

God clearly said to Abraham, “I will make thee a great nation.” Then Abraham will become a great nation.

Abraham has to have a son to become

a great nation. How can he become a great nation without having a son?

Therefore, Abraham saying, “I am old and it has ceased to be with my wife after the manner of women. However, this is only the circumstances. God will give me a son!” is what faith is. But for the most part, people are unable to have such faith.

Even if I Have to Take the Handmaid We call Abraham the father of faith, but he did not have faith to begin with.

He was human just like us. Upon hearing the promise of God, Abraham must have excitedly asked his wife, “Honey, any news?” many times, but there was never any news. They were getting older and older. That’s when reality became magnified greater than the Word of God in Abraham’s heart.

Then Sarah, his wife, tells him, “The Lord has restrained me from bearing.”

In actuality, there was no change in the great plan of God to give many children to Abraham and have Christ be born from his descendents to save mankind.

However, the thought, “The Lord has restrained me from bearing,” arose in Sarah’s heart. She fell into distrust as she saw the circumstances.

At the time, Sarah had a young, healthy Egyptian handmaid, and Sarah thought in her heart, “If I cannot have a child, how would it be to have a child through this handmaid?” What woman would like for her husband to sleep with another woman? But this was what Sarah was proposing.

“Husband, it seems that there is no

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The power of distrust cannot arise when there is faith.

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it to be glory. How can glory come from this state? Okay, although he is dead now, God will raise our brother again!” If they had this faith in their heart, even though their brother was dead and smelling, they would have said to other people, “Why are you crying? Our brother is not dead.

Do not worry because he will rise again.”

“Are you crazy? He’s dead, what’s wrong with you!”

“It only appears he is dead. He is not dead. Jesus said that our brother’s disease is for the glory of God, and not a disease unto death.”

This state of heart is faith. But as their brother was dying little by little, the words of Jesus shook and faded in the hearts of Martha and Mary. It was because they did not have the faith to believe in Jesus.

It seems that Sarah was a woman with very good intentions to allow another woman into her husband’s bedroom so he could have a son. It seems that she had virtue, and had no jealousy. Yet this happened ultimately because she did not have faith.

Sacrifice and Prayer That Arise from Distrust In the Bible, Saul is cursed by God one day for giving an offering to God. The Philistines attacked and Israel was in a dangerous situation. Saul was afraid that God would not help him, so he gave an offering to God in order to receive His help. However, this offering was a sinful one because it started from not trusting

New York Times

child in my fortune, but there is one in yours. How about if you could take my handmaid and have a son through her?

Shouldn’t we at least do that in order to have a son?”

The reason this thought sprouted in Sarah’s heart was because she did not have the tiniest bit of faith. If Sarah even slightly felt, “Although I am old and it has ceased to be with me after the manner of women, since God said He will give me a child, I will have a child,” she would not have given her handmaid to her husband. If there was even a 1% chance that she could have a child, in her heart, she would have placed her hope there instead of having the heart to have a child through another woman.

This heart arose in Sarah because all possibility of her having a child herself fell apart in her heart.

The many thoughts that arise in people’s hearts do not come about from nothing. The thoughts that arise from people who are faithless are completely different from the thoughts of people with faith. There is a heart faithless people have, and there is a heart people with faith have. The power of distrust cannot arise when there is faith.

There are so many things caused by faithlessness. Mary and Martha wept sadly when Lazarus died. Why did they weep? The Lord said, “This sickness is not unto death, but a disease for the glory of God,” but they did not have faith in these words. “If it is for the glory of God, then Lazarus has to come back to life for

New York Times: Notes on Genesis I

Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

(Isaiah 1:18) that God would protect him.

Jephthah faced so many soldiers when he was going to fight against the Ammonites. Although God was with him, he thought, “What am I going to do if God does not help me?” and was captivated by a heart of fear. So he swore to God: “God, if you deliver the children of Ammon into my hands, I will offer the first person or thing that comes out to welcome me as a burnt offering when I return home from winning the battle.” When Jephthah returned after winning the battle, his daughter, who was his only child, came out to welcome him with timbrels.

