Grand Prize at the 41st Korea Christian Publishing Culture Awards
『From Paul』 Missionary Choi Jong-sang's long-standing masterpiece!

Four letters from Paul to modern Christians
The first is eight pastoral advice for pastors.

This book can be said to be an old masterpiece by missionary Choi Jong-sang, the author of “From Paul.”
For the author, who received his doctorate in Romans, Paul is also a model of faith he wants to follow.
The author is also a pastor and a missionary, and above all, his life as an evangelist is also in line with this context.
When the author published “From Paul” last year, he decided to write a series of letters titled “From Paul to Us,” which he had been pondering for a while.
Although it was a long-time plan, the actual writing was prompted by many people asking after the book was published, “What would the Apostle Paul say if he met us today?”
As stated in the preface, the author decided to write a book on this subject 13 years ago.


In this context, rather than highlighting Paul as a single person, this book can be seen as a concise description of Paul's "evangelism and mission as a Christian" to Christians of this age through the letters he left behind.
This book, subtitled “Letters from Paul,” is the first of four volumes to be published.
The four volumes are divided into four target groups: pastors, believers, missionaries, and seminarians, and letters to pastors are received first.

In the series "Letters from Paul," we will describe in letter form what the Apostle Paul would say if he were to deliver a message of encouragement and challenge to Christians living in this age.
In general, the Pauline letters were addressed to believers, including church leaders, and were written based on the situation faced by the first-century churches.
Therefore, finding messages for "me" living in the 21st century in his letters, especially for "me" in each of the positions of "pastor," "believer," "missionary," and "theologian," may not be as easy as one might think. Therefore, I have organized the letters into four volumes, each addressing a specific role.
『Paul the Pastor to Pastors』, 『Paul the Apostle to Saints』, 『Paul the Missionary to Missionaries』, 『Paul the Theologian to Theology Students』.
In this series, we have collected the messages that the Apostle Paul shared with each ministry.
However, it was nearly impossible to clearly distinguish them by position.
Because the Apostle Paul alone assumed various roles, and because Paul's letters were pastoral, missionary, and theological at the same time, and because these elements were complexly intertwined, some overlap in content and subject matter was inevitable.
However, I wanted to focus on describing who I am speaking to.
Reading all of the Epistles from Paul, as they are interconnected, will provide a comprehensive understanding of Paul's apostolic, pastoral, missionary, and theological teachings.
--- From the "Series Preface"

No matter what your situation, never forget that Jesus is the Lord and Head of the Church.
A pastor is a steward entrusted with the work of an institution belonging to the Lord.
A worker who is entrusted with the ministry of serving, teaching, and caring for the saints who have become God's people.
This is why we cannot be negligent in the slightest and must serve the Lord and the saints with all our loyalty and devotion.
Pastors are in the best position to rectify and serve the church and its members.
If pastors serve with dedication and guidance from the Holy Spirit, they will be able to powerfully accomplish good and eternal work.
So, through this letter, as someone who has walked the same path as you, I would like to share with you the principles and practices of pastoral ministry that I have learned, experienced, and taught.

--- From the "Prologue"

Pastor, when you leave or retire from the church you serve, I pray that you will experience the blessings I experienced in Miletus.
And through this experience, I have a word of advice for the pastor.
Prepare for a heartbreaking farewell in your ministry.
Pastor, consider how you will part ways with the congregation. The reason I'm asking you to prepare a beautiful farewell from the beginning of this letter is because it will serve as a beacon to keep you on the right path of ministry.
This does not mean that we should look at people's faces or do ministry to satisfy them.
I'm not asking you to be kind to me as a human being.
You will know that the respect and love you have earned through faithfully serving God and the saints has made this heartbreaking farewell possible.
--- From "Chapter 1"

You should not think of pastoring as a job, nor should you do it as a profession.
You must pour your heart and soul into pastoral work.
Because we are called to work for God, the Lord of heaven and earth, and for the souls He loves.
You must run well until the end towards the goal.
If you think you are standing still, you may stumble, so be on your guard until you return to the Lord (1 Corinthians 10:12).

