Do you know the word “zombie”? Zombie movies continue to be popular. A zombie is a being that is neither truly alive nor truly dead. They exist, yet they do not seem to live; they are not dead, yet they seem to be. The word “zombie” comes from the African Kikongo word for “soul” or “god.” African animism, which held that the souls of the dead return, flowed into the West Indies—especially Haiti—due to the slave trade in the 17th and 18th centuries. When African animism met Haitian Catholic culture, Voodoo was created. The story is told in Voodoo that a sorcerer could resurrect a dead person, turning them into a being with only a body and no soul, to be used as a slave. These beings were called zombies.
When the United States occupied Haiti in 1915, the concept of the zombie was introduced to the West. The first zombie film was made in 1932. Since then, the imagination surrounding zombies has expanded, and they are no longer beings created by magic but have evolved into creatures resulting from a virus, an epidemic, or scientific experimentation. It seems there is a reason why filmmakers are interested in zombies. Because a creature is created that is human but not quite human, alive but not quite alive, it allows for the creation of far more provocative scenes of horrific violence and mass slaughter that could not be easily perpetrated against normal people. In other words, the zombie became a subject that could maximize the spectacle.
These days, the word “zombie” appears frequently not only in films but also in real life. If you walk through San Francisco, you can easily see people on the streets addicted to the drug fentanyl, with their bodies bent and their joints locked and rigid. This is why fentanyl is called a “zombie drug,” and these people are called “fentanyl zombies.” Beyond drugs, the number of young people addicted to smartphones is also increasing. These people look only at their smartphones, even when walking or crossing the street. They don’t take their eyes off their phones even while eating. As a result, they develop “turtle necks” and are so focused on their phones that they pay no attention to what is happening around them. These people are called “smombies,” a portmanteau of smartphone and zombie.
The defining characteristic of a zombie is a complete lack of activity. They don’t move. They don’t do anything. They only react to specific stimuli. In normal times, they stay still, like a corpse. Especially when there is light, they truly become corpses. They only start to stir and move when darkness arrives. Then, they react if they hear a sound or smell something. They have no thoughts or sense of purpose. They cannot speak. They have no life activity; they are merely controlled and moved by external stimuli. Therefore, it is difficult to say that they are truly alive just because they move.
The title of today’s sermon is a bit regrettable: Zombie Faith. To attach the word “zombie” to “faith” might be offensive. You might criticize the title as too provocative or irreverent, but please understand that I have exaggerated slightly for a good purpose. In fact, the Bible contains a similar expression: “I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.” (Revelation 3:1, NIV). This is the Lord’s message to the church in Sardis. Alive yet dead. A being that is neither alive nor dead—is this not a zombie? “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” (James 2:26, NIV). If a body without a soul is called a zombie, then faith without deeds could be called “zombie faith.”
Inevitably, as people age, their activity decreases. They lose confidence. Their thoughts shrink. Their influence diminishes. They lose interest in what they want to eat, where they want to go, or what they want to see. Everything fades as they lose interest. Moving becomes bothersome. Words like responsibility and mission become burdensome. As this dynamism decreases, the zombie phenomenon is likely to appear.
It is the same in faith. Last Sunday, I preached that “life is a powerful emotion,” but as time passes, that emotion fades. Spiritual passion cools. Faith easily becomes habitual. The assurance of salvation becomes faint, and the hope of heaven becomes blurred. If you are asked what gifts and missions God has given you in your life, you have no confident answer. If someone asks you if you have faith, you hesitate to answer. You become confused yourself as to whether you have faith or not. You become like the church in Sardis, rebuked for having a reputation for being alive, but being dead.
Israel was also like this. When they returned by the decree of King Cyrus, they clearly had a full sense of mission. Their goal was clear even when they laid the new foundation for the temple. But then, they encountered opposition, and as the environment and conditions became difficult, they began to shrink back. Their sense of mission and dedication diminished until there was no movement left. The zombie symptoms had appeared. At such times, God applied a stimulus through the prophets. Haggai and Zechariah appeared. They cried out, “Arise and build!” The people barely overcame their zombie symptoms, arose, and completed the temple construction.
