Hey, I was not buying his Dreck by the case and selling it,
unlike one WELS pastor.
I was an LCA pastor at the time, invited to speak there.
"'But Honey, I've got all these five million dollars inside of me. They're growing now! Oh, inside me it's growing.' Suddenly those five million dollars had turned into a small pebble on my palm." Paul Yonggi Cho, with a foreword by Dr. Robert Schuller, The Fourth Dimension, 2 vols., South Plainfield, NJ: Bridge Publishing, 1979, I, p. 27.
"I count it a great honor to write these words as a forword to this exciting book by my brother in Christ, Paul Yonggi Cho. I am personally indebted to him for spiritual strength, and for insights I have received from God through this great Christian pastor. I was ministering to his huge congregation in Seoul, Korea...." [Dr. Robert Schuller] Paul Yonggi Cho, with a foreword by Dr. Robert Schuller, The Fourth Dimension, 2 vols., South Plainfield, NJ: Bridge Publishing, 1979, I, Hebrews 11:1.
"I believe that the Bible in its original text is the inspired Word of God and is the infallible final authority on faith and methodology." [Note the distinction made by Lindsell in The Battle for the Bible. And although Cho talks in this section about living a moral life, he does not talk about the crucifixion of Christ for the forgiveness of sin.]
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 10. See Battle for the Bible, p.
"In some parts of Asia, people still worship their ancestors. Christianity cannot be accepted by many because it does not teach what the position of one's ancestors are I then shared how the Bible taught us to honor our parents. This did not mean to worship them but to simply hold them in high esteem. God did not want only to honor them while they are still alive, so we could assume that it was not a sin to honor them even after they had passed on to glory. Abraham was still held in high esteem as the father of faith. This gave the spy the ammunition he was looking for. He publicly accused me of being a false teacher and teaching idolatry."
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 101. See Christianity Today article
"After praying for him, I taught him the principle of visions and dreams. I said, 'Go back to your bakery, Mr. Ho. Begin to see its success. Start to count the money in the empty cash register and look at all of the people lining up outside to get into your crowded store.' Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 107. "Then I was startled by the very distinct voice of God: 'Son, I am going to heal you, but the healing is going to take ten years.'"
Dr. Paul Yonggi Cho with Harold Hostetler, Successful Home Cell Groups, Plainfield, NJ: Logos International, 1981, p. 11.
"Set Realistic Goals Let us take a pastor who has a congregation of three hundred members. Set a definite goal of one thousand. Place that goal before the Father and begin to dwell on that goal. Become obsessed with the idea of one thousand members. When you preach on Sunday, see one thousand members in front of you. When you have done that, you are ready to start planning."
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 111.
"I then said, 'Lord, do you really want me to pray in definite terms?' This time the Lord led me to turn to Hebrews, the eleventh chapter: 'Faith is the substance of things,' clear-cut things, 'hoped for.' I knelt down again and said, 'Father, I'm sorry I made a great mistake, and I misunderstood you. I cancel all my past prayers. I'll start all over again....' I was praising the Lord, and sure enough, when the time came, I had every one of those things. I had exactly all the things I had asked for - a desk made out of Philippine mahogany; a chair made by the Japanese Mitsubishi Company, with rollers on the tips so that I could roll around when I sat on it; and a slightly used bicycle, with gears on the side, from an American missionary's son."
Paul Yonggi Cho, with a foreword by Dr. Robert Schuller, The Fourth Dimension, 2 vols., South Plainfield, NJ: Bridge Publishing, 1979, I, p. 12, 17. Hebrews 11:1.
"Years ago, as I was traveling back from a speaking tour in Europe, the Holy Spirit spoke within my heart, 'Go home and begin a new organization dedicated to the emphasizing of church growth!'" Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 121.
"Years ago, as I was traveling back from a speaking tour in Europe, the Holy Spirit spoke within my heart, 'Go home and begin a new organization dedicated to the emphasizing of church growth!'" Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 121.
