Korea Part 3: The Korean Church Today—Lessons from the Land of Morning Calm

Hello, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus. This is part three of our series on the Korean church, and today we're going to talk about what makes Korean Christianity so unique and powerful—and what we in the West can learn from it.

When our family lived in Seoul from 2006 to 2008, we experienced Korean Christianity firsthand at Jubilee Church, and it completely transformed our understanding of what vibrant faith looks like. The vibrant prayer, the expectation that every believer would evangelize and disciple others, the passion in worship that made many American church services seem almost sleepy by comparison!

And now, as our daughter prepares to go to Korea next March for five months with Youth With A Mission, I find myself reflecting on what made the Korean church experience so powerful—and why Korean Christianity has become one of the most significant missionary forces in the world today.

[The numbers - South Korea's Christian explosion]

Let me start with some remarkable statistics. In 1900, Korea had virtually no Christians—maybe a few thousand at most. Today, South Korea is approximately 30% Christian, with about 10 million Protestants and 5 million Catholics in a population of 51 million. That's an astounding transformation in just over a century!

Seoul, the capital where we lived, has been called the "city of churches." There are an estimated 20,000 churches in the greater Seoul metropolitan area—that's one church for every 500 people! And many of these aren't small congregations. South Korea is home to 16 of the world's 50 largest churches, including Yoido Full Gospel Church with over 580,000 members today.

But it's not just about numbers or size. What makes Korean Christianity remarkable is its intensity, its commitment to missions, and its prayer culture. Let me break down what makes the Korean church unique.

[The prayer culture - the foundation of everything]

First and foremost, Korean Christians pray like their lives depend on it—because historically, they did! Remember, this is a church built by believers who survived Japanese persecution and Communist threats. They learned that prayer isn't optional—it's survival.

Korean churches hold early morning prayer meetings called "Saebyek Kido" that start between 4:30 and 5:30 AM every single day. Not once a week—every day! And these aren't small gatherings with a handful of dedicated intercessors. Hundreds, sometimes thousands of people attend these daily prayer meetings before work.

The prayer wasn't quiet or contemplative—it was intense! People would pray out loud simultaneously, crying out to God with passion and expectation. They called it "tongsung kido" (unified prayer), and it created an atmosphere of spiritual intensity I'd never experienced. Pastor Dave led us in this type of prayer every Sunday and it was amazing! I miss it. 

Many Korean churches also hold all-night prayer meetings—"Cheolya Kido"—that run from evening until dawn, often weekly! People pray, worship, fast, and seek God's face for hours. Prayer mountains—retreat centers dedicated specifically to prayer and fasting—dot the Korean landscape, with thousands gathering there regularly.

One of the most remarkable of these prayer mountains is found at Osanri Prayer Mountain, also known as the Choi Ja-sil Memorial Fasting Prayer Mountain, located in Paju near Seoul. Established in 1973 by Yoido Full Gospel Church—this mountain retreat has become a spiritual landmark for millions of believers. Open 365 days a year, it welcomes visitors from all over the world who come to fast, pray, and seek renewal in quiet “prayer caves” or in massive worship gatherings that can host thousands. The atmosphere is deeply Pentecostal and prayer-driven, emphasizing the power of the Holy Spirit, healing, and personal revival. In many ways, Prayer Mountain reflects the heartbeat of South Korean Christianity itself—fervent, disciplined, community-centered, and passionate about encountering God through prayer.

[The cell group system - every believer a disciple-maker]

Second, Korean churches pioneered the cell group system that's now used worldwide. Rather than expecting people to just attend Sunday services, Korean churches organize members into small groups that meet weekly in homes for Bible study, prayer, fellowship, and evangelism.

David Yonggi Cho, founding pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church, developed this system when his church grew too large for him to personally shepherd everyone. He trained lay leaders—many of them women—to lead small groups of 10-15 people. Each cell group became a mini-church where people could be known, cared for, discipled, and equipped for ministry.

This system allowed churches to grow exponentially while maintaining intimate community. Every believer was part of a small group where they were accountable, where they studied Scripture in depth, where they learned to pray and evangelize. This created mature disciples, not just passive attendees.

