Is that I am spoiled as an American or that I was never taught Church history and martyrdom, but I am completely baffled that anyone would torture and imprison people for having faith in Christ. I am reading “Tortured for Christ” by Rev. Wurmbrand. This heroic man spent over fourteen years in a Russian gulag. About a year ago, I had read “Journey Into the Whirlwind” by Eugenia Semyonovna Ginzburg. In her book she describes her own imprisonment in a Russian gulag. The difference between her imprisonment and Rev. Wurmbrand’s was striking. She was imprisoned for allegedly participating in political dissenting activities - she was a member of the inteligensia. She was a strong communist and defended Stalin to the day of her death. Rev. Wurmbrand was imprisoned because of his faith.

The descriptions that both gave of their accounts were very similar. Both were tortured, suffered illnesses, spent time in solitary confinement, “talked” to other prisoners through tapping on the walls, lived in deplorable conditions, and ate items scarcely fit for a compost pile. The only difference was that in Rev. Wurmbrand’s case, there were more tortures that reflected a severe hatred of Christianity of which I feel no need to expound any further (ie, read his book).

In her book, Eugenia described some Christians in a labor camp she was assigned to in Northern Siberia. The women refused to work on Easter Sunday. Their job was to cut down trees and they were to maintain a certain quota each day, every day. As is the fashion in such labor/prison camps the workers were given inferior tools as well as despicable working conditions (clothing barely covering their bodies and hardly enough food to nourish them). The gaurds relented and allowed the women the day off so long as they double their work load the next day. Eugenia was skeptical that they could do that as completing the required quota was rarely fulfilled. The Lord worked in these unknown Christian heroines lives and caused them to double their workload the next day. I was shocked and amazed that although this impressed Eugenia, she did not turn away from her repugnance of Christianity.

I am digressing from the main point. How is it that such atrocities went on and growing up I barely heard of such things? I can scarcely believe that even today Christian persecution exists in this world. In this enlightened world. And yet despite my personal disbelief, there are brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering at this very moment in prisons at the hands of those who hate Christianity.

Rev. Wurmbrand states in his book that he suffered in the West more than in the Communist lands. What?!? He was tortured and abused. Forced to accept a lifestyle that is not fitting for one who is created in the image of the Most High God. Yet, he found in the West apathetic churches. Christian universities that denied the Word of God as Truth, that questioned Creation, Moses, Christ’s Resurrection, and so on. He found Christians who were willing to wine and dine the Communist as a token of showing love, but forgetting to redeem them for Christ. He found Christians like me who simply can’t conceive of such abominations. Many Christians would rather debate the gender of angels than hear of the persecuted church. His heart ached for the persecuted. He knew what they were going through. He saw believers die at the hands of Communists who hated Christianity. He witnessed revival and despair in these darkest of places unfit for human existence.

So we have been called "Bible-thumpers" and other terms. We may have even been given poor grades in college because of our faith. How can we relate to those who have been given stripes so deep the scars never diminish? How can we relate to those who have been so mistreated for the cause of Christ? Perhaps we can't relate, but we must accept that this grievous behavior on the part of those who hate Christianity exists. We must give help in anyway that we feel the Lord leads us. Even if it is to blog every now and again about what these people are suffering and accomplishing for the sake of Christ.

Here is just one example of what is occurring now in Vietnam:

VIETNAM

(Compass Direct)

Keep in prayer those missionaries who go to hostile nations to preach Christ. Check out Voice of the Martyrs who does a good deal of work to let the West know what is occurring to persecuted Christians.

… I will never forget my fist encounter with a Russian prisoner, an engineer. I asked him if he believed in God. If he had said “no,” I would not have minded it much. It is the choice of every man to believe or disbelieve. But when I asked him this, he lifted his eyes toward me without understanding and said, “I have no such military order to believe. If I have an order I will believe.”

Tears ran down my cheeks. I felt my heart torn in pieces. Here stood before me a man whose mind was dead, a man who had lost a great gift God has given to mankind – his individuality. He was a brainwashed tool in the hands of the Communists, ready to believe or not on an order. He could not think anymore on his own. This was a typical Russian after all these years of Communist domination! …

These words are written in a very moving book called “Tortured for Christ” by Pastor Richard Wurmbrand. If you do not know who this man is, you must read about his story on the VOM site. He was the founder of Voice of the Martyrs.

“Tortured for Christ” is a book about Pastor Wurmbrand’s conversion to Christ from atheism. Afterwards he had such a hunger to win Russians. He had a love and longing for these people that could only be the Lord’s call on his life.  I haven’t read far into the book. What I have read gives insight into the history of Romania and Russia as well as the persecution of Christians.

This passage (one of many) stood out to me. My heart literally was put in a cell listening to this dear pastor speak with this lifeless man – this shell of a man after the Communists had taken his individuality. His individuality is what makes him unique, different, intriguing. This simple concept sets man apart from all other created things. We think and have ideas. We are individual in our actions and thoughts.

According to Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, Individuality is “separate or distinct existence; a state of oneness.”   Communism holds no beliefs in individual or oneness. There is no distinct existence – only communal existence. This man was robbed of his separate and distinct existence. This is truly a crime against God who created us as individuals; who gave us all distinct thoughts and experiences to view the world; who gave us all talents and abilities unlike anyone else.

