"Certainly I will be with you"

When God called Moses, Moses responded,

"Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"

At that moment, God assured Moses, "Certainly I will be with you ...."

(Exodus 3:9-12).

During my tenure as an associate pastor at Victory Presbyterian Church,

after exactly one year of ministry, feeling deeply disappointed, I expressed to God,

"I can no longer build Victory Presbyterian Church," and fled to Korea, much like Jonah.

However, about two years and six months later,

during a Church Renewal Pastors' Association (CRPA) training session, through a guest pastor,

I heard the words of Jesus in Matthew 16:18, ‘I will build My church,’

and through the powerful work of the Holy Spirit,

I was not only convinced of the promise that Victory Presbyterian Church

is the Lord's church and that He Himself will build it, but I was also compelled by that word.

Consequently, on December 21, 2003,

I was led back to Victory Presbyterian Church in the United States and appointed as the senior pastor.

Like Moses, I once questioned,

"Who am I that I could build Victory Presbyterian Church?

I can never do it," and fled.

To the one who said, ‘Indeed, James, you can never build My church.

I will build My church,’ the Lord who made this promise has been with me

for more than 20 years, leading me

and allowing Victory Presbyterian Church to come this far.