However, after a few decades passed, their goals were lost, their sense of mission dulled, and their identity as God’s people faded. The zombie symptom—slumping down and ceasing to move—reappeared. God now sent Ezra. Ezra’s message was God’s prescription for curing the zombie symptom, but Ezra’s very life was filled with the dynamism that believers afflicted with zombie symptoms should emulate. People usually name figures like Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, Daniel, and Paul as role models in faith, but I believe Ezra should not be left out. We must learn Ezra’s dynamism. God presents Ezra’s three characteristics—which we must learn—as a prescription to prevent or cure our zombie symptoms.First, Ezra had determination. Faith is Determination.
“for Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.” (Ezra 7:10, NIV)
Ezra was a teacher of the Law and a priest. Therefore, it was natural that he studied and observed the Law. These were the things he was obliged to do. What is important here is that he determined to teach this Law to Israel. Determination is crucial. The work itself might be obvious and obligatory, but there is a difference between merely doing the work and doing it with determination. It inevitably results in a difference in zeal, focus, persistence, and faithfulness. Anyone who is obligated to do a task will do it anyway. A person whose job is teaching will teach, and a person whose job is customer service will serve customers. But doing what must be done with determination is different from just doing it. Even if the work is the same, the quality of the work and the quality of the time spent will be clearly different. As we will look at next Sunday, Ezra did the work of teaching well, just as he had determined. He did it faithfully, steadily, and persistently.
To escape zombie faith, we must determine to do what we ought to do and see it through. Israel ought to have rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem and re-established the community of faith. That was the purpose for which they had returned. However, they started the work and made some effort but failed to complete it steadily and faithfully. They slumped down and became like zombies. Determination is not a one-time thing. The effective period of a single determination is not long. There is a saying, “A resolve of three days.” Therefore, if you make a right determination, you must live by continuously renewing that resolve. The most important determination we must make is the resolve to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. And for the rest of our lives, we must reaffirm and confirm this resolve. A valuable determination must be held onto again and again so it does not waver.
If faith that does not live up to its resolve is dead faith—or zombie faith—then living faith is living according to that resolve. It is keeping the resolve that was made. It is reaffirming the resolve so that it does not fade, and confirming that the resolve is bearing fruit in your life.
When I became a pastor, I resolved to study the truth of the Bible well, preach it well, and teach it well. Therefore, there is a Bible verse I meditated on like a prayer every dawn during my ministry: “The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He awakens me morning by morning, awakens my ear to listen like one being taught.” (Isaiah 50:4, NIV). This was a prayer asking God to inspire me to understand the Word like a scholar when reading and studying it, and to enable me to deliver it in a way that people would open their ears, understand, and receive grace when I taught or preached. And during my ministry, I preached diligently and led Bible study diligently. However, as I retired from pastoral ministry, that prayer stopped, and the teaching work also ceased. While I am now doing other work at a school, solving financial problems and finding some meaning, there was a void in a corner of my heart. It was a thirst to do what I am good at and what I ought to do. So, I went to Myanmar and held a preaching seminar for missionaries. While conducting the seminar, I felt it clearly: this is what I am good at. This is what I ought to do. So, I resolved to go to Myanmar once a year for the next ten years, health permitting, to lead seminars for Korean missionaries and local pastors in Myanmar. This resolution has brought immense dynamism to my life.
Faith is determination. Each of us has a determination to do something for the Kingdom of God after resolving to accept Jesus Christ as Lord. These resolutions might have included going on a short-term mission trip, tithing, sharing the Gospel with someone, reading the Bible through, attending dawn prayer, or engaging in some form of service or dedication. I urge you to recall those resolutions that have faded with time and age. There is something you are good at and something you feel you ought to do. Whatever it is, please resolve to do it again. That determination will revive our dead-like faith and inject vitality into our zombie-like faith.Second, Ezra had courage. Faith is Courage.
