I just came back from an 8-week trip to Korea. In Korea, most of the churches that have successfully converted to house churches are Presbyterian. Many belong to the Korean Presbyterian Church denomination, one of the most conservative in Korea. They have been successful in converting to house churches because their denominational motto is "According To The Bible", and house churches are the Biblical model of church. Unfortunately, the Pusan Synod made a recent resolution declaring that the house church goes against Presbyterian tradition. So at least two pastors there had to give up their house churches. But this resolution prompted a lively ...

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While watching TV in my hotel room during my visit to Korea, I caught the end of a live opera broadcast, and saw the entire cast make their bows to the audience. I sensed something about the people on stage. What was it? They exuded confidence. The confidence of having performed the opera well, even though it was composed by a Westerner. I sense such confidence in people from all walks of life whenever I visit Korea. It's a kind of nationalistic pride. Koreans seem to feel that, like the opera, whatever other countries can do, they can do better. This confidence is both the cause and the result of the prosperity they are enjoying now. Korea has ...

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I recently led a seminar on the house church for INTERCP leaders and missionaries. INTERCP is a missionary organization that sends professionals as missionaries to Muslim countries. I accepted their invitation because I like their President, Paul Choi. He is a man of clear thinking and straight talk. When some young people from Bundang Sasmmul Church were kidnapped in Afghanistan a few months ago, most pastors responded with "no comment" when questioned by journalists, probably out of fear that they would be attacked by anti-Christian groups and their sympathizers. Paul was virtually the only person who explained the rationale of Christian missions ...

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Last Sunday, 24 people accepted Christ at the monthly Gospel Presentation Meeting. But as I was driving home, I was more depressed than elated, because 25 people - more than the number who accepted Christ - simply confirmed their salvation. Calling themselves "confirmed" means that, instead of accepting Jesus for the first time, they had already accepted Christ in the past. Usually two or three people mark themselves as confirmed. Given the large number this time, it indicates that many people who are becoming our church members are already Christians. Most people who confirmed their salvation at the meeting are from out of state or from Korea. We ...

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I once watched a video describing an experiment with small children where a single cookie was placed on a paper plate in front of each child. The moderator announced that he would leave the room for a bit, and when he came back, whoever had not yet eaten their cookie would receive another one. Then he left the room and filmed how the children behaved. Most children eventually ate their cookie before he returned; only a few resisted the temptation and did not touch it until he came back. The conclusion of the experiment was that children who resist immediate urges for a greater future reward become better students and leaders. Sadly, our children do ...

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As you know, Pastor Sookwan Lee is not really an assistant pastor, although that is his title. Assistant Pastors' ministries involve helping their senior pastor. But Pastor Lee doesn't just help my ministry; he has his own ministries, including filling the pulpit when I am gone. He is more like a co-pastor. One of his ministry duties is representing our church at denominational meetings and other associations. He attends the annual Southern Baptist Convention and Southern Baptist Texas Convention as our messenger. He also represents our church at the Korean Baptist Church Association and other associational meetings. He will serve for four years as a ...

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When I tell people that I got a C in my seminary preaching class, some simply don't believe it. Others say that there must have been something wrong with the preaching professor. I appreciate their comments, because they show that they like me and my sermons. While I've said on various occasions that I got a C in preaching, I've never explained why I got that grade. The professor who taught preaching at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary was more interested in the techniques that made a "good" sermon than the Bible passages they were based on. As a result, the sermons he preferred had little to do with the Scripture texts. In contrast, I ...

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