When we receive the grace of God, we keep away from sin

Born in Pyungyang, I was the second son in a family of three sons and five daughters and started attending church from the early age at the recommendation of my parents. In 1946, when I was 16 years old, I came to South Korea to join my older brother who had left for Seoul a year ago. At that time, most of the people from North Korea attended the Youngnak Church and I became one of their formal baptized members.

Afterwards, at the break of the Korean War, I heard that my father was shot by the Communist Party on the Taedong Riverside because he was a landowner. My mother and younger brother and sisters came to South Korea during the January 4th 1951 retreat and carried an advertisement looking for me in the Army newspaper, Seungri Ilbo and as a result we were able to meet.

Ever since I came to South Korea, I attended the Seoul National University earning my own tuition, and I also fell into the romantic life which the young people enjoyed at that time. However, even while continuing such a life, I did not get into the disorderly decadent life and I believe it was because God protected me from the early age.

At that time, I had no particular interest in Chunbukyo Church, as I thought that, no matter what church it might be, all I have to do was to believe in God. However, as there was a rumor that Elder Park Tae-sun cured many sick people as a revivalist, I thought he was not an ordinary person.

Then, after a certain date, my sisters clapped their hands and sang hymns after attending Elder Park Tae-sun’s revival meetings and began to ask me to go to Chunbukyo Church as well, saying that, as the Holy Dew Spirit was coming down, they could smell the corpse burning and also smell the sweet fragrance. Especially, my second younger sister could not get along with other people due to her violent temper after her back head was hurt when a cow in an oxcart ran in surprise when she was young. However, after she attended the Chunbukyo Church and had God’s hands laid on her, her temper became gentle, she sang hymns when she cooked in the kitchen, and her runny nose didn’t come out, which was an incredible change. Also, my first younger sister who wore glasses because of her bad eye sight, didn’t wear glasses from the morning when God laid His hands on her in her dream.

Even though God’s miracles were happening right next to me, I kept having doubts and did not go to the Chunbukyo Church. But my sisters were very enthusiastic. They attended the Early Morning Service by walking a long distance from Euljiro 6-ga, where my house was located, to the Church at Wonhyo-ro without missing a single day.

I’m deeply impressed by God’s sermon

Worship of the Church at Wonhyo-ro

As I thought that I should not unconditionally oppose the words and actions of my younger sisters, I attended a Sunday service led by God at the Wonhyo-ro Church to find out the truth myself. As a lieutenant in the Army, I went there accompanied by an officer and a few sergeants from the same unit and found they had been singing the preparatory hymns quite a while. People were overflowing even outside the window. I was led by the deacon, who was a guide, to go up the podium where the pastors and elders were seated.

Thus, I was able to see God by my side. He came to the podium, prayed for a while, and started preaching. Because of the rumor that you could smell the rotten corpse and then sweet fragrance due to the Holy Dew Spirit, I first looked around the podium carefully, rather than paying attention to the sermon, suspecting that there might be some kind of electric device. But there was no such device.

God preached a sermon for about 40 minutes, and I was deeply impressed. His sermon was entirely different from the long sermons I had heard during the week-long revival meetings held in other Christian churches. During the worship, eye contact was made with God three or four times but every time, I quietly lowered my head, as I was afraid to look straight at him. In this way, l started going to the Chunbukyo Church half suspicious and half curious.

Even though I worshiped at the same time, at the same place, on the same day, some said they smelled the sweet fragrance and saw dew-like mist falling, and had the Water of Life experience. But I could barely believe other people’s experiences as I didn’t experience anything. However, I went to worship at the Early Morning Service, Wednesday Evening and Sunday Daytime service without missing any one.

I’m experiencing grace for the first time in my dreams
Then, one day, God came and laid His hands on me in my dream. At that time, I used to refuse to see God and have His hand laid on me when I was asked. Why? My sins would be exposed when His hand was laid on me, and I would scream if it hurt. I would feel pretty much embarrassed to see people around me.

