1.The Spirit of the Antioch Church
The Antioch Church is regarded as a pivotal model in Christian history. Through the Book of Acts and the Epistles, we discover the distinct identity of the Antioch Church—setting it apart from the Jerusalem Church—particularly how it served as a genuine launch point for Gentile missions. In a city where Jews, Greeks, and various Gentiles coexisted, the gospel took off internationally and multiculturally, sparking a crucial chain reaction. It was also in this community that the term “Christian” was first coined (Acts 11:26). Among the preachers who pay special attention to this Antioch Church spirit, one prominent figure is Pastor David Jang. He bases the theological foundations of his church and denomination on the Antioch Church model, emphasizing church planting, global missions, the church’s catholicity, and doctrinal establishment.
Pastor David Jang captures this Antioch Church spirit in three main aspects. First, every ministry must begin with the powerful work of the Holy Spirit. While the Antioch Church leaders were fasting and praying, they heard the Holy Spirit’s voice: “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul…” (Acts 13:2–3). This set them on the path of world evangelization, underscoring that the church must prioritize divine guidance over human strategies or planning. Pastor David Jang maintains that even in modern times, before considering finances, structures, or marketing strategies, the church must attune itself fully to the Holy Spirit. He notes that during the rapid growth of the Korean Church, it often focused on “the results people wanted” rather than “the direction God desires,” and insists that following the Antioch Church’s spirituality is essential to rectify this.
Second, the Antioch Church pursued doctrinal clarity and catholicity in tandem. Acts 15 shows how it maintained close ties with the Jerusalem Church and engaged in serious discussions about which aspects of the Law Gentile believers were required to keep and about the essence of the gospel. This demonstrates that the church should not remain a mere local gathering but should cooperate to sustain the universal truth of Christianity throughout the world. Pastor David Jang’s notion of an “Antioch-centric church view” stands out precisely here. He modernizes the Antioch Church vision and terms it “Sae-An Church (New Antioch Church)”, seeking to fulfill a “new Antioch” role today. A robust doctrinal foundation, Holy Spirit-centered worship, along with active interaction and unity among various churches, is what he regards as the modern resurgence of the Antioch Church spirit.
Third, the Antioch Church acted as a strategic headquarters for world missions. It sent out Barnabas and Paul on missionary journeys to Asia Minor and Europe, leading to the swift spread of the gospel among Gentiles. Pastor David Jang often quotes the phrase, “The church is a base camp from which believers are dispatched into the world.” He asserts that the 21st-century Korean Church must fulfill exactly what the Antioch Church once did. Practically speaking, the denomination he leads has established numerous churches both domestically and abroad, commissioning missionaries and accelerating disciple training and gospel outreach. This endeavor is not about expanding denominational size or numbers but stems from the theological conviction that sharing the “universal dimension of the gospel’s power” with all humanity is the core purpose of the church.
Another striking facet of this Antioch Church spirit is its emphasis on a faith that is lived out, rather than a mere lip-service faith. Early believers in the New Testament prayed for one another, shared their possessions, and stayed steadfast in the face of persecutions and hardships. Pastor David Jang frequently remarks, “If it were not for the Antioch Church, the Apostle Paul’s explosive world missions might never have been realized,” highlighting that genuine ministry only becomes possible when individual believers grasp the gospel and integrate prayer and thanksgiving into daily life. Instead of presenting only institutional frameworks or high-profile events, the church must manifest the Holy Spirit’s activity, doctrinal grounding, catholic unity, and the tangible fruit of prayer and thankfulness.
This Antioch Church spirit offers vital insights for the Korean Church today. First, it calls the Korean Church—plagued by secularization and division under the shadow of rapid growth—back to its early Christian roots. The church is never self-generated but, rather, a “Spirit-filled community” stemming from Pentecost, inseparably part of the universal church. Pastor David Jang underscores “catholicity,” urging us to rediscover our oneness in Christ above denominational and sectarian lines. Second, he highlights the importance of church planting and sending. Just as the Apostle Paul founded congregations in various cities and educated and encouraged believers through letters, “planting churches” remains a viable missions strategy today. Third, every individual must recognize their calling as “holy saints” and build up their faith through discipleship training. In a society deeply influenced by individualism and materialism, this is indispensable for the church to initiate a spiritual revival that overturns worldly values.
