Since 1955
We support people who are beaten, tortured, laughed at, imprisoned, falsely accused, disowned, ignored and hated simply for following Jesus.
God's asking his followers to wake up and strengthen the worldwide church. Will you respond to the call?
It’s Time
It’s Time
It’s Time to wake up to extreme Persecution. Literally. So join us.
We’ve just finished our 6 early Monday morning sessions! Around 1000 of you joined us to wake up early to pray for secret Christians in North Korea who risk everything for Jesus.
But don’t worry, even though we’ve finished the initial sessions, you can still join in. Fill out the forms below, and we’ll send you our free ‘Wake Up and Pray’ Guide and you can set an alarm for yourself to wake up early to pray and act for persecuted Christians. You can also download the resources and check out the email series at the bottom of the page.
Plus, to show your support, upload a pic of you with your ‘wake up’ face, with bedhead, PJs and tired yawn all included to the wake up gallery we have below. Use the image as your FB, Twitter, Bebo or Instagram profile pic to show you’re not afraid of giving up some of your freedom and comfort to stand with those who are risking it all for Jesus!
It's Time Resources
Planning to wake up and pray with us? Use these...
Did you wake up with us? Well, good - now it's time to Wake Up your whole church or youth group. Run a Secret Church meeting!
Why wake up?
It’s easy to feel so removed from stories of persecution. But we’re intimately connected with those who give it all for Jesus. The worldwide church that we’re all part of is one body and it’s the thing God has chosen to use to change the world. We need to act and support the part of the church that is suffering. We need to answer God’s call: ‘Wake Up. Strengthen what remains and is about to die’ (Rev 3:2).
Getting up early isn’t supposed to be easy. This is about giving up some of the comfort of our lives (a few more minutes in bed) to stand with those who risk everything for Jesus. This is about prayer. And real prayers ask God to not just change the world, but change our hearts too.
We’ll be spending time in God’s word and praying for real North Korean Christians who are putting it all on the line for their faith. We know prayer has no boundaries. Our prayers can take hope across barbed wire, through locked prison doors and into even the hardest of hearts. With just a little bit of faith Jesus says we can move mountains, so let’s build our faith and let’s pray like we’ve never prayed before!
It’s Time
Week one: Understand
Join in the first of our early doors Wake Up and Pray sessions on 15th September!
Do Something
Week two: Pray
Have a gander at our second Wake Up session - scheduled for 22nd September at 7.00am!
It’s Time
Week four: Reflect
Week four - getting tired yet. Join us to reflect on life in North Korea on 6th October!
It’s Time
Week five: Give
Week five of our early morning session is all about giving. Do this on 13th October...
It’s Time: My Sister, Sarah
It’s Time
Week three: Worship
Week three is all about Worship. Set your alarm on Monday 29th September!
It’s Time
Week six: Speak up
Take a sneaky peak at the last week of our 'Wake Up' sessions - going out on 20th October!
The Problem
North Korea
Where up to 70,000 Christians are imprisoned in terrible labour or prison camps...
Suggested time and date: 6.30-7am, Monday 20th October
Good morning and congratulations! You’ve made it to the sixth and final week of ‘wake up and pray’ – thank you so much for getting up and standing with the persecuted church by praying for them for these past few weeks. Although this is the final week, this is not the end – though you can have a lie in next week! But for now, it’s time to… Speak up!.
While you’re waking yourself up and getting ready to pray, why not let the world know? Tweet using #itstime2014 and get your followers praying along with you.
You know the drill… out of bed!
Grab your Wake Up and Pray Guide and spend the next half hour reading through the material, thinking about the Bible passages and praying for change.
If you haven’t managed to get hold of the ‘Wake Up and Pray’ guide, you can download the full pdf session below to help you spend 30 minutes reflecting on the Bible, praying for change and learning more about life as a secret North Korean Christian.
Use the following stuff to help expand on the things that are in the Wake Up guide session.