“There, at the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. I was ashamed to ask the king for an escort of soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, ‘The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.’ So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.” (Ezra 8:21-23, NIV)
The offerings Ezra received from the king, officials, and people on his return to Jerusalem amounted to about 357.7 billion Korean won (approx. 270 million USD) in today’s terms. They had to travel 1,500 km over four months with this treasure. It was extremely dangerous to undertake this journey without a military escort. Ezra was greatly favored by King Artaxerxes. Whatever he requested, the king granted. If he had asked for a military escort for the procession, he would have received it without any issue. But Ezra did not ask. Why? Because of what he had told the king: “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.” This statement seems to have greatly influenced the king. We can guess the reason why King Artaxerxes granted Ezra such great privileges and discretion and sent him to Jerusalem from Ezra 7:23, “Whatever the God of heaven has prescribed, let it be done with earnestness for the Temple of the God of heaven. Why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and of his sons?” Ezra taught Artaxerxes that God was not just a regional deity but the God of heaven. He taught that the fate of the Persian king and his sons was in God’s hands. He warned that immense judgment could come if they denied or turned away from God, but that God would show favor if they obeyed Him and sought His grace. Artaxerxes sincerely listened and believed this. He feared that his officials might disobey his command and inadvertently offend God, bringing judgment upon his kingdom. Thus, he strictly commanded them to treat Ezra, the priest of God, well.
Ezra, having spoken such words and exerted such influence on the king, did not want it to seem as if he himself did not trust his own words—that God shows favor to those who seek Him—by anxiously asking for a military escort. However, that was a matter of spiritual pride, and the reality was frightening. So, he proclaimed a fast at the Ahava Canal and prayed.
People feel fear when they face situations they cannot control. The reason we don’t feel fear normally is that we have already set up safety zones for ourselves. Most people have health insurance. Those who drive have car insurance. Retirees secure pensions and other things as part of their retirement plan. We put in place mechanisms to ensure our survival in any circumstance. These mechanisms become fences that create our safety zone. When we are within them, we feel secure and have no need to fear.
But there are moments when these safety mechanisms fail to work. Or, despite these safety mechanisms, things can happen that we cannot handle with our own strength: a family member becomes seriously ill, an unexpected financial loss occurs, or children fall into problems they cannot solve. When we face situations we absolutely cannot handle, we confess our utter powerlessness and feel anxiety and fear. However, it is precisely in these moments that it is determined whether we trust our safety mechanisms or we trust God. If we are paralyzed by fear, unable even to pray, and instead seek out other remedies apart from God, then we lack faith. That is truly the time to pray. Just as Ezra fasted and prayed, we must entrust our problems completely to God alone and pray earnestly. And we must experience God’s grace resolving the problem. This might mean experiencing God’s fire coming down between you and Pharaoh, who is chasing you, or the sea parting before you, revealing a path hidden beneath the water.
Ezra did face real trouble. “The hand of our God was on us, and he protected us from enemies and from ambush along the way.” (Ezra 8:31, NIV). Whatever the crisis was, the moment of danger that Ezra had feared and anticipated did come, and though we do not know exactly how God worked, there was deliverance. Ezra knew that it was God’s grace and salvation. When these experiences accumulate, faith becomes solid. But before these experiences accumulate, fear is unavoidable. That is why courage is needed. Once you take courage and rely on God to experience salvation, your faith grows stronger, and your courage also strengthens. Fear subsides, and your ability to overcome crises becomes clearer. Ultimately, courage is necessary to create a testimony and solidify your faith. This is how spiritual dynamism arises.
The reason the Israelites were afflicted with the zombie symptom was a lack of courage. When they attempted to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and establish a faith community dedicated to serving God, the opposition from the inhabitants of the land was persistent and extreme. They opposed, persecuted, threatened, and appealed with desperation, mobilizing every means and method available. The Israelites then became afraid. They thought, “If we continue, an inevitable conflict will erupt, and we will all be ruined. Let’s stop. Let’s stop here. Maybe another opportunity will come later. We are not quitting, just postponing.” Pressured by fear, they stopped doing what they ought to have done and slumped down like zombies, their resolve broken. Do you want to straighten your back and stand up? Just as drug addicts must break free from Fentanyl, we must break free from fear. And we must courageously entrust our situation completely to God. We must experience the grace of God becoming the practical solution when we have none.
What if we live by faith but fail? This question may arise. But that is acceptable. The problem is not failure, but failing to live by faith. What if, by any chance, living by faith appears to be a failure? I will answer this question next Sunday. In any case, if you have lived by faith, it is fine. God will look at our faith, not the result. Of course, whether a result that looks like failure is truly a failure is another question to consider. How many times in your life have you courageously chosen faith at a crucial moment? I pray that for the rest of our time, we may exercise courage and create powerful testimonies of faith.Third, Ezra had influence. Faith is Good Influence.
