It is good for me to come back here again to meet my dear friends from many different foreign countries and to worship God together with you. You are now living in Korea as aliens and strangers. All of the forefathers of faith in the Old Testament lived as aliens and strangers on earth. ¡°All these people were still living by faith when they died. They were aliens and strangers on earth.¡±(Hebrews 11:13). I have also lived my whole life as an alien and stranger on earth. I left my mother and father when I was 11 years old. I crossed the border line at night and came to South Korea and lived my whole life as an orphan and stranger. I have lived the lonely sorrowful painful and difficult life as an orphan and stranger. But the lonely sorrowful painful and difficult experiences of life have become very useful and very precious to me. I came to say as the following. ¡°The experiences of sorrows, pains and difficulties become jewels.¡±


Three years ago I was here and delivered a message entitled as ¡°What is the life all about?" Two years ago I was here and delivered a message entitled as ¡°The life and ministry of Jesus¡¯ mission.¡± Last year I was here and delivered a message entitled as ¡°The Gospel of the Cross.¡± Today on May 31 of 2015 I am here to deliver a message entitled as ¡°The most important thing for the human beings.¡± What is the most important thing for the human beings and especially for the aliens and strangers on earth? The Bible describes the forefathers of faith lived as aliens and strangers on earth and lived by faith as the followings. ¡°By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice. By faith Abraham obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice. By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future. By faith Jacob blessed each of Joseph's sons. By faith Joseph spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. By faith Moses refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter.¡±(Hebrews 11:4,8,20,22,24).


What is the most important thing for the human beings? Bible teaches us that the most important and precious thing is living by faith and believing in God and believing in Jesus Christ. The Gospel of John 3:16 reads as the following. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.¡±(John 3:16). Jesus himself stressed the importance of believing as the following. "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.¡±(John 5:24). The apostle John, the writer of the Gospel of John, indicated that his writing the Gospel of John was aimed at human beings¡¯ believing and receiving eternal life. ¡°But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.¡±(John 20:31). The apostle Paul confessed as the following. ¡°I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.¡±(Gal 2:20). The apostle Paul exhorted as the following. "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved you and your household."(Acts 16:31). Believing and trusting is most important thing not only for the spiritual life of the individual people but also for the family life as well as social life. Happiness comes from believing and trusting. Unhappiness comes from disbelief and distrust. Believing and trusting is most important between human beings and God the Father. Now I am going to tell stories how men and women came to believe in God and Jesus and became happy persons.


Firstly, I am going to tell about a Samaritan woman who was unhappy and miserable but became happy and joyful through believing in God and Jesus Christ. There was a Samaritan woman in Sychar, Samaria. She lived an immoral and unhappy life. She had five husbands. She was therefore despised and rejected by the people. She did not want to meet other people. She was living in closed darkness. She used to come to the well to draw water at the noon time when no one came. One day Jesus intentionally came to the well at the noon time in order to meet the Samaritan woman. Jesus was even waiting until the Samaritan woman arrived at the well. Jesus did not come as angel like noble and holy man. Jesus came to the well as a tired and thirsty person similar to the tired and thirsty Samaritan woman. It was very strange that the heart and mind of Jesus was so tender and so warmly directed towards sinners. Jesus approached her and asked her to give a drink. "Will you give me a drink?"(John 4:7). She was however impolite and negative. She said like this. "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?"(John 4:9). Jesus was however patient and gentle. Jesus touched her heart with compassion and love. To make the story short, she began to be changed and finally confessed as the following. "Sir (Lord), I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem. I know that Messiah is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."(John 4:19,20,25). Jesus told her that he was the Messiah as the following. "I who speak to you am he." She was surprised, touched, moved and excited. She came to be full of joy and happiness. Her life was completely and fully changed. She left her water jar and ran to meet the Samaritan people in the town of Sychar. She told them the happy good news about Jesus the Messiah. ¡°Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?"(John 4:28, 29). She became a happy person and happy evangelist. What made her life joyful and happy? Her faith and believing in Jesus Christ the Messiah made her life joyful and happy. Faith and Believing changes one¡¯s life and one¡¯s destiny. She became the pioneer of evangelism of Samaria even before Phillip went to Samaria (Acts 8:5). While I was preparing this message my heart was so much touched by the tender mercy and compassion of Jesus Christ towards sinners like the Samaritan woman and like me that my eyes became wet.


