Assembly of the Firstborns who Receive
a Kingdom that Cannot be Shaken
(Heb 12:26-29)
On December 17, 2013, the Christian Council of Korea (CCK) officially proclaimed that Huisun Rev. Abraham Park and Pyungkang Cheil Church were “not heretical from the very beginning,” bringing an end to the malicious slandering brought on by heresy evaluators. Exactly one year later, December 17th, 2014 marked the day that Rev. Abraham Park, a great minister and theologian who lived his entire life with the Word and prayer, entered into heaven.
Last month, on Saturday, December 17, 2016, the Victory Day Thanksgiving Service for the Word of Redemptive History took place at the Yeoju Pyungkang Cheil Conference Center. In the early hours of that warm day, the saints of Pyungkang left for Yeoju on either rented buses or their personal cars, and gathered at Moriah Sanctuary in the Conference Center. Several days prior, numerous saints and ministers flew into Seoul from America, Japan, China and many other countries of Southeast Asia to attend the Thanksgiving Service. People cried out exclamations the moment they entered the sanctuary, and thousands of saints filled up the first and second floor, even from the beginning of opening praise. At the time when the teachings of the Founding Pastor, who lived out his Huisun mind of “Only the Word, Only Prayer,” are dearly missed, the saints and disciples he raised up like his own children rushed to gather together at the site of redemptive history.
Rev. Abraham Park’s sermon that was given during the summer conference in 2008 was aired during service. The words of people may change, but God’s Word is eternal. The video sermon, entitled, “Let us Believe, Obey, and Open the Door of Prayer,” felt as if Rev. Park was preaching at that very moment. His thundering roar, “Do not doze off!” during the video sermon caused people to erupt into laughter, transcending time and space. He preached, “Prayer heats up the heart of the One who rules over the universe. God said He will surely answer if you request from him, but we do not believe that, and that’s why we don’t pray. Only people work where there is no prayer, but God works where there is prayer.” Prayer is not a last resort but a direct miracle cure. He taught us how to pray: “You must knock desperately and pray as if in battle, as if your life is on the line, with the determination that you will bring things to an end.” We prepared ourselves with the mission of redemptive history with his words, “We are the leaders of world missions. Things cannot happen without the saints of Pyungkang. The seven billion people of this world are waiting for us. Even if you die a hundred deaths, stay loyal, and be faithful to the calling you have received!” We received courage from his words, “Act out! Move with the Word you receive. All things are possible for those who believe.”
After the service, Elder Won Sik Jung (former prime minister) gave a representative congratulatory address: “Rev. Park’s life was a life of the Word, and at this moment it is now maturing. This is because the Word of redemptive history is affecting the entire world, and Pyungkang Cheil Church is rising as the most important church in the world. As time goes by, I become more thankful for his achievements.” Sung Kyu Park, full general for reserve officers (former commander of the army of the First Republic of Korea), stated, “Rev. Abraham Park dedicated his entire life for the Republic of Korea and its liberal democracy, and he wrote the Modern Contemporary History of Korea series that is used as the security and history textbook in numerous units. He was the ‘father of the soldiers’ who loved them more than anyone else in this nation; he was someone who gave unconditional love and grace to these soldiers with the mindset that ‘there is no faith without a nation.’ At first, I wondered who he was that he would receive so much adoration and respect. However, it did not take much time for that question to be answered. There was no need to ask anyone because I witnessed firsthand how he lived a selfless life? a minister’s life, without the slightest trace of falsehood. I still believe he is with us today, yet I still miss him terribly.” Minister In Young Lee of the Democratic Party reflected, “The Founding Pastor was a man who was consistent, living a life of only the Bible and only the Word. He was someone I could rely on, someone who offered me more grace during the times I was in trouble more than when I was doing well. I miss him more and more; I tear up thinking about him at times like this, when the nation is having a hard time. We need his prayer that never swayed to the left or to the right, transcending liberalism and conservatism and only sought for the justice of God. If Rev. Park had been here, he would have embraced the president and the foolish politicians and worked through this crisis by praying for them. I miss his warm heart.”
After the service, the dedication of the photographic edition of the History of Redemption series took place at the Huisun Prayer Garden followed by the “proclamation of vision / our pledge” that united the hearts of the saints and ministers both local and abroad.
Just like every event of Pyungkang Cheil Church, the service held this day was a “live offering” from its preparation to its conclusion, done according to the “plan” taught to us by the founding pastor with his own life. The hands that prepared lunch, days in advance, for the thousands of people; the efforts ranging from service preparation; the parking guides that worked together like a well-oiled machine; and the orderly and pious saints who gathered together in prayer from the early hours of the morning with their families: those who saw each and every one of these moments unanimously came to say, “The ministry of Rev. Abraham Park is proven great, not only by its power of the Word, but also through the fruits of his ministry, through the lives of the congregation.”