[The evangelism expectation - every Christian a witness]

Third, Korean Christians have an expectation that every believer should actively evangelize. This isn't just the pastor's job or something for specially gifted people—it's normal Christianity. Korean believers will pray for opportunities to share Christ, initiate spiritual conversations with strangers, invite people to church, and follow up persistently.

When we lived in Seoul, we noticed that Korean Christians weren't shy about their faith. They wore Christian symbols openly. They talked about Jesus naturally. They invited people to church without embarrassment. There was no assumption that faith should be private or that evangelism was pushy.

This evangelistic culture stems partly from the church's history. Many Korean Christians are first or second-generation believers who remember what life was like before Christ. They've experienced such radical transformation that they can't help but share it. They know what they've been saved from, so they're passionate about others experiencing that same salvation.

[The missions movement - Korea as a sending nation]

Fourth, and most remarkably, South Korea has become the second-largest missionary-sending nation in the world! With a population of only 51 million—much smaller than the United States or China—Korea sends out over 27,000 missionaries serving in more than 170 countries. Only the United States sends more missionaries, and the U.S. has a population six times larger!

Korean missionaries serve everywhere—in the hardest places, the most dangerous regions, among the most unreached people groups. They go to Central Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, and even back to their own cultural neighbors in North Korea (working through China). Many Korean missionaries are willing to go where Western missionaries can't because of visa restrictions or security concerns.

What drives this missions passion? Several factors. First, Koreans remember when missionaries came to them—Robert Jermain Thomas dying on a burning ship, throwing Bibles to shore. They feel a debt to pass on what they received. Second, Korean Christians have a strong eschatological urgency—they believe Jesus is returning soon and the Gospel must reach every nation first. Third, Korean churches teach missions from the beginning, making it normative for Christians to either go, send, or support those who go.

[The persecution memory - never forgetting the cost]

Fifth, Korean Christians never forgot what their faith cost previous generations. Stories of martyrs like Pastor Joo Ki-Chul and Esther Ahn Kim are taught in churches. The history of Japanese persecution and Communist oppression is kept alive. This creates a deep appreciation for religious freedom and a determination not to take it for granted.

It also creates empathy for persecuted Christians elsewhere. Korean churches are among the most generous supporters of ministries like Voice of the Martyrs. They pray fervently for North Korean believers and persecuted Christians in other nations because they remember when their own church was underground.

[The challenges - not everything is perfect]

Now, I need to be honest that Korean Christianity faces challenges too. The rapid growth has sometimes led to problems. There's been excessive focus on numbers and size, with some mega-church pastors building personal empires rather than serving humbly. Scandals involving church leaders have damaged the church's reputation. Some churches have become materialistic, adopting a prosperity gospel that contradicts the sacrificial faith of earlier generations.

Additionally, the younger generation in Korea is less religious than their parents. Church attendance among Korean youth has declined. The same secularizing trends affecting Western Christianity are beginning to impact Korea. Some young Koreans see Christianity as old-fashioned or associated with right-wing politics.

But despite these challenges, Korean Christianity remains remarkably vibrant compared to declining churches in Europe or nominally Christian cultures in the West. And the missions movement continues strong, with young Koreans still responding to God's call to reach unreached peoples.

[What we can learn - five lessons for Western Christians]

So what can we in the West learn from Korean Christianity? Let me give you five practical lessons. First, prioritize prayer above programs. Korean churches built their growth on prayer, not slick marketing or entertainment. They believe prayer changes things—and they pray accordingly. What would happen if Western churches held early morning prayer meetings six days a week? What if we held all-night prayer vigils regularly?

Second, expect every believer to evangelize. Korean churches don't have professional evangelism teams while everyone else just attends services. They equip every member to share Christ naturally in daily life. We need to recover this New Testament expectation that all Christians are witnesses, not just pastors or "evangelistic" people.

Third, organize for discipleship, not just attendance. The cell group system ensures that every believer is in a small group where they're known, accountable, and growing. Many Western churches have hundreds or thousands of attendees but no real discipleship happening. We need structures that produce mature disciples, not just crowds.

