2025.12.28 Sunday 1st Service
Scripture Reading: Acts 27:24
Christ said, “It is finished.” That was His final word. Then, on Mt Olive, He explained the power of the throne for forty days and said, “You will go to the ends of the earth.” As I listened to this gospel, many paths began to open up to me. Here I could see my heavenly mandate, calling, and mission. I could see what is inevitable, what is necessary, and what is absolute. I could see single-heartedness, wholeheartedness, and perseverance—and all of these become one. It is only, uniqueness, and re-creation. It is 24, 25, and eternity. Through this, imprinting, rooting, and nature are formed. In this way, the twenty-one paths became visible.
The beginning of the twenty-one is “inevitable, necessary, absolute.” But new believers and many workers in the church keep getting the start wrong. How should we begin? When I entered Yeongdo, there was no church building—nothing. How should we start? That start matters. From a tiny 12-pyeong place and then 35 pyeong, what did we do? We spread the Word movement to 300 places. Soon, more than 1,000 disciples began to rise. It is not difficult.
When I was serving as an assistant pastor, I was in charge of the children’s department. What should I do? Children cannot worship well. At that time, what I realized was the upper room. The Word has to enter them.
Then I was in charge of the middle and high school department. What should we do? Teenagers have many conflicts. They do not want to talk with adults. Back then there were no cell phones. I went to find them. I wrote letters to the students—letters like our gospel letters. “Last week a certain celebrity committed suicide. Why did they do that?” I wrote the answer to that. The students became very interested. In other words, I wrote a gospel letter. But I did not know it would be delivered to the students like that.
When we began this church here, people said evangelism was difficult. It is not difficult. So I gathered them and said, “Read it. Read it.” We did that eight times. That is the gospel letter. Two lessons were later supplemented by me when the people began to move.
In the church where I served as an associate pastor before coming here, they fought day and night. What did I do then? I reported to the senior pastor and started an evangelism school. Later, even among just the young adults, 300 workers who dedicated themselves arose. There is nothing difficult about it.
What did I do? I did what was inevitable. I did what was necessary. And I did what must be done—what is absolute. That must be our starting point. I said there are twenty-one paths, but the start is inevitable, necessary, absolute. If you combine these three words, it becomes the word “must.”
When a problem comes, do not panic or think it is too hard. First, look at three things. Today’s Scripture passage is a familiar one. The ship Paul was on encountered a storm. A violent wind came, and the ship began to sink. What should we do?
I have a friend who went to Vietnam and had a serious accident there. He could not forget it and developed seizures. Look at the 9/11 incident in the United States—those who survived struggle. On mission fields, there were cases where people were kidnapped by armed men. One died, and the rest lived in constant anxiety. Often, when people develop spiritual problems, they have wounds and trauma like that.
I know someone whose mother committed suicide early. It became such a wound that he could not function. I understand. He is always in hardship. There are many people like this. How should we, who have the gospel, give them an answer?
As I said, when a problem comes, there is no need to be discouraged. In the introduction, I will first speak of three things.
Introduction: Three things to see first
- Inevitable (what inevitably comes has come).
What inevitably comes has come. This is the eye you must have whenever you solve problems. The Jews had no gospel at all. They hated the preaching of Christ. They lied, arrested people, and made Paul into a criminal. Paul had no crime, but he was made into a criminal and was on his way to be tried. He transferred to an Alexandrian ship and was traveling.
Paul, who prayed, said, “I think this ship will meet a storm. It would be better to stay here for a while, avoid the crisis, and then go.” But no one listened. “No, let’s go rest in Phoenix.” In the Bible it is written “Phoenice.” “Let’s rest in Phoenix. It is better.” No one listened to Paul. Many people said, “Phoenix is better than here.” Even though they were on the way to trial, they wanted to go somewhere nice.
The leader of the ship was a centurion named Julius. Because he felt uneasy, he asked. He asked the captain: “Is it true that this man says we will meet a storm and die?” The captain said, “Now is not the season for storms.” Then he asked the ship owner: “Is this okay?” The owner said, “In such good weather, what storm? It is not storm season.”
People will listen to the words of demons, but they will not believe the Word of God. They believe wrong words, but they do not believe the words of an evangelist. So they decided, “Let’s go.” “Look—such good weather. What storm?” And the ship sailed well.
Then suddenly it struck. When a storm and strong wind come, human strength cannot stop it. It hit them. For about fourteen days. How long those days and hours were. That is what happened. In the end, the ship began to sink. There was no strength left.
What inevitably came, came. People do not believe the Word of God. People do not listen to the word you proclaim. And they follow what is wrong. That is why it began to sink. That is the moment.
- Necessary (what you must do within it).
What did Paul do then? He entered into such deep prayer in the bottom of the ship that the angel of the Lord came and spoke. That is what is necessary. - Absolute (God’s plan).
Then, as he prayed, at night, he said, “Last night, the angel of the Lord stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar.’” He delivered a very important message. After he delivered it, the storm began to calm. This is the absolute. The inevitable, the necessary, and the absolute are all there.
When problems come, there is no need to be discouraged. What inevitably comes is what God has allowed. But within it, there is what you must do—what is necessary. And you must find God’s plan—the absolute. Among the twenty-one paths, the start must always be like that.
