Pastor Kim speaks from his own experience of seeing God work mightily through prayer and expresses amazement at God’s mercy toward him as a sinner. One area in which he has seen the power of prayer is in dealing with adversaries and enemies.
Christians will encounter enemies in life, and Pastor Kim emphasizes that these enemies are not necessarily limited to the unbelieving world. Satan can influence people who profess to be saved believers, causing them to turn against other Christians. Therefore, believers should not assume that every enemy will come from outside the church.
Pastor Kim speaks from his own experience of being attacked online by people who profess to be saved believers. Some have opposed dispensational truth, while others have opposed the church and the gathering of believers for encouragement and service to the Lord. He says that, over the years, he has seen what he regards as remarkable answers to prayer when enemies have attacked the ministry.
However, he warns against responding to enemies in the flesh. The natural reaction is often to want God to attack the enemy. Instead, Pastor Kim says that there are important steps that must come first.
The Greatest Enemy Is Yourself
When someone opposes or attacks the believer, Pastor Kim says the first person who should be examined is not the enemy but oneself. He explains that when he receives opposition, he seriously examines himself before God:
“Lord, is there something that I am wrong about that I need to repent of? Show me from Your Word.”
The believer must first ask whether there is something wrong in his own life. This allows him to respond correctly even if he ultimately determines that he has not done wrong. The response should not come from hatred or fleshly vengeance. This is an important principle in praying concerning enemies: before asking God to deal with someone else, examine your own heart.
How Christians Should Treat Their Enemies
Romans 12:19-21: “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”
The Christian response to an enemy is therefore not supposed to be a fleshly impulse of vengeance and anger. God says that vengeance belongs to Him. Instead, believers are instructed to show goodness toward their enemies.
Pastor Kim explains that when he prays concerning his enemies, one thing he asks is that God would shed His goodness upon them. However, he distinguishes between asking God to bless someone’s life and asking God to bless a ministry that is promoting error. His desire is that the person would receive God’s goodness in a way that leads to repentance.
Romans 2:4: “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?”
Pastor Kim’s emphasis is that the desired outcome is repentance. He does not want wrongdoing to prosper; he wants the person to turn from the wrong and get right with God.
Love Your Enemies
Matthew 5:44: “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”
The believer therefore has to ask an important question when dealing with an enemy: Is there love in the way I am responding?
It is easy to become intimidated, angry, or frustrated when someone attacks you. But Pastor Kim emphasizes that the believer should not desire that the person ultimately perish in hell. The desire should be that the person repents, gets right with God, and is saved.
Who Is the Enemy?
When anger and vengeance begin to rise, the believer needs to recognize the danger of allowing the flesh to take control. The goal should be that the person who is attacking would repent rather than be destroyed eternally.
At the same time, Pastor Kim warns against going to the opposite extreme. Some Christians become so focused on showing love and goodness that they become passive in the face of serious attacks. He argues that there are circumstances in which a believer must take a stand, not agreeing with pastors of wrong doctrines.
Taking a stand does not mean responding in hatred. It means refusing to allow wrongdoing to continue unchecked while still keeping the proper spiritual attitude. Pastor Kim describes the need for balance. He emphasizes that God is both loving and wrathful, and Christians must not reduce God to only one of these attributes.
Leave the Judgment in God’s Hands
Pastor Kim explains how he prays concerning people who attack the work of the Lord:
“Lord, have them repent. Do whatever it takes where their ministry will not attack Your work and Your name.”
He leaves the manner in which God deals with them in God’s hands. Whether God shows them goodness or brings circumstances that stop their harmful work, the believer should allow God to determine how the matter is handled. The important thing is that the prayer is not driven by personal vengeance. The matter is placed into God’s hands.
Pastor Kim describes his own experience of seeing what he considers to be striking answers to such prayers. He also acknowledges that not every hardship should automatically be interpreted as God’s judgment. Everyone experiences hardship and persecution, and believers should be careful about assuming that every negative event is a direct judgment from God.
