North Korean lady saved from execution by Christ
, story told by Dr David Yonggi Cho

Several years ago, a beautiful, elderly lady invited me to her home for dinner. This evening was to make a great impact on my life and ministry. Mrs. Park, a former congresswoman, joined me in the dining room and graciously sat down. As we sat before a sumptuous Korean dinner, she began to tell me her story. Although I had heard details concerning her testimony before, I considered it a privilege to hear it from her own lips.

"During the Communist North Korean attack on Seoul," she said softly. She paused as she tasted the rice that sat in front of her. "They came so quickly that most of the leading political figures did not have an opportunity to escape south. I went into my closet, found some old clothing and tried to disguise myself as an old peddler. As I was fleeing toward the South, I was arrested by the North Korean soldiers. I told them I was just a poor old woman, but they did not believe me. The soldiers took me into the headquarters building for questioning. The more I denied that I was someone of importance, the more they questioned me until one of the men took my hands and told me I was lying. 'These are not the hands of a peddler, they are too soft,' he said. Soon I was brought before one of the officers who gave me my sentence. 'You are going to be shot at dawn tomorrow,' he said very abruptly.

"The hallway was damp and cold. I could just hear the faint rumbling of traffic above me, as they took me into a basement prison cell. All I had were the few old scraps of clothes I had used in my attempt to disguise myself. By this time I was very tired, and I laid down on the cement floor. As my mind raced through all of the things that had happened to me, I felt great sorrow and remorse.


"What a way to see your glorious life end, I said to myself. You had everything. You know so many people, but tonight is your last night. What will happen to you tomorrow? I continued to question as I fell asleep.

"It is always hard to be awakened out of a deep sleep. But when you realize that this is the last time you will ever be awakened, it is doubly hard. A young man about twenty years old took my arm and firmly led me back through the cellar hallway, up the stairs and out into the street. When the bright sunlight hit my face, I was blinded, but I was not blind enough to miss the rifle he had pressed against his right shoulder.

"We walked several blocks, and I noticed the hollow shells that remained out of what were once lovely, although small homes. All of these houses were pressed against each other as if to try to protect each other from the harsh cold that had greeted us this morning. My eyes filled with tears, as I began to remember all of the major events of my life. I remembered always having to be involved. For a Korean woman to neglect marriage and the raising of children in order to lead a section of the anti-Japanese resistance—is not common. I remembered all of the excitement as the Americans defeated the Japanese, and we were all free at last. I had entered politics to pursue my goal of justice for the people, but soon I had been caught up in the social climbing that accompanies new-found power.

"My mind then went back to our little Methodist church. I sat through the sermons with disinterest, but I really enjoyed singing the hymns. In fact, I often found myself humming some of my favourite hymns when I was frightened or lonely. 'What a Friend We have in Jesus,' I sang quietly under my breath. More tears welled up in my eyes and began streaming down my face as I said to myself, 'You never really ever accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour.' This statement in my mind and softly on my lips caused me to suffer even deeper feelings of pain and frustration.

"I wondered if Jesus would forgive me and save me right then? Now with all the resolve I could muster I said, 'Jesus, I am going to die in a few minutes. I have been a sinful woman. I don't deserve it, but please forgive this old woman her sins and save me like you did the thief on the cross.'

"Suddenly, I felt a joy fill my inner heart. My heart was pounding so fast, I was sure the young man, who was curiously looking at me as we walked up the hill toward the place of my execution, could hear me. I was forgiven, I was free, and I was ready to die.

"I sincerely believe that no one is ready for life without Christ, but even less ready for death without the assurance that only the Lord Jesus Christ can bring. Now that I was happy and free I began to sing aloud, 'All our sins and griefs to bear, what a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer.

'Shut up, old woman!' the boy-turned-soldier shouted at me. 'Stop your singing now!'
"'Why should I obey you now?' I asked. 'Isn't it true that I am going to die anyway? I am now a Christian, I was just saved walking up this hill, and I will take my last few minutes left on this earth to praise my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.'

'Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine; oh, what a foretaste of glory divine.' I started a new hymn just for the rude, young soldier. Suddenly, all of the words of this hymn came back into my memory, and I continued to sing as loud as I could.

At the side of another hill on the outskirts of the city, I noticed there was a flat area. The young man took out a shovel and began to dig my grave. As he dug, I continued singing. He occasionally looked up at me, then would continue digging. When he was finished, he took a blindfold, put it over my eyes and said, 'Old woman, do you have any last words you want to say before I kill you and bury your body?' Although my eyes were blindfolded, I felt I could see right into the heart of the young executioner in front of me.
"'Yes,' I said feeling sorry for him, 'I have only a few things to say. I have led a very wonderful life on this earth, but as we walked up here, you had to notice that something happened to me. I woke up this morning full of fear, but now, I have peace and joy. You see, I was only a nominal Christian this morning, but now I am saved. I only wish you too could know this wonderful Savior Jesus Christ.' I could have said more, but right at that moment I felt someone telling me to pray for my young guard.

"'May I spend the last moments of my life praying for your soul?' I asked, stepping down into the hole that he had dug which was to be my grave. I knelt down and began to pray.

