Light in the Dark

We read a passage in the book of Acts in which Peter was summoned by Cornelius in Caeserea. He preached to the people of God gathered there, and declared, as we can read in chapter 10:
39 And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree.
40 Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly,
41 not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.
42 And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead.

Peter had a call to share what he had seen regarding Jesus.  We may not be eyewitnesses as he was, but we do have the capacity to proclaim what we have seen - the power of God entering into the lives of believers, His love flowing through us, and the works that He has done.  We read in the Word about the salvation that we can experience, and by accepting Christ, we can really know Him.  Our words and the way we live reflect the living Lord within us.

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In the book of Romans, Paul wrote to the church in Rome, the center of the mighty and treacherous Roman Empire. He stated:
15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."

For years, I have been reporting about the World Watch List, published by Open Doors, an organization that advocates for persecuted Christians.  And, 2021 is the 20th year that North Korea has been atop the list, which ranks the countries who are the leading persecutors of Christians.  

ChristianHeadlines.com reports that the Korea Future Initiative has released a report with some details of North Korea's trampling on religious freedom.  Based on 173 interviews with a total of 273 victims, the 98-page report contains these examples:

• 244 incidents of arbitrary arrest (which means there was no likelihood or evidence of a crime or no due process of law—depriving people of liberty and their rights)
• 79 incidents of forced return to North Korea by refugees;
• 36 incidents of torture or sustained physical assault;
• 32 incidents of sexual violence;
• 20 incidents of execution.

The article states that, "An estimated 50,000-70,000 Christians in the communist-run country are often sent to labor camps or prison because of their faith."  But, the report also highlights how God is moving among persecuted Christians in that nation. The Christian Headlines article says:

Respondents in the report show that prisoners are sharing their faith with others in prison. One case details how a witness recounted how another prisoner told her, “‘God sent me here for you.’”

She continued, “eventually I listened to her […] she was a light that came and warmed me when I was drowning in my sorrow […] I would have killed myself if it were not for her.”

This report can remind us of the dangers that Christians face in what is known as the "Hermit Kingdom," and we can stand with the persecuted Church throughout the world.  We can also evaluate the degree to which we stand for our Savior.  Paul wrote that he was not ashamed of the gospel; we can consider the amount of boldness we possess and how we demonstrate it.

We can also be reminded of how God is with us even in our difficulties.  Even though adversity is not pleasant, we can also keep in mind that God will use our trials in order to produce the fruit of Jesus in us. He will bring us supernatural strength in order that we may endure our challenges.  We can grow closer to the Lord as we trust Him when things are difficult.