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THE HEART OF PAK(A Korean Boy)

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FOREWORDThe Korean language

edition of The Heart of Pakhas been a most belovedstory among the youth andthe adults in Korea.Hundreds of thousands ofcopies have been printed, andyet hundreds of thousandsmore have been requested tomeet the demand.

So many Christians haveasked that the story might bereproduced in English thatthis new edition is now madeavailable. May it bless ouryouth as it is blessing thepeople of Korea.

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Pak was a little Korean boy. One day as hesat in the middle of a street in Korea, playingwith some stones, a tall kind-looking manhappened by. After a brief conversation, thegentleman said, “Pak, do you know Jesus?”“No,” answered Pak, “I don’t know Him.Who’s He?”

The missionary-man went on to explainthat many, many years ago Jesus was born in amanger. Though He came in such poorcircumstances, angels sang at His birth andwise men came to worship Him. Pak listenedcarefully, and his heart was deeply touched.Pak knew what it meant to be homeless. Healso knew what it meant to be cold andhungry.

The kind gentleman went on to tell howJesus grew to be a man. Pak was so surprisedto learn that Jesus never did anything that waswrong or bad. Very patiently the missionaryexplained to Pak that Jesus was God’s onlySon. God loved the whole world so much thatHe gave Jesus to die on the cross and take oursins in His own body.

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“But if He was so wonderful,” spoke upPak, “why did He have to let them make Himdie on the cross?” The missionary explainedthat Jesus, though He had all power, wasobedient to His Father and knew He wasdying for the sins of the world.

“Oh, please tell me more about this Jesus,”said Pak. Together they walked to a quiet,shady place and the missionary began: “Thisis a wonderful story about God’s love. Jesusloves us so much and is anxious to be ourfriend. But there is one called Satan who is theenemy of our souls. He is known as the princeof the power of the air. Today he is seekingwhom he may destroy.

“God’s Word says, ‘Choose ye this daywhom ye will serve.’ ‘How shall we escape ifwe neglect so great salvation?’ ‘All havesinned and come short of the glory of God.’

“Pak, if we could look into our hearts andsee them as God’s all-seeing eye sees, wewould be surprised and ashamed before Him.

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“He made us to be perfect and like Him. Inthis picture we would see the ever-present eyeof God. He sees all we do. He hears all wesay.

“Sometimes, Pak, do you ever think unkindand mean things of other people? Andsometimes have you thought that you werebetter than they? That is called pride andselfishness. Let us put a picture of a peacockto represent pride because, you know, he is aproud and selfish bird.

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“Did you ever get into trouble, Pak, and dothings you knew you should not do? Let usput a picture of a goat to represent this sin,because he is such a reckless and unrestrainedanimal.

“Are you intemperate about eating anddoing things? Let us use the hog as a symbolto represent gluttony.

“Pak, do you ever listen to filthy stories,and do you ever talk against people or listen togossip? That is sin. We will put a toad here torepresent filth and gossip.

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“We don’t like to admit that there is everenvy or deception in our hearts. It is just like aserpent, so we will put this picture of aslithering snake to represent deceit and envy.

“Do you ever get angry, and want to hurtsomebody to pay him back for hurting you?Maybe this tiger is like anger and revenge.

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“And do you ever feel lazy, and don’t liketo obey when you are told to do somethinggood? Could we use this slow, poky tortoiseto represent the times when you didn’t doyour best?”

“Oh, Mr Missionary man, I think all thosesins are in my heart. How can I get rid ofthem?”

“When all these sins are in our hearts,Satan is reigning supreme, and we cannothave real joy or peace with them present. ButGod in Heaven is watching, and the kind

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angel that I am placing here representing thegrace of God would have you to be willing tohear God’s Word. He will send His HolySpirit to help you understand His Word. He isthe one who changes our hearts, and leads usin God’s ways. Pak, the Holy Spirit is just likea beacon that marks the course for airplanes.So we just have this picture representing HisHoly Spirit.”

“Pak, a wonderful thing takes place in yourheart when God through the Holy Spirit takescontrol. Your heart can become a new heartmade clean by the blood of the Lord JesusChrist. If you are willing, Pak, to confess yoursins and ask God for Jesus’ sake to forgiveyour sins, He can make your heart as thoughyou had never sinned. Will you do that, Pak,just now?”

Humbly, Pak sobbed out a confession ofjust the very sins of which the missionary hadbeen speaking. He asked God for Jesus’ sake

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to forgive his sins and make his heart clean.Looking up into the missionary’s face withtears streaming down his own, Pak told howdifferent he felt, how warm inside, and howwonderful. That, the missionary explainedpatiently, was called peace.

“How precious that the marvelous grace ofour loving Lord in the form of a kind angelwas hovering near. The Holy Spirit wasstriving with your heart. When Jesus came inand the light of the Holy Spirit flooded yourheart, all these sins of pride, impurity,intemperance, anger, revenge, filthy storiesand the like could remain no longer,”

Pak, not able to grasp what had happened,the missionary again continued, “Don’t youremember, Pak, how we said that Jesus diedfor your sins? In this wonderful book, theBible, we read, “Behold, I stand at the doorand knock; if any man hear my voice andopen the door, I will come in.” Pak, your heartis just like a room with a door. You used tokeep a lot of ugly, dirty sins in there. It wasJesus whom you heard knocking at your

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heart’s door. He couldn’t get in, Pak, unlessyou opened the door, because you see, thelatch to your heart’s door is on the inside. Youopened the door when you were willing toconfess your sins, and now Jesus has come inand is living and abiding there. That is whyyou are so happy, so different.

