At this moment, thirty-three Christians are under death sentence in North Korea because of practicing their faith. We have heard the news story that the reason they were arrested and convicted was that they helped plant more than 500 churches in North Korea- the most difficult country to be a Christian in on the planet. These are not ministers. They are ordinary Christians who took the Great Commission so seriously that they risked imprisonment and death to see God's church grow in North Korea. At least, that's what the story is.
However, new information has shown us that "church planting" and "spreading the gospel at risk of life" was not the cause of their imprisonment and death sentence. That's because Christians don't do those things. They were convicted of doing "Christian" things- things that are much more prevalent in the lives of Christians than things like church planting and spreading the gospel. We have obtained the official transcript of the courtroom proceedings:
The accused, from henceforth to be known as "Christians," are found guilty of the following:
1) The accused regularly attend church . . . about once a month when their favorite sports team is not playing, when their children don't have sports to play, when they aren't tired or worn out from the week, when they aren't working, when there isn't a guest speaker speaking that morning, when it isn't raining, and when it isn't too nice outside.
2) The accused have regularly been known to complain about church youth programs, childrens' ministries, color of the carpet, decibel level of music in worship, style of coffee cups, and other highly important things found in the Bible.
3) The accused have routinely discouraged their children from going into full-time mission work, citing the lack of safety and the fact that doing so will "ruin their lives."
4) The accused have routinely left churches after brief stints, moving around from church to church to find one that "fits their style" and one where there "aren't so many hypocrites."
5) The accused were actually arrested in their beds at 10 am this past Sunday morning, stating that "because of the time change we couldn't get out of bed and make it to church."
6) The accused were found to have the exact same attitudes about sex, marriage, profanity, drinking, and use of money that the non-Christians around them have.
7) The accused were found to have more knowledge about celebrities, pop stars, and movie actors than they do about Jesus.
Now, suppose there were two countries. In Country A, it is a death sentence to worship God, to mention His name, to baptize, to plant churches, to own a Bible, or to even call yourself a Christian. In Country B, it is a death sentence to practice items 1-7 on the list above.
In which country would you receive a death sentence due to the evidence available to convict you?
When I see the bravery and courage of those 33 North Korean Christians- who knew full well the penalty for their actions, knowing that they face an inhumane and painful death at the hands of a complete psychopath (Kim Jong Un) and yet planted more than 500 churches to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ- I look at the state of the church in America and ask, "Where do I even start?"
How do we, as American believers, even consider ourselves worthy to stand alongside them as brothers and sisters? Now, to our credit, America has some extremely devoted, dedicated Christians. To be sure, many of us would choose to do the exact same thing that those North Korean Christians chose to do, regardless of the consequences. But let's face it- most, if not the vast majority, wouldn't.
Most of us would prefer to live in Country A because we would receive no persecution whatsoever. Most of us would avoid County B like the plague because most of us would be dead.
I am asking you to do two things:
1) Pray for the North Korean believers- pray for a miracle that God would spare their lives and bring justice to the tyrants in North Korea.
2) Allow the example of the North Korean believers to inspire you. Root out any lukewarmness that you see within you and honor their sacrifice by living with their degree of passion for the gospel. Live life with such dedication that you would count yourself worthy to stand beside them on judgment day. Be inspired by their sacrifice- be inspired to take up their calling and accomplish the tasks that they haven't been able to complete because of their arrest.
We are the body of Christ.
However, new information has shown us that "church planting" and "spreading the gospel at risk of life" was not the cause of their imprisonment and death sentence. That's because Christians don't do those things. They were convicted of doing "Christian" things- things that are much more prevalent in the lives of Christians than things like church planting and spreading the gospel. We have obtained the official transcript of the courtroom proceedings:
The accused, from henceforth to be known as "Christians," are found guilty of the following:
1) The accused regularly attend church . . . about once a month when their favorite sports team is not playing, when their children don't have sports to play, when they aren't tired or worn out from the week, when they aren't working, when there isn't a guest speaker speaking that morning, when it isn't raining, and when it isn't too nice outside.
2) The accused have regularly been known to complain about church youth programs, childrens' ministries, color of the carpet, decibel level of music in worship, style of coffee cups, and other highly important things found in the Bible.
3) The accused have routinely discouraged their children from going into full-time mission work, citing the lack of safety and the fact that doing so will "ruin their lives."
4) The accused have routinely left churches after brief stints, moving around from church to church to find one that "fits their style" and one where there "aren't so many hypocrites."
5) The accused were actually arrested in their beds at 10 am this past Sunday morning, stating that "because of the time change we couldn't get out of bed and make it to church."
6) The accused were found to have the exact same attitudes about sex, marriage, profanity, drinking, and use of money that the non-Christians around them have.
7) The accused were found to have more knowledge about celebrities, pop stars, and movie actors than they do about Jesus.
Now, suppose there were two countries. In Country A, it is a death sentence to worship God, to mention His name, to baptize, to plant churches, to own a Bible, or to even call yourself a Christian. In Country B, it is a death sentence to practice items 1-7 on the list above.
In which country would you receive a death sentence due to the evidence available to convict you?
When I see the bravery and courage of those 33 North Korean Christians- who knew full well the penalty for their actions, knowing that they face an inhumane and painful death at the hands of a complete psychopath (Kim Jong Un) and yet planted more than 500 churches to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ- I look at the state of the church in America and ask, "Where do I even start?"
How do we, as American believers, even consider ourselves worthy to stand alongside them as brothers and sisters? Now, to our credit, America has some extremely devoted, dedicated Christians. To be sure, many of us would choose to do the exact same thing that those North Korean Christians chose to do, regardless of the consequences. But let's face it- most, if not the vast majority, wouldn't.
Most of us would prefer to live in Country A because we would receive no persecution whatsoever. Most of us would avoid County B like the plague because most of us would be dead.
I am asking you to do two things:
1) Pray for the North Korean believers- pray for a miracle that God would spare their lives and bring justice to the tyrants in North Korea.
2) Allow the example of the North Korean believers to inspire you. Root out any lukewarmness that you see within you and honor their sacrifice by living with their degree of passion for the gospel. Live life with such dedication that you would count yourself worthy to stand beside them on judgment day. Be inspired by their sacrifice- be inspired to take up their calling and accomplish the tasks that they haven't been able to complete because of their arrest.
We are the body of Christ.
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