1. Learn
There are between 50,000 and 70,000 Christians held in labour camps in North Korea. We don’t know a great deal about these labour camps as most people die while being held there, but what we do know is harrowing. A quick internet search of ‘North Korean labour camps’ will show up just some of what was revealed about these camps in a United Nations enquiry last year.
Despite all that goes on, many North Korean Christians continue to share the news of Jesus Christ in their country. Those who become Christians and choose to share this good news know that they do so at the risk of their lives, but still they persist, knowing that they have the best news in the world to share with those around them – news of forgiveness and eternal life for those who believe in the name of Jesus.
There are, however, a number of words that North Korean Christians are unable to use because they present too high a risk of arrest if they were to be overheard. So instead, they speak in code. You can find a list of them in the PDF session downloadable on this page.
In addition to sharing the gospel in code in their country, North Korean Christians have begun a prayer campaign amongst themselves to ask God for more opportunities to share the gospel. Despite the multiple risks, they pray for God to break through in their country and their government, and are completely submitted to the will of God, knowing that ‘if we perish, we perish’. Such courage and faith shows true disciples of Jesus, and present a challenge to us not only to be praying for our brother and sisters in Christ, but also to be practising true discipleship ourselves in our everyday lives.
2. Pray
Praise God for the vision, perseverance, courage and faith of Christians in North Korea. Pray for continued protection over their work, and an outpouring of faith and blessings on them. Pray also for openings to speak of the gospel to those around them, and for boldness as they do so.
Pray for Christians held in prison camps across North Korea. Ask God to draw close to them by his spirit, to comfort and protect them, and to give them strength. Pray for chances to speak of Jesus to their fellow prisoners, and even to those holding them captive. Pray for their release, and ultimately for God’s will to be done in the prison camps and across the country.
Ask God to bless North Korean Christians with a courage, wisdom and discernment for whatever the future holds. Praise Him once again for their perseverance and their faith, and for Open Doors workers who facilitate all that goes on from China. Pray that many would come to know Jesus, and that God would make the impossible possible in building His kingdom more in North Korea.
3. Act
As we’ve seen, North Koreans cannot identify themselves publicly as Christians. Why not take advantage of the privilege that you have in being able to proclaim your faith freely, and wear something that identifies you as a Christian? Wearing a cross necklace, a wristband, or even an Open Doors t-shirt will remind you how blessed you are to be able to openly declare your faith in Jesus.
4. Keep going
We’ve reached the end of ‘wake up and pray’, but for persecuted Christians across the world, and particularly those in North Korea, this is not the end. Using all that you’ve learnt and prayed about these past six weeks, keep yourself updated on what is happening in North Korea, and continue to pray for those persecuted for their faith. It might not mean getting up early again, but use the reminders suggested over the past few weeks to stay alert, aware, and praying for the persecuted Church. Also, be sure to keep tweeting #itstime2014 to remind your followers to pray as well.
Suggested time and date: 6.30am-7am, Monday 13th October
Don’t yawn! Welcome to week five! We’re chuffed that you’ve made it through this far, keep going – we’re nearly there. This week we’re thinking about generosity, because it’s time to… Give.
While you’re waking yourself up and getting ready to pray, why not let the world know? Tweet using #itstime2014 and get your followers praying along with you.
Rub those weary eyes…
Grab your Wake Up and Pray Guide and spend the next half hour reading through the material, thinking about the Bible passages and praying for change.
If you haven’t managed to get hold of the ‘Wake Up and Pray’ guide, you can download the full pdf session below to help you spend 30 minutes reflecting on the Bible, praying for change and learning more about life as a secret North Korean Christian. Download full PDF session…
Extra thoughts
Use the following stuff to help expand on the things that are in the Wake Up guide session.
1. Learn
North Korea is not just a place where Christians are intensely persecuted, but it is also a place where everyday survival is a struggle. Natural disasters, famine and corruption mean that around 16 million people are malnourished or suffer from food shortages. Not only that, but everyone in North Korea is officially ranked into three classes, and to be fed properly you must be in the ‘correct’ class.
