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Date Posted: 14:21:02 09/03/04 Fri
Author: Nick T.
Subject: testimony of a real Christian leader

Dear readers,

In our days at the ubf, we were led to believe that ubf is the way of real Bible based living. We were led to believe that ubf was a history changing and history making movement. We were led to believe that ubf leaders are the true leaders of God's work in the world today. To this effect, they wrote many stories and tesimonies of themselves.

Ee Chang Woo wrote extensively of how he went to Russia as a tourist for a few days, and then the Soviet Union collapsed to make for a handful of ubfKoreans to move there a teach the Bible the wrong way to a few Russians.

I just want to encourage people to look up to genuine Christian leaders who actually accomplished something as Christians. I offered up the late Reverend Richard Wurmbrand of Romania as a great example. If you read the accounts about his life you will find that he did not behave in any way like ubfKoreans. You will also see that he was truly a humble person. You will also see that he cared for the lost sheep, not himself. You will see that he was the exact opposite of the ubfKoreans who are circulating in your neighborhood and on your campuses.

Here is a real testimony about real ambassadors of Christ. from here

http://www.catholic-forum.com/churches/cathteach/Marian_Centre/march2000_Men_greatfaith.htm

TWOMEN OF GREAT FAITH

Archbishop Fulton Sheen had great admiration for Pastor Wurmbrand after reading of the protestant missionary's story and the 14 years he spent in a communist prison. Pastor Wurmbrand is ill at the moment and his son Michael offered this account of the first meeting of these two great men of faith, which took place in 1974:

"I think my father met the Archbishop when they were by chance both staying in the same Chicago hotel in 1974. Meeting in the lobby, the Archbishop wanted to kneel to my father stating that he had read all his books regarding his 14 year long imprisonment in communist Romania and wanted to show by this his admiration to all suffering Christians under communism. Father did his best to prevent him, it was a memorable scene, in the lobby of a large hotel. On Easter 1975 we attended the Archbishop's 3 hour sermon on the Seven Words of the Cross, at the largest Los Angeles Catholic Cathedral on Wilshire Boulevard. Both the main church, the entire basement was filled to capacity and then the whole church was surrounded by people listening through loudspeakers. Archbishop Sheen was for sure the best preacher I ever heard, keeping his audience totally spellbound both by content and delivery. Following his sermon, he called me and my wife in a packed side room and spontaneously recited, out of memory, in front of us at least a page out of my father's well known book, "Sermons in Solitary Confinement".

Mother of Orphans

Archbishop Sheen interviewed Pastor Wurmbrand for his radio (or TV) programme and asked him about his life:

Pastor Wurmbrand replied: "I started my life as a very poor orphan child. In my childhood, I had never heard either the name of Christ nor that of God. I am Jewish, but Jewish by race. I have never been brought up in the Jewish Religion and after a very bitter childhood, at the age of 14, I was already a very convinced atheist. I was sure that there is no God. I can understand those who say that God is dead. This is an expression of a deep disappointment. I was sad about the fact that there is no God. I would have liked a God to be. I would have liked that somewhere in the centre of this universe, that there should beat a heart with love for me. I have not been kissed much, I have not been caressed, I had not heard many good words when I was a child. In my childhood I have eaten 1� cakes; one that had been stolen, and so I was a very convinced atheist. I went from church to church; all the denominations, I didn't even know what they were. I tried to find out something about this God. I remember I was in a Catholic church. I saw people kneeling before the statue of a beautiful lady � and I didn't know who this lady was; they said that I should repeat their words after them. They said the Rosary, so I repeated it after them and I expected that something would happen but nothing happened, as so in Protestant churches and Orthodox churches and in synagogues too; and to cut a long story short, I arrived at despair: and one day I said the prayer of an atheist:

�God I know for sure that You don't exist, but if by chance You do exist, which I contest � I speak in madness to the non-existent. If You do exist, it is not my duty to believe in You, it is Your duty to reveal Yourself to me.'

This prayer was accepted. Who can limit the goodness of God? He accepted everything I said. I found out later, that just at that time, high up in the mountains in Romania, a carpenter who had never seen me, had prayed to God like this: 'God, I have served You on earth and I wish to have my reward on earth, not in heaven. My reward should be that I should not die before I bring a Jew to Christ, because You, Jesus, are from the Jewish people. Bring a Jew into my village. There are no Jews here'�I was the first Jew to come into that village. He was a simple man and he could not tell me much, but he gave me the New Testament to read. I could not read it, I could only weep over it, always comparing my life with the life of Jesus. He is always pure, I am impure; He is honest, I am dishonest; He is truthful, I am a liar. I regretted my life, but I also found that there exists salvation and forgiveness through Him.

