I Was a Mean and Badly Behaved Person, but I Am Serving as an Elder after Having Met God
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 14763 |
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November 14, 2010 |
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 Elder Jaeshik Chun (Parish 2-11, Men's Mission 3-3)
Elder Jaeshik Chun, his wife Myungsook Kim and his son Youngkwang Chun
The Lord Came to a Person Who Was a Headache in My Village
In my elementary school days, I often ran away from home, and in my middle school days I hung out with bad friends. I drank and smoked together with them. My bad behavior caused all kinds of problems in my village and I was taken away by the police as often as I returned home. Sometimes I drank soju, a Korean distilled spirit, without any food so that I had to have an operation on a troubled stomach at 21.
Afterwards I opened a couch repairing shop and earned money. But I spent the money in drinking at nightclubs and hostess bars and finally became addicted to alcohol. I had been prohibited from entering the village because I had drunk too much on credit and showed messy behaviors. Thoughts of suicide visited me but I had a lingering attachment to life. One day I heard one of my best friends had died of cerebral hemorrhage in the midst of drunkenness.
I was very shocked and fell into the gloomy condition of depression. In April of 1987, I was guided to Manmin Central Church by a member of Manmin Volunteers' Mission. It happened when I was 32. My attendance was superficial for some time. I drank continued to drink during the week. One night I suffered from bloody diarrhea, but fell asleep. I later woke up to go to restroom and at that moment the cross-tower at the church came into view. On the spot I fell onto the ground and began crying out and praying to God with tears and runny nose. I called out "Lord" and "God" and poured out tears of repentance.
After Turning and Becoming a New Person, My Life Overflowed with Healing and Blessings
After that repentance, my life totally changed by the grace and love of God. I quit drinking and smoking completely and was healed of my chronic duodenal ulcer by the prayer of Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee. When my life changed through the efforts to obey the Word of God, I got married, and my parents were surprised to see my life changing and came to my church in gratitude for the grace of God given to me.
In 1992, I was urged in my heart to support the construction of the sanctuary. After discussing it with my wife, I deducted 4 million won (about 4,000 US Dollars) from the security money for the house (5 million won, about 5,000 US Dollars) and gave it to God as the offering for sanctuary-construction. We moved into a smaller house. Three years later I was financially blessed with 10 million won (10,000 US Dollars) by someone. I gave the amount to God as offering and then God repaid me with overflowing blessing.
In 1994, I was awarded the plaque of appreciation from the church in recognition for the activities of Manmin Volunteers' Mission and the following year I joined the pilgrimage to the Holy Land. After that, someone supported me with gravel and sand that was worth thousands of dollars. A company provided me with cement and bricks on credit although the company was dealing in cash only business. This support was the seed of blessing to me, and I became busy with many orders and had to drive a dump truck from 5 AM until 4 PM. That following year I earned a lot of money. It was enough to purchase a couple of houses.
Although I Met with Bankruptcy Because I Failed in Walking in the Right Way
Meanwhile, I failed to live by the Word of God and my business began to decline. I conducted money-exchange between church members and did not keep the Sabbath day holy. I thought that I could attend the worship service after working from early morning until just before the service and support Senior Pastor with his overseas ministry. But this was not in accordance with the will of God at all. There was another reason for bankruptcy. It was my reckless expansion of business. In 1996 I was blind by greed for profit so I received secured loans and issued too many personal checks. I issued personal checks for more than one hundred million won (about 100,000 US Dollars) and went bankrupt. I couldn't solve the liquidity of assets of 3 million won (3,000 US Dollars).
I repented of my wrongdoings and in each case of payback I first paid for my clients without seeking my benefits. I discovered my wrongdoings through the messages delivered by Senior Pastor and humbled myself before God. In 1997, I built a temporary house on the empty land that had been used for construction materials storage and began living there. But because I couldn't afford to pay for the rental fee for the makeshift house, I had to leave there.
In all these circumstances, my wife was thankful for the makeshift house and she did not collapse. We kept on fulfilling our God-given duties and praying to God. In 2000, I was appointed as the general president of Manmin Volunteers' Mission and was more faithful in the kingdom of God. Meantime the merciful God gave me a chance for revival. A few months later I took over a junk shop after I had just paid for a big storage container. In the beginning of running the junk shop, I had to eat noodles for lunch but enjoyed offering God the tithe and thanks offerings. In 2002, I began participating in supporting the overseas ministry and relief ministry of Dr. Jaerock Lee with offerings. The following year, in 2003, I was set free from all the debts from the bank and credit cards.
I Am Happily Living for the Glory of God with the Blessing I've Received
In 2007, I got a chance to receive much greater blessing after we offered God the special offering for the sanctuary construction with all our heart and strength at the end of 2006. A company, related to iron scrap, donated 90 million won (about 90,000 US Dollars) to me for the junk shop. It was even greater than the amount of the offering we had previously offered for the sanctuary construction. After that my business began expansion. When we had a meeting with Senior Pastor, he asked me to walk the right way in doing business and planted a future dream of my business into my heart. In the autumn of 2009, when I met him again, I was determined in faith to give God the tithe for the total income and become strength to the church and the joy to the shepherd.
In early 2010, I gave the tithe of one million won (1,000 us Dollars) every week and now I am giving the tithe of 1,450,000 won or 1,500,000 won. It is the duty of every believer to give the whole tithe. Now I am trying my best to give more tithes than I am supposed to give because I believe and hope the extra tithe will help Dr. Jaerock Lee with his many kinds of ministries and it will be rewarded in Heaven.
My junk shop is famous for the honest use of the scale, and many clients are aware of this fact, and comment, saying, "This shop is not big enough to have so many scrap recourses. It's amazing to see this prosperity."
God also gave me spiritual blessing: Serving the church as an elder and a leader of Manmin Volunteers' Mission, and also as the financial director of Sunday children's school. How thankful and happy I am to be faithful to the kingdom of God with financial supports! I give all thanks and glory to God the Father who has blessed me in spirit and flesh.
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