Whether it’s our business, our ministry, our writing, or our personal life, it is our primary desire and purpose to bless, edify, encourage, and inspire. There’s just no better way to do that, than to share stories of individuals, who, with God’s help, overcome great obstacles and difficulties, even great tragedies, to “make it out.” I try to write much about the reason we are allowed, through God’s great mercy and grace, to “make it out” … so that we, then, can “go back” and help others “out.” Paul wrote that we are delivered, that we go through trials and tribulations, in order to, yes, build our faith, but also to be in a position to best help and understand others, during their trials and tribulations.
There’s just no better way to illustrate all of this, than to share with you real stories, of real Christians, around the world, who are going through, and have gone through, things that we just can’t possibly imagine. The horror … and, the hope …
The last couple of weeks, we’ve focused on our Christian brothers and sisters, facing the most horrendous of circumstances … unimaginable to most of us … just because they profess to be followers of Christ. They, literally, make a life and death decision … when they make the decision to follow Christ …
I’d like to share with you a new video from The Voice of the Martyrs, whose work and ministry we are proud to support. This is to promote a new book, which features stories of those who made the decision to follow Christ … the same decision made by our brothers and sisters for centuries …. To follow Christ … at any cost …
By now, most of us have seen the video (and, many saw this live on the Discovery Channel) of Nik Wallenda walking, 1500 feet above the Snake River, across the Grand Canyon on the high wire, without benefit of safety net or teeter. It strikes me that this great achievement is already being remembered as much for Nik’s constant praying, as the walk itself.
What many of you may not have seen, or heard, is Nik Wallenda’s testimony, which includes the real reason he does this. It has as much to do with the name of Jesus as it does his family name. For that reason, we’d like to share this special video, from CBN.com, featuring a short biography of Nik, and his testimony. You’ll be both blessed and amazed.
Notes: It always amazes me how God can use anything for his glory. Even what the world would call a “daredevil stunt” can be used to witness for Him. That God is trying to communicate with us in many different ways-whatever it takes to get our attention. Think about it: When I first saw the video, the first thing that captured my attention was the constant prayer and praise being offered to Jesus, by Nik.
And … here we go … last night (Monday night), after watching game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final (on Hockey Night in America/Canadian Broadcasting Network-sorry, NBC) … I flipped channels, which is a rare opportunity to expose myself to network TV … and watched David Letterman’s Top Ten List … which was related to “What Nik Wallenda Didn’t Say.” I thought that the reason this is even a list is because we all heard what Nik said … a worldwide audience (even those at WorldWide Pants) … heard a steady “line” of prayer and praise to Jesus … Mr. Letterman made what I thought was a great statement, meant to be funny, but you could feel a certain reverence behind the grin, about “What else would you do but pray if you were 1500 feet above the Grand Canyon.” While that’s a from-memory paraphrase, just think about the thought behind that “joke.” Then, in agreement, with what seemed to be even more reverence to the thought of prayer in a difficult circumstance, Paul Shaffer agreed that prayer is a great idea when “you’re over a grand canyon.” I’ve always respected Paul Shaffer, love his Canadian roots, and you could just see that he wanted to say more, but he got it.
In our lives, we all have great “canyons” to cross, and the only option we have is prayer. Anyway, that’s what I got out of it. A great reminder, and great encouragement to … pray and praise … I don’t want to wait until I’m over a canyon, or in a foxhole, to cry out, or to praise You …
Enjoy this great video testimony from CBN.com:
And, now, just in case you didn’t see it, or to see it again, here is the best news feature I found on Nik’s walk. I wanted to find a video that had as much of his praying as possible … I thought it interesting that the US videos didn’t have much of the prayers, only a blurb here and there … but, the video feeds I saw from overseas, especially England, had much more of the praying … including Nik, in Jesus’ name, taking authority over the elements … I agree, don’t hear that much on our network television …
Enjoy this short news report from ITN studios, in London:
Nik’s Book is called “Balance: A Story of Faith, Family, and Life on the Line.” Here’s a description of the book:
Nik Wallenda shares how the support of his family and his faith in Jesus Christ keep him balanced as a death-defying stunt performer. Balance is the theme of Nik’s life: between his work and family, his faith in God and artistry, his body and soul. It resonates from him when performing and when no one is looking. When walking across Niagara Falls, he prayed aloud the entire time, and to keep his lust for glory and fame in check, Nik returned to the site of his performance and spent three hours cleaning up trash left by the crowd.