Nevertheless, he describes several circumstances involving people who had attacked his ministry and says that some negative events occurred soon after he prayed concerning them. He recognizes that not every coincidence can automatically be called God’s hand, while also questioning whether everything should simply be dismissed as coincidence.
Study the Bible
Pastor Kim then returns to the importance of being filled with the Holy Spirit and knowing the Word of God. It is not enough merely to claim that one holds the truth of the Bible. The believer must actually study it. He emphasizes that studying means comparing Scripture, examining passages carefully, researching the subject, and considering the complete teaching rather than relying on a short clip or isolated quotation.
Pastor Kim warns against forming conclusions about a person or teaching based on a few seconds of an edited video. If someone believes that a teaching is wrong, that person should examine the actual material, look at the Scriptures being used, and study the matter carefully. Study requires more than watching one video or hearing one person’s accusation. It requires going through the material carefully and continually researching the Scriptures.
He argues that spiritual discernment requires both the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. People who refuse to study can remain confused about who is right and who is wrong.
Examine Yourself Honestly Before God
Pastor Kim again emphasizes that believers should examine themselves before assuming that the problem lies entirely with their enemies.
The questions should include:
- Have I examined myself?
- Have I repented where I was wrong?
- Am I walking according to the flesh or according to the Spirit?
- Am I genuinely seeking God’s will?
He stresses that God is not wicked. A person who comes to Him honestly and sincerely in prayer does not need to live in fear. The Lord is able to protect His children.
Pastor Kim speaks humbly about his own imperfections. He acknowledges that he is a sinner saved by the grace of God and that he himself is not above failure. This is precisely why he says that he comes before God with fear and trembling rather than assuming that everything he does is automatically right.
Beware of Pride and a Cultish Mentality
Pastor Kim warns that pride can produce a dangerous mentality within a ministry.
When people become arrogant, they can begin to believe that their particular movement or group possesses the entirety of truth. When others oppose them, they may become controlling, imitate a particular leader, or begin treating that leader’s teaching and personality as though everything revolves around him.
Pastor Kim describes this as a cultish and dangerous mentality, particularly when a movement consists of only a small number of churches and begins to assume that all truth revolves around itself. He acknowledges that Bible believers may be relatively small in number, but he argues that this does not mean that truth is confined to a tiny group of churches. Bible-believing Christians and ministry leaders exist around the world.
He also distinguishes between people who merely watch online and become argumentative or troll-like and ministry leaders who are actually being spiritually fed, functioning within the church, and growing.
Biblical Examples of Strong Words Against Error
Pastor Kim acknowledges that the Bible itself contains strong language against false teaching and serious error.
For example, Paul wrote strongly against those who preached another gospel:
Galatians 1:8-9: “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”
Paul also used very strong language concerning those who were troubling the churches:
Galatians 5:12: “I would they were even cut off which trouble you.”
There are also occasions when Paul instructed the church to exercise severe discipline:
1 Corinthians 5:4-5: “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”
Paul likewise named individuals whom he had delivered unto Satan:
1 Timothy 1:19-20: “Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.”
Pastor Kim uses these passages to demonstrate that taking a stand against serious error is not inherently wrong. However, the believer’s spirit and purpose in doing so remain important.
God Gives Grace Before Judgment
Pastor Kim emphasizes another principle: before judgment, God gives grace. He asks whether believers themselves give people the opportunity to repent or whether they immediately become angry because someone has opposed them. The believer must remember that everyone is human, everyone falls into sin, and people can be deceived. Therefore, grace should be extended first. When grace is rejected continually, judgment may follow.
In Matthew 27, Jesus preached judgement to the Pharisees, “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” He however always prioritized grace first, giving them a chance because of human nature.
Pastor Kim points to the present age as an example of God’s patience. Despite blasphemy and persecution, God continues to extend grace. His point is that Christians should reflect this same principle when dealing with enemies: seek repentance first rather than immediately seeking destruction.
Jesus Showed Compassion Even While Proclaiming Judgment
Jesus could speak very strongly about judgment, yet He also demonstrated compassion.