Ultimately, Jephthah had to kill his sole loving daughter and give her as a burnt offering. Why did Jephthah do this? God stood with Jephthah and stood on Israel’s side to protect and keep Israel victorious. But since he could not believe this, he made this proposal on his own. All of this transpires from distrusting God. There are many things that are based on distrust in the spiritual life that we live as well. There are many people who try diligently on their own to do something.

People think, “What’s so bad about trying to be good?” But there are so many good deeds that were based on distrust. People try to achieve goodness on their own because they are unable to believe that

Jesus has achieved it.

There are many people who strain and cry out to have their sins forgiven.

They appear to be truly sincere, but such prayers come from distrusting and not believing that the blood Jesus shed on the cross has washed their sins away. There is no one who does not sin, but people who believe, “Lord, although I am an evil, dirty human being, it is recorded that the blood the Lord shed has washed away all of my sins. I believe that my sins are washed away.” They do not pray, “Lord, wash my sins away.” Instead, they pray, “Thank you for washing my sins away.” However, people who know that Jesus died on the cross for their sins but think that their sins have not been washed away cry everyday and sincerely pray, “Lord, forgive my sins. Wash my sins away.” It seems that their prayer and years of repentance seem sincere, but from another perspective, because those things have come from distrusting and not believing in the blood of Jesus, it is in itself a sin. If you believe that the blood Jesus shed on the cross forgave your sins, why would you ask for your sins to be washed away?

The Bible says, And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

(Hebrews 10:17) Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson,

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And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. (Hebrews 10:17)

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New York Times

that promise over? Who can go against the promise of God? It will surely come to pass if that was what God has said.

Whether mountains change, whether the waters of the sea gather and jump over the mountains, the Word of God will be fulfilled. But without faith, people only flow to humanistic thoughts.

Many people, just as Sarah and Abraham lacked faith, do not look to God to take care of everything, but use humanistic methods. It seems that God will not bestow goodness unto them, so people try to become good themselves. They are unable to believe that God washed their sins away, so they strain to try to wash their sins away themselves. How heartbreaking it must be for the Almighty God when He sees this! “I have loved you, I have always been for you, I have protected you, and I am laboring like this for you, but why do you not believe?” It must be so heartbreaking for God. Loving folks, I would like to ask you Do Not Listen to That Voice Only Sarah, Abraham’s wife, thought, “I a question. When you come before God, am so pitiful, and I’m becoming old. are you often in guilt and shame because My husband is so old, and if he gets any of sin? Anyone who sins feels guilt and older, he will be unable to have a son. pain because everyone has a conscience.

Before that happens, we’d better receive When we sin our conscience says, “You a seed through my handmaid.” Why are a sinner. You lied. You deceived did this heart arise in her? It was because other people. You committed adultery. she could not believe the promise that You caused damage to others. You are God would give them a child. God a terrible person!” Of course it is only clearly gave them that promise, so is human to have such voices from our there anyone that could have flipped conscience. However, you should not they shall be as wool. (Isaiah 1:18) Many places in the Bible say that the blood of Christ has washed our sins away. The book of Romans says that we have no more condemnation. It says that we are justified. 1 Corinthians tells us that we are cleansed, and our sins are washed away.

Because people do not believe in these words but in their thoughts, it feels as though their sins remain. Because you sinned, it feels as though your sins remain. Then you go to sincerely pray to God for the forgiveness of sins. It seems to be a sincere prayer when seen from someone who does not know, but this is actually a prayer from distrust. It is a prayer to be cursed. Saul giving an offering, or Jephthah giving his only daughter as an offering, both started from the heart of sincerely hoping that God would protect them. But they were from distrust.

New York Times: Notes on Genesis I

listen only to that voice, but listen to the voice of God in the Bible.

