The passage I read to you today tells us this: God always keeps those He loves in mind and helps them. That is why all things work together for good to those who love God.

Some of you may be here at church for the first time. I first came to church in 1992, when I was a junior in college. Before that, I had been to church a few times, but I did not know God. For most of my life, I was an unbeliever. In my own way, I was searching for the meaning of life. I often wondered, “Why do people live? What is the meaning of life on this earth? Isn’t everything over once we die?” Friends sometimes shared the gospel with me. I even went to church in high school, but I did not meet God. My university happened to have been founded by a Christian denomination, so we had chapel. Whether we liked it or not, every Monday we had to attend worship.

I remember that Pastor Shin-Jo Kim, who later served as an associate pastor here at Sungrak Church, once came and shared his testimony. I do not know if you have heard of him. He was one of twenty-one armed North Korean commandos who came to South Korea to attack the president, saying, “We came to destroy the Blue House!” But their mission failed, and he was captured alive. The others were either killed or escaped back to North Korea. He alone remained in South Korea. Life here was extremely difficult for him, but eventually he met God through Sungrak Church. He became a pastor here and served for decades.

The way he came to know Jesus is also quite remarkable. In North Korea, he had received special military training. One part of that training was camouflage. When they moved through the mountains and enemy soldiers came near, they had to hide themselves completely. Even when they slept, they had to remain hidden. And do you know where they said was a good place to sleep? A grave. They would dig into a grave, crawl inside, sleep there, and come out the next morning to keep moving. He had done this many times during his training. Sometimes there was actually a coffin beside him. Sometimes even a dead body. Yet he said he was not afraid. Why? Because he did not believe that spiritual beings existed. If he had believed in demons, he probably would never have dared to sleep in a grave like that. But he was an atheist and a materialist. He did not believe in any spiritual reality at all.

Now, after a man like that came to South Korea, do you think he would have willingly gone to church? His wife is now an evangelist in our church. She heard about this young man and the difficult situation he was in. She reached out to him, won his heart, and eventually married him. Even after they married, she kept sharing the gospel with him, but he strongly resisted her. She was even beaten at times. Imagine being hit by a former armed commando. She must have suffered a great deal. Still, she kept praying for him. And after many twists and turns, she finally got him to attend a church retreat.

That retreat was led by Senior Overseer Ki-Dong Kim, who founded our church. There was something very distinctive about the retreats. Many people were healed. Many demons were also cast out. Sungrak Church had long been known as a church that cast out demons, and that is still true today. Many of our church members have experienced recovering their health after casting demons out of themselves, or helping others by casting demons out of them. I myself have had many such experiences.

So when Pastor Shin-Jo Kim came to the retreat, he stood before Pastor Ki-Dong Kim. It was their first meeting. They hardly knew anything about each other. Then Pastor Ki-Dong Kim looked at him and asked, “Do you know so-and-so and so-and-so?” Those were names Pastor Shin-Jo Kim had never told anyone. Yet this pastor, whom he was meeting for the first time, had just spoken them. Who were those men? Back when he was fighting against the South Korean military, he had been leading a group of men. They were hiding, moving from place to place, and fighting to stay alive. At one point he told two of them, “Go over there. When I count one, two, three, run!” He gave the signal. They ran, and they were shot and killed. In the end, the men under his command died, and he alone was captured alive. The two names Pastor Ki-Dong Kim had spoken were the names of two of those men who had died under his command.

Later, those two men began appearing in his dreams and tormenting him. Whenever they appeared in his dreams, the next day would go terribly wrong. He would feel miserable. Strange things would happen. Even his body would feel sick. So he became terribly anxious and drank heavily. Yet he could not tell anyone. Things he himself did not even believe in were happening to him. Who could he possibly talk to about something like that? Eventually, almost as if he were giving in to his wife, he went to that retreat. And there, a pastor he had never seen before suddenly asked him, “Do you know so-and-so and so-and-so?” Can you imagine how shocked he must have been? He said, “Pastor, how do you know that?” Pastor Ki-Dong Kim told him that he could see two demons. They were wearing military uniforms. And military uniforms usually have name tags on them, do they not? He had read the names on those tags.

Isn’t that remarkable? God gives gifts, special abilities, to those He uses. Pastor Ki-Dong Kim had been richly given such abilities. He was widely recognized in his time as a spiritual servant of the Lord. Sungrak Church did not grow as large as it did for no reason. He was a pastor through whom great power was manifested, and he ministered for more than fifty years.

At that moment, Pastor Shin-Jo Kim realized, “So spiritual beings really do exist! Demons, which I refused to believe in, really do exist!” After the demons were cast out, they never appeared in his dreams again. Through that experience, he came to receive Jesus. He did not simply begin living a life of faith. He also devoted himself to serving as a worker of the Lord.

