Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and
compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God
forgave you.
In Communist Romania, churches were closed and pastors arrested as part of a seven-year drive to eliminate the nations of all superstition.
So when
Richard Wurmbrand and his wife, Sabina, began holding more church meetings in
their little home, they knew it would not escape the attention of the
government forever. Every evening Richard prayed, "God, if you know of
some prisoner who needs my help, send me back to jail." His wife shuddered
while she mumbled a reluctant "amen."
"Then
they learned that one of the church members' homes had been raided and copies
of Richard’s sermons had been confiscated. They also learned that the assistant
pastor, their friend and coworker, became an informant and had denounced
Richard.
It was 1
:00 AM. when the police raided the little apartment and placed Richard under
arrest. As they handcuffed him, Richard said, "I won't leave here
peacefully unless you allow me a few minutes to embrace my wife." The
police reluctantly agreed. They would have their way soon enough. The couple
held each other, prayed, and sang with such emotion that even the captain was
moved. Finally they escorted him out to a police van with Richard’s wife
tearfully running after them.
Richard
turned and called out his last words before disappearing for many years,
"Give all my love to our son and the pastor who denounced me."
EXTREME BETRAYAL REQUIRES EXTREME FORGIVENESS.
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