"There is no question in my mind about the fresh emphasis the Holy Spirit has brought on the subject of church growth. Church Growth International is not a denomination or a movement limited to one particular type of church. Church Growth International is an organization created to serve the needs of all church leadership throughout the entire world."
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 121.
"C.G.I. is meeting with evangelical Christian leaders from all parts of the world."
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 124.
"I have received direction from the Holy Spirit concerning the manifestation of the kingdom of God in this earth. The church is to be revived before the second coming of the Lord."
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 124.
"Pastor Robert Tilton of north Dallas recently shared with me his story. Pastor Tilton is a member of our C.G.I. television board along with some of the most successful ministers in the United States He is a strong supporter of the C.G.I. ministry."
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 128.
"Through much praying, the Holy Spirit spoke to Dr. [Jess] Moody's heart to become familiar with our ministry. Since then, we have become close friends and Dr. Moody is on our C.G.I. advisory board." [First Baptist, Van Nuys, California. Pastor Jess Moody. Featured in Newsweek cover story, December 17, 1990.]
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 129.
"Through much praying, the Holy Spirit spoke to Dr. [Jess] Moody's heart to become familiar with our ministry. Since then, we have become close friends and Dr. Moody is on our C.G.I. advisory board." [First Baptist, Van Nuys, California. Pastor Jess Moody]
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 129.
"Pastor Stanley of the First Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, came to Korea two years ago with his associate. I did not realize that Dr. Stanley was a noted leader within the Southern Baptist denomination. When he came to Korea, he kept a low profile. He simply said, 'We have come to pray and to learn.'"
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 129.
"In January of the year, I spoke at a Faith Seminar in Winter Haven, Florida. Pastor Quinten Edwards hosted this conference in his beautiful new church which seats over four thousand. Dr. Edwards is also a member of our C.G.I. television board. While at this seminar, the Holy Spirit spoke to me, 'My son, you are to touch every pastor and church leader in this country. Although I give you permission to speak to all Christians, your main task is to share from your heart those things that I have spoken to you with pastors and church leaders.'...Some told me that the anointing of the Holy Spirit was so powerful, they could hardly stay in their seats."
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 131.
"Spirit without Word causes fanaticism. Word without Spirit causes 'stagnatism.' A proper balance of both will cause dynamic church growth." [See A. Hoenecke on Spirit and Word]
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 139.
[To bank president]: "'Pick up the phone and call the police. Ask about the name Yonggi Cho, and you'll find he is the pastor of the larrest church in Seoul...He can have all of them transfer their bank account to your bank for the new year. I will do this tremendous favor for you if you do one for me...' 'You write me a $50,000 check,' I told him."
Paul Yonggi Cho, with a foreword by Dr. Robert Schuller, The Fourth Dimension, 2 vols., South Plainfield, NJ: Bridge Publishing, 1979, I, p. 145.
"Years ago I remember praying, 'Lord, I only have 50,000 members. Who will ever listen to me when I speak of church growth?"
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 15.
"When I began my ministry in 1958, I knew nothing about goal setting. So I used all kinds of gimmicks to bring in new members."
Dr. Paul Yonggi Cho with Harold Hostetler, Successful Home Cell Groups, Plainfield, NJ: Logos International, 1981, p. 162.
[When Cho did not get a table, a chair, or a bicycle he had been praying for]: "'Yes,' God said, 'I have given them to you potentially. But you have been asking them of me in such vague terms that I cannot fulfill your request. Don't you know there are a dozen kinds of tables, a dozen kinds of chairs and a dozen kinds of bicycles? Which ones do you want? Be very clear. I have so much trouble with my children, because they keep asking me and asking me and asking me, yet they themselves do not know what kind of thing they want. Make your request very specific, and then I'll answer."
Dr. Paul Yonggi Cho with Harold Hostetler, Successful Home Cell Groups, Plainfield, NJ: Logos International, 1981, p. 163f.
"Today I know that the capacity for God's answer depends on the size of the pipe in which we give Him the opportunity to work. If the size of my pipe is small, the blessings are only going to trickle down; but if through faith I have increased the size of that pipe, the blessings will pour down."