There are many remnants who resent their parents. Today, throw all of that away. God gave them to you because it was necessary. “Why are my parents like this?” God inevitably gave what He needed for His work. If you do not see that, wounds and spiritual problems keep coming. You must counsel properly. Only then can healing happen. Even if you cry together and talk, you may feel relief, but healing will not come.
When I was young, my father died, and I suffered much. When did answers begin? When I realized: “God gave me what was necessary—what was inevitable—because I must do world evangelization.” Then many doors of answers began to open.
Main message: “Do not be afraid, Paul.”
First, one who has an absolute mission does not die.
- Joseph—No matter how much they tried to kill Joseph, they could not. He had to become governor in the place where 237 nations and 5,000 tribes would gather. His brothers tried to kill him but could not. Potiphar tried to destroy him by putting him in prison but could not.
- Moses—A new king arose and commanded, “Kill all Israelite baby boys.” But they could not kill Moses. Moses had an absolute mission.
- David—King Saul tried to kill David. He attempted murder six or seven times. But David could not die. He carried an enormous absolute mission.
- The early church—It was the same. They could not kill them. The early church was completely surrounded by laws. They even imposed economic blockades. Yet they could not kill them. The early church carried out world evangelization.
So even your problems must be viewed through inevitable, necessary, absolute. God may be training you and blessing you for real. A big tree grown in a greenhouse will die if it is taken outside. It must face wind and sunlight. A tree that stays only in a greenhouse does not truly become a tree.
A grandfather made hammer handles with his grandson. He threw away the good pieces. He used the twisted, ugly pieces for the hammer handle. The grandson asked, “Why do you throw away the good ones and use these?” He answered, “To become a hammer handle, it must have faced wind, snow, sunlight, and rain.” The storm that happened here was not a random event. It was a very important event. “Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar.”
Second, one who has a heavenly mandate, calling, and mission cannot die.
- When Christ struck Paul down on the road to Damascus, He already said Paul was a chosen instrument to stand before kings, the nations, and the Gentiles. A year is ending.
This week you must ask in prayer: “What is my absolute bartizan? How can I establish my absolute bartizan? How will I fulfill ‘You must stand before Caesar’?”
- Paul met Barnabas and saw many covenants.
- He was sent as the first missionary and went to Asia, Macedonia, and Rome. He could not die.
So, as you enter the new year, you must ask: “What is my heavenly mandate, calling, and mission?” If you get the answer, every problem is resolved. Truly.
Third, if you still have a remaining mission, there is no need to fear crisis.
You must ask: What is my absolute mission—my absolute bartizan? What are the heavenly mandate, calling, and mission God has given me? What is my remaining mission? Your direction must match God’s direction. So this week, three prayers: my absolute bartizan, my mandate/calling/mission, and my remaining mission.
Moses said, “I cannot.” He meant, “I am old. If I go, I will be captured and die.” He was eighty. God said, “I will be with you. Go and say that the LORD has sent you. With a mighty hand I will be with you.” Those who are older must take more courage—we must do world evangelization.
Elijah said, “I am old. I cannot. Everyone is dead and only I remain.” The moment someone thinks, “I cannot,” they become like that. He even said, “Take my life.” But God brought him and spoke in a gentle whisper: “Do not fear Ahab. I will change him. Find Elisha.” He even told him the name. “There are still 7,000 disciples left.” He had not even started.
So ask: What is my absolute bartizan? When you ask, doors open. When I realized my mandate, calling, and mission, answers began to come exactly as they were. And the remaining mission is 237 nations and 5,000 tribes—to testify to those who have never heard. Jesus said, “When the gospel is preached to all nations, then the end will come.” Many people try to end the world unnecessarily, but it does not end so easily. The gospel has not yet been testified to all. Jesus said: “Go to all nations. Go to all people. Go to the ends of the earth. I will be with you.”
Conclusion
Your difficulties will turn into evidence.
- The news about Paul was delivered to Caesar and to 237 nations and 5,000 tribes.
- When the kings living in Canaan heard the report from the wilderness, their hearts melted.
Now is not the time to “do something.” As the year ends and a new year begins, you must correct the covenant and correct the direction. Do not just work hard. If you work hard in the wrong direction, you become more wrong.
Ask:
- “God, what is the absolute bartizan You have given me?”
- “What is the heavenly mandate, calling, and mission You have given me?”
- “What is my remaining mission?”
When you hold to the exact covenant, God will be with you with all authority in heaven and on earth.
Remnants, I ask you: pray this. If you miss this, you may graduate from a good school, get a job, and even marry. But you will just eat and live and die. You will not do world evangelization. Power will not come. God said He will be with you with all authority when you hold the accurate covenant. How can you miss this? If you just study, succeed a little, eat, and die—your tombstone will say: “ate, slept, died.” Is that all?
- The remnants’ studies and work, and the church leaders’ work, must match world evangelization.
- The church must open the three courtyards, the three-day weekend age, and the holy meditation age.
- Young adults must go out after preparing 300%.
In October 1987 I was appointed here. My first sermon was this passage: “Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar.” May you enjoy the answers you must find, in the name of Jesus Christ.
Prayer. God, we thank You. Let us find our absolute bartizan. Let us see the heavenly mandate, calling, and mission You have given us. Let us confirm our remaining mission. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.