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BY THE LORD’S APPEARANCE

After Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross and rose from the death three days later, He appeared unto His disciples several times. Mark chapter 16 says, “Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat,” Luke also reported that Jesus Christ appeared to two of His disciples who were going to Emmaus. Furthermore, in the book of John, Jesus appeared to Peter who returned fishing in the sea of Galilee.

Whenever I read those stories in the Bible I can’t describe how thankful I am to the Lord. Jesus appeared to His disciples not at the time when they were praying, reading the Bible or preaching the Word of God to win souls but at the time when they were eating, running away shamefully to Emmaus or fishing. I heartily thank our God for that fact.

Jesus told His disciples many times that He was going to be killed and would be raised to life on the third day. After He resurrected, He appeared to Mary and many of His disciples. However, His disciples still didn’t believe that Jesus had risen from death even when they heard it. On the contrary, they ran away in fear, gathered in one place, locked the door and hid themselves. They were even eating in such a situation. If Jesus did not appear to them they would have backslidden into the world. As a result, everything that they had experienced with Jesus for the three years, namely, all those miracles and the Word of God and so on, would have remained as nothing but a memory in their mind. They would have lived according to the desire of the flesh.

The disciples had no faith. Jesus clearly told them many times that He was going to be killed and would be raised three days later. Nevertheless, they didn’t believe when they heard that Jesus resurrected as He had told them. But still Jesus appeared to such disciples. As a result, they began to be different. I cannot thank the Lord enough for appearing to such disciples whom He kept rebuking for their lack of faith, and at the same time, leading them continually. Once in a while I reflect over my life before I received my salvation. I attended church at that time too, but I didn’t have much concern about God in my living. Attending church was just a part of my routine living. I was following the lusts of the flesh and the desires of the mind. To satisfy the desires of my flesh, I ran about everywhere and committed sins. I lived like an enemy of the Lord. In spite of such a living, yet Jesus appeared to me. I am deeply grateful to Him.

The Lord broke down all my expectations toward the world, and made me fail in everything I undertook to do. By doing that, He destroyed hope for anything in this world. And He began to work in my heart. He first saved me and then led me continually into the life of faith. When I received my salvation in 1962 I couldn’t place my hope anymore on things of the world. I was in a miserable situation just like the man who was beaten by robbers and was lying down half dead, or like the woman who was caught in adultery and was facing death by stoning. At this time, the Lord blessed me with the forgiveness of sin and the grace of salvation.

Since then, the work of God continued while I was receiving training in missionary school, preaching the gospel in the towns of Apgockdong and Keochang, and even while I was doing my military service. The Lord always appeared to me in my heart and led my life not only when I met difficulties. He also showed me the vanities of life in this world, and became my hope leading me to place my expectation only on Him.

THE RIGHT FAITH

The disciples of Jesus Christ were not some special people. They were neither outstanding nor honorable. They were mostly fishermen who were simple, unschooled and poor. They were the people who couldn’t believe in Jesus Christ even though they heard the Word of God continually. However, when Jesus appeared to them, He rebuked and led them to preach the gospel to the uttermost parts of the world. Through them, the precious work of God to cover the world with the gospel began. In that manner, the work of God is not done by being prepared or determined.

Year after year I declared in my mind, “This year I will not commit sin. I will serve the Lord throughout this year. I will diligently live in faith.” Nevertheless, all those strong determinations collapsed only after a few days. I found myself falling more deeply into sin. However, since I became born again by receiving salvation, the Lord entered into my heart, rebuked me but led me. When the Lord worked in my heart I gradually became different although it was not my effort as I used to do before. I eventually began to pray, read the Bible, and preach the gospel. Often times I was encouraged to get up in the middle of the night and kneel down before the Lord. My life gradually changed. It changed not by my determination or effort. In other words, my life didn’t change by my strong resolutions such as, “I will not commit sin. I will pray and read the Bible.” I had no other choice but to be different when the Lord entered into my heart, encouraged and led me by His grace.