God intends for us to live in this world for a long time after we are saved. God’s Kingdom and the world’s kingdom coexist, and we live in the midst of them. God has an expectation for us here: that we live by exerting a good influence on the world. The opposite must not happen. The world tries to subject us to its influence. If we lose this battle and are pressed down under the world’s influence, we become spiritual zombies. This struggle was unavoidable from the time Israel entered the promised land of Canaan, and it was the same after they returned from the Babylonian exile. However, it seems Israel lost this battle more often than they won. The sacred mission of rebuilding Jerusalem was halted by opposition, and the world’s influence crept into their lives so much that even priests took foreign women as wives. Instead of exerting a good influence, they submitted to the world’s influence, possessing only the name of God’s people while essentially living like zombies.
This is when Ezra returns, and his life inspires us because of the good influence he wielded. As we have already seen, Ezra, as a teacher of the Law and a priest, exerted a massive influence on Artaxerxes, the King of Persia. Reading through the Book of Ezra, one finds an astonishing reversal in King Artaxerxes’ attitude. When the forces opposing the rebuilding of Jerusalem sent a letter to Artaxerxes pleading for him to stop the rebuilding of the walls, Artaxerxes accepted the plea and prohibited the rebuilding of the Jerusalem wall (4:21). Yet, when he sent Ezra, he gave him enormous authority, wealth, and special privileges, sending him back to care for the temple and look after Jerusalem well. It is an extreme change in attitude, enough to make one wonder if he is the same person. What influenced him between the first and second decisions? It is likely Ezra’s influence. This influence continued even while Ezra was in Jerusalem, moving Artaxerxes to send Nehemiah 13 years later. Furthermore, Ezra’s influence led the Israelites who had married foreign women to send their wives away. Critically, he had a profound impact on the famous revival at the Water Gate Square described in Nehemiah chapter 8. All the Israelites gathered at the square, and Ezra stood before them, reading the Word of God from morning till noon. The people who heard the Word wept, repented, and worshipped God. A tremendous revival of the Word occurred. This was the moment Ezra’s good influence blossomed.
We must ask ourselves: Am I living a life that exerts a good influence on the world, or am I living pressured by the world’s influence? If the world looks at me, can they see the dynamism of my faith? Do people know I am a person of God, even when I say nothing and stay still? We must honestly answer these questions. Then, we must learn from Ezra where the dynamism for exerting good influence comes from.
In today’s main passage, Ezra 7:6, it says, “He was a man skilled in the Law of Moses, which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted him everything he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him.” The reason Ezra could exercise mighty influence over Artaxerxes was that the help of the Lord his God was upon him. Furthermore, verse 9 states that he left Babylon on the first day of the first month and arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, “for the gracious hand of his God was on him.” This means that the four-month journey was successfully completed without an armed escort because of God’s help. This was evident to Artaxerxes, too. He calls Ezra, “Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, a teacher well versed in the Law of the God of heaven.” This passage offers a glimpse into how Artaxerxes evaluated Ezra. Ezra was clearly recognized by the world. And Ezra himself confesses, “Because the hand of the Lord my God was upon me, I took courage and gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.” (Ezra 7:28, NIV). The secret to Ezra’s influence was the hand of God being upon him. No matter how capable and competent a person claims to be, if God’s power is not with them, no good influence will come forth. Good influence is not the manifestation of one’s own ability, but the character and power of the Lord dwelling within being manifested through us.
The intention of God is that we exert a good influence on the world. But when this fails and we lie still, pressed down by the world, our faith hardens, and we become like zombies. To overcome this, we must exercise our spiritual muscles little by little. We must begin to stir and exert influence little by little. Where and how should we start? The best way is to respond to the Word. We must start by meditating on or hearing God’s Word, feeling grace and conviction, and then acting in obedience to that conviction. It is a great grace that we can hear the Word every Sunday. If we receive grace and challenge from the Word we hear every week and practice obedience starting with the smallest things, we can eventually develop a great influence.
