My beloved, we have come to church like this today. Some of us may have been led here by others. Our hearts were likely moved through their efforts, sincerity, and prayers, which is what brought us to this place. Now, what we must do here is meet God. It is not about simply attending church; we must truly meet God. If we do not meet Him, even if we attend church for one, two, or three years from now, we might eventually think, “I guess God doesn’t exist,” and return to our past—back to the world. Therefore, our purpose is not merely to have you attend church. Our purpose is to help you meet God, because every one of us needs Him.

We may not yet fully understand why we need God. Those who are living a life of faith in the church did not know this in the past either. However, one day, they heard the gospel from a friend or family member and were led to church. After getting to know God, they discovered, “I truly needed God! I didn’t even know what I really needed for myself.” At first, they might think they would simply find peace of mind. But what they can receive in the church and by meeting God is not merely something like that. Likewise, we will receive something much greater—wonderful things that we could never have imagined—by meeting Jesus and meeting God. Therefore, I bless you in the name of Jesus, that you will surely meet God.

To meet God, we must also make an effort ourselves. There is a scripture that says, “Ask, seek, and knock!” If we ask, we will be given; if we seek, we will find; and if we knock, it will be opened to us. God does not force someone who is just sitting still to believe in Him. He does not bypass a person’s free will. Sometimes, parents force their children to do things even when they don’t want to, because they believe it is for their own good. However, because our God respects us even more, He never forces us. He only teaches us what is good and what is bad, and leaves everything to our own choice. Yet, even if we make a choice, it does not mean we can always obtain it on our own. God empowers our choices. He supports those decisions. While we might only be able to obtain one thing through our own efforts and choices, when we choose what is good, God provides a million blessings, happiness, and lives in that direction. He gives us things that we could never obtain by our own strength. What we need to do is make the choice. We must also seek, knock, and ask to obtain them. I truly hope we will do so. First of all, we must meet God. Only then can we receive something from Him. It is by meeting Him that we will discover what our relationship with Him truly is.

That is why, especially for those of us at Sungrak Church, everyone has an experience of meeting God. We often say, “I have met God,” rather than simply saying, “I believe in God.” Until my junior year of university, I had nothing to do with Jesus. I didn’t attend church at all. My grandmother passed away at the age of 84, and she had been a Buddhist until she was 82. Since I was a child, she would place my name at a Buddhist temple as she pleased and offered prayers there. I even remember holding her hand, going to the temple, and staying overnight. However, at the age of 82, she eventually accepted Jesus, was baptized by immersion, read through the Bible once, and then passed away. When she died, she did so with a smile on her face. Seeing this, my aunt thought, “If I want to go where my mother is, I should also go to church and believe in Jesus,” and she started her faith life from then on. All her life, my grandmother had prayed, “O god! please bless my descendants!” Even when she went to the temple to pray, she was seeking a certain god in that way. “O God! Please help my family and my descendants.” Of course, at that time, she did not know the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Yet, she prayed while thinking of a transcendental being, the One in heaven, the One who created the universe—and thankfully, she ended up meeting Him! All the prayers she offered for her descendants after meeting God seem to have been answered, as my entire family came to believe in Jesus after she passed away. From my uncles and aunts to my cousins, everyone now believes. Our family, which used to perform ancestral rites, now gathers to worship God. Especially since I am a pastor, I lead the services and preach. Now, my whole family says, “I have met God.”

What happened when my family met God? My eldest cousin’s wife suffered from depression. At the time, we didn’t know why, but looking back, now I understand. Ancestral rites were performed at my cousin’s house. Since my grandmother lived right next door and he was the eldest grandson, they were responsible for all rites. I can’t even tell you how many rites they performed. Because they held ceremonies for all our ancestors, it felt like there was a rite at least once a month. My cousin’s wife inherited all that work. Although my cousin technically inherited the responsibility, his wife was the one doing all the actual labor. What had she done to deserve that? She married into another family only to end up serving all household demons—how exhausting that must have been for her. Eventually, demons began appearing in her dreams. She started hearing voices and seeing something. Because of this, she took medication for depression for over ten years. However, she came to believe in Jesus and received the Holy Spirit; in other words, she met God. From that moment on, she was able to stop taking her depression medication. Seeing this change, my cousin also accepted Jesus. In this way, those who met God shared the gospel with others, leading the entire family to meet Him. Everyone, we must meet God.

