40 - the Prepared People Groups

Good evening, this is Ben Torrey back with you again. I trust that you enjoyed your break from work last week when we all celebrated Chuseok Tabernacles and Thanksgiving together. If you missed my comments last Monday on how these all come together, well, sorry.

However, we must move on. Tonight I want to share with you about the Prepared People Groups. The Prepared People Organization is something that we have started as an extension of the Fourth River Project, preparing for the opening of North Korea.

These are people who are actually preparing rather than being prepared already. The name really is, we hope, prophetic, looking forward to the day when there will be thousands of people all over the country who really are prepared to share the Gospel and love of Jesus with their brothers and sisters in North Korea in a way that they can comprehend when that land opens up. Several groups have been started in different parts of the country.

Some are actually starting in other countries as well. If you've been listening to these broadcasts over the past months, you may remember me talking about our work camp schools this past summer and referring to North Korea schools. These are schools that the Fourth River Project puts on at Jesus Abbey and the Three Seas Ranch here in Korea as well as various locations in the U.S. They are short three- to five-day schools to help people understand some of the things that are important to know if they want someday to go to North Korea when the opportunity arises.

As people complete these short schools, we encourage them to join or start a Prepared People Group in their area. The Prepared People meet together at least monthly. Our group in Taebaek, where the Three Seas Ranch, my home, is, meets on the first Monday of each month.

Tonight, in other words. If you haven't figured out by now that these broadcasts are taped in advance, well, they are. Anyway, one purpose of these meetings is to pray for North Korea and for the work of the Fourth River Project as well as related topics, including the situation in South Korea and the Church.

Prayer is the foundation. Without it, all our other efforts are useless. But we don't stop with prayer.

These meetings are opportunities to continue to learn about North Korea and to prepare ourselves for when we can personally participate in the work of rebuilding North Korea and sharing the love of Christ there in concrete ways that can be received and understood by our North Korean brothers and sisters. To that end, we try to have some sort of talk on North Korea by an expert, or we share from any studying that we have done. Perhaps someone was able to attend one of the many lectures on North Korea that are being given in different places.

We also encourage participants to be reading about North Korea and to share what they have read and learned with other members of the group. Different members of a group might read different books and give a short talk about the book at the monthly meeting. However, there is one more thing that we are hoping every group will do.

That is to be thinking, praying about, and practically preparing for what they will do, both as individuals and as a group, when the doors to North Korea open. That's the whole point. If you are not actively preparing to go to North Korea, then the group is no different from any other North Korea prayer group, of which there are many, thank the Lord.

It is the active preparing that is to set this organization apart from others. This means thinking seriously about what to do, where to go, what to take, how to go, and all the other practical preparations needed. It will mean thinking about such things as who will go and who will stay behind to provide support.

Support from behind will include prayer, financial support, logistics, and communications. Going into North Korea after it opens may not be easy. There may be a time of great tumult, verging on chaos, as things fall apart.

On the other hand, it could turn out to be fairly orderly, but I don't think so. You will notice that I keep talking about opening, not reunification. Unification will come eventually.

That is a foregone conclusion as far as I'm concerned, but I believe that it is really a long way away. North Korea will open first, and then the work to bring true unification really begins. Government and business are working on all the big issues like the economy, national security, laws, and so forth.

What the prepared people are working on is much more down-to-earth and, in my mind, more important. How to bring about true unity among people. Societal unification, if you will.

I want to see prepared people people involved in business and political strategies as well. We need to have people at all levels of government, business, and industry thinking about all aspects of unification from a biblical perspective. As our organization grows and matures, I hope to see it moving in that direction.

But to get back to the more practical for most of us, let's think about what we will do and where we will go. My fondest hope is that each group will start thinking specifically about preparing and sending a number of their members, say 10 to 15, into a specific location, a town, village, or part of a city, and start a small Christian community there. They could rehabilitate an old run-down building to live in.

They would provide various services to the people in the area, medical assistance, counseling, food, and so forth, as well as teach such things as bicycle mechanics, computer skills, car repair, hairdressing, and so on. One very basic skill that is almost unknown in North Korea is simple bookkeeping, how to run a shop, and keep track of whether or not you're making money. Along with caring for the people and teaching, this little community would model real love for each other without suspicion, something very rare up north.

There would also be a worshipping community praising and worshipping God on a regular basis. This would be a new experience for the vast majority of North Koreans. I don't believe it would be necessary to do a lot of preaching or teaching.

Just let people see you enjoying God and each other while sharing with them your life. They will want to learn more. It may take some time to overcome old ideas, fears, and prejudices, but patience and love in the power of the Holy Spirit will win the day.

As they come into that little community of faith, the church will be born locally. Let them build a building if they want one when the time comes. Don't do it for them.

Remember, you don't need a building to be the church or to worship God. You do need people who love and are committed to each other. Send the people.

Be one of the people sent, and the church will grow in North Korea. If you are interested in joining, or better yet, starting a Prepared People group in your area, let us know. We can direct you to existing groups or help you get started.

If you're better in English than Korean, email me at bentoree at theforthriver.org. Or if you're Korean is better, call the 3C's office at 033-553-3395 and ask for Pak Mayim. That information again. Email bentoree at bentoree at theforthriver.org. That's B-E-N-T-O-R-R-E-Y at theforthriver, T-H-E-F-O-U-R-T-H-R-I-V-E-R.org. Or call the 3C's at 033-553-3395.

That's 033-553-3395. If you still didn't get those, I'm sure that you can call the station here and they will help you. Hope to see you at a meeting.

Good night.