LTKC: Our Inheritance (Part 1)
LTKC: Our Inheritance (Part 1)
Up to this point we have excavated the unique history of the Korean and Korean American Church. As we look upon our past, it is undeniable that the nation of Korea has experienced a history of revival.
But in the next three letters I want to examine what I believe is our God given inheritance.
Webster’s dictionary defines inheritance as:
“the acquisition of a possession, condition, or trait from past generations”
The question that is presented to the progeny and descendants of our past generations is the question of inheritance. Just as God led the Israelites out of Egypt, through the wilderness and into the promised land, the question is now what is the true spiritual inheritance of our modern day Korean church? Could it be that just as the Jews of today can retrace their own inheritance through the story of their forefathers that the same could apply to us today?
The answer is Yes.
The book of Malachi chapter 4 verse 6 states this:
“and I will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children back to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a curse.”
What I present before you today is the simple question that could it be that the decline of the modern Korean church be the indicators of a curse?
And if it be so, then what is God’s prescription for such a time that we find ourselves in?
The Inheritance of Prayer:
One of the indelible marks upon Korean Christianity is without a doubt the power of Prayer. Although many cultures and people groups have all called upon the Lord in the place of prayer, I want to present to you the notion that the Korean prayer experience is unique in its practice and strength.
To understand the history of prayer in Korea, one must look at the unique spiritual DNA of the Korean people. Our history spans through the written records of almost five thousand years. In the course of our history as a people, the spiritual DNA that came upon our nation was really an amalgamation of Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism.
The Taoist tradition in Korea dates back to the thousands of years. It is from the Taoist beliefs that Korean’s have an understanding both of the supernatural world as well as spirituality. Although Taoism is in conflict in many regards to the Christian worldview, one thing that it shares in common is the understanding of the spiritual world.
Buddhism created a unique expression in Korea with a heavy emphasis on contemplation and focused prayer. Some may argue that the spiritual DNA of prayer was already set in stone in the Korean people before the onset of Christianity. I believe it is this unique history and tradition of the Buddhist practice that seamlessly translated into the focused prayer life that has hallmarked much of the Korean Christian experience.
Confucian philosophy and ethics have been around in Korea since the time of Confucius himself. It is from this philosophical system that Koreans have adopted Confucianism in our national psyche. It is communal in nature. Respect for authority and our elders. Also there is a heavy emphasis on bringing honor to one’s family.
When examined all together, what you see is that God knew exactly what He was doing in the Korean peninsula from the beginning of time. Although we clearly believe that false religions are an aberration from the Word of God, the point that is being made is that spiritual DNA of the Korean church is extremely unique as we see the Christian worldview and belief system superimposed upon the underlying spiritual DNA that was already embedded upon the Korean People.
It is for this reason that I believe that Korean style prayer truly is a unique expression in light of the history of our people mentioned above. The Korean prayer culture and practice can truly be summed up in this one word “TongSung”.
“TongSung” prayer is most literally translated as “cry out together loudly”. Although modern generations of Korean Americans may not fully understand the practice that we may have seen growing up in the Korean church, I believe this is one of our greatest inheritances.
“TongSung” prayer is firmly Biblical in its roots. Many would argue that this style of “crying aloud together” is really a picture of what we see in the Psalms time and time again as King David would often times, “cry aloud to the Lord” (Psalm 142:1). This is a communal expression of prayer. There is a corporate understanding of prayer. Finally, there is a passion that comes from desperation in this act of prayer. I believe it is found in the history of the Korean people who have been conquered and oppressed over a recorded thousand times in our history. Some may argue that desperation is trapped in our bones. The cry to the Lord is none other than the cry of desperation for the Lord to hear from Heaven and move on behalf of His people.
The real question is: What will we do with our inheritance?
Will we despise our birthright just as Esau did?
Or will we honor what our previous forefathers fought for in the place of prayer and recognize the fruit that was born in a revival movement that spanned through the course of almost a century?
This is a call to action. If this generation is going to fulfill our calling in our generation just as those who have gone before us fulfilled their own, then I believe it is undeniable that we must recover our voice in prayer together.