Be inspired by today’s stories of “Sauls” being transformed into “Pauls.”
“A racehorse can run just as fast in either direction.” Russell S., a VOM contact in Colombia
Those who are most passionately opposed to the gospel can become the most effective in sharing Christ’s love.
God chose Saul, a persecutor of Christians, and transformed him into a passionate preacher of the gospel who later became known as Paul. Today, God still calls out to persecutors of his children and changes them into preachers of his truth.
The angry men throwing stones at Stephen wanted a witness’s approval to kill him. So they took off their coats and dropped them at the feet of a young man named Saul, who was in agreement with the execution of the Jesus-follower.
Saul went on to lead the charge against the Jewish apostates… until he met the one he was fighting against.
“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Jesus asked. Saul’s life was changed. Instead of fighting against the name of Jesus, he began preaching and praying and healing in it.
God chose Saul, a persecutor of Christians, and transformed him into a passionate preacher of the gospel who later became known as Paul. Today, God still calls out to persecutors of his children and changes them into preachers of his truth.
Read the stories of seven such men in VOM’s new book, SAUL TO PAUL.
The seven men in this book tried to destroy the Bride of Christ, but they ultimately succumbed to the power of the Holy Spirit. Their stories illuminate the struggle of the persecuted church and show that our sovereign God can incline even the most hardened heart toward his own.
This book will encourage you to pray for persecuted Christians and help you view “enemies” as people who might someday be a great asset to Christ’s kingdom.
David Brainerd: The very name brings so many images to mind. Courage, bravery, faith, prayer, service, and unselfishness. I have no doubt I should have mentioned prayer first. A man who devoted so much time to prayer and intersession. No wonder there were so many miracles. There are so many stories of his miraculous missionary ministry. A life devoted to prayer, and so often alone and against all odds, he effectively brought the Gospel where it had never been heard before, to peoples whom language he did not even know. So many stories and images. His suffering and service, while battling terminal illness, giving his life to preach the Gospel. No wonder his favorite message, his favorite Bible passage, was Isaiah 53. Here in New England, and especially “down” in southern New England, it seems every Pastor has a favorite David Brainerd story.
My own personal favorite, and I will paraphrase as best I can from memory, was when David Brainerd was scheduled to preach to a large group of Indians, and as was usually the case, he did not know, nor speak their language. His interpreter showed up completely and totally, “falling down” drunk, almost unable to speak coherently. But, there was no one else available who spoke both English and the Native Indian language. Somehow, the interpreter managed to stay awake and standing long enough to stammer through the message. What happened? God’s Word was so powerful that many, many of the Indians came forward to accept Christ as their Savior and Lord. My first knowledge of David Brainerd came through the many references made to him in E.B. Bounds’ many books on prayer. David’s story, and the stories about his life as missionary, astounded me. Please be advised, that any book about his life and his work, will fill you with the same amazement, and encouragement. In fact, I would go so far as to say that any one that is planning and wanting and willing to serve others on Christ’s behalf, regardless of the office or capacity, should read all he can about the life of David Brainerd, and especially his diary, which he devoutly kept throughout his missionary life. Both his Diary and Journal (which he kept from June 19, 1745, to June 19, 1746) are full of ministry and miracles that read like The Acts of the Apostles. The Life and Diary of David Brainerd has had a life-transforming effect upon many, motivating them to become missionaries, evangelists, preachers, and people of prayer and power. John Wesley said, “Let every preacher read carefully over the life of David Brainerd.” He is remembered not only as the great Apostle to the North American Indians, but also as a chief source of inspiration in the lives of thousands who have been challenged from ease and selfishness to lives of holiness and sacrifice, as they have prayed and wept over his Journal. Everyone should read about David Brainerd. Everyone. Oh, and then compare your hardships to his. He is called “The pioneer of modern missionary work.” Most of the biographies condense like this: Missionary to the American Indians in New York, New Jersey, and eastern Pennsylvania. Born in Connecticut in 1718, he died of tuberculosis at the age of twenty-nine, on October 9, 1747, while staying at the home of Jonathan Edwards, in Northampton, Massachusetts. Jonathan Edwards preached his funeral sermon and published the diary which David had kept. David Brainerd’s life reached out and touched the whole world, challenging more people into Christian service than perhaps any other man that ever lived. The mere mention of the name, Brainerd, automatically triggers the mind to think of dedication in a way that perhaps has never been equaled. His ministry to the Indians was contemporary with Wesley, Whitefield and Edwards as they ministered to the English-speaking people during the period called in English and American history the “Great Awakening.” Brainerd’s centuries-spanning influence for revival is positive proof God can and will use any vessel, no matter how fragile and frail, if it is only sold out to souls and to Jesus. “His story,” said J. M. Sherwood, “has done more to develop and mold the spirit of modern missions, and to fire the heart of the Christian Church, than that of any man since the apostolic age.”