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:23~24) “Ah, I did sin, but God called me righteous through the redemption of Jesus!

Then should I believe in my thoughts or in these words? I should believe the word. The word says that I have been justified, my sins are cleansed, and God remembers my sin no more. Although I remember my sins, God has washed my sins away and does not remember them!”

We should believe the Word of God in this manner.

Out from Distrust Unfortunately, people believe in their thoughts more than the Word of God. That is why Abraham had a son through sleeping with a handmaid. That son was Ishmael; the son of distrust. There are many things that happen in our lives through distrusting God. There are many seeds of distrust that God deeply hates, because man has done many things with their humanistic methods and ways without faith in God. These

things are all cursed by God. I hope that you will now come out from distrust. Regardless of what you see and feel, I hope you will believe in your heart, “What does God say?” In the Bible, Jesus said to a paralytic, “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” These words were not only for the paralytic, but were said for us as well. It is because Jesus was not crucified only for the sins of that paralytic. Now we must say, “These words are the words the Lord has given me. Within the word, the Lord says that the lustful and deceitful sins that I remember are all forgiven. Regardless of what I think, this is the truth,” and accept the word. This is throwing your thoughts away and believing the Word of God. The person who does this is a person of faith.

What are you doing in your spiritual life? Are you laboring on your own to wash your sins away, unable to believe that Jesus forgave your sins when He died for you on the cross? That is the fruit of distrust. Leave all of your methods behind, and believe in Jesus.

Believe that Jesus forgave your sins on the cross. That faith will bring to you a beautiful, blessed life.

The word says that I have been justified, my sins are cleansed, and God remembers my sin no more. Although I remember my sins, God has washed my sins away and does not remember them!

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Gospel Lesson

Get Out of Here Right Now Pastor Han Gyu Lee | Good News East Seoul Church

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Once, a governor of Naples, Italy watched and looked over a ship rowed by criminals. The governor asked each criminal, one by one, what sin they committed to be placed on the ship. However, the criminals thought that they shouldn’t miss this opportunity as they shed tears and all as one, told him of how they were wronged and that they were innocent. However, when asked, “What sin brings you to this place?” One criminal dropped his head and was about to cry as he said, “I came here because I committed an embarrassing sin. I knew that it was wrong but I was so hungry that I stole someone else’s money to obtain something to eat. However, I couldn’t escape from the eyes of God and this is what I have become now. I am a criminal deserving of this punishment.

Please have compassion upon me.”

The governor, after hearing his words, said “Look here. Prison officer.

All these people on this boat are innocent but this criminal alone is a horrible sinner so send him out of here right away. I’m afraid that the other, innocent people will become contaminated because of this person’s sins.”

He forgave that person of his sins. The criminal became a free man and it was said that he happily and thankfully returned home and lived a new life.

The Generation that Doesn’t Know Sin One characteristic of modern people that sociologists gravely criticize is their absence of the awareness of sin. If you read the newspaper there are endless amounts of corruption of politicians and all walks of life but every time those issues come up, they make excuses and evade responsibility. It’s difficult to find people who plead guilty and humbly beg for forgiveness. People are on the side with sin and darkness, not with righteousness and light.

However, one cannot hide sin in front of God, and there’s no one who can avoid the eyes of God.

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Gospel Lesson

“But You, O Lord, know me; You have seen me, and You have tested my heart toward You” (Jeremiah 12:3) “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.” (Proverbs 15:3) Everything will be revealed in front of God. However, many people nowadays do not regard sin as sin. They do not hate sin as much as God hates sin. They are not sad or embarrassed about sin. They live tolerating sin, hiding sin, and enjoying sin. Their standards of sin crumble down and their senses toward sin have died.

