"The Revival We Need" Habakkuk 3:1-5 Sunday Morning Worship Service

Well, it is a joy and a privilege for us this morning to have Pastor Billy Kim join us.

He's the pastor, well, was the founding pastor of Siouan Baptist Church in Seoul, South Korea, a church that he planted.

He reminded me this morning before I was even born.

The Lord has been kind to him.

First hour he shared his testimony.

And this hour he's gonna preach a message from us.

If you missed the testimony first hour, we're gonna put that on the church website, I'm told.

And I would encourage you to uh to watch it.

It's a very moving uh testimony of how the Lord um really used the Korean conflict to save him and bring him to the United States, educate him and send him back uh to his family and to his nation of uh South Korea.

Uh when he planted the church back in South Korea, Silan Baptist Church, uh he grew, the Lord blessed it tremendously.

At the urging of his wife, Trudy, uh he planted an English congregation inside of the church.

So they have a two-language congregation, much like Emmanuel Bible Church does.

Uh his wife, Trudy, is still at the side.

She's in uh South Korea right now, but he was able to talk to her this morning.

Um the Lord has been so kind to them in growing that ministry.

When it became clear that North Korea was going to close to Christian influence, they launched the Far East Broadcasting Company, which uh launches the gospel into North Korea all over China.

Uh it is an incredibly powerful, powerful in the literal sense as far as the reach of the radio waves, but powerful in a spiritual sense.

Uh, it has impacted both of those nations in a tremendous way, becoming a very significant uh way to encourage the underground church in both of those countries.

The Lord has used uh Pastor Kim throughout the decades to share the gospel in uh all over the world, um not just in massive crusades, which which he does, but also with heads of states.

Uh he was able to bring the gospel to Cuba all through Central America, meeting with presidents and heads of states and dignitaries, and even meeting some in the United States.

Uh it's amazing how many heads of states and influential political people won't listen to an American evangelist, but will open the door to somebody from South Korea.

I don't know what to think about that, but it's true.

Uh and he has taken advantage of every opportunity the Lord has given him.

He has a legacy of faithfulness, a lifetime of faithfulness.

Um you can really see the integrity of a pastor often in the lives of their children, uh, his two, his three kids, a whole army, a whole choir of grandkids.

Uh, and two of his sons are pastoring uh rather large, growing influential churches in South Korea.

So he sends the children's choir here.

Those students raise their own support to come here.

They they pay their own way.

Uh, and it's just his way of saying thank you to the United States for the role that uh our nation has played in his own salvation and in sending him back to South Korea as a missionary.

Uh Pastor Kim, I'm so grateful.

I I can't even imagine how busy you are, um how many irons you have in the fire.

Uh I'm so grateful that you were able to take uh some time out and fly across the world to be with your choir and to be with us this morning.

Uh, brother, would you please come share the word of God with us?

English is an unmothered tongue.

I speak pretty good Korean.

One time in Iowa, South Carolina and small church, pastor introduced me.

Billy Kim is a model preacher.

I didn't know what model meant, so I looked it up in a Korean dictionary.

He says, not small imitation of a real thing.

He went on to say he's not only a model preacher, but he's a warm preacher.

I didn't know what warm meant.

I looked it up in a Korean dictionary.

Not so hot.

In the book of Hebak, there's uh idolatry, there's a pantheism, and the prophet Hebakah called out, Oh Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years.

In the midst of the years, make it known, in wrath, remember mercy.

J.

Edwin Orr, who said, in the unrevived church, the saints go racing to find sinners.

But in the revived church, sinners will come racing to find Savior.

Many people ask me why Korean church is experiencing great revival.

What is the explanation for this unusual revival for Korean church?

Many people went to the church and find the Lord.

American missionaries came to Korea 140 years ago.

140 years ago there wasn't a single Christian in all of Korea.

In 1955, there were only 4,000 churches in Korea with less than 1 million Christians.

Ten years later in 1975, two years after Billy Graham's crusade, there were more than 16,000 churches with 4.3 million Christians.

Another 10 years, 1985.

The since show that Korean church has reached more than 32,000 churches and 10 million Christians.

South Korean population is 50 million.

Today, there are more than 30% of our population have come to know Christ as their own personal children.

The Christian population is growing four times faster than the regular population.