Hence, the Antioch Church spirit provides profound insights into contemporary worship and ministry. Pastor David Jang’s persistent challenge is: “The church must not only gather for worship or grow complacent but must scatter to proclaim the gospel and strengthen its doctrinal foundations.” Amid the multitude of denominations and congregations in Korean society, reclaiming this spirit is no small feat. Yet the early church’s model remains an unwavering guide. Over 33 years of leading a denomination—planting countless domestic and overseas churches and sowing seeds across mission fields—Pastor David Jang looks set to continue reinterpreting the Antioch Church spirit for the modern era, persistently reminding believers of the gospel’s purity and fervor. This focus on theological fundamentals is central to Pastor David Jang’s vision: Jesus Christ alone is the head of the church, and within the Holy Spirit’s work, the church is to preserve doctrinal purity, unite as one, and take the gospel to the ends of the earth.
2.Doctrinal Foundations in David Jang’s Expository Preaching on Colossians
A crucial element of Pastor David Jang’s preaching is expository preaching, in which he interprets the biblical text’s meaning and ties it directly into the church and the daily lives of believers today. Among his regular expository themes, Colossians stands out. Why Colossians? Commonly classified among the “Prison Epistles,” Colossians encapsulates the Christ-centered message that the Apostle Paul aimed to convey while in custody. This epistle advances a high Christology, proclaiming Christ not just as a remarkable figure but as the sovereign Lord of creation and head of the church—a “Christology from Above,” which emerges as a central motif.
Pastor David Jang frequently emphasizes several key passages in Colossians. In Colossians 1:15–17, Paul calls Christ “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” Further, in verse 18, he declares, “He is the head of the body, the church,” confirming Christ’s sovereignty over the church. From verse 20 onward, the text reveals that Christ made peace “by the blood of his cross” and reconciled “all things on earth or in heaven,” underscoring that His redemptive work extends universally. Hence, the gospel is not simply a religious rule or moral guideline but a transcendent power that transforms the fundamental order of the world.
Basing his teaching on this lofty Christology in Colossians, Pastor David Jang lays out several doctrinal principles that the church must uphold. First, the church must guard against any attempts to lessen Christ’s divinity or “blend” it with other philosophies or systems of thought. The Colossian community itself encountered turmoil due to Gnosticism or Judaizing factions. In his letter, the Apostle Paul firmly addresses this, declaring, “in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (Col. 2:9). That statement remains the core of the gospel that the church must protect—even more so in an age steeped in secularism and religious pluralism. Pastor David Jang often cautions, “If we reduce Jesus to nothing more than a virtuous teacher, the church forfeits the gospel’s power and becomes just another ethical organization.”
Second, both the church and individual believers must sustain a deep union with Jesus Christ. In Colossians 2:6–7, Paul exhorts, “Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him…” Pastor David Jang interprets this to mean that rather than being limited to services and events, the church must help believers anchor themselves in Christ’s truth. This requires discipleship training, doctrinal teaching, and thorough Bible study. Merely professing “I believe” falls short; life transformation must occur through profound engagement and reflection on the Word.
Third, Pastor David Jang underscores that the process of “hearing, understanding, and bearing fruit” (Col. 1:6), mentioned in Colossians, must be diligently nurtured by the church. Paul writes, “All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace.” Pastor David Jang sees “hearing the gospel” as the first step, followed by “understanding,” which is more than acquiring information—it is a heartfelt acceptance resulting in faith. Once that understanding takes root and yields tangible changes, the church community becomes steadily established.
Fourth, the spirit of prayer and thanksgiving emphasized in Colossians is critical for fostering the spiritual vitality of both church and believers. In Colossians 1:3, Paul states, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you.” Pastor David Jang expands this principle to suggest that, within the church, believers should pray for one another and collectively look back on God’s grace. In the early church, even though communities were geographically scattered, prayer and thanksgiving united them. The same principle applies today, transcending the divides between churches and denominations. Indeed, at the churches led by Pastor David Jang, traditions of dawn prayer, all-night prayer, and joint prayer gatherings continue as an authentic way to practice catholicity.