In the same way, whether we recognize it or not, there are many gods in this world. There is a difference between a “god” and a “spirit.” In church, we often use the word “spirit,” as in “spiritual life” or “soul.” We also use the word “god” often—the gods of this world, good gods, evil gods, and the God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead. We use both words, “god” and “spirit,” quite often. They are similar, but there is a difference.

First, let me explain what a spirit is. Simply put, a spirit is an eternal being. A spirit is a being that exists eternally. As far as this body is concerned, I am not a spirit. This body will eventually return to the dust. At most, it will last around a hundred years. This body is not a spirit. It is simply dust. But when this dust disappears, that does not mean that I, Ki-Taek Lee, disappear. I already have a spirit, and my person—this person called Ki-Taek Lee—is united with that spirit. This is what we call the “soul.” The soul means the person. So when we say “soul,” it means that this person is eternal. In other words, it is an eternal person.

So I am an eternal being. An eternal being is called a spirit. And when that spirit has personhood, we call it a god. So a god is an eternal person. A spirit is an eternal being, and a god is an eternal person.

Then how many eternal persons are there in this world? I said that I am an eternal person, right? Then what about you? Are you eternal persons or not? Every one of you is an eternal person. You will exist forever. Of course, your body had a day when it was born. Some of you were born in the 1900s, and some in the 2000s. But from the moment you were born, you had a spirit. From that moment on, you became an eternal person.

Then what happens after the body is gone? You still continue to exist. The real question is this: in what state will you exist, and where will you exist? That is what matters. This is why we believe in Jesus. The issue is where my eternal person will go and what kind of life I will have there.

If I were not an eternal person, I would not live a church life. I would not go to church. I would not believe in Jesus. Suppose believing in Jesus only helped me in this life—helped me get a job, helped my business, helped my health—but there were no eternal life beyond this world. If that were the case, I would not go to church.

Why? Because church life requires a certain amount of what we call sacrifice. For example, if you come to church and worship on the Lord’s Day, you cannot just go out and spend that time with your family or friends. And worshiping every week is not always easy. So why would I live a church life? I would not do it just to receive some help in this world. Yet I not only live a life of faith; I even became a pastor. Why do I serve God like this? Because my person is eternal.

That is what I am convinced of. But my personal conviction alone is not enough. There has to be evidence. Just because I say, “There must be eternal life!” does not make it true. There has to be clear evidence. Only then is it worth believing and investing my whole life in it. And I found plenty of evidence. So in 1992, I did not simply begin believing in God. I met Him. I met God. Before that, I did not think God existed. But then I met Him. I had experiences. I had evidence. And as I came to know what kind of God He is, I came to love Him deeply. I loved Him because I came to know how much He loved me. And I came to love His character as well.

I did not believe that gods really existed, but at the same time, I was still afraid of them. For example, after watching an old TV show about ghosts, I would be too scared to go to the bathroom at night when I was visiting the countryside. My hair would stand on end. One time, my uncle decided to play a trick on me because he knew how easily frightened I was. To get to the bathroom, I had to cross the yard. The bathroom had an old wooden door. When you opened it, there were just two wooden planks to stand on, with a large jar underneath. You could see everything down there. Imagine going there at night. It was scary enough already. But my uncle put a red rubber glove inside to frighten me. I knew nothing about it. So that night, I took a flashlight, opened the bathroom door, and suddenly it looked as if a hand was reaching out at me. I cannot tell you how badly it scared me. After that, I was even more afraid to go to the bathroom. And not only there. Whenever I went somewhere dark, I was afraid that a ghost might suddenly appear. But if someone had asked me, “Do demons really exist?” I would have said, “Come on, there are no such things as demons.” Yet I was still afraid. As we go through life, we sometimes hear stories from people who say they have encountered demons. We also hear stories about shamans receiving spirits. Then you start wondering, “Maybe demons really do exist. Or maybe they don’t.” Even so, I still denied that they existed.

But there are actually countless gods like these in the world. Earlier, I said that a god is an eternal person, right? And there are countless eternal persons. Every one of you is a god in that sense. You are spiritual beings. The question is what happens after we lose this body. Some people, after leaving the body, become beings that belong to darkness. Others become beings that belong to light. Those who belong to darkness actually wander around this world, this earth. They can also torment people. That is why we hear people say things like, “I saw a demon,” “I encountered a demon,” or “A demon appeared in my dream.” That is the reality.

But many Christian churches usually say, “Those things are false! They are not real! Shamans being possessed by spirits is all fake!” People who do not know the spiritual world and have never experienced it often say such things. But at Sungrak Church, the reality of the spiritual world has been examined very deeply. More importantly, all of these things are recorded in the Bible. I had read the Bible in church before, but I had never realized that the Bible dealt so much with spiritual beings.