I started my first job at a social welfare center. Since I majored in social welfare, I began working there as a social worker. The center was part of a Christian foundation. I joined with great excitement, thinking, “Oh, this is wonderful! People here won’t pressure me to drink at team dinners.” However, to my surprise, everyone was drinking at the welcome party they held for me on my first day. Even though they were all Christians, many of them drank as if it were nothing. Of course, there are people like that. However, those who truly wish to live according to God’s will do not do so. While drinking alcohol doesn’t mean you cannot receive salvation, it still causes many spiritual hindrances. Because I had been taught well at Sungrak Church from the very beginning, I knew clearly that drinking is something believers in Jesus should avoid. Moreover, since I was not someone who had never tried alcohol in the past, I was well aware of its harmful effects. Therefore, after I began to believe in Jesus wholeheartedly, I made a firm resolution: “I will not drink.” At that gathering to welcome me, everyone started pouring beer and calling for a toast. I was the guest of honor, after all. But I said, “I will not drink alcohol.” I’m sure the atmosphere turned a bit awkward, didn’t it? But since they were all Christians, they were understanding. I toasted with a cola instead. A little later, I introduced myself. At that time, I said this: “I met Jesus in August 1992. I have met God.”

I went to work the next day. While I was at my desk, I received a call from my department manager. She was a woman in her 50s. After taking the call, I went to her office. She said to me, “I called you because of what you said yesterday. You said you had met God. I was born into a Christian family, but the moment I heard you say you met God, it felt so unfamiliar to me. It made me wonder if I had truly met God myself, and I realized I didn’t have that certainty.” She told me that while she could say she believed in God and Jesus, she found herself unable to answer when she asked herself, “Have I actually met God? Have I met Jesus?”

So she asked me, “What on earth does it mean to meet God?” Thinking to myself, “This is a wonderful opportunity,” I shared my testimony with her. Then I asked, “You have believed in Jesus since you were a child, but have you received the Holy Spirit?” I asked her again, “Have you received the Holy Spirit?”

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. Even those who do not believe in Jesus come into contact with some kind of spiritual being. They connect with a certain god. Thus, they either have a god they serve or a god that dominates them. These are also called demons. There are gods belonging to this world, and people are influenced by them. However, a god also comes upon those who believe in Jesus. There are angels, and there is also the Spirit of God Himself. We call Him the Holy Spirit. This is promised in the bible: “Those who believe in Jesus will receive the Holy Spirit.” Therefore, when the Holy Spirit comes upon us, amazing things that a human cannot do begin to happen to us. Such things happen through the work of our hands. Things that only God can do take place. Only then can we boldly say, “I have met God.”

When I asked her, “Have you received the Holy Spirit?” she replied, “Of course I have. Isn’t God the Holy Trinity? The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one. Since I believe in God, I have naturally received the Holy Spirit. His Spirit is surely within me.” To this, I answered, “That is not what the Bible says. It is possible that you have not yet received the Holy Spirit.” Then, I opened the Bible and showed her the scriptures.

When we look into the Bible, we can find many people who believed in Jesus but had not yet received the Holy Spirit. While Paul was traveling to preach the gospel, he met some believers and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered that they had not, and that they had not even heard that there was a Holy Spirit. So, after Paul explained it to them clearly, they received the Holy Spirit. There were about twelve men there at that time, and all of them received the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, there are wonderful signs that follow when one received the Holy Spirit, and all those signs appeared to them. In this way, believing in Jesus does not automatically mean we receive the Holy Spirit; we must be aware of it and seek it for ourselves.

After hearing my words, she asked, “I want to receive the Holy Spirit of God. I want to meet God just as you said. What should I do?” So I answered, “You must pray! You must seek Him! And do not just mumble your prayers; you must seek Him with all your heart, even wrestling before God!” Then she asked, “Then where can I pray? I can’t pray loudly here.” So I said, “Come to my house today,” and I invited her to my home. I called my wife. We were newlyweds then, having been married for only a few months. I asked her to prepare in advance and went home with the manager.

While we were eating together, she was so eager that she kept asking questions even at the dining table. “How should I pray to receive the Holy Spirit?” As we continued to talk, she began to seek the Holy Spirit right there at the table. She knelt down on the spot and prayed, “God, please give me the Holy Spirit. Thank You for sending Your beloved Son to pay the price for my sins. Since I have now been made clean by You, please send Your pure Spirit to me. Please allow me to meet You.” Not long after she started praying, she was suddenly moved greatly and began to cry. She wasn’t crying because she wanted to, but because she was deeply touched by the Holy Spirit. Her tears and even her nose began to run, and then she started speaking in what we call “tongues.”

