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Subject 13 : The Gospel According to MATTHEW
[Chapter 24-1] Have Faith That Prepares for the Lord’s Second Coming Now (Matthew 24:1-8)
(Matthew 24:1-8)
“Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, ‘Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.’ Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’ And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.’”
Holidays seem to come around so often. It seems that we just made a fuss over the New Year but the Lunar New Year is at hand already. The Chuseok holidays (the Korean Thanksgiving Day) will be here before you know it, too. Christmas will be here right after Chuseok, and the year will be over. The time goes by very fast. The non-Christian families in Korea have to offer religious services to their past ancestors on every holiday; even on the day they died. There are many days for the non-Christian Koreans to offer religious services to their past ancestors. That’s why the Korean saying “the ancestor worship ceremonies come so often to the poor” seems true. Such days of ancestor worship can be very burdensome for a poor family who are struggling to put a decent meal on the table.
A living soul can have a cheap noodle or soup for a meal, but they can’t put such a meal on the table for the ancestor worship. As Koreans say, “Just like the days of sacrificial rites for ancestors come so often to a poor family” in the same sense, a rent due date comes quickly to a tenant. This saying shows how difficult it is for a person living in a rental home. Living in a rental home, the monthly rental due date seems to come so quickly after you just barely made the rental payment last month. On top of that, you have to pay the monthly utility bills for the water and electricity, as well as the medical insurance premiums. A month goes by without us even noticing it.
Have a safe trip back to your hometown during this holiday. Also, remember to keep your faith in tact for the holiday. Have a good holiday and I hope you have a delicious feast with your family. There is plenty of delicious food during these special holidays. If you have no place to go during the holiday, don’t hesitate to come to me. I will pour a bowl of water in the pot, and an extra spoon of hot pepper powder, and make a delicious soup for us. I will be going down to In-je tomorrow. I will meet with some staff ministers to examine the edited version of the Sermons on Romans before printing it. I sincerely want God’s blessings and guidance upon all of us in all these things. I pray that the will of the Lord, more than our desires, may be fulfilled in this world.
At times, I am more excited about publishing the English version of the Sermons on Romans than the second coming of our Lord, because I want to share the righteousness of the Lord throughout the world by our literature ministry. It has been difficult to evangelize the world with the true gospel because people have learned too much of the false doctrines within the religious boundary they have created. If we share the righteousness of God that is manifested in the Book of Romans, people will understand the baptism of Jesus and the righteousness of God that Paul was talking about.
On the other hand, I am also yearning for the coming of the Lord in my heart. This is such a time, and that is why I am talking about the subject this evening, even though I talked about it this morning. At this time, we will look at the God’s Word by focusing on the topic “When do the disasters begin before the Second Coming of the Lord?”
When we look at Matthew chapter 24, Jesus pointed to the Temple in Jerusalem and said, “Assuredly, not one stone that form the Jerusalem Temple shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” The disciples heard this and asked two questions: “When will these things be?” and “What will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
The Lord always prophesies the things He will do in the future by using the real things of this world as an illustration. He says that not one stone that forms the Temple of Jerusalem shall be left here upon another. Through this, the Lord is telling us how the world will be destroyed He said those words with such implication, and the disciples asked the Lord with consecutive questions “When will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
The Lord uses reality manlike this to illustrate the work He will do in the future. The Lord speaks of the beginning of the disasters, saying, “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:4-8).
The beginning of sorrows that the Lord talks about means the disasters that announce the beginning of the Seven-year Tribulation. He is saying that before the Great Seven-year Tribulation, there will be nations rising against nations, famines, and earthquakes in various places. The Great Seven-year Tribulation will begin after many people appear and say they are Christ.
Let’s look at the Revelation 6:5-6. It says, “When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, ‘Come and see.’ So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.”” It says that when the third seal is opened, the period of the black horse will arrive, and it will be the period of famine. What the period of famine means, as we have read in today’s Scripture passage, there will be famine and earthquake in various places and nations will rise against nations. After this will be the period of the pale horse, when the anti-Christ will appear and the killing of the Israelites will occur. Then we who have received the remission of the sin among the Gentiles will be martyred.
2 Thessalonians 2:4 also talks about this is this manner, “Who opposes and exalts Himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” It means that, in the end times, a leader, under the guise of serving the Lord, will go against God and proclaim that he is the Messiah. The Apostle Paul continues to say, “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10).
