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Four Examples from Korea
Today I want to talk about four key elements of the Christian faith, and I want to
share with you how my Korean brothers and sisters in Christ, both in this country
and in Korea itself, have inspired me in these key aspects of faith.
The first key point I want to talk about is prayer. I Thes. 5:17 says, “Pray without
ceasing.” As followers of Christ, this is what we should be doing. Prayer brings
us closer to God. And it makes a difference in this world. This is a
commandment from God in scripture: Pray without ceasing. And the Christians in
Korea take this commandment very seriously. They come to church every
morning at 5:00 a.m. and they pray for a couple of hours before going to work.
They know that they must keep in touch with God. And they know that prayer
makes a difference. The strong commitment to prayer among the followers of
Jesus Christ in Korea is why the church has grown in a mighty way in Korea and
among Koreans around the world.
Rev. Lee has continued that tradition here in Hopewell at First United Methodist
Church. He is here every morning at 5:00 a.m. Some days he prays all day long.
And that reminds me of a story. This is actually a true story. The Boy Scouts were
here a couple of weeks ago for a lock-in. They had not told us about the lock-in
and so we had not updated them on the early morning prayer. Now, try to imagine
these Scouts. They had been up half the night. They were sleeping on the floor of
the parlor. At 5:00 in the morning, they hear a loud voice coming from the chapel
praying in Korean! You think that didn’t put the fear of God into those Boy
Scouts?
Now, seriously, let me say this. Each of us should pay attention to our prayer life.
For the sake of our souls let us spend more time alone with God. Maybe our
Korean brothers and sisters will inspire us in this.
The second essential point is worship. Psalm 9 says: I will praise thee, O LORD, with
my whole heart; I will show forth all thy marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I
will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.
Our worship is about praise for God. Remembering what God in His Grace has
done for us, and rejoicing. This is at the heart of the worship of Korean Christians.
They know about the grace of God. He has greatly blessed their nation and their
churches. Did you know that the largest church in the world is in Korea? Korean
churches emphasize music in praise. Often there is classical music. Korea has
some of the best classical musicians in the world.
Truly, it is music that inspires us. And when we remember God’s love, and grace,
and salvation, we lift up songs of praise.
The third key point is Mission. Jesus said, Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make
disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with
you always, even to the end of the age" Amen.
This is the Great Commission, from Jesus, for all of us Christians to be in mission.
Everywhere I go in the world, I run into Korean missionaries. Korea sends more
missionaries per capital than any country in the world. Not only pastors to preach
the Gospel and start new churches, (like Pastor Lee, here in Hopewell, who is a
missionary), but also Korean businessmen working abroad try to share their faith
while they are establishing business ties. Jesse went on a youth mission trip this
past week. Guess who was there? A group of Korean youth. In mission. No
surprise.
God is calling all of us, including you and me. To be in mission.
My final key point is the work of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:18 Even upon my servants,
both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.
God is at work in his people with the power of the Holy Spirit. In both men and
women. Ehwa University in Seoul, Korea is a great University for women founded
by the Methodist Church.
The reason for the explosive success of Christianity in Korea is the work of the
Holy Spirit. All the churches in Korea emphasize the Holy Spirit.
I must say, we have lost this emphasis in our churches here in America. We don’t
teach the work of the Holy Spirit anymore. And our churches are suffering
because of it. Our witness for God is suffering because of it.
God means to fill us with his spirit. And work his power in our lives. As we are
open for God to fill us and be at work in us, we will do great things for the Lord.
Not by our own strength, but by his grace and power.
So these are key elements of our walk with Christ that I want to lift up today:
Prayer, Worship, Mission, and the work of the Holy Spirit. May these be the
things that characterize our life in Christ. And today, we thank our Korean
brothers and sisters for their witness in these things.