Secondly, I am going to tell about Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector who was unhappy and rejected but became happy and accepted through believing in God and Jesus Christ. Tax collectors were at that time despised and rejected by the Jewish people. Zacchaeus a chief tax collector lived an unhappy and rejected life in Jericho. But when he heard about the good news that Jesus was caring for sinners rather than righteous people he wanted to see Jesus and know about Jesus. The Gospel of Luke 19:1-4 reads as the following. ¡°Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.¡±(Luke 19:1-4). Jesus already knew Zacchaeus¡¯ heart to see Jesus and know about Jesus. Zacchaeus did not confess his faith in Jesus Christ. He just wanted to see Jesus and know about Jesus. Zacchaeus might have possessed a very small and a very little amount of faith. Jesus regarded the very small and the very little amount of faith as precious. Jesus looked up Zacchaeus on the sycamore-fig tree and told him to come down as the following. ¡°When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." Jesus was too much gentle and too much generous to the sinners. ¡°So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.(Luke 19:5). All the Jewish people murmured and complained. ¡°All the people saw this and began to mutter, He has gone to be the guest of a sinner."(Luke12:7). Zacchaeus welcomed Jesus to his house and stood up in front of him and confessed his sins as the following. ¡°Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." Zacchaeus confessed his sins of cheating and willingness of paying back four times. Repentance is the real sign of pure faith. Repentance is the basis of faith. Zacchaeus repented his sins and began to believe in God and Jesus. Jesus announced blessings to him as the following. ¡°Jesus said to him, Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."(Luke 19:9,10). Unbelievably remarkable blessings were announced to Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus¡¯ life was completely and fully changed. He began to live a completely new and happy life. Believing changes one¡¯s life and one¡¯s destiny. While I was preparing this part of message my heart was again so much touched by the tender mercy and compassion of Jesus Christ towards sinners like Zacchaeus and like me that my eyes became wet.


I do not have enough time to tell stories of how other peoples¡¯ life were changed through believing in God and Jesus. Mary the Magdalene who was caught by seven demons and committed seven major sins was completely changed through her believing and her loving Jesus. Mary the Magdalene became the most beloved disciple of Jesus. Kil Sun Joo was the renowned Buddhist and Zen Buddhist leader in Pyung Yang, North Korea. He was opposed to the Christian faith. Jesus called his name three times at night and he repented and believed in Jesus. His life was completely changed. Kil Sun Joo became the father of the Korean church. Lee Ki Poong was the renowned leader of the gangsters in Pyung Yang, North Korea. He stoned the jaws of missionary Sam Moffett and let him bleed and knocked down. Lee Ki Poong also destroyed the newly constructing church building with a group of gangsters in Pyung Yang. Jesus called his name three times at night and he repented and believed in Jesus. His life was completely changed. Lee Ki Poong also became the father of the Korean church.


Now I am going to tell about my life a little bit. Through the grace of God I possessed faith when I was a small boy. My father was a pastor in North Korea but was imprisoned many times. I also had hard times because of my faith. I was punished every Monday at school when I was 10 and 11 years old. It was because I did not go to school on Sundays but always went to the church to worship God on Sundays. Finally I decided to leave North Korea and come to the South. I went to my father who was imprisoned and told him I wanted to go the South Korea. My father told me I could go. My mother was crying but told me I could go. I crossed the border line at night and came to South Korea and lived my whole life as an orphan and stranger. For the first few years I was crying every night because I missed my mother and father so much. Nevertheless I was grateful and happy because I obtained freedom of faith and freedom of Sunday observance. Sunday observance became the first principle of my faithful life. God blessed my life so much. I have served God as a pastor and as a professor throughout my whole life. I have also involved in the ministries of mission and almsgivings throughout my whole life. Faith and Believing changed my whole life and my whole destiny.


I am going to conclude my message. What is the most important thing for the human beings? Bible teaches us that the most important and precious thing is believing in God and believing in Jesus Christ. When we believe in God and Jesus our lives will be completely changed. Our destinies will be completely changed. May God be merciful and compassionate that all of you could believe in God and Jesus and have blessed and happy life. May God bless you all! I love you all.