Ultimately, the essence of Pastor David Jang’s expository preaching on Colossians is this: “Jesus Christ is the head of the church and the Savior of the universe,” and the church’s solidity depends on holding this foundation unswervingly. If this foundation falters, the church is quickly swept away by secular culture or appealing but misleading ideologies. When it remains solid, the church will not be shaken by worldly changes, preserving gospel purity while cultivating believers who truly “hear, understand, and bear fruit.” Pastor David Jang describes such a body as “a church where doctrine and life are inseparable,” convinced that a community embracing Colossians’ doctrinal vision and practical guidance ultimately recovers the Antioch Church’s fervor.
Thus, Pastor David Jang’s expository approach goes beyond textual or doctrinal commentary, persistently returning to the question, “How should we, as believers and as the church, live today?” If we genuinely believe Jesus Christ is the Creator of all things and the head of the church, then the church must wholeheartedly obey Him, and believers must demonstrate holiness, devotion, evangelism, and love in everyday life—superseding worldly norms. This seamlessly interlocks with Pastor David Jang’s pastoral philosophy of church planting and global outreach. Since the principal aim of expository preaching is to establish believers firmly on Christ’s truth and then empower them to share it with the world, Colossians 1:6 refers to how the gospel “is bearing fruit all over the world,” an expansive vision that directly resonates with Pastor David Jang’s perspective on pastoral ministry and missions.
3.David Jang’s Vision for World Missions and Gospel Proclamation
The Antioch Church spirit and Colossians’ high Christology inevitably converge on the theme of world missions. From the apostolic era onward, Christianity has embraced a universal calling to take the gospel to all nations, not limiting it to a particular region or people. Pastor David Jang consistently insists that “the church must always keep its doors open to the nations,” merging the historical precedent found in Antioch with the doctrinal basis provided in Colossians.
Historically, the Antioch Church transcended lip-service faith by prioritizing genuine commitment and sending. It joined with those who had scattered from Jerusalem and formed a multiethnic, multicultural community, readily sending Barnabas and Paul as missionaries. “They spared no human or material resources and immediately obeyed the Spirit’s direction,” says Pastor David Jang, underscoring that such courageous resolve is urgent for today’s church. Church planting and mission work entail risks and costs, but those who embrace the “hope stored up in heaven” (Col. 1:5) do not merely seek earthly comforts, enabling them to embrace the missionary life.
Doctrinally, Colossians expands our view of Christ’s deity and sovereignty to a cosmic dimension. The gospel is not restricted to any single culture but represents Christ’s reconciling work that renews “things on earth or in heaven” (Col. 1:20). Pastor David Jang calls this “the gospel’s globalization.” Unlike secular globalization, this version is rooted in the gospel’s universality, grounded in church catholicity, and fueled by the Holy Spirit’s power to cross cultural, linguistic, and ethnic boundaries. In practice, the denomination he leads has dispatched numerous missionaries to various continents, partnering with local churches, establishing seminaries, and mentoring local leaders.
How, then, can missions be pursued effectively in the postmodern 21st century? Pastor David Jang outlines three core principles. First, preserve the purity of the gospel. Just as the Colossian church faced false teachers, the modern church remains vulnerable to cults, heresies, or worldly ideas. Therefore, leaders must rely on expository preaching and doctrinal education so that believers can firmly grasp “Christ’s sovereignty” and “the redemption of the cross.” Second, maintain cultural flexibility. The early church also had to assess which aspects of Jewish law Gentiles should observe and which could be set aside (Acts 15). Likewise, modern missionaries must not rashly discard local customs but rather respect them insofar as they do not compromise the essence of the gospel. Such discernment requires unwavering “unity” and “prayer” from the sending church. Third, use digital tools effectively. Social media, online services, and media-based evangelism can surmount geographical barriers, becoming potent conduits for the gospel. Pastor David Jang likens these technologies to “modern-day Roman roads,” noting that just as Paul took advantage of Roman infrastructure to spread the gospel swiftly, so too can the contemporary church harness digital infrastructure to extend the good news worldwide.