There are at least the 14 churches, 15 churches every day built in South Korea.

Scotland is the birthplace of Presbyterian church, but the largest Presbyterian church is not in Scotland is in South Korea, with more than 100,000 members.

Methodist Church is started in England.

But the largest Methodist church is not in England, is in Seoul, Korea.

Assemblies of God started here in this country, but the largest Assemblies of God church is in Korea with five million members.

Pastor by Dr.

Cho Yongi.

Somebody asked me, what about the Baptist church?

Give us a time, we're gonna go there.

I too have ponder the possibility of reason for Korean church revival.

I'm sure there's a lot of criteria.

Number one, the Korean church has been marked as a praying church.

After I finished school here, I went back to Korea and start small church, and they say we have to have an early morning prayer meeting.

I say, what time?

4:30.

I say, why 4:30?

We could play 10 o'clock in the morning, 12 o'clock in the afternoon, we could pray 5 o'clock in the afternoon.

Why 4 30?

Some Korean preacher in North Korean or North Korea started early morning prayer meeting.

When I get to heaven, I want to search him out.

Why started 4 30 in the morning?

If you don't think that's an unholy hour, you try.

Every morning, 4 30, 5 o'clock, Korean churches gathered together for early morning prayer meeting.

I took former president, vice president Mike Pence to one of a Presbyterian church.

Early morning prayer meeting.

He was reluctant.

But encouraging from his friend, he and his wife went to early morning prayer meeting.

It's a Presbyterian church.

Five o'clock.

He left his hotel.

Pouring rain.

When he got to church, he couldn't believe the whole first floor was full.

Second floor was four.

Third floor was four.

More than 7,000 people gathered to pray at 5 o'clock in the morning.

I asked him to give his testimony.

He spoke three times while he was in Korea.

The best message he gave was early morning prayer meeting.

God has blessed Korean church because it's been marked as praying church.

One time my good friend Dr.

Cho Yongge asked me to come preach his church on Sunday morning.

I said, How many times?

He said, three times.

When I got there, everybody's rushing for front row seat.

My church, Baptist church.

Front seat is all empty.

They all sit in the back.

Dr.

Joe's church, everybody's rushing, come in the front part of the church to receive the message that God has given on that Sunday morning.

I asked one day, Dr.

Joe, why is that?

Your church's people rushing.

He has a seven services on Sunday.

Dr.

Jesse, would you like to have a seven services on Sunday?

Every service is a full.

I said, why is that your church?

Seven times a Sunday.

Pack to the capacity.

Baptist Church I pastor.

First service, seven o'clock, little thin.

Second service four.

Third service four.

Fourth service at one o'clock.

It's about half full.

But Dr.

Joe, every service is a pack.

I say, what's the secret, Dr.

Joe?

He asked me how many hours you prayed every day.

And I said, I remember I'd say, probably about an hour a day.

He said, I pray five hours a day.

And I had reason not to believe that his church has such an impact because his people, they start praying.

And they also have all night prayer meeting on Saturday.

I usually have a friend come from the U.S.

And I take him to either early morning prayer meeting or Friday night all-night prayer meeting.

And Pastor Jesse, if you come, I'll make an arrangement to speak Friday night all-night prayer meeting.

And uh you'll have a wonderful experience.

The Korean church is marked as a praying church.

The criteria for church revival is a prayer.

I understand the prayer is the premise to revival.

2 Chronicles 7, 14, if my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will heal their land.

If American Church wants to have a revival, there must be strong prayer dedication on the part of a Christian.

God's promise always proceeded the conditions.

If we confess, he will forgive.

Deuteronomy 28.1.

If we hearken his word, God will set you above all nations.

Jeremiah 29, 13.

If we search him, we will find him.

Always God's blessing has a condition that we have to meet.

I understand prayer prepares for revival.

John 16, 24, headled to heavy, ask nothing in my name.

Ask and he shall receive, your joy may be full.

Martin Luther was not satisfied with the religious world in which he was born.

His deep need for personal piety.

He spent much time in prayer.

The result of that agonizing prayer, God brought great reformation.

John Wesley prayed, and the worldwide Methodist revival was born.

Prevailing prayer brings a perpetual power.

James 5, 16.

Effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Moses prayed, and sea opened up and became super highway.