Speaking in tongues is when a believer, filled with the Holy Spirit, speaks something; it is a completely new language. I’m not even sure if it should be called a language, because people cannot understand it. However, God understands it. Speaking in tongues is when one’s spirit awakens and speaks its circumstances directly to God. And this is what she began to speak.

She was absolutely surprised. Although she desired to speak in tongues, she thought it was something that would never happen to her. So, when she suddenly started speaking in tongues, she was deeply shocked. Moved greatly, she wept as she clearly acknowledged what a sinner she truly was and what God had done for her. In this way, she truly met God. Later, I asked her, “Have you met God?” and she replied, “Now, I have met Him.” Even though she had led a life of faith for 50 years, she had only just met God. It was only when she received the Holy Spirit that she finally met Him. She was joyful, and I was joyful as well.

So I thought, “From now on, I should nurture her well and help her know God more deeply.” Even though she had attended church for over 50 years, how was I, who hadn’t believed in Jesus for very long, able to help her? I am so grateful to our Sungrak Church. This is because the church guided me well so that I could meet Jesus and taught me to understand the Bible so clearly. Because of this, my life of faith was not separate from the Bible; instead, the church made it possible for the events in the Bible to happen to me exactly as they were written.

You have probably seen many people who attend church. Among them, there is often a huge gap between the Bible and their reality. However, take a close look at the life of faith we guide you through here at Sungrak Church. We speak based on the Bible. The events recorded in the Bible can happen to you exactly as they are written. Why is that? It is because God is alive. The Bible records, “Receive the holy Spirit; when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, gifts will appear.” Those words written 2,000 years ago are being fulfilled in me right now.

When you speak in tongues, you might think, “Wait, am I under hypnosis?” However, the Bible records a promise that when the Holy Spirit and His power come upon us, power will be revealed as we witness for Jesus. It is written, “They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So, it wasn’t three years or even three months after I started believing in Jesus—it was just three days after I began to believe that I laid my hands on people who said they were in pain. And what do you know? They were healed. If someone said they had a headache, I laid my hands on them, and they were healed. It wasn’t even just those who already believed; even when I prayed for unbelievers—those who didn’t know God—they were healed as well.

Therefore, when I preached the gospel, I prayed for many people, but I also felt a deep sense of emptiness at times. I would say, “I will pray for you; will you expect God’s work?” and then pray. Afterward, when I asked, “How do you feel?” they would say, “Oh? It’s gone! I feel better!” But when I said, “Since God has helped you, let’s go to church. Let’s learn about Him,” their reaction would change. They would say, “Well, I guess it was just time for it to heal on its own!” So, from a certain point on, I began to speak to them as if I were making them sign a contract: “I will pray for you, but you can’t change what you said later. Otherwise, I won’t do it.” That is how easily people’s hearts change. Nevertheless, for those who believe in Jesus, the word shown in the Bible, “They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover,” is fulfilled exactly as it is. At first, it was just headaches, neck, or back pain, but as I gained more experience, I began to encounter the blind, the paralyzed, and the deaf. Of course, I had to pray for them. Since they were right there in front of me, how could I not? And those people were also healed. I have had many such experiences.

Following God’s guidance, I went to China to preach the gospel. I traveled to various churches in China, healing the sick and sharing the Word. Twenty years ago, people in rural areas of China did not have much access to medical care, so there were many patients with all kinds of illnesses. I had not experienced much like that in Korea. However, for those living in such poor conditions in the Chinese countryside, God was the only one they could rely on. So, when I prayed for them, I witnessed many miraculous signs—the paralyzed stood up on the spot, and the blind opened their eyes. They, too, had met God. In the same way, you can also meet God. You must surely meet Him, and you must not give up halfway.

There is an important reason why I shared the testimony of my manager earlier. There was something I needed to introduce to her after receiving the Holy Spirit. That is the baptism by immersion. In her case, she received the Holy Spirit first. Usually, people receive the Holy Spirit after being immersed, but she was in a situation where she had received the Holy Spirit but had not yet undergone immersion.

Jesus gave this command: “Be baptized in My name and come out!” However, throughout over a thousand years of Christian history, people changed this according to their own will. It was replaced by sprinkling water on the head. And yet it was still called baptism. Many churches perform this for those who believe in Jesus. Those who have been sprinkled might think, “I have obeyed Jesus’ command,” but it is completely different from what He actually commanded. Jesus never told anyone to sprinkle water on the head three times. He told us to go into the water and come back out. Jesus said, “He who believed and is baptized will be saved.” To meet God, we must first receive the forgiveness of sins and salvation. And the condition for that is to believe and be baptized. Therefore, if people believe in Jesus, they must be baptized in His name. We must go into the water and come out. Only then can the next steps of our spiritual journey proceed.

