Tuesday – March 15 in Seoul, Korea

I attended the morning and evening session of the 2016 Global Meeting of the Baptist Bible Fellowship International (BBFI). The theme for the day is Look outward! All I can say is ‘Wow!’ The speakers and the Korean cultural experience were amazing.

First, the speakers…

A Contemporary Macedonian Call

George Dimakos has been a missionary to Greece. He started a church in Athens, helped start a church in the island of Zakynthos, and recently started a Farsi speaking church reaching Muslims.

George shared that after we look up to God, He will give us compassion to look outward to reach people. In Greece is the ‘perfect storm’ to reach the many Muslims in Greece. Many are turning to Christ.

He taught us that the ‘Feast of Pentecost’ in the Old Testament was a celebration of harvest (Leviticus 23:15). The priest would take leavened bread and hold it up to God in gratitude for a great harvest (Leviticus 23:22). This symbolized both Jew and Gentile in a spiritual harvest. It was not until Pentecost in the New Testament that it came true – Jew and Gentile together in the church. There is joy as we harvest souls for Christ (Isaiah 9:3). We should visualize the billions lost without Christ, agonize in prayer for them, evangelize around the world with the Gospel, and energize as we work together.

Alexander the Great at 20 set out to conquer the world. He succeeded within a decade. Are we less than a pagan reaching the world for selfish reasons? Let us reach the world for the King of Kings!

The Killing Fields Coming to Life

Paul Tabanoo is a Philipino missionary in Cambodia. Cambodia is where my brother is a missionary and I will visit after my time in Korea. His call to Cambodia came through a personal application of Ezekiel 37:1, 2, 10).

Like Israel, Cambodia is filled with dry bones. Like Israel, they went through horrible genocide. Between 1975 – 1978, Pol Pot regime killed 2-3 million Cambodians. The country was called the ‘killing fields’ because of the mass graves of bones dug up after the U.N. brought peace.

Can the ‘bones’ live? Can Cambodia live again? The Lord knows, but as Brother Tabanoo went to Cambodia God did amazing things. People were saved. Churches were started. A camp ministry has seen 182,000 young people attend with thousands receiving Christ. A Bible College was started to train lay pastors. God is reviving Cambodia.

Riding a Train to South Korea

Tsagaankhuu Zayategsh is a missionary to Mongolia. Christianity started in Mongolia in the 13th century during Ghengis Khan. However, when Mongolia became the second communist country (after China), Christianity almost died. It is estimated that in 19989 there were four Christians in the country. In 1990 they became a democracy. In 1995 the first BBFI missionary came from South Korea. And in 2008, there is estimated to be 40,000 Christians.

Pastor Zayategsh reminds us that in Romans 10:13-15 we must give the good news of Jesus to those who need it. However, like some restaurants refuse to deliver to some areas of a community, churches often neglect to deliver the Gospel to some people, groups, or areas. Instead of going to them we are waiting for people to come to us.

The dream of Pastor Zayategsh is to ride a train from Mongolia to South Korea. At this time it is impossible because of North Korea. But he hopes one day before he dies that politics will change and he will be able to travel through this country. Only the gospel can penetrate. The North Koreans need to receive the good news Maybe one day we will have a BBFI meeting in North Korea. Let us pray!

If we go, we get!

Paul Irungu is a missionary in Kenya. He invited us to learn from Abraham in Genesis 13:14-20. God told him to look north, south, east and west because God would give him the land. We are to look outward, all around, in obedience to Acts 1:8. If we go, we will get.

Today there are more than 1,000 independent Baptist churches in Kenya. Pastor Irungu is where he is because a BBFI missionary, Richard Konnerup, came to Kenya. Now he wants to pay it forward by sending others. They ordained 2 men to ministry in 2013.

Kim Dau Hyun was honored as the first convert by a BBFI missionary in Korea. In 1956, Ike Foster led him to when he was 25 years old. In 1960 he was called to preach and became the first Korean ordained minister of the BBFI. Paul Foster, Ike’s son, characterized him as ‘faithful.’

Today, we heard music from the BBC Singing Patriots, a local Korean church choir, a men’s group from Africa, and choirs from Japan and the Philippines.

But I will admit the most exciting was the Korean culture presentation by a group of young people. They used their Taekwondo to illustrate the Creation & Fall of Mankind and the Redemption & Resurrection of Christ. It was such a powerful and moving performance.

It has been a great day! It is like drinking from a fire hydrant. Almost too much to take it all in, but it’s all good stuff! The BBFI has touched many lives around the world throughout the last 65+ years. This week I’ve been able to meet many wonderful missionaries that love Jesus, love the church, and love this movement of God. I pray that God would call more missionaries into the Harvest.

You can read daily blogs of my missions trip to Korea and Cambodia at: Asia Adventure – My Missions Trip 2016