Abraham prayed, and God gave him son when human is impossibility.

Joshua prayed.

Mighty cities fell under his leadership.

David prayed, and God helped him to slay Giant Goliath.

Elijah prayed and called down fire from heaven.

Paul prayed.

And the prison doors were shaking right off their hinges.

John Knox prayed.

And Queen Mary trembled.

Johjamel prayed, and great orphanage was established and maintained.

Hannah prayed.

God gave her son Samuel.

Hezekiah prayed.

King Hezekiah, he's ready to die.

He prayed God to spare his life.

Fifteen years.

God spare King Hezekiah.

Today, prayer does not need proof, it needs practice.

We organize instead of agonizing on our knees before God.

The purpose of prayer should not be to try to change God, but to change me.

Jesus spent much time in prayer before he entered public ministry.

Frequently, he went off to pray long hours, sometime all night.

The Korean church has learned the secrets of prayer.

And that much prayer has brought Korean church revival.

Joined the Korean War in 1950.

There's a place called Heartbreak Ridge.

We didn't name that ridge a Heartbreak Ridge.

He was an American war correspondent, was covering that war.

And he went to Heartbreak Ridge.

There's literally hundreds of thousands of American soldiers have died.

American trench to their foxhole.

Other side of the hill, communist trench to their foxhoe.

They exchanged the bullets back and forth.

One young man, American soldier, 50 yards from American Foxhoe into the enemy's territory, was hit by enemy bullet his left shoulder.

In desperation, he was crying for help.

They could hear from the American foxhole, but nobody told to face enemy bullet, rescued that dying soldier safely back to the foe.

One young soldier looking at his watch.

When the 9 o'clock struck, he crawled on his stomach 50 yards into the enemy's territory, rescued that dying soldier safely back to the American fox.

Sergeant asked him a question: Why did you wait until 9 o'clock?

Young soldier replied, Sarge, when I left home, my mother promised me she will pray for me every morning, 9 o'clock.

If I wait at 9 o'clock, I know I'd be safe from the enemy bullet.

What America needs today is a generation of God-fearing mothers and fathers willing to kneel by the bedside, pray their wandering sons and daughters, come back to the full of God.

American church needs revival.

And if you want to see revival in your church, we must be saturated with prayer.

The power of prayer brings perpetual power.

I believe if we want to see revival in this nation, we must pray.

Pray it always.

The second criteria for Korean church revival is the Korean church has been marked as a propagating the gospel, preaching.

On November 22nd, 1963, a man was shot to death in a street of Dallas, Texas.

It only took two hours for the entire world to find out who killed John F.

Kennedy.

And they found out how he was killed and who killed him.

Yes, some 2,000 years ago.

Man by the name of Jesus Christ was crucified and killed in the outside wall of Jerusalem.

After 2,000 years have gone by, half of the world have yet to hear the news of Savior's death on the cross of Calvary.

That's a paradox.

You send your first man to the moon.

The whole world stopped what they were doing in order that they could see the historic moment when first the American will land on the moon.

Korean government was gracious enough to prepare 45 screen in downtown Seoul.

They declare semi-national holiday so children could go watch that historic moment when first the American will land on the moon.

You ask anybody on the streets of downtown Seoul, who was that man?

They tell you it's Neil Armstrong.

You ask the same crowd.

Who was the man when God sent chariot?

He went into that chariot, went to heaven.

They cannot tell you there's a prophet Elijah because they have never heard that story.

What a paradox.

Coca-Cola Company had a vision, had a model.

They want to have every person in the world taste the Coca-Cola by year 2000.

They have accomplished.

But we have living water of Jesus Christ.

Yet half of the world have not tasted the living water of our Lord Jesus Christ.

What a paradox.

One time I was walking downtown Seoul.

There's a many people glued their eyes to the television set.

I asked, What's going on?

He said, Don't you know there's a fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Fraser at Madison Square Garden in New York?

Came live via satellite to our part of the world.

I didn't have time to watch.

I came home that evening.

I asked our three children who won the fight between Joe Fraser and Muhammad Ali.

Teenage girl, Mary Kay, she said, Joe Fraser won the fight.

I went out to high school rally on Saturday evening.

There are about five, six hundred teenagers.

I said, Who won the fight today?

They all raised their hand.

I point out young men.