In the story of Noah, there is the Scripture which says, “God said unto Noah.” Noah would never have built the ark if God didn’t appear to him. If God didn’t speak to Noah he would never have forsaken the way that everybody walked at that time. He would never have served the Lord nor entered into the ark. If the Lord didn’t talk to Noah he would have followed the lusts of his flesh just like all the others. If Noah met the flood without receiving the Word of God, he would have been destroyed as well as all the others. And yet, when God spoke to him he couldn’t live like the others any longer. He became the one who built the ark and preached the Word of God.

God appeared and said to Abraham as well. “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee.” If God didn’t tell Abraham, he would have lived the same way as all the others. When God appeared and spoke to him, he couldn’t live like how he had lived before.

Likewise, the right faith is not to try to do something for Him. The right faith means the Lord appears, tells us something, rebukes us and leads us. Unless He leads us and gives us His Word we can neither look for Him nor do something for Him. This is the truth the Bible clearly tells us. It is when our beloved Lord tells us something and shows us our sinful life that it can be corrected. When he rebukes our wicked and filthy life, we will be free from it. Our strong determination or efforts cannot make us do that.

A life of faith is not a determination or preparedness such as, “I will pray and stop sinning.” Instead of placing our expectation on our own efforts or determination, a life of faith is placing our hope on our beloved Lord, “If the Lord tells me something, if He rebukes me, if He gives me His grace, if He sets me free from sin and makes me holy....” Therefore, faith is to wait for Him to speak to us, free us from our sin and make us lead a holy life. Such things can be done not by our resolution or efforts but by the Word of God. When Jesus resurrected three days later, He appeared to His disciples and rebuked them, “Didn’t I tell you many times that I would be crucified on the cross and rise from the death on the third day? Why didn’t you all believe in My Word? Why were you so stubborn not to believe those who saw Me?” By doing that, He cleared the distrust in their heart. As a result, the disciples began to stay in faith.

By our own efforts, we can neither cast out fear nor be free from evil thoughts. If our beloved Lord drives out filthy, obscene and deceitful things in our heart, we can then lead a holy life. By relying on our own efforts such as,’ “I will not lie, I will not commit adultery, I will never hate anyone.” we can never be free from such sins. Therefore, when we want to lead a holy life we must place our hope on our Lord waiting for Him to make us do that.

PREACH THE GOSPEL TO EVERY CREATURE

“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15) Jesus rebuked His weak and faulty disciples, and told them, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Jesus told them to preach the gospel to every one in the world not because they were very outstanding or talented. It didn’t mean either that they became capable preachers because Jesus told them to do it. Jesus gave them the commission to go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation although the disciples were weak and had many shortcomings. It meant that Jesus would be with them and work through them in order for them to carry out that mission. In other words, Jesus Himself would fulfill that mission through them.

God appeared to Moses in the Old Testament. When Moses was tending flocks in the wilderness, he saw flames of fire from within a bush. But the bush didn’t burn up though it was on fire. When Moses went out to see why the bush didn’t burn up, God said to him, “Moses! Moses! Put off thy shoes from off thy feet; for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.” (Exodus 3:5) and continued to tell him, “I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” (Exodus 3:10) It meant that God Himself would bring the Israelites out of Egypt, but He would do that through Moses. However, Moses thought that he was the one who had to go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt. Therefore, he felt a serious burden and tried to avoid it.

We can clearly know from the story of Moses that God brought the Israelites out of Egypt through Moses. After all, God used such a weak man like Moses. Through him, God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, made them cross the Red sea, and led them into the land of Canaan. When Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, didn’t want to release the Israelites, God sent ten plagues. When the Israelites met the Red sea, God divided it. God led the Israelites by the pillar of cloud and fire while they journeyed in the wilderness. Throughout the journey in the wilderness God provided them manna, quail and water. If God didn’t do that for them, how could Moses lead them? Apparently Moses led the Israelites, but in fact God was the One. Such also was the life of the apostles in the book of Acts. Apparently the apostles worked, but in reality it was the Lord who worked through them.

To go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation is the commission that we are all assigned. However, if we try to carry out that mission, it is so burdensome and difficult. Since the Lord said that to us, it means that He will accomplish that work through us. Therefore, every time His disciples preached the gospel, the Lord was with them and worked through them as He had promised.

