[Interview] The Power of the Word of Redemptive History

The Power of the Word of Redemptive History 

 

Huh, Myung-chul

Being born in China, I was educated in Communist ideologies without a choice of my own. I lived my life praising China’s Communism and denying Capitalism and religion. Having lived life like this, it was at the end of 2009 that I received books one through four of the History of Redemption series from a deacon of Pyungkang Cheil Presbyterian Church.

That was after my second son was diagnosed with symptoms of Autism after turning two years old. I lost hope in regards to life and was wandering aimlessly. Although I had denied religion my whole life, I began to read the Bible in the Chinese language with a heart that was desperate to cling on to anything. I read through the Bible once, just sort of breezing through it without much thought. At that time, I thought to myself that there was no other book in this world that was so filled with a bunch of lies. I didn’t have the slightest desire to read the Bible again. It was right at that moment that I came to encounter the History of Redemption series. I began reading them as if they were story books. From the very beginning I was completely enthralled. Other than my son’s therapy sessions, this book took up my entire day. As I read more, I began to think for the first time in my 40 years of life, “There is something wrong with my life.” I came to the conclusion, “The root cause of that is the education I was brought up with” and I became afraid. 

I thought, “My two young sons have yet to go to school. I can’t allow them to walk down the same path I did.” I wanted to live a life of faith at the place where the word of redemptive history dwelled, Pyungkang Cheil Presbyterian Church in Seoul; and I wanted to allow my children to be educated in a society of capitalism (In addition to the “History of Redemption” series, I had also received and read tens of copies of Pyungkang Cheil Presbyterian Church’s “True Peace,” so I had somewhat of an understanding of the church). The alcohol and cigarettes that I had depended on to alleviate my stress began to slowly lose their taste.

It was so difficult for me to throw away my hometown I had lived in for half my life and relocate to a new environment with empty hands. There was also severe opposition from my relatives asking why I was going to a country that had no power and resources.

However, I believed that if I met the Senior Pastor who wrote the History of Redemption series and started my life of faith, then there would surely be hope for my family. With such faith I left China.

I arrived in Korea on May 29, 2010 and enrolled as a new member of Pyungkang Cheil Presbyterian Church on the last Lord’s Day of the 30-day Great Evangelism festival. Even now I can’t forget the first service I attended at Pyungkang Cheil Presbyterian Church.

Tears streamed down my face like rain at the sound of praise by the Mizpah Choir. I firmly decided, “Someday I will stand in that choir” (I actually had no sense of the duty of praising God; it was simply an inspiration from the standpoint of enjoying music).

In 2010 it was impossible for foreigners without any connections in Korea to stay for long periods or as a permanent resident. All I could do was pray. With empty pockets I went to the Immigration Office, and I begged and pleaded to them that the only place for my handicapped son to receive treatment was Korea. Incredibly, our family received permission to reside in Korea! Our relatives and friends in China and Korea told us that this was a miracle. We were able to resolve with empty hands what is impossible to change even with a large sum of money, and the path to my family’s life of faith and my younger son’s treatment was wide open to us. That was the first time I experienced that God surely exists.

After that our family was greatly strengthened and restored through the prayers and support of countless church members whose faces or names we didn’t even know, and especially the prayer and encouragement from the Senior Pastor. Though we are part of the diaspora, we had to overcome all sorts of societal prejudice and discrimination due to our foreign citizenship. Even in our life of faith we grew and matured while repeatedly stumbling and getting back up as we endured various trials. Personally, I am extremely grateful for my younger son. He was without emotion even amongst other Autistic children at the treatment facility in China, but now after four years of attending church (he began in the infant ministry, to pre-school, and is now in the kindergarten ministry), he has begun speaking. He even prays and sings praise! Although he is still lacking much, I continue to pray ceaselessly that one day he will be used greatly for the fulfillment of God’s work.

I look back to my four years of life at Pyungkang. My family has found a new life and the right path through the History of Redemption series. We are leaving darkness behind and moving towards the radiant light.

However, we’ve also allowed ourselves to get caught up with the rush of our daily lives and have become idle in things such as volunteering at the church, reading the Bible and the History of Redemption books, and evangelism. Looking back I realize I had an opportunity to grow so much more but because of various excuses and general laziness, I seem to be still wandering about in the wilderness.

Just as Christianity needs to return to the Bible, my family needs to rediscover the passion of our first love when we first received the words of the History of Redemption series. I have resolved to work even harder to lead to God the people of China, including my family and friends, who are living each day without hope in a cage under a Communist regime that places utmost importance on materialism and power.

The Pyungkang family, including my own, must realize that the zeal for the words of the History of Redemption is at work more powerfully outside than inside Pyungkang Cheil Church. I pray that all of us will successfully fulfill our roles in the center of words of Redemptive History.