OPEN DOORS USA
Jerry Dykstra
Media Relations Director
Phone: 616-915-4117
Email: jerryd@odusa.org
Website: www.OpenDoorsUSA.org
North
Korean Church Leaders Ask for Prayer
Amid War
Preparations
Underground Christians
Report Ratcheting Up of Combat Readiness
SANTA ANA, Calif. (April 4, 2013)
– North Korean church leaders are asking Christians worldwide to pray for their
country amid increased war threats and combat preparation by North Korean
military officials.
Prayer for beleaguered believers
in North Korea is more important than ever, says Open Doors, an organization
that supports persecuted Christians in 60 countries.
According to underground Christians,
there is a war-like atmosphere in the country:
“We are to meet the decisive
battle with a gun in one hand and a hammer in the other,” summarized a
Christian leader about the message the North Korean people recently received
from the “high command.”
“The military army, navy, air
force troops, strategic rocket troops, the red guards and the red youth guards
are already in combat mode. Urgent meetings are being held everywhere,
regardless if it is day or night. At those meetings, officials make decisions
on what needs to happen in case war breaks out and everyone, including women,
needs to be combat ready.”
According to Open Doors sources,
many cars on the roads are covered with camouflage nets. Also, soldiers are
wearing hats with camouflage dried branches and carry guns. North Korean leader
Kim Jong-Un released a statement to his people, saying that “If war breaks out
because of the actions of the U.S. and puppet South Korean’s unpardonable
behavior, they will end up with a disgraceful downfall, and our people will
greet a brilliant new day of reunification. The day has come to show off the
power of ‘Military First’ and our great nation to the whole world.”
However, Christians and other
citizens fear war and its consequences.
“Many people are in a hurry to
purchase emergency food supplies and daily goods just in case. The prices of
goods, including food, are skyrocketing,” tells one believer in North Korea.
North Korean Christians are
grateful for their fellow believers in the West and request their urgent
prayers.
“I would like to thank the many
brothers and sisters around the world for their continuous love and support,”
says the Christian believer. “We know that our journey will not be an easy one,
but we are sure that our faith, desperate hope and passionate desire will some
day bear many fruit. No matter how difficult life is for us, we never blame or
complain about our circumstances. God has promised us in the Bible that if we
seek His Kingdom first, all other things will be given to us as well. Please
pray for us.”
Jerry Dykstra, a spokesman for
Open Doors USA, adds: “Beneath the surface of the all the rhetoric of war and
the possible launch of nuclear missiles are the suffering and persecution of
the estimated 200,000 to 400,000 Christians in North Korea. Also, an estimated
60,000 to 80,000 Christians are in harsh political prison camps. The government
has been the No. 1 persecutor of Christians for 11 years in a row, according to
the Open Doors 2013 World Watch List (www.worldwatchlist.us).
“We must respond now to the
Christian leaders’ request to pray for them. Pray for Kim Jong-Un; that God
will work in his heart and he will pursue peace and not war. Pray for wisdom
for leaders in the United States, South Korea and China. Pray for Christians
who are put in even more danger due to war preparations. Pray families will
find food to feed their families. Finally, pray that no matter what happens
Christians will remain strong in their faith.”
For almost 60 years Open Doors
has worked in the world's most oppressive and restrictive countries, strengthening
Christians to stand strong in the face of persecution and equipping them to
shine Christ's light in these places. Open Doors empowers persecuted Christians
by supplying Bibles and Christian literature, training Christian leaders,
facilitating social/economic projects and uniting believers in the West in
prayer for Christians, who are the most persecuted religious group in the world
and are oppressed in at least 60 countries. To partner with Open Doors USA,
call toll free at 888-5-BIBLE-5 (888-524-2535) or go to our website at www.OpenDoorsUSA.org.
(For more information or to set
up an interview, contact Open Doors USA Media Relations Director Jerry Dykstra
at 616-915-4117 or email JerryD@odusa.org.)
Photo: North Korean soldiers
guard the border between North and South Korea.