After only praying a few minutes, I heard the young man crying. I finished my prayer and said, 'I am finished. You may shoot me now.' But nothing happened. What could be wrong? I said, 'I am finished praying. You may shoot.'
"'I can't, I heard him say above what I perceived to be sobs of agonizing tears. He stepped down into the grave, pulled off my blindfold and looked me in the eyes. 'My mother used to pray for me like that. I can see her praying for me now. When I lifted up my rifle to shoot you, I saw a vision of my mother, and I can't shoot my mother.'

"'You must obey your orders or they will kill you,' I said, now concerned more for his life than I was for my own.
"'I can't kill you. Please, run away when I shoot into the sky,' he said, as he untied my hands, and let me go. I ran into the hills to safety."

By the time Mrs. Park had finished the story, I found myself crying with her, not concerned that I had hardly eaten the food. Mrs. Park is now in heaven, but she spent the rest of her life witnessing to leaders concerning Jesus Christ's ability to deliver and set prisoners free. She started the first "Presidential Prayer Breakfast" in Korea and was able to touch the hearts of many of our most powerful political and economic leaders.

However, I remember her looking me in the eye at the end of her story and saying something to me that has had a great impact.
"Pastor Cho, you are a young man. You have a great future in the ministry, but I have to advise you about something which you are never to forget. Preach the Kingdom of God. Never get sidetracked. Preach all of the Gospel of the Kingdom. Never allow convenience or prominence to keep you from preaching the message that Jesus preached. Again I say, preach the Kingdom of God!"

I have never forgotten these words from this Korean saint.

Excerpt from the book "More Than Numbers".

David Yonggi Cho is the Senior Pastor of the Yoido Full Gospel Church. He is also the Founder, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Church Growth International Ministry.

Story published here with permission from Peggy Kannaday of Church Growth International.

http://churchgrowthint.homestead.com/home.html
http://cgi.fgtv.or/ - Includes realvideos with some of Dr. Cho's outstanding preaching.
http://ihcf.homestead.com/index.html

yefet, did the woman tell anyone the exact description/look of Jesus?


But wait. was Jesu not executed by a crowd of bums? why didnt he save himself, except cry that his God did forsook him?

you darn dispeakable diego maradonna like, evil genius maradonna babangida like, liar. what the purpose of jesus being unable to save his own skin from hanging and you and the allucinated korean are lying about some jesus? liars. na today? (i hope the na today is situation relevant?).

My God is ALLPOWERFUL i dont have to defend Him but Preach Him. Love you Jesus!

are that silly how can Jesus change his mind at the crucial hour or don't u know that that was his real mission on earth. am sure u av read ur bible but unfortunately it was for ur own harm
the reason for the death of Jesus was " Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree", that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." and this is just one of the numerous reasons and i hope u know that the disobedience of the first Adam brought curse and death while that of second Adam brought life

@Yefet, Thanks for this touching story. The message here is for us to live our lives for The Kingdom of God. Only few men of God are preacing The Truth today, most of them have compromised their calling. It took me some time to realize that there's a difference between building God's Kingdom and build someone's ministry, many Xtians are busy wasting there time, money & energy to build the ministries of deviated 'men of God'.

May God help millions of Xtians that have been deceived, Amen.

@olut.boy: « #3 on: Yesterday at 09:16:40 PM »

are that silly how can Jesus change his mind at the crucial hour or don't u know that that was his real mission on earth. am sure u av read your bible but unfortunately it was for your own harm

Yet he prayed many times, cried many times, begged many times, etc, etc that he did not want to undertake that very purpose. Is that a leader worth of followership of anyone? And you dare call him God?

the reason for the death of Jesus was " Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law,

The same law that he warned you that must not be abrogated otherwise the perdon and or people will be the least in the kingdom of heaven. What is the quality of the least in the kingdom of heaven except hellfire because of disobedience to what Jesus said to those who take up the Bible?

having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"

So when it is written that no one can see God and live, does that not nullify Jesus ever being God? If human writes that hanged soul is cursed, does it then mean that God Almighty is cursed by you saying Jesus is God, or you are dilussional by such a statement? So when it is okay to curse God? lol.

that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus,

jesus have to be cursed so that the blessings of Abraham can reach you? Abraham was a prophet, blessed. Jesus is your God, cursed. Do you see irony here? Is that a God or god?

that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." and this is just one of the numerous reasons and i hope u know that the disobedience of the first Adam brought curse and death while that of second Adam brought life

All of the above are wishful thinking, suggested by zealots after Jesus have been lifted up by Allah. Now tell me where an of these is in the OT, though it is just some part of the OT and NT that can meet human rationality? Adam was Adam with his wife. Second Adam must have second Eve to even make people begin to look at it and analyse it. A jesus without a wife cant be a second Adam because the first Adam had an Eve. Where is the Eve of your so called second Adam? You are so exposed that we can play with your Bible all day long.

Remember DON'T take the mark of the beast! The antichrist will want people to take a mark--->"And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. " - Revelation 13:16-18

^^^Yefet (Yafet Koto; an old timer actor of Cameroun father born in NYC bronx). You are a funny dude. The garbage above has nothing to do with islam. Revelation; a book written by paul and others making up story after jesus was already lifted up. Whats the relevance to jesus? nothing!


I have The Drummer boy novel by Nkwesi. Whats its reality, other than it is a fiction?

^
Pls, has nl started paying money for clicking the reply?