WHAT DOES JESUS MEAN TO YOU
By W. G. Guy
Many years ago this writer had the opportunity to go on a preaching mission to South Korea. Before going I decided to familiarize myself with the recent history of the church and Christianity in South Korea. These people have a meek and gentle character in their heritage, and I personally saw this while I was there.
During World War Two, both China and South Korea were taken over by the Japanese who were very brutal to the civilian populations. The Japanese were especially brutal to Christians as I discovered reading one very significant historical account.
In one town the Japanese soldiers entered into a church and took out a picture that represented the face of Jesus. They then assembled the people of that congregation and lined them up. Then, one by one they had the people come and look at the picture of Jesus and commanded each person to spit on Jesus. Each person was threatened to be shot if they failed to spit on Jesus in repudiation of Him.
One after another they did as they were told, fearing for their lives. Then in the line came a teenage girl, and the soldiers demanded that she spit on the face of Jesus. She grabbed the picture and hugged it, then she began to wipe the spittle off of the face of Jesus with her long black hair, and kissed it.
The officer of the Japanese soldiers was so incensed at her action that he took out his pistol and shot her in the head right in front of everyone. This young woman gave her life because she loved Jesus and would not betray Him. Does Jesus mean this much to you as He did to her? What do you think Jesus though of her after what she did?
Matthew 16:24-26 – Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
My time ministering the Word of God in South Korea was a wonderful experience as these people were so open to the receiving of the gospel message. The Lord opened up opportunities to preach during the day in multiple high schools throughout the area. Their high schools were all non-co-ed: they were either all male, or all female schools. Forty-four thousand young people stud up and prayed to accept Christ during those weeks. Then at night we held outdoor crusades in various towns.
We lodged in hotels in the towns we visited, and at 4:00 AM every morning I was awakened by the ringing of church bells throughout the town. This occurred in every morning in every town we stayed in. I inquired from my host, who was the Director of the Youth For Christ organization in South Korea, why the church bells ring every morning at 4:00 AM.
He related that it was a practice that began in World War Two. He said that the Japanese General who was in charge of South Korea during the war had forbidden the South Koreans to attend church at any time during the occupation. After the passage of some time, many pastors got together and petitioned the general for permission to attend churches for prayer and worship. The general must have had a soft touch from the LORD because he finally said that they could attend but that no Japanese soldier was to see any person go to church; and if so, they would be shot.
So the pastors recognized that the Japanese soldier woke up for their formation every day at 5:00 AM; so the pastors called for the churches to assemble at 4:00 AM and be back home by 5:00 AM. As a result a tradition began that every day at 4:00 AM the church bells would summon Christians to pray; and that tradition continued while I was there forty-five years ago.
Jesus meant so much to these South Koreans that they were willing to risk death just to be able to assemble to pray and worship. Does Jesus mean that much to you? Would you be willing to lose your life to gain His eternal life?