This presents a real challenge for Christians in North Korea, who not only struggle to survive, but also share food with those around them who are even worse off than they are. This shows incredible faith and generosity, and often builds up trust-based relationships that can later be used to share the gospel.
We see throughout the Bible a call to Christian community, to sharing with one another and those around us what we possess. Indeed, Jesus says that the second greatest commandment is to ‘love your neighbour as yourself’. This often seems tricky here at home, when there is plenty to go round – imagine what a challenge it must be when you are starving to death, and yet God asks you to give away a portion of your rice for the day. What a blessing these North Korean Christians must be to those around them! This is a true example of those who have little committing to sharing what they have with those who have absolutely nothing.
A few North Korean Christians cross the border into China to collect clothes, food and medicines, and then bring them back into North Korea – risking their lives time and time again – in order to distribute the resources to those in need. Open Doors helps with providing these resources, but the true risk is taken by North Korean believers who smuggle many vital resources across the border from China. This is a life-threatening operation, but one which many people undertake for the sake of living out the gospel to their fellow citizens and believers.
2. Pray
Praise God for brave Christians in North Korea who risk everything to serve and save their fellow believers and non-believing citizens. Pray that they would be able to continue this work under God’s protection, and that He would bless them abundantly for all that they do to further His kingdom in their country.
Pray for the children who are left orphaned and living on the streets because their parents have died, fled or been arrested. Ask for God’s fatherly love to draw close to them, protect them and comfort them. Pray that they would encounter believers, and that adults they come across would be moved with compassion for these young children and be willing and able to help them.
Pray for the work of Open Doors supporters and workers as they provide clothes, food and medicine to be taken across the border from China into North Korea. Pray for wisdom, discernment and provision, and that all that Open Doors does would bless the church in North Korea and help it survive physically and spiritually.
3. Act
Calculate how much you or your family spends on food every week. This week, try and give one tenth of that away, either to a charity, or in non-perishable items for a food bank near you. As you do this, pray for those in this country and across the world who do not have enough to eat.
4. Keep going
Whenever you sit down for a meal today or this week, take some time to thank God for his provision of food in your life. Pray for those who do not have enough to eat, or who are starving because of their faith. After you’ve eaten, tweet #itstime2014 to remind your followers to pray for Christians in North Korea, and those going hungry across the world.
Suggested time and date: 6.30am-7am, Monday 6th October
Wakey wakey! Tired yet? It’s week 4, so it’s understandable that you might be. Getting up early to pray is a sacrifice, but one which will not be overlooked. This week, it’s time to… Reflect.
Wa Wa Wa Wa Wake Up!
Grab your Wake Up and Pray Guide and spend the next half hour reading through the material, thinking about the Bible passages and praying for change.
If you haven’t managed to get hold of the ‘Wake Up and Pray’ guide, you can download the full pdf session below to help you spend 30 minutes reflecting on the Bible, praying for change and learning more about life as a secret North Korean Christian.
Use the following stuff to help expand on the things that are in the Wake Up guide session.
1. Learn
Seeing Bibles is a regular occurrence here in the UK – shops sell them openly, and the many differing translations and designs you can get sometimes makes choosing a Bible a little overwhelming. In North Korea, however, few Christians have ever owned a Bible – to possess any religious writings is completely illegal, and the only ‘scriptures’ are information about the country’s leaders, who you are forced to worship as gods.
The government will stop at nothing to uncover and arrest believers who possess bibles, even tricking children into betraying their parents to the secret police. Bibles are hidden in various places in houses – below floorboards, in roofs and under mattresses. If a Bible is discovered in a house, it is a crime punishable by death. Without trial, Bible owners will be sent to forced labour camps and effectively left to die.
Open Doors is involved in secretly distributing Christian material inside North Korea – Christians there are desperate for even small portions of scripture, despite knowing that, were it to be discovered, they would almost definitely face death. The risk is so high for owners of Bibles that some people who have owned Bibles in the past have been forced to burn them in order to protect their families.