In the end, many people will support Israel. Some will turn from God and a king of the Israelites will abandon his faith and challenge God. These things will lead the Israelites into tribulation. Before these things happen in full scale, the work of Satan will be present, with false miracles and power. Many people will say that they are servants of Christ and servants of God, and perform false miracles and wonders.
In our country alone, there are many who perform false miracles and wonders. It would be the same in the other countries. As I have told you before, there was a band called the “Righteous Brothers.” The composer for the group, John Wimber, came to the Lord and depended on Him when the popularity they once enjoyed dissipated. Believing in Jesus, he said that he wanted to see all the miracles and signs of the Scriptures. He also wanted to be able to perform those wonders.
As a result, Satan worked in him powerfully. One great miraculous work manifested through him. While the people were standing during the worship service, he laid his hands on them and people fell on their backs, and some just trembled and sounded out strange noises like “krrr krrrr,” “ruff ruff,” “mooo mooo,” or laughed “hi hi,” “huh huh”, and other strange phenomena. People marveled at this. But they were confused as to whether it was the work of the Spirit or the work of Satan. Many years have passed since then, and many people tried to receive the Holy Spirit in this manner.
Benny Hinn is one of those people. He is a Jew ministering in the United States. He wrote a book on the Holy Spirit. We could read his faith through this book, and the things he claims don’t make sense. They are just zany and humorous. He said that electricity ran up throughout his body while he was praying. He trembled so much that he began to shake. He emphasized that this was the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. He claimed, “The Holy Spirit is everywhere” and he wrote a book entitled Good Morning Holy Spirit. And the motto “Good Morning Holy Spirit” became very popular among Christians, even in our country. After waking up in the morning, Christians used to greet the Holy Spirit with the words “Good Morning Holy Spirit.” This became very popular in Korea.
There is a Vineyard church in Korea as well. When people go to this church, where founder John Wimber or his followers are leading, they have people stand up. Then a leader lays his hands on them, and they fall backwards and start speaking in strange tongues. People don’t worship in a quiet manner. In one corner, a person is barking like a dog, and another is shaking uncontrollably in another corner. While someone is crying out like a lion, another person is coughing up a noise like a grandpa, and the worship service turns into chaos.
People think that this is the work of the Holy Spirit. They say those who receive the laying on of hands from such leaders also receive the same kind of power. That’s why ministers or pastors from all over the world who visit North America make it a point to visit the Vineyard Church, which is next to the Vineyard Airport in Canada. People go to that church, and see what’s happening and they receive the laying on of hands, and come back home and do same things in their own countries.
Many strange things happen in our country too. Some people talk of the three beat blessings, or the three-fold gospel. Some even go so far as to talk of the fourth dimension gospel or the five-fold gospel. The so-called three-beat blessings is based on 3 John 1:2 which says, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” This is the central theme of the sermons of those who are trying to grow their churches by giving people the assurance of spiritual and material blessing by believing in Jesus.
In Berea Church, ministers sit people on the floor and lay their hands on a believer’s shoulder with one hand and push the forehead with the other hand. Then the person falls backward. Sometimes, the leader may circle the group of people a few times and then suddenly hit one person’s head, and a deacon trips him up with his feet. If the person still doesn’t go down, another deacon pushes him. What would happen in such case? Would he fall down? Of course he will fall down. And if he still doesn’t go down, they even pinch the person on the side. This is the same type of comedy that goes on in the Vineyard churches.
Countless number of Korean ministers have gone there and learned these things, and they do same things in our country. They prophesy and pray, and say they just saw a vision, and speak in tongues that make no sense. Foolish people are envious of people speaking in tongues that they can’t speak, and they actually compete to do so. But that’s not really speaking in tongues. True speaking in tongues is not the repetition of meaningless words. It is a high level language that some people can clearly understand. Speaking clearly to God is not a repetition of words that can’t be distinguished whether it is an onomatopoeic word or a mimetic word.
Have I spoken in tongues before? Yes I have. I can talk about it because I have done it. I don’t speak English, but I spoke in tongues with English. But I had to bite my tongue in embarrassment. Why? I bit my tongue because I was listing all of my sins in English. So, I bit my tongue once, and then a second time, but it didn’t stop. It stopped after I bit my tongue the third time.
