My life is filled with blessings as I've come to understand the meaning of life and strive to love the church!
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 14522 |
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August 20, 2006 |
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 Deacon Dong-young Kim
(Representative, Joowon Tech., Inc.; President, 1-2nd Men's Mission)
After marrying my wife, Deaconess Geun-hye Ahn, moving from Mokpo to Incheon, beginning work at a semiconductor company, and my marriage life was beginning to settle down, my older brother shared the gospel with me. "Why don't you come to Manmin Joong-ang Church with me? That place is heaven!"
Understanding the true meaning of life, striving to live by the truth
Upon coming to Manmin for the first time in July 1999, seeing the ushers in their beautiful Hanbok (traditional Koran clothing) and with their bright smiles, and entering the beautiful Main Sanctuary, I could tell this was no ordinary church. I attended a mission meeting after the service, and I felt the kind of love that exists in an intimate family from the fellow mission members.
As I heard Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee's messages filled with life every week, I've come to understand the true meaning of life and that there is more than the life on this earth. I was so thankful to learn that heaven and hell surely exist, and that God is indeed alive.
Each time I noticed the changes about myself by striving to live by God's Word, I felt inexplicable and overwhelming joy. Then an opportunity came for me to take my faith to the next level.
Receiving the blessing of prosperity in both spirit and in flesh
For two years after a miscarriage, my wife and I had no children. I had always thought that we could have children later since we were both very young but my wife was different. "I am going to fast for 3 days to have a baby."
My wife possessed faith as she had heard the countless testimonies of other couples who had received the blessing of pregnancy 5, 10, and even 21 years into their marriage after receiving Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee's prayer.
I was so delighted to see my wife, who at the time was a new believer, demonstrating that kind of faith to God and we fasted together for three days in March 1999. When the Senior Pastor prayed from the pulpit during the "Friday All-night Service" that same week, we received his prayer by faith. The following week, my wife had a dream in which the Senior Pastor visited and smiled at her. She became certain of having become pregnant and it was indeed confirmed after a visit to the hospital. Hallelujah! God was delighted with the three-day fasting of us, who at the time had little faith, and allowed my wife to become pregnant according to our faith. We gave birth to a healthy baby boy in December 1999.
Furthermore, as I worked diligently and served my superiors and colleagues by cultivating faithfulness, I began to receive overwhelming financial blessings. Then in 2001, I accepted the proposal of the president of the company at which I had been working and founded Joowon Tech., Inc., a company that produces parts for semiconductors.
Loving the church more in gratitude of God's grace
As my wife and I were so thankful of God's wonderful grace, we began to ponder, 'How can we take care of the sanctuary and be of strength to the Senior Pastor?'
During this time, I began reading Rev. Dr. Lee's books and discovered within me the evil in my heart which I had overlooked. As I saw myself transformed as much as I threw away evil, I realized how precious the gospel of sanctification was. I made a contribution to the publication of The Message of the Cross.
In an earnest desire to share with others the grace of Our God, my fellow mission members and I devoted our hearts and made monetary contributions to the publication of the Senior Pastor's books in Korean and other languages, the replacement of the equipment that repeated the Senior Pastor's three-minute sermon messages and prayer for the sick, sending computer to branch churches abroad, the replacement of lightings in the sanctuary, and the purchase of a new umbrella wrapper. When God saw these acts, God gave us a greater love for the sanctuary, a sense of our being the master of the church, and teeming joy and gratitude at home and work.
Astounding blessing of becoming one in faith and love
 With Joowon Tech employees
Last June, my fellow mission members and I made a contribution to help pay for the replacement of the large yet quite old screen in the Main Sanctuary. This ended up serving as an opportunity for my mission members to make following confessions: "I received financial blessings from the most unexpected places!" "I received God's answers to my prayer!" and "I am so happy whenever I take care of the sanctuary."
Mission members who participated with me in their faith and love have either received financial blessings or begun to grow a heart that loves the church and the Lord more greatly. I am so delighted to know that instead of asking the church to do something for them, they are always asking themselves what they can do for the church.
My wife is carrying out her God-given duty as cell leader and giving glory to the Father by doubling the number of brothers and sisters in her cell. Our son Joo-wah and daughter Joo-eun are growing up to be bright lights of the world.
I give all thanks and glory to Our Father God and Our Lord Jesus would also like to express my most sincere gratitude to Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee for nurturing my family with his heartfelt prayer.
With fellow 1-2 Men's Mission workers
[Just a Second!]
"Those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
To "worship" is "to honor and love as a deity," and the only true deity worthy of receiving honor is Our God. Therefore, worship must be a ceremony in which people give Him reverence, praise, and glory and God seeks people who worship Him in spirit and truth.
"Worshipping in spirit" refers to making bread of God's Word found in the 66 books of the Bible in the fullness of the Holy Spirit, and worshipping from the heart together with the Holy Spirit residing within us.
"Worshipping in truth" refers to correctly understanding God and worshipping Him from the heart that truly loves God with joy, gratitude, prayer, praise, keeping His commandments, and offerings.
For worshipping God in spirit and truth is a path through which God's holiness and perfection come to our heart, it is a very important ceremony and a basis for every believer. By bringing together all our heart, all our soul, and all our will, let us give Our God spiritual worship with which He is pleased!
"God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24).
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