Most people set up financial plans to live without working after retirement. Financial consultants commonly recommend retirement savings that are regularly accumulated and compounded. These are things like 401K or 403b. They strongly advise against breaking the plan midway. If a small amount is set aside every month and steadily accumulated, it becomes a formidable sum later on. Let’s apply the same principle to the Word. Every time we hear the Word, God encourages, challenges, heals, or pushes us toward a resolve through it. If we obey and put into practice at least one thing each time, this accumulates like compound savings and becomes an immense power. Dasan Jeong Yak-yong, a great scholar, said, “소적지공, 가이치원” (So-jeok-ji-gong, ga-i-chi-won), meaning that by accumulating small achievements, one can go far. A modern adaptation would be, “If you steadily accumulate the ordinary, you will meet an extraordinary you.” Is this not true? How much more will we be able to expand our good influence if we steadily accumulate obedience to God’s Word?
Pastor Uhm once preached a sermon titled “Yu-gak-yang-chun,” encouraging us to live as warm people, like the spring sunshine. I still remind myself of this every morning as I start my day: “Let’s try to live as a warm person today.” I may still not be that warm person, but because I live with this thought, perhaps I have become a little warmer. When we receive God’s Word with “Amen,” the hand of God is with us at that moment. And when we resolve to obey, that hand helps us to live that way. By changing one thing at a time, we will be able to create tremendous change in a short time. I do not know if there is a more practical and effective way to cure spiritual lethargy and zombie symptoms and gain spiritual dynamism than this. If we accumulate obedience to the Word like compound savings, we will find ourselves, without even realizing it, having become people who exert a good influence on the world.
In conclusion, the three keywords that breathe dynamism into a hardened, zombie-like faith are: Determination, Courage, and Good Influence.
In the 21st century, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor, can be named as a figure who sets the greatest example and challenge in these three virtues of Christian faith. Bonhoeffer was an outstanding theologian who earned his Ph.D. in theology from the University of Berlin at the age of 24, but he did not merely remain a scholar; he was a dynamic pastor who put his faith into practice. In his book, The Cost of Discipleship, he says, “Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our Church. Cheap grace is forgiveness without repentance, grace without the cross.” True to his words, he willingly took up the cross he had to bear in his time. The German church of the era was huddled like a zombie, justifying that submission to state authority was patriotism and thus colluding with Hitler. Bonhoeffer stood against this, establishing the Confessing Church and proclaiming, “Jesus Christ alone is the head of the church. Loyalty to any leader other than Christ is already idolatry.” When Hitler started World War II, Bonhoeffer joined the German resistance organization against the Nazis. He was arrested in 1943 and left countless prayers, letters, and meditations in prison. On April 9, 1945, just two weeks before the war ended, he was hanged at the age of 39. In his final moments, he prayed calmly and said, “This is not the end, but the beginning of life.” The doctor who witnessed his final moments said, “Through the half-open door, I saw Pastor Bonhoeffer kneel on the floor before taking off his prison uniform and pray earnestly to his Lord God. I was deeply moved by this lovely man praying. I was certain that God had heard his prayer, so devout was he. He briefly prayed again at the gallows, then bravely and calmly climbed the steps to the scaffold. A few seconds later, he was dead. In fifty years of medical practice, I have never seen a man die so devoutly.” In December 1944, when his execution was already confirmed, Bonhoeffer sent a poem to his family before Christmas. This poem was discovered after his martyrdom, set to music, and became a hymn that has given comfort and courage to countless people: “By Gracious Powers” (”Von guten Mächten”). I pray that our determination, courage, and influence may also be challenged by this hymn. Amen.
By gracious powers [By good forces] wonderfully surrounded,/ And confidently awaiting what must be,/
We are escorted, comforted, and sustained/ Through all coming days with you.
If the old evil and dark days/ Would still oppress our hearts with sorrow,/
Oh Lord, do not forsake us, but grant us/ The promised and welcome salvation.
The small candle that you, Lord, have lit,/ Brightly burns, scattering the darkness,/
May we be united in its light/ To shine in all the world.
When the silence deepens and pervades,/ We hear a song that swells our hearts with joy./
Lead us to be united again/ In this night where your light is shining.
By gracious powers wonderfully surrounded,/ We await what will happen in faith./
The Lord is with us every morning,/ And every day is new.