“Fools mock at sin, but among the upright there is favor.” (Proverbs 14:9) The reason why people do not fear sin or try to receive grace to become free from sin is because they do not know that the result of sin is an eternal curse and destruction. It is the same about people who go to church and say that they believe in God. There is a plethora of sin inside of the church and the church has also rotted away. The church is unable to point out sin and guide people to wash their sins. Many

A person with sin cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.

Only the righteous can enter. people bring their baggage of sin to church, display their baggage when they pray and plead for forgiveness, and then pack up their belongings of sin to bring it back with them.

Before I received salvation, the elders of the churches I attended would give the opening prayer and end with, “This sinner lacks any merit but I pray in honoring the name of Jesus.” It clearly states in the Bible that God does not hear the prayers of sinners.

“Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.” (John 9:31) “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:1-2) God doesn’t listen to the prayers of sinners and He is clearly saying that those who have sin did not receive salvation but people don’t

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know how much they are neglecting and despising the Word of God. Because the wages of sin is death, people with sin are under death but there are ignorant people who continue to be persistent and think, “I have sin but I received salvation. I have sin but I’m going to heaven.”

In Hymn number 233 the lyrics read, “There are no sinners there but only the righteous.” A person with sin cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Only the righteous can enter.

People do not know the fundamental problem of why they are forced to commit sin, they try to not sin but do not know, “Why can’t I be freed from sin, what can I do to be freed from sin?” If they become freed from sin they are freed from death and if they are freed from death they gain everlasting life but they do not seek the blessed way of receiving the forgiveness of sin.

How different would it be between a person who hides and keeps their illness for their whole life and a person who receives treatment and lives healthily? It is the same in regards to the illness of sin of the heart. People who go to hell are the ones that keep sin to themselves and conceal it from other people, just like how people with a chronic disease end up dying because they kept it hidden from others. They are constantly under pain from their conscience and condemnation but a person who receives the forgiveness of sin, lives brightly and honorably in front of God, and then goes to the kingdom of heaven.

The Sin that Dwells Inside of Me In Romans 5:12 it reads, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.” If you see here, it says sin ‘entered’ the world.

Sin comes from the outside. Sin comes into us and makes us lie, causes us to lust within ourselves, grows hate, and makes us steal.

People think that they themselves sin but the truth is that the sin that entered Adam is also working inside of us. If we sin even though we don’t want to sin, it is the sin that entered us to claim and rule us. It seems like I am committing sin alone, but in fact, sin is with me, the two. That’s why Apostle Paul in Romans 7 said this.

“For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do…but now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.” (Romans 7:15-17)

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Gospel Lesson

“For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.” (Romans 7:19-20) This is where many people experience spiritual conflict. They want to do good things but what realistically appears is the evil that they hate. They have an earnest heart to live a spiritual life but it is painful because the fleshly things continue to erupt. Then, why is it that the unwanted evil thoughts, unwanted evil actions come out from us?

“I am carnal, sold under sin.” (Romans 7:14) We are already sold to sin inside of Adam, and no good things dwell inside of this flesh. God is not telling us, “to be good”, but He is saying, “to accept good”. When we attempt to be good, it is just like Korea trying to dig for oil when there’s no oil deposits whatsoever. Korea must import oil from oil producing countries, likewise we are not good so we must receive the goodness from Jesus.

Receiving the words and heart of Jesus is good.

The moon cannot emit light on its own. Like how the moon lights up when it receives the light from the sun, God calls those who receive the word and heart of God as ‘righteous.’ If you look in Luke 18:19 it says no one is good but God. So when Adam left God all those inside of him also left God. How can mankind who left good, be good? A human being trying to be good is because they do not know their state of being. A person who tries to be good when they are not is an arrogant person. The goodness that people do is not true goodness. That is why we should not try to be good, but like how the moon receives the light from the sun, we must accept the words and heart of Jesus who is good. God regards this to be righteousness.

No Evidence, Intentional Sin There is another truth we must recognize that one who does evil unwillingly is not caused by themselves but by sin. In today’s time, many false prophets in many churches teach doctrines such as, “Jesus took away

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original sin, but intentional sin must be washed through repentance.”