Scripture is so rare and precious to North Korean Christians that many will learn verses, chapters or even whole books of the Bible off by heart. Some may copy down chapters at a time, but for many even this is considered too dangerous, so instead they learn chunks off by heart. Do you know any Bible verses off by heart? What about a chapter? Or even a whole book? Imagine having to learn large chunks of the Bible off by heart because you might never get the chance to read Scripture again, and it is too dangerous to own your own copy. This is a reality for many Christians in North Korea.
2. Pray
To be without a Bible is so difficult for a Christian. Pray that God would speak directly to Christians without Bibles, that they would be encouraged and uplifted in knowing God’s provision and love for them. Pray that God would gift them with opportunities to read and learn chunks of scripture, and that His words would be written on their hearts.
Having a Bible in North Korea is a great risk. Pray for protection for those people lucky enough to possess written pieces of Scripture. Ask for the Holy Spirit to guide and protect them, and to ‘make seeing eyes blind’ when they are in danger of being discovered.
Open Doors is involved in secretly distributing Bibles in North Korea – there were over 45,000 given out in 2012 alone. Pray for that ministry, that God would bless it and shield it from enemy eyes. Pray that the Bibles would not fall into the wrong hands, but would instead reach people who are in desperate need of Scripture and encouragement, and who are able to share the Good News of Jesus in secret with those around them.
3. Act
As we’ve learnt today, many North Koreans will write out or learn chapters of the Bible by heart. Spend some time this morning writing out a chapter of the Bible by hand, thanking God for this portion of His Word, and asking Him to bless those for whom even writing down scripture means risking their lives.
4. Keep going
Every time you see a Bible today and for the rest of the week, take a minute to thank God for His provision and protection in this country, and pray for those places in the world, especially North Korea, where Bibles are banned and people are killed for owning them. Similarly, when you see a Bible, snap a picture of it on your phone and tweet it along with #itstime2014 to remind others to pray for those without the blessing of Bibles in the open.
Suggested time and date: 6.30am–7am, Monday 29th September
Alrightey! Hope these early mornings aren’t taking too much of a toll on you. Thank you for making a sacrifice and getting out of bed that little bit earlier to pray for the persecuted church in North Korea. This morning it’s time to… Worship.
While you’re waking yourself up and getting ready to pray, why not let the world know? Tweet using #itstime2014 and get your followers praying along with you.
Alright, out of bed…
Grab your Wake Up and Pray Guide and spend the next half hour reading through the material, thinking about the Bible passages and praying for change.
If you haven’t managed to get hold of the ‘Wake Up and Pray’ guide, you can download the full pdf session below to help you spend 30 minutes reflecting on the Bible, praying for change and learning more about life as a secret North Korean Christian. Download full PDF session…
Extra thoughts
Use the following stuff to help expand on the things that are in the Wake Up guide session.
1. Watch
‘Amazing Grace. That’s the song that Christians sing the most in North Korea.’ – North Korean Christian. Here’s a version of Amazing Grace with lyrics for you to listen and sing along to this morning.
2. Learn
How do you feel about silence? Lots of people find silence difficult to deal with, and the idea of worshipping in silence is one which seems completely impossible. And yet this is a reality for thousands of Christians in North Korea, forced to meet in pairs in remote places and worship in silence for fear the authorities will overhear and arrest them.
Today, try something different. Get up, take your bible (hidden somewhere on your person), and go and find a secluded area. Sit, in silence, alone, and do the rest of your Bible study and prayer time there. Try not to make a sound.
Pairs of North Korean Christians will meet each other in remote places on a Sunday morning, exchange a whispered bible verse or the first line of a hymn, and then depart. They know nothing about each other – not even the other person’s real name. The community and accountability that we take for granted in our churches here at home is not possible when you are living under a leader who proclaims himself to be god, and demands that he alone is worshipped.