Joy in Suffering

"I became a Christian, and afterwards a Pastor, but in very difficult times, in Nazi times, many of my family were killed, others have been in Nazi prisons; my wife has also been court-marshalled by them, and then the communists took over my homeland, Romania. They started a very heavy persecution of Christians, all Catholic Bishops, Priests, Monks and Nuns went to prison . Orthodox bishops, Pastors, Protestants and tens of thousands of lay men, farmers, young boys and young girls who ever witnessed for Christ had to go to prison. I was one of the organisers of the underground church in Romania. I worked underground during 3� years as well as among the Soviet soldiers who had occupied my homeland. The first years, everyone was kept alone in a cell 30 feet beneath the earth. During this we never saw the sun, moon, snow, flowers or stars. We never had a book; we never had a bit of paper. We were meant to look just at the grey walls of the cell. Sometimes a punishment was that you had no grey walls, you were put in a cell with black walls and the wardens were dressed in black. You can't imagine what it means to have black around you always.

But there I could experience the truth of the Bible. Sometimes the walls of the cells shone like diamonds; there was so much light in it; there was so much joy. Jesus and His Holy angels had been with us. I had always liked to sing the praises of the Lord accompanied by organ, or by piano. We didn't have these in prison, but happily they had put chains at our hands and feet, and so we could sing 'Onwards Christian Soldiers, cling, clang, marching with the war, cling clang' and there exists this joy of Christ which does not depend upon external circumstances. There exists a reality beyond that which our senses perceive.

"We became aware of this reality and I can bear witness for myself and for all those who have been in prison. After the first years, we were placed in common cells; you can have joy amidst tribulations and sorrows; and this is the first good news which I can give to you, my listeners. I know that there are sufferings in America too, you have your part of sorrows. When the outlook is very bad, try this outlook � look to Christ. He will give you comfort in the midst of sorrows. There are around one million Christians in communist jails today. They are tortured and many of them have been killed; children are taken away from their parents; Christians are sometimes in psychiatric asylums; we have known prisoners who are in straight jackets and gagged because they believe in Christ. The Jews are persecuted, the Muslims and so many innocents, but there exists a comfort in God; God is a reality. We have experienced His presence, and He gave us joy and He can give it to you."

Demonic Henchmen:

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen continues the interview: "I should like to ask you � with some reference to America, there is a growing influence of the demonic in American life today. Our youth does not know how evil it is; that it is personal; it is from hell and I am sure that in so much as you have spent 14 years in the prison that you have had out of your love for Christ, some experience of the demonic. Would you please tell us?"

Pastor Wurmband: "There is something which is usually not known about Communism, that Marx was a member of the secret Satanist church in London. There exists a book which Marxists hate but which is written by Marx which is called 'Leunamme'. Leunamme is an eneagram of the Holy Name, Emmanuel � 'God is with us � the Name of Jesus'. Leunamme is used in black magic, and Marx had it at the age of 24. He said these very words � 'I have sold my soul to the prince of darkness and my aim is to draw the whole of humanity into the abyss � hell and to go after and laugh about how I succeeded, and to hurl curses upon God.' That is Marx. He did not care about Socialism, about a better state of humanity, that is what he wished. And Moses Hess is the one who brought him to Socialist convictions after they had met. Marx says, 'I have found the man who will draw God down from heaven' � that is what Marxism is about.

I have known myself a communist torturer. I have heard him saying � 'I thank God in whose existence I don't believe, that He has allowed us to live in such a beautiful time, in which you can do the most wicked things, and be rewarded for them.' So there does exist something Satanic, and in the solitary cells, we felt the nearness of Satan. We had not the slightest doubt that he is there, as I would feel the nearness of him near me and he tempted us to deny Christ, to get our liberty by betraying our president and so on.

"Christ has felt all the fury of Hell launched against Him on Good Friday, but He knew the Resurrection too. We have known the fury of hell. Christians have been compelled to eat their faeces, and to drink urine. They were tied to crosses for days and for nights. The crosses were put on the floor every night and other prisoners were tortured to put their bodily necessities upon the faces and the bodies of the saints of God, and then the Communists stood around mocking � look how beautiful your Christ is and for what fragments He comes from heaven. They drove a Priest to madness to say Holy Communion, the words of Holy Communion on the dirt and so on.

Terrible things have happened, terrible things happen today in Communist countries. All the Churches of Red China have been closed and desecrated with posters, on which it is written � 'Hang God', and over one million Christians were killed under tortures. In Russia, 9/10ths of the churches have been closed. Priests, Pastors and simple laymen of all denominations have been and are in prison. They tore the tongue out of a Christian martyr � we have a picture. Then there was the young Christian 20 years old; they stabbed him 6 times in the region of his heart. Another man had served 31 years of prison, another 25 years in psychiatric asylums. These men must be helped. Christian charity will overcome the demonic in the US and everywhere.

"The underground Church and our mission do not work in vain. We have won for Christ the daughter of the greatest mass murderer of Christians � Stalin. It is quite an achievement of the underground church. The underground church has won for Christ the two great Nobel Prize winners of Russia. It's the only country which forbids the works of its Noble Prize winners, because we confess Christ, so many others in the underground Church suffer, but the blood of martyrs has always been the seed of the Church and if Christians have so many blessings, they should know from where these blessings come. I have seen myself in Communist prisons, Christians with 50lb chains at their feet, praying every night for its churches and for its children. That is where your blessings come from. Don't forget to pray for them."

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