This nonsense and false doctrine has no biblical foundation whatsoever which ties people to their conduct. It is a clever lie made by Satan that makes people unable to be freed from sin. Intentional sin means ‘sin committed by oneself’ but most people think that it means ‘sin committed throughout one’s life.’

When people drink, at first it is the person drinking alcohol, but once it progresses it becomes alcohol drinking alcohol, and later, alcohol drinking the person. If a person has a bad drinking habit, precisely speaking it is the alcohol inside the person that is causing the bad drinking habit, it is not the person acting on the bad drinking habit. Likewise, we commit sin because the sin that entered is claiming us. But because people think that they are committing sin they think it is obvious to turn the responsibility of resolving sin upon themselves. However, those who have fought against sin know that they are weak, unable to overcome sin and that they will be tempted by even the smallest sin.

Those people do not place any expectations in their determination or effort but seek the grace and mercy of God and rely on Him for salvation. Mankind does not have the strength to overcome sin, nor the way to resolve sin. Jesus is the only person who can resolve sin.

That is why He had to come and why we rely on Him. He is the only way.

Sin and Crime The Bible calls the fruit of sin, the symptoms of sin as a crime. If you have a cold then you will have symptoms of a cold. You have a high fever, you cough, and your head also hurts. However, the fever or cough is not the cold. If the cold is sin then the fever or cough is the symptom of sin. The symptoms of a cold are clear proof that the cold virus has entered. The symptoms of sin are clear proof that sin has entered into us. The cold virus enters the body so that symptoms of the cold appears and once the symptoms appear we know that we have the cold and feel the need to receive treatment, the relationship between sin and crime is the same. If the cold virus enters then whether many symptoms or little symptoms appear the person has a cold. The person does not become a patient once the symptoms appear but they become a patient once the virus enters. They only discover they had the illness

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Gospel Lesson

once the symptoms appeared. We are not sinners because we commit sin but we became sinners when sin entered us, and because we are sinners we sin. Even if there are no symptoms if the cold virus entered a person’s body that person is still a patient of a cold.

Because sin entered into man through Adam, all humans are sinners even if they do not sin. ‘Crime’ only allows you to realize that you are sinner, crime doesn’t determine if we are a sinner or not. That is why we are sinners even if we may never commit a sin. Also, like treating a cold is also treating the symptoms, if you receive the forgiveness of sin then you receive the forgiveness of crime. When the prodigal son returned to his father in Luke 15, it wasn’t only his sin of leaving his father that was forgiven but wasn’t all the sin he committed living riotously and spending his father’s livings with prostitutes also forgiven?

Sin Must Be Revealed to Receive Grace What should you do if you caught a cold? You must go to the doctor and tell him the symptoms and receive treatment. But people do not do so for spiritual problems. They do not try to come in front of God as a sinner and receive the forgiveness of sin but try to hide it. You cannot receive treatment if you try to hide your illness in front of the doctor. Jesus said “those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” (Matthew 9:12) It is not embarrassing to have sin revealed as sin. God is not trying to embarrass us by revealing our sin. He is trying to reveal sin so that He can give us the grace of the forgiveness of sin. However, Satan continues to make us hide our sin and lead us toward destruction. Everyone, do you think we can deceive God? Do you think we can avoid God? Would God not know who you are and be deceived by you? If you hide sin then that means you are on the side of sin, that you are for sin, and that you are not trying to come out in front of Jesus, who is the light, to receive grace. If you go out to God with the heart of confessing your sins and seeking mercy, you are a person who has already thrown sin away.

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“He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13) According to this promise, God will bestow mercy upon the souls who confess and throw away their sins and allow the grace of the forgiveness of sin upon them. I hope that you can go in front of God’s true servant and church as the sinner you are, dirty and shameful, to receive the forgiveness of sin in your heart and then live a blessed life with precious Jesus in your life.