To let Philip witness to the Ethiopian eunuch, God told him to go to the desert. Guided by the Word of God, Philip went down to the desert and met the Ethiopian eunuch reading the book of Isaiah. Philip ran up to the chariot and asked him, “Understandest thou what thou readest?” (Acts 8:30) Though the Ethiopian eunuch was reading the Bible yearning for the truth, he couldn’t understand it. So he was getting very impatient. The eunuch answered, “How can I, except some man should guide me?” and invited Philip to come up and sit with him. And he asked Philip, “I pray thee, of whom speakest the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?” Philip simply preached the gospel to him, “That prophet is talking about Jesus Christ. Jesus suffered by being crucified on the cross.” And the eunuch received his salvation.

Likewise, the work of preaching the gospel is not the sole work of gospel preachers. Only when the living God works in our heart, the work of salvation can take place. It can never be done by eloquent sermons or good speeches. We can see in the Bible that all servants of God did not do any work of God by themselves. When they were guided by the Word of God the Lord worked through them, and at the same time, worked in the heart of the people who were listening to their preaching. That was how the work of God was carried out. There was no work of God done by the work of preachers. “And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.”(Mark 16:20)

When we hold conferences or gospel assemblies, or when we train students in the missionary school or dispatch missionaries to the other nations, no matter what we do to preach the gospel, we are able to see that the Lord is with us. Once in a while I travel with brothers. I drive ahead while a brother drives behind following me. When we have to drive through a congested city many cars break into the gap between my car and that of the brother’s following me. I keep making sure that the brother is following me by watching the rear view mirror. If I cannot see the brother’s car I pull my car to the side of the street and wait for him. I always drive in that manner when I travel with a brother who doesn’t know the way. I know neither the way of my life nor the way of the Lord. However, my beloved Lord goes before me, and always watches me. So when I lose track of Him, He waits for me on the side of the street till I find Him again and continues to lead me. That is how I can live for the gospel and preach the gospel till today. Otherwise how can I live for the gospel? It is impossible.

THE HEART ENTERING INTO THE NEW MILLENNIUM

“New Millennium” is the talk of everybody meeting this new year 2000. It is true that new millennium has begun now. However, whether it is a day in the year of 1999 or a day in the year of 2000, simply a day is a day. We ourselves have not become different by entering into the new millennium. Jesus appeared to His disciples in a usual place and on a usual day. However, they became quite different and were renewed. Therefore, we should have such an attitude of heart entering into the new millennium, “Till the year 1999, I put my own efforts and took trouble to achieve something. I placed my expectation on myself to accomplish something. But now in the year 2000, I want the Lord to lead my life. My own works were unprofitable and vain. From now on, I will leave my life to the Lord. If my beloved Lord leads me to pray and read the Bible, if He encourages me to live for Him, I will then be able to do that.”

The Lord who appeared to His disciples when they locked the door to hide themselves because of fear and worry, the Lord who appeared to the disciples who were eating like anybody else in such a situation, the Lord who appeared to two disciples who were running away to Emmaus, and the Lord who appeared to Peter and some other disciples who were fishing, if that very Lord appears to us in the year 2000 then we can become different. At the time when we are angry, at the time when we are in fear, at the time when we fall into the temptation of sin, or at the time when we keep ourselves away from Him, at such times, if He appears to us and talks to us then our lives will become quite different. Otherwise, there is no other way for us to become different or renewed. Till now, if we took trouble to please God by our own good works but in the year 2000 we must realize that all our works are meaningless. As a result, I hope (entreat) all my brethren to place their trust on the Lord like this, “If my beloved Lord appears to me and works in me, I will be different.”

The two disciples who were running away to Emmaus could return when Jesus appeared to them. When the Lord appeared to Peter who was fishing in the sea of Galilee he return to preach the gospel. The disciples, who were hiding themselves and eating in such a situation, became courageous when Jesus appeared to them. When Jesus appeared to Thomas who was always suspicious, he became the man of faith witnessing of the Lord. We should not trust in ourselves. “My beloved Lord! If You appear to me and work in me, if You give me Your grace, I will become different then.” with such an attitude of heart, we should meet the new millennium looking forward to the Lord. Then we will be able to hear the Lord who appears to us and talks to us in our heart. We will be able to see Him. And I am sure that we all will walk with the Lord.

(writer E-Mail : ospark@goodnews.or.kr)