Sowing the seeds of the Gospel: the seeds will grow into the fruit which will save many souls
4 o’clock every morning in Muslim countries, there is an call to prayer to Allah. In these countries, wars and conflicts never end, so people are under the threat of death. In such a dangerous place, the gospel of Jesus was delivered to thousands
of Arab.
It was indeed a matter of risking lives.
The Bethlehem Conference has been held for last three years. And this time, there were three times of services each evening from 8-10 November.
The birth place of Jesus Christ, Bethlehem, has no resident Jews and is the area where Muslim terrors can occur at any time.
It is impossible to preach the Gospel without risking one’s life. In spite of this, The Yonsei Central Baptist Church has been there preaching the gospel for last three years, because there are many dying souls that have not had a chance to hear
about Jesus.
On 8 November (Friday), our Israel pilgrimage team arrived at the conference venue. The place is known to accommodate the largest number of people in Bethlehem. It was already full with one thousand three hundred people when our team arrived.
For this conference, Pastor Naim Cowury invited Pastor Yoon to his church the Bethlehem First Baptist Church. It was the largest conference ever in the region, five thousand Arabs attended for three days in a row.
Finally, Pastor Yoon stood on the stage. He began to preach, saying “I am glad to visit here for three years.” He also greeted them saying, “I bless you to experience the living God being set free from illness, curses and problems.” And then, he started to preach with the word of the Bible, John 3:16.
Overall five thousands listened to the word of God at the Israel Bethlehem Conference
Pastor Yoon preached based on the Bible about the rich and the beggar Nazareth. The main message was not to commit sin,
to repent and to believe in Jesus to be redeemed. In addition, he vividly delivered the story of Noah who shouted to people to board on the Ark just before the judgment of God. He himself preached the gospel with a passion of saving souls.
After preaching and praying, a hundred and seventy five people accepted Jesus as their Savior. When Pastor Yoon prayed to drive out illness and demons in Jesus name, a number of people raised their hands showing that they had been healed. The conference was held at the same time on the next day. The atmosphere grew more heated and the congregation sincerely radiated passion for the grace of God.
Pastor Yoon preached based on 1 John 3:8, pointing out the spiritual reality of the work of the devil that causes us sins, curses and to perish. The message included not to be the one of the left, being cursed and dragged to hell with the devil. The message also included not to be deceived by the devil but believe in Jesus who came to destroy these works of the devil, and to be free from the judgment of hell and be a member of the heaven, full of blessings. Many people also raised their hands accepting Jesus as their Savior and were healed from sickness.
On 10th, the last day of the conference (Sunday evening), Pastor Yoon preached about the importance of praying based on John 14:11-14. Pastor Yoon gave his own testimony of being healed from deadly sickness when he totally trusted on Jesus.
Also a number of testimonies of the members of Yonsei Central Baptist Church were presented. In addition, he proclaimed that they must solve all the impossibilities with the pray of faith, introducing the story of Hezekiah, the leper and blind Bartimaeus in the Bible.
Pastor Yoon strongly preached, “All the suffering and problems we face are caused by the devil through sins. So, there is nothing more we could do. But Jesus, our Savior and the Almighty, can help you to be free from the problems” Furthermore, he added, “God promised that He would do whatever we ask with faith. And God asked us to pray in Jesus name, then He will answer. Therefore, be free from illness, curses and sins with the pray of certain faith!”
On the last day, there was a time to give testimonies of who are cured. And many gave their own testimonies.
There are many Arabs that have only known Islam for the whole their lives and have never heard about the gospel.
To save their souls, God showed His power and miracles, proving that He is the living God. It was time to prove that God is alive.
For this conference, Pastor Naim Cowury of the Bethlehem First Baptist Church fasted and prayed before the conference. He and his church members also visited every house to invite people to the conference handing out leaflets.
He also put an advertisement about the ‘Invitation to the Conference of Pastor Yoon’ in the largest Arab newspapers. From seeing this advertisement, thirty traditional Muslims attended this conference. It meant that this conference was held being opened to the possibility of the threat of terrorists.
Serious situations could have occurred if there was no earnest praying of our church members and the pilgrimage team for this conference. Even under this threat and spiritual tension, pastor Yoon preached with joy because he knew that it was the most precious thing to save the souls who could die without knowing Jesus.
Pastor Naim Cowuty said, “people who experienced the power of God at the Conference of Pastor Yoon last September kept asking me when he would visit again." He also thanked, “I think they long for seeing pastor Yoon again because they feel that he truly loves the Arab people and preaches at the risk of his life."
El Biera, the wife of the pastor of the Bethlehem First Baptist Church, also said, “I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit in this conference. As many people were healed this time, I hope they will grow up spiritually and be witnesses of Jesus Christ.”
We must pray that the gospel delivered in Bethlehem for last three years will grow and bear fruits. It is also expected that the conference in Bethlehem will be held every year and there will be the spiritual revival in Bethlehem unlimitedly.
All the glory to God who uses the Yonsei Central Baptist Church to save souls.
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