So I encouraged her to be baptized, but while she understood the part about the Holy Spirit, she refused when I mentioned baptism. Suddenly, she became defensive and began to treat me with great hesitation, as if she had encountered someone from a cult, looking at me strangely. Even though I only said because it is Jesus’ command, she had become so accustomed to the doctrines and traditions held by her denomination for so long that couldn’t gather the courage. As a result, no further change was made; in fact, she began to reject any help I tried to offer. It ended with her only receiving the Holy Spirit. She might have thought, “Well, I’ve changed a lot. I didn’t know God before, but now I’ve met Him, so this is enough. That man is being too extreme.” Since I was her subordinate, there wasn’t much more I could do. Even though I told her she must meet God, she was my boss. She would say, “Mr. Lee! Do this. Why did you do it that way?” Being in a position where I constantly had to listen to her orders, I couldn’t say anything more.

After working there for a year, I left for China as a missionary. When I returned four years later, I looked into how she was doing. I felt such deep regret. She had developed a brain tumor; one side of her face was severely swollen, and she was hospitalized. I heard that there was almost no hope left for her, and a few days later, I came across the news of her passing in an article. Since she was a well-known public figure, I didn’t get to visit her in person but learned of the news through the newspaper.

I felt such deep regret. This is because, even though the Holy Spirit—the Spirit of God—had come upon her, all kinds of evil spirits exist in this world. They hinder our spirits from meeting God; they hate it. Thus, they try to destroy us in any way they can. Although her spirit had met God, her physical body was still on this earth. That is why there is a tremendous difference between being baptized and not being baptized.

God showed us what baptism is as a metaphor: the Exodus in the past. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt and then came out from there. This is very similar to how a person receives salvation. Therefore, it serves as a metaphor.

When the Israelites were fleeing Egypt, they found their path blocked by a vast sea—the Red Sea. The sea stood before them, and behind them, the Egyptian army was chasing after them from a distance. There was no turning back. If they were caught, they would either be dragged back into slavery or be killed. They could not return to their past. They could not return to the past world. Yet, they could not move forward either. Unless they crossed this sea, they couldn’t truly say they had come out of Egypt. They were not yet completely free from its control. As they stood trembling in fear before the sea, God performed a miracle through Moses. When he stretched out his staff toward the sea, a strong east wind blew all night long. It blew with such immense force that the waters were divided and formed a wall. It was an incredible sight. It was not a natural phenomenon at all. A path appeared in the sea, becoming dry land, and more than a million Israelites crossed over along that path. This is a historical fact, and it is why the nation of Israel exists today. They truly were slaves in Egypt, and now they have come out and remain in the land of Canaan, the region of Palestine.

In other words, the Israelites came out of Egypt by crossing the Red Sea. They went into the sea and came out of the sea. The Egyptian army was chasing them, and when they saw the Israelites crossing, they also rushed into the sea. What happened then? The waters covered them again. This is only natural; it is the nature of the sea to be filled with water. Consequently, all the Egyptian soldiers died. From that point on, Egypt’s military power and national strength declined sharply. Historically, the period when Egypt was at its strongest was before this event; using that moment as a turning point, it gradually declined and never became a world superpower again.

In this way, the Israelites passed through the water. Naturally, if you go into the water, you are supposed to die—what the Egyptians experienced was the normal outcome. However, by the grace of God, the Israelites crossed the sea and came out on the other side. Once they emerged, a vast sea stood between them and Egypt, so they became a people with whom Egypt could no longer interfere. Even though the people were not yet in a safe land and were instead in the vast, empty wilderness, they had at least entered a safety zone where the Egyptian soldiers could no longer chase them, take them back, or kill them. This is what baptism is. This is baptism. It is a metaphor for today’s spiritual reality.

While you are in the world, countless spirits wander around you. And they do not want to let you go. Those gods only seek to use you. And what is the end result of being used by them? It is nothing but making us sick, causing us to die, leading us into accidents, and ultimately destroying us. However, we are now coming out of that place. We have already escaped from there. But now, they may chase after us to take us back. They do not want to lose us at all, so they try to drag us back.

But at this moment, be baptized. What would happen? They no longer have any claim of ownership over us. They can no longer touch us. When we are baptized, it is clear in the eyes of God. The spiritual reality becomes certain. There is a total difference between someone who is baptized and someone who is not. A person who is baptized is already cut off from their past. This world seeks to condemn, torment, and curse those with sin. We do have sin, and we have many flaws. Therefore, it is justifiable for them to try and torment us. However, going into the water means completely burying oneself. We have died, and then we come back out. No one can hold someone who has died and come back to life accountable for their sins. Since they have already died, no one can question their sins, curse them for their past, or have the right to drag them back to the old life. It is completely severed from the past. This is why we must be baptized.