But even though I was really dreaming, I couldn’t describe the pain as soon as God’s hand touched my body. Unable to overcome the unbearable pain, I exclaimed countless times in my heart, ‘God, please forgive me!’ As the time of pain passed, I felt my mouth was cool with a wonderful scent. As if I had put dozens of mint candies in my mouth, something cool went down my throat, cooling down to my stomach and, then, internal organs and my whole body started to feel lighter. When I woke up feeling like flying, it was around 1 a.m. The hymns were spontaneously coming out of my mouth, and the joy of flying continued. I had heard similar experiences from other people, but this was the first experience of mine since I attended the Chunbukyo Church.

Two days later after having this dream, as soon as God stood at the podium during the Early Morning Service, He said, “Those who had my hands laid on the day before yesterday, raise your hand.” Surprised, I raised my hand and looked up to see dozens of people raising their hands. I exclaimed to myself, ‘How does He know what I dreamt of?’
Then, God said that he had blessed those who were suspicious and those who longed for grace in the dream. And He also said He could point out even those who did not raise hands because they were ashamed. At that time, all the doubts I had in my mind disappeared, and I became firmly to believe in God. God further said to the people, “If you have any problems with your body, make sure to check the time. Let’s see if it fits my time.”

A few days later, as I felt heavy and stuffy, I checked the time. It was from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. And as before during the Early Morning Service, He said He had cut the line of grace at the same time. I became more and more convinced of God, and on the other hand, I became afraid of Him.

I began to realize the importance of the Early Morning Service.
Around November 1956, God, who took care of the service in Seoul only on Sunday as He was holding the services nationwide, began to visit the families of all the church members in downtown Seoul, saying that He was doing ‘Spiritual Flushing Campaign’.

As it was the turn of my house to treat Him for breakfast, we went to Namdaemun and Dongdaemun Markets the day before to prepare new bowls and new spoons. We also washed our hair, kept ourselves tidy and prepared meals. He came on time and said, “You are not attending the Chunbukyo Church, are you?” when He saw my mother who came to meet Him. He said to my younger brother, “Today, I’m going to eliminate your sin of being stubborn.” In fact, my mother couldn’t go to the church as she had a lot of guests for her business on Sundays, and my brother was attending Christian church. The fact He knew so well the situation of the first person He met amazed me once again.

After finishing the meal, He started to lay His hands on us. As it was my turn, I lay down on my bed. He said before touching my body “You have been washed a lot in the morning services,” and laid His hands on my eyes. Then it seemed like the stars twinkled in my eyes and I felt pain like being stung with an awl. As He laid His hands on my flank and belly, I felt the pain like squeezing my intestines wherever He touched. And then He took His hands off when I felt cool.
After being touched, my mother had a hand print on her stomach. As for my brother, God said he should get rid of this stubbornness while laying His hands on him. After that day, my younger brother attended the Chunbukyo Church.

The day after I got His hands on me was my friend’s wedding day. At that time, there was a dance party at the reception, and I had been in charge of it until then. But as I was somehow reluctant to go there, I was late and only took pictures. My friends made a big fuss about me. Feeling sorry, I went to Kookdo Theater to watch a movie, but my head was pounding and I couldn’t sit still.

Previously, I used to watch a movie twice, initially with subtitles and then in the original language. But that day, I had no choice but to come out. After having His hands on me, I began to hate going to the theater and also became reluctant to go to my friend’s wedding. As I became reluctant for all these things, my life began to change, and I began to realize the importance of the Early Morning Service. And a few days later, during Sunday service, God told us not to go to the theater and said that it was a place where people who were not spiritually good gather.

“Nobody knows who I am.”
In early October 1957, God came to my house. The moment He sat down and looked at the picture of my father, I thought, “This is the time,” and said to him, “He’s my father. Please pray for him.” I was always concerned about my father who died miserably as I was not able to be a good son. God closed His eyes for a moment, prayed for about 30 seconds, and said “In this world no one knows who I am,”, “Never say this.” Then he asked me to get some water and blessed it and went away. I didn’t understand what He said, but I just listened.

Perhaps to show us the evidence, my mother dreamed two days later. My father usually looked like a dead body floating on the bank of the river in the dream, but on that day he walked to the kitchen in clean clothes and asked for water. My mother refused because that bowl was used by God. But he drank the water recklessly and disappeared, saying, “It’s okay now.” Since then, he didn’t appear in her dream again. This story caused people to bring their photos to God to be blessed.
(to be continued on the next issue)