Hearts of Fire

For those of you looking for the next book you want to read, let me introduce to you one that will challenge your faith. It is titled Hearts of Fire: Eight Women in the Underground Church and Their Stories of Costly Faith (Nashville, Tennessee: W Publishing Group, 2003). The paperback is a product of The Voice of Martyrs. The Voice of Martyrs is a “non-profit, interdenominational organization with a vision for aiding Christians around the world who are being persecuted for their faith in Christ.”

Hearts of Fire is a must read for anyone serious about their faith. The faith-stories of these eight women in the face of severe of persecution are astonishing. Their testimonies will challenge you, and their resolve to remain faithful to the cause of Christ will embolden you. And, after reading it, you will no longer complain about the minor inconveniences we Christians face in America. To be blunt, I hope when you read this book you are challenged to live a bolder life for and in Christ.

A paragraph in the introduction explains the purpose of the book:

It is our prayer that you come away from reading Hearts of Fire with a deeper conviction and steadier direction for handling life’s difficulties. If you are only amazed at these incredible testimonies, we have failed. If you can find in your own life similarities with one or more of these testimonies, and if you can gain strength from these examples of extraordinary courage, we have succeeded, and so have these women who have so graciously offered to share their stories with you.

It is hard to say which account I appreciated the most.

Adel’s story of enduring Muslim jihad persecution for being a Christ follower seemed the freshest to me, in light of our war on terror. Adel stood firm in her faith even as she watched a man slice her seven year son’s body with a machete. As she covered his body with hers, she kept saying, “The blood of Jesus is all powerful.”

Purnima’s account as a thirteen year old sent to prison for her faith will make you hug your Christ-following children a little longer after you read her story. While in prison she introduced many to Christ when she used her prison allowance to purchase and cook all the women in the prison a home cooked meal.

Then there is Aida Mikhailovan Skripnikova’s story of standing up against the atheist rule of the Soviet judicial system. A sentence or two from the epilogue of her life summarizes the direct impact of her faith:

Today, Aida Skripnikova lives in St. Petersburg. Her faith has outlived the regime that sought to destroy it. Today, it is legal for Christians like her to gather for worship and preaching.

Perhaps my favorite account is that of Sabina’s. I was drawn to her story because she is a pastor’s wife. I am also drawn to her account because she and her husband Richard are the founders of The Voice of Martyrs.

The Russians had driven the Nazis out of Romania, and now they were taking steps to control all aspects of Romanian government and society. Their latest effort was to summon clergy from all religions for a meeting; the Russians called it the “Congress of Cults.” Their stated goal was to garnish support among the clergy. But to Sabina the tactic was nothing more than an attempt to gain control and turn Romania’s religious leaders into puppets of the state.

Sabina and her husband attended the meeting with four thousand other bishops, pastors, priests, rabbis, and mullahs. The meeting, at first, had the appearance of being forthright and sincere. It even began with a religious service. However, as the convocation unfolded Sabina and her husband realized this was nothing more than a time for the government to seize control of the religious leaders. The government official leading the meeting declared the Romanian government was in full support of all religious faiths and they would continue to pay the religious leaders, as they had done before. The leader even suggested the men would possibly receive a raise.

Sabina nudged her husband to stand up and speak against this plan. Richard responded, “OK, I can go up and speak. But if I do, you will no longer have a husband.” Sabina knew he was right, but she still looked up into her husband’s eyes and she simply said, “I don’t need a coward for a husband.”

WOW!

Allow me to record his comments, and then I am done. Read carefully what Richard says, because soon after making this statement both he and his wife would spend years in a prison, not knowing if the other one was dead or alive.

Richard Wurmbrand addressed the audience:

Thank you for this privilege to join together and freely speak. When the children of God meet, angels also gather to hear the wisdom of God. So it is the duty of every believer, not to praise earthly men or leaders who come and go, but to praise God the Creator and Christ the Savior, who died for our sins.

The whole atmosphere in the hall began to change, and Sabina’s heart was filled with joy. Finally, the focus was being diverted away from the propaganda of the Communist and onto Christ.

Your right to speak has been terminated!” Burducca, the minister of cults, suddenly exclaimed as he jumped to his feet. Ignoring him, Richard went on to encourage his fellow leaders to place their trust and obedience in God, not man. The audience began to applaud. They knew Richard was right, but he was the only one brave enough to say what needed to be said.

I came away from reading this book with two particular streams of thought.

First, many of the women had a statement of faith from the Bible that empowered them to stand firm for Christ.

Adel’s mantra was “the blood of Jesus is all powerful.”

A Muslim girl named Aida returned to the word “Emmanuel” in her plight.

Another woman quoted from the beatitudes when Jesus said, “Blessed are you when other revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for you reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11-12).

The lesson learned is basic: the Word of God is what sustains us.

Second, I am amazed at how much a threat Christianity and God’s Word is to atheistic or religious extremist governments.

Why all the fear? What is it about Christianity that scares them? Why do these government leaders burn our Bibles, imprison our brothers and sisters in Christ and martyr those who live for Christ? Are we that much of a threat? Are we that much of a danger to their civilization?

We do not bear arms. We do not invade their homes and ransack their lives. We do not burn their holy books. Why all the fear? Persecution is a funny thing, isn’t it? Do you ever hear of atheists imprisoned for their lack of faith? Do you ever hear of Muslims flayed with a sword by Christians?

Why all the persecution?

I have an answer, but I would be much more interested in your answer to the previous list of questions.

Okay, I am finished. As you can tell, this book has my attention.
By the way, don’t look for this book at LifeWay or Barnes and Nobles. You will have to order your copy from The Voice of Martyrs webpage.