42 Days of the Word Driven Life

By Soungyell Choi

Forty-Two Days of the Word-Driven Life is a collection of many of the Bible’s lessons and stories with a focus on seven major themes: faith, prayer, worship, relationships, service, mission, and the Word.

These themes will help you grasp the most essential values for living as a Christian. As you read, you’ll consider questions such as:

• How can you prepare your heart before a personal meditation each day?
• What must you do daily to receive greater grace from God?
• How can you assess your current spiritual condition?
• What missteps are some churches making that are hurting their holiness?

If we hope and strive to live a life led by the Word, God the Holy Spirit will help us in our weakness. Surely, the Word will not only lead us to glorify God but also will lead us to live a blessed life.

Inspired by The Purpose-Driven Life by Pastor Rick Warren, this addition to Christian literature will help any church or Christian reignite their faith and walk closer to the Lord.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jun 30, 2022
• ISBN: 9781664268838

Soungyell Choi

Soungyell Choi began his church ministry as an educational evangelist at age twenty. He is the pastor of the Korean Presbyterian Church of Korea. While he has lost his wife to cancer and a daughter to a heart attack, he has never blamed God or lost his faith in the Lord. He continues to spread God’s Word.

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Copyright © 2022 Soungyell Choi.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica, Inc. TM Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-6881-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-6882-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-6883-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022911132

WestBow Press rev. date: 6/21/2022

CONTENTS

How to Use This Book

Setting Report

Part I. A Life Led by Faith

Day 1, Monday: Faith in God as the Creator

Day 2, Tuesday: Believe That God Loves You

Day 3, Wednesday: Faith in Jesus Christ as Your Saviour

Day 4, Thursday: Faith in the Holy Spirit’s Communion with You

Day 5, Friday: Faith in the Existence of Heaven and Hell

Day 6, Saturday: Believe That the Bible Is the Word of God

Sunday: Group Study

Part II. A Life Led by Prayer

Day 7, Monday: The Importance and Power of Prayer

Day 8, Tuesday: Prayer Is Fellowship with the Lord

Day 9, Wednesday: Prayer Must Be Answered

Day 10, Thursday: Repeated Prayer and Faithful Prayer

Day 11, Friday: Intercessory Prayer for Others

Day 12, Saturday: Ability to Pray in Thanksgiving

Sunday: Group Study

Part III. A Life Led by Worship

Day 13, Monday: The Sort of Worshippers God Is Looking For

Day 14, Tuesday: Miracle Worship

Day 15, Wednesday: Why the Order of Worship Is Important?

Day 16, Thursday: Your Attitude and Posture towards Worship and Praise Time

Day 17, Friday: What Happens When You Sing/Praise?

Day 18, Saturday: Live Your Life as Worship

Sunday: Group Study

Part IV. A Life Led by Relationship

Day 19, Monday: Love with God

Day 20, Tuesday: To Make the Family Happy

Day 21, Wednesday: Are You on Intimate Terms with the Members of Your Church?

Day 22, Thursday: Colleagues Are from God

Day 23, Friday: Make Friends with Those Who Do Not Know Jesus

Day 24, Saturday: Respect People of Other Religions

Sunday: Group Study

Part V. A Life Led by Service

Day 25, Monday: Live a Life of Diakonia

Day 26, Tuesday: Becoming Salt and Light

Day 27, Wednesday: Can You Serve God with Material Things?