There is no easy ministry.
As a pastor, there are many times when I don't receive the gratitude and recognition I deserve.
There are some unfair aspects to it.
But rather, we should take it for granted.
Even Jesus was not recognized.
I, too, have had many more difficult and challenging days than not.
Now, since the Bible contains many of my letters and the Book of Acts tells of my ministry, I think many people think that I served with great respect and recognition.
But that wasn't the case.
Rather, “you have become like the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now” (1 Corinthians 4:13).
Those things that could have been privileges and things to be proud of, I first considered as excrement (Philippians 3:4-8).
I'm not showing off what I've put down.
When we think about the blessings and mission the Lord has given us, we can put down anything, and it is natural to do so.
I bless you to become a pastor who serves the Lord and the saints with holiness, humility, and truth.

--- From Chapter 2

When pastors carry out their ministry, they often become conscious of others and pay excessive attention to how others evaluate them or their ministry.
However, it is enough for the Lord's servants to do their best and be faithful in the work the Lord has entrusted to them.
If something doesn't go well, you don't have to beat yourself up or feel discouraged.
The results and evaluation of the ministry are for God to judge.
If you have worked faithfully in your own way while praying before God, there is no need to be overly conscious of others.
There is nothing to boast about, nothing to make excuses for, nothing to explain, and nothing to be ashamed of.
There is no need to compare yourself to others.
Rather than being conscious of the eyes of others and those around us, we need to focus on the Lord's guidance and voice.

--- From Chapter 4

In a pastor's ministry, co-workers are primarily ministers who serve the church together.
They are neither 'assistant pastor' nor 'non-assistant pastor'.
They too are workers who have entered the path of ministry by obeying and dedicating themselves to the Lord's calling.
It is the pastor's job to create conditions for ministry so that they can voluntarily be loyal to the Lord and the church.
You must become a mentor who helps and builds up your students to work with dedication, following their example.
We must ensure that the experience and training they gain from working with the pastor will be useful to them in their future roles.
It would be good if the apostles could support the ministers like Barnabas, who assured me when I was not convinced of my conversion.
Entrusting ministers with preaching in public worship is both a ministry and a form of training.
It would be a good idea to have them attend key meetings, such as church council meetings, to demonstrate how the church is administered and operated, as well as how crisis situations are discussed and addressed.
--- From Chapter 5

Pastors are also encouraged to frequently mention the core content of the gospel to their congregations during sermons and lectures.
Often, believers assume that they have already received the Lord and been saved, and sermons are often given primarily to change their lifestyle, cultivate knowledge of the Bible, or provide comfort and strength.
Unlike the early church, many people in modern churches attend worship services but are still unbelievers who do not believe in Jesus or do not know exactly what the gospel is.
Despite the limitations of being able to deliver only one message at a time, pastors are encouraged to regularly preach the gospel, always keeping in mind non-believers when preaching.
Even among believers in Jesus, there are those whose maturity and knowledge are still like that of children.
There are believers who believe in Jesus, but are not sure of the specific content of the gospel or are not able to explain it well to others.
We need to compensate for these weaknesses and strengthen their faith by repeatedly telling them the core message of the gospel.

--- From Chapter 6

Pastor, please do not serve only the sheep within the fold called the church.
Take an interest in and seek out the Lord's other sheep who have not yet joined us.
I urge the pastor himself to seek out the lost sheep, and also to lead the church to become a place where he can teach and mobilize the congregation to seek out the Lord's sheep who have not yet joined the fold.
If you have been filled with the Word, prayer, and the Holy Spirit through worship, you should not keep that fervor confined within the church and its members, but rather connect it to evangelism in your daily life during the week.
Senior pastors are most distressed by the poor reality of churches that are experiencing lack of growth and financial difficulties.
That is why we emphasize the need to evangelize to the saints.
That's right.
You can't grow without evangelizing.
The Lord said, “Compel them to come in, that my house may be filled” (Luke 14:23).
The biblical model is to pioneer through evangelism and grow through evangelism.
The person who can bring about change so that the church becomes an evangelistic church is the pastor.
In evangelism, we should not shout “Charge forward!” but rather set an example by saying “Follow me!”

--- From Chapter 7