Peter Bae’s UK Mission Letter 03

Introduction:

Shalom in our Lord’s Name! It’s been a while since I last posted a missionary letter. We’ve been frequently sharing our news with prayer supporters on various group chats. Recalling that our ‘senior missionary’ Paul wrote 13 missionary letters, I’ve been writing missionary letters as consistently as I can in the mission fields of Tanzania and Paraguay. And now, while writing this third UK missionary letter, I am realising that “writing a missionary letter is also a spiritual battle.” In this letter, we would like to share the news of our visit to Korea for two months (17th July – 13th September) to diagnose and treat Peter’s chest pain, and an ‘embarrassing dream story’ he had early yesterday morning (3rd October).

‘Spiritual Warfare’ and Peter’s chest pain

Spiritual warfare is about confronting the kingdom of Satan. The place of spiritual warfare is the scene of our daily life. We received a UK minister-of-religion visa (3 years) in the fall of last year (2022) prior to entering the UK. However, upon arrival at Heathrow Airport, I was ‘stopped’ by the immigration officer and interrogated for over two hours for no reason. Upon entering the UK, I soon suffered from severe flu for two weeks. Then, since November, I have continued to experience chest pain almost every day during the hours of early morning prayers. I was even taken to the emergency by 999 ambulance twice, and admitted to hospital twice (4 days), undergoing various cardiovascular tests, but each time was diagnosed with no abnormalities. Finally, we decided to go to Korea to diagnose the cause of the chest pain and also to receive treatment at Severance Hospital in Seoul.

Final diagnosis after month-long cardiac tests at Severance Hospital: ‘There is nothing wrong with the heart.’

On July 25th, I presented all my NHS medical records to a cardiologist at Severance Hospital. They conducted all kinds of heart-related tests for one month, including echocardiography and myocardial tomography (MIBI). The result was that there was ‘nothing wrong with the heart’. Hallelujah! I am so thankful to God. I finally asked the cardiologist a question. “So what is the cause of my chest pain?”. The specialist doctor who does not believe in God said, “There could be a psychological factor.” What immediately struck me was, “It’s a spiritual factor.” In fact, I never had chest pain during the two months I visited Korea. Dear readers of the Missionary Letter, please pray.

Our everyday lives: the locus of spiritual warfare.

Satan hindered us as we entered England, preparing to fight against the dark forces and evil spirits that are spread widely and deeply throughout the UK. For many years, whenever I cried out and inteceded for the Church in Britain, I often experienced severe spiritual pressure and a sense of heaviness. A good friend of mine who lives in the US (who is also a pastor and a medical doctor, and also specialises in Eastern medicine) diagnosed my current condition as ‘acute sickness of the heart’.

“Lord! Let us be wise like a snake, to discern the times, and to be more and more spiritually equipped to destroy the stronghold of the enemy! Let us stand in solidarity with other prayer warriors praying for Britain, and let a powerful early morning prayer movement arise all at once throughout Britain. Amen!”

Luton street evangelism carrying a large wooden cross: ‘All who looked upon the bronze serpent lived’ (Numbers 21:9)

Our Cross Mission family is based in Luton, one of the most notorious places in the UK. As soon as we arrived in England, we joined the early morning prayer movement at St Hugh’s Church (Luton) and also in Bushey Baptist Church (Watford). We have also started street evangelism at George Street in the central Luton, carrying a large wooden cross on the shoulder. Twice a week, walking the streets of Luton carrying a large wooden cross and preaching while singing hymns is the happiest time for us. The heart of our God the Father, who sent His Son into the world, is poured out into our hearts. (Romans 5:5, “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.”) Receiving all kinds of insults, ridicule, and contempt actually becomes pure joy.

“Father! Have pity on those on the streets of Luton who are living without any hope! As in the days of Moses in the wilderness, when, “anyone who looked upon the bronze serpent lived” (Numbers 21:9), let it be so in the streets of Luton! Amen Amen.”

“The golden age of life is 60-75 years”; Visit to Professor Kim Hyeong-seok Memorial Hall (Yanggu, Gangwon-do, 1st September)

During the two-month visit to my home country, I had the pleasure of encountering Professor Kim Hyeong-seok (born in 1920, 104 years old) on two separate occasions. The first time was on Thursday 27th July, at the Korea Christian Union Center Auditorium. After the service commemorating the 50th anniversary of “Korea Presbyterian Newspaper”, Professor Kim gave a special lecture titled “Korean Society and Christianity.” He sat up straight and spoke coherently for 1 hour and 30 minutes without script and showing no sign of fatigue. The audience of about 500 people who filled the auditorium listened intently and with incredulous expressions. Even though he was over 100 years old, you wouldn’t guess it. One thing that stuck with me during Professor Kim’s lecture was: “Don’t be limited by a denomination’s doctrine, but become someone who is able to work more broadly for the country and the society!” After that day, I again had the pleasure of encountering Professor Kim’s life by taking a peek at the ‘100 Years of Life’ exhibition displayed in Professor Kim’s honour. “People who do not age emotionally are those who continue to study and read.” As I suspected, Professor Kim was a lifelong reader and a master of note taking.

Truly a ‘strange dream’: “Pastors must become renewed every Lord’s Day” (Park Yun-seon):

This is a story about a strange dream I had several hours ago. Last night (October 3), I woke up early in the morning, having had a truly strange dream. I was invited to give a sermon at a large church in Chungcheong Province. I couldn’t remember what I was preaching about. It was as if I was sleeping through the sermon. After the sermon was over, I walked down from the pulpit, and both the moderator and the church leaders had dark expressions on their faces. My heart sank. Aha! I must’ve really blown the sermon! As I slowly walked out of the church, the congregants passing by around me looked at me with cold eyes, as if they felt sorry for me. “Oh poor pastor!” “How could someone like that be asked to preach at our church?” I was so scared and embarrassed that I wanted to hide in a rat hole. Ah, how grateful I was to wake up from that dream and realise that it was only a dream! Ever since I became an evangelist and a preacher, I have been preaching at churches across the country for over 30 years. Every time I preach from the pulpit, I am filled with great joy and exaltation, revelling in the deep presence of the Holy Spirit. And today, on the last day of the monthly ‘3-day tithing fast and prayer’, what is the meaning of this dream?

“Heavenly Father! Please help me stay awake every moment of every day with hymns/prayer/Scriptures!!” Amen Amen!

from London England, Peter & Esther Bae