Day 28, Thursday: Serve Your Neighbours with Material Things

Day 29, Friday: Respect and Serve the Leaders God Has Established

Day 30, Saturday: Don’t Just Hope for the Church but Serve the Church

Sunday: Group Study

Part VI. A Life Led by a Mission

Day 31, Monday: You Are a Missionary Too

Day 32, Tuesday: Embracing the Nations of the World

Day 33, Wednesday: Evangelism Is Not a Gift but a Command

Day 34, Thursday: Stewardship Is a Privilege, Not a Burden

Day 35, Friday: Join a Small Group and Revitalize Together

Day 36, Saturday: Be a Disciple and Make Disciples

Sunday: Group Study

Part VII. A Life Led by the Word

Day 37, Monday: The Word Is God

Day 38, Tuesday: Read and Meditate on the Word Every Day

Day 39, Wednesday: Commit to Learning the Word

Day 40, Thursday: The Word Requires Obedience

Day 41, Friday: The Word Is More Powerful Than You Think

Day 42, Saturday: The Word Gives You the Ability Interpret Life

Sunday: Group Study

TRANSLATOR’S NOTE

When Pastor Soungyell Choi asked me to translate his book Forty-Two Days of the Word-Driven Life, Pastor Rick Warren’s book The Purpose Driven Life automatically came to my mind. I remember receiving a lot of grace and joy through individual and group Bible study via this latter book. One of its strengths was that it did not stop at just one Bible study; it also gave me the joy of meeting God again with a new heart at any time I read it.

While reading and translating Pastor Soungyell Choi’s book, I experienced more than the emotions I had felt from reading The Purpose Driven Life. Forty-Two Days of the Word-Driven Life has the seven themes of faith, prayer, worship, relationship, service, mission, and the Word. If you get lost in any part of your life in relation to these themes, feel free to reference that respective section. Each section will guide you on what to do and make your life abundant. My favourite part of this book is its rich and vivid testimonies. There were moments when I smiled, laughed, and cried by putting myself into his situations and thinking of God’s amazing love and different plans. I notice that practical theology stands out in Forty-Two Days of the Word-Driven Life because it shows how a Christian should live and how God works in the author’s life. I admire the author, who went through a lot like Job but kept strong faith with perseverance. His messages are very powerful and strong, and they make me reflect on my life. I am convinced that this book will continue to help me live a Christian life faithfully, as it will do for you.

As the author wishes, I pray that we all re-experience God’s amazing love and that we repair any broken relationships with our neighbours by practising that love. With this book, I am convinced that we can make the beautiful world God dreams of.

This book was published first in Korean and was then translated into English. I thank the Lord for giving me the honour of translating this precious book as the first translation work of my life. I hope that the author’s messages are delivered clearly to everyone. Give all glory to the Lord!

With a grateful heart,

Minhee Kang

PREFACE

We are regenerated as children of God. The old has gone and we have become new beings.

What Has Passed and What Has Become New?

First, our identity has changed from a child of the Devil to a child of God. Ontologically, beings who were dead and bound for judgement can inherit eternal life. Functionally, humans, who are bound to live helplessly as slaves of sin, now obtain the power to become children of God and the ability to overcome the power of the Devil and display all kinds of power. But we humans do not realize it. Although some may attend church and claim to be Christian, it is not uncommon ( 49466.png ) to see these same people living without casting off the old self. Knowing these weaknesses, God allowed us to live life as His children, gain eternal life, and live as true humans. This is how the Bible describes it in 2 Timothy 3:15–17: And how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The Bible not only leads us to fulfil the purpose of creation, but also leads us to live out the will of God. In particular, living with the biblical worldview is not an option but a mandate to live as a true Christian. The process and result make a huge difference depending on which worldview and values the person lives with. Therefore, Christians must examine their lives and the world they live in with the biblical worldview and apply the Bible’s values as their own values of knowledge (知), affection/emotion (情), righteousness (意), and good deeds (行). Living out the biblical values not only glorifies God but also is the only way to live humanly as God’s creation.

If such is the case, then shouldn’t it be necessary to first look into the Bible’s vast number of lessons and stories for what humans need most?

Forty-Two Days of the Word-Driven Life is a collection of many of the Bible’s lessons and stories, but these are discussed within the context of seven major themes: faith, prayer, worship, relationship, service, mission, and the Word. These themes help us to grasp and come to know the most basic and essential values for living as Christians. This book is designed to help church members engage in personal study by reading daily for seven weeks and gathering together in small groups on the seventh day of each week to learn and share under the guidance of a pastor. After a total of forty-two days of study, individually or together, the final checks and tests are conducted to reassess the overall biblical values, once again on the final day of the week. Church leaders should guide themselves to read and study daily, organize the themes once a week, and give their congregants one more time period to help establish a healthy and upright Christian foundation.

