Praise the Lord who blessed the 2008 UBF Purdue International Bible Conference. Our God is the only One and living God. He answered our prayers and moved the mountains. This time I am going to retrospect the work of God within us while we served this epoch making ministry in this summer. Amen
1. Challenging the worst cases by Mountain moving faith
On September, 2007 I attended LA UBF North America/Canada Staff conference. UBF International Headquarters officially announced the 2008 UBF International Conference at Purdue University. That time I just attended that conference as an observer because I was not yet an ordained UBF chapter leader of NYU and NYC campuses. But I wanted to be appointed officially by Headquarters. Above all, I had faith in God that God would help me to serve his holy ministry in New York City. When I listened to the announcement about that International conference, I began to pray that we, Manhattan Chapter, might invite students from NYU, CU and others as many as we could. Also I prayed that our chapter should be accepted as an independent chapter for powerful campus ministry in this city.
On February, 2008 UBF North America/Canada staffs gathered together again at Purdue University to pray for the 2008 UBF International Conference in summer. We saw an Auditorium in which we would hold a glorious conference before the Lord. Dr. John Jun and all spiritual leaders prayed together there. After the spring staff conference, I printed out the images of Purdue auditorium and stuck to the wall of our bible house.
We had studied the book of Romans up to chapter 8(Gospel part) during the spring semester. On Easter Sunday we studied Romans Chapter 8 with the title, “More than Conquerors.” This title was really impressive and touched my heart. Before I read Romans chapter 8 many times even though, but this time its meaning came to me with mega tone bomb power. I was always weak and vulnerable. Frankly speaking I couldn’t overcome this worldly power by myself. It is hard to keep my faith in the world. Then how come I could be ‘more than conqueror?” Yes, it is possible in the faith of Jesus’ resurrection. In his love we are not just merely saved feeble clans. We are more than conquerors. We are the new history makers in the name of Jesus. Amen
The spring semester already reached to the end, but we hadn’t invited a single student. Just before student left for everywhere at the end of finals, Pauline and I decided to invite our bible students to the conference. On April 29 we visited NYU Campus. We met some students; however we couldn’t spell out even a word for our summer Purdue conference. It was bad situation. Against our hope we couldn’t hope anything except for just the empty hands. It was frustrating. We were totally despaired. Pauline and I must have faced a cold and cruel reality of this world. The air of NYU Campus was too cold especially due to the finals. I asked myself, “Hum, as more than conquerors, what should we do?” At that moment Pauline opened her mouth and suggested to me; “Missionary Caleb, let’s pray.” I realized, “Yes, that is the very thing we must do.” So we searched a place to pray. We sat down at the stairway on the 7th floor of Kimmel, NYU student center. At that stair we could see Washington Square Park, Washington Arch, Fifth Avenue and Empire State Building. It was nice heart opening scenery. By intuition, I realized we must have had faith in God at that moment. If not, we couldn’t have been the worse failures. I felt a sense of crisis. If we couldn’t have overcome this situation by faith, we might have shut down our ministry. So desperately I decided to hold one word. So we read Mark 11:22-23 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.”
Jesus simply said, ‘Have faith in God, if you really want to experience the power of the living God.’ Not only that, Jesus challenged his disciples; ‘Say to a mountain, go, throw yourself into the sea.’ In this world who can dare say to a mountain like this. He is only who has faith in God. Jesus taught us mountain moving faith here. World evangelism, world mission task requires the very mountain moving faith. I decided to learn Jesus’ mountain moving faith from my hopeless situation.
I suggested 3 step prayer to Pauline.
First, we should have a vision like a clear picture in which we would drive a car full of students toward Purdue after 3 months.
Second, we must have faith in God against all the bad situations; we couldn’t know where our bible students would be. We couldn’t know what they might think and what they were doing. But we just believe that God might work in them. God will do something according to his will as long as we may pray.
Third, we give thanks to God and pray until we may learn mountain moving faith.
We didn’t want to pray only with our mouths. We got up and performed a motion; throwing the Empire State Building into the Atlantic Ocean (we can not find a mountain in New York City). Also we threw our Bible students one by one into Purdue. After prayer, our situation was the same just before we prayed. But our hearts were changed. We felt that we would become more than conquerors. Our faces were filled with joy and smile. We came back to the bible house. From that day on, we have been the East River to pray throwing the Empire State building into the Ocean. I began to write a diary; what we did, what we conversed together, what we learned, what happened to us and so on. I had done it for 3 months. I watched a move. In the movie “Ratatouille” the main character Remy, a rat, said, “I want to make things. I want to add something to this world.” But his dad said showing lots of rats poisoned to death, “Who are not as bad as you say? Take a good long look, Remy. You can not change nature.” His dad tried to scare his son to stop being around human. But Remy did not agree with his dad and said, “Change is nature, Dad! And it starts when we decide.” Remy, in the movie, has a pioneer spirit and challenger spirit. I loved Remy every much. I might be a rat like Remy in this monstrous world. But I want to change this world. I want to add something to the world. This has already begun because I decided it. Amen
2. God moved the mountains
Since April 29 Pauline and I had been the East River side to pray throwing the Empire State building by faith. We have tried to invite some brothers and sisters; Greg, David Collura, Nick Burch. Chris Bollaro, Anurag, Andy, Jin Woo, Jae Hyun, Loretta, Ana and so on. We prayed a lot with performing mountain moving action. Unfortunately, nothing had happened until June 10th although we prayed a lot. What was the worse, our worship attendants left without even saying ‘good bye.’ It was because I challenged them to pray for the conference. In the midst of announcement, we performed the mountain moving action all together. After that, they didn’t appear. Pauline and I were discouraged, and even we could not know what we could do more. My heart was so bitter, and I lost my appetite. On the third day of June I began to read Psalm 109 and 73. I poured out my heartache to the Lord. I confessed my bitterness and sorrowful mind. Then I felt that God would touch my heart with his gracious hands. I felt the refreshment of my soul. I got cured from my heart bitterness. That night l slept deeply and sweetly. From that time on I could pray again with mountain moving faith.
