What if you woke up every morning wondering if this was the day you would be thrown into prison? Your crime? Believing in Jesus. Yet, this is a tragic reality for Christians living in North Korea.
Owning a single page of the Bible is a punishable offense in this country … yet believers continue to ask for God’s Word.
If Christ-followers are caught worshipping or sharing their faith, they can be sentenced to 15 years in a labor camp. The Database Center for North Korean Human Rights estimates that more than 75 percent of these Christians will not survive.
The treatment Christians receive in these camps is worse than we could imagine. They are beaten often, and there have even been reports that they are used as lab rats in dangerous medical trials. They work for hours on end with little food, water, or rest. The conditions have been compared to Nazi-era concentration camps.
It is not an exaggeration to say these camps are among one of the closest things to hell on earth.
If you were facing such a situation — the threat that any day could be the day you are sent to prison for your faith — what would you wish for? You might pray for relief or rescue from your oppressors. But the Christians in North Korea don’t pray for the persecution to end; they pray for copies of God’s Word that they can share with others.
North Korean Christians believe the Gospel is the only thing capable of changing their nation. They are passionate about Jesus Christ, and they want their friends and family to know about Him, too. For many generations, believers have worshipped in silence — but now they are ready to make some noise.
And they need your help to do it.
Many of these believers have never seen a Bible with their own eyes. The Scriptures they do know have been passed down to them by family and friends, whispered quietly, or scribbled on scraps of paper. They have tasted God’s Word … but they want more.
In just a few weeks, Christ-followers around the world will join in the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Together, we will lift up our brothers and sisters in prayer and ask God to give them strength and encouragement in their time of need. We will remember the suffering of our church family in countries like Nigeria, China, Iraq, and many more.
Our prayers are important, but our work doesn’t stop there. Right now, you can be the hands and feet of Jesus in North Korea — simply by providing a Bible. For just $10, you can send a Bible to a persecuted Christian and empower him to share the Good News with others.
By sending a Bible, you are lighting a candle in the darkness that has controlled North Korea for so long.
North Korean men and women are praying for Bibles — will you be the answer to their prayers?
P.S. Click here to download resources to help you as you pray for your brothers and sisters on International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.