(A Grain of Mustard Seed) From the Day God Took Charge of My Life

Pastor Ock Soo Park's Testimony 

MY HEART ACHED BADLY BECAUSE OF MY FAMILY

My mother had been going to church from the time when she was a single woman. She was an only child, and keeping it secret from my grandfather, she attended the church services that were led by the missionaries, who preached the gospel in our country for the first time, and believed in

Jesus. However, after she got married, she didn’t dare go to church. From my childhood memories, I can still recall my mother sewing at home while humming church hymns.

 When I was seven years old, my mother passed away. Looking closely into my mother’s life from the memories I had of her, it seems that she hadn’t received salvation even though she went to church. “If she were alive, I could have preached the gospel to her. . . .” After I received salvation, my heart ached badly because my mother passed away without being born again.

Not having been able to reach my mother, I poured out my heart preaching the gospel to my father and the rest of my family. Strangely, my family did not receive salvation. When I said to my sister, “I received the forgiveness of sin and I have no sin,” she closed the door of her heart and said to me, “You are so arrogant. God gives His grace to humble people. How can you say that you have no sin?” When I tried to preach the gospel to my father, he refused to accept it saying,

“Don’t worry, I can go to heaven. I will trust God later. Don’t worry.” My brothers acted just like my father. My heart was aching.

MY YOUNGER BROTHER WHO BECAME THE SERVANT OF GOD

Meanwhile, God bestowed His grace on my younger brother. When I was in the military, my brother was learning how to manage a bookstore. His goal was to run a big bookstore and spend his life reading books. Nevertheless, he found out he could not join the army because of bronchiectasis that was discovered through the mandatory physical examination before joining the army. In those days, tuberculosis was such a serious disease.

At that time, it was possible for an entire family to perish if someone had tuberculosis. Even though my brother’s disease was not tuberculosis but bronchiectasis, which was derived from the coughs he suffered while having measles during his childhood, he was in despair because it was a disease that had to do with his lungs.

My brother was greatly disappointed and gave up everything. He moved to the Apgok-dong Church, where I had lived before I went into the army, and started to search for God. While staying in Apgok-dong, he continued to pray and read the Bible. His heart was led by God and faith was being established firmly in his heart. Even though many things had happened to him in his life, my brother became a precious preacher. He is now ministering at the Good News Cheonan Church.

In my eyes, no one seemed to receive salvation among my family. However, when I look back, I realize how God worked in my family even when I didn’t notice it. My father passed away after receiving salvation. One by one, each of my family members came before God and received salvation including my older brother, older sister, younger brother and other relatives. I cannot express all of my thankfulness in words.

GOD LED MY BROTHER TO THE GRACE OF SALVATION

There were seven of us in my family; my father, my mother and five siblings. I had one older brother, two older sisters and a younger brother. At that time, my family was poor just like all the other families. We farmed and could supply just enough food for the year. We had no other income. In order to have some spending money, we had to sell the rice that we were supposed to eat. It was so difficult to have money to spend. In my family, money was scarce, and our life was so difficult. By God’s grace, such a difficult condition led to my salvation. Each of my family’s stories of his or her salvation was connected with the grace of God. Although I poured out my heart trying to save my family, nothing was done by my effort.

Giving up on saving my family members because I thought it was so difficult, I rarely stayed in my hometown. Instead, I traveled through many different places preaching the gospel. Therefore, I had no chance to lead my family to salvation. Only on holidays such as New Year’s Day or Thanksgiving, I went to my hometown and talked about the gospel to my family. Nevertheless, as time passed by, I could see how God saved my entire family in various ways and had them stand in faith which I couldn’t accomplish with my efforts. I was very thankful to God.

When I was in the missionary school, my younger brother lived in Daegu and was learning to manage the bookstore. Every now and then, I met my brother and invited him to come to church. Nonetheless, at that time, my brother was too busy to come, and he had no interest in the gospel.

After my brother was rejected from joining the military because he failed the physical examination, all of his dreams came crumbling down, especially when he was told that he had an abnormal lung condition. He quit his job at the bookstore. To fight against his disease, he moved to Apgok-dong. There, he got the medicine and injected it by himself. He lived in the mountains with good air, and his health was restored. Although it was a short time, while he was living in that way God led my brother to the grace of salvation and to faith. Before, though he had heard the gospel, he could not imagine having to live by faith. He was changed into a person of faith and worked for the gospel for a long time. I am very thankful to see how he has become a precious servant of God who leads many people to God.

I LIVE FOR GOD SO THAT HE CAN WORK FOR ME

God worked not only in my family, but also in my life. Hundreds and thousands of problems happen to me in my life. I am not faithful, and I often fall into trials. My heart changes a lot, and I am not good at preaching the gospel. However, while I live for the gospel, my loving God saved my family as I wished, and He has directed my life in everything, both big and small. I praise the Lord who saved my entire family. It is so amazing that He took charge of my entire life and has guided me.

Now, I know that the best thing for me is not to live for myself, but to live for God, and let Him work for me. From that time on, I did not live for myself, but instead, I lived for God and gave Him the chance to work for me. I can clearly see that my life became so blessed and easy after He started taking charge of my life. I praise God our Father and give thanks and glory to Him who leads our lives.

(An excerpt from With the Gospel to the Ends, With the Lord to the Last by Pastor Ock Soo Park)