Such laughable things happen in this world, especially in so-called Pentecostal churches. They are not centered in the Word, and their gospel is not the gospel of the water and the Spirit. They do not attain God’s righteousness by believing in it. They aim at one of two things: First, they try to manifest the appearance of Satan by receiving his power as his servants. Or they seek to be a good person with high moral standards and good manners. These churches have fallen into these things by the temptation of the Devil.
Many of their ministers call themselves God’s servants. Some blatantly call themselves the Christ. One pastor said he would walk through the Han River in Seoul some day. The person claims that he went to the Philippines and had a meeting there. Many people were healed during the meeting. I saw a poster about his meeting and it says that a cross suddenly appeared in the sky, and marvelous works, miracles, and amazing signs were manifested. They say that even short legs can become longer. So, those of you who have short legs needn’t worry. Just go see that pastor. He will lay his hands on you, and your two legs will immediately stretch out and become long.
Falling for such nonsensical claims shows how gullible people can be. In Vineyard Church, John Wimber was said to have healed many children with downs-syndrome disease, but investigations of those who were said to have been healed revealed immediately that it was a lie. Even if legs did become a little longer, is it really important? Science can make that happen. The church should focus on saving souls, not practicing medicine. Ministers should devote their energy to saving souls and let the doctors take care of the sick. Many ministers are doing things like that.
We live in times such as these. Now, so many ministers have tried to use such marvelous works and miracles, and those things don’t work because so many people have been deceived. People have become more aware of such trickery. We are living in the end times. We are close to the second coming of the Lord. You need to watch out for these swindlers.
What will happen in the end times? We’ll hear the rumors of disasters and catastrophes. The nations will rise against nations. There will be famines and earthquakes. Then, the Great Seven-year Tribulation that announces the second coming of the Lord will begin soon.
The following things will happen as a precursor of the end times: Wars, famines, and earthquakes. Imagine that there has been a strong earthquake in Korea. What will happen to us? The infrastructure of Korea will be ruined and we will not be able to preach the gospel any more. We share the gospel now, but we wouldn’t be able to share the gospel when disasters strike. What will we be thinking when disasters actually happen? What will become of us when these things happen? Will we respect our brothers and sisters in Christ? Or, will we hate one another? The Apostle Paul told us in 1 Thessalonians 5:8-10, “But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.”
What should we do when things like famines, earthquakes, and nations rising against one another actually happen? The Apostle Paul said, “Put on the breastplate of faith and love, and a helmet of salvation.” He said that we should put on the helmet of salvation. That enables us to live in the paradise of the Millennial Kingdom, after being raptured at the second coming of the Lord. The people of God should understand how precious the born-again brothers and sisters are. They should love and care for one another with a true heart. That’s why Paul said, “Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing. And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves” (1 Thessalonians 5:11-13).
Many people, even today, don’t believe that these things will happen in the last days. So, the Apostle Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5, “But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman.” He said this to the unbelievers. But for those who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and know and believe in the righteousness of the Lord, know when the Second Coming of the Lord will be. He said, “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober” (1 Thessalonians 5:4-6). Those of us who are born again are the sons of light, and that day will not come like a thief in the night. Through the Scriptures, we know, when the Lord is coming. We know exactly when this period is and we foresee exactly what will happen in the world. Even though the Great Seven-year Tribulation has not yet come, we realize that there will be wars, earthquakes, and famines upon this earth.
Of course this will happen after the gospel has been shared throughout the world. This will happen in our country as well after the gospel has been shared. After the gospel of the water and the Spirit has been delivered throughout the world, how would we feel when such things happen to us? That’s why the Lord said, “Wear the helmet, the hope of salvation.” I believe that the Lord will definitely come and resurrect us for the second time to have us live as kings in the Millennial Kingdom that He spoke about.
And the Lord said, “Put on the breastplate of love.” Truly the born-again people love and care for their fellow born-again Christians. There is none who are more precious than their own people. If we divide people into two groups, there are only the righteous and the wicked (Matthew 13:49). The most precious people for us are God and our fellow righteous people. The Lord said to us, “Put on the breastplate of love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.” We would look to the future with a clear understanding, and treat God’s people as precious people. Even the most selfish person will become tolerant of others and see each other as precious partners going toward the Kingdom of God, and we believes as such.