But as I began learning the Bible at Sungrak Church, I came to understand why there are so many accounts of demons in the Bible. Mark was the first Gospel to be written. In Mark 1, we see demons being cast out. Then again in chapter 2, chapter 3, and chapter 4, the accounts continue. And finally, in chapter 16, Jesus says, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons.”

These signs appear in those who believe in Jesus. There is evidence that God is with them. And the first sign is casting out demons in the name of Jesus. I could not remember ever hearing about this before. But it is clearly written in the Bible. God has given this authority to those of us who believe in Jesus. So basically, those who believe in Jesus can cast out demons.

Then He said, “If they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them.” “If they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them.” What is spreading these days? COVID-19. Do you know what a virus is? It is not bacteria. A virus is not bacteria; it is what we call a pathogen, literally a kind of “disease poison.” Bacteria are germs. So when we talk about two major agents that cause disease in humans, we often speak of viruses and bacteria. And this virus now spreading is described as a kind of disease poison. Yet God promised, “If they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them.”

Everyone, believe in Jesus. We do not know when or how we might become infected. I am involved in missions in China, so I check the situation there every day. It is far more serious than it feels from here. It is not simply a matter of becoming infected through direct contact. If someone on the third floor becomes infected, someone on the fourth floor along the same line may become infected. Even people on the fifth or sixth floor may become infected. So if someone downstairs becomes infected, ordinary people are even blocking their drains and ventilation ducts. That is what people are doing because so many are dying. It is serious. They say that if you are on the same airplane, you can become infected through the air even without direct contact. That is how serious it is. How can you avoid something like that? You may say, “I’ll just be very careful,” but there is only so much you can do. If someone carrying the virus is in the same room, you may become infected. But we Christians can still be bold. Why? Because He said, “If they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them.”

Some people ask, “Why is this happening in China?” It is a little difficult for me to speak about that. It could sound as though I were cursing them. But the fact is, I am a missionary to China. And over the past five years, what has happened there? They have driven out all the missionaries.

Then they tore down church buildings. They removed the crosses. For a socialist country, China used to have quite a few crosses. But now hardly any remain. Instead, national flags have been put up. In many cities, only one church building was officially recognized. And inside those churches, they put up a picture of the national leader. Before worship, people had to sing the national anthem, show respect toward his picture, and only then begin the service.

In each village, only one church was allowed, while the other house churches were shut down. Many churches in China connected with our church went through the same thing. While they were worshiping, dozens of armed police officers would storm in, break up the service, and take away their belongings. This happened again and again over the past several years.

Then last Christmas, there was a large campaign saying, “Christmas is a Western religion. Do not accept it. Do not celebrate it.” People were not even supposed to mention Christmas, Santa Claus, or the baby Jesus. Stores were also told not to use anything related to them. Instead, people were encouraged to celebrate Chinese holidays and even Chairman Mao’s birthday. And then, after all of that, this outbreak happened.

Then something else happened. The first high-ranking official in Wuhan to die from the coronavirus was the director in charge of religious affairs. He had been heavily involved in suppressing Christianity. And he became the first official there to die from the virus. So many Christians in China began saying among themselves, “This is God’s judgment!”

Because of all this, people have fallen into a state of panic. And more frightening than the disease itself is what fear brings out in people. If someone appears without a mask, people may not even let that person enter the village. Some are seized and confined until they wear one. Others who have no masks are beaten and dragged away into quarantine. People are gradually losing their humanity. Why? Because of fear.

But we Christians do not have to be afraid in any situation. Why? Because He said, “If they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them.”

Also, everyone eventually leaves this world. What happens after that? Those who do not know God are deeply afraid because they do not know what comes next. They are afraid instinctively. In fact, there is reason to be afraid. After leaving this world, many may become what we call demons. I am not saying this to frighten you. I am saying it because I know the reality of the spiritual world.

We who are in Jesus were also, by nature, the kind of people who would have become demons and come under a curse. When we look at who we are and what we are like, we all deserve to be cursed. But we are the people who have stood before God, before the Almighty God, and confessed, “I am a sinner who deserves to go to hell! I am a sinner who deserves to be cursed!” Christians became Christians by admitting, “Yes, I am a sinner who deserves to go to hell and suffer forever!” And God says He will save sinners like that. That is why, two thousand years ago, He sent His own Son. He let His sinless Son be nailed to the cross and die for us.

Of course, many people do not believe this. They say, “How does that make any sense? If I sinned, I should pay for it myself. Why bring the innocent Jesus into it? I will take responsibility for my own sin!” If a person chooses to bear his own sin, God will allow him to make that choice. But God never wants us to go to hell. Hell was not prepared for human beings. It was not made to curse disobedient people. It was prepared for the gods of this world—the gods who opposed God. But people keep coming into harmony with those gods. They like them. They want to stay with them. They choose to share their destiny.

