Frustrated Dream: Change the World
Michael had the vision to change the world, and he dreamt that everyone would not worry about safety. When he was younger, he was smart enough to get admissions from good colleges. He chose one college which gave an excellent scholarship to him. He thought his dream was close to change the world, and he studied hard in college. However, after graduation, he saw the real world, which looks like a jungle. Those who have power did not want to change the world, and they secured their privilege and power. Michael tried to destroy the wall, but it was not easy. Unfortunately, his father had cancer, and he had to work to earn money to pay the medical bills for his father. So he worked under those who he hated. But he had no option to choose a job to make money immediately. Now, his dream was so scattered, and he had no passion for transforming the world anymore. His life goal seemed to disappear eternally. Suddenly, he thought to himself, “Why do I have to live?” His life was too painful, and nothing was left in his hand. He felt empty. Have you ever had an experience like Michael? It may vary. Sometimes, we experience that our life is floating away without anchors. Also, we sometimes feel that the situation around us is going wrong and getting worse even though we try to fix it. And we experience deep hunger from inside, but we don't know why. It is understandable why Ecclesiastes says, "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." " (1:2-3) Life is like being in the wilderness, and only hopelessness is waiting for us. Like Michael, some of us found there is no passion and future but pain. Frustrated Community Do you know what is the opposite of faith? It is not doubt. Doubt helps faith grow. It is hopelessness and despair. When you have faith, you have a target you should aim at, and you have purpose of life. Paul says, "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly[j] call of God in Christ Jesus" in Philippians 3:14. But when you don't have faith, there is no target and life is meaningless. Today the bible passage is Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16, and it talks about faith. It is such a famous verse, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." When I was younger, I couldn't understand what it means. What is the assurance of things hoped for, and the conviction of things not seen? We need to understand the background of the letter. It was the time of persecution. Emperor Claudia persecuted Christians because they worshiped Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Under the persecution, they might have been tempted to abandon their faith. Thus, Paul wrote a letter for the community who was seemingly defeated, failed, and did not know where the pain came from. As they experienced, faith does not always give you a romantic presence. However, Paul says that faith gives them assurance and conviction God is with them even in the time of persecution, even though it is not seen. When they hold on to faith, there is hope. As Jesus' cross shows us, the painful cross is waiting for us. But we have faith that resurrection is waiting for us at the end of the cross. Without the faith, we can not endure the cross. By Faith Paul called out the names of champions of faith, the ancestors of faith. Abel, Enoch, Noah and Abraham and Sarah. They had followed God faithfully in a hopeless time. Paul repeats “by faith" multiple times. "By faith, Abraham obeyed. " (v.8) "By faith, he stayed for a time " (v.9) "by faith he received the power of the procreation. " (v.11) For his lifetime, Abraham and Sarah were foreigners. They traveled and traveled endlessly. They had to go to an unknown place where no one knew them. Did they feel frustrated and dissatisfied? Yes, they did feel frustrated and dissatisfied. Their dream was also shaken and became dim. When God asked him to give his son, Isaac as a sacrifice. He was frustrated, and his heart was shattered. When the king of Egypt captured him, he wanted to run away. He was tempted to abandon. But he endured that time because he had faith and God held him through his faith. By faith, he obeyed, stayed in foreign countries and had Isaac. Do you know the difference between faith and political conviction? Political conviction is what I hold. When a good situation comes, the conviction gets hardened and stronger. But when a bad situation happens, it can change. A politician who has liberal ideas can be in a conservative party, and a conservative politician can be in a progressive party, depending on the political situation. However, faith is different. Faith is not that I hold, but that God holds us. Thus, it does not change by the situation. Instead, when hardship comes to our lives, and when we are in the wilderness, we experience the moment when God holds our hands firmly and loves us. Thus, we confess ironically that the time of hardship was the moment of thanksgiving. That is the power of unseen faith. The Champions of Faith – Baby Riot As Paul calls out his ancestors of faith, the champions of the faith. I want to call out the names of champions of the faith. Two young missionaries came to Korea. Horace Grant Underwood and Henry Appenzeller in 1885. Especially, Appenzeller who boarded on the ship to Korea 40 days after his wedding. They built a school, hospital, orphanage, and church to help Korean people. They fed the hungry, taught children, and healed the weak in the hospital. There are tons of episodes I want to share, but I'd like to share the Baby Riot in June 1888. Missionaries faced a huge crisis. At that time, the Korean conservative party did not like to open Korea for foreign countries. Also, Korean people had doubted the western countries, and they were not familiar with the hospitality the missionaries offered. And a rumor spread among people that the western missionaries were monsters who would kill and eat children. Actually, it was a political plot designed by conservative parties. As the rumor got worse, people thought ''there is an evil reason the western missionaries feed children for free,' ''After feeding them, they will sell the children abroad.' There was a rumor which is ''the western people kill the children, eat their tender meats and drink the blood.' Some people saw that missionaries were eating steak cooked with medium rare. And people might be confused by the Holy Communion, ''drinking my blood and eating my body.' Thus, people called them the Western devil or monster. And people got angry, burned houses of missionaries and the hospital, and stoned to missionaries. Missionaries were frustrated, and no hope remained. Their mission seemed to end. Although they wanted to share God's love, their house, church, and hospital were burned down, and people stoned them. In hopelessness and frustration, Pastor Underwood prayed like this, "We believe that we will see the future of the faith of Korea. Although we are as if standing on a desert with bare hands, Although we are condemned to be Western devils, We believe that the day will come when they will rejoice with tears realizing that they are one with our spirit in Christ and that we all have one Kingdom and one Father in Heaven. Although there is no church for you to worship in, no school to study in, although this land is filled with doubt of suspicion, contempt, and disdain, We believe that in the near future this land will become a land of blessing." After the Baby Riot, some Korean people wanted to know and see if the missionaries kill children. Dukk-Gi Jeon was one of them, and he got a job as a cook in missionary William Scranton's house. He stoned missionaries on the road, and he had bad intentions at work. He decided to kill them if the rumor is true. However, he was surprised by Scranton's hospitality and kindness. The Scranton couple treated him like their son. After all, he confessed his intention and said to Scranton, ''I will do everything and follow you.” Later, he was baptized in 1896 and ordained as a Methodist pastor in 1907. God works through your faith The Baby Riot turned out to be the opportunity to spread the Gospel. The prayer of Pastor Underwood came true. Because of their sacrifice and faith, a lot of Korean people knew Jesus Christ and heard the good news. Hebrews 11:3 is so true, “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.” They prayed even though they could not see the future and they hoped in the hopeless time. Are you frustrated and scared because of the unseen future? Then hold your faith. God will guide, direct, and lead you into the light. When you fail, and there is nothing in your hand but faith in God, that is the time God works with you. "Now, faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."
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