He said, Joe Fraser won that fight.

I asked him question: who won the fight between the giant Goliath and Shepherd Boy David?

He scratched his head.

He didn't know who won that fight because he ever heard that story.

What a paradox.

Preaching of the word is bring perpetual revival to any church, to any nation.

Preach the word, be insolent in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke.

Exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.

The word of God is sharper than any two-edged source.

It was the powerful preaching of Jonathan Edward, brought sweeping revival to the New England States.

It was a Peter's preaching, brought three thousand souls to their knees, repentance and revival.

Psalmus tell us how sweet are thy words unto my taste, yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth.

And thy word is a lamp unto my feet and the light onto my path.

We must preach the word, be instant in season, out of season.

If I told you last month, we have a cliff, you here?

Cliff McCarter.

Where are you?

Okay.

Korean military training camp.

They ask us to come baptized by immersion.

3,400 soldiers.

Peter preached.

Book of Acts.

He baptized 3,000 soldiers.

They were in training camp, a tough training.

And many of the chaplains witnessed to them.

3,400 soldiers were baptized by immersion.

You see, Korea, the largest denomination is Presbyterian.

When I went to start church, I started baptizing people in the water.

Those Presbyterian people thought we are cult.

I told them, Bible says John the Baptist baptized.

But Korean translation said sprinkle.

So they could sprinkle just one.

God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.

Just a little bowl of water.

And when you have to put them under the water, we have to do in the summer month.

It was 95 degrees.

And those soldiers ready to go in that pool be baptized.

3,400 soldiers been baptized last month.

Because they heard the gospel preaching from their chaplains and they want to baptize.

The preaching of the word has enough power to bring the people together to create revival.

We must preach.

Paul said, we preach Christ to crucify it.

To the Jews, stumbling block.

And to the Greeks, foolishness, but to those who are called both Greek and Jew, it is Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God.

The doctrine of the Bible is holy.

The precepts of the Bible are binding.

The history of the Bible is true.

Its decisions are unchangeable.

Christ is the grand subject and theme.

The glory of God is the end.

Read to be wise, believe to be safe.

Only the preaching of the word shall quicken the souls that are sleeping.

May God help us to preach the word, be instant season and out of season.

I've been reminded, no other nation has been blessed by God as a people of the United States of America.

And don't you ever take it for granted.

No other nation.

Yet, in spite of all the blessings of God in this nation, I found the many problems and many sins that are overtaking this nation.

It is my prayer that God will send revival to this great nation because you have been forefront sending the gospel to the regions beyond.

If we preach Christ, there has to be resolve.

When those soldiers, five weeks hard training, and they knew that they need Christ, and they want to follow with the baptism of Jesus Christ.

Because the chaplain so faithfully proclaiming the gospel.

FEBC was a privilege to have Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine chaplain take him to the resort.

And we invite the chief of chaplain of United States Air Force.

Let him speak two, three times to the Korean chaplain to arm with the gospel of Jesus Christ and let them preach.

I told you when I got married, I asked God to give me just a boy and a girl.

God was so gracious to answer my prayer, got a boy and a girl.

Six years later, I have another boy.

They study hard and their class president, church, young people, president, vice president.

But John is something different.

When I go see Sunday school, he used to play with the friends, not listening to the teacher.

One day I called John.

If you pray and if you read one chapter a day, one chapter of the Bible a day, I give you 101.

That's about equivalent to 10 cents of your money.

I came from meeting somewhere about three days later.

He said that I read 90 chapters.

So I have to give him 9,001.

I went back again to the meeting.

I came back again.

He said I read 100 chapters.

So I had to give him 10,001.

Hoping that he's reading the word.

He will be changed his life.

And as a father preacher, I want him to be completely changed his life and become the preacher of the word.

We have five people in our family.

Dad, mom, older brother, sister, and John.

Out of those three, the most spiritual person is our youngest, John, because he's been saturated with the Word of God.

He started church in Tejon, about 100 miles south of Seoul.

He has now probably about 2,500 to 3,000 people in his church.

And our dear friend, my board member, Dr.

Kong, he gave Carabisa golf course, land.

They build a beautiful church.

And they have two services every Sunday.

And God has blessed his ministry.

He's preaching somewhere today here in Washington because he was rascal.

He left the home when he was only 14.

