What does it mean to be one Body in Christ when part of that Body is suffering—and we don’t even know it?

In this powerful conversation, Jen sits down with Ed Brown, Secretary General of Stefanus Alliance International, to step into the lives of Christians around the world whose faith carries a cost most of us can scarcely imagine.

Ed takes us inside the underground Church in North Korea, where believers may gather only two or three at a time and women are quietly carrying the Gospel into places where possessing a Bible can mean imprisonment or death. He shares the unforgettable story of a woman who spent a year reading the Bible again and again, memorizing more than a thousand verses so that when she returned to North Korea, the Bible she carried would not be in her hands—it would be written on her heart.

But this conversation is about more than persecution.

Ed challenges us to consider whether the Body of Christ is functioning as a healthy body at all. When our physical bodies experience pain, signals travel immediately and the entire body responds. But when our brothers and sisters across the world are imprisoned, displaced, attacked or killed because of their faith—do we feel it? Do we respond?

Together, Jen and Ed explore what meaningful response can look like: caring for those who are suffering now, strengthening communities so they become more resilient, and engaging leaders and systems that can prevent persecution before it happens.

They also explore what persecuted Christians have taught Ed about faith itself.

Perhaps courage isn’t always triumph.

Perhaps strong faith doesn’t mean escaping suffering.

Perhaps sometimes faith looks like Good Friday. Sometimes it looks like the silence of Saturday. And sometimes the deepest expression of faith is trusting that Christ is still with us—even when He does not immediately remove the pain.

This conversation is an invitation to look beyond our own experience of Christianity and remember that we belong to something much larger: a global Body of believers across cultures, denominations and nations.

And then to ask:

Where am I in this Body?

What might God be asking of me?

And how can I use the freedom, resources and influence I’ve been given for the sake of someone else?

CONNECT WITH ED BROWN + STEFANUS ALLIANCE

Stefanus Alliance exists to strengthen the persecuted Church and protect freedom of religion or belief for everyone.

Learn more, read stories from the global Church, support the work and sign up for their newsletter and prayer updates:
https://www.stefanus-usa.org/

Connect directly with Ed Brown:
Email: [email protected]

Stefanus Alliance International on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/stefanusalliansen/

If your church, small group, university or ministry would like Ed to speak about the persecuted Church, religious freedom or the global human-rights landscape, reach out to him directly. Ed regularly speaks with audiences ranging from youth groups and churches to universities, diplomats and international leaders.

CONNECT WITH JEN PORTER

Jen Porter is a leadership and career coach helping ambitious, heart-centered women become deeply rooted in who God created them to be so they can live boldly, lead courageously and do the work they were made for.

Explore coaching, the Lioness community and Jen’s book, Lioness: Stories to Awaken Your Roar Within:
https://www.jenportercoach.com/

And if this conversation stirred something in you, share the episode with a friend, church leader, small group or someone who wants to understand more about our brothers and sisters in the global Church.

Awareness is where it begins.

Then we can listen for what God may be asking us to do with what we now know.