Eddie Byun

Summary: A practical guide both advocating for the importance of prayer for our pastors and offering a practical rubric in the form of the acronym PRAYERS.

"I often tell my congregation, “Your prayer support is my life support.” Someone who has been rescued from drowning or is recovering from a serious injury like a gunshot wound may need to be put on life support for a period of time. The injured person doesn’t have the strength to keep going by himself, so he needs the help of something outside of himself in order to allow his body to rest and to be strengthened to health again. In many ways, the pastor is under a wide range of attacks from the enemy. The attacks may come in various forms, such as gossip, criticism, slander, sickness, or even threats. There are days when your pastor feels emotionally burned out, physically exhausted, and spiritually weak. She feels she just can’t go on. These experiences are far too common and come far too frequently. These are the times when pastors need the life support of our prayers to keep them going. You may not know the struggles your pastors face today, but you can know that your prayers will make a difference in their lives" (pp. 22-23).

So writes pastor Eddie Byun in what is both an impassioned plea and practical guide to pray for our pastors. Throughout this book Byun uses both statistics and personal stories to describe the challenges pastors face that leads to so many dropping out of the ministry. He believes that one of the most important things churches can do is to mobilize teams of people to pray for their pastors.

Byun goes on to provide a simple rubric around the acronym PRAYERS to guide those praying for pastors. Each chapter in the book is organized around one letter in the acronym:

Protection: Against temptation, evil, and the enemy and praying through the armor of God (Ephesians 6:14-17).

Rest: For physical, emotional, and spiritual rest, for unhurried times with the Lord, against burnout and for times of refreshing.

Anointing: For growing intimacy with the Lord, greater consecration, and for power to be released in your pastor's life and ministry.

Yielded heart: Daily transformation by the gospel, obedience out of love and gratitude for the cross, trust and obedience, growth in treasuring Christ.

Effectiveness: Wisdom, increased fruitfulness in life and ministry, in people being saved and discipled, and faithfulness to the end.

Righteousness and integrity: A strong foundation in one's life, that all that one does is motivated out of love and honor for Christ.

Strong marriages and families: protection of marriage and family, support in the church to encourage pastor in marriage and family life, and strong discipleship of children with parents who live their faith.

Each chapter fleshes out these themes, provides discussion questions, prayer points, and action plans one may take to form and guide a prayer team. Reading this book challenged me with regard to how much (or little) I pray for my pastor and reminded me of the challenging character of his work as well as how thankful I am for him, and other pastors I've known who faithfully shepherd God's flock.

It also reminded me again how important it is for all of us in ministry to have prayer teams. I am blessed with ten people who have committed to pray for me daily and I truly believe they have been instrumental in God's work through the ministry in which I engage. Byun, in his concluding chapter quotes Deuteronomy 4:7 which says, "What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him?" He observes that while God is always present, there is a special way he is present to people when we pray for them. I know I need this, and I know those who pastor our churches need this. Byun's book makes this case and shows us how we may get started.… (más)

Good books don’t always make you feel good. When an author takes an honest look at some real-life problems which enables you to see the world differently, you appreciate their book and their insights; yet the topic may turn your stomach and cause your heart to ache. This is how I felt reading Justice Awakening by Eddie Byun. Byun examines the very real and heart-rending topic of human trafficking. He is hopeful that the church can combat these evils, but this is not the ‘feel-good book of the year.’ It is one of the best books I’ve read lately on the topic of injustice.

Byun is the pastor of Onnuri English Ministry in Seoul, South Korea. Each year, his congregation presses into a theme which God gives them in prayer. Their theme for 2011 was “Freedom.” but in late 2010 when they chose their theme, Byun was unaware of the significance. As he began to explore “Freedom,” he was given David Batstone’s Not For Sale, a book which describes human-trafficking and the modern slave trade. That set Byun on a trajectory (he is now the founding director of Not For Sale Korea). Justice Awakening shares the insights that Byun has gained as he and his church has worked to combat Human-Trafficking. He also gives practical advice and encouragement for churches which want to get involved in the struggle for human freedom.

This is a short book, the main text of the book is only five chapters long. The first chapter talks about God’s heart for Justice as described in the Bible. Chapter two discusses the continuing existence of Injustice between the cross and the final judgment. Chapter three looks at the modern day slave trade, and the nature of human trafficking around the globe. Byun especially focuses on statistics and stories about Korea (his context) and the United States (where this book was published). Chapter four and five layout the case for the church’s involvement in combating the evils of human trafficking. In addition to these chapters, there are three appendices: Appendix A lists resources on Freedom and Justice, Appendix B is a sample sermon on human trafficking, and Appendix C is a case study which looks more in-depth at human trafficking in Korea.

Byun declares that the fight against injustice is part of the Church’s mission in the world. While the problem of human trafficking is extensive and ugly, Byun remains hopeful that as the church stands against it, real freedom is possible for victims and traffickers. One of the things I really appreciated was the place of privilege that Byun gives to prayer. He is not content to just attack modern slavery as a social issue, but as spiritual oppression. He has several helpful suggestions on how to pray through the issue (111-7). On the practical side, he has a number of suggestions for getting the church involved. These range from setting aside a “Freedom Sunday” preaching and organizing study groups to look deeper at the issue, and combating injustice in the community through various church ministries. There are lots of ways that people can get involved, and Byun points to creative ways for people to engage the issue.

I recommend this book, even if it evokes anger and deep sadness. Human trafficking is a global problem, but it isn’t something ‘out there.’ Very likely its effects are felt in the community where you live. Prostitution rings, migrant workers, sweatshops are all part of human trafficking. It is impossible to look at the issues and not be heartbroken for ‘the least of these. Come Lord Jesus. I give this book five stars.

I received this book from IVP in exchange for my honest review.… (más)