He would catch an airplane, go to Las Vegas, make a lot of money, and buy me Bentley automobile.

I said, I don't need a Bentley, I need a Hyundai automobile, and I'll be happy.

But reading the Word, John changed his life to become a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And out of five of our family, most a spiritual person.

It's not dad, it's not mom, it's not older brother, sister, it's a John, because he's been saturated by the word of God.

If you want to see American churches revive, there must be poor on the Christian people pray.

And the preaching of the word bring the reformation, bring the great revival in your church.

I mean, there's a lot of pantheism, a lot of idolatry.

God forbid idolatry from children of Israel.

I think it's a prayer of Habakkuk, great revival in that.

And I spoke about this second service.

What's the criteria for revival in our time?

And I said, number one is a prayer.

Korean church has been marked as a praying church.

So every morning we have uh early morning prayer meeting.

By church, we start at 4:30.

It's a very unholy hour for prayer.

Yet the Korean church has learned the prayer brings a great revival.

Today, Korea, we have more than 10 million Christians when 140 years ago there wasn't a single Christian in Korea.

So a prayer of a Korean Christian people have a broad revival.

And number two was Korean churches been marked as a preaching church.

Preaching the word of God brings a revival.

And Paul says, preach be instant season and out of season.

The Korean churches marked as a purified church.

I'm not saying we don't have any problems in Korean church.

Long as you've got an elder and deacons, you have to expect that there's a problem in the church.

But largely Korean church has been protected by Almighty God.

It's been very purified.

I think someone said Christianity is supremely the champion of a purity.

Jesus said, be holy, for I am holy.

The business of God.

Oh, activity doesn't bring revival.

The holiness of a Christian people, the purity of life is so important for revival.

I think activity never brought revival or soul searching revival, but the holiness and right living brought the great awakening down through the history.

I heard somebody said this story.

A deacon had a parrot.

That deacon only could say, Let's kiss.

Every time children come back from school, the parrot said, Let's kiss, let's kiss.

When man comes back from work, the parrot said, Let's kiss, let's kiss.

So that deacon was embarrassed when the pastor came to visit their home.

Soon as pastor walked in, the little parrot said, Let's kiss, let's kiss.

He found out pastor had a little parrot.

Only that parrot could say, let's pray.

So deacon thought if he could put his parrot, the pastor's parrot cage, let's kiss what become, let's pray.

So he got permission, put his parrot into the pastor's parrot cage.

They looked at each other.

They picked each other.

All of a sudden, Deacon's parrot said, Let's kiss.

Pastor's parrot said, Thank God my prayer's been answered.

Bad and good together doesn't make it good.

It becomes a bad.

If you put a pure water, a little ink in there, it becomes a black.

What God said, I am holy, so you must be holy if we will see the revival in our churches.

We must be pure from idolatry.

Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

We are surrounded by all kinds of idolatry, sorcery, compromise.

We compromise our conviction for our convenience sake.

Our culture, habits, and practice have overcome the spiritual mandate for holy living.

We must be pure from immorality.

The body is not for fornication, but for the Lord, and Lord for the body.

I understand.

In US, every 22 seconds, one major crime is committed.

Every 34 minutes, one murder is committed in this country.

One of every eight boby-born illegitimate child.

And estimated every school day, hundred thousand kids take the guns to the schools in this country.

Yet families are splitting apart in record numbers.

Countless unborn babies have been killed.

There are a hundred times more burglaries in so-called Christian America than in so-called pagan Japan.

Bible tells us, knowing not that your body is a member of Christ.

We must be pure from worldliness.

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.

If any man love the world, the love of Father is not in him.

Dr.

A.

Dihan, in one of his excellent daily devotional books, gives us some impressive figure demonstrating Galatians chapter 6, 7.

Galatians 6 · chapter mention

Be not deceived, God is not mocked.

Whatsoever man soweth, that he also reap.

He said sowing of reaping in the family of two men, Jonathan Edwards and Max Jukes, have recently come to his attention.

Jonathan Edwards was a man of high culture, refinement, and Christian character.

Out of his descendants, 1,394, 13 were college presidents, 65 were professors, 60 were prominent lawyers, 32 were noted authors, 90 were physicians, doctors, 200 were ministers of the gospel, and 300 were good farmers.