How appropriate that the pastor should cry over the loss of a life that was more than breath, but mind and soul. How many others are there even today that are dead because of Communism? What other nations oppress the minds of their people and keep them in bondage?

This is why Voice of the Martyrs exists and why we should be mindful of the work they do. Though it is hard to imagine that Christians are persecuted in today’s world; it is not hard to imagine people who are in bondage to sin and political ideas. These people are in need of the Freedom that only Jesus can give. Please keep the workers of VOM in prayer. Also pray for any missionaries that you know who are giving their time and lives for the freeing of prisioners through Jesus Christ. 

In our latest issue of the Voice of the Martyrs magazine, we received a prayer map. This is really neat because it highlights the nations that are hostile to Christianity and those that are restricted to and for Christians. A restricted nation will not allow the Christians of that nation to receive any Christian literature including the Bible. In these nations, it may also include government-sanction harassment, imprisonment, and other such activities. A hostile area is one in which the government of that nation tries to provide protection for Christians and yet the violence against them continues.  In the magazine are little descriptions of these nations. I want to highlight one of these nations.

Bhutan is a restricted nation. Where is Bhutan you might ask? I had to look it up on our world map on the wall. It is south of Tibet, east of Nepal, and North of India. The major religion is Buddhist and some Hindu. All public worship is illegal for any religion except Buddhism. Christian ministries were allowed in for humanitarian reasons, but were not allowed to evangelize. There is one church building in southern Bhutan. Bhutan is in need of Bibles in the Dzongkha language.

My Lord, I pray that Christian groups can still be allowed to come into the country of Bhutan to minister to the people. May they be allowed to help in any physical needs this country has as well as spiritual needs. May the door be opened for Bibles in the Dzongkha language to fill the land. Thank you, Lord, for caring for this small nation. Amen

A thirteen-year-old girl in Java accepted Christ.  She stands firm in her love for Jesus and belief in Him as her Savior even with all her family opposition. Between the time she became saved and her parents found out, she would hide her Bible under her schoolbooks and read it at night while her parents were sleeping. She covered it to make it look like a dictionary. She now brings her Bible to school and is allowed to read it during her religion (Islam) class (at least this was the case at the printing of the VOM magazine). Please pray for this young lady, “Merpati”. She has a strong faith, may the Lord continue to strengthen her in wisdom and might.
 

Another lady to pray for is Mina. She is in prison, but is not a Christian. A Christian, who is in prison with her, Dr. Rebekka, has been ministering to her. Mina is a Muslim and is very confused by the idea that Christians are to pray for those who persecute them. She thinks Christians are weird for because of this. Dr. Rebekka along with two other friends is in prison for holding a Sunday School class. Please pray for these women and for the salvation of Mina.

These stories stand out because of the assuredness of these women in their faith. Dr. Rebekka didn’t preach “pray for you enemies,” Mina caught her praying right there in the prison. She is in prison with enemies watching her every day simply because she was teaching children about love. Now she must daily live that love and trust that love. Merpati lost her family, they are angry and embarrassed by her decision. This child is only thirteen years old and a new Christian. What pillars of faith and strength these women are for us here in America.
 

Mrepati says, “I would like to tell students in America: ‘Do not believe in other gods, but believe in Jesus, because Jesus is the only way. He’s the only one who can save us.’”

I had thought last week we were over the worst of this bug that infected my family. Then after church, my precious daughter spent seven hours throwing up and being all around miserable. Thankfully she was able to sleep over nine hours straight. In the morning she was fine and hungry (a very good sign). However, my son is still not feeling well. He hasn’t eaten much for over a week now; I doubt he has one full meal on any given day. He will get sever stomach cramps throughout the day also. I am beginning to suspect that he is lactose intolerant, so I took him completely off milk. We have a doctor’s appointment for both of the boys tomorrow; this should shed some light as to what is going on with him (the baby is doing well – teething, but that is all).

As a result of all this sickness, I am very behind on many things, including blogging. The Lord was leaning on my about blogging on The Voice of the Martyrs earlier today. This afternoon I received in the mail the November issue of the VOM magazine. As I was reading through some of the stories, I was awed by how truly heroic these people who endure such hardships really are. May the Lord protect and encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ as they face such obstacles and discriminations.

China caught my eye today for a few reasons. I read an article from Drudge Report called “ China Jails Three for Illegally Printing Bibles.” Then in the VOM magazine, I read how the Chinese government is cracking down on Christian worship meetings. In today’s e-mail Prayer update was this:

What I find remarkable about this is that China must have a thriving mission. Praise God for the faithfulness of His people there, Praise God for the work His people are accomplishing, Praise God for the conviction of little children who will praise God in the presence of such opposition, Praise God for He is still on His throne and yet will come down to these persecuted ones in their need, Praise God that He alone can know the hearts of the persecutors and He alone can turn them. How can we encourage these Chinese Christians who are imprisoned for their faith? There is a website through which we can write a letter to a Christian in prison. I did. It was very simple and a bit sterile, but that is probably how it should be. I had to choose from a selected list of pre-translated sentences and Bible verses. Then I had to print out the address and physically cut and paste it onto the envelope. May it encourage Ms. Sun even though it looks so sterile.