However, even though that manager had received the Holy Spirit, she refused to be baptized. It is so heartbreaking. If she had realized, “Ah, Mr. Lee is right,” after learning one thing, she should have moved forward with baptism as well. For some reason, while she accepted the Holy Spirit and claimed to have met God, she was unwilling to believe the other words. Ultimately, her physical body was attacked by demons, and a few years later, she passed away. Of course, her spirit will go to heaven. However, if her body had been healthy, she could have lived a long and healthy life on this earth, fulfilling the work God had entrusted to her. What was her problem? She should have believed that if God had started working, He could continue to work further. Instead, she became satisfied too soon. While God was not yet finished, she satisfied herself, thinking, “This should be enough.”

The passage we read today shows us exactly this. In Israel, there was a very famous and capable prophet named Elisha. Because of this one man, Israel was protected. Even when powerful nations invaded, Israel could stand firm and endure without wavering, thanks to the inspiration and guidance Elisha possessed. No matter how large an army was, they could not prevail against this one man, Elisha.

When Elisha was about to pass away due to old age, King Joash came to visit him and cried out, “The chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” This meant that this one elderly man had been the very shield protecting all of Israel. “What will we do if you depart from this world?” the King asked. At that moment, Elisha said to the King, “Take a bow and some arrows!” So the King took the bow. Then, Elisha placed his hands on the King’s hands that were holding the bow and commanded, “Take an arrow and shoot it out the window!” So the King shot it with all his might.

The arrow flew. Elisha then declared, “Because you have done this, the Aramean army will no longer be able to stand against you, and you will destroy them! You will strike them down!” How amazing is this? Simply by shooting an arrow, he was told he would defeat the Aramean army. Aram was a powerful nation; it is what we know as Syria today. Isn’t it incredible to be told that he could overcome such a great power?

King Joash understood this much. If so, he should have realized something. Elisha then commanded, “Now, take the arrows! And strike the ground with these arrows!”

Then, what should he have done? He had just seen that shooting the arrow was directly connected to destroying the Aramean army. So, when he was told to take the arrows and strike the ground, shouldn’t he have realized that this was also related to wiping them out? God’s prophet was giving a command. Since he was told to strike the ground, he should have just done it. What would you have done in his place? Wouldn’t you have struck the ground with all your might? Since it clearly seemed to be related to annihilating the enemy, he should have kept striking. However, despite what the prophet had just said, this man struck the ground only three times—tap, tap, tap—and then stopped. I mean, how could anyone act like that?

Elisha became very angry. He shouted, “Why did you strike only three times? If you had struck five or six times, you could have completely struck the Aramean army. But because you struck only three times, you will only defeat them three times.” And indeed, when King Joash later went to war against Aram—against Syria—he won exactly three battles and could not win any more after that. Although he had the opportunity to wipe out that nation, he failed to do so. Consequently, Israel suffered continuous attacks, their national strength was completely drained, and eventually, the nation fell into ruin.

In the same way, we must not satisfy ourselves before God is satisfied. God has already given us the opportunity. Now, it is your turn to seek Him. We must seek Him earnestly. If you have been praying quietly until now, start praying out loud. If you have been baptized, now plead for the Holy Spirit. If you have been giving offerings, now try giving your tithe. Do as God has commanded. Test it for yourself and see whether God gives you His blessing or not. We must constantly seek God and strive to draw closer to Him. Then, God will abundantly pour out the blessings and grace He desires to give you.

We must meet God. What God desires to give us is not just something briefly good on this earth; He wants to give you everything He possesses. The greatest of all that God has is eternal life. That is what He intends to give you. Furthermore, He has promised that you will live a life of power and authority on this earth. He will grant us that as well. I pray in the name of Jesus that you will surely meet God and become those who enjoy everything He has to offer.

God our Father, please remember every soul gathered here today. They have heard the gospel and have come before You. Please touch and move their hearts so that they may seek You with even greater passion and earnestness. Help them to be those who seek You, knock on Your door, and find You with all their hearts. Do not let them satisfy themselves by thinking, “This is enough.” Instead, help them not to give up until they enjoy every wonderful thing You intend to give them. Please work in them so that each soul may soon confess with confidence, “Now, I have truly met God.” In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.