God will bestow mercy upon the souls who confess and throw away their sins and allow the grace of the forgiveness of sin upon them.

The Religion that Condemns, the Salvation that Saves The true church not only awakens the state of sin but will also guides the soul to be free from sin and perfectly washed from sin. Religion without life condemns people but cannot guide them to be freed from sin. But the true gospel frees people from sin and gives true life and freedom of the heart. If you look in John 8 the scribes and pharisees condemned the woman caught in adultery but they couldn’t help her be free from sin.

However, even though the woman was dirty and shameful, Jesus eternally freed the woman from sin’s authority, the punishment of the law, from death and gave life and liberty. A savior must be able to do this in order to be called a savior. The Word that is able to do this is a blessing.

Have all you experienced this power of the gospel? Is all the sin in your heart cleansed white as snow? Are you ready to stand in front of God at any time? God gives everyone an opportunity to look back upon their hearts and when He gives you the heart to receive the forgiveness of sin, do not delay. Today may be your last chance.

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T estimon y of P a stor O c k S oo P a r k

Believe in the God that Eunsook’s Father Believes in ····

My mother passed away right after the Korean War. My father never got remarried and raised the five of us on his own. From time to time, he would bring a sack of rice or some money for us from the countryside. My wife and I encouraged my father to believe in Jesus to the best of our ability. Whenever we would do so, my father would say, “Don’t be like that. I do believe in Jesus. You believe in Him, so why wouldn’t I? But I’ll believe in Him starting this fall.” The coming fall was to be his friend’s 60th birthday party, and it would be bad manners not to drink at his party just because he believes in Jesus. Once fall would pass and winter came, I would tell my father, “Father, you should start believing in Jesus now.” Then he would say, “I’ll start believing next spring for sure. My friend will have a daughter-in-law in spring, and how could I not have a drink with him? I’ll believe when my friend has a new daughter-in-law.” As he continued to postpone believing, ten years passed.

My father aged and his stomach ulcer worsened. My elder brother was in Japan, so my father stayed at my place, but because he had continued bleeding in his stomach, there would be blood mixed in his stool. We knew my father wouldn’t be able to live too long since his illness worsened to the point where the doctor suggested to forgo surgery. My job was to preach the Gospel and have my father receive

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Preaching the Gospel to the Ends of the Earth

salvation. One day, after praying, I went to my father.

“Father, believe in Jesus.”

“Oh, I believe. Don’t worry. I believe.”

He always said that, but that day, I did not want to leave it at that.

“Father, you can’t be like this. Our lives are so empty...”

No matter who it is, his/her heart must be broken to believe in the gospel and accept salvation, so I wanted to talk about that, but my father got angry. That was the first time I had seen him so angry.

“Eunsook’s father. How can you speak to your father like that?”

“What I mean is…”

“Be quiet and leave!”

When the gospel is about to enter a person, Satan powerfully opposes it. Leaving my father without saying anything more, I loathed Satan.

That day happened to be Monday, so many pastors came to have Bible Study. My facial expression must have been very off. The pastors asked, “Pastor, are you sick? Did anything bad happen?” So I told them about my father. That evening, we did not have Bible Study, but instead held a prayer meeting for my father. About two days after our prayer meeting, my father called me.

“Ensook’s father, are you there?”

“Yes, father. I’m here.”

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“Come in. My stomach is bothering me quite a lot, but I can’t seem to use the restroom.”

As my wife was about to go to the pharmacy to get some enema medicine, my father sat up and suddenly threw up blood. He threw up a lot of dark blood that had accumulated in his stomach due to his bleeding ulcer. Intuitively, I felt ‘My father is about to pass away!’

I think my father too, felt, ‘I’m about to die.’ After wiping up all the blood, we laid him down on a new blanket.

“Father, my elder brother isn’t here, so if there’s anything you want to tell us, please do so. I’ll record it.”

