Persecution

May 20, 2014

As in the book of Daniel when the three young men who were put in the furnace did not smell like fire upon being delivered from it, so the Christians who have been in Communist prisons don’t smell like bitterness against Communists. A flower if you bruise it under your feet, rewards you by giving its perfume. Likewise Christians, tortured by the Communists, rewarded their torturers by love. We brought many jailors to Christ. And we are dominated by one desire: to give Communists who have made us suffer the best we have, the salvation that comes from our Lord Jesus Christ.

– Richard Wurmbrand –

February 20, 2014

Yes, there lies before us a beautiful possible life – one that shall have a passion for giving: that shall be poured forth to God – spent out for man: that shall be consecrated for the hardest work and the darkest sinners.

– Lillias Trotter –

February 19, 2014

My Lord was pleased to die for my sins; why should I not be glad to give up my poor life out of love for Him.

– Girolamo Savanarola –

February 10, 2014

 Brothers, we do not ourselves aspire to be numbered with the warlike. The roll of battle does not contain our names, and we do not wish that it should. But there is a roll which is now being made up—a roll of heroes who do and dare for Christ, who go outside the camp and take up His reproach and, with confidence in God, earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints and venture all for Jesus Christ! And there will come a day when it will be infinitely more honorable to find one’s name in the lowest place in this list of Christ’s faithful disciples than to be numbered with princes and kings! Blessed is he who can this day cast in his lot with the Son of David and share His reproach, for the day shall come when the Master’s Glory shall be reflected upon all His followers!

– Charles Spurgeon –

February 1, 2014

Just because it has sheep’s clothing doesn’t mean it’s a sheep.

– Mark Carnehl –

December 25, 2013

We have to make the preparation now before we are imprisoned . . . I personally use an exercise. I live in the United States of America. Can you imagine what an American supermarket looks like? You find there many delicious things. I look at everything and say to myself, “I can go without this thing and that thing; this thing is very nice, but I can go without: this third thing I can go without, too.” I visited the whole supermarket and did not spend one dollar. I had the joy of seeing many beautiful things and the second joy to know that I can go without.

 – Richard Wurmbrand –
From Preparing for the Underground Church

December 21, 2013

If a poor man is a great lover of music, he gives his last dollar to listen to a concert. He is then without money, but he does not feel frustrated. He has heard beautiful things. I don’t feel frustrated to have lost many years in prison. I have seen beautiful things. I myself have been among the weak and insignificant ones in prison, but have had the privilege to be in the same jail with great saints, heroes of faith who equaled the Christians of the first centuries. They went gladly to die for Christ. The spiritual beauty of such saints and heroes of faith can never be described. The things that I say here are not exceptional. The supernatural things have become natural to Christians in the Underground Church who have returned to their first love.

– Richard Wurmbrand –

November 23, 2013

I will stay in this prison until moss grows on my eyelids before disobeying God.

– John Bunyan –

November 17, 2013

These wounds were meant to purchase me. These drops of blood were shed to obtain me. I am not my own today. I belong to another. I have been bought with a price. And I will live every moment of this day so that the Great Purchaser of my soul will receive the full reward of His suffering.

– Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf –