Title: Only the Cross
Contents
Brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant of how many times I wanted to come to you, so that it might bear fruit among you as among the other Gentiles, but the way has been blocked until now. I am indebted to the Greeks and the barbarians, the wise and the foolish. Therefore, I want to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome as well as possible. I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. In the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed, from faith to faith, as it is written, The righteous will live by faith (Romans 1:13-17).
West German Chancellor Willy Brandt submitted a white paper on education to the German Bundestag last year. From there, he said that the scale for measuring national power was military power before World War II, and economic power after World War II until today. While I accepted his argument, I once again questioned whether the power to solve the problems of today's age is the power of knowledge.
We know that the military power of Rome at that time was inferior in quality and quantity compared to the military power of the US and Soviets today, but the military power of Rome at that time was not weak enough to allow other military power to oppose Rome. , I know it was a mighty one all over the world. However, looking through the heart of Rome and looking at the world of Rome, the Apostle Paul realized that Rome was collapsing despite its mighty military power. I know that he declared that it was the power of God to save Rome, or the whole world.
You know that the former American yolk sitting along the Hudson River in the middle of New York is Manhattan Island. I know that there is a Wall Street that cooks the economy of the world in that Manhattan, and there is also the United Nations Building that symbolizes humanitarianism in the world. And you know that right east of Manhattan Island is the famous East Harlem. Now you know that not only Eastman Harlem, but most of Manhattan Island is becoming Harlem. We can't think of it as an exaggeration of our claim that America's economic power, which has made up the world's wealth, can't save the whole world, not America, or even the tiny island of Manhattan.
As we look at the human existence of this generation, this country, this society, and myself today, one obvious fact is that no human power can solve the human snare that is our problem. Today's sin has become a so-called structural sin, and today's evil has become a global global evil.
We know that in today's absurd capitalist economic structure, even the good intentions of some well-meaning people have become unable to relieve the misfortune. We see that under the communist dictatorship, the vast majority of people are unable to get rid of that evil even with their good intentions.
Today, we also know that in the creeds of secular, sensuous, and decadent ideologies, some good intellectuals fail to overcome them. It is now clear how foolish and arrogant it was today to think that not so long ago humans could do anything, act as if they could, and that even the Christian Church could solve problems to some extent with its powerful collective power. became known. As we look around South Korea, the bell tower of the church rises in every neighborhood, the church is what we see in Seoul, the procession of members that cannot be seen in any advanced Christian countries, and the gatherings of thousands of people and tens of thousands of people. I have now confessed how foolish and arrogant it was to think I could do it.
The day when the dictatorial power of communism comes in, the day when the wave of secularism comes in, the outward appearance of the church, the capable ministers and the countless believers with the power alone, let alone saving all people, have already experienced that he himself cannot stand upright. I know.
We are truly grateful that we have come to realize all these things in these last days, and I know that it is God's grace and blessing. Therefore, we are now on our knees before anyone else, like the heads of the defeated nation who unconditionally surrendered before General MacArthur on the Missouri ship, and said, "Now, God's hand is touching this case, this human society, this country and directly intervening. It is only by giving to us that we can be saved."
The ministers and evangelists entrusted with the proclamation of the gospel are actually people who live by continuously experiencing the reality of God's power and the fact of its miracles. The church is a group that specifically testifies to this miraculous event through evangelism. We earnestly hope and pray that this macro-church evangelism meeting will be an amazing opportunity to show the miraculous work of direct intervention in the event of this nation, this history, this country, and this church. .