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I Am Obligated to All in the Gospel of Jesus

“I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome" (Ro 1:14-15).

When I was in my sophomore year in college, I attended a world mission report for the first time. Prior to that, I had gone to the airport to see the late Dr. Samuel Lee, the founder of UBF, who was coming from the United States with a mission journey team in order to attend the world mission report. Hordes of students came to the airport to welcome him and his journey team. I was surprised that Dr. Samuel Lee was short and it encouraged me a lot.

We are celebrating the 50^th anniversary of our ministry since Dr. Samuel Lee started it in 1961. It was like a small seed 50 years ago, but God has blessed our ministry abundantly by sending out over 2,000 missionaries to 93 countries and raising many disciples of Jesus around the world during the last half-century. We thank God for his amazing work through us and our ministry.  

In verses 8-13, Apostle Paul eagerly wanted to go to Rome. It was because he wanted to share the gospel of Jesus so that the people could bear much fruit of the gospel. Why was he always so eager to deliver the gospel of Jesus to others? Apostle Paul treated himself as a man obligated to give the gospel of Jesus to others.

Hudson Taylor (1832-1905), a missionary to China from England, treated himself as a man obligated to Chinese people. So he went to China at the age of 21 in 1854. He became a spiritual shepherd for the Chinese and laid the foundation of the gospel by giving his entire life for them. CIM (China Inland Mission), which he established and which has grown to be the biggest organization, has sent out 805 missionaries, raised 467 native gospel leaders, and built 7 hospitals, 101 drug treatment centers, 300 dormitories related to churches, and 261 mission centers. Likewise, one who lives with an obligation to preach the gospel to others and practices it is able to do great things for God’s glory.    

I am also obligated to preach the gospel because I am a debtor to the gospel like Apostle Paul. Before I met Jesus, I was in great darkness. In 1986, I entered a university with deep sorrow due to failing to enter a prestigious university as I had wanted. It made me powerless during my college years. God invited me to one-to-one Bible study and gave me one word through Luke 7:14, “Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, ‘Young man, I say to you, get up!’” When God’s word penetrated my soul, I could get out of deep fatalism and live a new life. At that time, Daniel L., who is now director of Namsan UBF, Korea, bore my weaknesses and helped me to grow as a useful man of God by training me based on the love of Christ. There are many who served me with prayer and counseling. These are all the love of Christ for me that I owe to Jesus and God’s people.   

It was not easy at all to serve Mongolia mission. In the early stages, my family suffered to adjust in Mongolia, worrying what to eat and wear. When we went to the store, there was only meat and no vegetables. For a while, I was very happy to eat delicious meat every day. But soon I began to miss Korean soup and noodles. In addition, I was uncomfortable and like a deaf man in Mongolia because I did not know the Mongolian language. In the midst of these hardships, I held on to God’s love which was formed through the love of Jesus in my soul, and it strengthened me to overcome all difficulties one by one.

No matter what, I endeavored to preach the gospel of Jesus to Mongolian students and God gave me the power to do so. In Korea, I was not successful in my discipleship ministry. However, when I gave my whole effort to learn the Mongolian language and translate the Bible and Daily Bread into Mongolian, God began to send me native students. I was surprised by the fact that I was shepherding Mongolian students out of my failure to shepherd students in Korea. 

By God’s grace, I was also able to support co-workers and native leaders to be materially independent through my company. I have been working at a food distribution company. Before working there, I feared for and worried about my future instead of praying. However, God has been blessing my family to be financially independent through the business and is also using it to support co-workers in Mongolia and Asia, as well as five Mongolian families. Through this, I gained hope to support the self-support mission in central Asia in the future through this business and send out missionaries.

I gave my 30s and 40s for the gospel ministry in Mongolia. Humanly speaking, it may not seem pleasing to others who would think that I spent all my youth in such a country with a hard environment. However, I am thankful to God who blesses me, a useless man, to give my youth to evangelize Mongolian students. They humbly accepted me as their Bible teacher and spiritual shepherd and even co-work with me from their hearts. I am so blessed to work with them who are pure in heart. I confess that those who live obligated to others with the gospel of Jesus will be blessed surely by God and live in greatness like Apostle Paul in this generation.  

May God bless each of us to continue to serve God’s pleasing will for the world campus evangelizing work for the next 50 years.

Thank you,
Paul K., Mongolia