Luke 23:28-31: “But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?”
Pastor Kim emphasizes that Jesus understood the coming judgment, yet He still had compassion for the people.
Then, even while being crucified, Jesus prayed:
Luke 23:34 “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.”
Pastor Kim considers this one of the greatest statements Jesus made concerning those who opposed and crucified Him. This becomes a model for how Christians should pray concerning their enemies.
Pastor Kim says that his own prayer is essentially: “Lord, please forgive them for their iniquity. Have them repent.” The reason is that God does not desire the destruction of sinners.
2 Peter 3:9: “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
Pastor Kim emphasizes that judgment and hell are real, but destruction is not what God prefers. His desire is for repentance.
That becomes the test of whether the believer is responding in the flesh or in the Spirit: Do you want your enemy to repent?
Stephen’s Prayer for Those Who Were Killing Him
Stephen boldly confronted the religious leaders and delivered a strong message against them. Yet when they actually stoned him, Stephen prayed for them.
Acts 7:59-60: “And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”
Pastor Kim sees a significant balance in Stephen’s example. Stephen did not compromise when preaching against error, but neither did his strong preaching eliminate his love and compassion for the people themselves.
Why Pastor Kim Preaches Hard
Pastor Kim acknowledges that some people may find his preaching upsetting, particularly when he speaks strongly against false preachers and wrong doctrine.
However, he compares his approach to Stephen’s. He believes that a person can preach uncompromisingly while still loving the people being corrected. He says that even when he strongly rebukes false prophets or false teaching, he genuinely wants God to show them mercy, forgive them, and bring them to repentance. He does not want them to continue glorifying or reveling in sin.
The purpose of strong preaching, therefore, is not supposed to be personal hatred. The desired result is repentance and restoration.
Pray According to the Name of Jesus
Pastor Kim then explains that prayer concerning enemies must be made according to the name of Jesus.
He points to Paul’s example of church discipline and emphasizes that it was done in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 5:4: “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,”
The believer should therefore seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit, grounded in truth, and right with God before acting in Christ’s name. Do not pray the Lord’s name in vain.
Pray for God’s Glory
A second principle is that prayer concerning enemies should be centered on God’s glory.
Pastor Kim refers to Moses and the way Moses appealed to God’s reputation among the nations when pleading for Israel.
Numbers 14:13-16: “And Moses said unto the LORD, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them; And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou LORD art among this people, that thou LORD art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night. And thou wilt kill all this people as one man: and the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying, Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness.”
Moses was concerned about God’s name and glory.
Pastor Kim says this should also be the believer’s concern. It should not ultimately be about protecting one’s own name or reputation. The focus should be God’s name and God’s work.
This Is Not My Ministry
Pastor Kim repeatedly emphasizes that the work does not ultimately belong to him.
He speaks about the importance of the church, fellowship, gathering together, encouraging one another, and serving the Lord. He stresses these things because they are connected with God’s glory rather than merely his own ministry. He therefore prays concerning enemies in this way: because the work belongs to God and because God’s name is at stake, he asks the Lord to deal with those who attack His work.
He warns those who attack the ministry to be careful because, this is not simply “Gene Kim’s ministry.” It is the work of the Lord. At the same time, this realization produces fear and humility in Pastor Kim himself. He acknowledges that he still makes mistakes and imperfections online. Because of that, he says that he approaches God with fear and trembling rather than assuming that he is incapable of error.
Fear God and Keep Trying to Do What Is Right
Pastor Kim describes situations in which people attacked him and other Bible believers. He recounts circumstances in which individuals who had opposed the ministry subsequently experienced difficulties. He does not claim that every coincidence can automatically be identified as an act of God’s judgment. Nevertheless, he describes these experiences as sobering reminders that Christians must take the work of God seriously.
The proper response is not pride. It is fear of God.
Pastor Kim says that he continues trying to teach what is right while recognizing his own weakness. He asks God to keep filling him with the Spirit and using him according to His mercy and grace.
The focus remains God’s work, not human greatness.