Fourth, cultivate missions passion from the beginning. Korean churches teach about missions to children, teenagers, and new believers. They send short-term mission teams regularly. They support multiple missionaries personally. They make missions central, not peripheral. What if every Christian child grew up expecting that God might call them to unreached peoples?

And fifth, remember what it cost to bring you the Gospel. Korean Christians remember Robert Thomas, remember the martyrs under Japanese occupation, remember the suffering of believers in the North. That memory creates gratitude and responsibility. We need to study church history, learn about persecuted Christians today, and let that knowledge fuel our own faithfulness.

[The future - next generation challenges and opportunities]

What does the future hold for Korean Christianity? The church faces real challenges with declining youth participation and increasing secularization. In episode 9 I spoke about the recent and increasing persecution and even arrest of South Korean pastors under the new liberal, Communist-sympathetic government. But there are also exciting opportunities. Korean missionaries are positioned to reach some of the world's hardest places. The Korean diaspora—Koreans living around the world—creates natural bridges for the Gospel. And the longing for reunification with North Korea could spark the greatest missionary opportunity of the 21st century.

Imagine when North Korea finally opens! South Korean churches are preparing for that day—training missionaries, printing Bibles, developing discipleship materials, planning how to rebuild churches in the North. When the bamboo curtain falls, Korean Christians will be ready to flood the North with the Gospel that was suppressed for 70 years.

[Personal reflection - what Korea taught us]

Living in Korea transformed our family's faith. Before Seoul, we thought we were committed Christians. But experiencing Korean prayer culture, witnessing their passion for missions, seeing their expectation that every believer would actively share Christ—it challenged our comfortable American Christianity.

When we returned to the United States, we couldn't go back to business as usual. We started praying more intentionally. We became more involved in missions. We raised our children with stories of Korean martyrs alongside stories of Western missionaries. And now, our youngest daughter going to Korea for YWAM training feels like God's full-circle moment—He fueled our hearts for prayer and missions in Korea, and now He's calling the next generation back.

[The testimony continues - Robert Thomas's seed still growing]

And here's what moves me most: The seed that Robert Jermain Thomas planted when he threw Bibles from that burning ship in 1866—that seed is still growing! Every Korean missionary serving in Central Asia or the Middle East is fruit from that seed. Every early morning prayer meeting in Seoul is fruit from that seed. Every North Korean believer memorizing Scripture in hiding is fruit from that seed.

Thomas died without seeing a single Korean convert. But today, there are 15 million Korean Christians. He threw Bibles to people on shore. Today, Korean Christians are taking Bibles to unreached peoples around the world. He prayed for Korea as he died. Today, millions of Koreans pray for the world. That's the power of one faithful seed planted in obedience to God.

[Closing challenge - becoming a seed]

So here's my closing challenge: Are you willing to be a seed? Are you willing to plant faithfully even if you never see the harvest? Are you willing to pray like Korean Christians pray—early, often, passionately? Are you willing to make missions central to your life rather than peripheral? Are you willing to evangelize naturally, expecting God to use you?

The Korean church shows us what's possible when believers take Jesus seriously, when they pray expectantly, when they obey radically, when they remember the cost, and when they live for something bigger than their own comfort. They went from 0% Christian in 1900 to 30% today. They went from receiving missionaries to sending missionaries. They went from persecution under Japan to explosive growth under freedom.

What God did in Korea, He can do anywhere—including in your life, your church, your nation. The question is: Will we learn from their example? Will we pray like they pray? Will we go like they go? Will we sacrifice like they sacrifice?

Let me pray: 

Thank you for joining me for this three-part series on the Korean church. I hope these episodes have inspired you as much as researching and recording them has inspired me. Korea holds a special place in our family's heart, and I pray God uses these stories to ignite passion for missions and prayer in your heart too.

Until next time, remember—keep your eyes on the nations and pray like Korean Christians pray!

Spotify podcast

Korea Part 2: Division, War, and Two Nations Under Heaven

Hello, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus. This is part two of our series on the Korean church. In our last episode, we talked about how Christianity came to Korea and how believers stood firm during the brutal Japanese occupation from 1937 to 1945. Today, we're going to look at what happened after liberation—and it's both heartbreaking and miraculous.

