THE MERE possession of a Bible can bring a death sentence. Attending a secret underground Church service in North Korea can result in gruesome public executions. Christians in North Korea have grown to a level of love and commitment to Jesus such that is not known in countries where there is no persecution.
In North Korea the Church is intimate and each member knows and observes the walk of the other believers within a fellowship. There is not a one-hour Church service where everyone faces the front, where people do not know each other. Rather, it is a face-to-face meeting as often as is possible. Whenever they meet as a part of the body of Christ, they share truths from Scripture and encourage one another in their trust in Jesus. To them, that is all that matters. Such meetings build accountability to each one’s progress in the faith.
Paul the Apostle shares with the young Timothy: “Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.”727 It is possible for others to see your growth in the Lord. Thus gathering in homes and in more intimate meetings—not just once a week—will allow us to encourage each other to grow authentically in our walks with the Lord and not remain hid in the back of a large public church meeting.
Paul the Apostle had a great desire for the Church in Ephesus to grow in the grace of Jesus Christ. In chapter 4 he pleads for the believers to walk worthy of the Gospel:
“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one Baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
“But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: ‘When he ascended on high, He took many captives and gave gifts to His people.’ (What does He ascended mean except that He also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very One who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)
“So Christ Himself gave the Apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
“So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in Him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
“Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. ‘In your anger do not sin’: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”728
When comparing our lives with those of the persecuted Church, we realize we must grow in the Lord to be able to deal with the coming persecution. In Paul’s wonderful exhortation above regarding the body of Christ, he emphasized that there is one body and one Spirit.729 We must all, together, grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the Head, that is, Christ.730 Although each part of the body has its own specific calling, it is that one Spirit who works in all, and who transforms us into the image of Christ, or, as Paul put it, to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.731
It takes unwavering faith to be able to face persecution such as the North Korean believers do. In being willing to endure that kind of torture without denying their faith in Christ, their lives exhibit more spiritual maturity than can be found in most of the Christian world.
If we are going to grow in the Lord, there is only one way: through entrusting our spiritual well-being to Christ. We cannot change ourselves, but the Holy Spirit knows what we need. He will teach us as we seek the Lord and study the written Word. We need only submit to His working in us so that we can be made fully complete in Christ.
The measure of true Christian growth is how much of Christ can be seen in us. Jesus said, “A new command I give you: ‘Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.’”732