“We should always look upon ourselves as God’s servants, placed in God’s world to do His work; and accordingly labor faithfully for Him. Let it then be your great concern, thus to devote yourself and your all to God.”
David Brainerd was born in Haddam, Connecticut on April 20, 1718, the sixth of nine children of Hezekiah and Dorothy (Mason) Brainerd. His father was a local justice of the peace, and both David’s parents were Christians. His father died when he was nine, and the death of his mother in March, 1732 brought additional great grief to 14 year old David. By 1739, he was setting aside whole days of secret fasting and almost incessant prayer as he strove for acceptance with God. On July 12, 1739, at 21 years old, he returned to his secret place of prayer, where God spoke to him as the day dawned, and he had a glorious salvation experience.
From his youth, David Brainerd was frail and sickly. By August, 1740, he was weak and spitting up blood. Consumption or tuberculosis of the lungs was the plague of colonial New England, and would plaque David every day thereafter, for the rest of his life. He was very intelligent, and would attend Yale for a time. On April 19, 1741, Ebenezer Pembertson visited Yale and gave a stirring address about missionary work to the Indians. The next day, on his 23rd birthday, Brainerd vowed “to be wholly the Lord’s, to be forever devoted to his service.” On July 29, 1742, he was licensed to preach as a Presbyterian at Danbury, Connecticut. Brainerd’s first sermon was on July 30th at Southbury, Connecticut, using I Peter 4:8 as his text and his first message to the Indians was soon after, on August 12, near the Connecticut-New York border. He traveled as an itinerant preacher for several months. David would travel over 15,000 miles on horseback, often in great pain. He preached from place to place that first winter, then served as a supply preacher at East Hampton, Long Island, New York for six weeks. On his last Sunday there, March 13th, although he could hardly stand up, he preached for an hour and a half. The next day, he left for work among the Indians. He said later, “I never, since I began to preach, could feel any freedom to enter into other men’s labours and settle down in the ministry where the gospel was preached before.” He felt he had to preach where Christ was not named nor known. He left for his life’s work March 25, 1743.
Here is one story of many, this one from his first visit to Indian tribes on the Forks of the Delaware River: Arriving the night before he would begin his work, he camped just outside the Indian settlement. He did not know, until the next morning (when he safely entered the Indian village) that he was being watched by warriors who were sent to kill him that night. The warriors made their move, approaching David’s tent, when they saw their target, on his knees, praying. Then, they saw a rattlesnake crawl up to David’s side, and lift up his head to strike. David did not even see the snake, even when the rattlesnake’s forked tongue almost touched his face. Then, suddenly, for no reason, the snake froze, and then quickly slithered away into the woods. David had no idea he was inches from sure death-one way or the other. However, the Indians ran back to the village and proclaimed that “The Great Spirit is with the paleface!” And, they gave David Brainerd a prophet’s welcome. His short life with the Indians would be full of miraculous interventions of God on his behalf, and of the great ministry and revivals that would follow. He was frequently in distress for lack of suitable food, exposed to hunger and cold, lost in the forests, caught in storms with no shelter available, obliged to ford raging streams and to spend the night in the woods, in peril from wild beasts and wild savages. He realized, however, that he had at most a year or two longer to live, and concluded, after much struggle of soul, that he should “burn out to the last” as a traveling missionary. Falling on his knees in his resignation, he cried: “Farewell friends and earthly comforts; farewell to the dearest, the very dearest of them all. I will spend my life to my latest moments in caves and dens of the earth, if the kingdom of Christ may thereby be advanced.”
