As if that were not barbaric enough, the officer then called for a steamroller and forced the Christians to lie down in its path. As the engine revved, the church members were given one last chance to recant. Again they refused.
Together the church members began to sing one of their hymns as the steamroller inched forward:
More love to Thee, O Christ! More love to Thee!
Thee alone I seek, more love to Thee! Let sorrow do its work, more love to Thee Then shall my latest breath whisper thy praise! This be my parting breath, my heart shall raise, More love, 0 Christ, to Thee!4
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The North Korean press reported the execution as an effort to suppress superstition.5
Persecution of Christians is a fact of daily life, not only in North Korea, but in Cuba, Iran, Vietnam, China, Sudan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and many other countries around the world. We ought to be doing whatever we can to assist these brothers and sisters in Christ. We are commanded, "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy" (Proverbs 31:8-9). The Bible says,
Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, "But we knew nothing about this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done? (Proverbs 24:11-12)
Thankfully even some non-Christians like columnist Michael Horowitz have begun to petition the American government to open their eyes to the atrocities being conducted against Christians around the world. If these happenings are appalling even to those who do not share our faith, how much more should they break our hearts?
At the very least, we should be praying for the persecuted church. It's only natural that we pray for protection and freedom for those who are being persecuted. But is that all?
Acts 4 tells us that Peter and John were arrested and imprisoned for preaching that Jesus of Nazareth had risen from the dead. The next day they were released, but the religious leaders who arrested them warned them not to preach about Jesus again. Peter and John responded boldly, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:19-20). Then they went to the Christian community and reported all that had been done to them and the threats against them. When the believers heard what had happened, "they raised their voices together in prayer to God" (Acts 4:24).
The early church sensed the pressure they were under, so they met to pray. You might imagine that they would pray for exemption from persecution. Instead, they prayed, "Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness" (Acts 4:29). They prayed, not for freedom or protection, but for boldness! The Bible says, "After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly" (Acts 4:31). They prayed for boldness and God gave them boldness! And he gave them the opportunity to use their courage to the glory of Jesus Christ.