When our family lived in Seoul from 2006 to 2008 with the U.S. Air Force, one of the most striking things we experienced was the constant awareness of North Korea just 35 miles away. You could feel the tension, see the military presence, sense the pain of families still separated after more than 50 years. At our church, Jubilee, we regularly prayed for North Korean believers suffering persecution we could barely imagine. We also had an outreach to the North Koreans who somehow escaped to South Korea. They had been so brainwashed about the rest of the world, believing that what they saw in North Korea was better than anything, that when they saw the wonder of Seoul, many fell into such despair that they would take their own lives. Our church brought them the hope and healing that can only be found in Jesus Christ. 

So today I want to tell you how one nation became two—how Pyongyang, once called the "Jerusalem of the East," became the world's worst persecutor of Christians, while Seoul became home to some of the largest churches on earth. It's a story of division, devastating war, and God's faithfulness in both suffering and blessing.

[Liberation and hope - 1945]

When Japan surrendered in August 1945, Koreans erupted in celebration. After 35 years of brutal occupation, they were finally free! Churches that had been driven underground emerged. Believers who'd been imprisoned were released. There was incredible hope that Korea would finally become an independent, unified nation again.

But that hope was quickly shattered. The Allied powers—the United States and Soviet Union—divided Korea along the 38th parallel as a temporary measure. The Soviets would oversee the surrender of Japanese forces in the North, and the Americans would do the same in the South. Everyone assumed this division would be temporary. No one imagined it would still exist 80 years later.

[Two very different occupations]

But the two occupying powers had very different visions for Korea. In the South, the Americans supported the formation of a democratic government and allowed freedom of religion. Churches flourished. Missionaries returned. Christian schools and hospitals reopened. The church that had survived Japanese persecution now had freedom to grow.

In the North, the Soviets installed a Communist government led by Kim Il-Sung, a guerrilla fighter who had spent years in the Soviet Union. Kim Il-Sung immediately began implementing Soviet-style policies: collectivization of agriculture, nationalization of industry, and most devastatingly for Christians—state atheism and suppression of all religion.

[Pyongyang - from Jerusalem to persecution]

Pyongyang, where Robert Thomas had died throwing Bibles from a burning ship, where Pastor Joo Ki-Chul had preached until his martyrdom, was the center of Korean Christianity. Before the division, Pyongyang had over 100 churches and was home to one of the most vibrant Christian communities in Asia. It was literally called the "Jerusalem of the East."

But under Communist rule, everything changed. Churches were forcibly closed. Pastors were arrested. Christian schools and hospitals were seized by the state. Church members faced a terrible choice: publicly renounce your faith and pledge loyalty to the Communist Party, or face imprisonment, torture, and death.

Many chose to flee south. In the years between 1945 and 1950, hundreds of thousands of North Korean Christians made the dangerous journey across the 38th parallel, leaving everything behind—their homes, their land, their extended families. They carried only what they could pack and their faith in Christ. These refugees would become the foundation of South Korea's explosive church growth.

[The Korean War - devastation and division sealed]

But for those who stayed in the North, the situation got even worse. On June 25, 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, launching the Korean War. For three years, the peninsula was devastated by fighting. Millions died—soldiers and civilians alike. Churches were destroyed. Entire cities were leveled. Families were permanently separated.

When the armistice was signed in 1953, the division that was supposed to be temporary became permanent. The Demilitarized Zone—the DMZ—became one of the most heavily fortified borders in the world. And on either side of that border, two completely different stories unfolded for Christians.

[North Korea - the hidden church emerges]

In North Korea, Kim Il-Sung established what can only be described as a religious cult with himself as god. He created the Juche ideology, which demanded total loyalty to the Kim family above all else. Any competing loyalty—to God, to family, to truth—was considered treason.

Christians who remained in North Korea faced systematic persecution unlike anywhere else on earth. They were sent to political prison camps—gulags where entire families, including children, were imprisoned for the "crime" of believing in God. Estimates suggest that between 50,000 and 70,000 Christians are currently imprisoned in these camps, enduring forced labor, starvation, torture, and execution.