In the rare occasions that a whole family are believers, they can put on a house church service. But such an event must still be done in the utmost secrecy, and often in silence. A leader may whisper the first line of a song, and then, in silence, all will sing along. What a contrast to our drums, guitars, and amplified voices here at home! Even to meet together in a house church, however, is an incredible risk, and one that not many people are willing to take – it is marginally safer to meet a non-related believer in a remote area for a few minutes, to share encouragement, bible verses, and lines of hymns.
3. Pray
It is so dangerous for Christians to meet each other in North Korea at any time, but community and encouragement is such an important part of faith. Pray for opportunities for Christians to gather together in secret in North Korea, and for God’s protection over them as they do so.
There are a number of churches across the border in China that welcome in North Korean refugees. Many of these also come under a great deal of scrutiny and pressure from the secret police and their spies. Pray for these churches, that they would know God’s protection and comfort, but pray also for secret police spies who are in the churches – pray that they would learn of God’s love and come to know Him as their Lord and Saviour.
Many Christians in North Korea feel terribly isolated and alone in their faith and their lives. Pray that God would draw close to them, would speak directly to them, and would strengthen and encourage them as they live out their faith in dangerous circumstances every single day.
4. Act
Tell a Christian friend all that you’ve learnt about North Korea these past few weeks and, as part of the experience, meet in secret with them before Church on Sunday. Stand quietly with them, whisper a bible verse or the first line of a favourite hymn, pray silently, and then leave without being seen.
Keep going
Keep praying and worshipping silently throughout the day and rest of the week for Christians in North Korea, and for its leaders and government. Instead of putting in your headphones whenever you find yourself alone and in silence, why not use the time to remember the silent worshippers of the North Korean Church and pray for them? And, every time you remember, tweet #itstime2014 and remind others to pray as well.
Suggested time and date: 6.30am-7am, Monday 22nd September
Good morning! Hope you’re feeling awake and ready to go this morning – thanks for joining us and countless others as we pray for the persecuted church in North Korea. This morning it’s time to… Pray!
While you’re waking yourself up and getting ready to pray, why not let the world know? Tweet using #itstime2014 and get your followers praying along with you.
Stop yawning!
Grab your Wake Up and Pray Guide and spend the next half hour reading through the material, thinking about the Bible passages and praying for change.
If you haven’t managed to get hold of the ‘Wake Up and Pray’ guide, you can download the full pdf session below to help you spend 30 minutes reflecting on the Bible, praying for change and learning more about life as a secret North Korean Christian. Download full PDF session…
Extra thoughts
Use the following stuff to help expand on the things that are in the Wake Up guide session.
1. Learn
I don’t know what comes to mind when you hear the word ‘warrior’, but it often brings to mind ideas of going into battle, armed and dangerous, fighting to the death. But what do you think of when you tag a ‘prayer’ onto the beginning of that? A ‘prayer warrior’ seems like a strange idea… doesn’t it?! And yet, this is what many Christian in North Korea are – they are waging battle through prayer, every single minute of every single day. And this morning, we will join them.
In North Korea, it’s often too dangerous to pray at home, and so Christians will trek into the mountains, into solitude and silence, to pray through the night. A land of oppression and persecution, North Korea is also a land saturated with prayer. Not only do they pray for themselves, as so many of us are used to doing, but they obey Jesus’ command to ‘pray for those who persecute you’ (Matthew 5:44), interceding for their leaders and oppressors to come to repent and believe the Good News of Jesus Christ.
In 1 Thessalonians, we are called to ‘pray without ceasing’. Sometimes, that command can feel overwhelming, especially if we feel that we just don’t know what to pray for, or how to pray it. But in Romans 8, we are also told that the ‘Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans’. The Bible makes it clear that we don’t need words in order to speak to our Father, we need only the Spirit within us, and an openness to intercessory prayer.
When you have to go into the mountains to pray all night long, and you cannot utter a word for fear of being overheard, verses such as Romans 8:26 are a great comfort. It is also a great comfort to know that Christians around the world are praying with and for you as you wage battle through prayer for your country and your fellow citizens. This morning we are going to join thousands of Christians across the world in praying for North Korea, for its citizens, for its government, and for its leaders.