“Good. I had something I wanted to say to you.”

I ran the sixty minute long recording tape.

“I feel very sorry to you guys about this. I felt very sad toward you guys about that…When I die, the brothers better not fight over the little money I’m leaving you. And when I die, bury me next to your mother, and ask Amuge to clean my corpse. I helped him out a lot when he was younger, so he shouldn’t refuse cleaning my body.”

He ended his will once he said everything he wanted to.Right then, I asked him, “Father, when you pass away, I’ll carry out your funeral exactly as you requested. That’s what will happen to your body, but where will your spirit go?”

“I do want to go to heaven, but I haven’t contributed anything…it’s too late.”

Even until the age of seventy, my father had a lot of ambition.

“Why are you so stupid? This is how you’re supposed to do this…”

Even though his body had aged, he had many thoughts and he was caught up in ambitions toward this world. But once he stood before death, he gave up all those ambitions on his own, and like a young child, he accepted the Word in his heart with a pure heart. That was the time when I felt most thankful that our salvation is not through our works, but through Jesus’ works. For approximately two hours, I told him how our sins were passed over to Jesus, and how the blood at the cross washed our sins away. My father’s facial expression began to change. “I believe, I do! Thank you Jesus. Thank you so much for carrying my sins away and washing them clean.”

I felt that my father would not make it much longer, so I called an ambulance to carry my father to his home town. Two days later, my father woke up in the morning and said, “Kids, I’ve lived such a good peaceful life. Won’t you sing some hymns?”

My father’s heart had completely changed. My father seemed to have gotten a little better, so I left my wife with my father and returned to

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Preaching the Gospel to the Ends of the Earth

Daegu. A couple of days later, I got an urgent call from my wife telling me to hurry back, and when I returned to my hometown, my father was on his deathbed. My father told me to call all of his friends. His friends came and cried, holding onto his hands.

“I’m going to heaven believing in the Jesus that Eunsook’s father believes in. I’ll go first and get some good seats, so you guys should also believe in the God that Eunsook’s father believes in and come here.”

Then, he told my cousins, “Listen. It’s hard for me to talk because my throat is burning. But I’m telling you this because you’re my nephews.

Your father died like this. When you guys die, how will you die? Believe in the Jesus that Eunsook’s father believes in. Don’t just think about money, but believe in Jesus.”

After saying those words, he slept. He slept snoring loudly, and on the next morning in his sleep, he was called by the Lord to the eternal land.

The ambitions that had been leading my father’s thoughts had almost led my father to a road of destruction, but as he let go of all those things in front of death, he was freed from his ambitions. Once he was free from his ambitions, he was able to accept the gospel and receive salvation.

Church Directory (North America) EAST COAST Good News New York Church 718-878-4246 300 Nassau Rd., Huntington, NY 11743

Good News New Jersey Church 201-406-4677 1075 Queen Anne Road, Teaneck, NJ 07666

Good News Manhattan Church 917-678-3344 2152 3rd Ave., NY, NY 10035

Good News Detroit Church 248-885-9646 1181 Harding Ave., Rochester Hills, MI 48307

Good News Bronx Church 646-339-6432 685 Morris Park Ave 2nd Fl, Bronx, NY 10462

Good News Indianapolis Church 317-294-5329 383 S. Emerson Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46219

Good News Brooklyn NY Church 917-526-7498 765 43rd St. 1st FL, Brooklyn, NY 11232

Good News Miami Church 954-667-7753 331 NW 65th Way, Hollywood, FL 33024

Good News Flushing Chinese Church 631-535-1169 134-24 Cherry Ave., Flushing, NY 11355

Good News New Orleans Church 504-602-9930 3205 Cherry St., New Orleans, LA 70118

Good News Atlanta Church 404-966-6352 11000 Rogers Circle, Johns Creek, GA 30097

Good News Jacksonville Church 904-800-7890 3850 Beach Blvd., Jacksonville, FL 32207