On the other hand, Max Jukes was a notorious man.

903, 903 of his descendants have been recorded.

Of these, 300 were delinquents, 145 were confirmed drunkards, 90 were prostitutes, 285 had evil disease, and over 100 spent on average over 13 years in prison.

It pays to be pure and live a holy and sanctified life if our ministry, if our church will see the revival.

If our church will experience a great revival, there must be on the life of Christians, have to be holy life.

Oh, praise the Lord, all the nations, praise him, all the people, for his merciful kindness is great toward us.

And the truth of the Lord endures forever.

Habakkuk chapter 3 says, His glory cover heavens and the earth was full of praise.

Habakkuk 3 · chapter mention

I think if we find the word praise or hallelujah appears more than 600 times in the Bible.

Scripture tells us, and my tongue shall speak of the righteousness and the praise all the day long.

Oh Lord, open thou mine eyes, that my mouth shall show forth thy praise.

I have a friend whose name we coin him Hallelujah Chair.

He didn't get that name because the word hallelujah is attractive to his name.

He is the man who built the tallest insurance building in the city of Seoul, 63 stories.

He found the first professional soccer team in Korea and named Hallelujah Team.

Not Raider, not Ritzkin, not Wildcat, not Bronco.

He named his team hallelujah.

What so happened?

That team played with the Chinese team in Hong Kong.

I heard the commentator commenting that soccer game.

I heard that commentary there, hallelujah, maybe 60 times.

That means a praise the Lord, praise the Lord, praise the Lord.

And those fellows who shot the goal, they kneeled down and thanked God they shot the goal.

So he named his soccer team hallelujah.

But not only his soccer team is hallelujah in Korea, I found Babu Shop, Hallelujah Babu Shop, Hallelujah Taylor Shop, Hallelujah Beauty Shop.

Korean people learn how to praise God.

Let me give you an illustration.

1983 was the year of a tragic that happened in South Korea.

747 jumbo passenger jet was shot down over the sky and Russian fighter Mick shot the Korean airline passenger plane.

269 people all died.

I almost caught that flight.

Coming from New Yorkia, Alaska, to Seoul, and right after they passed Alaska in a Russian air, Russian jet shot that plane down, 260 innocent people died.

One month later, in Burma, the communist-inspired North Korean people, three of them came down.

And when our president went to the Lay Down National Cemetery in Rangoon, 17 of our cabinet members killed when they exploded the bomb just before our president got there.

In spite of this adversarious tragedy, Korean churches sold more hymn books than any other years previously.

One million hymn books were sold and published.

Praise He the Lord, praise He the Lord.

From the heaven, praise He Him.

All his angels, praise He Him, all His host.

Korean church, in spite of all the tragedy and all the hardship, they have learned how to praise God.

They sold that ear more than hymn book, more than any other ear put together.

And I believe Korean church has learned how to praise God.

And the final reason for Korean church revival is the persecution.

I believe the persecution may be prerequisite to revival.

In John 16, 33, in the world he shall have tribulations, but be of good cheer.

I have overcome the world.

Habakkuk 3 verse 5 said, Before him when pestilence and the burnings of coal.

Habakkuk 3:5

I think Habakkuk chapter 3 verse 17 and 18.

Habakkuk 3:17

It concludes, no figs, no fruit, no meat.

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord.

I believe Korean church has a experience of a persecution.

During the Japanese occupation, and join the communist invasion, many of the Christian people give their lives for their faith in Jesus Christ.

So they've been spreading all over the world.

Let me give an illustration of how Korean churches have suffered.

During the Japanese occupation, they occupied South Korea under Korea for 35 years.

We have to change our name to a Japanese name.

All the Christian churches have been closed by the Japanese regime.

The severe persecution for Christian church.

Japanese brought their God, Shinto Shrine, for us forced to go worship at Japanese Shinto Shrine.

I was a first grade, second grade, third grade, fourth grade.

I was under Japanese occupation.

They take us every week to the Shinto shrine to bow down to Japanese God.

Every morning we have to face east and we have to pay tribute to Japanese emperor.

So many Christians have been fled from Korea to China, Russia, and I believe that 35 years the Korean church suffered tremendous persecution.

And there's a church, a Methodist church, only about 10, 15 kilos from where I live.