Dr. Paul Yonggi Cho with Harold Hostetler, Successful Home Cell Groups, Plainfield, NJ: Logos International, 1981, p. 165f.
"So I set a very clear goal of 150 members, and I wrote it down on a paper and put it up on my wall...I began to eat with 150. I slept with the number 150 in my dreams. I was living with 150 members in my heart...."
Dr. Paul Yonggi Cho with Harold Hostetler, Successful Home Cell Groups, Plainfield, NJ: Logos International, 1981, p. 166.
"The second of these principles is dreaming. You have to have a goal, yes. But if you don't dream, you will never reach that goal. A dream (or vision) is the basic material the Holy Spirit uses to build anything for you. The Bible says, 'Where there is no vision, the people perish' (Proverbs 29:18). When you don't have a vision, you don't produce anything."
Dr. Paul Yonggi Cho with Harold Hostetler, Successful Home Cell Groups, Plainfield, NJ: Logos International, 1981, p. 168. Proverbs 29:18.
"We can never be any more than we dream of being."
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 18.
"The Sunday worship service at Yoido Full Gospel Church will bring you to your knees. Someone has described it as 'A burning bush experience.' When you visit the center of so many miracles at the world-famous Prayer Mountain, you will have time for personal meditation and prayer."
Dr. Paul Yonggi Cho Invites you to the 13th Annual Church Growth International Conference September 28-October 6, 1992 Yoido Full Gospel Church, Seoul, Korea Dr. Peter Wagner, Fuller Theological Seminary, p. 2.
"All of the books you've read, tapes you've listened to, lectures you've attended, are no substitute for actually experiencing Korea and the CGI conference first-hand!!! (exclamation marks in the original) When you actually see it, you will understand what Dr. Cho has been talking about...and how it really works. You will also discover what many of the churches in Korea and around the world have discovered..that the same methods and principles, when applied, succeed wonderfully in church growth anywhere!"
Dr. Paul Yonggi Cho Invites you to the 13th Annual Church Growth International Conference September 28-October 6, 1992 Yoido Full Gospel Church, Seoul, Korea Dr. Peter Wagner, Fuller Theological Seminary, p. 2.
"Then I said, 'Close your eyes. Can you see your husband now?' 'Yes, I can see him clearly.' 'Okay. Let's order him how. Until you see your husband clearly in your imagination you can't order, because God will never answer. You must see him clearly before you begin to pray. God never answers vague prayers... They were happily married in that church, and on their marriage day her mother took that paper written with the ten points, and read it publicly before the people, then tore it up."
Paul Yonggi Cho, with a foreword by Dr. Robert Schuller, The Fourth Dimension, 2 vols., South Plainfield, NJ: Bridge Publishing, 1979, I, p. 20f. "
Now the way to deal with a sickness, I learned in medical school, is not just to treat the symptom but to get at the root cause. The sickness is a nongrowing church. The root cause is the leadership's lack of vision for the church by failure to fellowship with the Holy Spirit."
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 22.
"Right now I have a vision of 500,000 members in our local church by the year 1984. I wake up with the vision of these people filling my mind and when I go to bed they are just as real as if I were preaching to them today. At our present rate of growth and with our building program underway, I have no doubt that the vision will become reality in the time period which has been allotted."
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 23. TE God-willing passage
"If anyone had told me as a child that I would be used by God to build the largest single congregation in history, I would have simply laughed. I was a devoted Buddhist and had no intention of changing."
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 24.
"Learning how to coordinate colors and dress conservatively need not be expensive, but it will make a great difference in the way others hear what you have to say."
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 25.
"Then the Lord distinctly answered me, 'Yes, that is your idea. My idea is to use the women.'"
Dr. Paul Yonggi Cho with Harold Hostetler, Successful Home Cell Groups, Plainfield, NJ: Logos International, 1981, p. 25.
"They had a clear-cut goal - to have a son...Eventually God gave them a promise, and when they received the assurance, God immediately changed their names: 'You are no more Abram, but Abraham, the father of many nations'...Abraham protested to God, 'Father, people will laugh at us. We don't even have a puppy in our home, and you mean you want us to change our names to 'father of many nation,' and 'princess'? My, all the people in town will call us crazy."