This book is designed to evaluate one’s spiritual condition by way of self-assessments for each subject. Details are attached in the section How to Use This Book. Forty-Two Days of the Word-Driven Life seeks for all Christians in the world to have biblical values and become mature to live as salt and light in the world. If we hope and strive to live a life led by the Word, God the Holy Spirit will help us in our weakness. And surely, the Word will not only lead us to glorify God but also will lead us to live a blessed life.

One thing to note is that this work is not theological but religious, written to edify the lives of the saints. I did my best to make it easy for everyone to read and understand. I made efforts to record the most common knowledge about faith. Today’s churches and Christians sometimes choose to act in ways inconsistent with common knowledge, which may harm the holiness of the church and cause it to become a mockery to the world. God has super common knowledge, and at the same time He has common sense. Since God loves the church and at the same time loves the sinful world, I believe that the Bible is not only our property, but also a means of communication through common sense in the world. I begin Forty-Two Days of the Word-Driven Life with the hope that Christians will keep living lives led by the Word and have a good influence in the world.

In particular, I am grateful for the prayer and encouragement of the church members who acknowledged me as a leader and followed me so far to help create this book. The twelve planting members who devoted their youths to church planting with me are the protagonists of this work. I am also grateful to other church members who are my strong supporters. I express my gratitude for my son, Shin Hyun, who grows steadily despite the loss of his mother and sister, thereby providing me with more motive and strength to live.

I would like to express my gratitude to Deacon Minhee Kang for helping me by challenging and encouraging me to start writing this book while she was studying in a doctoral programme in leadership. Also, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Elder Sungjae Lee of the Western Presbyterian Church of Toronto, who provided financial support so that this book could be published and used by God.

My siblings who stood by my side like comrades in a warlike life endured and prayed together. I would like to express my gratitude to my older sister Eunah Choi, my younger sister Kkotnim Choi, and the young pastor Daeseung Choi, all of whom became co-workers. I dedicate this book to my late wife Miyoung Lim, who inspired my life and ministry and became a flower of heaven by the Lord’s call, and to my late daughter Yebon Choi, who was a true worshipper.

I start this book with a prayerful heart so that everyone who delves into it will begin and achieve a life led by the Word.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

Forty-Two Days of the Word-Driven Life is structured for six days each week of individual meditation, and leader and small group study every Sunday. For a total of seven weeks, you will study forty-two topics. The last Sunday consists of a forty-two-day journey with a full-scale review and final tests. There is a brief private prayer suggestion in the book that may be helpful for you to prepare your heart as you begin your personal meditation each day. I am confident that if you follow the instructions and read each topic, afterwards worshipping and meditating on it, you will receive much greater grace.

1. Decide on a time and a place to do this study.

Set aside thirty minutes each day and find a place to focus on the contents of this book. The best place is a quiet one without distraction. It is wise to inform your family or acquaintances of your intention in advance so they do not to interrupt you.

2. Create a setting report.

Once the time and place are decided, record the place and time in the Setting Report (provided), then record three headings concerning the subjects to pray about for forty days. Moreover, as you begin this study, record your desired goals and initial accomplishments. This can serve to ensure you that you have the help of the Holy Spirit, who guides you according to your wishes and desires.

3. Determine how to conduct your individual study (total time required: 30 minutes).

• Praying (time required: 3 minutes)

This is the time to ask for help so that the Holy Spirit will enlighten you. When you study the subject, ask for help so that your wrong beliefs and personality flaws will be corrected immediately, then the things you read will be a great help in your life, bringing wisdom. At the beginning, commit the three decided-upon prayer topics to the Lord.

• Reading the scripture (time required: 2 minutes)

Read the entire assigned scripture slowly and carefully, with the main scripture provide every week and the supplemental scripture provided daily. The main scripture is to be read six times a week. This is also a verse to recite.

• Reading the content (time required: 17 minutes)

Slowly read the content provided each day, taking your time to underline the important parts. Make notes in the book when necessary as you read thoroughly.

