“For Christians, success does not mean tangible outcomes or results, but faithful companionship with God. The right kind of success is living faithfully before God.”
Rev. David Platt (40, photo), who awakened Christians through his book on discipleship “Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream,” visited Korea again, following his first visit in 2013. On October 24, I met Rev. Platt at Onnuri Community Church’s Sunhyeong Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. He shared his confessions on experience and life in a frank manner. Compared with five years ago, he seemed more careful, but his message was still determined. “The life of a true disciple never pursues worldly success, but obeys the commands of our Lord.”
During his sojourn in Korea, he led the Onnuri Revival Festival six times on the theme of “true success.” He said, “We are well aware of 1 John 2:15, ‘Do not love the world or the things in the world,’ but we’re often deceived. We think we love God, but in fact we love the world. We easily deceive ourselves, mistaking worldly success for success before God.” And he shared his own experience.
In 2011, while ministering at the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, he experimented with his theory of radical discipleship, and wrote about it in “Radical,” which made him very famous.
In the U.S. and Korea, “Radical” sold more than 100 million copies, and his next books “Follow Me” and “Counter Culture” also earned great public attention. In 2014 Rev. Platt was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention International Mission Board (IBM). Lecture requests from all over the world followed, and he became known as the youngest megachurch pastor and church leader of the next generation.
Rev. Platt said, “On the outside, I was hugely successful and lived a very busy life, but in terms of my relationship with God, the intimacy was gone and I felt empty… One day I realized that God values our relationship, rather than my worldly success, and I was grateful that God made me realize this.” Quoting 1 Corinthians 4:2 (Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy), he added, “After all, the most important matter is to maintain our faithfulness before God and live a life of obedience.”
Reporter Narae Kim (narae@kmib.co.kr), with Yeara Ahn-Park (yap@kmib.co.kr)
Photo by intern reporter Zysu Song
Full Story in Korean:
“크리스천에게 성공은 하나님과의 신실한 동행이다”: 부흥집회 인도 위해 방한한 ‘래디컬’ 저자 데이비드 플랫 목사
Rev. David Platt: “Success for Christians is faithful companionship with God”
2018-11-02 17:16
