Lessons Learned with Richard Wurmbrand (in Solitary Confinement)
The church Richard Wurmbrand used to pastor in modern day Bucharest
A year ago on Sunday night (September 22, 2019), I was invited to preach at a large church in Bucharest, Romania. As part of my message, I shared three lessons I was learning from Richard Wurmbrand in his book “In God’s Underground“:
1) Loving and knowing Jesus (Wurmbrand spent 2 years in solitary confinement, where in utter isolation he says he learned to truly love Christ not for His gifts, but simply for who He is.)
2) Loving the saints (Wurmbrand not only suffered for Christ, but was tortured over and over again for refusing to reveal the names of his beloved co-laborers and underground church members.)
3) Loving his enemies (Despite literally unspeakable suffering, Wurmbrand held no animosity for his torturers, but wept for their souls and pleaded with them to repent. Many came to Christ.)
I also shared about the suffering saints in China today, encouraging them (from 1 Thess. 3:1-3) to continue praying for those who are still being “tortured for Christ” by wicked and evil men.
After service, I was greeted by a number of elderly Romanian believers with tears in their eyes who said they had personally met Wurmbrand and were encouraged by my message to intercede for China. Amazing!
We have friends in Romania who continue to minister to elderly believers who suffered through the many decades of communism (late 1940s-late 1980s).
Let me know if you’d like to help us take care of the beautiful Romanian elderly folks seen below…
So thankful to hear of palliative care in action in ministry. l worked in hospice then palliative care for many years. It opens up opportunities for spiritual conversations like no other. My heart gave a leap as I read this blog- what an amazing opportunity to share the gospel, to be Jesus’ hands, feet, ears and mouth. Am praying even now for knowledgeable palliative workers to be drawn to this ministry so that physical and spiritual pain/disease may be eased or alleviated. God bless those respond to the need and bring peace to these weary ones.