10 Reasons North Korea Is Not The Worst Place To Be A Christian

Posted on June 2, 2014 by Pastor Foley

SUSA-KoreanFrequently when I’m interviewed, the host will introduce me by saying, “Today we’ll be talking about North Korea–the worst place on earth to be a Christian.”

Now, if “worst” means “costliest” or “most challenging” such as it does in this excellent piece from our brothers and sisters at Voice of the Martyrs on which I was privileged to collaborate, then that designation is certainly well deserved. In North Korea, becoming a Christian and taking up one’s cross are the same thing, not two distinct steps where the first is good and the second is optional and hopefully avoidable. Trust me when I tell you that there are a grand total of zero casual Christians in North Korea.

But if “worst” implies a diminishing of the presence of God, some kind of “blessing shadow” where Christians receive less of God’s goodness and divine provision than the rest of us, I would emphasize that North Korean Christians would strenuously disagree.

It certainly is true that North Korea would be among the worst places to be if one was not a Christian. But North Korean Christians see the situation differently. They talk about being filled with joy and honor to bear the reproach of Christ. They do not consider their provision from God inferior to our own. They fervently believe that their existence in North Korea has a purpose. North Korean underground Christians are, when compared to other groups in North Korea, among the least likely to try to defect. While some underground Christians do escape, our experience has been that they almost always do so with sadness and as an absolute last resort. I’ve never talked with one who was exultant to leave or who told me that they were looking for a better place to be a Christian.

We should always ask what we mean when we say that a particular place is the “worst” for Christians. Our reckoning that North Korea is the worst place to be a Christian may say more about our own understanding of Christianity than it does about the conditions Christians face in North Korea.

With that in mind, here are 10 reasons North Korea is not the worst place to be a Christian:

1. Romans 8:28 still applies inside of North Korea.

2. One can only suffer for the name of Jesus if he counts you worthy to do so, and so if you are a Christian in a country where it is considered optional or undesirable to take up your cross you probably ought to be more concerned than if you are a Christian in a country where nearly every Christian considers it pure joy when they suffer for the name of Jesus.

3. Jesus said, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. …For your reward is great in heaven” (Matthew 5: 11–12).  The whole earthly thing is temporary. God is a debtor to no one. In the end, no one can say their suffering exceeded or was even comparable to their reward. If you believe in eternal life, aren’t you at least a little intrigued by what Jesus means by “a great reward in heaven”?

4. We Western Christians can be tempted or deceived into confusing God with Mammon, freedom of religion with freedom in Christ. North Korean Christians see–daily–the stark difference between the One True God and every counterfeit. They talk of a freedom that can’t be taken away, even inside a concentration camp.

5. For some Western Christians, our biggest theological preoccupation seems to be making sure we are not trying to earn our way to heaven. I have never in my life heard a North Korean Christian under the impression that they could earn their way to heaven. They have a visceral, moment-by-moment awareness that they are completely dependent upon the grace of God for their daily bread. They are long past thinking that they can do anything to impress God.

6. Wholly reliant upon the power of God, they daily pray and see him move in the most miraculous ways. Some of us Western Christians are either theologically or practically convinced that God quit answering prayers for his miraculous intervention somewhere around Acts 28:30. North Korean Christians would regard that as patently heretical.

7. Some of us Western Christians have a hard time believing in the practical reality of Satan. North Korean Christians have no such hangup. As such, they learn to take evil far more seriously, and thus they actually mean it when they say that Christ is their only comfort in life and death.

8. They understand–in the depths of their stomachs and in every fiber and sinew of their bodies–that man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Meanwhile, many of our day-to-day prayers as Western Christians are variations on John 6:34, “Sir, always give us this bread.”

9. Most North Korean Christians find Luke 16:19-31 very comforting and are longing for that day. How are you doing with that one?

10. God raises up the church is a witness to his grace, presence, and judgment in every nation. As such, Christians no longer live for themselves but instead for Christ and as his ambassadors. If one truly understands one’s identity as an ambassador, one glories in that identity rather than grumbling about the country where one got posted.

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Video – Don’t Give Illness Too Much Respect Because God Is Always Willing To Heal

Posted on May 30, 2014 by tdillmuth

Pastor Foley says that one of the things he learned from John 9:1-7 is not to give illness and disease too much respect!  He says that when we visit the sick we are called to bring God’s confidence and eagerness to heal more than we are called to bring our own feelings of sadness and sorrow for the one who is sick.  Although God’s healing happens in different ways, He is always willing to heal every time we are willing to pray!

