As 2024 draws to a close, the world appears to be sliding deeper and deeper into turmoil. Wars rage endlessly, the world's great economic engine creaks and strains under the weight of massive debt, and cultural divisions widen into fissures at home.
Christmas is known as a season of hope and love, but for many it serves as a harsh mirror to the emptiness of life. With the world in turmoil, coupled with the pain of personal alienation and isolation, Christmas can highlight haunting questions at the heart of human existence. Meaninglessness and loneliness intertwine with a deep and abiding anxiety about a world spiraling out of control, exposing a soul's conflict. This is the weight of an existential crisis that grips us all, a yearning for meaning and connection in a divided and unstable world.
But it is in the deepest darkness of this world that we can most clearly see the light that shows us the way out of our predicament.
The North Korean regime has been in power for over 70 years. worked It is a relentless war against Christianity, imprisoning, torturing, and killing millions of believers in an effort to wipe out the faith. But against all odds, the faithful endure and their numbers are quietly increasing.
Today, on Christmas Day, they gather in secret, hiding in basements, closets, attics and shady woods. They praise foreign kings with whispered hymns and silent fervent prayers, knowing full well that their devotion may one day cost them their lives, or at least their freedom. It is, of course, a Christmas picture of God's light piercing through the darkness of the world and drawing people's hearts to Him.
Is the church in North Korea eternal?
In my 20 years of working with persecuted people, I have seen time and time again that nothing can stop God's church. In this ministry, we see the worst the world has to offer, but the gospel is still shared. Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than in North Korea. The Kim regime did everything possible to destroy the church. While dictators were responsible for reducing the number of churches, church members became dependent on a more powerful master. Thanks to your generosity, we were able to support believers in North Korea through radio broadcasts and broadcasts and reach out to the lost. Other forms of evangelism. Thank you for helping us spread good news to the darkest places on earth.
Posted by international christianity issues Wednesday, April 3, 2024
The faithfulness and courage of these secret believers is undoubtedly inspiring, but they also demonstrate a deep apology for the existence of those they follow. He is the least likely of all kings.
He defies all expectations of worldly greatness. He was born into poverty and obscurity, far from the wealth and power that usually comes with royal birth. He earned nothing, never wrote a book, held any office, or commanded an army. He was only 33 years old when he died, abandoned and nailed to a tree. Yet he reshaped the course of history, and his life reached the ends of the earth, sparking movements across empire after empire to erase his memory.
Even the most die-hard atheists are touched by his profound wisdom and the love evident in his teachings, even if they scoff at his concept of divinity. But what inspires faith so convincingly that persecuted believers are willing to risk everything to follow God? The answer lies not only in his teachings, but in the gifts he left behind, gifts that transform and empower the souls he touches.
I have traveled to 80 countries, including North Korea, and what impresses me most about persecuted people is their joy in complete disregard of their circumstances. C.S. Lewis explained that joy is a “secret sign” of God's presence in the believer's life, a longing that points beyond earthly answers to the eternal. He discovered this same joy during the most painful period of his life. It was not a fleeting happiness, but rather a deep sense of God's nearness, a premonition of the world into which believers were heading.
Children's Christmas play performed in Pyongyang, North Korea, December 21, 1938. Before the rise of communism in 1950 and the Korean War, Pyongyang was one of the most Christian cities in the world and was often referred to as the “Jerusalem of the East.” ” (Photo by Getty Images from History/Universal Images Group)
More than 2,000 years ago, a small family welcomed the Savior into the world in a low stable surrounded by animals. The air was heavy with the smell of hay and livestock dirt. His birth was announced not to the king, but to the shepherds, the most neglected and marginalized members of society. The King of kings was born into this world without grandeur or pomp, but in a completely humble manner.
That night, light shined into the darkness and hope was born into the world. However, that hope did not come true until after his death. Just before he faced the cross, Jesus gathered together a small circle of believers and announced that he was leaving them. He told them that they need not be afraid because God is going to send a gift to the whole world and they will be the first to receive it.
It was the Spirit of God long promised in the Bible. It will be accessible to all, but it will not be free. It was offered in trade and made available to anyone who valued it properly.
Jesus said that this gift would be a source of strength and comfort to all who receive it. It is a secret stream flowing from heaven that gives them the strength to live. It is the only thing that can fill the existential hole in the soul that plagues the human heart, both then and now.
Today, underground churches in North Korea have come together at great risk to praise the One who freed them, even though they live behind bars. Their gatherings are not just acts of devotion, but also a lifeline for survival. Like travelers huddled around a campfire in the depths of a harsh winter night, they draw warmth, strength, and courage from the unquenchable light, the Spirit of God.
South Korean Christians pray for the unification and peace of the Korean Peninsula during a New Year's service at Imjingak Peace Park in the border city of Paju, near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that divides North and South, on January 1, 2015. (JUNG YEON-JE/Jung Young Jae/) AFP via Getty Images)
These secret gatherings travel to once humble stables and kneel in awe before the birth of a king like no other, bringing hope and power to change history. It reflects the thoughts of the shepherds and kings who brought the power and power. This King gives hope despite all circumstances and infuses the heart with the power to transform even the weakest vessel.
He is the answer to the deep and unending pain that is in every human soul.
God is the still, small voice that calls to us in the howling winds of life's storms.
All who find the Lord, even in North Korea, go beyond survival and find what we so desperately long for: life, light, and love.
jeff king It operates as International Christian Concern (ICC) (persecution.org) has been president since 2003 and is one of the world's top experts on religious persecution. He has testified before the U.S. Congress on religious freedom and defended persecuted people everywhere. He has been interviewed or quoted by most of today's major media outlets. new york times, wall street journal, washington post and washington times. he three-time author is available as guest speaker. Jeff is also the host “Faith Under Fire”” is a podcast dedicated to helping Christians grow and defend their faith. If you would like to learn more please visit: Jeff King's blog.