But God says, “Come out from among them! I have already judged the god of this world. I judged him two thousand years ago! All that remains for them now is the punishment of hell, so come out quickly! Then I can cast them into hell!” God tells us to believe because He wants to save us. It is not because He favors only those who believe in Jesus. Every human being is a sinner. No one can enter heaven by his own works or earn God’s love by what he does. We are all the same. Those who believe in Jesus and those who do not are the same in that respect. The difference is this: those who believe in Jesus say, “I am a sinner who deserves to die!” But others say, “Why should I die? Even if I have sinned, I will take responsibility for it myself!” And because of that, they keep coming into harmony with the gods of this world. They remain with them. That is why God says, “Come out quickly!”

And to make it possible for us to come out, God sent His Son. Jesus Christ shed His blood and died on the cross. What sin did Jesus have? None. And Jesus had great power. He could have escaped arrest. But He deliberately went to Jerusalem. He allowed Himself to be arrested. He was nailed to the cross. He shed His blood and died. He did it willingly. Why? Because in that way, He paid the price for our sins.

If that had been the end, we could not have trusted Him as our Savior. But on the third day, when they went to the tomb, it was empty. Even the disciples did not believe that He had risen. It was too hard for them to believe. But Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to them. Only then did they realize, “God really did raise His Son Jesus from the dead!” And they came to believe, “He really did pay the price for all the sins of mankind!”

Everyone, we are all sinners. But two thousand years ago, Jesus already paid the price for all our sins—for each and every one of your sins. So you do not have to pay that price yourself. In fact, because of our evil deeds, we deserve to suffer from sickness. That is the curse we deserve. But Jesus was scourged. His whole body suffered. A crown of thorns was placed on His head, and He bled as He endured that pain. Through all of this, He bore our sicknesses in our place. That is why we, who deserve to become sick and die, are still alive and well today.

There are countless demons in this world. There are also countless fallen angels. People ask, “If God is alive, why do things like this happen?” But the problem is not with God. It is because there are countless gods in this world. God’s purpose is not to make this world into a beautiful place. This world is ruled by evil gods and filled with them. And from this world, God rescues those who bow before Him and those who want to come to Him. So what our God does is salvation, not transformation. He is not trying to transform this world. This world is going to perish anyway. What He wants is to save even one person from it. If people reject that salvation, God loses nothing. They can simply perish together with the gods of this world. But God is calling them to come out.

There are many churches, and they may differ on certain things. But if a church is truly a church, what I have just told you is the same anywhere in the world: “Jesus has paid the price for your sins, so come out of this curse!” This is what churches around the world proclaim. Of course, there are churches that do not. But a true church does.

I truly hope that you will meet God. No matter how difficult things may become, and no matter how much it may seem that you are suffering loss, if God is with you, you have nothing to worry about.

Today’s message is titled “God, the Strategist.” God is a strategist. In fact, when God reveals Himself, He is called “Wonderful” and “Counselor.” “Wonderful” means that He is amazing, and “Counselor” means one who gives wise counsel—a strategist. Something may look like a loss right now, but somehow God turns the situation around for the good of those who believe in Him.

You may think that if you keep coming to church on the Lord’s Day, you will not be able to work and may become poor. But God is a strategist. Somehow, things do not turn out the way you feared. Instead, you are blessed even more. Or suppose someone used to exercise on the Lord’s Day. He may think that if he comes to church instead, he will lose his health because he cannot exercise. But that is not what happens. God is a strategist.

When Jesus was killed, it looked as though God’s work was over. But it was not. Allowing Jesus to be killed was actually part of God’s strategy. There was nothing more the devil, the god of this world, could do. His greatest weapon is death. But Jesus had already been killed. There was nothing more he could do.

Then God did His work. And what did God do? He raised the dead Jesus back to life. In doing so, the devil’s sin was completely exposed. God is a strategist.

Make this God your friend. Make Him your Father. Become one with Him. Then no matter what situation you face, you will see all things work together for good. Our hope is in heaven. Since all of you have come all the way here to Sungrak Church today, I bless you in the name of Jesus that not one of you will be left behind in this world, but that all of you will be saved, and that you, as eternal beings—eternal persons—will live forever with God.

Father God, please look upon the faith of those who have come to church and gathered here today. Remember their faith and their hearts. They have come before the living God, kneeling before You and seeking Your help. Please show them that You are truly alive. Let them know that You are the One who gives us eternal life. And let them know that all things work together for good to those who love You. Especially for those who have come here today, please protect their health. Even though the world is unsettled, give peace to their hearts. Keep their whole bodies healthy, and protect their families as well. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.