That church has been closed for a number of years by Japanese government and Japanese police.

One day Japanese pastor police came to Korean pastor.

He could hold a service coming Sunday morning.

He didn't ask why or how come.

He was overjoyed.

Open his Sunday school, open his church, let the people come.

And soon they began to sing.

One of the Korean favored hymn.

Near my God to thee, nearer to thee, even though it be a cross, near my God to thee.

Japanese police lock the door of that church from outside.

Throw the gallons of kerosene, set the church on fire.

People who have tried to break the windows or doors and try to escape.

Japanese police are standing all around the church.

Shoot if anyone will come.

Yet some of those people decided to stay inside a church.

They began to sing one of the final stands of that song.

Allah sended my Savior bleed, ended myself and die.

Such a woman as I.

As they sang, but drops of grief can they repay?

The dead of Lobio.

Here, Lord, I give myself away.

At the cross, at the cross where I saw the first light, and the burden on my heart rolled away.

Everyone died in that church on their Sunday morning fire.

September 20th, 1970.

A group of Japanese pastors came over.

They want to see the site where all those church people were burned to death.

They were brokenhearted.

They went back to Japan.

They raised the money, 10 million yen, and they brought that to build a little church back where their forefathers burned it down to the ground.

All those people who died on their Sunday morning, they have a great big tombstone, their names engraved on their tombstone.

Everyone who died on their Sunday morning fire.

Korean people, church people, have certainly experienced persecution and tragedy.

I was there on that Sunday.

The church was packed.

As we sang the hymn of that great hymn, we all stood.

Japanese delegation was sitting this side.

It happened during the Second World War.

France had fallen.

England was standing all alone with her back against the wall.

So to speak, Winston Churchill made an urgent plea by radio to the American people.

It was very interesting.

And Dr.

Smith said he was driving along the highway with his wife when he heard the voice of Winston Churchill.

He quickly pulled his car to the side on the road.

He could catch every word of that broadcast.

And he's asking the American people, give us the tour, we will finish the job.

That's the Winston Churchill supple to the American public.

Give us the tools, we will finish the job.

Today we have so many missionaries out in the world.

They are begging, they are crying, give us the tools, we will finish the job.

May God bless this great nation.

May God bless this church.

Father, bless church, this church, this congregation.

May we take to heart that we need a revival in our own heart.

Bless us together in Christ's name.

Amen.

Is that okay?

Yeah, lem let me invite uh these two up I I don't remember your names.

Jean.

Uh and they often travel with Dr.

Kim and uh and sing.

And I would like them to close their service.

I'll be back up for a benediction, but uh I know you're so far advanced in your career you're beyond taking requests, but I'd like you to sing the Lord's Prayer again, and I think it would be a tremendous encouragement to our congregation.

Thank you very much.

Uh you have been such an encouragement to my own heart, uh, a reminder for the priority of prayer, second hour and then third hour, just the way the Lord uses persecution.

I had never noticed before, even in Habakkuk, how the uh the full heart comes with the pestilence the Lord brings.

Um, the two go together, and God has certainly been faithful in your life through persecution and trials to bring the gospel to the nations.

And I hope that's true with you as well.

I hope you uh have a big enough view of your life to understand the Lord uses trials and difficulties in your life to prepare your heart for spiritual growth.

It'd be a shame if you were here today and going through difficulties and trials, but have not surrendered your life to Christ, have never turned your life over to Christ, receive the forgiveness that He offers through dying on the cross for your sins.

I pray that you would turn with a heart full of faith to Christ even this day.

Let me ask you to stand and I'll send you away with a benediction.

May the Lord bless you and keep you and cause his face to shine among you as you go into the world this week.

Go with a heart filled with boldness and gladness for what the Lord has done.

Walk in his ways, do his will, serve him with boldness and gladness, and I hope to see you back next Lord's Day.

Go in God's grace.

And now, reporting work for Pastor Jesse Johnson.

Thanks for joining us.

If you're in the Washington, D.C.

area, I would love to see you at Emanuel Bible Church.

For more information on our church or our current service time, go to iBC.church.

For more information about the Master Seminary and their Washington, D.C.

location, go to TMS.edu.

I hope this resource has been a blessing to you, and it helps you seek the Lord daily, serve others around you, and share the gospel with oldness.