Such circumstances will happen at that time, and such things will definitely happen in our hearts. You and I must understand the end times. When is the beginning of the disasters that will announce the end times? We must believe that the Great Seven-year Tribulation will begin when the famines, earthquakes, and the wars become rampant, and that’s happening right now.
Therefore, we must understand and believe that the Great Seven-year Tribulation will come upon us soon. That process will take place within a short period of time. At that time, we will be wearing the helmet of the hope of salvation. We have the Holy Spirit within our hearts because we have received the complete remission of sin by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit before the Lord. That’s why we understand that the Lord’s Kingdom will come upon this world as it is written in the Lord’s Prayer “Let thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” The Lord will come and renew all things, and His Kingdom will be upon this land. We will rule as kings in His Kingdom for a thousand years.
That’s why we hope for that day and respect the brothers and sister in Christ. We will live like that in the future. Let’s think about the future situation for a moment. Let’s say the whole world has become devastated by earthquakes. Who will you and I seek in this devastation? Will you seek your family, or will you seek your brothers and sisters in Christ? I will seek our brothers and sisters in Christ because you are actually my brothers and sisters. I have a family in the flesh, but my relationship with them is over. Some believers who have weak faith do not know who their true family members are. But, when these things happen, they will know that God’s children, who have received the righteousness of God by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, are their true brothers and sisters. This is their true family in Christ.
At that time, they will definitely know this fact. We should think about this and have faith, waiting for the second coming of the Lord. We must prepare in our hearts now for the things that will happen in the future. We must live now considering what kind of person we should be at that time, and what things we need to be careful of when this happens. This is the faith the righteous people living in this end times must have.
I believe that these things will definitely come upon us when we have finished sharing the gospel all over the world. The Lord will announce the end of the world when we finish sharing the gospel. The message of salvation was spread throughout the world through the Jews Old Testament times. But the gospel will spread worldwide through Koreans in the end times. That’s why I believe that God may protect our country.
Even now, God is protecting us in a special way. How could a nation that has received funds from the IMF recover so quickly? Our national anthem has a verse, “May God protect this nation until the Eastern Sea and the Mt. Baekdoo become dry and worn out.” It is a proud and great verse that contains the yearning for God’s protection upon this country until the end. God has truly protected us and enabled us to share the gospel.
Moody’s Investors Service, the international credit rating organization, says that it will upgrade Korea’s credit rating one grade and lower Japan’s credit one grade. Japan’s economy can’t get out of the depression. But our economy is growing vigorously now. The people of Japan and Korea have very different characteristics. Our people spend wildly even though they don’t have much in savings. Most Japanese people work hard and save every penny they earn. But they can’t enjoy their life. Although they work hard all their lives, there aren’t many days in their lifetime when they go on an eating binge. They say Japanese people add some boiled fish paste as a topping on noodle soup only on paydays. On special days, they just add some boiled fish paste to an ordinary meal. Their country may be rich, but an individual person’s finances aren’t very good.
Japanese people are so stingy with food that you have to pay for extra Kim chi at a restaurant. This is never the case in Korea. You can’t eat all you want at a restaurant in Japan. Brother Sakamoto, from Japan, was shell-shocked at the Spiritual Training Camp last summer when he saw us receiving the big plates full of rice, soup, and Kim chi, and eating as much as we want. He said he was amazed at two things in Korea: One, eating as much as we want; and the other is the sight of the big rocks on the hillside of the Misiryoung Hill. The rocks seemed so dangerous to him. He said that there are many earthquakes in Japan and they have to build structures to support every dangerous rock. He thinks Korea is an amazing country when he sees Koreans ignore these dangerous rocks and even drive through them. We eat and talk beneath them as well. I really believe that we are living prosperously because God has been protecting us in a special way.
However, there will be full-scale disasters of the seven trumpets and seven bowls after the famines, earthquakes, and wars. These things will definitely come. We need to prepare our hearts for them because these disasters will come to everyone. This is not fiction, but reality. We must believe God’s Word, and think about the kind of faith we must have in our hearts. We must also think of how we should live our spiritual life when we face these things and prepare our faith now. That’s why I am preaching this kind of sermon ahead of time.
During those times, we won’t have time to get together like this and share God’s Word. We will all be out of minds trying to escape from earthquakes. Some may barely survive and many will die. Some of us may die too. We may have to say, “A sister has gone before us, and another brother, also. I have not seen his body, but it’s a good thing. We’ll meet across the Jordan. It’s good that he has gone in faith before us.” Will we meet one another or not? We will. When the Lord comes, all the righteous will meet again.