But here's what's remarkable: The church in North Korea didn't die. It went deeper underground than it had even under Japanese occupation. North Korean Christians developed an incredibly sophisticated system of secret worship. They memorize Scripture because owning a Bible means death. They pray silently. They sing hymns in their hearts. They pass faith to their children through whispered stories and Bible verses shared in absolute secrecy.

[Stories from the hidden church]

Let me share some stories that have come out from North Korean defectors. One woman reported that her grandmother would take her into the forest as a child, pretending to gather firewood. Once they were alone, Grandmother would whisper Bible verses she'd memorized decades earlier. "This is our greatest treasure," she told her granddaughter. "More valuable than food. Guard it in your heart."

Another defector reported that his father was executed for owning a Bible. Before his execution, his father told him, "I'm going to meet Jesus. Don't be sad. And never forget—Jesus is real, and He's worth dying for." That father's faithfulness meant his son carried the Gospel in his heart even after escaping to South Korea years later.

A North Korean woman who escaped told of underground house churches where believers would gather—never more than three or four at a time, rotating locations constantly, meeting in the middle of the night. They would whisper worship songs, share communion using whatever they could find, and pray for each other's survival. One betrayal to authorities would mean death for everyone present. Yet they continued to gather because their hunger for fellowship and worship was stronger than their fear of death.

[North Korea today - worst place to be Christian]

Today, North Korea ranks #1 on Open Doors' World Watch List as the worst place on earth to be a Christian—a position it has held for over 20 years. The regime considers Christianity the greatest threat to its power because Christians give their ultimate loyalty to God, not to the Kim family.

If you're discovered to be a Christian in North Korea, you and three generations of your family are sent to prison camps. Your children, your parents, your grandparents—all imprisoned because of your faith. The regime uses this policy to terrorize believers and ensure that even if someone comes to faith, they'll keep it secret to protect their family.

Yet despite seven decades of brutal persecution, despite the prison camps and executions, despite the complete absence of religious freedom, there are an estimated 200,000 to 400,000 underground Christians in North Korea today. That's less than 2% of the population, but it's a miracle that any believers survive at all under such conditions.

[South Korea - explosive growth]

Meanwhile, in South Korea, the exact opposite was happening. The Christians who had fled from the North, who had survived Japanese occupation and then Communist persecution, brought an intensity of faith that ignited South Korean Christianity. They had lost everything except Jesus—and they discovered that Jesus was enough.

In the 1950s and 60s, massive evangelistic crusades swept South Korea. The Billy Graham crusade in 1973 drew over 1 million people to Yoido Plaza in Seoul—one of the largest Christian gatherings in history! Churches grew explosively. By the 1970s and 80s, South Korea was experiencing revival unlike anywhere else in the modern world.

Prayer became the distinctive mark of Korean Christianity. Churches hold all-night prayer meetings—not monthly, but weekly! Some churches have prayer meetings that last for days. When we attended Jubilee Church in Seoul, we were amazed by the prayer culture. Pastor Dave would give a message and then everyone would stand at the end. He would pick out 4-5 main points from the message. For each point, he would pray for a few minutes followed by the entire congregation praying over each point. This went on for an additional 20 minutes each Sunday. It was amazing to hear all these voices raised…Korean, English, tongues. The intensity, the passion, the expectation that God would actually answer—it challenged everything we thought we knew about prayer!

[The megachurch phenomenon]

South Korea also became home to some of the largest churches in world history. Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, founded by Pastor David Yonggi Cho, grew to over 580,000 members—the largest single congregation in the world! I’ve visited this church twice. People literally run into the services…thousands every Sunday! Listening to all of these people sing at one time…I can only imagine what Heaven will be like, but I think it will be a bit like Yoido. Other churches in Seoul have memberships in the hundreds of thousands.

But it's not just about size. Korean churches are known for their commitment to missions, their emphasis on Bible study, their cell group systems, and their expectation that every believer should evangelize. South Korea, with only about 10 million Christians in a population of 51 million, sends out the second-highest number of missionaries in the world—over 27,000 serving in more than 170 countries! Only the United States sends more.

