"Happiness overflows thanks to the word of life and the shepherd's love"
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13197 |
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February 16, 2014 |
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Elder Enoch S. Lee (age 47, 2-11 Parish in South Korea)
One day my wife, who was going to another church with me, said that she wanted to attend a Revival Meeting held by Manmin Central Church. She left around at 6 P.M. to attend the fifth two-week consecutive Special Revival Meeting that started on May 5 in 1997. She told me that she would be back home around midnight. I couldn't understand the meeting that began at 7 would continue until after 11 P.M.
So, I also left home with my two-year-old daughter at 7 P.M. When I got there, Dr. Jaerock Lee was preaching the message "God's Good Will". I was moved by the sermon that was based solely on the Bible. I hurriedly returned home and to my amazement, his face kept coming to mind many times. I worked for a private academy at that time. I managed my time well to attend the Revival Meeting and received a lot of grace. I gave offerings to God who had given me grace. After the revival meetings ended, to repay the God-given grace I had received, I began to do volunteer work for the church. I went to church at 8 A.M. every morning and cleaned sanctuaries with church workers and came back home around at 1 P.M. Then, I prepared my lectures and went to work in the afternoon. I lived like this for three months. But I could no longer do the cleaning during summer vacation because I had lectures in the morning.
In the meantime, I started to listen to Dr. Lee's sermon tapes again and again on the way to work and again on the way home. When I gained realization I wrote it down. Even when I couldn't attend Daniel Prayer Meetings due to lectures in the academy, I went to church and prayed late at night. I was so caught up in the Word of God that I listened to the sermons even while taking a shower. Trust in the shepherd was also building up and I came to long to be in the sanctuary. I earnestly wanted to do the work of the Lord. In the meantime, I helped Elder Alvin Hwang with his lectures in English in the Theological Seminary. With this as an opportunity, I became a Levite worker (church's full time worker) in August 1998. Then, I was transferred to Translation Bureau in 2004. I was in charge of translating Dr. Lee's sermon and delivering it to the world, so I was very happy. However, I started to skip the prayer meetings while focusing on my work and later I only worked without praying.
In the end, I lost fullness of the Spirit and managed to give worship services in drowsiness. I learned the Word of God while working, but I had not circumcised my heart with the Word. My stubbornness and strong insistence hurt the feelings of people around me and made them shed tears. I did not realize how inappropriate my action was in the sanctuary. I thought that I had to tell them about their faults so that they could work in a way that I considered to be reasonable and right.
On December 25 in 2010, Manmin members were given a chance to check their faith correctly in the earnest flow of spirit. That is, they witnessed the love of Senior Pastor Dr. Lee who took our sins on behalf of us and paid the wages with all his heart and body for us. I also started to feel his love and repented that I had not obeyed him. I struggled in great agony to repent that I had not circumcised my heart although I had listened to the Word of God for a long time and learned many things as a Levite worker. In the grace of God and the love of the shepherd, I received the heart of spirit in December 2013.
In 2014, I am now working faithfully as an elder of this precious church that is accomplishing the providence for the end time as President of Male Cell Leaders' Association, and as the Managing Director of Translation Bureau. God also blessed my family. My only child, my daughter Sister Hanbin Lee, also achieved the heart of spirit and works as Vice President of the 1st Young Adults' Mission. My wife, Deaconess Jungryeol Hong, works as a teacher of Manmin Kindergarten and as Vice President of Teachers' Association of Children's Sunday School. We are all running towards New Jerusalem. I give all thanks and glory to God who has given me the precious duty to spread the holiness gospel to the whole world and has also given me such great love and grace.
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