• Write a diary entry (time required: 5 minutes)

When reading the content, write down any newly acquired ideas, as well as things that confirm what you already know. When a question arises, write it down so you can ask your leader.

• Closing prayer (time required: 3 minutes)

Pray that the insights you gain today will become your values and will benefit your life, then finish your study.

4. Know how to conduct a group study (total time required: 1 hour 30 minutes).

• Each page discussing the Sunday group study is geared towards the group leader.

• Worship and praise together (10 minutes).

Sing the theme song every week and pray for God to be with you in today’s meeting. Intercede for the saints with the leader. Also, set aside a time to put up three prayer topics to pray to God.

• Read the recitation verse (5 minutes).

You can shorten the time by writing the recitation verse on a small piece of paper and submitting it. However, in a small group, it would be effective to have each person take a turn reciting.

• Review (40 minutes).

The leader organizes the theme for the week, reviews important points that laypeople need to know more about, mentions more in-depth material relating to the content, and points out the main topic.

• Personal sharing (20 minutes).

Give time for groups of two or three people to share what they have learned for the week. Also, check the chart on the last page of the lesson and share your assessment score for the week.

• Question and answer period (10 minutes).

Spend some time sharing the questions you had during your individual study session that week. It would be nice to share all the questions, but at least two or three people should ask representative questions, with the leader giving appropriate answers.

• Closing prayer (5 minutes).

This is a time to pray and ask for help in applying the main points of the week’s topic to one’s life and faith, and to entrust the week’s personal study to the Lord in prayer.

5. Do a self-assessment.

• This study is designed in such a way that you read the topic each day and determine your self-assessment score.

• Find out how many points out of 10 you score each week. Then add the scores from each day together on the sixth day of each week. The highest possible score for each week is 60.

• Next, check the diagnostic chart provided in the last chapter of this book. Do this every week. At the end of the seventh week, you can connect the dots on the chart and see what shape your spiritual state is in. And once you know in which areas you are vulnerable, you can work harder on those areas. The person who leads the group study should supervise the checking of the diagnosis score every week.

The assessment scoring is as follows: 1–3 points (need significant improvement); 4–5 points (need some improvement); 6–7 points (need a little more improvement); 8–10 points (healthy/excellent).

6. Keep the following additional information in mind:

• When conducting the study put forth in Forty-Two Days of the Word-Driven Life, it is best to do it twice a year. The group study time can be adjusted according to the circumstances of each church, and it is recommended that groups consist of no more than twelve people. If there are too many participants, choose groups of the recommended number of people to participate by following a different schedule.

• It is recommended that each participant work with his or her own copy of this study book. It is also good practice to encourage the congregation to give out a certificate of completion and hold a ceremony after the completion of this seven-week programme. Since the study is not intended to be done only once in a lifetime, those who have completed the study previously are encouraged to participate again every three years. Those who have completed this programme more than three times qualify to lead the small groups, which will benefit the growth of the church at a different level. It will also be beneficial for one’s personal growth.

SETTING REPORT

My personal study time: ___ hour(s), ___ minute(s)

My personal study place:

My prayer topic (write down the topic you will pray to God about for forty-two days over a seven-week period):

1.

2.

3.

My goals and resolutions:

PART I

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A Life Led by Faith

Without faith it is impossible to please God, because

anyone who comes to him must believe that He

exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

—Hebrews 11:6

DAY 1, MONDAY

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Faith in God as the Creator

A ll objects that exist in the world are things that someone designed and manufactured with a purpose and a use in mind. The more complex and elaborate the items are, the more valuable they are and the more they become scarce, some even priceless in terms of value. Even inanimate objects have such a purpose. When scientists claim that humans are the result of spontaneous random occurrence without purpose, they rob humankind of its dignity. The claim that inorganic compounds gave rise to organic compounds, which gave rise to single-celled organisms, which then separated into various species in various environments, evolving repeatedly to eventually become humans, is less likely than hundreds of millions of airplane parts being scattered and then assembled into an aircraft capable of flight after spending tens of millions of years in the natural environment.