[Why such different outcomes?]

So how did one nation produce such radically different results? Both North and South Korea started from the same place in 1945—same people, same culture, same church history. What made the difference?

The difference was freedom. In the South, Christians had the freedom to worship, to evangelize, to build churches, to train leaders. That freedom, combined with the intense faith of believers who had survived persecution, produced explosive growth.

In the North, brutal persecution drove the church underground but couldn't kill it. In fact, persecution may have purified North Korean Christianity. When the cost of following Christ is three generations in a prison camp, only those with genuine faith remain. There are no nominal Christians in North Korea. Every believer there has counted the cost and decided Jesus is worth it.

[The refugee connection]

Here's something remarkable: When North Korean refugees escape to South Korea or China, many of them encounter Christianity for the first time through Christians who help them. Organizations run by South Korean Christians provide safe houses, food, medical care, and the Gospel to North Korean refugees. Many come to faith through the kindness shown by believers.

And when these North Korean refugees become Christians, they often become the most passionate believers! They've seen the darkness of life without God. They've experienced the emptiness of the Juche ideology. And when they encounter Jesus, they embrace Him with wholehearted devotion. Some even risk going back into North Korea as missionaries to share the Gospel with their people!

[Personal reflection - living with the division]

Living in Seoul from 2006 to 2008, we became acutely aware of this tragedy. We could see the mountains to the north where North Korea lay just 35 miles away. We knew that while we worshiped freely at Jubilee Church with hundreds of passionate believers, there were Christians in the North who couldn't even whisper a prayer out loud without risking death.

Our Korean friends at church all had family members they'd never met—grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins separated by the division. They prayed for reunification not just politically, but spiritually—that one day the Gospel would spread freely throughout the entire peninsula again. And now our daughter will be going to Korea next March for five months of missions training with YWAM, continuing to pray and prepare for the day when North Korea opens to the Gospel.

[Hope for the future - what lies ahead]

So what lies ahead for Korea? No one knows when or how North Korea will change. But Christians around the world are praying and preparing for that day. South Korean churches are training thousands of missionaries specifically to go to North Korea when it opens. They're preparing Korean-language Bibles by the millions. They're developing strategies for how to rebuild churches and disciple new believers.

Because history shows us that when Communist regimes fall, the underground church emerges incredibly strong. We saw it in the Soviet Union. We saw it in Eastern Europe. We're seeing it in China. And we believe we'll see it in North Korea too. The seed that Robert Thomas planted in 1866, the faithfulness of believers under Japanese occupation, the courage of underground Christians in the North for 70 years—all of it will bear fruit when North Korea finally opens.

[Closing challenge and prayer]

In our next episode, we'll look at South Korean Christianity today—what makes it unique, what we can learn from it, and how Korean missionaries are impacting the world. But for today, I want to challenge you to pray for North Korea. Pray for the hidden church there. Pray for believers in prison camps. Pray for the day when the Gospel can be preached freely in Pyongyang again.

Let me pray: 

Thank you for joining me today. This has been a heavy episode, but these are our family members in North Korea suffering for Jesus. We can't forget them.

Until next time, remember—keep your eyes on the nations and pray for our suffering family in North Korea!

Episode Description: After 1945, Korea divided—Pyongyang ("Jerusalem of the East" with 100+ churches) faced Communist persecution. Churches closed, pastors arrested, Christians fled south or faced death. North Korea now holds 50,000-70,000 Christians in prison camps, ranks #1 on Open Doors World Watch List for 20+ years. Yet 200,000-400,000 underground believers survive through whispered worship and memorized Scripture. Meanwhile, South Korea experienced explosive growth—now sends 27,000+ missionaries to 170 countries (2nd globally). The gates of hell have NOT prevailed.

Scripture: Matthew 16:18, Hebrews 13:3

Sources: Open Doors, Voice of the Martyrs

Read more: nations4jesus.blogspot.com

Spotify podcast

Korea Part 1: From Hermit Kingdom to Christianity's Greatest Miracle

Hello, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus. Today I'm starting a three-part series that's very close to my heart—the story of the Korean church. My family lived in Seoul, South Korea from 2006 to 2008 during Jeff's service with the U.S. Air Force, and we absolutely loved it! We loved the people, the culture, the food, and especially our amazing church, Jubilee. Korea captured our hearts in a way few places have.

