HAS GOD FORGOTTEN HIS CHILDREN? - NORTH KOREA

How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Psalm 13:1-2

If any believers can identify with this cry of David, it is those in North Korea. Today we hear from our co-worker, Jan Vermeer:

Looking at the desperate condition of the scattered North Korean church is a test of faith. Was the church meant to be underground or to be a bold witness? Should the name of Jesus Christ be proclaimed or whispered in silence? And if Jesus is King, why doesn’t He come to the rescue of his followers? Why do hundreds or even thousands perish in prisons or death camps each year?

An Open Doors contact in North Korea talks about their prayer meetings. “If you could attend one of those rare prayer meetings, your hearts would break,” he says. “We cover the portraits of the leaders on the wall and then we kneel down in a circle. We pray for strength and endurance. We pray that God will keep our country. ‘Father,’ we say, ‘The Israelites sinned and you made them wander in the wilderness for forty years. But for us, Lord, after more than fifty years we are still being punished. However, we have sinned and You are just. We bowed before the idols of Kim Il-Sung and before that to the idols of the Japanese. Forgive us. Please Father; restore the churches of past times in North Korea.’”

Feeling that sense of guilt in the North Korean believers is utterly painful. It makes you cry out with them the words of David, “How long, oh Lord? Will you forget me forever?” It’s a heartfelt cry, but is it the truth? Has God forgotten His children in North Korea? For that answer we have to investigate the spiritual life of North Korean Christians.

The Open Doors contact adds, “If you do that, you’ll find North Korean Christians are very mature. They know how to approach unbelievers and how to train new Christians, including their children once they are old enough. The Christians don’t mind to be tested. In fact, they are determined to sacrifice themselves for the Kingdom of God. They see trials as purifying.”

North Korean Christians know that when they pray earnestly, God will answer. The contact continues, “Whenever we do a project with Open Doors, first we fast for seven, sometimes ten days. Only when God tells us separately that we can continue with the project do we give the green light and carry out the project. Sometimes we have a very vivid dream in which God tells us what to do and sometimes we all just feel exactly the same about the project. Our believers are bolder and stronger than before, even though the persecution is also stronger.”

Where people love and follow Jesus, there is always hope!

RESPONSE: Today I bask in the sunshine of this hope. God does not ever forget His children!

PRAYER: Pray today for isolated believers in North Korea who do not have the warmth of Christian fellowship and group prayer.

Standing Strong Through The Storm (SSTS)
A daily devotional message by SSTS author Paul Estabrooks

from: http://links.biblegateway.mkt4731.com/servlet/MailView?ms=NDE4MTk1ODcS1&r=MjY3OTUzMzc0MDQS1&j=MTkxNjYwNTMzS0&mt=1&rt=0

We will be praying for N. Korea and other persecuted nations at 8pm central time tonight. The number for US callers is 209.255.1000. The number for Canadian callers is 559.670.1000. Access code is 109083#.for both numbers.

Call is open to all.

Blaine

We could easily ask if God has forgotten America?

The Church in North Korea has ceased from sin (as they are suffering in the flesh) and being purified and growing close to Jesus.

God has not forgotten America or North Korea. Even now, God is bringing the fire to purify and grow up His babies in America.

They ask God to forgive them for worshipping the idols of the past. I shudder to think what will happen to the weak, aboveground church in the west because of their idolatry. The west is aboveground, but not bold. I think the underground church IS bold. They are enduring and not falling away. What will be the onslaught in the west? How many will fall away and betray their brethren?

A "shaking" and a "winnowing" has already been sent to the West, its full effect not yet realized. For those that have eyes to see and ears to hear.

Why would God only bless the North Korea Church and forget the wayward and backslidden church in the West?

The more acute the pride, the more severe the chastisement.

Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

Rev 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

It is heart wrenching to read that some beleivers in N. Korea feel that the persecutions in that nation are God's judgement on tbem. It was true in times past that the church in Korea, particularly the north did capitulate to the Japanese and later the Communist. But though many capitulated, a faithful, remnant church has emerged in N. Korea that is paying the price of their love for Christ with their blood. Indeed the persecution is not punisment but God purifying for himself a bride. This is the same remnant church in N. Korea that is praying the American church wake up and be pure in Christ on these end times.

By contrast, the once vibrant evangelical church of S. Korea has fallen into materialism and worldliness. No longer does one here about the prayer and fasting of S. Korean believers. What comes out of that nation is a worldly megachurch filled with sin. No doubt imoorted from America. In some ways the S. Korean church out does the American church in terms of its worldliness.

Some have suggested that the reason the Koreas remain divided is God is protecting the N. Korean church from the ravages is the sin that grips the S. Korean church. Far from being judgement the persecutions that God is allowing in N. Korea is to purify for himself a bride. A bride he loves.

If course this makes absolutely no since to our western mindset. How can a loving God permit parents see their children run over by a steam roller because they will not deny their faith in Christ. Only a God the N. Korean Christians belueve in that give them the hope of eternal glory. These parents told their children to have hope in Jesus. We will see you in heaven.

N. Korea is a small picture of what living under the reign of antichrist will be. For these precious saints there is no hope of a pretrib rapture to deliver them. Indeed they often say please pray we will endure the trials where God has placed us. Please pray we will be faithful in these trials.

A brother shared with me that one hour in the presence of someone who has endured persecution will expose the shallowness of our western faith. I know this would be true of ny shallow faith.

Dear God may we have the humility to learn from these precious saints who are spilling their blood for you.

Blaine Scogin

a faithful, remnant church has emerged in N. Korea that is paying the price of their love for Christ with their blood. Indeed the persecution is not punisment but God purifying for himself a bride. This is the same remnant church in N. Korea that is praying the American church wake up and be pure in Christ on these end times.

Boy, that sure is the key. They are "paying the price of their love for Christ".

"In the world you shall have tribulation,,,"

"If they hate you, they hated me first"

Is the West paying the price for their love for Christ or all they all mixed up with the world and politics?

If we won't purify ourselves, God is faithful and will help us. We are told to purify ourselves, be holy as He is holy...

Jas_4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Agreed brother. I belueve there is something Paul writes in 1 Cor. that if we are judging ourselves we will not be judged by God. But if God judges us we will be disciplined so that wewill not be condemned with the rest of the world.

It may take persecution to purify for God a bride in the west, particularly a bride in America.

Blainel

Whether persecution, tribulation (of whatever sort) we do know that God "turning up the heat" in our lives is for our own good and because He loves us. Nothing else brings the dross to the top than a hotter flame (trying situations).

And I don't want to over-generalize. There are people in the West that have gone through great tribulation of soul from various types of loss in their lives and they have come forth as pure gold.

So, keeping that in mind, yes generally speaking we need some heat to separate us from the mixture (dross). We have ample opportunities each day to embrace the cross and it is best if we do.

Romans 5:3-5
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. And hope does not out us to shame beccause God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

This sounds so counter to the blessed life of the prosperity gospel. Indeed any suffering is considered to be of the devil in that theology. Yet the persecuted, as those of N. Korea, regard persecution as a blessing. They take to heart the words of Jesus who said "Blessed are you when you are persecuted". For the N. Koreans and other persecuted believers do regard persecution as a purifying agent. And persecution will ultimately deepen God's love for them through the Holy Spirit. Thus my prayer for the N. Koreans would be that more of God's love be poured out in their hearts.

But I do wonder if we in the west can rejoice in our sufferings. This should be cause for sober reflection.

Blaine

I actually wonder sometimes how bad the destruction (spiritually speaking) will be in the West. Corrie Ten Boom related a story about the great falling away in Red China when Mao Tse Tung and the "Red Purge" went into action and many, many fell away because they were taught the rapture (from the West). They were caught off guard.