Good News Atlanta Spanish Church 678-387-9271 2635 Fairlane Drive, 2nd FL, Doraville, GA 30340

Good News Boston Church 617-320-3296 4 Church St. #8, Malden, MA 02148

Good News Philadelphia Church 215-379-0501 305 Township Line Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027

Good News Charlotte Church 704-500-6063 8731 Green Ivy Lane, Charlotte, NC 28217

Good News Chicago Church 847-329-0237 4825 W. Jarlath St., Lincolnwood, IL 60712

Good News Fort Wayne Church 260-797-3412 3316 S. Calhoun St., Fort Wayne, IN 46807

Good News Washington Church 070-4643-8245 7461 Miramar Dr., Manassas, VA 20109

Good News Nashville Spanish Church 615-927-8980 120 Arbor Knoll Blvd., Antioch, TN 37013

Good News Memphis Church 901-206-7891 764 Chatwood Cove, Memphis, TN 38122 Good News Minneapolis Church 612-384-2090 3000 West Broadway Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55411 Good News Orlando Church 407-312-4028 301 S. Oak Ave., Stanford, FL 32771

WEST COAST Good News Central Church 213-386-0097 3500 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90004 Good News Tacoma Church 253-582-3599 10103 South Tacoma Way, Lakewood, WA 98499

Good News Albuquerque Church 505-301-7167 3001 Cuervo Dr., N.E. Albuquerque, NM 87110 Good News Dallas First Church 972-272-4724 4502 Lawler Rd., Garland, TX 75042 Good News San Jose Church 408-893-2267 1548 Curtner Ave., San Jose, CA 95125 Good News Las Vegas Church 702-248-0572 2880 Red Rock St., Las Vegas, NV 89146 Good News Salt Lake Church 801-656-5299 2364 S. Main St., Salt Lake City, UT 84115 Good News O.C. Church 714-226-0595 3330 W. Lincoln Ave., Anaheim, CA 92801 Good News Anchorage Church 907-258-9987 1020 W. Fireweed Lane, Anchorage, AK 99503 Good News El Paso Church 915-309-7075 6869 Enid Ct. #74, El Paso, TX 79912 Good News Portland Church 971-300-1127 6225 S.W. Dale Ave., Beaverton, OR 97008 Good News San Antonio Church 210-993-9414 405 Walton Ave., San Antonio, TX 78225 Good News Denver Church 720-308-3442 6400 W. 26th Ave., Edgewater, CO 80214 Good News Kansas Church 816-210-0351 1301 E 100th TER, Kansas City, MO 64131

Good News Hawaii Church 808-679-2800 1219 Keeaumoku St., Suite 400, Honolulu, HI 96814 Good News Houston Church 210-315-0346 2516 Wavell St., Houston, TX 77088 Good News Phoenix Church 480-273-2199 9001 West ELM St. #5, Phoenix, AZ 85037 Good News Sacramento Church 916-996-4655 3501 Bradshaw Rd. #115, Sacramento, CA 95827 Good News Oklahoma Church 405-535-9553 5801 S. Pennsylvania Ave., Oklahoma City, OK 73119

CANADA & CARIBBEAN Good News Vancouver Church 1-778-881-5508 409 Goyer Ct, Coquitlam, BC V3K, Canada Good News Ottawa Church 819-431-0377 132 Rue Brodeur, Gatineau, QC J8Y 2R2, Canada Good News Toronto Church 1-416-321-2004 70 Mcgriskin Rd., Toronto, ON M1S 5C5, Canada Good News Jamaica Church 1-876-318-0189 63b Deanery Road, Kingston 3, Jamaica W.I. Good News Dominican Republic Church 1-809-350-1429 Calle 26 #2, Valle Verde 1, Santiago, La Republica Dominicana Good News Haiti Church 509-70-8253-2511 Rue Jeremie #22 Delmas 33, Port-au-Prince, Haiti

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