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After traveling from country to country, sharing and listening to the Gospel message of Jesus, I have discovered that North Korea is one of the most difficult countries to be a Christian in. There, persecution is expected if you choose to show faith in Jesus. The men and women of faith are only one mistake away from death or prison.
Currently, the estimated number of people in prison because of their faith is around 50,000-70,000 in North Korea. I can't help but imagine the type of life where freedom only exsists outside of your devotion to Jesus.
Recently, a pastor from South Korea shared with me that he would memorize chapters of the Bible and go into North Korea to spread the Gospel. Knowing that he could be killed or put in prison for his actions, he courageously went anyway.
If I'm being honest, I thought to myself, "Would I have the faith to endure what many go through each day in North Korea?" The daily life of a Christian in North Korea is terrifying and completely wrong. However, when we take a look at the scriptures, their life seems to be right on track with what Jesus said would happen if we chose to follow in His footsteps.
"11 Persecutions, sufferings—such as occurred to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra, persecutions I endured, but out of them all the Lord delivered me. 12 Indeed all who delight in piety and are determined to live a devoted and godly life in Christ Jesus will meet with persecution [will be made to suffer because of their religious stand]." - 2 Timothy 3:11-12 AMPC
Being born and raised in America, this type of commitment and devotion to God seems completely foreign in regard to anything I've personally seen. The majority of us in the Western world can agree that we can't really relate to a faith that requires so much of us; A faith that would separate father from son; A faith that would separate families and potentially penetrate every area of our lives that we hold most sacred. Unfortunately majority of us are under the impression that faith, career and family all fit into seperate categories. So we have given our lives to our careers and given whats left to God. Is this the type of commitment that Jesus died for?
"34 Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to part asunder a man from his father, and a daughter from her mother, and a newly married wife from her mother-in-law—36 And a man’s foes will be they of his own household. 37 He who loves [and takes more pleasure in] father or mother more than [in] Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves [and takes more pleasure in] son or daughter more than [in] Me is not worthy of Me; 38 And he who does not take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conforming wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also] is not worthy of Me." - Matthew 10:34-38 AMPC
Instead, we have fallen in love with a casual christianity that requires no commitment or devotion and only asks for our time and attention for 40 minutes on 1 day out of our 7 day weeks. Despite our fantasy of what faith should look like, the current reality in places like North Korea and many other nations exposes the truth about what can be expected from choosing the cross of Christ. In many places, being a Christian means more than simply wearing a cross necklace but rather realizing that because of the cross, many followers of Jesus have ended up neck-less.
I can't help but think: Is this what it means to truly love God and to follow after Jesus? To accept a life of discomfort and trials? In many countries around the world, loving God isn't a cliche but rather a reality that leads to a fate similar to that of Jesus Christ Himself.
What I've realized from learning about the Christians in North Korea as well as the Christians in the Bible is that the narrow road that leads to Heaven hasn't changed. Much similar to what we do with everything else, we have simply reduced the Gospel message to fit into our comfort zones. We have torn down the narrow road that leads to eternal life and built our own path that leads to Heaven through riches and comforts from this life. We have created our own form of the Gospel that requires no commitment nor devotion and no matter what we do or how we live, our salvation is secure. We have accepted a blasphemous version of the Gospel that allows us to keep our normal lives whilst claiming to have given them to God.
24 "But woe to (alas for) you who are rich ([n]abounding in material resources), for you already are receiving your consolation (the solace and sense of strengthening and cheer that come from prosperity) and have taken and enjoyed your comfort in full [having nothing left to be awarded you].25 Woe to (alas for) you who are full now (completely filled, luxuriously gorged and satiated), for you shall hunger and suffer want! Woe to (alas for) you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep and wail!26 Woe to (alas for) you when everyone speaks fairly and handsomely of you and praises you, for even so their forefathers did to the false prophets." -Luke 6:24-26 AMPC
We are quick to say that our typical, everyday problems are attacks from the enemy. We suffer bad health due to our lack of discipline and self control but then blame the devil for our high cholesterol and blood pressure. We have shown God the least commitment out of anyone in history and yet we constantly say the devil is on our heels. And in order to stifle our convictions and maintain our comfortable lifestyles, we are quick to listen to anything that sounds good or requires no effort or commitment.
