52 Principle 48 - We Are a Body of Christ Together

Principle 48. We are a body of Christ together. A former policeman described how he was involved in the arrests of 11 church members. Two of them were tortured to death during interrogation while the others were executed, he said. God is no respecter of persons. Each person has a value more than the world's riches and Jesus died for each person. The lesson that we learn in North Korea is that Christians lay down their lives and become martyrs, be they an apostle, or pastor, or a believer. We are rewarded and judged, each based on our own works in relation to the gifts God has given us. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are all disciples and all have the same standing, yet leaders have a greater accountability before God. Jesus had reminded his disciples about leadership many times. If you want to be the greatest, become the least and servant of all. Don't lord over people. Wash feet. In the end, all of us are simple servants of the Lord. The North Korean church cannot afford the luxury of having parachurch ministries and organizations as we see in many other countries of the world. There are no head denominational men or gifted leaders on specific Christian subjects. Each church member in North Korea is a generalist who understands and walks in normal Christianity based on the Bible. The abundance of Christian denominations simply speaks of division and the unhealthiness of the church worldwide. The local church, if healthy and biblical, does not need the existence of denominations. The body of Christ is one and is self-sufficient with its giftings and callings. God has made the body of Christ in such a way that each member supports the other. As we learn from Scripture under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and as we learn from each other, we become more balanced and not extreme in one doctrine or another. Believers in the North Korean church take turns teaching the verses they have memorized by heart. Thus, sermons are preached from the heart in the power of the Holy Spirit by these precious saints and remind us of the early days in the book of Acts where unlearned men taught the Word of God as moved by the Holy Spirit. In our modern church age, we need to relearn the lesson the Lord taught the Corinthian church. There was over-dependence on personalities and gifted leaders which was creating divisions in the body of Christ. Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly, mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you are not ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly, for since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, I follow Paul and another, I follow Apollos, are you not mere human beings? What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor, for we are co-workers in God's service. You are God's field, God's building. By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder and someone else is building on it, but each one should build with care, for no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire and the fire will test the quality of each person's work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss, but yet will be saved, even though only as one escaping through the flames. Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person, for God's temple is sacred and you together are that temple. As part of this principle, we also want to remind readers that North Korean believers are part of the body of Christ worldwide, where we need to care for other parts of the body. Scripture reminds us that if one part of our body in Christ is hurting, then all parts are hurting. It is the responsibility of Christians in non-persecuted nations to pray for sisters and brothers in nations where persecution is rampant. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. If one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Continue to remember those in prison, as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated, as if you yourselves were suffering. Pray for them, intercede for them, help them, write to the government for them. Here are specific things to pray for. Number one, now Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word through the filling and power of your Holy Spirit. Number two, stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant, Jesus. Number three, that God would give them forgiveness and love. Number four, that God would provide Bibles for them. Number five, that they would be able to find someone to fellowship with. Number six, that their friends and neighbors would discover Jesus through their witness. Number seven, that they would remain strong under torture and not deny Jesus. Number eight, pray for the leader Kim Jong-un to accept Jesus as his savior. Number nine, pray for North Korea to become a nation more open to Christianity. Number ten, pray for faith, strength, and courage for them to endure. Number eleven, pray for comfort in tribulation. Number twelve, pray for the torturers that they may become Christians. Number thirteen, pray that the North Korean Christians would bless their torturers, pray for them, and do good to them. Number fourteen, pray for North Korean Christians to remain strong in faith and to believe in a God of miracles, knowing that God knows best. Number fifteen, that they might not be led into temptation. And number sixteen, that God would deliver them from evil according to his will.