After five years of arduous travel, manifold hardships, and almost constant pain, David Brainerd, spitting blood and almost delirious with fever, stumbled down the road to Northampton to die in the home of Jonathan Edwards. He was not yet 30, but he had no regrets. “Now that I am dying,” he exclaimed, “I declare that I would not for all the world have spent my life otherwise!”
From his diary: “Here am I, send me; send me to the ends of the earth; send me to the rough, the savage pagans of the wilderness; send me from all that is called comfort on earth; send me even to death itself, if it be but in Thy service, and to promote Thy kingdom.” The last words written in his diary, on Oct. 2, 1749: “My soul was this day, at turns, sweetly set on God: I longed to be with him, that I might behold his glory. I felt sweetly disposed to commit all to him, even my dearest friends, my dearest flock, my absent brother, and all my concerns for time and eternity. O that his kingdom might come in the world; that they might all love and glorify him, for what he is in himself; and that that blessed Redeemer might “see of the travail of his soul, and be satisfied! Oh, come, Lord Jesus, come quickly! Amen.”
The 53rd chapter of Isaiah was exceedingly precious to David Brainerd. When preaching to the Indians, his favorite theme was Isaiah 53. And, when he came to the end of his life, the last entry he made in his Diary contained a quotation from the 53rd chapter of Isaiah.
His last words were “He will come, and will not tarry. I shall soon be in glory; soon be with God and His angels.”
When Pastor Richard Wurmbrand came to the United States and founded The Voice of the Martyrs in 1967, few people knew about the persecution of Christians in many nations worldwide. But more and more concerned Christians are learning about their persecuted brothers and sisters and are doing what they can to help. With your assistance in 2012, we were able to serve persecuted believers in more than 60 nations. We distributed more than 1 million Bibles and New Testaments as well as more than 1 million children’s Bibles, storybooks and films on the life of Christ. We supported more than 4,000 workers through our monthly PSP (Participating with Strategic Partners) Program and provided medical care to 307 persecuted Christians. Thank you to all who have partnered with us in remembering our persecuted family.
If you have friends who don’t know about our persecuted brothers and sisters, we would be happy to send them a free copy of Pastor Wurmbrand’s international bestseller, Tortured for Christ. Simply click on the link below, and fill in the names and addresses of those you would like to receive a free copy of Tortured for Christ. We will send them a copy of the book along with a free subscription to The Voice of the Martyrs newsletter.
“… As we gather in local churches to hear the preaching of God’s word from faithful ministers, what is the proper spiritual posture we should take for listening to the sermon?”
This is a remarkable list, and has great links for further detail on each book listed. Awesome! Here is a “List of the Lists” You’ll Find, with all the information:
Top Ten Christian Books of All Time
Top Ten Christian Books On Prayer
Top Ten Christian Prayer Biographies
Top Ten Christian Biographies
Top Ten “Basic Christian Teaching” Books
Top Ten “Classic” Christian Books
Top Ten Christian Histories
Top Ten “Celtic Christian” Books
Top Ten Works of Christian Fiction
Top Ten Christian Books We Read (or Listen to On Audio) Over and Over Again
Here is another great, free online resource … Just the biographies here are priceless … This is A Christian Online Services Library Project Offered by Northwestern Theological Seminaryand Northwestern Christian University. A great Library:
“First and foremost, a good book will have a heavy dependency upon Scripture. Whatever truth it seeks to teach will be ultimately drawn from God through the Bible … Therefore, whatever we teach about living the Christian life ought to depend heavily upon His wisdom.”
pastorappreciationblog.com 