A completely revised and expanded edition of the best-seller!
Duranno's 40th anniversary commemorative cover edition!

『John Bevere's Obedience』, which was first released in Korea in 2002 and has been loved as a steady seller for nearly 20 years, has been reborn with a new look.
There have been revisions and additions throughout the book, with the addition of a section titled "Questions to Share in Community Groups" and Chapter 15 entirely new.
The text of the Bible was also changed from the existing Revised Korean Version to the Revised Version.
I recommend this book to those who have already read it but want to examine their lives with this message again, to those who want to read and share it with their community, and especially to those who feel a sense of rejection towards the word “obedience,” to those who say, “I don’t want to hear it because it seems too obvious, and I’ve been hurt enough by the leaders of my family, church, workplace, and country.”
Is obedience really an anachronistic idea?

Adam and Eve lived before God, fully conscious of Him.
Eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil meant finding a source of knowledge of good and evil outside of God.
This can be said to be the principle of logical judgment.
Now they had no need of a God to rule over them.
This is because they have developed a sense of right and wrong within themselves.
So the first question God asked them after the fall was, “Who told you…” (Gen. 3:11).

God does not ask for information.
When God asks something, it is to call us to what He has to say.
God already knew that they would eat the fruit of that tree and speak with their own wisdom.
They exchanged obedience for logical judgment.
God actually said this:
“Now you have found the source of your knowledge of right and wrong outside of Me.
It is clear that they ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”
--- p.78

The fact is that the cause of the suffering, illness, problems and hardships that people experience is not necessarily disobedience.
There are many people who suffer even though they live obediently.
David was such a person.
David had not done anything wrong or disobeyed that would incur the wrath of his superior, Saul.
Yet he was driven out and lived in caves, deserts, and wilderness.
I lost my home and my country.

I wandered for a long time, enduring many hardships.
Some say it was because David was disobedient, but in reality, God's hand was forming a new king, and God's grace was upon his life.
Any discerning person can see and feel it.
This can be clearly seen from the wisdom God gave to David.

There are many people who suffered while being obedient, including Jesus, Joseph, Hannah, Daniel, Jeremiah, and Job.
The difference between the suffering of an obedient person and the suffering of a person who is caught up in witchcraft is that the obedient person grows spiritually.
Such people are neither banging their heads against the wall in vain nor wandering around in circles in vain.
Cain's story is different.
Cain suffered greatly because of his disobedience.
However, Cain was upset and did not repent.
As a result, he was cursed and lived his entire life as a fugitive.
Cain's wanderings, aimless and hopeless, are an example and a warning for future generations.

Now, I would like to conclude.
Never use the truths in the last two chapters to judge others.
The suffering they endure may ultimately be a test that will glorify God.
The goal of this chapter is to help us realize how serious a problem it is to disobey God's authority.
If you are currently disobeying God, use this truth to judge yourself and get back on track.
--- p.120~121

We can influence our leaders through humility, obedience, and prayer.
That is the opportunity God has given us.
When God's people humble themselves, pray, and turn from their wicked ways, God hears from heaven and heals the land.
One example is the establishment of a godly leader, as seen in the Book of Judges.
The New Testament proclaims:
“Therefore I urge, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people—for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior” (1 Timothy 2:1-3).

Our current leaders are influenced by our prayers.
Its influence can extend to nominating and electing leaders.
However, while all of these are possible, there are exceptions.
The early church saints and apostles often encountered cruel and merciless authorities who persecuted them.
They did not suffer because they lived ungodly or did not pray.
Because such leaders also had a role to play in God's plan of redemption.
--- p.139

It's sad to hear that some churches see a decline in attendance when the pastor is away.
This is what happens when people don't understand true authority.
If the mind is right, the congregation can receive equally well from the associate pastor, evangelist, or outside lecturer.
This is because those people were appointed and established by the pastor.
A pastor is someone who stands in place of Jesus.
This is not a character contest, but a question of the authority a person has been given, and when we trace that authority back to Jesus, we reach Him.
This is a story that can be easily understood if you understand the authority of the Kingdom of God.
--- p.185

I am heartbroken every time I hear of women who misapply the command to obey unconditionally to mean obey unconditionally.
We also heard of a bizarre case where a believer husband made his wife watch pornographic videos for sexual arousal.
However, the wife followed suit, saying that there was no biblical reason to object.
I know of cases where husbands have asked their wives to do things that are dishonest for their own good.
Of course, his wife followed suit.
I also heard a story about a husband who forbade his wife from going to church.
That wife also really stopped going to church.
Such demands should not be obeyed.
Because it goes against the Bible.
… … (omitted) … … Even David, a mighty warrior, left the palace and went to live in the wilderness when Saul threw a javelin at him.
Yet, he did not lose his respect for Saul's authority.
Even while David was fleeing from Saul and waiting for Saul to truly repent or for God to judge him righteously, he remained steadfastly submissive to Saul's authority.
--- p.197

It is not our place to comment on the leader's decisions or judge their consequences.
That is the job of the one who put that person in a position of authority.
If the Israelites had been asked to judge Moses' decision, Moses would have been judged unfavorably, and the people would have returned to Egypt.
In the future, leaders will be judged and we will be judged too.
Leaders are judged more harshly than we are for the decisions they make.
So Jesus warned:
“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, from him they will ask more” (Luke 12:48).
James also warned, “My brothers, not many of you should become teachers, knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment” (James 3:1).
On the other hand, we are judged on our obedience.
Because authority comes from God.
To rebel against the authority delegated by God is to rebel against God's authority.
We should not prejudge whether a leader is right or wrong.
We must not judge even after death.
That is God's work.
Only God knows the human heart and can change it according to His will.
--- p.210~211

There must have been some disciples in that attic who did not agree with Peter's methods.
In fact, it is a better choice to follow Jesus' example and seek God's will first.
Rather than hastily settling the situation by appointing an apostle who was not even called by God, even by drawing lots, it would have been right to ask God first.

But even if there were a better way, the people gathered in that attic knew how to see the higher way.
The way was to maintain 'unity' by accepting the leader's method, and everyone followed Peter's opinion as if it were 'their own opinion'.
But how often do we find ourselves divided over the most trivial of differences of opinion on method?
It is impossible for there to be division over doctrinal issues such as when Jesus will return—before, during, or after the Great Tribulation—yet how often does such division occur?
The pastor is protesting because he is wearing jeans instead of a suit.
They object to the smoke and lighting devices that create special effects during worship.

People complain that the sermon is too long or too short.
Complaints that the church does not pray enough or at all about certain issues.
For example, there is no limit or end.
It breaks my heart to think how easily we divide.
But there is another worrying fact.
The point is that not all divisions are easily recognizable.
The Bible repeatedly commands us to be united not only in action but also in heart.

--- p.286~287