Then, something happened on the 11th day of June. It was the 44th day after since we began mountain moving prayer. Surprisingly, 3 people registered for the conference at the same day. They were, David Collura (NYU Math 3), Jin Woo Jang (CU 1) and Ana Puzie(Beth Israel Hospital). God worked on them by His Almighty power. Praise the Lord! In a day God moved three mountains according to our prayers. God is living. He never neglects any prayers of a small man like me. I really touched by the mountain moving miracle. We gave thanks to God with awesome reverence for God. Now Pauline and I can pray more diligently and more confidently. Because we have experienced that God is with us. I was convinced that it was the work of God who answered to our prayer. On June 16 I reported our registration work to Dr. John Jun. I was so much encouraged by this work.
3. More than conquerors
Since that time, I have prayed that God may send us ‘more than conquerors’ for pioneering Manhattan. They will be the great gospel workers who love God and the truth of Jesus’ gospel. Everyday we pray that God may raise up the 12 disciples in this city
After registration work, we had to be alert to take care of them. We frequently visited Brother David and gave him a ride up to his house. We saw that he hadn’t changed his mind to go to the conference. He was a man of decision. The end of July was his busiest time. He missed his most favorite improvisation classes and summer math class and the weekend well-paid job. He says that he is an agnostic. But he is still seeking the living God. God may have mercy on him and choose him as a man of faith like Abraham for NYU. Amen. Brother Jin Woo had changed his mind several times for the conference. Each time I visited him and called him. Many times he was influenced by his neighbors. I aroused him about his inner spiritual desire. He loved God but he also loved the world. I just helped him to stay in the love of God. Just the day of leaving for the conference he wavered by his friends.
Then we saw that the people who registered gathered together and got into a car at the night of the 23rd of July to go at Purdue. Our vision we had 3 months ago came true. I realized that Mountain moving work is on God, not on me. May God bless David, Jin Woo and Ana as ‘more than conquerors’ in this wavering generation! Amen
Before we left for Purdue, I designed a banner titled “MORE THAN CONQUERORS” praying for the conference and our attendants. Shepherd Young Kim (NY UBF) did his best to make this banner wonderful.
We, more than conquerors, drove 16 hours from NYC to Purdue. Driving to Purdue was a spiritual journey. We shared the life together on the high way. We got closed for the gospel of God, Jesus’ blood and resurrection. Amen.
At the conference we heard the best messages from the best selected messengers from the international UBF members. The theme of this conference was “God so loved the world.” God loved a prodigal son like me(Lk15). God loved Zacchaeus who was lost (Lk19). God loved a Samaritan woman(Jn4). Most of all, God crucified his precious Son, Jesus on the cross. Jesus is the Lord Christ who showed the love of God to the full extent. God showed us his wonderful love. He didn’t spare his love for us. Jesus gave his life for us. I decided to give my life for Jesus’ gospel work.
It was artistic and full of spiritual heart moving programs. I couldn’t but have shed lots of tears for 4 days. I saw many worldwide more than conquerors. The last night when God called missionary candidates, I saw the great conquerors overflowing the stage and long lines to get into the stage. God touched all of us. May God bless all of them who decided to go somewhere to spread the love of God! The great work of God began because we decided to go. Amen
The word, ‘world mission,’ makes my heart beat forcefully. I couldn’t find the more exciting word than this. Nowadays, many young people do not know what they really want. Young college people have lots of energy and power and potential. But those are still sleeping under their subliminal realms. Who can spur them out? Who can let them set free from eternal sleeping? I know God called me to do this work. Lord, pour out your Holy Spirit on the young people. Let them work for your holy world mission task. Bless them Amen.
Now we are praying for establishing a strong foundation for worldwide bible center on Manhattan. Every night we are marching out on 5th avenue and 10th street looking for a new bigger bible house. Manhattan is big enough to pioneer. But I believe that God is much bigger than this city. Nothing is hard to God. Amen. May God send us ‘More Than Conquerors!’ Amen
One Word :God moved the mountains
