“I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” – Philemon 1:6

In 1884, the Presbyterian Church appointed Dr. Horace N. Allen as the first Protestant missionary to Korea. Dr. Allen arrived in the Korean capital in September 1884. Soon after his arrival, a political Coup d’Etat occurred, where the attackers left Prince Min for dead after brutally slashing him. Dr. Allen was called in when Min was near death and his meticulous care over three months saved the prince’ s life.

This incident gave the royal court great confidence in Western medicine and trust in an American alliance, prompting the court’s greater hospitality towards the missionaries. As a consequence, the Korean government readily granted Dr. Allen’s petition for the establishment of a hospital using Western medicine. The first general hospital was opened on April 10, 1885.

Dr. Allen’s witness opened the doors for other medical missionaries and more hospitals to be built in Korea. A Korean during the early twentieth century said: “Is there a hospital in any part of our country other than those belonging to the Christians where the poor and helpless are welcomed and will be cared for?” Today, nearly one third of South Korean’s population is Christian as a result of Dr. Allen and other’s actively sharing their faith.

The Lord blesses those who actively share their Christian faith with others. Are you actively sharing your faith with others? Today in prayer, thank Christ for your new life in Him and pray that you may share your faith with others.

“Witnessing is the whole work of the whole church for the whole age.” – A.T. Pierson

God’s Word: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” – Acts 1:8

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2001, Devotional E-Mail DEVOTIONS IN TITUS, PHILEMON, AND JUDE pkennedy@devotional.com