And next March, our youngest daughter is going to Seoul to participate in a Youth With A Mission Discipleship Training School for five months. So as I researched and prepared this series, I found myself even more passionate about sharing Korea's remarkable story with you.

How did a nation that once called itself the "Hermit Kingdom," closed off from the world and hostile to Christianity, become home to some of the most vibrant churches on earth? How did brutal persecution under Japanese occupation produce heroes of the faith whose courage rivals any martyr in church history? This is a story of suffering and triumph, of faithfulness under fire—and it begins with a Welsh missionary who threw Bibles from a burning ship as he died.

[Robert Jermain Thomas - the seed that died]

In 1866, a Welsh missionary named Robert Jermain Thomas felt a powerful call to bring the Bible to Korea. At that time, Korea was completely closed to foreigners and Christianity was illegal—both foreigners and local converts faced execution. But Thomas couldn't shake his burden for this isolated nation.

He joined a U.S. merchant ship called the General Sherman, which sailed up the Taedong River toward Pyongyang. Thomas brought along Bibles written in Chinese—the only script Koreans could read. When Korean officials stopped the ship and tensions escalated, fighting broke out. The Koreans set the ship on fire, killing the crew as it burned.

But as the ship burned, witnesses later recounted something remarkable: Thomas threw Bibles to people on the shore, shouting for them to take and read. When he was captured, he reportedly handed his last Bible to a Korean soldier before being executed—praying for Korea as he died.

[The Bible House - God's sovereign preparation]

Years later, in the village of Pyongyang, locals used the pages of Thomas's Bibles as wallpaper inside a small house. Over time, visitors began reading the words printed on the walls, and some came to faith through them. That house became known as the "Bible House." Though Thomas never saw a single Korean convert, his death and those Bible pages became legendary. He was "the seed of the Korean church," fulfilling Jesus' words in John 12:24: "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit."

[Christianity arrives officially - 1880s opening]

It wasn't until the 1880s that Korea officially opened to foreign missionaries. The first Protestant missionaries arrived in 1884—medical missionaries and Bible translators including Horace Underwood, a Presbyterian who came in 1885. What they found stunned them: some people in Pyongyang had already read portions of Scripture—from Robert Thomas's Bible pages!

Christianity grew explosively because it offered something revolutionary in Korean society: the idea that all people—regardless of class, gender, or family background—were equal before God. In a culture dominated by strict Confucian hierarchy, this message was dynamite. Women especially embraced Christianity because it gave them dignity and education they'd never had.

[Rapid growth through education and independence]

By the early 1900s, Christianity was tied to education, modernization, and national independence. Missionaries established schools and universities, teaching not just the Bible but reading, science, and democratic ideals. When Japan annexed Korea in 1910, ending Korean independence, the church became a center of resistance. The famous March 1st Movement of 1919, where millions peacefully demonstrated for independence, was organized largely by Christian leaders. Japan responded with brutal crackdown, but the connection between Christianity and Korean nationalism was firmly established.

[The Dark Ages begin - 1937 Japanization]

Everything changed in 1937 when Japan launched full-scale war with China and decided to completely erase Korean identity. This period from 1937 to 1945 became known as the "Dark Ages." Japan implemented Japanization: forced Japanese names in 1939, banned Korean language, erased Korean history from education, and conscripted hundreds of thousands into forced labor.

But for Christians, the worst policy was forced Shinto worship. Beginning in the late 1930s, all citizens had to participate in Shinto shrine worship. The Japanese called it patriotic duty, not religion. But Christians knew this was idolatry—bowing before idols, worshiping the Emperor as a god. Churches faced an impossible choice: comply and survive, or resist and face destruction.

[Esther Ahn Kim - refusing to bow]

Esther Ahn Kim was a music teacher who, in 1939, was ordered to take her students to bow at a Shinto shrine. She refused, believing it violated the First Commandment. Her defiance cost her job and made her a fugitive. She spent years hiding in mountain villages, memorizing entire books of the Bible, preparing for the imprisonment she knew was coming.

