• Suffering For The Right Reasons

  Contributed by Bradley Kellum on Aug 25, 2009 (message contributor)

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  Scripture:  None

  Tags:  Affliction

  Denomination: Baptist

SUFFERING FOR THE RIGHT REASONS

Richard Wurmbrand is the founder of a ministry called "Voice of the Martyrs." Some of you receive their publication.

Richard Wurmbrand was a Romanian Pastor who was imprisoned by the Russians and tortured for his faith in Christ. In May of 1966 Pastor Wurmbrand testified in Washington before the United State Senate’s Internal Security Subcommittee. During this testimony Pastor Wurmbrand stripped to the waist to show 18 deep torture wounds that covered his body.

After the Communists came to power in Romania, they convened a congress of all Christian bodies in Romania’s Parliament Buidling. There were 4,000 pastors, priests and ministers from different denominations in attendance. These 4,000 chose Joseph Stalin as honorary president of this congress.

Pastor Wurmbrand recounts that one after another, bishops and pastors arose and declared that communism and Christianity were the same and could coexist together. This was at the same time that Joseph Stalin was raising Russian children to be atheists and at the same time killing Christians.

Pastor Wurmbrand and his wife were there and his wife said to him, "Richard, stand up and wash away this shame from the face of Christ. They are spitting in his face."

He said to his wife, "If I do so, you lose your husband."

She said, "I do not wish to have a coward for a husband."

So Pastor Wurmbrand stood up and began to praise Christ and declared that their first loyalty was to God and His Son. Pastor Wurmbrand wrote, "Afterward I had to pay for this, but it had been worthwhile."

There is a great difference between suffering for the wrong reasons and suffering for the right reasons.