Written by: Open Doors SA
Article source: JOY! Magazine
North Korea is one of the most difficult places in the world to follow Jesus. Since 2002, this country has been number one on the Open Doors World Watch List, an annual ranking of the top 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution.
Christians in North Korea face extreme levels of persecution in all spheres of life. The state controls everything, and anyone who goes against them faces grave consequences. For this repressive regime to identify secret believers, people are taught to spy on their closest family and friends. If Christians are discovered, they are deported to labour camps or worse, killed.
A family secret
Since she was a little girl, Kim Sang-Hwa had been trained to betray her family. But when the twelve-year-old girl discovered her parents’ secret Bible, she chose to begin her own dangerous journey of faith. Kim discovered the secret Church – an underground network that only survives thanks to the support of her Christian family outside North Korea.
Intrigued by what she was reading
Kim had found the strange Book by accident while her parents were out. “It wasn’t like anything I had seen before. I found the language intriguing, until I realised what it meant.” She only read the first line: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” She was very afraid, as she knew immediately that the Book was illegal.
She knew that it was her duty to report her parents, as she was taught that loyalty to the state comes first.
North Korea is one of the most difficult places in the world to follow Jesus.
Living with a dangerous secret
For weeks, Kim lived with her secret. “I seriously considered turning my parents over to the authorities. But in the end, I confronted my father. Then he explained the Bible and the Gospel to me,” she says.
Kim didn’t know that her father had been praying for five years for an opportunity to share the Gospel with his daughter. As she learnt of God’s everlasting love for her, she decided to begin a new life following Jesus.
Secret believers
According to Kim, North Korean Christians have learnt to totally rely on God. “Everything is up to Him. Only He can keep us strong. We have learnt that secret believers cannot be afraid.
“That’s why the support of our worldwide Christian family is so vital. You’re stopping the Church from starving – both spiritually and physically. Your prayers and actions help to keep believers alive with food, medical help, clothing, Bibles and training.”
Kim eventually escaped, and now she lives as a refugee outside of North Korea. She says: “Thanks to your support, secret believers experience that God loves them and provides in everything they need. What you do is so important for their survival.”
Do you want to help change a life?
You can help support more people like Kim Sang-Hwa through a gift of as little as R280. Your contribution will help keep North Korean believers alive with emergency aid and spiritual support through our networks in China. Your support and prayers remind persecuted Christians that they don’t have to face their difficulties alone. It reminds them that there are believers around the world who are there for them in their time of need. If you feel lead to make a difference in the life of a secret believer today, please visit our website on opendoors.org.za/nk20 or make use of our banking details below.
Open Doors
Nedbank
Branch code: 198765
Acc: 113 750 4552 (Business)
Reference: JE2007
Open Doors
Absa
Branch code: 632005
Acc: 160 340 568 (Current)
Reference: JE2007
Click here to KEEP UPDATED on the latest news by subscribing to our FREE weekly newsletter.
Date published: 10/07/2020
DISCLAIMER
JOY! News is a Christian news portal that shares pre-published articles by writers around the world. Each article is sourced and linked to the origin, and each article is credited with the author’s name. Although we do publish many articles that have been written in-house by JOY! journalists, we do not exclusively create our own content. Any views or opinions presented on this website are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the company.