The story by Corrie Ten Boon should be reflected upon by believers in the west. Unfortunately we have been seduced by the false teaching of a prosperity gospel and a pretrib rapture. The cross, except for salvation, is not being taught. That is Jesus said if anyone wishes to come, after me he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. Bonhoffer best said it in this statement. When Christ bids a man to come to him, he bids him to come and die.

The idea of a persecuted church, even in N. Korea, is still a fantasy to many American believers. They walk in an altered state of reality. The idea of persecution is foreign to them. Even here in America.

Despite mounting evidence of a hostility toward the things of Christ in this nation, many believers are still in la la land.

I am afraid many will fall away when persecution starts. Or simply stick their head in the sand and pretend it isn't happening. After all the great majority of German Christians did that when the Jews were being exterminated. Should it be any different now.

But God is preparing himself a remnant bride in America. One that will be favored in heaven and feared in bell. And one that will pay the price for their love for Jesus.

These are my thoughts.

Blaine Scogin

I saw a picture in a VOM magazine where a group of N. Korean believers were gathered in a tight circle. By a small penlight they intently read and studied the word. Recently a video was sent to me. In this video was shown a man from N. Korea who was intently reading the word. He was so intent in his reading that he did not hear the secret police knocking loudly at his door. He quickly hid his Bible and the secret police came in and searched his house. The Bible was found. The brother knew a death camp awaited him. But the police left leaving him alone. The next day one of the officials came back and quietly gave him back the Bible. The official was a believer himself who used his position to aid the persecuted church. The official cautioned the brother to be careful when he read his Bible. He also told him he longed for the day when all if N. Korea would be free to worship Christ.

In N. Korean schools young children are brain washed to play a game. This is as evil and diabolical as it gets. The young children are told to go home and look around their house and see if their parents have a black book. If they find the book they are to bring it back to the teacher. Generally when the child returns home his parents are not there and never to return. One can only guess what the book is and where the parents have been taken.

The average life expectancy of a N. Korean evangelist is about 3 to 6 months. If caught with Bibles or New Testament they can readily be executed on the spot which might be more merciful than slowly dying in a death camp. Yet there are those faithful saints who will take Bibles into N. Korea because their hearts burn with a passion to see the N. Korean people set free with the word of truth. To be set free in Cbrist.

The reality of this hit me when I saw pictures of people in N. Korea. They were celebrating the new leader Kim Jung Un. The thing that gripped me about these pictures was there was no expression on the faces of the people. Admidst the bright colors and pagentry there were dead spirits. The people were dead who were swearing their allegaiance to an antichrist.

Saints this is ultimately a spiritual war we are in and this is why the devil hates and fears the word. He hates and fears Him who is the Word because he can truly set men free in N. Korea.

True freedom for the N. Korean believers or any persecuted believer will only come through that freedom Jesus brings. And that freedom is found in his word. This is why the evil government fears the word of God in N. Korea.

As I have read about the persecuted for the con call I facilitate I am struck by one thing. Aside from prayer the persecuted, particularly those of N. Korea value only one book. And they will lose even their life to own that book. That book is the Bible.

What does this say to us? How much do we value the Bible? Will we give our lives to own one? Lest you think I am putting you on a guilt trip these are sobering reflective questions from someone who has turned 62 today.

Some of you have extensive libraries with reference works and sermons. If I were to visit your homes I would probably be impressed by your libraies. But how many of you know your Bible? Does the word of Christ dwell in you richly?

I wax once like you. I was a fiery 5 point Calvinist more interested in winning Arminians to Calvin then winning souls for Christ. Certainly knew nothing of the suffering church. And I did not know my Bible. Oh I knew Reformed theology. Even had the books. But had no love of Christ and no fruit of the Spirit.

At 62 God has brought me back to a sincere and pure devotion to him. And a love for the New Testament. My prayer is God make me like those precious N. Korean believers. In the words of the Psalmist. To live and keep your word.

These are my thoughts from one who is one year older. And I pray a little wiser in Jesus.

Blaine Scogin