Friday, March 2, 2012

“In God’s Underground” a book by Richard Wurmbrand

Many times as a christian we will have to face different manners of persecution, feelings of loneliness and abandonment. How is that we can stand in the midst of these persecutions and still declare the
belief in an all powerful God who is on our side? There is only one way and that is walking with Him, getting to know Him intimately first. We know that we face tribulations (NIV John 16:33) all the day long because of Him because the world does not accept Him or anyone who comes in His name.

Our defense against this is faith, hope and love. Love being the greatest of all these (NIV I Corinthians 13:13). “In God’s Underground” by Richard Wurmbrand is the story of Wurmbrand’s life of imprisonment for not just his christian belief but his sharing of his christian belief. Fourteen years of Wurmbrand’s life
was spent in cells that wreaked of sickness, disease, betrayal, lies and cruelty. Wurmbrand shares in his book how his faith was tested. He had to come to the decision under such persecution if his belief in God was real or was it just for show.

Wurmbrand paints a picture of beauty wrapped in the depths of what some would call an earthly
hell. The beauty was in Wurmbrand’s love for not only his fellow inmates but his persecutors as well.
Wurmbrand suffered the cruel torture from his communist persecutors all in faith of His God, our
God’s love strengthening and building his heart to combat the workings of communism. This love,
this incredible unnatural love would be the testimony to the communist persecutors that despite their
captivity of his human body, the depths of his heart would only be penetrated by God and poured out in
love towards the communist.

Wurmbrand faced persecution that many of us may never face or could compare our lives to. With the
imprints of torture marks scaling his body he survived under the hand of the communist, Wurmbrand
implores us to never forget the state of our brethren who are being persecuted for Christ.
This is a must read for anyone who is in Christ. Our Christian faith will be tested all the day long but to
what extent are these tests. We have no idea unless someone tells us of the cruelties that happen to our
fellow brethren in the faith. We do not know what the coming days ahead will hold. Christ knows all.
Wurmbrand was released according to the will and plan of God to not only tell his story but to bring
attention of others still suffering in this manner. Let’s not forget them just as we would not forget Christ
as they are part of His body as well. Instead of including an excerpt from the book I have listed a link where you can go and hear the testimony from Richard Wurmbrand himself.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7957160113259127737
Richard Wurmbrand developed a ministry, VOM (voice of the martyrs) which is dedicated to bringing the voices of the persecuted to us. You can find out more about this ministry at http://www.persecution.com