We need to think about this now, because it will be too late if we have to face the tribulation when we are not ready. God’s Word says that there will be famines and earthquakes during the end times. When there is severe famine, there is no food for people to eat and many people will die. If there is no food to eat, it could cause war. Currently there are famines and earthquakes all over the world.
There are many countries that don’t have enough food to eat. I don’t believe it is an exaggeration to say that most Koreans have good living conditions, and have plenty of food to eat. Although we have just entered the ranks of the advanced countries, we are already among the top countries as far as food and living conditions are concerned. People in our country eat well and have good living conditions. Not many countries have such good living conditions like our country. Poverty is now prevalent throughout the world. These are signs before the tribulation begins.
We must have faith in the Lord’s second coming. We must prepare now, both spiritually and physically, for the Lord’s second coming as we share the gospel. If we are satisfied with just sharing the gospel, then we are going to lose our faith when the disasters actually begin. We all have to prepare our hearts now, being tightened by the belt of faith. No matter what happens in the future, or how our situation is now, we must live with faith, waiting for the Lord’s second coming. There will be various kinds of difficulties when the Lord is about to come, and we have to be ready for that time and prepare our hearts to overcome them with faith. This is the kind of faith that waits for the Lord’s second coming and prepares for it.
You and I have to be ready now. It will be too late if we tried to get ready at the time of the Lord’s second coming. We need to be ready with the faith of waiting for the Lord’s second coming before that time. We need to wait, so when the time comes, we could face it fearlessly and endure until the end. we might even suffer martyrdom. We can live out our faith without any problem if we believe that that there will be famines, earthquakes and wars, if we are ready to face them in our hearts. There is nothing to worry about when we face these things if we believe this and prepare our hearts through faith. There is nothing to worry about because we already knew about it and prepared for it.
The Lord said, “You are not going to face these things immediately, because you are the sons of light. Sons of darkness do not know these things and destruction will come to them like a thief. However, all of these things have been already predicted to the sons of light. So, you should be ready with the faith. Take the helmet of salvation and be alert towards disasters. Have embroidered love in your heart and live with faith. Care for and respect each other with consideration of others.” We should live now like we are actually in the middle of the age of disaster, and prepare our hearts in faith.
When we will actually face the disasters, many people among us will die, but the others among us will escape the disasters, gather together, and proclaim the gospel. The righteous will look for and find each other, but some people will be hated and be arrested by their family, suffer terrible hardship, and eventually die as martyrs. Various things will happen. I am talking exclusively to you, the righteous in Korea, about all of these sufferings. Many people from all over the world will believe the gospel of the water and the Spirit that we share and receive the remission of sin. They will gain the righteousness of God and proclaim this gospel. They will proclaim it with power. In the end, the disaster will have already started, and we will die anyway.
The Bible talks about the righteous suffering martyrdom. Exactly as it is written, we will face the Antichrist ruling over the world. If we’re going to die anyway, it is better to have hope in the Kingdom to come, proclaim the gospel powerfully, and go to the Lord when He calls us. Whether we die as martyrs, die through accidents, or die through persecution, we are going to proclaim the gospel to our hearts content. As recorded in Revelation, uncountable numbers of people from all over the world will be saved and die as martyrs, holding onto their faith. From the midst of the blood of their martyrdom, they are going to be resurrected and stand before God and praise and worship Him (Revelation 7:9-14).
The Lord, who is coming again, is telling us to be ready for His second coming. Do you understand? If you want to share the Gospel, the time to do it is now. If you want to be ready, you need to be ready now. If you want to do God’s work, then you need to do it now. There is no other alternative. This is why we are proclaiming the Gospel when the end time is near. This is why I have wanted so eagerly to publish the book of sermons on Romans. It seems as if we worked for a long time to have the book of sermons on Romans published. Actually, it didn’t’ take very long. We have been able to distribute many Christian books to countless domestic and foreign people because many of our Mission workers have been involved and served sincerely and devotedly.
We are also going to distribute approximately 3,000 books to a Nigerian coworker. A pastor from a mission organization in Nigeria asked us many times for 100,000 copies of our books. 100,000 copies of our books would fill up two of the 40 feet long containers. When we think about the population in that country, 100,000 copies are not enough to deliver the gospel to all of those people. But since one person is requesting so many books, we have to remember how profitable that would be for preaching the gospel. So we were going to send 3,000 of them initially.
