whole in the earth

I was reading an article in the paper today about North Korea. Man, that is a place i would like to go to, not neccesarily just for the Gospel, although, thats the most important thing obviously, but just to see it. It seems to be the last place in the world where you'll walk down the street without happening upon a McDonalds or Starbucks. The pictures of Pyongyang were amazing.

Anyway, back to my point. Places like North Korea needs the Gospel. Yeh, everywhere needs the Gospel, but especially places like North Korea where there is, i would guess no sustainable, indigenous witness at all to the Gospel. Just none. Generations of people living and dying and going to Hell, never getting the chance to hear of Jesus. As i was reading the article my heart ached for the people out there who seem, in human terms at least beyond reaching. Even if missionaries do start to have an impact out there, how will they convice people that they are not just a foriegn conspiracy, how will they get them to give up their alliegance to the 'Eternal President', Kim-Il-Sung who died in 1994, and is the closest thing to a deity that Stalinist Theology will allow.

Well, because while going and sowing is our work, our commission, saving is God's work. Romans 9 is probably one of my favourite chapters in the Bible...certainly the one that makes me happy that i am Reformed the most. God effects salvation through the grace of election. 'He will have mercy upon whom He will have mercy (Rom 9:15). Now obviously in V16 we see the huge ground for humilty for us, but i think V15 gives us huge encouragements in the mission field. If it were up to us, if it were up to human exertion, surely no one in Korea, or Libya, or Yeman or Saudi would be saved. And yet because of Matthew 24:14 and Revelation 7:9, we can be sure there are. Why? Because God will save whom God will save. It's as simple as that. Did you know there are more Christians in China than there are in North America? Isn't that amazing? So we can, i think, be sure, that there are members of the elect in places like North Korea. We just need to get out there and find them.

And obviously this is no easy task. Which is why prayer is so vital. As Hudson Taylor's parents prayed that their son would go to China, and Jesus commanded His disciples to pray for workers in the fields. So we must pray. God has used the British education system to get people from all over the world here, so it's possible that he will use either that to bring North Koreans to British Unis (unlikely) or, that He would use the increasing number of Chinese and European business investment into the country to bring Christians into North Korea. Also, there must be missionaries in Korea at the moment, according to Open Doors there are around 9000 Protestants and 4000 Catholics there, so lets pray for them, and for those that are in prison for the Name.

Open Doors Persecution Info
Doing Missions When Dying is Gain