Not only humans, but also all living things that exist in the universe are carefully designed. The process is calculated, with a starting point from which everything proceeds with the movement of energy. The atomic-sized world, which is the basis of all things, is filled with mysterious and elaborate physical properties. It is hard to believe that such a thing happened by chance. Quantum physics proves that all things in the universe could never exist except for the design, operation, and providence of some omnipotent being.

If we are Christians or want to be Christians, the very foundation of our faith must start with our belief in what is stated in Genesis 1:1: God created the heavens and the earth. If this foundation is shaken, then the belief in the existence of God, the object of our faith, and all the faith built upon it is also shaken. In my life of faith, I have met people who have asked me to prove that God exists. Let’s think about it: We are people of faith, not people who come together to do science. Science is to prove, but faith is to confess. The faithful are people who are immersed in the mystery of knowing, not just believing, but believing and knowing.

To say there is no scientific proof of God is like asking me to prove that my parents are my real parents. I have lived my life trusting they are my real parents. Although genetic testing is available, we do not have the ability to decipher the results. When we were born, we can’t tell just by looking at the faces of our parents that they are our real parents. It is a kind of faith that leads us to believe that they are our real parents. The same thing goes for faith in God.

There are various ways to use apologetics for those who ask, Prove that God exists. Basically, faith is not about seeing and believing in proven facts. Faith begins when we confess with our hearts that God lives, even though we lack explanation and understanding. After that, our faith is realized through the words that we hear and read and through the experiences of life. Therefore, faith is not a proof; it is a confession. Do not try to do science; start with faith. Certainly, human beings were by no means created by chance. God created human beings in His image. So, God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27).

God reveals this fact. The human is a special creature created by God, his Creator, in His image. To be made in God’s image means to be like God. This has a much deeper comprehensive meaning that transcends the mere resembling of what was already in existence: we have God’s character, God’s power, God’s shape, God’s function, and God’s relationship. God made us humans to be a little less than Himself. You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor (Psalm 8:5). David’s confession tells us how wonderfully we were created.

Even with a simple probabilistic calculation, each of the approximately one hundred and fifty million to two hundred million sperm from the father’s body has different characteristics and genes. One of these sperm fertilized an egg and we were born. If another sperm had met the mother’s egg, we would not now exist in this world. How amazing is that? It is not possible for a sperm to fertilize an egg and give rise to a child for no reason, a child who exists on this earth by chance. God sent the child to this earth through the body of its parents with a meticulous plan and high purpose. Therefore, we all exist because of God through our parents. We come not from parents, but from God.

Colossians 1:16 declares that all things in the world are made through God without exception. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. It takes faith to make this confession. Human beings are designed and created by God with a special purpose. Since we have been sent to the world, we must first realize that everyone who lives on this earth is precious. Regardless of our race, academic background, possessions, health, or ability, ontologically we are all beings who resemble the image of a noble God. Therefore, all human beings must have equal dignity. It is a violation of God’s purpose for creation to discriminate against someone else. It is the result of unbelief that one denies God as Creator.

How did God create this world? The Bible says that in the beginning, God created the world only with the Word (Logos/Λόγος), not in any other way or with some other material. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and this Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. John 1:1–3 records that Jesus Christ, the Logos, participated in creation with the heavenly Father in the beginning. This means that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, that is God, who is the Trinity, created all things (pas/πας), including humans.

The writer of Hebrews also confesses that He is the Creator of all things in the world, just as there are architects for all the houses we live in. For every house is built by someone, God is the builder of everything (Hebrews 3:4). All things, which is repeated over and over again, is πας in Greek, and it refers to everything, including humans. All things in this world created by the Word (Logos) can be restored after the Fall only if they are recreated by the Word. As we will discuss later, through the Word, we can be rebuilt, that is the old person will die and the new person will be born again. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" (2 Corinthians 5:17, emphasis added).

Do you still believe that we and all things in the world arose by chance? Take a close look at everything around you. If any of these things