 

For all of the latest podcasts on Healing and Comforting and on past Works of Mercy visit our Seoul USA Podcast Page!

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You DO Include A How-To Guide To Prison Ministry In Your Baptismal Instructions…Don’t You?

Posted on May 28, 2014 by tdillmuth

WLO_visitrememberKarl Barth reminds us of the importance of visiting and caring for the prisoner, but John Chrysostom, the early church’s greatest preacher, emphasizes the centrality of the ministry in the life of each Christian.

Chrysostom includes a prison ministry how-to in his Baptismal Instructions. Regrettably, that practice seems to have fallen by the wayside of ordinary Christian experience over the centuries, but Chrysostom’s reasons for emphasizing it are scripturally right on: he reminds us that each of us were in a type of prison when Christ first came and visited us. None of us were pure, refined, or upright and yet Christ didn’t refuse us. Thus, we have no right to refuse prison ministry on the basis that all the men there are “murderers, grave-robbers and purse snatchers”:

(Jesus) was not ashamed, but came and visited our prison. Though we were deserving of innumerable punishments, He brought us forth from there and led us into His kingdom and made us more resplendent than the heavens, so that we also might act in the same way according to our power. I say this for He declared to His disciples: ‘If, therefore, I the Lord and Master have washed your feet, you also ought to wash the feet of one another. For I have given you an example, that as I have done to you, so you also should do.’

If you’re looking for some good basic training in prison ministry, try reading Chrysostom’s Baptismal Instructions. It’s not meant to be an exhaustive list, but rather a common-sense beginning point for those of us who might claim to not know where to begin.

1.  Take care of their physical needs by lending assistance. 

Though they have begged all day, they have obtained not even the food they need; yet in the evening what they have collected painfully and toilsomely is demanded of them by their guards.

It’s not as easy (and perhaps not as necessary) to provide food and physical assistance to prisoners today as it was in Chyrsostom’s time. Still, we should expand our view of prison ministry beyond what happens in the prison building. That includes physically caring prisoners’ families, as well as caring for prisoners after their release.

2.  Lend encouragement by heartening the trembling and fearful soul. 

Even if we should be unable to bring in food or to help by giving money, we still can cheer the prisoners by our words and hearten the soul that is discouraged.

He even goes as far to say that our role may not only be to encourage the prisoner; God may have us visit the prison to encourage the guards!

3.  Promise to defend the prisoner.

Chrysostom doesn’t elaborate on this point, but the Bible does. Consider passages like Psalm 146:7 and Psalm 66:33.

4.  Cause the prisoner to seek after true wisdom.

Chrysostom’s suggestions are immeasurably valuable. Let me add a few more from our own time period and situation:

  • Give a Christmas gift to a child of a prisoner. Of course, if all you do is send the gift, then it may not be a good way to engage in prison ministry. But if you follow through with your initial gift, you could have the opportunity to interact with the prisoner himself and to invest in the prisoner’s family over the long-term.
  • Take a class with a prisoner. Pastor Foley and I always like to emphasize mutual giving and receiving in each Work of Mercy. To that end, why not take a theology class inside of prison with prisoners there? Project Turn is just that type of program. The genius of it is not that this class is offered inside of the prison, but that prisoners take the class alongside students from all walks of life. The academic standards aren’t lowered for anyone, but certain concessions are made to help those inside of prison. For example, all students (prisoner or not) are made to write their term papers with pen and paper instead of computer.
  • Get involved helping prisoners acclimate to life after prison. If you’ve been incarcerated or are a police officer, there are restrictions that may prevent you from doing certain types of prison ministry. Still, you may be able to help someone who was recently released (or their family) with budgeting, conflict resolution, job hunting, friendship and spiritual encouragement. Check your local area for ministries that are already doing something similar.
  • Visit a prison! If you have a family member or friend or learn of someone who is incarcerated, take the time, effort and inconvenience to visit them! You don’t always have to know what to do ahead of time. Chrysostom said,

Well, then, since we are aware of the treasure that lies available in prison, let us visit there continually; let us busy ourselves there; and let us turn in that direction our enthusiasm for the theater. Even though you have nothing to bring there, bring the good cheer of your words.

  • Write a letter to a prisoner. Voice of the Martyrs has a program whereby you can encourage a Christian who has been imprisoned for their faith. VOM encourages you to share Scripture, prayers and encouraging words with these faithful men and women.
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