Elder Kim has gone to be with the Lord last Sunday night. As elder Kim was passing away, a gift he left me was a warm hug. After completing all five services on Sunday, in order to send him to be with the Lord, we worshipped together in his last breath. While we were worshipping, elder Kim's mind was clear. I read Psalm 23 for him and shared a message about how Jesus gave us eternal life and the hope of the heaven. In everything I said, he answered with "Amen.' After the worship, with arms that are only left with skin and bones, he hugged me. I hugged him back. We had given a last hug to each other. Elder Kim's hug was a hug of love. It was a hug of friendship that we have shared intimately in love. It was also a hug of gratitude. His hug was warm; it was deeply heartfelt.
As elder Kim left to heaven, once again, I thought about what the most important things in this life are. They were not money, sex, and power as many pursue. I know that we need money, sex, and power to live in this world. And I also know that if we use them well, they could bring about good results. However, we must not forget that many people's lives have come to destruction because they were obsessed with money, sex, and power. The Bible teaches us the three most valuable things in life that money, sex, and power cannot compare to.
First is faith. The Bible tells us, "The righteous will live by faith" (Rom. 1:17). Elder Kim believed in Jesus and was saved. He became a child of God and received eternal life. Through elder Kim, once again, I was able to affirm the power of faith. Only the ones who possess faith can be so peaceful and thankful in the face of death. Elder Kim kept his faith like Apostle Paul (2 Tim. 4:7). It is God's grace that elder Kim was able to keep his faith. In addition, it was possible because the family and community of faith were together with him. We can believe in Jesus alone, but it is important to walk in faith together with others in the community of faith. Faith is like charcoal; you become weak when you are alone but become strong when you gather together with others.
Second is hope. Elder Kim embraced the hope of the heaven in his life. While he was struggling against cancer, he made paradoxical confessions several times. He said that it would be great if God heals him but that it's okay even if He doesn't. While having faith that hoped for God's miracle, he had a belief that went beyond just hoping for the miracle. While wanting God to heal him, he also just wanted to enter into the kingdom of heaven. If possible, he wanted to be restored but he did not cling onto it. While not being fixated on healing, He trusted God, and while not giving up the hope of restoration, he entrusted God with everything. In other words, he lived a life of "letting go.' Giving up and letting go are different. Giving up is a declaration of despair. The doubting ones give up. In contrast, letting go is a declaration of hope. The faithful entrust everything to the God of hope (Rom. 15:13; Ps. 37:5). Letting go signifies entrusting everything to God.
Third is love. Elder Kim had a lot of love and affection. He was a warmhearted person. Elder Kim loved God. He loved his family, cell members, and pastors. He loved the New Life Vision Church. I have a huge debt of love to repay to elder Kim. After hearing my sermon on how a Shunammite woman referred to Elisha as a holy man of God, he began to call me a holy man of God. Such a title humbled me, and often, I wished he wouldn't call me that way.
I am not telling you that elder Kim was a perfect or flawless person. Elder Kim had flaws and made mistakes. However, on the matter of his mistakes and faults, he felt great agony and repented with tears. Elder Kim did not waste sufferings. Instead, he allowed sufferings to be the opportunity for him to reach holiness. As he struggled against cancer, he entered into the school of holiness. The best education is the education to reach holiness and the education of love. Apostle Paul said, "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love" (1 Cor. 13:13). Let us together embrace the life of faith, hope, and love. Let us cultivate a beautiful community that believes, hopes, and loves together. I'm traveling to New Zealand on Sunday night to speak at the Oceania Pastoral Conference for Korean pastors and at the corporate revival for Korean-New Zealanders. Please pray for me.
Reverend Joshua Choon-Min Kang is the senior pastor of New Life Vision Church, located in Los Angeles. This is one of the weekly letters he writes to his congregation. For the original, visit www.nlvc.org.