2. Pray
Like last week, pray for a deeper understanding of what Christians have to go through in North Korea, and for a spirit of intercession to rise up in these next six weeks and beyond. Ask God to break your heart for North Korea and the Christians living there.
One of the hardest things that the Bible asks us to do is ‘pray for those who persecute you’. Although we personally are not persecuted by North Korean leaders, members of the Body of Christ are, and therefore we must pray for them. Pray for the leaders of North Korea, that they would repent and believe in the Good News of Jesus Christ, and that good would triumph over evil in North Korea.
North Korea is a place full of fences and barriers. Picture in your mind the most impenetrable fence you can imagine – barbed wire, razor wire, electrified – and pray that God would break them down, and incredible hope and redemption would come to North Korea.
3. Act
North Koreans will often fast as well as pray. Fasting does not necessarily have to be from food, but can be abstaining from something upon which you find yourself relying. What could you fast from this week? Social media? Your phone? TV? Food? Whenever you miss the thing from which you are fasting, use that as a reminder to spend time praying and reading your Bible.
4. Keep going
Keep praying throughout the day and rest of the week for Christians in North Korea, and for its leaders and government – why not stick a note on your fridge, or your mirror, to remind yourself to pray? And, every time you pray, tweet #itstime2014 and remind others to pray as well.
The world is tentatively waking up to the reality of persecution. In May the media story around the missing 200 teenage girls blew up and went viral. The mainly Christian pupils were kidnapped by Boko Haram, a terrorist group who oppose western education, and consider Christians enemies of Islam. Videos show that many of the girls have been forced to give up their faith.
The reality of what is happening in Northern Nigeria is finally hitting home to the wider world. Boko Haram have been looting, killing and kidnapping in the region for years, and throughout May bombs killed hundreds in the largely Christian towns of Jos and Alagarno. It really is pretty shocking, and though Christians aren’t the only targets, they are definitely high on the long list of Boko Haram’s most wanted.
Along with the stories from Sudan about Meriam Yahya Ibrahim, a pregnant 27 year old doctor who was sentenced to death for refusing to deny her faith in Jesus, the reality of persecution is beginning to fuel anger not just in the church but in the wider world too.
And that is a really good thing, but these are just two stories amongst hundreds, thousands, maybe millions. The challenge for us is to keep waking ourselves up to what is happening to followers of Jesus all over the world.
How do we wake up?
These two tragic stories have connected with us. It isn’t just that 200 people have been kidnapped, but that they were teenagers studying for exams. They were taken from their families. We’ve seen their parents’ despair, and can imagine the fear the girls faced. These girls wouldn’t be out of place in our schools or colleges; they really aren’t that different to us. We’ve made the connections between us and them and we’re outraged.
But the connections exist between us and Christians all over the world too. As followers of Jesus we’re not just joined to those whose lives relate a bit to ours. We’re connected to all who call God Father – all who’ve prayed that Jesus would be their friend and king. And that means secret Christians in North Korea or Iran, who we know very little about.
It’s harder to imagine or understand their stories, especially when information is limited. These countries are pretty secretive, and often Christians there are just as keen to keep their activities hidden as the governments that might target them. But we’re all part of God’s church, we’re one body, one family and we’re a big part of God’s plan to bring hope to the world. So, it’s time to wake up, to connect and do what we can for our church family who risk everything for Jesus.
Wake up and strengthen what remains…
Brother Andrew felt God put those words from Revelation 3:2 on his heart when he started smuggling Bible’s into the old Soviet Union back in 1955. That was the beginning of Open Doors God is still challenging us in the West with that passage today. The church around the world is dying – literally – as Christians face all sorts of shocking situations. Eun Hee’s story is extraordinary, but sadly it’s one that isn’t un-common. We may struggle to connect with her life or situation, but we can connect with and be inspired by her bravery, passion and relentless commitment to Jesus.