It might take few years for one person to distribute all 100,000 copies. Just throwing away 100,000 books to a garbage can may take very long time. But this person said he could do it. We thought he had a big heart, and we decided to send him 3,000 copies of the English version first. That is, 1,000 copies each of volumes 1, 2, and 3. Then we will send him more when the book of sermons on Roman comes out. In the future, we pray that many people like that pastor would arise.
We are going to send our books to anyone who wants to do God’s work and asks, “Please send me 10,000 copies of your books. I’ll distribute all of the books.” We don’t care whether they actually distribute the books or sell the books. Somebody will receive one of these books and will hear the gospel, and that is what we want. There was a person from the Philippines who randomly picked up one of our books from a garbage can and started reading. He sent us a message that he had received the remission of sins.
People receive the remission of sin through various means. I just want our books to reach the seekers, and manifest the power of the gospel of the water and the Spirit, to come alive through our book. This gospel of the water and the Spirit is the way of salvation to some people, but to some, it is a rock that makes them fallen (1 Peter 2:6-8).
We are proclaiming the gospel by any means available to us. Now we are sharing the gospel of the water and the Spirit to foreigners who are working in our country. Currently, we estimate that about 500,000 foreign workers are in our country. If we add people who are staying in our country illegally, the number would be much more. Also, many foreign tourists will come to see the 2002 FIFA World Cup games that will be held by Korea and Japan this year.
So, I am thinking about calling the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of our country to ask if we could distribute our books without charge, to all the visitors as souvenirs. It would be a good thing to do if our government permits it. We are also going to print hundreds of thousands of copies as the “2002 Korean-Japan World Cup Memorial Book” and hand them out for free as a souvenir. The government estimated that about 50,000 or 60,000 Chinese’s travelers may come to Korea, so we plan to print more Chinese versions and share the gospel of the water and the Spirit with them.
We must take advantage of this opportunity to do the great work of the gospel. My brain isn’t working well these days. Even a few years ago, I was able to think through any troublesome problem in only about 5 minutes and find a solution to it. But I cannot solve the same level of problem even though I would concentrate my brain to it in 30 minutes now. I am not as smart as before.
Once, I went to a barbershop and I heard them calling me grandpa. Look at my hair. You can’t see my gray hair if you just glance at me. But I do look like a grandpa when you look at me closely because my hair has turned gray. I was thinking to myself, “My heart is a lot younger than you.” I said to them, “Yes, you are correct. I am a grandpa.” In my heart, I didn’t agree that I was a grandpa. But when I see that my mind isn’t working fast enough, I cannot but say to myself, “I have become old.”
I think we should accomplish more and do greater works this year. We’ve sent thousands of books to our coworkers in many countries so far. But when the book of sermons on Romans comes out, I am thinking of sending them in units of ten thousand. I would really like to see the gospel of the water and the Spirit reaches every nook and valley of the world more quickly. The gospel must be shared with these people as fast possible because there are many people dying without knowing the gospel of the water and the Spirit. The gospel must be shared worldwide.
I really do want the gospel to reach all over the world, and I want all of you to become servants and saints who are waiting for the Lord’s second coming, and prepare for it. For now, I proclaim the gospel. I am also going to live with the faith of waiting for the Lord’s second coming, and treat the sisters and brothers in Christ with such faith. I also want you to live like that. I believe we need to be ready in our hearts now because the quiet times of today will not last long. But we shall not fear and give thanks to God, because He gives us the victory. Even if the Lord comes tomorrow, we shall eat, drink, and fulfill our responsibilities in all things, and be ready in our hearts while sharing the gospel until that day.
Let’s live with this kind of faith. I pray for all of you to live with thankful hearts towards God with this kind of faith. I pray that you can take good rest during this holiday and rejuvenate yourself, so that it will give you more strength to serve the Lord. Though we are going to rest during the holiday, we don’t actually have any special thing to do but just have some holiday food. However, since we rested well during the New Year holidays, I would like to meet some ministers to discuss some issues, and to do some things we can do during the Lunar New Year holidays.
I believe that the gospel will reach many more people throughout the world when the Sermons on Romans comes out. Hallelujah!
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