[No. 222/ 2020 Extraordinary Prayers in Extraordinary Times – Relay broadcasting (1)]

Korean churches and society are now facing a major crisis where the moral values, natural human rights, and family values fall before secular values. This is the result of indiscriminate acceptance of the thought of disobeying God, not sticking to the truth of the Bible and the Biblical world view. In this situation, Gospel Prayer Alliance has time to worship and pray via YouTube video at their several homes. Extraordinary prayer meetings in extraordinary times are broadcast every Thursday on YouTube Kim Yongui TV from Feb.27 to April 2. The following is a summary of the message. <Editor>

“Realizing Your Despair is a Shortcut on the Path of Life.”

Person can face a crisis that reaches the limit or shows no possibility. At times like this, there is person who have something to depend on and can ask for help from transcendental existence. A person who reveals his presence in the time of crisis. It is a Christian.

Normally, we can’t feel a crisis. When a crisis is felt, people are embarrassed and seized with fear. But the Lord tells us not to be afraid. Because we have a place to escape. Psalms 91: 1-16 says that God is our refuge and our fortress, and He will be our God in whom we trust. We, who call God the Father and have the Gospel of the cross have nothing to do with fear.

As the Korean church was gripped by the fear of the COVID-19, the church has decided to shut down a chapel on Sunday. The chapel was closed and pressured not to meet. Through the crisis that has come to the church, however, we must check whether the church was a discipleized believer, whether the church’s vitality was strong and clear, and whether the gospel of the cross is clearly standing at the center of our faith. Through this crisis, nominal Christian and real Christian will surely be revealed.

While people live in the same era, some regard it as “ordinary” and others as “extraordinary.” What’s clear is that the country, society and nations are now facing a crisis. At this time, if you have a right sense of crisis from God’s perspective, you can find a solution to the crisis.

Those Who Thought Their Life to be Normal and Balanced

People during the time of Noah thought their life to be the most normal and balanced itself. It was a secure and comfortable era then. However, Noah declared that it was the time of a crisis (Matthew 24: 37-39). People had not been aware of his warning until flood came and their city was destroyed. There existed a different crisis awareness among them.

Sodom and Gomorrah in full of homosexuality were on the brink of God’s judgment with sulfur and fire, whereas there was few to see the time as a crisis (2 Peter 2:6-7, Genesis 19:14-16). When a crisis was finally felt as it was, its result was a turned-into-pillar of salt. However, God grabbed Lot by his hands and rescued him out of the place. Abraham’s crisis awareness which felt God’s Word is more real than anything else and his desperate prayers lead to Lot’s rescue.

The Israelite’s life before being caught by Babylon was sanctuary-centered, yet no devoted hearts. They were equipped with a proper awareness of worship and service, gave offerings to God, and observed the Sabbath day at Solomon’s Temple. In Jeremiah chapter 28, verses 15-17, those who prophesize a peace life appealing to people’s ears appeared. They are religious conmen. With a religious authority, they beat Jeremiah who had insisted that it was the time of a crisis, in front of the king. God says that person, who clearly knows his or her life is to be doomed to fail but keeps saying “You are a happy person. It’s alright”, is to be removed on the surface.

During the time of Jesus Christ, religious privileged group (Jewish people) had a different crisis awareness from that of Jesus. Building an extravagant temple does not show our faith itself. If they had listened to their real state and realized their despair, they would have come forward to the path of life, the Lord. However, they seized and killed Jesus Christ who declared it was the time of a crisis.

Christians are God’s holy people. Required are extraordinary existence and extraordinary life. Christians are in the midst of spiritual battles at all times. God says that a world well suited and comfortable for us is a crisis, but a world to hate and reject us is not bizarre but a sure thing to come.

This is not an ordinary time, but an extraordinary time, for the Judgment Day is approaching near (Roman 13:18, Revelation 22:20). Now is the time of a crisis which is not long until the day of salvation. We do not have too many opportunities to share the Gospel. Jesus says that ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? No, it’s not what you see. They are ripe for harvest.’ We ought to keep awake from being neglected with thoughts that there should be more opportunities even if we miss this time.

When we face a crisis, we end up throwing away our ornaments that have decorated us so far. And then, we hold unto a real substance. In the times of a crisis, we learn to realize how precious our daily life is given to us every day, and how many raggle-taggle things were attached to our life. We need to live a life with a longing heart prepared to meet God.

This time of a crisis is God’s invitation to us in a desperately dangerous situation, which is God’s calling attributed to His love towards us. Let us go back to our living God!!