THE KUKMIN DAILY

“The church is in crisis because people are sitting on the throne where Jesus must sit. Just as God came down to the lowest place, the church must direct itself to the lowest place.”

Thus spoke Christian book author and spiritualist Philip Yancey (65), who added, “The church needs to be a place that gives living water to persons dying of thirst,” in his message to “The Church, My Love, My Spiritual Worry” Conference, held jointly by Kukmin Daily and Running Stream Institute (RSI; Director: Rev. Park Eun-jo, Eunhyesaem Church) on October 9 at Ahyun Evangelical Holiness Church (Rev. Jo Won-geun), located on Shinchon-no in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul.

“Jesus Christ did not come to this land to give wealth and prosperity, but to communicate the fact that the poor are blessed and that persons persecuted for the cause of justice possess the kingdom of heaven,” Yancey said. “The Korean churches should observe where the wind of the Holy Spirit is blowing, make Jesus the focus of their prayers, and communicate God’s grace and love.”

He continued, “When human beings suffer on account of natural disasters, accidents, and so on, the church is inclined to seek the causes, and to use the phrase ‘God’s will’…God’s will is not for us to discover the causes of suffering, but for us to be with those who suffer.”

Also at this conference, prepared on the occasion of the 26th anniversary of Kukmin Daily and the founding of RSI, Rev. Yu Gi-seong (Seonhan Mokja [Good Shepherd] Church) and Rev. Lee Chan-su (Bundang Uri Church) spoke, both emphasizing the role and mission of the church.

“The crisis presently faced by the Korean church is the result of its not believing in Jesus as it should,” Rev. Yu said. “If we truly believe in Jesus, we love our enemies and live life without fear of suffering.”

Rev. Lee said, “The first priority for the Korean church lies in the restoration of love, and in the recovery of spirituality, to maintain love…Believers must rediscover love and spirituality, and be able to convey the dream of Jesus, who loves the world.”

An audience of 1,300 persons gathered to listen to the lectures, which included several on the relationship between faith and writing. Rev. Kang Jun-min (New Life Vision Church in the U.S.) recommended keeping a soul diary: “The writing of a person of faith heals the soul and its wounds.” Writer Seo Yeong-eun said, “Even more than writing, the important thing is one’s living by faith…Believers need to be able to communicate their experience of living in the Gospel.”

Reporter Sangmok Shin (smshin@kmib.co.kr), with Marion Kim (marionkkim@icloud.com)


Click here for the original article in Korean

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