"3 For the time is coming when [people] will not tolerate (endure) sound and wholesome instruction, but, having ears itching [for something pleasing and gratifying], they will gather to themselves one teacher after another to a considerable number, chosen to satisfy their own liking and to foster the errors they hold, 4 And will turn aside from hearing the truth and wander off into myths and man-made fictions." - 2 Timothy 4:3-4 AMPC
We have come to think of high persecution as the only means to leading a completely consecrated life to God, but the truth is that this is actually a life that is inherited by every true follower of Jesus. The disciples of the Bible weren't forced into submission to the will of God by a power thirsty dictator. They chose to let go of everything and everyone that got in the way of their devotion to God. By the standard of the Bible, this is what it actually means to follow Christ.
"27 Then Peter answered Him, saying, Behold, we have left [our] all and have become Your disciples [sided with Your party and followed You]. What then shall we receive?" - Matthew 19:27 AMPC
I thought to myself, "Why would God expect so much from someone in North Korea and so little from people everywhere else?" The reality, however, is that God expects the same level of commitment and devotion from us as He does from the Christians of North Korea -- and not because a dictator of the world has forced us, but because the Kingdom of Heaven and our love for God has influenced us into desiring and pursuing after the King of Kings with all our hearts.
"36 Teacher, which kind of commandment is great and important (the principal kind) in the Law? [Some commandments are light—which are heavy?] 37 And He replied to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (intellect)." - Matthew 22:36-37 AMPC
The sad reality is that without a secular government forcing extreme devotion to God through dire circumstances in other parts of the world, we see that this type of devotion to God doesn't seem to exist often. I have noticed that typically, the absence of persecution has also led to the absence of devotion and commitment to God. How would Jesus feel about us singing about giving our lives away to Him freely, but only seeing this to be true with a gun to our heads? Some of Jesus's loyal followers have their freedom ripped away and some of His loyal followers have chosen to give their freedoms away simply based off of pure love for their Savior.
"24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also]. 25 For whoever is bent on saving his [temporal] life [his comfort and security here] shall lose it [eternal life]; and whoever loses his life [his comfort and security here] for My sake shall find it [life everlasting]." - Matthew 16:24-25 AMPC
Out of our lukewarm stance towards God, we have created a religion that has no standard and convinced ourselves that our spots in Heaven are secure for eternity. Yet, Satan himself lost his spot in Heaven because of his behaviour and actions. So it would be delusional to think that God wouldn't expect actual change in our behaviour and actions to reflect the decision we've made in our hearts to accept Jesus.
"7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee and escape from the wrath and indignation [of God against disobedience] that is coming? 8 Bring forth fruit that is consistent with repentance [let your lives prove your change of heart]; 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, We have Abraham for our forefather; for I tell you, God is able to raise up descendants for Abraham from these stones! 10 And already the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." - Matthew 3:7-10 AMPC
"7 Not that there is [or could be] any other [genuine Gospel], but there are [obviously] some who are troubling and disturbing and bewildering you [with a different kind of teaching which they offer as a gospel] and want to pervert and distort the Gospel of Christ (the Messiah) [into something which it absolutely is not]. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to and different from that which we preached to you, let him be accursed (anathema, devoted to destruction, doomed to eternal punishment)! 9 As we said before, so I now say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel different from or contrary to that which you received [from us], let him be accursed (anathema, devoted to destruction, doomed to eternal punishment)!" - Galatians 1:7-9 AMPC
Whether we are being persecuted or living without the fear of persecution, Jesus still died for complete devotion to Him and He expects us to make the decision to take up our own cross daily. This means more than simply talking about Jesus when it's inconvient. It means actually allowing our conviction from the Cross of Christ to drastically change our lives from the inside out. Similiar to the Christians of persecuted countries, we must also lose sight of ourselves and our future plans to conform wholly to a lifestyle that resembles that of Jesus Christ Himself.
"24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also]. 25 For whoever is bent on saving his [temporal] life [his comfort and security here] shall lose it [eternal life]; and whoever loses his life [his comfort and security here] for My sake shall find it [life everlasting]. " - Matthew 16:24-25 AMPC
The Question of the Day: If we aren't hearing a Gospel Message that costs us everything, then who is actually teaching us?