Paul Yonggi Cho, with a foreword by Dr. Robert Schuller, The Fourth Dimension, 2 vols., South Plainfield, NJ: Bridge Publishing, 1979, I, p. 28f.
"Sometimes we pray that God would do something in our church and then we stand back to see what God does. This is a great mistake. If God is going to work in the church, he is going to work through us." [Note that He is not capitalized by Cho.]
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 29.
"Sometimes we pray that God would do something in our church and then we stand back to see what God does. This is a great mistake. If God is going to work in the church, he is going to work through us." [Note that He is not capitalized by Cho.]
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 29.
"An American minister came to my church several years ago to speak. He began by decrying the North Vietnamese and the horrors of the Vietnam War. Although this was a topic of interest to the American Christians, it had little relevance to our Korean members. Few knew that I was adding my sermon to the one that was being preached in English as I interpreted. After the meeting, the visiting preacher was so pleased with the response he received from my members. He never knew that they had not heard his sermon."
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 33f.
"Pastor, you can't just release all of these women to lead and not give them any training,' one of the women said to me. 'You have to train them. You have delegated your authority to us. You should delegate your sermons, too. You should not let any of us preach our own sermons.'"
Dr. Paul Yonggi Cho with Harold Hostetler, Successful Home Cell Groups, Plainfield, NJ: Logos International, 1981, p. 34.
"Since the spiritual world hugged the third dimension, incubating on the third dimension, it was by this incubation of the fourth dimension on the third dimension that the earth was recreated."
Paul Yonggi Cho, with a foreword by Dr. Robert Schuller, The Fourth Dimension, 2 vols., South Plainfield, NJ: Bridge Publishing, 1979, I, p. 39.
"A cell group is the basic part of our church. It is not another church program--it is the program of our church."
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 42.
"The promise of the Holy Spirit giving the ability to prophesy was not a promise to just men but also to women...I also noticed that women were more loyal and faithful than men in the ministry of Jesus...My advice to you then is, 'Don't be afraid of using women.'"
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 43f.
"We have many different types of cell groups. I have found that there is a basic sociological principle which must be maintained in order for them to be successful. The principle is one of homogeneity."
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 44.
"Donald A. McGavran, who has been called the father of the modern church growth movement, states in Understanding Church Growth, 'Men and women do like to become Christians without crossing barriers' (p. 227). This experienced scholar and missionary states many examples of the homogeneous principle working in his research throughout the world."
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 46.
"Normally, my ministry on television and radio is geared to reaching the lost with the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. However, in America, the Holy Spirit showed me that I was to reach the church with the message of church growth."
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 59.
"Since I travel a great deal speaking at Church Growth International Conferences, my television ministry naturally developed as a travel program."
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 60.
"I believe that as American Christians see what God is doing through the ministry of Church Growth International, they will want to participate financially."
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 64.
"So if you don't agree with me on divine healing, don't get offended, love me--you might learn something. I hope you never have to change your mind because you need divine healing."
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 86.
"The Book of Acts is not a book of theology, it is a history of the early stages of the church of Jesus Christ. It clearly shows us some principles of revival."
Dr. Paul Y. Cho (with R. Whitney Manzano), More Than Numbers, Waco: Word Books, 1984, p. 94. Acts
***
GJ - I was told to go to Paul Calvin Kelm's evangelism week, when I received the call to Shepherd of Peace in Columbus, Ohio. Floyd Luther Stolzenburg and Roger Zehms, both newly divorced, were also there. They had a Church Growth panel discussion, with David Valleskey speaking, among others. When one of them went into C-gasms about Paul Y. Cho, I challenged them about promoting a known occultic leader kicked out of the Assemblies of God for false doctrine.
Larry Olson, DMin Fuller, wrote later that his buddies smirked at me for that remark. One WELS pastor went to a campus chaplain's meeting where CG materials were passed out and one leader sold Cho books from a case he brought along. Mmm-mmm: that has done wonders for WELS.