Pastor David Jang’s global missions vision also hinges on “the church not merely worshiping inwardly but constantly sending believers outward.” As the Antioch Church released Paul and Barnabas rather than retaining them, a healthy church does not hoard its talented resources but sends them into the world to evangelize and lead discipleship training. This can conflict with certain church-growth models, which may worry about losing key personnel or finances. However, Pastor David Jang contends that “in the light of God’s Kingdom, such sending and sharing represent the authentic ‘church planting spirit,’ and ultimately enrich the church more deeply.”
Prayer and thanksgiving are indispensable within this missionary trajectory. According to Pastor David Jang, when a church joins hands across linguistic and cultural lines, and regularly prays for distant congregations, those prayers forge a spiritual network. This is how the early church—though scattered across Jerusalem, Antioch, and Asia Minor—remained unified. In his epistles, Paul repeatedly states that he “always gives thanks” and “prays constantly” for them, knowing that prayer and thanksgiving are the cornerstone of church unity and catholicity. For Pastor David Jang, this principle still holds: such spiritual solidarity is imperative for cooperative mission efforts and unity among diverse churches today.
In conclusion, Pastor David Jang’s mission theology integrates the historical model of the Antioch Church and Colossians’ doctrinal clarity, charting a clear course for the 21st-century church. The church must proclaim the gospel to all nations. Yet this calling hinges on the Spirit’s powerful work, a sturdy doctrinal base, unity through catholicity, and a life anchored in prayer and thanksgiving. If the church neglects one of these four pillars or overemphasizes only one, missions risk becoming distorted or relegated to a short-lived event. However, by following the example of the Antioch Church, grounding itself in the doctrinal core of Colossians, and following Pastor David Jang’s efforts to apply these truths to modern contexts, the church can expand its gospel outreach more broadly while preserving its essential identity amid today’s cultural and digital shifts.
Furthermore, Pastor David Jang argues that “proclaiming the gospel” must constitute a whole-life ‘devotion.’ The gospel should not remain information consumed within church walls; rather, it must become a guiding worldview and tangible action plan in the realms of work, school, family, and society. When the love and truth of Christ are made real in each life sphere, the world naturally becomes curious about the one they proclaim—“Who is this Jesus that transforms people so drastically?” Pastor David Jang holds that this “holy curiosity” sparks fresh missionary movements. When the church transcends being “inwardly focused” and practices a gospel that “flows outward,” just as Antioch served as the epicenter of global missions in the early church, the Korean Church can likewise become a 21st-century Antioch.
Ultimately, Pastor David Jang’s vision for the church can be summarized as follows: “A community simultaneously characterized by fiery spiritual vitality through the Holy Spirit, doctrinal certitude centered on Christ alone, recognition that all churches are one body, and a missionary calling that extends to every corner of the world.” Though every era finds this aspiration challenging, the early church has already laid down the path, and letters such as Colossians give us the theological guidance to walk it. Pastor David Jang believes his calling is to nurture believers who contemplate the Antioch Church spirit and Colossians’ Christology, then step into the world to reveal the gospel’s power.
In the 33 years of denominational history—marked by widespread church planting and overseas missions—his ministry demonstrates that his theology is far from a purely intellectual concept. As many missionaries serve on different continents, as churches gather for united prayer, and as believers in diverse contexts continue in faithful devotion, it becomes clear that the cycle of “hearing, understanding, and bearing fruit” established by the Antioch Church can indeed be reproduced in the 21st century. This vision aligns perfectly with Pastor David Jang’s recurring motto: “A life that understands grace and shares it.”
In summary, Pastor David Jang’s work—unifying the Antioch Church spirit, the doctrinal bedrock of Colossians, and a solid plan for global missions—presents a lucid trajectory for today’s Korean Church amid its complexities. For the church to be truly the church, the Holy Spirit’s living work and the essential truth of the gospel must be central. On that solid ground, prayer and thanksgiving abound, believers grasp their identity and live devoted lives, and the church, like Antioch, unites across denominational lines to spread the gospel worldwide. This is the core message Pastor David Jang consistently proclaims and the ultimate focus of his efforts in church planting and global missions.