The Power of Prayer
“Our prayers can go where we cannot…There are no borders, no prison walls, no doors that are closed to us when we pray.” Brother Andrew, God’s Smuggler.
Historical Background
In 1955, Brother Andrew took a giant leap of faith. For the first time, he crossed the border into a repressed, communist country.
His entry visa was approved by the Polish government.
His secret God-given mission was not.
In 1945, Hitler committed suicide and the ruling Nazi Party collapsed. Peace finally came. Captured nations were freed and everyone celebrated. But within a few short years, the Iron Curtain fell over Eastern Europe. By the end of 1948, East Germany, Albania Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Hungary and Czechoslovakia all came under communist rule and Russian influence.
In each nation, state-sponsored persecution broke out against the Christian churches.
The communist governments all had the same goal; destroy the Christian faith within their borders.
Brother Andrew’s Call
While reading Revelations one day, the Lord spoke strongly to Andrew’s heart.
2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die… (Revelations 3:2 NIV)
Brother Andrew immediately knew that God was calling him to help the hurting body of Christ behind the Iron Curtain. As soon as he attained the visas, he started traveling into the communist countries, to find out the condition of the local church.
When he started, this Dutchman:
- Didn’t speak any of the native languages.
- Had no contact with the Christians in those countries.
- Quickly started bringing in Bibles, because many believers didn’t own one.
- Smuggled Bibles into Poland printed in Polish.
- Soon started smuggling Bibles into the other communist countries too.
- Risked deportation, fines, imprisonment, torture and death if caught by the authorities.
- Had to protect the identities of his newly found brothers and sisters.
- Often spoke words of encouragement during church services.
- Gave the believers hope that they had not been forgotten by the larger body of Christ.
- Initially traveled alone, being away from his family for months at a time.
Brother Andrew knows the power of heartfelt, desperate prayers. Many times his life depended on God answering and guiding him clearly during a crisis.
Gradually the work has expanded. Other Christians joined him and learned to travel and minister in restricted countries too.
The Work Goes On
Today, Brother Andrew is in his 90s, but the organization he founded, Open Doors, ministers to persecuted believers in sixty countries. They provide food, emergency shelter, trauma counseling, Bibles, focused scripture-based training, legal aid and other resources to the suffering church worldwide.
This image was provided by Pixabay.com.
Resources:
Click on this link to Open Doors USA and read more of Brother Andrew’s testimony. Then explore the site to learn more about their work today.
I’ve provided links to two books:
God’s Smuggler is about Brother Andrew’s life and ministry. It’s considered a Christian classic.
God’s Smuggler to China shares about how a Christian named Brother David outside China finally connected to the underground church. The last chapter talks about Project Pearl, where outside believers used a barge to smuggle a million Chinese Bibles into the hands of the Chinese Christians in a single night. The Chinese quietly removed the Bibles from the beach and spread them throughout the country.
This book is out of print but there are a few copies left on Amazon.com. In the meantime, here is a summary of Brother David’s life and Project Pearl. Click here.
