Korean evangelist Kim Yoonsup was strong and over six feet tall, hut several policemen were trying to make him bow to a shrine in the corner of the police station. They tried to bend his body over the back of a chair; hut he refused, and ended up lying on the floor and kicking like a baby, just to keep from bowing! The policemen kicked him in the head and body and ripped his clothes, but it didn’t do any good. He knew it was wrong to bow to any god but Jehovah. This was before World War II, when the Japanese army had taken over Korea, and everyone was required to worship in Shinto shrines. The police were determined to break Kim, and arrested him over and over again. They tortured him, argued with him, and told him he could be free if he’d just bow. His little four-year-old boy would cry his heart out each time his father was led away. Finally, when Kim was imprisoned for the eighth time, he couldn’t take it any more, and wanted to die. He decided to kill himself; but just as he was trying to do so, a guard came to take him to be examined again by the police. As he was led along, Kim found that he didn’t even feel he could pray to God for help, after the sin of trying to commit suicide. Being out of touch with God, Kim was helpless; so when the police ordered him again to bow, they were amazed and delighted to see him do it right away. He even put his stamp on a statement which said it was not wrong to bow to a shrine. The police then set him free to do as he pleased, but Kim went out and wept bitterly, just like Peter in the Bible. Kim resigned his church work, confused and broken. What could he do, now that he had given in? How could he lead others? He finally went to talk to another preacher, Bruce Hunt, who reminded him that God could forgive any sin; Kim didn’t have to add his goodness to what Jesus did for him. Kim turned his eyes to Jesus alone, and asked for forgiveness. Since he had truly repented, Kim wrote to the police to say that he shouldn’t have put his stamp on that statement.

The Lord strengthened him to do this, even though he knew it would mean more trouble. And, sure enough, about a month later, Kim was arrested again. This time he was treated so badly, and became so sick, that the police called his wife to come and take him home to die. She found him lying on the frozen ground, too weak to move. But he recovered at home, and kept right on preaching and encouraging his brothers in Christ. When somebody asked him how he could keep going, he said, “When I became a Christian, I died with Christ. And once you are dead, what men do to you cannot hurt you.” In 1941, Kim was arrested for the tenth and last time. Since he was very good with his hands, he could have had a special job fixing machines. But he would have had to work on the Lord’s Day, so he chose instead to take a poorer job in the prison. The Lord Jesus Christ gave him strength to obey Him and think of others before himself. Even though he wasn’t given nearly enough food for his big body, he usually gave half of his meal away to other prisoners. He became sick and weakened more and more. Finally on May 3, 1943, he died in prison, happy to go to see Jesus, who had suffered and died for him a long time before.”