In 1943, she was arrested for helping others resist shrine worship. She was imprisoned for six years, enduring cold, starvation, and beatings. But instead of breaking, Esther sang hymns in her cell, shared Scripture with fellow prisoners, and led women to faith—including some of her Japanese guards! After liberation in 1945, she wrote "If I Perish," which became a Christian classic. Her words still challenge us: "If I am to die, I will die for the Lord. If I am to live, I will live for the Lord."

[Pastor Joo Ki-Chul - no compromise]

Pastor Joo Ki-Chul, a Presbyterian pastor in Pyongyang—the very city where Robert Thomas had died decades earlier—boldly preached that Christians could not worship at Shinto shrines. He called it idolatry. The Japanese repeatedly imprisoned and tortured him. Each time he emerged and continued preaching: "If I serve two masters, am I a true servant of Christ?" In 1944, he died under torture rather than deny his faith. Today he's memorialized as one of Korea's greatest martyrs.

[Rev. Son Yang-won - grace and forgiveness]

Reverend Son Yang-won was also imprisoned for rejecting shrine worship. But what makes his story remarkable is what happened after liberation. During the Korean War, Communists killed his two sons. When the murderer was captured, Rev. Son did something stunning—he adopted the man who had killed his sons and forgave him publicly. His writings on grace became famous worldwide.

[Underground church and the fruit of faithfulness]

While these heroes became famous, thousands of ordinary believers worshiped secretly in forests and mountains, reading the Bible in whispers, teaching children hymns when Korean was banned. This underground network sustained the faith through the Dark Ages. The Japanization campaign sought to erase Christianity, but through believers who refused to bow, the faith not only survived—it deepened.

After liberation in 1945, the Korean church exploded in growth. Churches that had gone underground emerged stronger. Young people who'd watched their parents stand firm became passionate believers. The seed that Robert Thomas planted by dying in 1866, the faithfulness of believers who refused Shinto worship—all of it produced an incredible harvest.

[The division and preview]

But liberation brought new challenges. Korea was divided along the 38th parallel—North occupied by Soviets, South by Americans. Pyongyang, once called the "Jerusalem of the East" because of its many churches, became capital of the world's most oppressive Communist regime. Christians who survived Japanese occupation now faced even worse persecution. Meanwhile, South Korea's church continued explosive growth.

Today, South Korea is over 30% Christian with some of the world's largest churches. When we lived in Seoul from 2006-2008, we experienced this vibrant Christianity firsthand at Jubilee Church. The passion, the prayer culture, the commitment to missions—it was unlike anything we'd experienced in America! Korean missionaries now serve in over 170 countries. The Korean church that suffered so much has become one of the greatest missionary-sending forces in the world!

In our next episode, we'll look at Korea's division and how North Korea became the worst persecutor of believers while the South became a Christian powerhouse.

[Closing challenge]

Let the example of Robert Thomas, Esther Ahn Kim, Pastor Joo, and Rev. Son challenge you. Would you be willing to lose everything for Christ? Would you choose faithfulness over survival? These believers did—and their witness still inspires us today.

Let me pray: 

Until next time, remember—keep your eyes on the nations and never compromise your witness for Christ!

Episode Description: 1866: Welsh missionary Robert Jermain Thomas threw Bibles from his burning ship as he died praying for Korea—pages became wallpaper in "Bible House" where Koreans first read Scripture. Japan's 1937-1945 campaign forced Shinto shrine worship—the ultimate test of faith. Esther Ahn Kim refused to bow, imprisoned 6 years, sang hymns and led guards to Christ. Pastor Joo Ki-Chul died under torture in Pyongyang. Their faithfulness under Japan's "Dark Ages" produced Korea's explosive post-1945 revival—Christianity's greatest Asian success story. The seed Thomas planted bore extraordinary fruit.

Scripture: John 12:24, Exodus 20:3, Matthew 16:18

Book: "If I Perish" by Esther Ahn Kim

Read more: nations4jesus.blogspot.com

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