God’s asking us to wake up. He wants us to make a stand for justice and to help the church be all it can be. We can respond – we can pray, we can act and we can be inspired by people like Eun Hee to give all we have for the one who gave it all for us.
Wake up and pray
Up for the challenge? From 15th Sept to 20th Oct, we’ll send you a weekly early-morning wake up email. Sign up at www.opendoorsyouth/itstime and we’ll also send you our ‘Wake Up and Pray’ guide to help connect with, and pray for, people who are persecuted for following Jesus.
Pray Now
Ask God to reveal to you His heart for His church. Pray for compassion, empathy and understanding.
Pray for Christians in Northern Nigeria facing constant threats and terror from Boko Haram. Pray for the safety of the girls who’ve been abducted and ask for their release. Ask for comfort for the families of those who’ve been taken.
Suggested time and date: 6.30am-7am, Monday 22nd September
Good morning! Feeling sleepy? We’re not surprised – it’s 6:30am (if you’re doing this when we suggest), but it’s time to wake up and pray. This week we’ve decided that it’s time … to Understand.
While you’re waking yourself up and getting ready to pray, why not let the world know? Tweet using #itstime2014 and get your followers praying along with you.
Alright sleepyhead. Time to start!
Grab your Wake Up and Pray Guide and spend the next half hour reading through the material, thinking about the Bible passages and praying for change.
If you haven’t managed to get hold of the ‘Wake Up and Pray’ guide, you can download the full pdf session below to help you spend 30 minutes reflecting on the Bible, praying for change and learning more about life as a secret North Korean Christian. Download full PDF session…
Extra thoughts
Use the following stuff to help expand on the things that are in the Wake Up guide session. These extra thoughts can be read now, or if you don’t have time, during lunch, on your bus ride to school/college/work or whenever you can fit them in!
1. Watch
Movie time: Hea Woo’s story
2. Learn
It’s so alien to us to even try and imagine a world where everything we say, do and even eat is regulated and controlled by the government. It sounds like something out of a book, or a film. And yet, for Christian in North Korea, this is an everyday reality. Many thousands are in prison for holding opinions different from those of the government, or any Christian or religious belief, and everything is ordered and dictated by a government who declares its 18-years dead leader to be god, and forces people to worship him.
‘Kimilsungism’ is the worship of a man, the former leader of North Korea, who died 18 years ago and whose family has been in dictatorship over the country ever since. North Koreans are forced to worship portraits and idols of the leaders, attend meetings solely dedicated to the worship of this leader, and learn hundreds of pages of information about the family.
Christians are persecuted beyond belief in this country. Forced into burying their bibles and meeting in secret silence, the situations in which they find themselves daily are unthinkable. If they’re caught, they face lifetime imprisonment and even death, with no hope of escape.
And yet still they have faith, even in the most extreme circumstances, surrounded by risk and danger at every turn, all for love of Jesus Christ and his message of new life, hope, and freedom.
3. Pray
Pray for a deeper understanding of what Christians have to go through in North Korea, and for a spirit of intercession to rise up in these next six weeks and beyond. Ask God to break your heart for North Korea and the Christians living there.
Pray for change to happen in North Korea, for hearts and minds to be opened to the Gospel of Jesus, and for peace to reign throughout the land.
Tens of thousands of people are imprisoned in labour camps across the country, often being worked and starved to death. Many of these people have been imprisoned for professing faith in Jesus. Pray that He would draw close to them by His spirit at this time, that they would know his comfort, his peace, and his miraculous provision.
4. Act
North Koreans often live off minimal amounts of food. For one day, why not eat like a North Korean? Try skipping breakfast and dinner, and having a bowl of watery soup and some bread for lunch. When your stomach rumbles, use it as a reminder to pray for those who are going hungry in North Korea.
Keep going
Keep praying throughout the day and rest of the week for those in North Korea – why not stick a note on your fridge, or your mirror, to remind yourself to pray? And, every time you pray, tweet #itstime2014 and remind others to pray as well.
We support people who are beaten, tortured, imprisoned, falsely accused, and hated simply for following Jesus.