“Yes, Pak, this heart of yours is completelydifferent. The sins that have made your heartso ugly and dirty have all departed. Now yourheart is filled with the Holy Spirit. Instead offeeling unkind and mean toward others, youwill find that you love everyone.

“The same all-seeing eye of God is stillpresent. Before, it was seeking in love andanxiety to save your sinful heart. Now God’seye is jealously watching your heart to keep itfrom the fiery darts of the enemy of your soul.

“Pak, the Lord Jesus Christ is now livingand abiding in your heart! Isn’t thatwonderful? You have obeyed God and nowJesus is pleased to dwell within your heart.Jesus is so kind and faithful. He is anxious tobe your constant friend and companion. He

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wants to share your joys and help you bearyour troubles and sorrows.

“With the Holy Spirit flooding your soul,the joy and peace you will have will bewonderful.

“Isn’t it wonderful to have Jesus Christliving and abiding in your heart?

“God is our Heavenly Father. Jesus Christ,His Son, is our Saviour. We are heirs and jointheirs with Jesus Christ. If we are willing topress on for God, we shall inherit all things.”‘Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither haveentered into the heart of man the things thatGod hath prepared for them that love Him.’ (1Corinthians 2:9)

“Now, Pak, since you have a changed heartand have accepted Jesus as your Saviour, youare called a Christian. Just as it is necessaryfor you to eat food each day and keep yourbody well and strong, so you must feed yourheart so you can keep growing as a Christian.Sometimes we say ‘soul’ instead of heart. Thefood necessary to keep your soul alive and

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growing, is the Bible, God’s Word. From it welearn how to grow spiritually. You rememberthat God is your Heavenly Father. To talk toGod is what we call prayer. We talk to Himjust as we would to our earthly fathers. Whenyou eat food, you take it into your body, andnow as a Christian, you are hiding God’sWord in your heart. It makes you grow as aChristian and it keeps you from sinning. Justas God is ever watching and guarding you,just so is Satan watching and provoking you,to try to tempt you to sin. As Jesus loved youand died for you, so He loves all the childrenof the world and wants them to come to Him.(Mark 10:13,14)

“We have just talked about how Satan iswatching you, Pak, and tempting you to sin.You must remember what to do to grow as aChristian. You must faithfully read God’sWord and pray.

“Just as soon as we fail to keep our heartsfilled with God’s Word, and fail to keep aclose relationship with Him, Satan then standsready to tempt us. He causes us to become

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angry and jealous, spiteful, to think impurethoughts, to listen to gossip. He makes us tobe careless and reckless in our living. Allthese and many more sins come into ourhearts and lives.

“Pak, the closer you live to God and themore you have communion with Him, thestronger you will be to withstand Satan as Hecomes to tempt you.

“Sometimes we talk about protectingourselves from Satan by using the wholearmour of God. It is like a war. We gird ourloins with Truth. We have a breastplate ofrighteousness and our feet are shod with thepreparation of the gospel of peace.”(Ephesians 6:13-17)

Just as Jesus died for Pak, so He died foryou and for all the children of the world. Heloves you and wants you to come to Him.

Each day as Pak walks and talks with Godand His Son, Jesus Christ, he experiencesmore joy and peace. He learns how much Godreally loves him. He comes to know what a

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great price was paid that we could come intothe family of God.

Jesus suffered terrible agony on the crosswhere He was placed by cruel men. He couldhave come down from the cross, but He gaveHimself as a sacrifice for all the boys and girlsand the men and women of the whole world.Three days after His death and burial He arosefrom the dead - the Victor over sin and deathand Hell.

Jesus loves the little childrenAll the children of the world;Red and yellow, black or white,All are precious in His sight,Jesus loves the little children of the world.

Boy or girl, man or woman, today Jesus isknocking at your heart’s door. Just as Heentered Pak’s heart and changed him, so Hewould do wonderful things for you. Today isthe day to invite Him. Just now Jesus is sittingat the right hand of His Father, interceding forthose who love Him. (Romans 8:34)

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When He was here on earth, He promisedHe would come again to receive His own untoHimself (John 14:3). To wait to decide aboutHim is dangerous. He could come back todayand then it would be too late to take Him asyour Saviour.

With war and sickness and death all aboutus, not one of us can be certain of tomorrow.Death is the only thing of which we can becertain. To die without Christ would mean tobe lost and apart from Christ Jesus for alleternity. To die in Christ would mean to livewith Him for all eternity. Then we’d worshipHim in the Land where we shall never behungry nor thirsty, where there is no sicknessnor death.

Today, ask Him to come into your heartand fill it with Himself. He will give joy andpeace you have never known.

Into my heart, Into my heart,Come into my heart, Lord Jesus;Come in today, come in to stay,Come into my heart, Lord Jesus.

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REFORMED TRACT DISTRIBUTORSc/o Life Bible-Presbyterian Church

9A Gilstead Road, Singapore 309063.

Reprinted with permission from Bible LiteratureInternational , 625 East North Broadway, Columbus,Ohio 43214, United States of America.