FORT WORTH, Texas (BP)–Korean students led chapel at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Billy Kim, former pastor of a large South Korean church, delivered the morning’s sermon.
Southwestern has one of the largest enrollments of seminary students from Korea, including 249 on the Fort Worth main campus this semester.
During chapel, students heard music from the Korean Praise Band and Tom Song, associate professor of church music at Southwestern, and they received greetings from Joseph Koh, pastor of Suwon Central Baptist Church in Seoul, Korea.
Kim, president of Far East Broadcasting Company, is the former president of the Baptist World Alliance and pastor emeritus of Suwon Central Baptist Church. He retired as pastor of the church last year after serving 45 years and seeing the membership grow from 10 to more than 15,000 members. Kim also served as the translator for Billy Graham during his 1973 crusade in South Korea.
Preaching from 2 Timothy 2:15 during the Oct. 10 chapel, Kim exhorted students to be compassionate workmen when dealing with souls and the lost world.
When they finish their education, he said, they will go out into “a competitive world, a busy world, a merciless world and an unfriendly world. It is also a rich world. Do not let the world’s wealth and pleasures distract you from your foremost concern, which is compassion for the lost.”
Kim reminded students that America has been blessed by God more than any other nation but the blessings will come to an end and God will send His judgment.
“I believe the only thing that will overcome the world and reach the lost is compassion on the part of Christians,” he said.
Recounting his salvation experience, Kim told of how an American soldier during the Korean War took a personal interest in him while he was working as a houseboy for the soldier’s outfit. Though Kim was unsaved, the soldier saw potential in Kim and convinced him to come to the United States to receive a Christian education. While enrolled in undergraduate studies in South Carolina, Kim prayed to receive Christ as his Savior after a fellow student witnessed to him.
Kim also pointed out that Christian workmen must know the power of prayer.
“Prayer is the key to being a successful workman,” Kim said. “Prevailing prayer brings perpetual power. If we are to know the secret power we must have a life of prayer and communion with God.”
He then admonished seminarians — Korean students in particular — to set the example of prayer at Southwestern.
“May this great institution be marked as an evangelistic seminary and a praying seminary,” Kim said. “That through this great institution revival will spread across this great nation.”
Following chapel, members of the Korean Student Fellowship hosted a Bulgogi Fellowship, or barbeque meal, for the seminary community.
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